Derryquin Castle

THE BLANDS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 25,576 ACRES

SIR CHRISTOPHER BLAND WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE BBC BOARD OF GOVERNORS, 1996-2001

This family was originally seated in Yorkshire. The first who settled in Ireland was THE VERY REV JAMES BLAND, Archdeacon of Limerick and Dean of Ardfert. In a deed of sale registered in Wakefield, 1717, he is described as "of Killarney, County Kerry", and as disposing of his estates in Sedbergh, Yorkshire, to Richard Willen. Dr Bland was the son of John Bland, of Sedbergh, as proved by the records of St John's College, Cambridge, where he was admitted in 1684. He went to Ireland as Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Henry Sydney, Earl of Romney, in 1692.

Dr Bland wedded Lucy, eldest daughter of Sir Francis Brewster, Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1674-5, by whom he had issue, and was father of the Rev Francis Bland (whose great-grandson, THE VEN NATHANIEL BLAND, Archdeacon of Aghadoe, was the head of the family); and of

NATHANIEL BLAND LL.D, Judge of the Prerogative Court of Dublin, Vicar-General of the Diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, who married firstly, Diana, only daughter and heiress of Nicholas Kemeys, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
John.

He wedded secondly, Lucy, daughter of Francis Heaton, and had further issue,

Francis;
Nathaniel;
George;
Lucy; Hester; Dorothea.

Dr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE REV JAMES BLAND, of Derryquin Castle, who espoused firstly, Elizabeth, daughter of Christopher Julian, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER, his heir;
Nathaniel;
James;
Letitia; Diana; Maria; Elizabeth.

He married secondly, Barbara, daughter of _____ Nash.

The Rev James Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER BLAND, of Derryquin Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1806, who wedded, in 1798, Lucinda, daughter of Arthur Bastable Herbert, of Brewstersfield, near Killarney, by his wife Barbara, daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, Knight of Kerry, and had issue,

JAMES FRANKLIN, his heir;
Arthur;
John;
Edward;
Nathaniel;
George;
Francis Christopher;
Elizabeth; Lucy; Frances Diana; Mary Matilda;
Christina Frances; Laetitia; Barbara; Laetitia; Clara Delinda.

Mr Bland died in 1838, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES FRANKLIN BLAND JP (1799-1863), of Derryquin Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1835, who espoused, in 1825, Emma, daughter of Major Joseph Taylor, of Dunkerron Castle, County Kerry, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER, his heir;
James Franklin;
Nathaniel Franklin;
Alice Phillis.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER BLAND JP (1826-94), of Derryquin Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1859, who married, in 1849, Jane, daughter of the Rev Archibald Robert Hamilton, and had issue,

JAMES FRANKLIN, his heir;
Archibald Robert Hamilton;
Francis Christpher Earle;
Richard Townsend Herbert;
Emma Alice; Jane Hamilton; Catherine Cotter;
Alice Phillis; Mary Evelyn.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES FRANKLIN BLAND (1850-1927),  late of Derryquin Castle, and of Drimina House, Sneem, County Kerry, who wedded, in 1873, Agnes Margaret, eldest daughter of Samuel Wilson Block, of 15, Talbot Square, Hyde Park, London, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER CECIL, his heir;
Archibald Franklin Wilson;
Godfrey Hamilton;
Agnes Emma; Evaleen Wilson; Ethel Hamilton.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER CECIL BLAND (1875-1953), of Drimina House, who married, in 1904, Mary Green, daughter of Henry Albert Uprichard, and had issue,

JAMES FRANKLIN McMAHON;
Henry Archibald Forster.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his elder son,

JAMES FRANKLIN McMAHON BLAND (1905-84), of 14, Tullybrannigan Road, Newcastle, County Down, who married, in 1936, Jess Buchan, daughter of Major Harry Campbell Brodie, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER BUCHAN;
Godfrey Hamilton.

The elder son,

SIR (FRANCIS) CHRISTOPHER BUCHAN BLAND (1938-2017).

DERRYQUIN CASTLE, Sneem, County Kerry, was a Victorian pile of rough-hewn stone by James Franklin Fuller, built for the Bland family.

The main block was of three storeys, with a four-storey octagonal tower running through its centre.

The entrance door was at one end, flanked by a two-storey, part-curved wing.

There were rectangular, pointed and camber-headed windows; battlements, and machicolations.

The castle was eventually sold by the Blands to the Warden family.

In 1906, it was owned by Colonel Charles W Warden and valued at £70.

The Wardens resided there until it was burnt in 1922.

It was located in the grounds of what is now the Parknasilla Hotel, but the ruins were demolished in 1969.

In 1732, the Rev Dr Nathaniel Bland obtained his grant of the Parknasilla area, the grantors being described as 'Rt Hon Clotworthy, Lord Viscount Massareene, and Philip Doyne, with the consent of James Stopford.'

The link with these three gentlemen is Elizabeth Smyth.

Her father, the Rt Rev Edward Smyth, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor, married secondly, the Hon Mary Skeffington.

