Small Sources No. 57: This is a list of 240 tenants from the index to a rental of the Sandes Estate in North Kerry for the period 1797 to 1828. The original document is in the National Library of Ireland (NLI Ms. 1792). It is a large ledger which, in addition to the index below, also contains the details of tenants’ accounts. Most of these indicate the townland locations of their holdings, which are in the civil parishes of Murher, Knockanure and Kilnaughtin. Thanks to my Ancestor Network colleague Kay Caball (see her page here) for her advice and inputs into this blog. The Sandes family residence was located at Sallow Glen in the townland of Glansillagh near Tarbert. An extensive history of the Sandes family and their descendants, created by Michael Sandes, is available here. In addition to managing their own estate, the Sandes family were also at one time agents for Trinity college Dublin, which had estates in North Kerry. For more information on Kerry Landlords see Kay Caball’s blog here. A member of the family, George Sandes, who was the estate owner in the latter half of the 19th century, was a feared landlord who extracted high rents, and evicted many of his tenants.
The list shows a large number of tenant partnerships. These are found on some estates and the pros and cons for both parties are outlined in our blog on Rentals. In summary, a group of tenants rent the property and divide the land by mutual agreement. From a family history viewpoint, only the lead tenant will be named in the index and formal lease agreement. However, the individual partners are often listed as payees of the rent. An excellent example of this is in Figs 1 and 2 below. This rental is of the Debit/Contra style (see our Rentals blog) for details. Fig 1 is the ‘Debit’ page and shows that Thomas Moran and partners have a 15 year lease (from 1783) on a holding in Gortaglana, which is part of the townland of Carhooearagh, east of Listowel. Their annual rent is £40 ‘and a bacon hog‘. Figure 2 is the Contra page and shows the payments made in 1797 which names each of the partners: Michael and Tom Moran, Maurice and Micheal Connor, and John Ryan, and the payments made by each.
Among the interesting rare family names are Bohilly, which is possibly a variant of O’Buachalla (anglicised as Buckley), Patwell, and what appears to be Crombury or Croninbury. Some variants of this name (Crombury, Cronerbury etc) are found in Ireland, but it is very rare. Another interesting inclusion is Fizzell or Fitzell. This is a Palatine name that is often spelled Fitzell but is Fizzell in this register. Strangely, the name Fizzell or Fitzell is listed as Phyggell in the index and rental heading of some occurrences, but is spelled as Fizzell in the payments list. If you are interested in information on specific families, our e-book title ‘Sources for Irish Family History 2021 lists 6,500 books and articles on over 2,500 Irish families. The sources listed contain a wealth of information in the form of articles and books. The full details are described in a blog.
Some common abbreviations are used, such as: And. = Andrew; Corn. or Conl = Cornelius; Edwd. = Edward; Jno. = John; Jas. = James; Mau. = Maurice; Richd. = Richard; Thos. = Thomas; Patt = Patrick; Wm. = William. Some distinctive Irish names also occur such as Darby (Dermot) and Garrett. Note also that some names are common and the clerk has included some ‘nicknames’ to differentiate. For example, one of the Michael Enrights is called ‘Bawn’ (Gaelic for white); one of the Michael Connors is called ‘piper’, presumably because he was a musician; and one of the Connors is noted as Gowla, which is one of the branches of the (O’) Connors in Kerry.
The images of the document above and below were created by Ancestor Network in the National Library of Ireland and are reproduced here through their courtesy. Ancestor Network will offer 1 free hour of research by a professional researcher to conduct further research on these individuals, or on other tenants of this estate, noting (as shown in the example below) that many other tenants may be listed within the detail of the accounts. We can also obtain images of the original documents. Click here and quote ‘KerrySS57’ in the subject line. We also publish ‘Finding your Ancestors in Kerry‘ by local historian Kay Cabal (see cover above left).
Tenant(s) names; (Items in italics and brackets are added by author)
Ahern Michael and partners
Ahern, Daniel and John Killy
Ahern, Daniel and partners
Ahern, James and William (2 holdings)
Ahern, John
Ahern, John (see Kennelly, Darby)
Ahern, John and Darby Kinnelly
Ahern, Mary
Ahern, Michael
Ahern, Michael and John
Ahern, Michael, John, James and William
Ahern, Thomas (see Connor, Michael etc)
Ahern, William
Ahern, William (see Ahern, James and William)
Bohilly, Patk.
