Newtown House

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Sduddy
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Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Newtown House

Post by Sduddy » Sat Sep 26, 2015 10:18 am

Does anyone know what families are associated with Newtown House (in ruins) marked on the 1842 Ordnance Survey map in Doon beg, Killard, and whether it has any connection with the Newtown House shown in the later 25” map in Newtown, east, Moyarta? The second Newtown House is not marked in the 1842 map but, looking at the Griffith’s map, I think it was house a in plot 4 in that townland – probably not large enough at that time to be named.

Sheila

pwaldron
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Re: Newtown House

Post by pwaldron » Sat Sep 26, 2015 1:46 pm

I have researched both Newtown Houses extensively, Sheila.

There are then and now pictures of Newtown House in Newtown East townland at
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 6304995129

Up to 1867, it was part of the estate of Francis Brew. Details of the sale of the Brew estate in the Landed Estates Court are at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/countyc ... 554683537/

Richard Bolton Silles came across from Kerry and must have bought Newtown House in this Landed Estates Court Sale in 1867. His son Richard junior was born in Kerry in 1859, but a younger son John was born in Newtown in 1873.

In 1891, the marriage notice of Bella Silles described her father as `the late Mr Richard Silles J.P. of Denmark Hill, Wimbledon and Newtown House, Kilrush'; however, reports of his death were greatly exaggerated and he lived on to 1898.

`Silles Richard Bolton, J.P., Newtown house' is listed among the Gentry and Clergy of Querrin, Co. Clare in Ashe's 1891-2 Directory.

Richard Bolton Silles's son Richard O'Connell Silles was in Newtown House in 1901 and 1911.

Michael Falvey told me that John Falvey (a first cousin to both of Michael's grandfathers) acquired Corran Cottage in Kilkee (for his son Dan), the Marine Hotel in Kilkee (for his daughter), Newtown House (for his son Tom) and a Sheedy farm in Tullabrack.

Tom Falvey was a Clare Co. Councillor (Farmers' Party) for many years and served briefly as a T.D. in 1927 and lived in Newtown House.

The farm and house were bought in the 1950s by Tom Coughlan of Tullycreen, who married Bridie Morrissey of Moveen. According to their neighbour Michael O'Connell at
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 1147178294
Tom Coghlan knocked two stories of the house and built a modern farmhouse in the lawn in front. The ground floor of Newtown House was converted into a cow byre. Patrick Morrissey, his brother-in-law, did all the work.

According to Weir (1986, p.210), Tom Coghlan replaced the house he purchased with a `modern one-storey, five bay house, with a central mouth organ lit front door facing south'. He lived there for his entire married life. See Weir (1986, p.210) for more details of the history of Newtown House.

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Newtown House in Doonbeg townland was one of two houses of the same name associated with the Welsh family.

According to Burke's Irish Family Records 1976, p.1071, Andrew Welsh was of `Newtown House, Kilrush'. This may be an error in Burke - one Welsh residence was Newtown House in the parish of Kiltenanlea at the other side of co. Clare, although there are two other Newtown Houses near Kilrush: the one discussed above in Newtown East townland at
http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,492907,655510,7,9
probably not built until after the first edition OSi map of 1840; and the other in Doonbeg townland, at
http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,497287,665235,7,7
and in ruins by 1840.

Andrew Welsh's son, Revd. Richd. Walsh, is listed as an occupier in Dunbeg in the Tithe Applotment Book of 13 Apr 1826.

The area around Newtown House in Doonbeg townland is now known locally as Clifden.

According to local expert Joe Hurley, a Captain Butler once lived in the Newtown Ho. (in ruins) on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1840, but it was called Doonbeg House; Captain Butler and his wife had only one child and she died as a result of eating dodgy fish.

I have found references to a James Bulter of Doonbeg Court (born 1759).

There is another location near Doonbeg known locall as the Court, approximately at
http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,499006,666999,7,3
but it may only be called after Sinn Féin Courts held there during the War of Independence.

