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Palmer (Kenure Park)
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The Palmer family held extensive estates in counties Mayo and Sligo, some of which they were granted by royal patent dated 1684. Other lands were acquired from other grantees and landowners such as Henry Webb, Gerrard Colley, Richard Thompson and the Gores, Cuffs and Veseys. The Palmer's Mayo estates were concentrated in the barony of Tirawley, but they also had land in the baronies of Gallen, Burrishoole and Murrisk. Lane notes that Thomas Ormsby acted as agent for these estates. The Palmers bought a large estate in the barony of Erris from the Encumbered Estates' Court in 1857 but resold it in the 1860s. These lands had previously been leased by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to Alexander George Richey. In 1870 lands in the Barony of Erris were offered for sale in the Landed Estates Court. The purchasers included Messers Ker St. George and Whyte, both in trust. In January 1872 Mr. John McCormack bought over 130 acres of the Palmer lands at Froghill. The Palmer's estates in Sligo were usually administered by an agent. In 1876 the Palmers owned over 80,000 acres in county Mayo, 9,570 in county Sligo and 4,202 in county Dublin. The Palmer estate in county Mayo was sold to the Congested Districts' Board in 1916. The principal family seat was at Kenure Park, Rush, county Dublin.By his will dated 7 Sept 1907 Sir Roger W.H.Palmer left the rent and profits from his Mayo and Sligo estates in trust for his wife and thereafter to the male issue of his niece Mary Adela Fenwick. Roderick George Fenwick succeeded his uncle in 1913, took the additional name of Palmer and lived at Cefn Park, Wales, until his death in 1968. After 1909 an offer from the Congested Districts Board for almost 8000 acres in county Sligo was accepted. A large collection of papers from the legal firm of W.J.Shannon and Company relating to the acquisition and history of the Palmer estates was deposited in the National Archives in 1990, Acc.1174.
At the time of Griffith’s Valuation, William Palmer held two townlands in county Westmeath, Milltown, 701 acres in the parish of Churchtown and part of Streamstown, 513 acres held by Captain James A Dickson. The Palmer connection with Streamstown appears to have come through the marriage of Sir William Palmer 3rd Baronet and his first wife Mary Toole who with her three sisters became co-heiresses to their father William Toole of Kilcock, county Kildare. One of Mary’s sisters Jane was the fourth wife of John Greatrakes Hill of Streamstown, county Westmeath. On 12 January 1852 the mansion house at Streamstown with 591 acres were advertised for sale in the Encumbered Estates Court. This property was held on a lease renewable for ever dated 1792 and the last renewal of 14 May 1846 was from William Palmer to John Thomas Barlow for three lives. By March 1867 when Streamstown and other lands amounting to over 1,000 acres in county Westmeath and less in county Dublin were offered for sale in the Landed Estates Court, Richard Somers had become the tenant. He held Streamstown under a fee farm grant from Sir William Palmer [4th Bt] dated 29 April 1856.
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