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Claim of Inheritance in Fee Simple 1654

made by John Blennerhassett of Ballycarty & Ballyseedy, Co.Kerry

to re-establish his legal ownership of the Ballyseedy Estate as his ancestral lands

The "claim to ownership of land by inheritance" shown below was executed in 1654 by John Blennerhassett (b.c1627 d.Oct-1677), seeking to establish, following the upheavals of the 1641 Irish rebellion and Cromwellian wars/confiscations, his title to the Blennerhassett estate centred on Ballycarty and Ballyseedy, initially granted to his grandfather in 1590.

Transcribed 2002 from a manuscript in the Leighton Hall Collection

(papers of the Browne family of Riverstown, Co.Cork, Ireland) deposit 823, box 14

at Shropshire Archives, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England [SA].

Uncatalogued, but this document is listed on p.<???> of “A List of the Leighton Hall Collection” at [SA]

(an inventory/list made at Leighton Hall shortly before the documents were moved to [SA] )

I doe hereby claime as my inheritance in fee simple to me, &

my heirs for ever, all the lands underwritten, with all and singular therein

appurtaining unto them belonging or in any wise appertaining that is

to say the Castle, towne and lands of Ballycartie, Ballysheedy, Killy,

BallyseedyMcnagh, BallyMcThomas & Ballencham being all forty

plowlands & a half more or less, granted, and rendered unto my

grand-father by Sr Edward Denny Kt deceased, grandfather to ye

late Sr Edward Denny Kt likewise deceased, and by deeds bearing date

the 29^th of August in the 32th yeare of Queen Elizabeth’s reigne

more att large may, and doth appear the …… plowlande of Litter

manor also Skahanagh more or less ^ ^{within the parish of Maghlas} granted, & rendered unto me

by Arthur Denny Esqr and by deeds bearing date the last of Sep=

=tember 1654, more at lawye may, & doth appeare. The plowlands

of Ballenlodiny conveied unto my father by Donell O’Cournan Ellen

Lodeny, also Cournan, his wife and Teige Cornan their son and heir at by

deeds bearing date ye tenth of June 1635, may appeare together

with the parsonage and impropriation & right of presentation of

the parish of Ballyseedy, with halfe the tithes both greate and smale and

other dues belonging to the said parish of Ballyseedy, wherein Shabonie(?)

lands lie, and are at by deeds from Walter Spring Esqr to my father,

beareing date the 30^th of December 1622 may appouer also the

two plowlands of Killroan & Knockavane & Ballinguom whiche granted

and rendered to my father by Arthur Denny Esqr deceased and by deed

bearing date ye tenth day of May 1611 may appeare also the halfe

plowland of Curragh McDonough rendered & granted by John Mc

Elligott att McElligott unto my father as by deeds bearing date the

third of August 1623 may appeare & a mortgage of ten pounds

on the lands of Cooleneteade and Coolenaffren containing aboute

twentie acres, as by deeds from the said John McElligott bearinge

date the 4^th of November 1623 may appeare, being & lieing in

the parish of BallyMcElligott also such lands and premises above written

are within the Barrony of Trughanackmy in the Countie of

Kerry, as witness my hand the 28^th day of October : 1654

J[ohn] Blenerhassett

This document refers to an earlier deed making the first grant of lands to his grandfather, giving for the earlier deed a date of 29th August 1590. That date appears to be wrong, as the earlier deed was dated 14th August 1590.

It seems 29th August, being the date annual payment of rent was due, was written here in error.

The earlier deed was dated: “14^th August in the 32^nd year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth” (14-Aug-1590)

by which: “Edward Denny of Dennyvale, also Tralee in County Kerry, knight”

granted: “Thomas Blennerhassett, his heirs and assigns, all of that my castle called Ballycarty” and other lands including Ballyseedy….

on rendering: “one red rose at the festival of Saint John the Baptist”

and rent of “six pounds sterling” per year.

NOTE: There were two festivals of St.John the Baptist:

1. The feast of the nativitas (nativity, birth) of St.John the Baptist, held on midsummer day, 24th June

2. The feast of the decollatio (martyrdom, execution by beheading) of St.John the Baptist, held on 29th August

NOTE: 29th August was also occasionally used as the feast of the natalis (birth) of St.John the Baptist

In summary the 1649 deed makes it clear that the annual rent was paid on 29th August, not on midsummer day (24th June).