Browne
Family title
Marquess of Sligo
Description
A junior branch of the Brownes of The Neale, county Mayo, established at Westport by Colonel John Browne (c 1636-1711) at the end of the 17th century. The Colonel’s wife was a great, great granddaughter of the famous pirate queen Grace O’Malley. Their grandson became the 1st Earl of Altamont in 1771 and his grandson was created Marquess of Sligo in 1800. The Brownes have been in continuous occupation at Westport House for more than 300 years.
Estate(s)
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Scott | James R. Hope Scott bought lands in the parish of Ballintober, barony of Carra and in the parish of Addergoole, barony of Tirawley, county Mayo, from the 3rd Marquess of Sligo in the mid 1850s. His representatives owned 2462 acres in county Mayo in 1876. In 1887 the second daughter of James Robert Hope Scott married Nicholas Robert O'Conor, a member of the O'Conor family of Dundermott. |
| Browne (Neale) | A family established at The Neale, county Mayo, from the 16th century which they were regranted along with other Mayo lands under the Acts of Settlement. The estate of the Lords Kilmaine included most of parish of Manulla, plus lands in the parishes of Aglish and Islandeady, barony of Carra. In the barony of Kilmaine most of their estate was in the parishes of Kilmolara and Ballinchalla with smaller holdings in the parishes of Ballinrobe and Cong. They also owned land in the parishes of Ross and Cong, barony of Ross, county Galway and in the parishes of St Peters and Cam, barony of Athlone, county Roscommon. In 1876 the 4th Baron owned 11,564 acres in county Mayo, 2151 acres in county Galway and 979 acres in county Roscommon and estates of about 2000 acres in each of the counties Westmeath and Wexford. The county Westmeath estate was in the parishes of St Mary’s Athlone, Castlelost, Enniscoffey, Kilbridge and Pass of Kilbride and amounted to 2,122 acres in the 1870s. The main family residence was then located at Galston Park, Killucan, county Westmeath. O’Brien writes that Gaulstown/Galston Park was purchased from the Earl of Belvedere by Lord Kilmaine, in 1784. Although the family were very active in the local affairs of county Mayo in the 17th and early 18 centuries, they were largely absentee by the 19th century and their estate in county Mayo was administered by agents, such as Charles Cromie, a nephew of the 2nd Baron. Parts of the estates in counties Wexford, Westmeath, Roscommon (over 1,000 acres at Monksland, barony of Athlone), Galway (over 2,000 acres in the barony of Ross) and Mayo (230 acres in the parish of Cong) were advertised for sale in the Landed Estates' Court in 1875. The Brownes sold over 2000 acres of their estate to the Congested Districts' Board in February 1907 and another 1660 acres in July 1914. |
| Clive (Croy Lodge) | By the time of Griffith's Valuation Reverend Archer Clive of Herefordshire, England, had bought some of the lands, previously part of the O'Donel of Newport estate, sold to John William Birch in the Encumbered Estates' Court 1852-1856. Documents in the Westport Estate Papers show Percy Arthur Clive holding 3,891 acres in the parish of Kilcommon, barony of Erris, county Mayo, in the late 19th century as well as the Ballycroy fishery. The estate was sold to the Congested Districts' Board on 28 Mar 1912 for £6,007. This branch of the Clive family also had an estate of 3103 acres in county Louth. A cousin of Percy Arthur Clive, the Honourable George Windsor Clive, grandson of Robert Clive of Indian fame, appears to have held some land in county Mayo in the 1890s, see the Westport Estate Papers MS 41,070/1. |
| Clive (Rock House) | George Clive, Member of Parliament and barrister, of Perrystone Court, Herefordshire, built up an extensive estate of 35,229 acres (1876) in the barony of Erris by purchasing land from the O'Donels, Marquess of Sligo and the Birch family. The final offer by the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of almost 33,000 acres of the estate had been accepted by March 1916. George Clive of Ballycroy also owned 4,869 acres in county Tipperary [bought by the Clives from the Minchins in the 1770s]. In the mid 19th century the representatives of Henry Clive held an estate in the parishes of Bourney, Corbally, Killavinoge and Rathnaveoge, barony of Ikerrin, county Tipperary. The Clive family were related to the Boltons of Knock, county Louth and to Dr Bolton, Archbishop of Cashel. |
