Estate: Crofts (Velvetstown)

Associated Families

• Crofts (Cork)

Description

''Burke's Irish Family Records'' traces this family's descent from William Crofts, a younger son of a Suffolk family, who settled in Ireland in the mid 17th century. In 1668 a younger brother of William's named Benjamin Crofts, Receiver for Cork, was granted an estate of 1,565 acres in East Carbery, county Cork with additional lands in county Westmeath. William's eldest son, Christopher Crofts, was established at Buttevant by the late 17th century and his descendants continue to live at Velvetstown. Christopher Crofts held land in the parishes of Buttevant and Imphrick, barony of Orrery and Kilmore, at the time of Griffith's Valuation and George Crofts held land in the parishes of Ballyhooly and Doneraile, barony of Fermoy. The estate of George Crofts amounting to over 2,600 acres was advertised for sale in March 1851. In the 1870s the estate of 'the late' Christopher Crofts of Velvetstown amounted to 1,421 acres in county Cork, while Richard Nason Crofts of Ballyhoura Lodge owned 745 acres and William H. Crofts of Dublin owned 842 acres in county Cork.

Houses

House Name / Description	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Velvetstown (H2892) Seat of the Crofts family for over three centuries, "Velvex-town" was occupied by Thomas Crofts in 1814, by T. Lucas Crofts in 1837 and by Reverend William Crofts in the early 1850s. Reverend William held the house and 708 acres from Penrose Fitzgerald and the buildings were valued at £21. Hajba writes that the original house was replaced by an elaborate Italianate mansion in the late 1870s but when this burnt down in 1895 they moved back into their old home. She also writes that Velvetstown is one of the few North Cork houses still occupied by the family that built it. The Irish Tourist Association survey noted in the 1940s that the walls of the Italianate mansion were still standing though the chimneys had been taken down.	Velvetstown	Buttevant	Mallow	Buttevant 237	Orrery and Kilmore	Cork	Lat/Lon: 52.26336 -8.66210 OSI Ref: R548 126 Discovery map #73. OS Sheet #17.
Castle Wrixon (H2893) A Wrixon property in the 18th century, occupied by John Wrixon in 1814 and Hajba writes that it was sold by the Wrixons to the Crofts in the mid 19th century. At the time of Griffith's Valuation it was occupied by John Connor who held it from Wills G. Crofts. The buildings were valued at £11. Christopher Crofts of Velvetstown House (died 1913) lived at Castle Wrixon for a time. He inherited Velvetstown from his uncle, Reverend Henry, in 1869. In the 1940s the Irish Tourist Association Survey outlined subsequent owners and noted that it was, by then, the residence of the McDermott family. It is still extant.	Castlewrixon South	Imphrick	Kilmallock	Springfort 188	Orrery and Kilmore	Cork	Lat/Lon: 52.29568 -8.66698 OSI Ref: R545 162 Discovery map #73. OS Sheet #8.
Concamore House (H2998) James Nelson Crofts was leasing this property from Lady Carbery's estate at the time of Griffith's Valuation, when it was valued at almost £10. He was the fifth son of William Crofts of Velvetstown and was married to Dora, daughter of Jasper Lucas, of Richfordstown, Clonakilty. There is still an extant house at the site.	Maulmore	Templequinlan	Clonakilty	Templeomalus 63	Ibane & Barryroe	Cork	Lat/Lon: 51.60351 -8.81991 OSI Ref: W432393 Discovery map #89. OS Sheet #135, 136.
Convamore Upper (H3214) J. Delany was the proprietor of Upper Convamore in 1837. George Crofts occupied the house in the early 1850s. He held it from the Reverend G. Atkins Collins and it was valued at £16. The property was later bought by the Reverend Maurice Collis who sold it to the Earl of Listowel. Unoccupied for much of the 20th century it was demolished in 2000.	Conva	Ballyhooly	Fermoy	Ballyhooly 127	Fermoy	Cork	Lat/Lon: 52.15934 -8.41066 OSI Ref: R719 009 Discovery map #73. OS Sheet #26.
Streamhill (H3255) A Crofts residence in the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century. At the time of Griffith's Valuation it was occupied by George Crofts who held the property from Viscount Doneraile with 1619 acres. The buildings were valued at £12. Hajba writes that Edward Cavanagh Murphy built the present house in the mid 1850s. The 1890s sale notice contains a detailed description. It was sold to Langley Brasier Creagh in 1890 who made some alterations. Uninhabited at the beginning of the 21st century.	Streamhill East	Doneraile	Mallow	Streamhill 145	Fermoy	Cork	Lat/Lon: 52.25571 -8.57851 OSI Ref: R605 117 Discovery map #73. OS Sheet #17.
Woodville (H3267) Built as a shooting lodge for the Holmes family, occupied by Richard Sherlock in 1814 and by Captain William Harrington Sherlock at the time of Griffith's Valuation and bought by him in the Encumbered Estates' Court. His daughter married George Washington Brasier Creagh and the house remained in her possession until the 1920s. It is now a Crofts residence.	Ballyhoura	Imphrick	Mallow	Imprick 239	Fermoy	Cork	Lat/Lon: 52.27510 -8.65202 OSI Ref: R555 139 Discovery map #73. OS Sheet #8.
Ballyhoura Lodge (H3268) Ballyhoura Lodge was occupied by Christopher Crofts at the time of Griffith's Valuation. He held the property from the representatives of Robert Holmes and the buildings were valued at £23. The house is still a family home.	Ballyhoura	Imphrick	Mallow	Imprick 239	Fermoy	Cork	Lat/Lon: 52.27419 -8.65347 OSI Ref: R554 138 Discovery map #73. OS Sheet #8.