She was the daughter of Clothworthy, 3rd Viscount Massareene. Elizabeth married James Stopford in 1726.

In 1762, he was created Viscount Stopford and Earl of Courtown.

His sister, also Elizabeth Stopford, was the third wife of Philip Doyne.

The Rt Rev Richard Pococke, Lord Bishop of Ossory, visited the area in 1758.

He was an avid traveller who published accounts of his visits to the Middle East, Scotland and England.

The Bishop went in search of Dr Bland's house, which was a summer residence located between the Sneem River and the Owreagh River.

He found the house, known as 'The White House', abandoned by its owner, in favour of Parknasilla, a fine Georgian residence a little further east.

Nathaniel Bland's first wife Diana, was the daughter of Nicholas Kerneys or Kemis of County Wexford. They had two sons, John and Rev James.

It was to Rev James that Nathaniel left the bulk of his estate and we shall return to him presently.

John served in the army at Dettingen, Fontenoy and Clifton Moor.

Nathaniel's son Francis, by his second marriage, was a captain in the army and gave it up to become and actor in Thomas Sheridan's company in Dublin.

He fell in love with Grace Phillips, a Welsh actress, and married her in 1758.

They had several children. Grace was the daughter of the Rev Phillips of St. Thomas's Haverfordwest.

Nathaniel  died in 1760 just before the birth of Francis and Grace's child, a daughter, in 1761.

She was christened Dorothea and known as Dorothy, although she referred to herself as Dora and acquired a surfeit of names.

In 1774, Francis decided to leave Grace and his family and marry an heiress.

This time he chose the well-to-do Catherine Mahony from Kerry.

Dora became an actress and was also known by her stage name, Mrs Jordan. She was seduced by her actor manager in Dublin.

Shortly afterwards she became pregnant and fled to England and fell in love with Richard Ford , a handsome lawyer, who was knighted some years later.

She lived with Ford and had three children by him.

When he failed to do the decent thing and marry her, she left him.

She became mistress to William Henry, Duke of Clarence, 3rd son of George III in 1790. He became William IV upon the death of his brother George IV.

They lived together in Busy House in Teddington, near Hampton Court from 1797 until 1811, when he took a new mistress.

Their children, ten in total and all illegitimate, were known as the FitzClarences. The boys were ennobled, the eldest was created Earl of Munster.

The girls married well, viz. two earls, a viscount, the younger son of a duke and a general in the army.

The Duke pensioned Dora off. She was swindled out of money by a son-in-law.

When Nathaniel Bland died in 1760, his son, the Rev James Bland, inherited the estate. Derryquin Castle was probably built during his era.

His son, Francis Christopher Bland, married Lucinda Herbert in 1798.

His son, James Franklin Bland, was born in 1799. Under him the Derryquin estate witnessed its golden years and was self-supporting.

His sister Frances "Fanny" Diana married Thomas Harnett Fuller of Glasnacree and their son James Franklin Fuller was to become the architect of the new Parknasilla hotel in 1897.

James Franklin Bland was succeeded in turn by his son Francis Christopher.

This Francis Christopher joined the Plymouth Brethren.

He neglected his estate and devoted his energy to preaching.

Land agitation was rife in Ireland at this juncture and it was unfortunate that Bland decided to absent himself.

The estate inevitably went into rapid decline.

First published in September, 2012.  Bland arms courtesy of the NLI.

Dromore Castle

THE MAHONYS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 26,173 ACRES

The O'Mahonys were, in early times, powerful chieftains in the province of Munster, and had extensive estates along the sea-coast of counties Cork and Kerry.

Opposite Horse Island, off the former county, was their castle of Rosbrin, boldly erected on a rock over the sea; and its proprietor, in the time of ELIZABETH I, availing himself of the natural advantage that it possessed, led a life of such successful piracy, that Sir George Carew, when Lord President of Munster, was obliged to demolish it.

From old family documents, it appears that the ancestors of RICHARD JOHN MAHONY, of Dromore Castle, held for a long period the office of Seneschal of Kerry, even down to the time of the Commonwealth.

In 1639, MacDermot O'Mahony was confirmed as High Sheriff of Kerry by CHARLES I. Not long after, the O'Mahonys, true to their allegiance, suffered fine and confiscation, and finally sought in foreign climes the distinction denied them at home.

COLONEL DERMOT O'MAHONY, of Rosbrin, a faithful adherent of JAMES II, fought and fell at Aughrim.

His brother, DANIEL MAHONY, received the honour of knighthood from that monarch at St Germain's for his gallant conduct at Cremona, and afterwards for his good services in France, Spain and Italy, obtained the title of Count from LOUIS XIV.

This was the celebrated General Count MAHONY, of the Spanish service, so distinguished at Almanza and in Sicily as Commander-in-Chief of the Spanish troops.

