Reply to Dawn & John Kelly-Abbott regarding Col Daniel Abbott and Nenagh Castle
Summary. In March you posted regarding links between Col. Daniel Abbott, a Cromwellian officer, and Nenagh Castle. This is a topic that was considered in some detail in several articles by Dermot F. Gleeson published in the 1930s and ‘40s.[1] Gleeson’s history of the Castle and Manor of Nenagh in the 17th century is a case study in the land settlement and resettlement issues that roiled North Tipperary in the Cromwellian and Restoration periods (1649-1670). Col Abbott did reside in Nenagh Castle and he did have a lease from the Countess of Ormond on part of Nenagh Manor during the Cromwellian occupation. But Col Abbott never owned the property. By the time Francis Abbott was born in 1787 the castle had not been occupied for almost 100 years and the heirs of the Duke and Duchess of Ormond had long since sold the property to third parties. Francis Abbott’s baptismal record showing that he was born at Nenagh Castle could only have been a reference to the neighborhood in central Nenagh where his family was living at the time of his birth. Francis’ family must have been city folks because the Castle was—and still is—at the very heart of Nenagh Town. Gleeson’s work does not resolve the question of whether the Francis Abbott born in 1787 was or was not a direct or indirect descendent of Col Abbott. That is still an open question. However, Gleeson’s studies do clarify numerous genealogical points related to Col Abbott. End Summary.
Nenagh Castle and Manor owned by the Countess of Ormond. During the 17th century, through an extremely complex marriage arrangement, the Castle and Manor of Nenagh (as well as vast additional lands in Upper and Lower Ormond) were the inheritance and personal possessions of Lady Elizabeth Butler Preston.[2] The castle was a massive fortress with some residential space. The Manor consisted of a 15- hearth manor house and demesne lands of about 1,100 acres in what is now central Nenagh. In 1629, at the age of 14 ½ Lady Elizabeth married the 19 year old James Butler, Viscount of Thurles.[3] Viscount James (the future Duke of Ormond) was heir to the Earldom of Ormond, one of the most prestigious and landed Lordships in Ireland, with vast properties in County Tipperary and County Kilkenney. James and Elizabeth were distant cousins. Unlike almost all their Butler kinsmen, both were Protestants. The marriage and the property settlement were sponsored by King Charles I. Earl James Butler became the King’s representative in Ireland and one of the most prominent figures in 17th century Irish history.[4] The Earl and Countess had major properties outside of Tipperary and never resided at the Castle or Manor of Nenagh. During the Countess’ lifetime, except for Cromwellian times, the Manor of Nenagh was occupied by Sir George Hamilton, the Countess brother-in-law. A Catholic, Hamilton had the Royal concession for the nearby Silvermines and was one of the richest men in Tipperary.[5]
Col Abbott Occupies Nenagh. In October 1650 the Cromwellian Army overran Nenagh in its advance toward Limerick. Col Daniel Abbott, the commander of a dragoon regiment, was in the middle of the battle. Sir George Hamilton had garrisoned the Castle and attempted to defend Nenagh but was soon forced to surrender on terms on October 29, 1650. Hamilton was allowed to march out with his troops and he himself soon went into exile in France, joining Earl James.[6]
Col. Abbott was appointed Governor of Nenagh and was assigned to garrison the castle and to secure the surrounding countryside, where active resistance continued for another year and one half. Abbott established his regimental headquarters at Nenagh Castle where he took up residence and stayed throughout the Commonwealth (Cromwellian) period until the restoration of Charles II in 1660.
