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Original incoming and copy outgoing letters relating to Lewis Goodbody's management of the Digby estate. Matters referred to include: the death of estate bailiff, Nesbitt and arrangements to look after his widow; illegal tree felling on the estate; proposed purchase of the wood, village, castle site and two bogs in Geashill by Hon. Brinsley Plunkett in order to obtain shooting rights; arrangements for a summer visit of the Digbys to Ireland; illegal game-shooting on the estate; sale of timber from Derrygunnigan Wood; and income tax.

Includes copy letter from Goodbody to Digby: 'Following my letter yesterday I now learn that the above [Honorable B. Plunkett] has supplied himself already with a number of pheasant boxes in anticipation, which is all to the good. I think it will be just as well to disappoint him on this occasion, for to my mind, he has rather overreached himself...All being well next Winter, it might be that you could spare the time to come over here, and shoot over your property, including the Geashill side. I think you would pick up quite a nice lot of woodcock, and it would show Plunkett that he is not yet the owner of Geashill, and that if he wants his sporting amenities, and you are inclined to deal with him for that part of the property, then he must pay a proper price for it, otherwise he must do without it. In present circumstances, I would not advise you to sell him the woods and bogs unless he takes the Castle site as well, and all at a proper price, which would be worth your while to consider. He seems to be suffering somewhat from swelled head.' (5 March 1930)

Includes letter from Maggie Evans, tenant to Goodbody: 'I quite forgot to tell you when you were down looking at the house and porch that rain comes in in several places in the kitchen and also in the room. And the thatch is very bad at the end of the house and there is a crack in the wall from top to the bottom of wall. It is also cracked very much inside too and I afraid of it falling out, and in few places the bottom of the walls are falling too so hoping you will be as kind as to get them repaired for me when getting the house done. (18 July 1931)

Original incoming and copy outgoing correspondence concerning aspects of estate management undertaken by A. & L. Goodbody, solicitors on behalf of Lord Digby, such as rent collection, timber sales, illegal timber cutting on the estate, the terminal illness of Edward Nesbitt (estate bailiff), fishery rights on the Erne and the Moy, and sporting rights over the lands of Geashilll granted to Lord Digby and his father for life by the tenants.

Includes copy letter from Goodbody to Digby concerning fishery rights: '...As to the possibility of future legislation here. Well nothing that the [Salmon Fisheries] Association can do will stop the Government if they want to pass legislation. Strong opposition was put up about the ridiculous Irish language movement without any effect whatever. The idealists seem to get it all their own way and the opposition had not the courage to speak out their mind or vote as their conscience tells them they should vote, so they appear to have stayed away in the Senate instead of voting against it.' (8 May 1929)

Original incoming and copy outgoing correspondence concerning aspects of estate management undertaken by A. & L. Goodbody, solicitors on behalf of Lord Digby, such as correspondence with the Irish Land Commission involving the valuation; inspection and sale of the estate; legitimacy of land ownership; rental arrears; payment receipts; the transfer of Geashill National School; employee salaries; and estate repairs.

Includes letter from Goodbody to Digby: ‘…The Michael Dunne the Inspector means lives with his sister on a 15 acre farm P.L.V. £6 and had 4 cattle. Perhaps you can identify him. The reason who these allottees are asked to raise representation is because the personal representative has to agree to consolidate the plots they are getting with the land they already have. We can ask the Commissioners to waive the consolidation, but cannot anticipate whether they will or not. This may delay matters…’ (1 December 1927)

Handwritten letter from James Chissell to Lord Digby: ‘Received from Messrs A. & L. Goodbody the sum of two hundred pounds, that being the amount of compensation given to me by Lord Digby in consideration of the land taken from me by the Estates Commissioners, for purpose of relieving congestion on the Geashill Estate.’ (23 August 1927)

Letter from Goodbody to Digby: ‘…Then in regard to Reggie’s letter, which I return to you. He knows his own mind very well and as he made you the offer I should advise you to abide by it. I wrote him recently about the National Roman Catholic School at Geashill. It was originally built by your family and vested in the Educational Commissioners at the nominal rent of 1/- and now our mutual acquaintance the Reverend Father Phelan has asked me to vest it free of charge in the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church.’ (15 July 1927)

'A map of part Dolgan [Dalgan] and Part Ballydoonan [Ballydownan] containing 21.2.25 plantation measure. Part of the Estate of The Right Honorable Earl of Digby situate in the Barony of Geashill and KIngs County laid down by a scale of 20 perches in one inch and copied in December 1799 by Michael Cuddehy'.