A chief line of the great House of Mahony resident in County Kerry was

JOHN MAHONY, of Dromore Castle, who married firstly, in 1794, Miss Higginbotham, of Bath, who died without issue; and secondly, Miss Day, daughter of the Ven Edward Day, Archdeacon of Ardfert, of Beaufort House, County Kerry, and had issue,

DENIS, of whom presently;
Richard.

He married thirdly, Miss Godfrey, daughter of Sir William Godfrey Bt, of Kilcoleman Abbey, County Kerry, by whom he had a daughter, Agnes, who wedded R C Hickson, of Fermoyle, County Kerry.

Mr Mahony died in 1817, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE REV DENIS MAHONY JP, of Dromore Castle, who married firstly, in 1827, Lucinda Catherine, only child of John Segerson, of West Cove, County Kerry, and had a son,

RICHARD JOHN, of whom hereafter.

He wedded secondly, in 1829, Jane, daughter of Sir John Blake Bt, of Menlo Castle, and by her had issue,

Denis;
Edward;
Henry;
John;
Rose; Margaret.

He espoused thirdly, in 1843, Katherine, daughter of Mathew Franks, of Merrion Square, Dublin, by whom he had one daughter, Mary Ellen.

The Rev Denis Mahony died in 1851, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD JOHN MAHONY JP DL (1828-92), of Dromore Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1853, who married, in 1856, Mary Harriette, eldest daughter of John Waller, of Shannon Grove, County Limerick, and had issue, with a daughter,

HAROLD SEGERSON MAHONY JP (1867-1905), of Dromore Castle, County Kerry, who succeeded his father in 1892.

When Harold Mahony was killed in a bicycle accident in 1905, he left no heirs.

The estate passed to his sister, Norah Eveleen Mahony, wife of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Hood TD JP, who, in turn, left the castle to her cousin, Hugh Bolton Waller.

DROMORE CASTLE, near Templenoe, County Kerry, looks out over the River Kenmare.

It was built in the 1830s for the Mahony family to a neo-gothic design by Sir Thomas Deane.

It was designed and built for Denis Mahony.

Work began in 1831, although the account books show that only a negligible amount had been carried out before 1834.

Building work was completed in 1839.

The house is in the castellated Gothic-Revival style, with an external finish of Roman cement with limestone dressings.

With the notable exception of the grand south-facing window with its pointed arch, the windows consist of pointed tracery contained within rectangular frames, a style characteristic of Deane's domestic work.

The entrance hall, which is in the form of a long gallery, takes up half of the area of the ground floor.

The west wing of the Castle takes the form of a round tower, with a spiral staircase contained within an attached turret.

Although Dromore Castle appears to have been built on the instructions of Denis Mahony, his father John Mahony had made the decision to build a large residence earlier in the 19th century, but apparently abandoned the attempt after his yacht, returning from London with lead for the roof and wine for the cellar, sank in the River Kenmare, in view of the site of the house.

Thereafter, no further work took place until Deane began building work for Denis Mahony in the 1830s.

Denis Mahony was a rector of the Church of Ireland and a keen proselytiser.

He is known to have set up a soup kitchen at Dromore during the time of the Irish Potato Famine, and preached in the chapel at Dromore to the hungry who came for food.

His proselytizing activities did not make him a popular figure in the locality, and in 1850 he was attacked in his church at Templenoe.

On returning to Dromore, he found a further angry group had uprooted flower beds, felled trees and were about to set fire to the castle; it is claimed that they were only stopped by the intervention of the local priest.

After the Rev Denis Mahony's death in 1851, the castle was inherited by his son, Richard John Mahony, who successfully ran the estate in addition to farming oyster beds in the bay.

When Richard Mahony died, the castle then passed in turn to his son, Harold Segerson Mahony.

Harold was an extremely successful tennis player, and indeed was the last Irish winner at Wimbledon.

His tennis court can still be found in the gardens at the Castle.

It was in the late 1800s, during Harold Mahony's time as head of the household, that Harold Boulton, best known for writing the lyrics of the Skye Boat Song, came to visit Dromore, and it is then that he is thought to have written the words to the popular song "The Castle of Dromore," published in 1892.

When Harold Mahony was killed in a bicycle accident in 1905, he left no heirs, and the castle was passed to his sister, Norah Hood.

She in turn left the castle to her cousin, Hardrass Waller, and the castle remained in the hands of the Waller family until 1993 when it was offered for sale.

Dromore Castle is now owned by an investment company who are attempting to restore the building.

Beyond the Castle's gardens and outbuildings, the majority of the Castle grounds are now owned by  the Irish forestry board.

The Kerry Way runs through the grounds, and there are various footpaths leading to the Kenmare River. Entrance to the grounds is through a castellated gatehouse, also by Thomas Deane.

First published in June, 2012.

Convamore House

THE EARLS OF LISTOWEL WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 30,000 ACRES.

This ancient family claims descent from the house of HARCOURT, in Lorraine, who were Counts in Normandy. In 1461,

JOHN HARE, son of Thomas Hare, by Joyce, his wife, daughter of John Hyde, of Norbury, resided at Homersfield, in Suffolk and was father of

NICHOLAS HARE, father of

JOHN HARE, who, by Elizabeth Fortescue, his wife, had two sons, viz.