As the King’s man in Ireland, the Marques of Ormond had led the resistance to the Cromwellian invasion and, not withstanding that he was a Protestant, his properties were declared forfeit and were confiscated under the Cromwellian land settlement.[7] The Countess properties, including Nenagh castle, however, were exempted from confiscation based on explicit instructions from the Parliament in London.[8] She had friends in high places and made a persuasive case that she had come to the aid of Irish Protestants during the rebellion.[9] Although Col Abbott had possession of the Castle and much of the Manor, he held it under lease.[10] It was never a property granted to him in satisfaction of his arrears.[11] Very shortly after the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 the Countess of Ormond was restored to possession of the Castle and Manor. Abbott and his family were summarily evicted and his lease cancelled.[12]
The Castle and Manor remained in the hands of the Duke and Duchess for the remainder of their lives. Upper and Lower Ormond were on the front lines of the Williamite wars (1688-92). The castle was a center of combat and changed hands several times and was badly damaged. In the spring of 1692 orders were given that the castle was to be “rendered indefensible in ill hands.” Though the habitable parts of the castle were to be spared, “the castle was never thereafter used as a residence.”[13]
On the death of the First Duke in 1688 the Duke and Duchess’ vast estates passed to the Second Duke, their grandson, also a James Butler. But this huge inheritance was deeply in debt and in 1703 large parts of it were sold off, including the Castle and Manor, and the whole town of Nenagh, which were sold to Nehemiah Donnelan, Chief Baron of the Exchequer. The Donnelan family sold the town and Manor to the Holmes family in 1733. [14]
[1] Dermot F. Gleeson and H.G. Leask, “The Castle and Manor of Nenagh,” Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Volume LXVI, (December 1936); Dermot F. Gleeson, The Last Lords of Ormond (London: Sheed and Ward, 1938, (particularly Chapter VI); Dermot F. Gleeson, The Last Lords of Ormond, new edition with revisions, by Donal A. Murphy (Nenagh, Co Tipperary: Relay Books, 2001); Dermot F. Gleeson, “The Manor of Ballinaclogh in Ormond,” The Munster Antiquarian Journal, Vol 3, no. 3 (Spring 1943), pp. 129-143; and Dermot F. Gleeson, “The Silver Mines of Ormond, The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Vol. LXVII (consecutive series, 1937), pp. 101-116.
[2] Historical Manuscripts Commission, “Articles of agreement for the Marriage of James, Viscount Thurles and Lady Elizabeth Preston [26 August 1629], Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Marquis of Ormond, K.P.: Preserved at Kilkenney Castle, New Series, Vol. II, (London: H.M.S.O. 1903), pp.355-359, 359-365.
[3] Through the years, the couples’ rank in the nobility advanced: to Earl and Countess in 1633 on the death of James’ grandfather; to Marquess and Marchoness in 1642 as a reward by King Charles I for loyal service; and to Duke and Duchess on the restoration of King Charles II in 1660.
[4] David Edwards, “The Poisoned Chalice: The Ormond Inheritance, Sectarian Division and the Emergence of James Butler, 1614-1642; in, Toby Barnard and Jane Fenlon (eds), The Dukes of Ormond, 1610-1745, (The Boydell Press, 2000); pp.55-82.
[5] Gleeson, “The Silver Mines of Ormond,” pp. 106-109.
[6] Gleeson, The Last Lords of Ormond, PP. 81-86
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_for_the_Settlement_of_Ireland_1652
[8] Historical Manuscripts Commission, “Order of Parliament, Etc, Concerning the Duchess of Ormond,” Calendar of Manuscripts of Marquis of Ormond, pp. 373-375
[9] Ibid., “Letters and Attestation Testifying to the Conduct of Elizabeth, Duchess of Ormond, During the Rebellion.” Pp. 367-373.
[10] [“By lease dated 6 September 1655 Lady Elizabeth Butler, countess of Ormond, granted to Colonel Daniel Abbott of Nenagh ‘the manor, castle and lands of Nenagh in as large a manner as Sir George Hamilton enjoyed for the same’, for a term of forty-one years at a rent of L80 for the first year and L120 p.a. thereafter—Ormond Deeds, 9, D42256.] as quoted by Gleeson in Last Lords of Ormond, revised edition, p. 211, fn 20.
[11] Gleeson confuses this point in some of his writings. The information about the leases, and its terms, as stated in the preceeding footnote, only appeared in the revised edition of his book which was not published until 2001.
[12] Gleeson. The Last Lords of Ormond. P. 164-165. The original source cited by Gleeson states that “Abbott and his family” were evicted. This is the only documentary source I have been able to find that records that Col Abbott had a “family” although there are records that he had a wife. When Abbott died in 1688 his widow, Ana, was appointed administrator of his estate.
[13] Gleeson. “The Castle and Manor of Nenagh.” P. 257-260; Gleeson, Last Lord of Ormond, pp. 217-222.
[14] Gleeson, “The Castle and Manor of Nenagh,” pp. 258-260.