| Livingstone | William Livingstown, a Westport merchant, had extensive business interests all over county Mayo in the mid 19th century. He bought Claggarnagh East and West (Greenhills), parish of Islandeady, barony of Burrishoole, from the 3rd Marquess of Sligo in 1854. He also held two townlands in the parish of Kilmaclasser, barony of Burrishoole. John Knox was proprietor of the Kilmaclasser townlands in 1838. Livingstone also leased property from the Marquess of Sligo in Westport town and at Mount Browne. Richard Livingstone held two townlands in the parish of Kilmeena, barony of Burrishoole. By the time of Griffith's Valuation Richard Livingstone also held three townlands in the parish of Omey, barony of Ballynahinch, county Galway. In 1876 William Livingstone owned 2,223 acres in county Mayo and five acres in the town of Galway. The Livingstones later lived at Belclare, near Westport. By March 1916 The Honourable Mrs Livingstone had accepted an offer from the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of 730 acres of her estate. |
| McCormack | In the early 1850s William McCormack of the Irish Beetroot and Sugar Manufacturing Company bought most of the estate of the McLoughlins of Newfield in the parish and barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo. In April 1874 over 8,000 acres in the barony of Burrishoole belonging to William McCormack, including the Curraun estate and property in Newport held from the Marquess of Sligo, were advertised for sale in the Landed Estates' Court and appears to have been bought by the Dickins family. In 1870s a number of McCormacks with Dublin addresses held a considerable acreage in county Mayo, including John McCormack who owned 2,629 acres in county Mayo and 936 acres in county Cork. 428 acres belonging to Cormac McCormick were vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 31 Mar 1915. |
| Moore (Achill) | At the time of Griffith's Valuation Joseph Moore held almost 3,500 acres from the Marquess of Sligo in the parish of Achill, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo. |
| Jordan (Oldhead) | In 1678 William Jordan was granted Henry Garvey's lands of Bunowen, Legan and Moneen in the parish of Kilgeever, barony of Murrisk, county Mayo, under the Acts of Settlement. By the late 18th century this estate was in the possession of Edmond Jordan. Wilson, writing in 1786, refers to Oldhead as his estate. Jordan sold it to John Evelyn of Bath, England, in 1792. Two years later Evelyn sold the estate, then known as Oldhead, to John Browne, 3rd Earl of Altamont. The Brownes leased the property to the Blakes of Towerhill, the Ruttledges and to Hugh Wilbraham. |
| Houstoun | In 1851 Captain William Houstoun began to lease over 40,000 acres in the barony of Murrisk, county Mayo, from the 3rd Marquess of Sligo. His lease, of what became known as 'Dhulough' farm, in the parish of Kilgeever, was renewed to his son George and in the early 20th century, for a much reduced acreage, to his nephew, Alfred Houstoun Boswall. Legal documents in the Westport Estate Papers record much of the history of the Houstoun's occupation of the farm. The Houstouns also leased Delphi Lodge and fishery. The Captain's wife wrote an account of their life at Dhulough. |
| Browne (Westport) | A very large estate in county Mayo, much of it formerly Bourke property, was acquired by Colonel John Browne in the late 17th century following the Acts of Settlement. He also owned lands in a number of baronies in county Galway and other counties. Over 12,500 acres in counties Mayo, Galway and Roscommon were granted to him in May 1677 and he also received grants of smaller acreages in June and August of 1677 and in March 1681. Following the Jacobite War the Colonel was forced to sell much of his property but he retained most of his lands in the county Mayo baronies of Murrisk and Burrishoole and some of his property in the barony of Carra. These estates formed the nucleus of what became the largest estate in county Mayo owned by the Browne family of Westport. During the 18th century additional estates were purchased from the Bell family in the barony of Clanmorris; from Christopher Irwin in county Roscommon; from the Medlycotts at Newport Pratt; from John Evelyn at Oldhead and the remainder of the Bourke estate. In 1801 the Arbuthnot estate at Burrishoole, which included Aughness in the barony of Erris, was purchased and in 1818 the Lehinch estate in the baronies of Kilmaine and Clanmorris was bought from Henry Blake of Renvyle, county Galway. Although George Browne 3rd Marquess of Sligo sold some property in 1854, he remained the largest landholder in county Mayo, owning 114,881 acres in 1876. Most of the estate was sold to the Congested Districts Board in 1914 although the sale was not formally finalized until the early 1920s with the Land Commission. The family retained Westport House and are still resident today. |