NICHOLAS;
JOHN. 

The younger son,

JOHN HARE, having eventually inherited the estates of his brother, Sir Nicholas, became of Stow Bardolph.

He had a numerous family, seven sons and three daughters. Of the former,

RICHARD, the eldest, was ancestor of the HARES of Stow Bardolph, raised to the degree of Baronet in 1641; and

JOHN HARE, the youngest, a bencher of the Middle Temple, wedded Margaret, daughter of John Crouch, of Cornbury, Hertfordshire, and had a son,

HUGH HARE, a faithful adherent of CHARLES I, by whom he was created, in 1625, BARON COLERAINE,  of County Londonderry.

His lordship married and was father of

HENRY, descended the Barons Coleraine; and from a younger son, HUGH, sprang the HARES of Listowel, the representative of which branch, 

RICHARD HARE, of Ennismore (third son of John Hare, of Cork, a native of Norfolk), the immediate founder of this family, married Catherine Maylor, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his successor;
John, died unmarried, 1774;
Mary; Margaret Anne.

The elder son and successor,

WILLIAM HARE (1751-1837), represented Cork and Athy in the Irish parliament from 1796 until the final dissolution of that assembly.

Mr Hare was elevated to the peerage, in 1800, in the dignity of Baron Ennismore; and advanced to a viscounty, in 1816, as Viscount Ennismore and Listowel.

His lordship was further advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1822, as EARL OF LISTOWEL.

He married firstly, in 1772, Mary, only daughter of Henry Wrixon, of Ballygiblin, County Cork, and aunt of Sir William Wrixon-Becher Bt, and had issue,

RICHARD, father of WILLIAM, 2ND EARL;
William Henry;
Margaret Anne; Mary; Louisa; Catharine.

He espoused secondly, in 1812, Anne, second daughter of John Latham, of Meldrum, County Tipperary.

His lordship was succeeded by his grandson,

WILLIAM (1801-56), 2nd Earl.

• William Hare, 2nd Earl (1801–56);
• William Hare, 3rd Earl (1833–1924);
• Richard Granville Hare, 4th Earl (1866–1931);
• William Francis Hare, 5th Earl (1906–97);
• Francis Michael Hare, 6th Earl (b 1964).

The heir presumptive is the present holder's brother, the Hon Timothy Patrick Hare (b 1966).

*****

THE PRINCIPAL family seat was Convamore, County Cork, though they were also seated at Ennismore Park, County Kerry, which was sold by the Bailey family to the Hares in the late 18th century.

William, 1st Earl of Listowel, built a new house beside the River Blackwater in the early 19th century.

He was residing at Convamore in 1814.

It remained the family seat in 1894.

The house was burned in 1921 and is now a ruin.

The family's town residence was Kingston House, Knightsbridge, London. The 3rd Earl, the then owner of the Kingston House estate, was admitted as copyholder and secured the ground's enfranchisement from manorial control.

In 1855, the substantial portion of the estate built up with houses and stables in the 1840s and early 1950s was sold by the 2nd Earl, but the greater part, including Kingston House itself, remained in the possession of the Hare family until shortly before the Second World War.

With the death of the 4th Earl in 1931, the estate passed not to his eldest son, the socialist 5th Earl, but on trust to a younger son, the Hon John Hare, later 1st Viscount Blakenham. 


The 3rd Earl died at Kingston House in 1924, and the last occupant was his widow, who in turn died there in 1936. In March, 1937, the contents were sold and that autumn the house itself was demolished for the building of flats.

CONVAMORE HOUSE was a large and plain two-storey early 19th century mansion, situated above a fine stretch of the River Blackwater in County Cork.

The entrance front had a single storey Doric portico; while the block with the main rooms was faced with Victorian stucco and plate-glass windows.

The walls of the old Roche castle are said to be stained with tar from a beacon that was lit when EDWARD VII paid a visit as Prince of Wales.

The castle belonged lately to a Major Hirtch, whose father built a gabled fishing lodge beside it.

These decorative cast-iron entrance gates and finely carved piers of solid limestone blocks exhibit high levels of craftsmanship.

The gateway to Convamore House was erected for a visit by the Prince of Wales in 1886.

Listowel arms courtesy of European Heraldry.   First published in February, 2012.

Ballyheigue Castle

THE CROSBIES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 13,422 ACRES

This is a branch of the CROSBIES OF ARDFERT, extinct Earls of Glandore, themselves scions of a family long settled in the Queen's County and in County Kerry, and latterly represented by the Crosbie Baronets, of Maryborough.

The common ancestor of the Baronet's family and the two branches of Ardfert and Ballyheigue was

THE RT REV JOHN CROSBIE, Lord Bishop of Ardfert, appointed to that See in 1601.

The Queen's letter to the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Lord Mountjoy, dated from the manor of Oatland, in 1600, directing his appointment, describes him as "a graduate in schools, of English race, skilled in the English tongue, and well disposed in religion."

