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Blacker
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Murray MacGregor Blacker was a nephew of William Blacker, a well known author of books on agriculture. He was married to Frances Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Blacker, of the county Armagh family. In 1853 Murray Blacker, who had been farming in Norfolk, England, leased over 4000 acres at Keel West on the island of Achill, county Mayo from the Achill Mission. In 1855 he subleased half his acreage on the island to Charles Cunningham Boycott, to whom he was connected by marriage. In the late 1850s Blacker bought the lease of Claremount house, the former Browne home, outside Claremorris and a farm of over 300 acres. In 1872 he purchased a property in Virginia, USA and went to live there. He still owned 5665 acres in county Mayo in 1876 and 951 acres in county Galway, at Kilsallagh in the parish of Kilcroan, barony of Ballymoe, which he had bought from C.H. Lawder, assignee of Philip Dignan in 1852. The Blacker lands on Achill Island were sold to the Reverend Warburton Welford in 1877. At the time of Griffith's Valuation the townland of Srahgraddy, parish of Kilcommon, barony of Erris was in the possession of Captain Blacker.
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Achill Mission
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The O'Donel estate on the island of Achill was bought by Trustees of the Achill Mission in association with Thomas Brassey, William Pike and Samuel Holme, who each paid £2,333.6s.8d. for small estates on the island in the early 1850s. The Mission's share was 23,452 acres for which they paid £10,500 . In 1876 the Mission is recorded as holding 19,155 acres, valued at £1,011 in county Mayo. By March 1916 the Achill Mission had accepted an offer from the Congested Districts' Board for the purchase of their estate, which the Board took over in 1921.
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Browne (Claremount)
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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.
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Dignan/Duignan
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The Duignans were resident at Lisbride and held land at Rathbrenan in the parish of Roscommon, barony of Ballintober South from at least the mid 19th century. In the 1870s John Dignan of Lisbride, Margaret Dignan of Dublin and Philip Duignain of Ballina owned 567, 354 and 223 acres respectively in county Roscommon, while Philip Dignan of Ballyforan owned 651 acres in county Galway. John Duignan held untenanted land at Ballina in 1906.
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Blacker
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The estate of St. John Blacker, of Ballylongford and Killylea, county Armagh, amounted to over 8000 acres in county Kerry in the 1870s as well as 200 acres in Armagh. He was a descendent of Samuel Blacker, of the Carrickblacker family. In 1880 he assumed the name Douglas under the terms of the will lof his uncle, Charles Douglas, of Grace Hall, county Armagh. His estate held townlands in the parishes of Aghavallen and Lisselton, barony of Iraghticonnor at the time of Griffith's Valuation.
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