| Garvey (Tully) | An estate in the parish of Kilgeever, barony of Murrisk, county Mayo, comprised of seven townlands in the mid nineteenth century. In 1876 James William Garvey owned 2,270 acres in county Mayo. The estate was advertised for sale in the Landed Estates' Court in November 1880. The 3rd Marquess of Sligo held a mortgage on this estate and his interest was sold to Patrick O'Dowd in 1886. |
| O'Dowd (Tully) | In 1881 Patrick O'Dowd bought the lands of Fallduff, parish of Kilgeever, barony of Murrisk, county Mayo, from the Marquess of Sligo and in the mid 1880s they came to an agreement over the Garvey estate at Tully, which was mortgaged to the Marquess. The O'Dowds sold the estate to the Land Commission under the 1923 Land Act. They retained Tully Lodge and fishing rights on the Bunowen and Carrowniskey rivers. |
| Higgins (Westport) | In 1703 Bryan Higgins bought part of the estate of Gerald Dillon of Feamore, county Mayo, from the Trustees for the sale of forfeited estates. He also held some of the lands of the Browne family of Westport, county Mayo, when they were in financial difficulties at the beginning of the 18th century. These lands in time reverted to the Brownes. Later generations of Higgins held property in the town of Westport from the Marquessess of Sligo. One member of the family Charles Fitzgerald Higgins went bankrupt in the mid 1850s. In 1866 he sold his property at Streamstown, parish of Oughaval, which he held from the Earl of Lucan. In 1851 the Higgins bought part of the Glencorrib estate, which was sold by Arthur Dillon Browne following the death of his father Robert in 1850 and the townland of Ballynalty from the sale of the Cannon estate by John Fair. Like Robert Dillon Browne, George Gore Ouseley Higgins represented county Mayo in Parliament. He died in 1874 and after the death in 1903 of his sister, a nun in the Ursuline Convent, Cork, the estate was inherited by his cousin, General John Palmer Brabazon, a member of the Brabazon family of Brabazon Park, Swinford. It was sold in 1921 to the Land Commission. |
| McLoughlin | The McLoughlins held extensive lands in the parishes of Achill and Burrishoole, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, on perpetual leases from Thomas John Medlycott, the Earls of Altamont/Marquesses of Sligo and the O'Donels of Newport in the 18th and 19th centuries. Their estate of 12,733 acres with a rental of £1,478 was one of the first sold in the Encumbered Estates' Court in 1850. Part of it was bought by William McCormack of the Irish Beetroot and Sugar Manufacturing Company and the Newfield estate was bought by Henry J. Smith. Property in and around Newport was sold in the Landed Estates Court in May 1866. It was purchaed in trust by Robert Neilson. |
| Simpson | John Hawkins Simpson of Alstonfield, Derbyshire, leased the farm and lands of Russia and Knockychottaun in the parish of Kilmeena, barony of Burrishoole, and also lands in the barony of Murrisk, county Mayo, from the Marquess of Sligo and Earl of Lucan in the mid 19th century. His land holding is well documented in the Westport Estate Papers. In 1873 Simpson assigned the lease of some of his lands to John Challinor of Leek in Staffordshire, who surrendered the lease in 1882. |
| Trench (Heywood) | The Trenchs of Garbally, county Galway, from whom the Heywood, county Laois branch are descended, bought lands in the baronies of Carra and Gallen, county Mayo, from the Brownes of Westport at the end of the 17th century. In 1833 the Trenchs of Heywood sold their county Mayo estate to Sir Compton Domvile of Templeogue and Santry, county Dublin, for £60,000. Sir C. Domvile had married Helen Sarah Trench of Heywood in 1815. Sir Frederick William Trench (1777-1859) of Heywood, an army officer and politican, owned a large estate in county Roscommon, in the parishes of Taghboy, Kiltoom, Kilmeane, Taghmaconnell and Dysart, barony of Athlone. When he died he left his Irish property to his eldest sister, the wife of Sir C. Domvile. |
| Cuff | Sir James Cuff was granted the town and lands of Ballinrobe, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, under the Acts of Settlement, date of grant 1 Feb 1667. Under this grant he was given 1,872 acres in county Mayo which included lands in the baronies of Kilmaine and Carra and 1,963 acres in the county Galway baronies of Longford, Dunkellin, Clare and Ross. He also received a small parcel of land in county Clare. By a further grant dated 27 May 1669 he received smaller acreages in the baronies of Kilmaine and Tirawley, county Mayo and in the baronies of Longford and Ballymoe, county Galway. He also received grants of lands in the parish of Kilmainemore, barony of Kilmaine and in the parishes of Kilbelfad and Crossmolina, barony of