The Bishop was previously Prebendary of Disert, in the Diocese of Limerick.

He married Winifred O'Lalor, of the Queen's County, and had, with four daughters, six sons,

Walter (Sir), 1st Baronet, of Maryborough;
DAVID, of whom presently;
John (Sir), of Tullyglass, County Down;
Patrick;
William;
Richard.

The Lord Bishop of Ardfert died in 1621.

His second son,

DAVID CROSBIE, of Ardfert, Colonel in the army, Governor of Kerry, 1641, stood a siege in Ballingarry Castle for more than twelve months.

He was afterwards Governor of Kinsale for CHARLES I; and in 1646 he inherited a portion of the estate of his cousin, Sir Pierce Crosbie Bt, son of Patrick Crosbie, who had been granted a large portion of The O'More's estate in Leix.

Mr Crosbie wedded a daughter of the Rt Rev John Steere, Lord Bishop of Ardfert, and had, with four daughters, two sons,

THOMAS, his heir;
Patrick.

Colonel Crosbie died in 1658, and was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR THOMAS CROSBIE, Knight, of Ardfert, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1668, knighted by His Grace the Duke of Ormonde, in consideration of the loyalty of his family during Oliver Cromwell's rebellion.

He was MP for County Kerry in the parliament held in Dublin by JAMES II in 1688, and refused to take the oath of allegiance to WILLIAM III.

Sir Thomas married firstly, Bridget, daughter of Robert Tynte, of County Cork, and had issue,

DAVID, ancestor of THE EARLS OF GLANDORE;
William;
Patrick (Rev);
Walter;
Sarah; Bridget.

He wedded secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Garrett FitzGerald, of Ballynard, County Limerick, by whom he had no issue; and thirdly, in 1680, Elizabeth, daughter of William Hamilton, of Liscloony, King's County, and had issue,

THOMAS, of whom hereafter;
John;
Charles;
Pierce;
Ann.

By a very peculiar, probably unique, settlement, executed on the marriages of Sir Thomas Crosbie and his eldest son respectively, to the two sisters, on the same day (1680), a new settlement and redistribution of all the family estates was made, by which those of Ballyheigue were appointed to the issue of the last marriage.

Under this settlement Ballyheigue passed to the eldest son of his third marriage,

THOMAS CROSBIE, of Ballyheigue, MP for County Kerry, 1709, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1712 and 1714, who espoused, in 1711, the Lady Margaret Barry, daughter of Richard, 2nd Earl of Barrymore, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
Anne Dorothy; Harriet Jane.

Mr Crosbie died in 1731, and was succeeded by his son and heir,

JAMES CROSBIE, of Ballyheigue, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1751, who married Mary, daughter of Pierce Crosbie, of Rusheen, and had issue,

PIERCE, his heir;
James;
Catherine; Henrietta.

Mr Crosbie died in 1761, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

PIERCE CROSBIE, of Ballyheigue, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1797, who wedded Frances, daughter of Rowland Bateman, of Oak Park, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
Pierse;
Elizabeth; Frances Anne.

The elder son,

JAMES CROSBIE (c1760-1836) of Ballyheigue, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1792, MP for County Kerry, 1797-1800, espoused, in 1785, his cousin Elizabeth, daughter of Rowland Bateman, of Oak Park, and had issue,

PIERCE, his heir;
James;
Francis;
Thomas;
Letitia; Frances.

Colonel Crosbie died in 1836, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

PIERCE CROSBIE (1792-1849), of Ballyheigue, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1815, who espoused firstly, Elizabeth, daughter of General John Mitchell. She dsp.

He married secondly, in 1831, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas William Sandes DL, of Sallow Glen, County Kerry, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
Margaret Catherine.

Mr Crosbie wedded thirdly, Margaret, daughter of Leslie Wren, and had further issue,

William Wren;
Pierce;
Leslie Wren;
George Wren;
Francis;
Elizabeth Margaret; Alice Julia.

Mr Crosbie was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES CROSBIE JP DL (1832-79), of Ballyheigue, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1862, Colonel, Kerry Militia, who espoused, in 1860, Rosa, daughter of Sir John Lister Lister-Kaye Bt, of Denby Grange, Yorkshire, and had issue,

Piers Lister (1860-78), died at Harrow;
JAMES DAYROLLES, of whom hereafter;
Kathleen Matilda; Rosa Marguerite; Marcia Ellen.

Mr Crosbie was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

BRIGADIER-GENERAL JAMES DAYROLLES CROSBIE CMG DSO JP DL (1865-1947), of Ballyheigue, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1894, who married, in 1894, Maria Caroline, daughter of Major James Leith VC, Scots Greys, and granddaughter of Sir Alexander Leith, of Glenkindie, and had issue, an only child, OONAGH MARY.

BALLYHEIGUE CASTLE, near Tralee, County Kerry, was originally low, long and thatched, facing on to an enclosed courtyard, where there was a stone tower, part of an ancient castle.

