Browne (Neale)
Family title
Baron Kilmaine
Description
A family established in county Mayo from the 16th century, from whom descend most of the landed families named Browne in the county. Many records relating to the family's origins are in the Westport Estate Papers. Created baronet of Nova Scotia in 1636 and Baron Kilmaine in 1789.
Estate(s)
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Browne (Raheens) | A junior branch of the Brownes of the Neale held an estate in the parishes of Aglish and Islandeady, barony of Carra, county Mayo, from the senior branch of the family represented by Lord Kilmaine. In 1876 Dodwell Francis Browne, a judge in Ceylon, owned an estate of 703 acres in county Mayo. |
| Cromie | At the time of Griffith's Valuation Reverend William Cromie, nephew of the 2nd Baron Kilmaine, occupied the Neale House and held part of the estate of his uncle in the parishes of Ballinchalla, Kilmolara and Moorgagagh, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, and also some lands in the parish of Kilmainebeg. In 1876 the Reverend Cromie of Doughlas, Isle of Man, owned 640 acres in county Mayo. His brother Charles Cromie lived in a number of houses in the locality and was agent to the Bowen Elwoods of Hollymount, the Blakes of Merlin Park, the Lindseys of Hollymount, the Kirwans of Dalgan and to his uncle Lord Kilmaine. The Ordnance Survey Field Name Books for county Galway show that Charles Cromie was also agent to James Clarke, Graig Abbey and Michael Browne of Moyne for lands held by them in the barony of Clare. Charles Cromie was married to Emily Fynn of Ballymacgibbon, parish of Cong. |
| Browne (Brownstown) | A junior branch of the Brownes of The Neale and of Westport, county Mayo, who originally settled at Liskilleen, parish of Ballinrobe and by the mid 18th century were located closeby at Brownstown or Brownestown on the shore of Lough Carra. Most of the Browne estate was in the parish of Killedan, barony of Gallen, but when resident they lived at Brownstown, in the parish of Robeen, barony of Kilmaine, where they owned two townlands. George Bolton of Dublin was their agent in the 1830s. In 1876 George E.Browne, a Member of Parliament, of Kensington, London and Brownstown owned 2809 acres in county Mayo. Part of the estate was sold to the Congested Districts' Board in July 1899 and the remainder, with part of the Tuohy estate, in July 1906. |