Estate: Skerrett (Ballinduff)

Associated Families

• Skerrett
• Blake (Ballyglunin)
• Nesbitt

Description

The Skerretts owned an estate in the barony of Clare, county Galway, which was confiscated at the time of the Cromwellian settlement. However various members of the Skerrett family were granted lands in the barony by patent dated 16 Mar 1678 and Hughes writes that they were able to buy back some of their former property around Ballinduff in the 1680s. Hely Dutton lists four branches of the family situated at Nutgrove, Drumgriffin, Ballinduff and Carnacrow. William Skerrett of Carrownacroagh, parish of Killursa, is documented in the Ordnance Survey Name Books. His agent was John Joyce of Headford. Over 550 acres of his estate was sold in 1843. It was bought by John Nolan, F. Blake and possibly George Staunton Lynch. By the mid 19th century the Skerrett estate was mainly in the parish of Kilcoona but also contained lands in the parishes of Killeany, Killererin and Kilmoylan. Some of their estate had formerly belonged to the Deane family of Balrobuck, parish of Annaghdown, with whom the Skerretts intermarried. The Galway County Library contains particulars of a house in Cross Street, Galway and lands in the barony of Clare, including Balrobuck, which were advertised for sale in 1841 in connection with a legal case between Dominick Lynch and Dominick Skerrett. Brooklodge was Skerrett property by the time of Griffith's Valuation but was held by the Blakes of Ballyglunin on a lease dated 1775, Ambrose Deane to Christopher French. The Skerretts were still resident at Ballinduff in 1814 but later moved to Dublin following a marriage with one of the co heirs of John Locke of Athgoe Park, Dublin. In the 1870s the Skerretts owned 3,733 acres in county Galway and 969 acres in county Dublin. Joseph Skerrett Blake was a magistrate for counties Galway and Mayo in the 1880s. He was the son of Mary Skerrett of Athgoe Park, Dublin and Joseph Blake of Tumneenaun, Clonbur, county Galway.

Houses

House Name / Description	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Ebor Hall (H538) A house built before Griffith's Valuation by Deputy Commissary General Booth on land leased from the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin. Booth later sold his interest to Lord Mountmorres who was murdered nearby in 1880. In 1885 Walford refers to it as the seat of Joseph Skerrett Blake. It belonged to the Boyd family for much of the 20th century. Extensively renovated in the late 20th century, it is now a well maintained residence on the shore of Lough Corrib.	Tumneenaun	Cong	Oughterard	Cloonbur 157	Ross	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.52263 -9.37675 OSI Ref: M087 534 Discovery map #38. OS Sheet #27.
Brooklodge (H714) This property was leased to Christopher French by Ambrose Deane on 16 June 1775 for 1 life and 99 years. He built a house which later became a Blake residence held from the Skerretts, who had inherited it from the Deanes. It was occupied by Martin J. Blake at the time of Griffith's Valuation, when it was valued at £40. The house is now a ruin.	Brooklodge Demesne	Killererin	Tuam	Ballynapark 189	Clare	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.42631 -8.80341 OSI Ref: M466 421 Discovery map #46. OS Sheet #58.
Ballinduff Lodge (H768) A Skerrett home in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is labelled Ballinduff Lodge on the Ordnance Survey maps though the 25-inch edition of the 1890s notes that it was in ruins by then. At the time of Griffith's Valuation John Skerrett held the lands in fee when the house was only valued at £2. The old castle stands close by the house ruins.	Ballinduff	Kilcoona	Tuam	Ballinduff 200	Clare	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.42178 -9.04102 OSI Ref: M308 418 Discovery map #45. OS Sheet #65.
Ardskeabeg (H913) A property in the possession of the trustees of Dominick Skerrett at the time of Griffith's Valuation. Occupied by the Kelly family in the later 19th century and by their descendants the Canavans until 2000. The house is still extant but no longer lived in.	Ardskeabeg	Kilmoylan	Tuam	Ballynapark 189	Clare	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.42972 -8.83056 OSI Ref: M448 425 Discovery map #46. OS Sheet #57.
Carrownacroagh (H1131) Home of William Skerrett in the 1830s. By the time of Griffith's Valuation, the townland was in the possession of Dominick O'Flaherty but there was no house with a valuation greater than £2.	Carrownacroagh	Killursa	Tuam	Killursa 207	Clare	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.45042 -9.15161 OSI Ref: M235 451 Discovery map #45. OS Sheet #55.