The original house on this site was constructed about 1758, but was renovated and enlarged to the design of Richard Morrison ca 1809.

The last member of the family, Brigadier Crosbie, sold Ballyheigue Castle in 1912.

The building was used as a prison at the time of the Irish civil war in 1920.

It was burnt in 1921.

Very little of the original remains, but some renovation has taken place and there is holiday accommodation at the site, now surrounded by the Golf Course.

A wing was reconstructed and remodelled about 1975, to accommodate use as apartments, with the remainder of the building now ruinous.

First published in August, 2018.

Kilcoleman Abbey

THE GODFREY BARONETS OWNED 6,331 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY KERRY

MAJOR JOHN GODFREY, of Colonel Edmund Ludlow's Regiment of Horse (a member of the ancient family of GODFREY, of Romney, Kent), obtained for his services in Ireland, during the rebellion of 1641, a grant of Bushfield (Kilcoleman Abbey) consisting of of 6,331 acres in County Kerry, and settled there.

Major Godfrey, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1673, married Margaret Davies, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

WILLIAM GODFREY, of Bushfield, County Kerry, and of Knockgraffan, County Tipperary, who wedded Deborah, only child of Alderman Luke Lowther, Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1680-81, and was succeeded at his decease by his eldest son,

JOHN GODFREY (1686-1711), of Bushfield, who espoused Philippa, daughter of Anthony Chearnley, of Burncourt, County Tipperary, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
JOHN, succeeded his brother.

Mr Godfrey was succeeded by his elder son,

WILLIAM GODFREY, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1735, who wedded, in 1730,  Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev Richard Downing, and had issue, five daughters.

He was succeeded by his brother,

CAPTAIN JOHN GODFREY (1709-82), of Bushfield, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1754, who married Barbara, daughter of the Rev Lucas Hathaway, and granddaughter (maternally) of the 1st Earl Coningsby, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his successor;
Luke (Rev Dr), Rector of Middleton, Co Cork;
Edward;
Anthony;
Letitia; Phillippa.

Captain Godfrey was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM GODFREY (1739-1817), of Bushfield, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1780, who was created a baronet in 1785, designated of Bushfield, County Kerry.

Sir William, MP for Tralee, 1783-90, Belfast, 1792-7, wedded, in 1761, Agnes, only daughter of William Blennerhassett, of Elm Grove, County Kerry, and had surviving issue,

JOHN, his heir;
William (Rev), Rector of Kenmare;
Luke, a major in the army;
Letitia; Agnes; Phillippa; Arabella; Margaret; Elizabeth.

Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN GODFREY, 2nd Baronet (1763-1841), of Bushfield, renamed Kilcoleman Abbey, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1801, who espoused, in 1796, Eleanor, eldest daughter of John Cromie, of CROMORE, County Londonderry, and had issue,

WILLIAM DUNCAN, his heir;
John (Rev);
Henry Alexander;
Robert;
James George;
Richard Frankland;
Anne; Agnes; Eleanor.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR WILLIAM DUNCAN GODFREY, 3rd Baronet (1797-1873), JP DL, of Kilcoleman Abbey, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1829, who married, in 1824, Mary Teresa, second daughter of John Coltsman, of County Kerry, and had issue,

JOHN FERMOR, his heir;
William;
Henry Arthur;
Christiana; Eleanor Isabella.

Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN FERMOR GODFREY, 4th Baronet (1828-1900), High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1861, wedded, in 1856, Mary Cordelia, only surviving child of Thomas White Scutt, of Clapham House, Sussex, and had issue,

WILLIAM CECIL, 5th Baronet;

JOHN ERNEST, 6th Baronet;

Hubert Charles;

Mabel Edith; Helen Gertrude; Mildred Feridah.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR WILLIAM CECIL GODFREY, 5th Baronet (1857-1926), who espoused firstly, in 1885, Adela Maud Gethin, only surviving child of Frederick Fownes Hamilton, of Coolayna, County Kildare, and had issue,

PHYLLIS MAUD MARY (Kilcoleman Abbey).

Sir William married secondly, in 1901, Mary Henrietta, eldest daughter of Richard John Leeson-Marshall, of Callinafercy, without further issue.

He died without male issue, and the title devolved upon his next brother,

SIR JOHN ERNEST GODFREY, 6th Baronet (1864-1935), of Kilcoleman Abbey, who wedded, in 1897, Eileen Mary, only daughter of John Edmund Currey, MD, of Lismore Estate, County Waterford, and had issue,

WILLIAM MAURICE, his successor;

Mary Constance; Dorothy Louisa; Helen Ursula.

He was succeeded by his son,

SIR WILLIAM MAURICE GODFREY, 7th Baronet (1909-71), of Thatches, Brenchley, Kent, and Ballinagroun, County Kerry, who married, in 1933, Caroline Iris, daughter of Alban Robins, of Rusthall Grange, Tunbridge Wells, and had issue, three daughters,

Susan Mary; Bridget Jane; Iris Belinda.