Tirawley. His son Gerald Cuff, collector of quit rents, bought land from Colonel John Browne of Westport, near Belcarra, barony of Carra and built Elmhall. He was succeeded by James Cuff of Elmhall and Ballinrobe Castle, who, in 1731, married Elizabeth, sister of Arthur Gore, 1st Earl of Arran. It was their son, James Cuff of Ballinrobe, who was created Baron Tyrawley of Ballinrobe in 1797. The Cuffs leased land in the barony of Tirawley from the Gores, mainly in the parishes of Ardagh, Crossmolina and Kilbelfad. The rest of their estates were in the parishes of Ballinrobe, barony of Kilmaine and Drum, barony of Carra. Most of the estates of Lord Tyrawley passed to his daughter Jane and her husband, Colonel Charles Nesbitt Knox. Jane's niece, Harriet Gardiner, for a time claimed the Belcarra estate. From the early 18th century a branch of the Cuff family had an estate at Creagh, just outside Ballinrobe, but this eventually reverted to the Knoxes. In 1876 Colonel St George Cuff of Deel Castle owned 3,205 acres in county Mayo. Monuments in memory of family members are located in the Church of Ireland graveyard, Ballinrobe. A branch of this family resided at Ballymoe in the 18th century and intermarried with the Caulfields of Donamon and the Bagots of Aghrane. |
| Bingham | The Binghams were military commanders sent to Connacht in the 16th century, where they settled in the Castlebar area. Sir Henry Bingham was granted large tracts of land in county Mayo at the end of the 17th century and he added to these by purchases, including some of the estate of Colonel John Browne of Westport. He also bought lands in the baronies of Carra and Gallen from the trustees for the sale of forfeited estates. Although the owners of one of the largest estate in county Mayo the Earls of Lucan were absentee landlords, pursuing political and military careers elsewhere, while their Mayo estates were administered by agents. By the 19th century their estate was concentrated in the parishes of Aglish, Turlough and Ballyhean in the barony of Carra; Ballinrobe in the barony of Kilmaine; Killedan in the barony of Gallen; Kilmaclasser in the barony of Burrishoole; Oughaval and Kilgeever in the barony of Murrisk. In 1876 the Earl owned 60,570 acres in county Mayo. From July 1898 parts of the Lucan estate in county Mayo began to be sold to the Congested Districts' Board. In 1905 over 40,000 acres were purchased by the Board for a cost of over £100,000 and in July 1911 another 10,000+ acres were bought. The Lucan Estates Company was set up in 1925. The Earls of Lucan also owned an estate of over 1,000 acres at Laleham in Middlesex. See also http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/history-heritage/big-houses-of-ireland/the-lucans-of-laleham/ |
| Clendining | A family employed as agents and receivers on many county Mayo estates in the first half of the 19th century, including those of the Marquess of Sligo, Lord Oranmore and Browne and the FitzGeralds of Turlough. They were also involved in banking. In 1854 they sold 1372 acres in the parish of Kilcolman, barony of Clanmorris in the Encumbered Estates' Court, with their interest in the lease of Thomastown in the barony of Carra. In 1857 Alexander Clendining advertised for sale the rental of the lands [158 acres] of Ballyglass North, parish of Kilcroan, barony of Ballymoe, county Galway, which he held in fee simple. |
| McAlpine | At the time of Griffith's Valuation Colonel James McAlpine held 3 townlands in the parish of Aglish and 1 townland in the parish of Breaghwy, barony of Carra, and 1 townland in both the parishes of Templemore and Killedan, barony of Gallen, county Mayo. In the 1830s he was leasing lands in the parish of Bohola, barony of Gallen, from the Knoxes of Castlereagh. He was resident at Windsor in the parish of Breaghwy from the 1830s and he bought his property in the barony of Carra, previously in the possession of the McDonnells, from the Marquess of Sligo in 1854. In 1876 his representatives owned 889 acres in county Mayo. The Westport Estate Papers contain records concerning the administration of the McAlpine Robertson estate in the late 19th century. |
| McDonnell (Breandrum) | Records in the Westport Estate Papers document the McDonnells' possession of the lands of Breandrum and others in the barony of Carra, county of Mayo, in the 18th century. In 1854 the 3rd Marquess of Sligo sold Breandrum and other lands in the barony of Carra to Colonel James McAlpine. In 1855 James Malley, assignee of Francis Crosbie McDonnell, an insolvent, sold 455 acres in the parish of Turlough to Lyons Carney. The original lease, dated 1758, was from George FitzGerald of Rockfield to Alexander McDonnell of Castlebar, ancestor of F.C.McDonnell. The McDonnell interest in a similar lease was sold by the widow of William Malley in 1864. In 1878 the same lands, Toormore East and West, were advertised for sale in the Landed Estates' Court by Patrick Rowan. They were offered for sale in the Land Judges' Court in June 1890, again by members of the Rowan family. The Irish Times reported that the lots were not sold. |
