King's County landlords/ land agents

[coolestown1562]

Hi I am interested in hearing from anybody that may have connected in their ancestry someone who acted as a landlord, land agent or worked on an estate in King's County (Offaly) during the 19th century. It is for a forthcoming study on landed estates in Offaly. Or indeed any information about estates such as evictions, emigration schemes etc.

Cheers,

Coolestown1562

[shanew147]

Hello, I just registered and saw your query.

One of my ancestors 'James Cathcart' worked as a Land Steward in the townland of Bellair near Clara up to about 1847/48. Most if not all of the land in this townland is owned by a Thomas Homan Mullock and the area contains a large house and estate, also named Bellair, that I believe my ancestor worked on. At this time I dont know much more about James other than he married Susan Wilson from Leabeg King's County in 1847 and moved to a new employer in Fairfield Estate, Artane, Dublin in late 1847 or early 1848.



Shane

[coolestown1562]

Hi Shane,

thanks for your reply about land agents and landlords in King's County. I was delighted to hear about your ancestor James Cathcart who worked for Thomas Homan Mullock at Bellair. I was aware of the Bellair estate but had not got a name for the agent or steward, so that solves that mystery!

How did you find information about him working there?

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Coolestown1562

[shanew147]

the key to James Cathcarts early life has been from a marriage cert I recently located. It is from the registration district of Parsonstown in 1847, which has his residence and occupation details. We knew he was a Land Steward from his sons birth cert  in Dublin the year following his marriage. I know his father was also named James but I dont know if he was involved in similar Estate employment somewhere.

I am taking an educated guess at his employer from an analysis of the townland using Griffiths, nobody else seems to own any land in that area - so I assume that if James lived in Bellair the chances are he worked there also.

I dont know much more than this about him or his employer at this stage. I do have a 1inch map of Offaly showing the Estate & House and have a 6 inch map ordered which I am hoping might give more clues about the buildings on the estate.



Shane.

[shanew147]

I've just been able to confirm my Cathcart link to the Bellair Estate of J. W. Mullock. - thanks to the link recently posted to the Gale Newspaper collection.

I found a newspaper article from the Morning Chronicle (London) of Oct 1847 relating an incident headlined 'Attempt at Murder' which details a shooting  attempt on James Cathcart steward to Mr. Mullock of Bellair.

fortunately the shot missed ... or I would not be here to tell you this!


Shane

[villandra]

Shane, one of my Lowe ancestors, Thomas Lowe, rented 131 acres in Bellair/ Bellyard from Thomas Homan Mullock, in 1854.   Would this land agent's records happen to have information about him?  His parentage, where he was from, his childrens' and wives' names and any other info or linkages would be helpful.

Thanks!

Yours,
Dora Smith

[shanew147]

I have not located any rent books etc for the Bellair townland. I suspect that if they still exist they would contain rental details (land area, details of buildings) and some basic information on just the primary occupier.

I dont have much detail on James Cathcart. Most of what I know about him from this time is based on his 1847 marriage in nearby Lemanaghan, the newspaper report mentioned above, and details of some of his children from his first marriage.

If I locate further details of Belair and T.H. Mullock I'll post the details here..


Shane

[villandra]

Thanks!

[pacobirdcr]

Arthur Blundell Trumbull Sandys Hill, 3rd Marquess of Downshire, came of age in 1809. Although his mother received two thirds of the rent from the Edenderry estate until her death in 1836, he paid off his father’s debts, had the mud walled cabins of the town’s main street replaced with slated stone houses (overseen by land agents John and James Brownrigg, who designed the attractive Blundell House in 1813), and was also responsible for the handsome Cormarket / Courthouse (1826). <www.irelandbyways.com>
There is a large amount of information online since John Brownrigg besides being a land agent, he was a magistrate, land surveyor and canal engineer.  Hope this helps your project.