The baronetcy expired following the decease of the 7th Baronet, without male issue.

KILCOLEMAN ABBEY, Milltown, County Kerry, was granted by CHARLES II to Major John Godfrey "for his services against the rebels" in the Irish rebellion of 1641.

Sir William Petty, in his Reflections on Matters and Things in Ireland, called this donation "by no means an equivalent for the Major's services".

Kilcoleman: ruinous in 1976

It was built ca 1800 by Sir William Godfrey, 1st Baronet, comprising a fairly plain, Georgian, three-storey block.

The house was altered in 1819 by Sir John, 2nd Baronet to designs of W V Morrison, who gave it a Tudor-Revival makeover, with four slender turrets on each corner, topped by cupolas (not dissimilar to Glenarm Castle and Borris).

A two-storey service wing was added later.

Kilcoelman Abbey, south front (image: Dr J Knightly)

Morrison created a two-storey galleried hall, which opened with arches on to the staircase.

Sir John Ernest Godfrey, 6th Baronet, was the last of the Godfrey Baronets to live at Kilcoleman.

When he died in 1935, his son and heir, Sir William, 7th Baronet, was living in England; and, in 1941, decided to sell what was left of the estate to his cousin, Phyllis Godfrey, only child of the 5th Baronet.

Phyllis continued to live at Kilcoleman until November, 1958, when her mobility had deteriorated to the extent that she moved into the gate lodge.

Phyllis Godfrey, the last of the family to reside at Kilcoleman, died in December, 1959.

Kilcoleman Abbey was inherited again by the 7th Baronet, who considered restoring one of its wings.

The overwhelming cost and burden had become too great for him, so Sir William sold the derelict, crumbling mansion and remaining 166 acres to the Irish Land Commission. 

Kilcoleman Abbey was demolished in 1977.

Other residence ~ Thatches, Brenchley, Kent.

First published in March, 2016.

The Kenmare Chapel

During the Victorian era the old Anglo-Catholic-Irish family of Browne, Earls of Kenmare, was one of the greatest landowners in Ireland, holding 118,606 acres of land, the vast majority of it in County Kerry, specifically Killarney and its hinterland.

Killarney National Park now forms most of their great estates.

The Brownes originally inhabited Ross Castle (the roof mark of their house on the wall of the castle remains there today).

In 1726 they removed closer to the town of Killarney and built the château-like Kenmare House.

Lord and Lady Kenmare lived here when they hosted Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1861.

Click to enlarge (PRONI/Kenmare Papers)

The Earls of Kenmare were devout Catholics and, about 1840, the 2nd Earl and the Most Rev Cornelius Egan, Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe, met to discuss the building of a new cathedral for Killarney, County Kerry.

The new cathedral was designed by the pre-eminent architect of his time, Augustus Pugin.

When it was built St Mary's Cathedral was one of the tallest churches in Ireland; even today its spire points to Heaven at a height of 285 feet or 86.8 metres (St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, by way of comparison, is 260 feet tall, having gained in height with its slender modern pinnacle).

St Mary's Cathedral, Killarney (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2025)

Killarney Cathedral today remains one of the largest churches in Ireland, with its magnificent, impressive exterior and interior.

In fact, from the outside it still looks like new.

The Kenmare Chapel (Timothy Ferres, 2025)

Entering the south porch, immediately to the right is the Kenmare Chapel.

Monument to the 2nd Earl (Timothy Ferres, 2025)

The splendid medieval-revival brass monumental memorials to the 2nd and 3rd Earls adorn the wall here.

Monument to 3rd Earl (Timothy Ferres, 2025)

Your eyes are drawn to the tiled floor, with exquisite earls' coronets, cyphers, and Kenmare coats-of-arms in brown and cream.

Tiled floor in Kenmare Chapel (Timothy Ferres, 2025)

The Kenmare vault lies beneath this tiled floor; a solid, square, concrete slab with large brass rings has possibly lain unopened since Beatrice Grosvenor was interred here in 1985.

(Timothy Ferres, 2025)

(Timothy Ferres, 2025)

Muckross House

THE HERBERTS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 47,238 ACRES

Since the merging of the elder branch of the family of CLIVE, by the marriage of the heiress of the last Herbert, Earl of Powis, with the son of the celebrated General Lord Clive, the chieftainship of the name seems indubitably to rest with HERBERT of Muckross, in County Kerry. 

Descended from Thomas Herbert, of Kilcow, he went to Ireland under the care and patronage of his relative Lord Herbert of Chirbury and Castleisland, in 1656; which Thomas was the son of Matthew, the son of Sir John, the son of Sir William, the son of Sir Matthew, of Colebrook, only brother of the Earl of Pembroke of the 1st Creation.

These brothers suffered as Yorkists in the wars of the Roses. The heir-general of the Earl of Pembroke married into the family of Somerset, Earl and Marquess of Worcester, and Duke of Beaufort.