Archival sources

• Cork County Library: Irish Tourist Association survey files, Parish of Buttevant.
• Irish Genealogical Research Society Library: Pedigree of the Crofts family of county Cork (Leader Collection)
• National Archives of Ireland: Encumbered Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Crofts, 20 Mar 1851, Vol 6 (16), MRGS 39/002, (microfilm copy in NUIG)
• National Archives of Ireland: Encumbered Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Crofts, 31 July 1854, Vol 30 (20), MRGS 39/013, (microfilm copy in NUIG)
• National Archives of Ireland: S. Gordon & Son, solicitor's collection, include deed re land in barony of East Carbery, Benjamin Crofts of city of Cork to Hugh Harding, Feb 1668. Small Accs. Index 103, D.18,328
• National Library of Ireland: Doneraile Papers, Collection List 62, see index
• National Library of Ireland: Nine deeds relating to the family of Crofts of Velvetstown, Co. Cork, c. 1740 - 1810. D. 9947-9955
• National Library of Ireland: Copy of certificate of arms to Rosamund Patricia Nason Crofts, wife of Basil Crofts Greene of Donnybrook, Dublin, daughter and heir of Christopher Nason Crofts of Ballyhoura Lodge, Co. Cork, descended from the family of Crofts of Velvetstown, Buttevant, Co. Cork, Nov. 15, 1949. GO Ms.111g, fol.71

Contemporary printed sources

Many of these resources are now available online. For a list with Web links please see the Online Printed Sources Links

• GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Barony of Orrery and Kilmore, 33 (Velvetstown)
• GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Ibane & Barryroe Barony, 89 (Maulmore)
• GRIFFITH'S VALUATION OF IRELAND'[Primary Valuation of Tenements]', 1850-1858. : Fermoy Barony, 13 (Conva), 71 (Streamhill East), 95 (Ballyhoura)
• HUSSEY DE BURGH, U. H. The Landowners of Ireland. An alphabetical list of the owners of estates of 500 acres or £500 valuation and upwards in Ireland. Dublin: Hodges, Foster and Figgis, 1878. [available online at www.askaboutireland.ie] : 108
• LEET, Ambrose. A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 383 (Velvex-town), 364 (Streamhill)
• LEWIS, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: I, 235 & II, 13 (Velvetstown), 138 (Upper Convamore - J. Delany) 478 (Steamhill)
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. 15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland, 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix I, Grants under Acts of Settlement: 171, 196
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. 15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland, 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix III. Abstracts of the conveyances from the trustees of the Forfeited Estates and Interests in Ireland in 1688'.: 348
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland. HC 1876, LXXX: 121
• TAYLOR, George & SKINNER, Andrew. Maps of the Roads of Ireland, surveyed in 1777 and corrected down to 1783. Facsimile of 2nd edition. Shannon: Irish University Press, 1969: 183 (Velvetstown)

Modern printed sources

• Jnl. of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society.: Historical and Topographical Notes, etc on Buttevant, Doneraile, Mallow and Places in their vicinity. Collected by James Grove White (c 1906). XIV, 2nd Series (1908), 241(Ballyhoura)
• Jnl. of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society.: Historical and Topographical Notes, etc on Buttevant, Doneraile, Mallow and Places in their vicinity. Collected by James Grove White (c 1906). XXVI, 2nd Series (1920), 227-230 (Streamhill)
• Jnl. of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society.: Historical and Topographical Notes, etc on Buttevant, Doneraile, Mallow and Places in their vicinity. Collected by James Grove White (c 1906). XXVII, 2nd Series (1921), 281-300 (Velvetstown including genealogical information)
• HAJBA, Anna-Maria. Historical Genealogical Architectural notes on some Houses of Cork. Volume I: North Cork. Whitegate: Ballinakella Press, 2002: 112, 125, 340, 355
• MONTGOMERY-MASSINGBERD, Hugh (ed). Burke's Irish Family Records. London: Burke's Peerage, 1976: 292-295.