Estate: Lambert (Castle Lambert)

Associated Families

• Lambert (Cregclare & Aggard)
• Shawe-Taylor
• Blake (Corbally)
• Lambert (Castle Lambert)

Description

During the 19th century the Lamberts, a junior branch of the Lamberts of Creg Clare, county Galway, had an estate of over 5,000 acres, mainly in the parish of Athenry, barony of Clare, county Galway. In 1756 they bought their estate, originally known as the Aghrim or Moor estate, from the Blakes of Corbally in settlement of a debt. The Lamberts built a new residence and renamed the property Castle Lambert. The estate was offered for sale in the Encumbered Estates’ Court in 1855 and included lands in the baronies of Clare, Leitrim and Athenry. The Trousdells of Kilrush, county Clare, bought an interest in the estate at this time. Thomas Lambert had married Sarah Trousdell in 1850. Almost 40 years later the estate was again sold, in June 1892, having been proposed for sale as far back as March 1887, when the owner was Giles Eyre Lambert. Frank Shawe Taylor of Castle Taylor bought over 1,200 acres with the two houses, Castle Lambert and Moor Park. In the 1870s Captain Thomas Lambert had owned 2621 acres in county Galway and 989 acres in county Mayo. This branch of the Lambert family is well documented in the collection of S. & R.C. Walker, solicitors, in the National Archives.

Houses

House Name / Description	Townland	Civil Parish	PLU	DED	Barony	County	Map Ref
Castle Lambert (H756) Castle Lambert was built in the later 18th century. At the time of Griffith's Valuation it was owned by Walter Lambert and was valued at £20. It is no longer extant, only the bell tower in the yard remains.	Castlelambert	Athenry	Galway	Aughrim 64	Clare	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.31036 -8.80723 OSI Ref: M462292 Discovery map #46. OS Sheet #84.
Moor Park (H757) Occupied by Giles Eyre Lambert at the time of Griffith's Valuation when he was leasing it from Walter Lambert. It was valued at £20. Later the seat of Frank Shawe Taylor who was assassinated nearby in 1920. There is still a large house at Moor Park though the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage indicates that this is not the original house.	Moor	Athenry	Galway	Aughrim 64	Clare	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.32007 -8.83293 OSI Ref: M445 303 Discovery map #46. OS Sheet #83.
Streamstown House(Tynagh) (H797) Michael McDermott was the occupier of Streamstown House at the time of Griffith's Valuation when it was valued at £12. In 1783 Taylor and Skinner recorded a house at Ballindrimney as the seat of the Lambert family. The house is still standing but derelict.	Ballindrimna	Tynagh	Loughrea	Bracklagh 136	Leitrim	Galway	Lat/Lon: 53.17574 -8.42628 OSI Ref: M715140 Discovery map #52. OS Sheet #106.

Archival sources

• Galway County Library: Encumbered Estates Court Rental, Lambert, 14 June 1855, baronies of Leitrim, Athenry & Clare. M62,658
• Galway County Library: Encumbered Estates Court Rental, Lambert & Trousell, 17 June 1892, barony of Clare. M62,671
• Irish Architectural Archive: Streamstown House. 120/076. Streamstown Mill. 120/077.
• National Archives of Ireland: Encumbered Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Streamstown & Castle Lambert estates, Vol 35, MRGS 39/016(microfilm copy in NUIG)
• National Archives of Ireland: Solicitors' records from office of S. and R.C. Walker, includes deeds re Lambert of Castle Lambert. Small Accessions Index, No. 30. Bundles 16 & 28 & others

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. : Galway Union, 222
• DUTTON, Hely. Statistical and agricultural survey of the county of Galway. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1824. : 414
• 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] : 257
• LEET, Ambrose. A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 99
• LEWIS, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: I, 84
• ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Galway, http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/default.html: Athenry Parish
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. Return of names of proprietors and area and valuation of properties in counties in Ireland, held in fee or perpetuity or long leases at chief rents, 1876. (412) LXXX. 395: 149.
• PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland. HC 1876, LXXX: 297 & 310
• 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: 88.

Modern printed sources

• Irish Times: Land Judges' Court sale reports, 5 March 1887, p.3
• The Irish Genealogist: MELVIN, Patrick. The composition of the Galway gentry. VII No. 1(1986), 82
• MONTGOMERY-MASSINGBERD, Hugh (ed). Burke's Irish Family Records. London: Burke's Peerage, 1976: 682-685
• O'REGAN, Finbar (ed). The Lamberts of Athenry. Athenry: Lambert Symposium, 1999. : KELLY, Martin T. Aughrim Park/Castle Lambert: A History. 168-181