| Bourke (Castleburke) | A vast estate in county Mayo had been established by Sir Theobald Bourke, 'Tibbot ne Long', created 1st Viscount Bourke of Mayo in 1627 and his son, Myles, 2nd Viscount, by the mid 17th century. However, their estate was confiscated by Cromwell and although part of it was restored, the costs involved in the implementation of their restoration meant that much of the estate had been acquired by Colonel John Browne by the end of the 17th century. Myles, 5th Viscount, and his family were left in possession of Castleburke, parish of Ballintober, barony of Carra and lands in the barony of Murrisk. Bridget Bourke, heiress to John, 8th and last Viscount, married an Englishman, Edmund Lambert, and their son, Aylmer Bourke Lambert, sold his estate to John Browne, 3rd Earl of Altamont, in 1795. He retained Castleburke and 470 acres which he sold in the Landed Estates' Court in 1862. It was purchased by John Griffin for over £1800. From 1821 James Tuohy was the tenant. Castleburke was the property of the Marquesses of Sligo until the late 20th century. |
| Stuart | At the time of the first Ordnance Survey, James Stuart held townlands in the parish and barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, from Sir Richard O'Donel, the Marquess of Sligo and Sir William Palmer. |
| Browne (Treanlaur) | Peter Denis Browne held the townlands of Treanlaur, Derrybrock, Teevaloughan, Lettermaghera North and Tawnagranic, parish of Burrishoole, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, by leases dated 1852 and 1860, from his cousin, the Marquess of Sligo. Browne's holding included the fishing rights on Lough Feeagh and the Glennamong River. Charles Henry Laprimaudaye acquired the lease in 1871 and Treanlaur House as noted as one of his residences in 1876. |
| Fynn | Edward Fynn of Shrule, county Mayo bought the lands of Ballymacgibbon, parish of Cong, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, from Colonel John Browne of Westport and his creditors' trustees in September 1699 for £243. At the time of Griffith's Valuation the Fynns held four townlands in the parish of Cong. In 1876 Jane Fynn of Ballymacgibbon owned 620 acres in county Mayo. The mother of Sir William Wilde was a Fynn of Ballymacgibbon. In 1862 Sir William bought part of the Fynn estate, 170 acres of Gortachurra, when it came up for sale in the Landed Estates Court. The Irish Times reported that the sale realised £3460 for the Fynn estate. Wilde built Moytura House on this land. The Fynn family also had an interest in the Chambers' estate at Kilboyne, parish of Ballyhean, barony of Carra, through a marriage between the two families and this was sold by the trustees of John Fynn's will, John Charles Larminie and John Thompson, in 1860. |
| Blake (Renvyle) | Henry Blake returned from Montserrat in 1676 and, according to Martin J. Blake, bought the Lehinch estate at Hollymount, county Mayo, about 600 acres, from the patentee John Porter. He also bought the Renvyle estate, county Galway, from Richard Nugent, Earl of Westmeath in 1680. In 1780 the estates passed to a cousin, Valentine Blake of Mullaghmore and Windfield, county Galway, whose son Henry Blake of Renvyle sold part of his Lehinch estate, including his house, to Thomas Lindsey of Hollymount circa 1812 and the rest of the estate was bought by the 2nd Marquess of Sligo in 1818. The Lehinch estate was in the parishes of Kilcommon, barony of Kilmaine and parish of Tagheen, barony of Clanmorris. The Renvyle estate of nearly 13,000 acres in the parish of Ballynakill, barony of Ballynahinch, county Galway, was visited by Henry Blake for the first time in 1811. He refused to renew the O'Flaherty's lease of the property and took up residence there in the early 1820s. His descendants continued to live at Renvyle until the early 20th century. A large portion of the estate was sold in the early 1850s. Mrs Caroline Blake of Renvyle owned an estate of 4,682 acres in the 1870s. The author Oliver St John Gogarty bought the house and about 200 acres in 1917 and entertained many well known artists and literary figures there. |