Assignment of interest of James Flynn in lands of Curragh.

Original incoming and copy outgoing letters relating a grant claim for Geashill Castle after its destruction. Includes a copy of the brief for counsel for the claim of £19,614.17 for Geashill Castles and its contents (1923); evaluation of three elk horns destroyed in the fire;
letter from Lord Digby to Goodbody Solicitors, Dorset "I must congratulate you once more for the very successful result of your hard work in relation to this claim, and I know what a difficult case it must have been for you to get a satisfactory settlement. I think you ought to know how very please I am over the way the case was conducted" (22 February 1926); letter from the Ministery of Finance details that "under the Malicious Injury Act you are entitle in this case to £1635 in clash, and £1100 in Bonds - total £2735" (19 February 1926).

Original incoming and copy outgoing correspondence relating to the administration of felling notices and forestry at the Geashill Estate concerning purchase orders issued by J&L Goodbody Manufacturers, Clara to the Digby estate; the supply of 3000 stakes to the Office of Public Works, Tullamore; application for public liability insurance for the felling of trees on Geashill estate; application to the Department of Land under for Felling Licence; orders for timbers for parties including TP Kavanagh, WH Kearon and Benjamin Reid.

Includes letter from the Department of Industry and Commerce: " I am writing to appeal to you and all owner of woods to place substantial quantities of timber on sale at the earliest possible date. It is essential in the national interest that building activity should be resumed on an extensive scale without delay. From time to time during the past six years scarcity of building materials has brought building virtually to a standstill. As a result there are large arrears of housing and other important building work to be made good... Unless an effective start is made at this stage, opportunities may be lost that can never be recaptured. Skilled craftsmen now in Great Britain will not return if work is not found for them immediately. If they drift into regular employment abroad, they may be lost to this country for good. The major obstacle in the way of a large-scale resumption of building activity is the scarcity of timber. As you are aware, the country in the past depended on imported timber for practically all of its building needs. There seems to be no immediate prospect of the resumption of imports on the pre-war scale... What therefore I ask the owners of woodlands to do is to help the Industry to tide over this difficult period. this they can do by offering for sale immediately quantities of timber which they would not normally have put on the market until a later date. It is estimated that 15000 standards of good quality timber will suffice in the coming year to make the position of the industry reasonably secure for the future". (31 July 1945)

Includes letter from Department of Lands: "With reference to your letter dated 20th inst. regarding Lord Digby's Estate, I am to state that Felling Notices must be lodged by or on behalf of the owner of the lands on which the trees stand at the Garda Station nearest the trees. If the Department are prepared to grant a Felling Licence they will grant it to the owner of the lands and the owner will be liable for any replanting condition which may be imposed in the Licence." (27 April 1951).

Includes copy letter to John Dunne: "Referring to previous correspondence herein, and your various suggestions of purchasing Spy Hill Wood, Lord Digby instructs us to tell you that after considering the matter very carefully he has come to the definite policy of not selling any more woods on the Estate for various reasons including certain taxation problems. If he was selling woods he would have given you every consideration" (31 July 1951).

Correspondence from Hoey & Denning Solicitors regarding the Geashill Estate, investigating an occupation query on behalf of a client using the Land Commission records. Includes copy of the Land Registry Map showing a map of Cloncon, Geashill.

Bundle of ESB dockets for Clonad Woods.

Caretaker agreements with agreed weekly payments for premises in the townands of Killarles, Cappyroe, Ballyknockan, Cappanageeragh, Clonmore, Killellery, Ballinagar, Colehill, Knockballyboy, Bawnmore, Newtown and for Geashill Castle (front gate).