The balance of evidence suggests that all references to Richard Walsh or Welsh as a clergyman of the established church in county Clare are to a single person, despite the fact that Leslie & Crooks (2010, pp.733 and 740) divide his appointments into three separate entries.

Alumni Dublinenses p.855:
"WALSH, RICHARD, Pen. (Mr Fitzgerald),
Nov. 4, 1793, aged 17 ; s. of Andrew,
Generosus ; b. Co. Clare. B.A. Vern.
1798 (Welsh)."

Richard's first clerical appointment was as curate of Kiltenanlea and Killokennedy. Leslie & Crooks (2010, p.733) confirm that the parliamentary return of 1807 shows Richard Walsh (already married) in this position and Bourke (1992, p.12) lists among the curates of Kiltenanlea:
`RICHARD WELSH 1796-1817
Richard was born at Newtown House Clonlara
about 1771. He was the first occcupant of the Glebe
House. Appointed Rector of Clonlara (Kilkishin)
in 1817 and appears to have died there in 1826.'

The 1796 date of appointment given by Bourke appears too early as Richard did not graduate from Trinity College until two years later.

Leslie & Crooks (2010, p.733) confirm that Richard Walsh was vicar of Clonlea from 1818-26.

There is no other evidence that he died in 1826. In fact, the Tithe Applotment Book for the parish of Killard, dated 13 Apr 1826, shows Revd. Richd. Walsh (no. 191) occupying 33 Irish acres (53a 0r 18p statute measure) of 3rd quality land in Dunbeg. See
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... rd_tab.htm

It could be argued that Richard had a residence in Killard named Newtown Ho. after the family residence at the other side of the county.

By Griffith's Valuation, the ruin in Doonbeg was on a demesne of 68a 0r 14p (42 Irish acres; Plot 57, later renumbered as Plot 41). It is not mentioned either in Houses of Clare or at landedestates.ie.

While his Doonbeg landholding may have been only a holiday residennce, it appears that Richard may have had an undocumented appointment in Killard parish between 1826 (when he left Clonlea) and 1831 (when he was appointed to Kilfinaghty). Leslie & Crooks (2010, pp.97, 745) show Rev. Irwin(e) Whitty as Rector of Killard, along with Kilrush, from 1777 to 1830, when he was succeeded in the former parish only by his grandson Rev. Henry Whitty. By 1826, the grandfather was already in his 70s, so may have wanted to curtail his responsibilities. Lewis (1837) reports that the church in Killard parish was "a modern building near Dunbeg" and "about a quarter of a mile from [Doonbeg] is the newly erected parochial church". There does not appear to be any more precise published date of construction even in Doonbeg: A Story To Tell.

In 1831, Rev. Richard Studdert Welsh became vicar of Kilfinaghty parish, a position which he held until his death in 1860. That parish includes part of the village of Sixmilebridge.

On his father's death in 1832, Rev. Richard Welsh apparently succeeded to Newtown House in the townland of Newtown in the parish of Kiltenanlea, which is given as his address on the occasion of the marriage in 1845 of his son Maurice. This is several miles from the parish in which he was then serving.

In Griffith's Valuation, Rev. Richard S. Welsh was listed as occupier of Newtown House in the townland of Newtown and parish of Kiltenanlea, co. Clare, leased from Sir Hugh D. Massy, Bt.; his subtenants included Jonas S. Welsh. Jonas S. Welsh was by then living in Ruanard, leased from the same landlord.

In Griffith's Valuation (20 Aug 1855), Rev. Richard Walsh [sic] appears to have owned the townland of Sragh in the parish of Killard.
His principal tenant, and probable middleman, was Andrew Walsh, who occupied (no. 36a) Sragh House and offices (with a rateable annual valuation of 5 pounds) on 393a 2r 36p. Sragh house is marked but not named on the 1840 map.