| Ruttledge (Lough Mask) | Thomas Ruttledge, in his will of 1797, mentions his natural son, John, a quartermaster in the 9th Dragoons. John had two sons who settled in the Hollymount area, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo. In 1845 one of John's sons, James Ruttledge, leased 93 acres of Lecarrow in the parish of Kilcommon, barony of Kilmaine, from Thomas Spencer Lindsey. Lindsey sold his interest to Lady de Clifford in 1853 and James Ruttledge was living in Castlevilla which he held from Lady de Clifford at the time of Griffith's Valuation. In 1866 he became agent to Lord Erne with a lease (6 May 1866) of Lough Mask House and 388 acres for three lives or 31 years. He was also agent to Lord Kilmaine. He was dismissed by both landowners in the early 1870s and retired to Castlevilla. In 1848 Thomas Ruttledge, a brother of James, leased a farm at Lugatallin, parish of Kilcommon, from the Marquess of Sligo which he sublet to Garrett Nally and his sons advertised for sale in 1875. The Irish Times reported that it was sold to "Mr. J. Whelan, salesmaster, Smithfield" for over £1000. |
| Wyndham | At the time of Griffith's Valuation Alexander Wadham Wyndham held nine townlands in the parish of Burrishoole and six townlands in the parish of Islandeady, barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, some of which he purchased from Reverend John Hervey Ashworth. Other parts of these lands had been leased by the O'Donels to the Marquess of Sligo and Wyndham purchased the Marquess of Sligo's interest in 1853. Patrick B. Ryan from county Tipperary leased land from Captain Wyndham in the 1850s. Some of the Wyndham estate in the parish of Burrishoole was soon after in the hands of the Stoney family and six townlands were in the possession of H.M. Anketell Jones in the early 20th century. |
| Bell/Gonne Bell | In the mid 17th century the Bells were granted the lands of Streamstown, parish of Kilcolman, barony of Clanmorris, county Mayo, for their support of the Royalist cause. A deed of 1716 records three branches of the family located at Streamstown and at Purrauns and Garreens, both in the parish of Kilcommon, barony of Kilmaine. Some of the Bell estate in the barony of Clanmorris was purchased from Lyndon Bell by the Marquess of Sligo in 1766 to provide for his younger sons. In 1768 Edward Bell married Mary Gonne and inherited the Gonne property in county Mayo. Henry Gonne had been given a lease of Brookhill and other lands by the Archbishop of Tuam, dated 30 June 1703. The Gonne Bells were living in Farmhill in the 1830s and Griffith's Valuation records them holding 13 townlands in the parish of Kilcolman and three townlands in the parish of Crossboyne. In 1847 Colonel Arthur Gonne Bell married Mary Martin, heiress to the vast Martin estates in county Galway. In 1876 the estate amounted to 1636 acres in county Mayo. |
| Browne (Claremount) | There are references in the will of the 1st Earl of Altamont to the purchase of part of the Bell estate in the barony of Clanmorris, county Mayo, to provide for his younger sons. Various members of the Browne family of Westport held land in the Claremorris area in the latter part of the 18th century and Denis Browne, younger brother of the 1st Marquess of Sligo, appears to have bought the lease of the house - Claremount - from the Kirwans circa 1800. His descendants held a large estate in the parishes of Kilcolman and Tagheen, barony of Clanmorris, and in the parishes of Annagh and Bekan, barony of Costello. Their estate of over 5500 acres was advertised for sale in 1860 and some of the estate was sold, including much of the town of Claremorris. Property in the baronies of Gallen and Clanmorris, owned by Emily Alicia Browne and Hans S.H. Browne, were offered for sale in the Landed Estates Court in July 1876. The purchasers were Reverend Dominick Browne, in trust, R. Joynt, J.P. Treston and Mr. Connay. In 1876 James Denis Howe Browne of London still held 3629 acres in county Mayo. He left his estate to his sisters and the remainder of the estate was sold in the early 20th century. The Westport Estate Papers contain administrative records relating to the Claremount estate in the latter part of the 19th century. |
| Moore (Brees) | Colonel Garrett Moore was granted over 11,500 acres in the barony of Clanmorris, county Mayo as well as the Cloghan estate in county Offaly under the Acts of Settlement. He had one daughter who married Walter Lawrence of Lisreaghan or Lawrencetown, county Galway. He was succeeded by his nephew, Captain John Moore, who married Mary Daly. They had one son, Garrett, and two daughters. Captain John Moore died in 1706 and his widow married Peter Browne of Westport and was mother of John Browne, 1st Earl of Altamont. Garrett Moore succeeded his father but died without issue in 1722 and his two sisters, who had married Sir Henry Lynch 5th baronet of Castle Carra and Michael Moore of Cloonbigny, parish of Taghmaconnell, barony of Athlone, county Roscommon respectively, became his heiresses. The division of the Moore estate was eventually settled in 1744 by a decision of the House of Lords in favour of Sir Henry Lynch, who obtained possession of a moiety of the Moore estate in county Mayo. In 1852 the Moores of Clonebigny advertised for sale in the Encumbered Estates' Court their lands in counties Roscommon, Offaly, Mayo (parishes of Balla and Kilcolman) and Clare amounting to 9456 acres. The maps of the estate of Garret O'Moore may be viewed on line at http://www.mayolibrary.ie/en/LocalStudies/MayoMapsOnline/ |