Archival sources

• Galway County Library: Sale particulars of a house in Cross St, Galway and land in barony of Clare, re case Dominick Lynch v Dominick Skerrett, 9 June & 22 Nov 1841. D1144
• Galway County Library: Rental of the fee simple estate of William Skerrett in a case taken against him by Eliza McDowell in the Court of Chancery, to be sold by Edward Litton, amounting to 551 acres, 20 Apr 1843
• National Archives of Ireland: Landed Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Blake, 17 May, 5 July & 22 Nov 1867, Vols 85, 86 & 87, MRGS 39/041& 39/042, (microfilm copy in NUIG)
• National Archives of Ireland: Copy will of William Skerritt, Galway town, 15 July 1811. 999/390/1/1
• National Archives of Ireland: Solicitors' records from office of E.J. French, include references to William Skerrett. Small Accessions Index, No. 8
• National Archives of Ireland: Philip Crossle, two notebooks containing abstracts of deeds and wills of the Skerrett family, Galway. Acc. No 1/755. 1A.58.123
• National Library of Ireland: Pedigree of Skerrett of Ballinduff, Co Galway, c 1600-c 1700. GO MS 161: 95
• National Library of Ireland: E Naomi Campbell Collection includes extracts from the wills of Skerretts of Co Galway. Ms 10,418.
• Parliamentary Archives: Petition and appeal of Humphry Skerrett, Skerrett v Nesbitt et al, 3 Apr 1734. HL/PO/JO/10/3/230/36
• Parliamentary Archives: Skerrett v Woulfe, 1 Apr 1747. HL/PO/JO/10/3/242/28
• Parliamentary Archives: Answers of Matthew Nesbitt and Prudent Nesbitt, Skerrett v Nesbitt et al, 24 & 28 Mar 1735. HL/PO/JO/10/4/21
• Public Record Office, Northern Ireland: Estate papers of the Fitzgerald-Kenney family of Kilclogher, Co Galway microfilmed by courtesy of Kieran Thompson, April 2002, include deeds re the Skerretts of Ballinduffe, 18th century. MIC/667/667A/1/1
• Tuam Diocesan Archives, Tuam: Fr. Heaney Collection, Mayo Abbey. P45/09/03: 130

Contemporary printed sources

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

• DUTTON, Hely. Statistical and agricultural survey of the county of Galway. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1824. : 416
• 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] : 414
• LEET, Ambrose. A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 27 (Ballinduff) & 90 (Carnacrow)
• LEWIS, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: II, 157 (Carnacrow)
• ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Galway, http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/default.html: Balrobuck
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. 15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland, 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix I, Grants under Acts of Settlement: 249
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland. HC 1876, LXXX: 299
• 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: 218 (Drumgriffin)
• WALFORD, Edward. 'The County families of the United Kingdom. London: Chatto & Windus, 1885): p.94 (Joseph Skerrett Blake)

Modern printed sources

• Irish Ancestor: Abstracts from some Skerrett wills. V, 2 (1973), 100-104
• Jnl. of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society: CROSSLE, Philip. Some Records of the Skerrett Family. XV, (1931-1933), 33-72
• The Irish Genealogist: CHAMNEY, Anne R. Extracts from Father Clare’s Annotations to the Conformity Rolls, include reference to this family. X (2001), 427-454
• BURKE, Sir Bernard. A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Harrison & Sons, 1886: II, 1677
• HUGHES, Michael John. Caherlistrane GAA & 150 years of Parish Life. Caherlistrane GAA Club, 1990: 146
• NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Reports on Private Collections: Report on records of Loughrea Abbey, includes reference to register of graves & papers relating to the Skerrett family, No. 224