Bohilly, Widow and son
Buckley,
Buckley, Andrew
Buckley, John (2 holdings)
Buckley, Widow
Bunyan, John
Bunyan, Richd.
Carrigan, Robert
Chute, Caleb
Chute, Miss
Collins, John (see Collins, Michl. ..)
Collins, Michl.
Collins, Michl. and John
Coneen, John
Connell and Mulvihill
Connell, Denis
Connell, John
Connell, Timothy
Conner, Danl. (See Enright, Pat) (This name is a variant of Connor or O’Connor)
Conner, Danl. (see Mulvihill, John)
Conner, Mau. and Michl.
Conner, Michl. (see Conner, Mau. and Michl.)
Connor, Bryan (see Enright, John and Bryan Connor)
Connor, Darby and Robert Delane
Connor, Cornelius
Connor, Dan and Pat Enright
Connor, Darby
Connor, Denis and And. Buckley
Connor Edmd.
Connor, James
Connor, Mau. (see Hanrahan, Thos.)
Connor, Maurice and Thomas Hanrahan
Connor, Michael and Thomas Ahern
Connor, Michl. piper
Connor, Patrick and John
Connor, Thomas Gowla. (Gowla is one of the branches of O’Connors in Kerry).
Connor, Thomas (2 holdings)
Connor, Thomas and Corn, and Mau. Griffin
Connor, Thos.
Connor, Widow
Costello, Thomas
Cournane, John
Crenberry, Francis (difficult to decipher – possibly Cronbury)
Creagh, Patrick
Culhane, Thomas
Culhane, Patk.
Cunningham, John
Daly, John ( see Sweeny, John)
Daly, John and John Sweeney
DeCourcy Repr. of W. James?
Delane, John
Robert Delane (see Connor, Darby)
Doherty, Thomas
Dore, James
Elliott, Reprs of Alexr.
Elliott, Alexander
Enright (see Reilly, William)
Enright Pat. and Danl. Conner
Enright, John
Enright, John and Bryan Connor
Enright, Maurice
Enright, Michael Bawn
Enright, Michael and John Sullivan
Enright, Pat (see Connor, Dan ..)
Enright, Patrick
Enright, Thos. Moriarty
Fagan, James
Feigh, Elizabeth, Widow (in her account she is listed as ‘Widow Hunt’ from Jan 1809)
Fitzgerald, Garrett
Fitzgerald, James (2 holdings)
Fitzgerald, James and John McMahon
Fitzmaurice, William
Fizzell Henry (A Palatine name – see above)
Fizzell, Adam (2 holdings)
Fizzell, Henry
Fizzell, Widow Henry
Fizzell, Adam and Henry
Fizzell, Henry (see Fizzell, Adam)
Fizzell, Peter
Fizzell, Samuel
Fizzell, Widow Cockhill
Fizzell, Widow Adam
Flaherty, Denis
Flaherty, James
Golden, Darby
Golden, Denis and Philip Keily
Golden, Denis and Patrick
Golden, Patrick (see Golden, Denis)
Goulden, Hugh (a variant of Golden)
Goulden, John and partners
Griffin, Maurice
Griffin, Maurice (see Connor, Thomas …)
Griffin, Maurice and Daniel. Gortdromagowna (Knockanure)
Grogan, Michl and Morans
Grogan, Michl.
Hanrahan, Charles
Hanrahan, Daniel
Hanrahan, John
Hanrahan, Michael
Hanrahan, Thomas (see Connor, Maurice etc)
Hanrahan, Thomas and Mau. Connor
Hedigan, Reps of John
Hewson, John F.
Hogarty, Thomas
Hunt, Elizabeth widow (Called Widow Feigh in accounts up to Jan. 1809)
Hunt, Robert (paid rent for Widow Hunt)
Hunt, Timothy and Robert
John McMahon (see Fitzgerald, James)
Kean, Patrick and partner
Kean, Timothy
Keane, William
Kelly, John (2 holdings)
Kelly, John Ambrose
Kelly, Thomas
Kennelly, Cornelius
Kennelly, Daniel
Kennelly, Darby and John Ahern
Kennelly, Pat
Kennelly, Thomas
Killy, John (see Ahern, Daniel etc)
Kinnelly, Darby (see Ahern, John and and Darby Kinnelly)
Lalee, John
Lalor, J & J. Cornan
Langane Kennedy and partners
Langan, John and partner
Langan, John and John Mulvihill
Lawler, Denis
Leary, Michl.