| Vesey | In December 1698 John Vesey, Archbishop of Tuam from 1679 to 1716, bought almost 750 acres in the Hollymount area, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, from the sale of the estate of Colonel John Browne of Westport. In 1703 he bought circa 2000 acres in the barony of Clanmorris from the trustees for the sale of forfeited estates. These lands had formerly belonged to James Browne and Thomas Burke. Sir Thomas Vesey of Abbeyleix, eldest son of the Archbishop, bought Togher and Lehinch from Peter Browne of Westport in 1712. His half brother George was the rector of Hollymount. Title deeds in the De Vesci Papers in the National Library suggest that Sir John Denny Vesey sold part of his estate in counties Galway and Mayo to his uncle by marriage Henry Bingham of Newbrook and part to his uncle the Reverend George Vesey in 1731. It was George's daughter Frances who married Thomas Lindsey in 1757. The Vesey estate in the Hollymount locality appears to have passed into the possession of the Lindsey family through this marriage. The Lehinch estate was in the possession of the Blakes throughout the 18th century. John Wesley visited Hollymount in 1756 and described the house and gardens built by the Archbishop. |
| Wilbraham | At the time of Griffith's Valuation Hugh Wilbraham, who became the brother-in-law of George Browne, 3rd Marquess of Sligo in 1868, held a townland in the parish of Balla, barony of Clanmorris, county Mayo. In 1894 Slater refers to Oldhead as the seat of Lady Marian Wilbraham. |
| Bermingham/Birmingham (Rosshill) | Colonel John Browne owned a substantial estate in the barony of Ross, county Galway, at the end of the 17th century, which the trustees for the sale of his estates sold to James Naper and Thomas Smith in June 1700. The estate was immediately leased back to Peter Browne, son and heir of the Colonel. During the 18th century Peter Browne's lease (renewable for ever) of the estate became vested in the descendants of his sister Elizabeth who had married John Bermingham, a cousin of Baron Athenry. In the 19th century the estate became the joint property of the Earls of Leitrim and Charlemont through their marriages with the daughters and heiresses of William Bermingham of Ross, who died in 1799. |
| Naper/Napper | In 1700 James Naper of Drewstown, county Meath, in partnership with Thomas Smith, bought the Ross estate in county Galway from Colonel John Browne of Westport, county Mayo. Naper's interest became vested in James Lennox Dutton and subsequently in his son Lord Sherborne to whom the Berminghams and later the Earls of Leitrim paid headrent. Details of the tenure of the Earls of Charlemont and Leitrim with regard to the Naper and Smith moieties is given in the sale rental of 28 June 1860. By the early 1860s the Naper interest was vested in Lord Dunsany and his trustees advertised it for sale in the Landed Estates' Court in 1863. |
| Smith (Ross) | In 1700 Thomas Smith, in partnership with James Naper, bought the Ross estate in county Galway from Colonel John Browne of Westport, county Mayo. Smith's interest became vested in George Boleyn Whitney to whom the Berminghams and later the Earls of Leitrim paid headrent. Details of the tenure of the Earls of Charlemont and Leitrim with regard to the Naper and Smith moieties is given in the sale rental of 28 June 1860. |
| McDonnell (Cloonagh) | In 1837 Mathias McDonnell was given an assignment of the lease of the Octagon House in Westport, by the Revenue Commissioners, who held it on a very long lease from the Marquess of Sligo. The McDonnells, mill owners, were also leasing lands at Thornhill in the parish of Oughaval and at Cloonagh, parish of Aghagower, both in the barony of Murrisk, county Mayo from the late 1820s. Thomas MacDonnell of Cloona Lodge, Westport, subleased some of the Houstoun's vast farm at Dhulough, barony of Murrisk, from 1875. In 1876 he is recorded as owning 1878 acres in county Mayo. The Misses McDonnell had accepted an offer from the Congested Districts' Board for 1876 acres in county Mayo by March 1916. |
