The Down Survey and Waller Connection

17 May, 2013
Introduction
One of the most significant developments in cartography in Ireland  in recent years has been the digitisation of the Post-Cromwellan Down Survey in conjunction with modern Google maps by Trinity College Dublin. This new development went online in Ireland on 13 May, 2013, and has been widely welcomed by scholars, especially historians. But the project is of special interest to people in the barony of Kenry, because Sir William Petty, Surveyor General and chief organiser of the Down Survey, was married to one of Kenry’s famous ladies. She was Elizabeth Waller of Castletown, Pallaskenry, daughter of Sir Hardress Waller and Elizabeth Dowdall. Elizabeth, herself, joined the ranks of the aristocracy when she was created Baroness Shelbourne.  Moreover, her grandson, the Marquis of Lansdowne, became Prime Minister of Britain in 1782.

What was Down Survey?
The purpose of the Down Survey was to survey the entire island of Ireland in preparation for the rewarding of Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers and supporters with land grants in lieu of cash payments. Petty had been an Oxford professor and was something of a polymath, being proficient in several disciplines, among them surveying and map-making. He began his survey in 1656, the first complete survey of an entire country in the world, and completed it in 1658. Though he conducted the survey and prepared the maps, some of which were destroyed in the famous fire at the Four Courts in 1922, it was the politicians who did the distribution. Since most of Cromwell’s financial backers and soldiers were Protestant, the redistribution , in practice, meant that the lands of Irish Catholics were sequestered  and allocated to English or Anglo-Irish Protestants.  This was the beginning of the great estates of Kenry, including those of the Wallers and the Burys.

Land Redistribution
One of those who benefitted from the Down redistribution was Phineas Bury, who received 40 townlands in County Limerick, mostly in the parishes of Ballysteen, Kilcornan, Pallaskenry and Kildimo. It will be recalled that his descendants lived first in Summerville, before moving to Shannongrove and then to Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Among the 40 townlands which Bury received were Ardlahan, Ballyashea, Ballycasey, Ballyculhane, Ballynolan, Ballyrune, Ballyvareen, Bolane, Carheeny, Cloncaura, Coolbeg, Court, Cragganacree, Curraheen, Dromore, Glenameade, Kildimo (Old), Knockroe, Monanooag, Tobermurry, Tonlegee; Ballinacourty; Clorhane, Kilcurly, Balydoole, Ballinacarriga, Cartown, Kilmacat, Mellon, Mountpleasant, Ringmoylan, Shannongrove, Ballymacdonagh, Ballyshonickbane, Ballyvogue, Dominaclara, Dommoher and Tinacullia.

The case of Sir Hardress Waller was different to that of Phineas Bury, in so far as Waller was already in possession of some townlands in the barony of Kenry. He was allowed to keep these and, in addition, was allocated 28 additional townlands in County Limerick, mostly in Kenry, and two in Tipperary. The townlands Waller was allocated in the Down Survey included Ballylongford, Capparoe, Clopongownagh, Copay, Port, Shantraud, Drominycullane, Bansha, Blossomhill, Boherboy, Bushyisland, Castlegrey, Castletown, Cloonagalleen, Cowpark, Cragreagh, Crokerspark, Curraghchase North, Deegerty, Kilbreedy, Rintull, Shanbally, Stonehall and Summerville.

William Taylor from Hollypark got seven townlands, including Moig East, Moig West, Ballycahane, Dromlohan and Garranard. Sir Samuel Barnardiston, most of whose estate was in the Patrickswell area, also received seven townlands in Kenry, including Ballycanana, Mitchelstown, Faha, Ballyhanrahan West, Ballyhanrahan East and Barnakyle. Captain Widdenham from Court received four townlands in the Adare area: Killnockan, Tuogh, Curraghbeg and Curraghbridge. A surprise name on the list, mainly because it sounded Irish, was that of Captain Tadgh McMahon, who received  six townlands in Ballysteen, including, Ballinvoher, Ballyaglish, Beagh, Ballyvaddock and Drominoona. No doubt, McMahon was a strong supporter of Cromwell, if not one of his officers.

The Earl of Kingston, who had the greater part of his huge estate in County Cork, centred in Mitchelstown Castle, also received some townlands in county Limerick, including Ballinahalee, in Kildimo. James, Duke of York, who received thousands of acres in Ireland, got 91 townlands in county Limerick, including Kylevaragh, North, South and Middle.

Later Transfer of Land
As is generally well known, all the recipients of lands following the Down Survey did not retain these lands. Some of the recipients quickly sold their land for ready cash. Others retained the land during their own lifetime, but it was sold by their descendants. This was the case with the Bury, estate, a large part of which was sold in the land sales of 1844 to General James Caulfield. Other parts of this estate were purchased by the Westropps and the Russells of Limerick. Capt McMahon also soon disposed of his land. Captain Widdenham gave the four townlands in Adare as a dowry to his daughter, Mary (1682-1776), who married Valentine Quin (1678-1744) of Adare. This land thereby became part of the Dunraven estate.
 The Wallers were one of the few families in Kenry to maintain ownership of their land. Almost 250 years after acquiring their estate, they still had 6,636 acres in the first quarter of the twentieth century. In fact, they not held on to what they acquired following the Down Survey distribution, but they purchased land when it became available, as happened when the Bury estate was auctioned in Dublin in 1844.

See for Yourself
Though as mentioned above, some of the maps from the Down Survey were destroyed in the fire at the Four Courts, Dublin, in 1922, copies of these maps survived in other libraries, not only in Ireland but also in Britain and France. There are two main components to the new website. The Down Survey Maps section comprises digital images of all the surviving Down Survey maps at parish, barony and county level. The written descriptions of each barony and parish that accompanied the original maps have also been included. The second section, Historical GIS, brings together the maps and related contemporaneous sources – Books of Survey and Distribution, the 1641 Depositions, the 1659 Census – in a Geographical Information System (GIS). All these sources have been geo-referenced with 19th-century Ordnance Survey maps, Google Maps and satellite imagery.
 All this specialised but interesting information is now at your disposal, dear reader. All you require is access to a computer. Use Google Search to locate the website at http://www.downsurvey@tcd.ie/
John M Feheney