The
Earliest Times
The first people
arrived in County Wexford c.5000 b.c. Known as the Mesolithic period
these people survived on a diet of fish and were in the main living
along coastal and river areas. The Neolithic period began c. 4,000
b.c. The inhabitants of the county were now beginning to farm and
grow crops, and move inland. About three miles from the village, in
the townland of Ballybrennan there is a portal tomb or Dolmen (right)
which has survived from this period.
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The Celts arrived
in Ireland c.500 b.c. Evidence of their being in this area are highly
visible with the many raths or ringforts. There are ringforts at
Coolaught, Raheen, & Rathturtin to name but a few.
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The
Norman Invasion
The Normans
landed in Wexford in 1169. They came from around Carmarthenshire in
Wales under the leadership of Strongbow at the invitation of the then
King of Leinster Dermot McMurrough. They introduced the feudal system
to Ireland and made grants of lands to the mercenary leadership. The
names of Rochford, Sinnott, Walsh, Codd, Stafford etc were introduced
into Ireland at this time. Two miles from the village of Clonroche,
in the townland of Kilegney can be seen a defensive motte &
bailey which has survived from this period.
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The Early Landlords.
In the Civil
Survey of 1654/56 the Castle at Ballyboro was the inheritance of
James Butler who owned the whole parish of Kilegney in 1641. The
Butlers were the Monfin branch of the Butlers of Kilcash or Ormonde
who owned vast tracts of land in south east Ireland stretching from
Roscrea to Wexford.
One member of the
family, Piers Butler, owned the Castle at Kayer (Wilton) and it is
said Henry VIII requested the Earl of Surrey to arrange a marriage
between Ann Boalyn and Piers Butler of Kayer
The lands of
Chaple were owned by William Doran, Irish Papist, living at Chapple.
He owned the townlands of Clonroche, Ballymackessey, Rahingrough,
Chapple and Tomfarney. Both families were dispossess after the
Cromwellian wars and sent to Connaught together with thirty others
from the area.
The townland of
Clonroche was known since 1589 as Clone
Roche, 1606
Cloneroiste,
1654
Clonrock, Clonroch.
It was thought for some time the name refers to Roches Meadow but a
better translation comes from a mixture of Irish and French meaning
rocky pasture which best describes the nature of the shingle soil
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Oliver
Cromwell
Cromwells troops
accepted the surrender of Enniscorthy Castle (below) on 29 September
1649. The landholders of the time were dispossess and their lands
granted to the soldiers to pay them for the campaign. The lands of
Clonroche were granted to Andrew Ram on the 8th July 1668 and
Ballyboro was granted to William Leigh on the 13th August 1668.
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The
Shapland Carews
Robert Carew
was of Welsh extraction and was granted conciderable lands in
Waterford on the 9th February 1668. On the 7th February 1669 Carew
purchased the lands of Ballyboro from William Leigh and on the 5th
July 1670 he purchased Clonroche and Ballymackessey from Andrew Ram.
This Robert Carew died in 1673
His son Robert
Carew married Ann Lynn from Ballinamona near Waterford city. He died
in 1708. His son Robert married Elizabeth Shapland, daughter of a
wealthy Wexford tin merchant. This Robert Carew died in 1710 and
Elizabeth married John Mutlow of Woodstown House near Passage County
Waterford in 1729. She had no children by this marriage and died in 1765.
Her eldest son
from the Carew marriage died in 1740 with no family. His younger
brother, the first Shapland Carew was carrying on a legal and
political career in Dublin. He married Doherty Dobson and returned to
take over the estate at Ballyboro. In 1770 the mansion house was
built on the opposite side of the Forestalstown river and the
townland was renamed Castleboro. He died in 1780
His only son
Robert married Ann Pigott from Dysart Co Laoise in 1773. He was
elected to Parliament several times between 1776 and 1800 for
Waterford City. After the act of Union he represented county Wexford
fom 1806/1807 and from 1812 to 1820. He was a Liberal and campaigned
against the Act of Union. He died aged 77 in 1829.
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His son Robert
married Jane Cliffe from Bellview in 1816. He was educated at Eton,
had two sisters Ann Dohority and Jane. His aunt Elizabeth was married
to Blacker of Woodbrooke. He was Lord Lietutantnt of County Wexford.
He was elevated to an Irish Peerage in 1834 and was bestowed a
British Peerage on the 9 July 1838 and so became the first Lord Carew
of Castleboro. He died 2 July 1856.
