97 Minute Books -
BG164/1/1-97: June 1839 - August 1921
(Note: name changes to Birr Union after January 1900).

Eight pages from The Offaly Independent newspaper.

Annual subscription form of the Offaly Historical Society from 1980.

Envelope addressed to Reverend Canon Adam Lamb at Woodfield House, Clara, County Offaly, which contains a copy of the Offaly Historical Society's Tenth Annual Report, a pamphlet from the Offaly Historical Society, and a photocopy of a letter addressed to Mister Fuller.

Two pages cut from the Westmeath-Offaly Independent newspaper from Friday, 23 March 1973.

Presentment or 'Jobs' Books for the years 1830-1878 from two sets of bound volumes originally belonging to James Franck Rolleston, Franckfort Castle, Dunkerrin, and Henry Trench, Cangort Park, Shinrone, respectively, with some crossover. Also includes two coroner's inquest report books of James Dillon, King's County Coroner, and 27 printed general lists of jurors from the baronies of Ballyboy, Ballycowan, Garrycastle, Geashill, Kilcoursey, Moycashel, Lower Philipstown and Upper Philipstown.

c.25 leases of lands in the manor of Parsonstown, Co. Wexford, which reverted to the Parsonses of Parsonstown, King’s County, between 1708 and 1711, [and seems to have been settled by them on a younger son, Piggott Parsons, brother of Sir Laurence Parsons, 3rd Bt, on the failure of whose issue it seems to have reverted to the King’s County Parsonses, only to be used again as an appanage in the mid-19th century]. Some of the lands mentioned are Cullentrough, barony of Gorey; Ballyduff, Mangan,
Killenagh, Howell’s Land and Glascarrig, barony of Ballaghkeen; and parts of the manor of St John’s (Tomnegranoge, Knockmarshal, etc), barony of Bantry. [The documents are in date order and are ready for numbering, or rather re-numbering, as each has an obsolete number written on it.]

Three large folio leasebooks [see also Q/249-50], the first started c.1820 but containing details of leases back to c.1710 and continued up to c.1850; the second and third started c.1850, containing details back to c.1775 and continued almost up to the present day. The second and third are still in the Estate Office, so only the first has been examined. It contains few entries later than 1840, but this possibly reflects the fact that few leases were granted after the 1830s, rather than that the book ceased to be maintained. It is arranged in 2 sequences: first, King’s County property; second ‘the Killeen estate’ [i.e. Tipperary property, principally of Dunalley provenance]. The leases are arranged alphabetically according to the initial letter of each tenant’s name, although within each letter of the alphabet no order is observed. [The book is thus a ready-made finding aid for genealogical inquiries, which are likely to be strong on surname but weak on location. With its aid, it is probable that further refining could be made of the arrangement of the individual King’s County leases which follows, as the leasebook sometimes (particularly in the case of renewals) contains details of location which the individual lease or renewal does not. Nevertheless, this is a slow business, and time did not permit much research along these lines. Q/16/1 has been copied by PRONI – see MIC.564.]Smaller folio leasebook recording, c.1865, details of leases back to c.1705 on the estate of the Hon. Laurence Parsons in King’s County and Cos Tipperary and Wexford [see 0/37 and Q/6. Q/16/4 is also on MIC.564].

Renewal of an unspecified King’s County property.

‘L.P. ledger, No. 2.’