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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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Boycott
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Charles Cunningham Boycott lived on Achill Island, county Mayo, from 1855-1873. He leased about 2000 acres from a relative through marriage, Murray MacGregor Blacker, who held land from the Achill Mission. Charles and his wife lived at Corrymore, while resident on the island. In 1872 they moved to Lough Mask where Boycott became agent to the county Mayo estates of Lord Erne in the baronies of Kilmaine and Carra. In 1874 Boycott signed an agreement with Lord Erne for the lease of the farm at Lough Mask, amounting to 629 acres. Following the first boycotting incident on the farm in 1880 Boycott left Ireland and became agent to the Flixton estate in Suffolk, England.
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Crichton (Erne)
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The Earls of Erne owned property in several western counties including Sligo and Mayo. This was acquired in the 18th century through inheritence from the Smith family. The Cloverhill estate, county Sligo, was occupied for much of the 19th century by the Chambers family. The Earl of Erne's estate also owned land in the parish of Drumrat, barony of Corran, county Sligo. The Earl's Mayo property was in the parishes of Aglish and Breaghwy, barony of Carra, and Ballinchalla, barony of Kilmaine. He employed various agents including Ormsby Elwood, James Ruttledge and Charles Boycott. It was on his property at Lough Mask in the parish of Ballinchalla that the first "boycotting" incident took place in 1880. The county Mayo estate was vested in the Congested Districts' Board on 29 January1914.The Earls of Erne had an estate of over 30,000 in county Fermanagh and their residence was Crom Castle, near Newtownbutler.
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