His son Robert was
born on the 28 January 1818. Educated at Eton he married Emily Ann
Bart, daughter of Sir George Philips Bart MP of Weston. They had two
sons Robert Shapland and George Patrick. He died 9 Sept 1881 and his
wife died 24 November 1899.
Robert Shapland
Carew born 15 June 1860 suceeded to the estate. He was granted a BA
degree from Cambridge. He married Julia Mary Lethbridge from Tounton
England on 27 June 1888.
Under the
Ashbourne Act parts of the lands of the estate were sold in 1914.
After the sale of prize cattle herds, furniture and effects in 1921
the Carews left Ireland. They had no family Lord Carew died on 29
April 1923. The title passed to George Patrick Carew who died on the
21 April 1926 without heir so the direct line of the Shapland Carews
of Castleboro came to an end.
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Castleboro
House
Carew
built Castleboro House on the north side of the Forestalstown river
in 1770. He re named the estate, which was in the townland of
Ballyboro, Castleboro at this time. An accidental fire took place in
1840 and destroyed all but the west wing. Immediate plans were drawn
up by Daniel Robertson, a Kilkenny architect, who incorporated the
surviving west wing into his plans.
The grand centre
of the building presents the appearance of a Venetian Palace, about
ninety foot in length and at the front extends a facade of elegant
and elaborate workmanship. A projection of a semi-hexagon figure
occupies about one third of the front while the mansion extends a
similar distance on each side A highly ornamental entablature runs
along the entire building above the second story and is supported in
the centre by four Corinthian columns with very rich capitals and by
two pilasters of the same order on the right and left extremities. A
very rich and highly ornamental cut stone string course runs above
the first story with rosettes and scrolls. The north front displays a
lofty and magnificent portico supported by six columns of the
Corinthian order.
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Architect
Robertson suffered from gout and whilst the building was in progress
it was said he was pushed around sitting in a wheelbarrow with the
plans in one hand and a bottle of fine wine in the other.Castleboro
was laid out with four stepped terraces with manicured grass bank on
each side desending to an artificial lake. In the centre of the third
stood a magnificent fountain flanked by two smaller fountains with
pools on the immediate upper terrace. This was truly a magnifiecent
sight on a bright summers day.
During the
Throubles of the 1920's the Carews sold off the prize cattle heards
and furniture and effects and lived full time in England. A group of
local IRA sympathisers, believing free state troups might billet
there, burned the mansion on Monday night February 5th 1923.
The derlict ruins
of this once magistic building still remains and with the Blackstairs
mountain range as a backdrop, the rolling green pastures surrounding
it and the peace and tranquility of is setting it is still a
wonderful place to visit.
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Patrick
Kennedy, author
Patrick Kennedy
was born in 1801 in Kilmyshel near Bunclody. In 1807 the Kennedy's
moved near Cloughbawn. In 1810 they were living on Coolbawn Estate
near the river and his neighbour was Father James Murphy who was
curate in Kilegney, a very large parish at that time. In 1814 the
Kennedys moved to Courtnacuddy. When he first came to the parish
Kennedy attended a school run by Mrs Bowers. This school was attended
by both Catholic and Protestants, Mrs Bowers teaching the children
the catechism without comment. He attended school in Taghmon for
about two years before returning to the school of Mr Hugh O'Neill
which was held in the catholic church until a new school was built in
1816 by Carew who endowed it with four acres of land and allowed
£15 per annumn to the master. About 120 boys and 30 girls
attended the school and 84 boys subsequently became teachers This
school was in the Chaple Lane and was later under the auspices of the
Kildare Place Socieity and both Catholic and Protestant were again
attending this school.
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On 19th March 1819
Kennedys friend O'Brien who was principle in Tombrick offered Kennedy
a teaching post in the school whilst he was sent to the teachers
training school in Kildare Place, Dublin
Kennedy was called
for training in 1821 and after six months was appointed Junior
Assitant to the Superintendent at a salary of £50 per year. In
1839 Kennedy was appointed Superintendant but but left after a short
period to set up a bookshop at 8 Anglesea Street Dublin where he
remained until his death on 29 March 1873.
Kennedy is
rembered for his books "Banks of the Boro", "Evenings
on the Duffery" and Legendary fictions of the Irish Celts where
he describes the events, happenings and the social history of the
period 1812 to 1822.