| Wilberforce (Inishbofin) | In 1854 Henry William Wilberforce, a brother of the Reverend Robert Wilberforce of Ballynakill parish, bought five townlands and islands in the parish of Inishbofin, barony of Ballynahinch, county Mayo, from the 3rd Marquess of Sligo. Following the sale Wilberforce took legal proceedings against the Marquess seeking compensation. In the 1870s Henry William Wilberforce of London owned 4378 acres in county Galway. 3141 acres of the estate were advertised for sale in the Landed Estates' Court in July 1874. The Irish Times reported on 6 July that negotiations on sums between £7000 and £9000 were on going. Cyril Allies was the purchaser and negotiations for the purchase of his estate by the Congested Districts' Board were taking place in the late 1900s. Inishbofin was originally part of county Mayo but was in county Galway by the 1870s. |
| Anketell Jones | Six townlands in the parish and barony of Burrishoole, county Mayo, were occupied by Henry Moutray Antekell Jones in the early years of the 20th century. These townlands were formerly the property of the Wyndham family. Antekell Jones was also leasing the Burrishoole fishery from the Marquess of Sligo. The National Library has an auction poster for the sale of the Antekell Jones estate in 1903, most of which was sold to the Congested Districts' Board in 1906-1907. |
| Browne (Newtown) | Arthur Browne, a younger son of John Browne of Westport 1st Earl of Altamont was given an estate in county Roscommon purchased by his father circa 1770s from Christopher Irwin [of Newtown, Leabeg and Oran]. Arthur's grandson another Arthur Browne of Newtown, county Roscommon, held land in the parishes of Cloonygormican and Oran, barony of Ballymoe at the time of Griffith's Valutation. In 1828 he was a member of the Grand Panel of county Roscommon. Part of Newtown was held by the Very Reverend Henry Montague Browne, Dean of Lismore, a son of the 2nd Lord Kilmaine. The lands of Newtown were advertised for sale in June 1857 by Arthur Browne and Elizabeth Dowton. In the 1870s Ellen C. Browne of Clontarf, county Dublin, sister of Arthur Browne, owned 338 acres in county Roscommon and the Very Reverend Dean Browne of Kilkenny owned 360 acres. |
| Kelly (Lisduff) | In 1752 Peter Browne of Westport (1730-1780) married Elizabeth Kelly, only child of Denis Kelly, Chief Justice of Jamaica, from whom the Brownes inherited the Lisduff estate, parish of Tynagh, barony of Longford, Co Galway and sugar plantations in Jamaica. The Westport Estate Papers include a variety of papers dated 1723-1758 about property belonging to Denis Kelly in Jamaica and at Lisduff, Co Galway, acquired from his brother Edmond Kelly and also early 19th century rentals of the Lisduff estate. The estate was enlarged by Denis Kelly’s purchase of the lands of Drimatubber [Drumatober] and Garrancarf from the Countess of Kildare and others in 1749 and of the lands of Cormickoge from John Burke in 1750. Some of the earliest title deeds relate to the Hogan lands of Ballagh or Levallagh, barony of Longford, which were conveyed to Denis Kelly by John Prendergast on 19 Aug 1752. The 2nd Marquess of Sligo sold the estate to William Burke of Ballydugan, near Loughrea, Co Galway, in the late 1820s, after an exchange with Lord Clanricarde of a small part of the estate for some islands off the west coast, including Inishboffin. John William Browne, solicitor, of Dublin and Mount Kelly was agent for the Marquess's Galway estate in the early 19th century. |
| Hildebrand | At the time of Griffith's Valuation Henry Hildebrand held four townlands in the parish of Kilgeever, barony of Murrisk, county Mayo, from the Marquess of Sligo. The sale rental of the Graham estate shows him renting 201 acres in the townland of Bawnouges, parish of Ballynakill, county Galway, with an agreement for a further 727 acres. |
| Browne (Co Cork) | At the time of Griffith's Valuation Reverend Peter Browne held land in the parish of Aghinagh, barony of East Muskerry, county Cork. An estate belonging to Reverend Peter Browne was advertised for sale in June 1856 by his assignee, Robert Baily. The lands involved were Ballymackery (463 acres), Shanakill (461 acres), barony of Muskerry and Lisfihill (302 acres), barony of Kinalea, county Cork and also houses and premises in Cork city. The estate was subject to an annuity to be paid to a Mrs Howiss [Howse]. It was purchased by John Barry, F.H. Downing, Robert Harnett and Mr. Creagh in trust. A further sale took place in June 1857 when the lots were purchased in trust by James Henry Payne. Reverend Peter Browne was the son of Reverend Peter Browne, Dean of Ferms. The Dean was a half brother of the 1st Marquess of Sligo. In 1802 he married Alicia Howse. |