From Richard Herbert descended in the younger branches the Lords Herbert of Cherbury, afterwards Earls of Powis, and Herbert, Earl of Torrington, both extinct in the male line; while from a senior, but never ennobled branch, the family of Muckross and Kilcow now remains the existing and legitimate representative of the famous name of HERBERT. The Herberts were granted land in County Kerry during the reign of ELIZABETH I.

THOMAS HERBERT, of Kilcow, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1659, married Mary, daughter of Edward Kenny, of Cullen, County Cork, and had issue,

EDWARD, his successor;
John, dsp;
ARTHUR.

The eldest son,

EDWARD HERBERT MP (1660-1737), of Muckross, High Sheriff of Kerry, 1693, married, in 1684, Agnes, daughter of Patrick Crosbie, of Tubrid, County Kilkenny, and had issue,

EDWARD, his successor;
John, dsp;
Arthur, dsp;
Elizabeth; Margaret.

The eldest son,

EDWARD HERBERT (1693-1770), of Muckross, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1708, MP for Ludlow in Shropshire, 1756, married Frances, daughter of Nicholas, 2nd Viscount Kenmare, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
Nicholas (Rev);
Edward, MP.

The eldest son,

THOMAS HERBERT, of Muckross, MP for Ludlow, married firstly, Anne, daughter of John Martin, of Overbury, Worcestershire, and had issue,

HENRY ARTHUR, his heir;
Edward (Rev);
Frances; Catherine; Mary; Emily.

He wedded secondly, Agnes, daughter of the Rev Francis Bland, Vicar of Killarney, and had issue,

Thomas, dsp 1798, buried at Worcester Cathedral;
Francis, killed in a duel at Gibraltar, 1797;
Cherry; Elizabeth.

Mr Herbert died in 1779, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY ARTHUR HERBERT (1756-1821), who espoused Elizabeth, daughter of Lord George Sackville, and sister to the last Duke of Dorset, and had issue (with a daughter), a son and successor,

CHARLES JOHN HERBERT, of Muckross, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1818, who married, in 1814, Louisa, daughter of Hugh Middleton, and had issue,

HENRY ARTHUR, his heir;
Charles, dsp;
Louisa; Jane; Maria.

Mr Herbert died in 1836, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON HENRY ARTHUR HERBERT (1815-66), of Muckross, Lord-Lieutenant and MP for County Kerry, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1836, Colonel, the Kerry Militia, Chief Secretary for Ireland, 1857-8, who married, in 1837, Mary, daughter of James Balfour, by Lady Eleanor his wife, and had issue,

HENRY ARTHUR, his heir;
Charles;
Eleanor; Blanche.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY ARTHUR HERBERT DL MP (1840-1901), of Muckross, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1881, MP for Kerry, 1866-80, Major, London Irish Rifles, Captain, Coldstream Guards, who espoused, in 1866, Emily Julia Charlotte, only child of Edward, 2nd Lord Keane, and had issue,

HENRY ARTHUR EDWARD KEANE, his heir;
Kathleen Mary Eleanor.

The only son,

HENRY ARTHUR EDWARD KEANE HERBERT JP (1867-1931), married, in 1893, Charlotte Alice Dorothy Montagu, daughter of Arthur Charles Montagu Gifford, though the marriage was without issue.

Smith indicates that two members of the family received lands in Kerry after the Desmond rebellion, Sir William Herbert receiving over 13,000 acres; while Charles Herbert received over 3,000 acres. 

Over the next three centuries they were to remain amongst the foremost families in County Kerry.

Henry Arthur Herbert was one of the principal lessors of property in the baronies of Dunkerron North and Magunihy, as well as holding some property in the barony of Trughanacmy, at the time of Griffith’s Valuation.

The family fortunes declined systematically in the late 19th century and most of the estate was sold in the 1890s.

MUCKROSS HOUSE, County Kerry, is an irregular-plan, six-bay, two-storey over basement, quadruple-gable-fronted, Elizabethan-Revival style country house with dormer attic, built between 1839-43, designed by William Burn.

It is situated close to the shores of Muckross Lake, amidst the beautiful scenery of Killarney National Park.

The house is a focal point within the park.

It was built for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife, the watercolour artist Mary Balfour Herbert.

This was the fourth house that successive generations of the Herbert family had occupied at Muckross over a period of almost two centuries. 

Originally it was intended to build a more ornate house than that which exists today.

The plans for a larger servants' wing, stable block, orangery and summer-house are believed to have been altered at Mary Herbert's request. 

Today the principal rooms are furnished in period style and portray the elegant lifestyle of the 19th century gentry; while, in the basement, one can imagine the busy bustle of the servants as they went about their daily chores.

During the 1850s, the Herberts undertook extensive garden works in preparation for Queen Victoria’s visit in 1861. 

Later, the Bourne Vincent family continued this gardening tradition.

They purchased the estate from Lord Ardilaun early in the 20th century.

It was at this time that the Sunken Garden, Rock Garden and Stream Garden were developed.

First published in December, 2011.  BIBLIOGRAPHY: MUCKROSS HOUSE WEBSITE