These books were
reprinted some years ago and are available at your local liberary
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Danial
O'Neill and the Pittsburg connection
Daniiel O'Neill
was born on new years day 1830 the eldest of twelve children. He was
son of Hugh O'Neill who taught Patrick Kennedy in the schoolhouse in
Cloughbawn. He like his father became a teacher. He had a drink
problem and was dismissed from Cloughbawn National School and
emegrated to America. He went to Pittsburg Penn where he secured a
job as a reporter from Col J Hernon Foster who was propritor of the Pittsburg
Dispatch
with Reece C Fleeson. Both men were propritors, publishers and
editors and their office was on 4th street. The
Dispatch
was first published on 8th February 1846 and by 1851 it had a
circulation of 15,000 copies.
The Dispatch
shared the forth floor of the building with another Pittsburg paper
the Evening
Chronicle
which was published by John B Kennedy. After five years with the
Dispatch O'Neill changed over to The
Chronicle
to become it's city editor.
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When the American
Civil War broke out O'Neill moved south to become war corrispondent.
After the war O'Neill purchased shares in the Dispatch
and later gained ownership with a collogue from the Chronicle
Alexander W Rooke.
Daniel O'Neill
entered politics and sat on the Pittsburg City Council for several
years. He lived in Lynden House on Penn Avenue which was completed
one year before his death in 1877. The
Pittsburg Dispatch
ceased publication on 8th February 1923
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Father
Thomas Hore and The Iowa Connection
Thomas Hore was
born in 1796 in Broadway, in south County Wexford. He studied for the
priesthood in St Kiernans College, Kilkenny and completed his studies
in 1820. In that year the diocese of Richmond, Virginia USA was
founded and the president of St Kiernans College, Dr Patrick Kelly,
was appointed first bishop on the 11 July of that year. He brought
Thomas Hore with him and ordained him to the priesthood on his
arrival. Having spent six years in Richmond Fr Hore returned to
Ireland and was appointed curate of Camolin.
On the 18 May 1844
he was appointed Parish Priest of Annacurra in south Wicklow. Famine
was at it's hight at this time in Ireland and Father Hore saw the
only way to alleviate the peoples distress was to emegrate to America.
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Their planned
destination was Little Rock in the state of Arkansas. On the 20th
October 1850 a large number of men, women and children set sail from
Dublin to Liverpool. On November 2 Father Hore and his people borded
the Ticonderoga
bound for New Orleans.
On December 5th
they arrived in New Orleans and made the 400 mile trip up the
Missisippi river to Arkansas. On there arrival in Little Rock they
met disapointment as most of the land was already occupied and
suitable places could not be found. Most of his party stayed in St
Louis while Father Hore searched for suitable land An alternative
site for his colony was found in Iowa where he purchased over 1,100
acres of land for $1.25 per acre in Lafayette and Taylor. On 24
February 1851 he purchased a further 700 acres and on 16 April he
aquired a further 300 acres. However when he contacted the parties in
St Louis only eighteen families joined him. They arrived in March
1851 where the new homesteads were built and the area named Wexford.
Father Hore
returned to Wexford and spent some time in Caim before being
appointed parish priest to Cloughbawn where he died in 1864 and is
buired under the floor of the parish church (left). A commemeration
plaque is attached to the church wall in memory of him but no mention
of his pioneering exploits in the new America is given
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James
Bently Gorden
James
Bently Gorden was a native of Derry. He received his BA degree from
Trinity College Dublin in 1772.
He was appointed
Rector of Kilegney in 1799 immediately after the 1798 Insurrection. A
literary man he was the author of four books, History of
Ireland to the Union Published 1805; History of
Rebellion in Ireland in the year 1798; published 1801, History
& Geographical
Memoir
of the North American Continent. & A History
of the British Isles from the Earliest Accounts to the Present Times
His history of
1798 is a very famous work and often quoted by scholars of this period.
Gorden lived in
Boro Hill House, planted Ballymackessey Wood, died in April 1819 and
is buried in the old Kilegney Church yard |
John Harrison V.C
Born
at Castleboro 24 January 1832 the son of a carpenter on the Carew
Estate he joined the Royal Navy when he was eighteen years old.
As a Leading
Seaman serving in the Indian Mutiny he won the Victoria Cross Medal
on January 16 1857. He attained the rank of Boatswain's Mate and
Petty Officer before he was discharged from the Navy 13 January 1859.
He obtained a post
in Customs & Excise but a wound sustained during the relief of
Lucknow left a mark on his health. Unmarried he died at his home 5
Stafford Place, Westminister on 27 December 1865 and is buried at
Bromton Cemetery, West London
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