Another tenant was Rev. Richard Walsh's son-in-law John F. Studdart, who occupied a Herd's ho. and offs. (37a, with a rateable annual valuation of 1 pound) on 232a 3r 13p, on which Lochnavar House was later built. Lochnavar House did not exist on the 1840 first edition OSi map. See Weir (1999, p.182) and
http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,499158,662734,7,9

The Killeen family (maybe from Craggaknock) appear to have arrived in Doonbeg some time after the Tithe Applotment Book of 13 Apr 1826. By Griffith's Valuation in 1855, the farm (Plot 57, 68a 0r 14p, later renumbered as Plot 41, and Plot 58, 5a 0r 20p) was held jointly by the brothers Patrick Killeen and Timothy Killeen. Each had a house and offices with rateable annual valuation of one pound each on the larger plot. By the censuses of 1901 and 1911, the heads of household were the first cousins Michael Killeen (son of Patrick) and Thomas (son of Timothy, who was still alive in 1901, apparently living in part of the Constabulary Barracks across the river on the Kilrush road).

No primary evidence appears to have survived of the names of the parents of the Killeens sharing the farm in Clifden in Doonbeg townland in Griffith's Valuation. However, the parents of either or both appear as Michael Killeen and Nora Cahill in various pedigrees, including eight times in user-submitted ancestry.com family trees of varying quality and reliability, six times in public trees by four different people and twice in private trees.

-----

You'll find more details on all those mentioned above at
http://pwaldron.info/tng/

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Newtown House

Post by Sduddy » Sat Sep 26, 2015 5:17 pm

Hi Paddy

Thank you very much indeed for that interesting information on the two Newtown Houses - the result of a great deal of research by you. I like the dodgy fish detail. I had noticed Richard O'C. Silles in the census. Also I had noticed that the genealogy of the Butlers (on the clare library site) has a paragraph on the Doonbeg branch of the family, but it doesn't give the name of their house.

What led to my query was finding a reference to "Francis Brew of Dunbeg". I knew there was a Francis Brew in Newtown East and was about to decide that he had moved house to Moyarta, and had taken the name with him. But I see now that I was a bit too hasty joining the dots - not for the first time!

Sheila

pwaldron
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Re: Newtown House

Post by pwaldron » Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:28 pm

Perhaps it is more than coincidence that Newtown House in Doonbeg appears to have fallen into ruin at about the time that Newtown House in Newtown East was built or named!

There is a similar situation in Kilrush - when the Vandeleurs' Kilrush House burned in the 1890s, the Glynns claimed the name for their house on Frances Street, previously known as Merchant's Quay House.

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Newtown House

Post by Sduddy » Mon Sep 28, 2015 9:24 am

Hi Paddy

That reference I found to Francis Brew of Dunbeg was in a newspaper report in 1847 and is the only reference I have ever found to a Brew in Doonbeg and I have no evidence at all that Brews lived in the Newtown House in Killard - I was just surmising that they did. I know from Tithes, and from the 1821 applications to the register of freeholders, that there were Brews living in nearby Dunmore at that time, but they are gone by the time of Griffith's Valuation. There is no Brew in Killard in Griffith's. The nearest I can find is a Thomas Brew who is leasing plot 16 (6 acres) in Caherfeenick, South in Kilmacduane (from Col. C. M.Vandeleur). I suppose Caherfeenick South could be loosely described as "Dunbeg" - for the purposes of a newspaper report.

Sheila

pwaldron
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Location: Ballina, Killaloe
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Re: Newtown House

Post by pwaldron » Mon Sep 28, 2015 11:17 am

Caherfeenick is in Doonbeg DED even though it is in a different parish. In fact, one cannot get from one end of Doonbeg/Killard parish to the other without either going through Caherfeenick or wading across the Scivileen River!

The little that I have on the Brews of Doonmore is at
http://pwaldron.info/tng/getperson.php?personID=I14246
(login required).

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Newtown House

Post by Sduddy » Tue Sep 29, 2015 8:00 am

Hi Paddy

Thank you for giving me all that information.

Sheila

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