Leonard, Richard
Leslie, Pierce (see Leslie, Robt.)
Leslie, Robt. and Pierce
Leslie, Sir. Thomas W. Sandes to the Reps of Sir Ed. Leslie
Leyne, Patrick
Leyne, Patrick (see McGrath, Morgan)
Lindon, John (see Lindon, Widow)
Lindon, Widow
Lindon, Widow and John
Lister, Edmd. and partners
Liston, David
Mahony, Patrick
Mann, Mr. William
McCarty, John
McCormick, John
McGrath, Margaret & Barth. Leyne
McGrath, Thomas and sons
McMahon, Bryan
McMahon, Bryan (see McMahon, Tim)
McMahon, Denis (see McMahon, John)
McMahon, John (see also Fitzgerald, James)
McMahon, John and Denis
McMahon, John and Joanna Mulvihill
McMahon, Peter
McMahon, Peter
McMahon, Terence Jnr.
McMahon, Terence Snr.
McMahon, Thomas
McMahon, Tim and Bryan
McMahon, Timothy
McMahon, Timothy and Thomas
McNamara, Michl.
Meredith, Willm.
Moore, Catherine
Moore, James and partners
Moore, Joan widow
Moore, John
Moore, Maurice and partners
Moore, Patrick
Moore, William
Moran and partners (First name is Thomas – see Figure 1)
Moran, Denis
Moran, John
Moran, Thomas
Moran, Michl.
Morans (see Grogan, Michl.)
Moylan (see Waters)
Mulvihill (See Connell and Mulvihill)
Mulvihill, Cornelius
Mulvihill, Corn. and sons
Mulvihill, Cornelius
Mulvihill, Joanna (see John McMahon and Joanna Mulvihill)
Mulvihill, John and Danl. Conner
Mulvihill, John and Thos.
Mulvihill, John (see Langan, John and..)
Mulvihill, John Jnr
Mulvihill, John Snr.
Mulvihill, Michl. and John
Mulvihill, Patrick
Mulvihill, Patrick
Mulvihill, Thomas
Mulvihill, Thos. (see Mulvihill, John)
Mulvihill, Widow and Thomas Connell
Murphy (see Stack, Eleanor)
Murphy, John (see Stack)
Nevill, Michl. and sons
Neville, Morgan
Nowlan, Darby (2 holdings)
Nowlan, John
Patwell, James
Phyggell, Adam (The name Fizzell or Fitzell is strangely listed as Phyggell in the index and rental heading, but is spelled as Fizzell in payments)
Phygell, Michael Glencullare (see above)
Power, Patrick
Quin, Garrett
Quin, James
Quineen, John
Raymond, John
Reilly, William and Enright
Relehan and Partner
Relihan, John
Relihan, Timothy and Laurence
Ryan, John (see Figure 2 above – not in index as explained above)
Ryan, Widow
Sandes, Mr. Henry
Sandes, George Esq. (2 holdings)
Sandes, John Esq.
Sandes, Lancelot Esq.
Sandes, William Esq. (2 holdings)
Sandes, Wilm.Senior and Wilm. Sandes Junior
Sealy, Laurence and John Esq.
Stack (see Murphy and Stack)
Stack, Ed.
Stack, Eleanor and John Murphy
Stack, James
Stack, Reps of James
Stack, Thomas
Sullivan and Enright
Sullivan, John (see Enright, Michael)
Sullivan, Roger
Sweeny, John and John Daly
Sweeny, Owen
Talbot, William Esq.
Walsh, Richard and Ed.
Walsh, Edward
Walsh, Rev. James
Waters W, & M. Moylan
Wren, Barth.
Flyleaf Press publish ‘Finding your Ancestors in Kerry‘ by Kay Caball, an eminent local genealogist. It is available here.
Further articles in our series on Irish Family History sources include:
- Petty Sessions– the records of local courts
- Catholic Church records
- Grand Jury Presentments – records of local councils on payments for public works and staff
- Rentals – management of tenants by estates and the records created
- Middle names – the use (or non-use) of second or middle names in Irish records
- How comprehensive are Irish Civil Records?
- Census returns in Gaelic or Irish language
