Carrickcloney Glenmore
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An Old Anglo-Norman Glenmore Family: The Forrestalls
Today, our second installment of part of Chapter 4, Vol. 4 of Carrigan’s History & Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory (1906) (p. 89-91) is presented below and features the four main branches of the Glenmore Forrestall families. The spelling of the surname varied as much a the spellings of Glenmore townlands and areas. Any editorial commentary has been placed in square brackets [ ].
The Forrestalls
“The Forrestalls, an Anglo-Norman stock were landed proprietors in Glenmore parish from an early date. They were divided into four main branches or families, one of which was seated at Forrestallstown; another at Kilbride; a third at Carrickcloney, and the fourth at Mullinahone. John Forstall M’Walter of Forristalstown, gent” had a pardon 5th June 1566. Walter and Gibbon Forstall, of the same place, gents, were pardoned, the former in 1571 and the latter in 1572. By Inquisition of 5 April 1658, it was found that Gibbon Forstall, late of Forstallstowne, was seised of Forstallstown, Ballymolgorme and Ballycroney; he died so seised thirty years before; and that his son and heir Walter Forstall, was at the time of full age and married.”
Forrestall’s Town
“By another inquisition of 12 October 1640, it was found that Walter Forstall, late of Forstall’s towne, was seised of the castle, town and lands of Forstall’s town, otherwise Ballynkenny, Ballymvegarran (Ballygurrin), Ballyheamocke, (now called Jamestown, still called in Irish Boilia-hee-omúch—the town of Séumoc or little James), Newfoer and Ballycroney, otherwise Rusheldstown; that he died 1st March 1639-40, and that his son James was then full of age and married. Under the Cromwellian regime, James Forstall, with Thomas Den, forfeited Forrestallstown, Milltown and Ballygurrim, and was transplanted to Connaght. The castle of Forrestallstown was “thrown down about the year 1800.”
“In Irish Forrestall is pronounced Furristhawl and Forrestallstown is called Bollinurristhawla.”
Kilbride, Glenmore
“Kilbride—Redmund more Forstall, of Kilbride, was pardoned Dec. 28th, 1571. Walter Forstall, of Kilbride, gent., pardoned in 1602 and 1603, was Constable of the Barony of Ida, in 1608. Edmund Forstall, of Kilbrydy, gent., was one of the jurymen at an Inquisitioin held Aug. 18th, 1623. Richard Forstall, of Kilbride, gent., and Katherine, wife of Redmond Forstall, of Kilbride, gent., are mentioned by one John Kearney as taking part in the alleged plundering of the Protestants, at the beginning of the Outbreak of 1641. Redmund Forstall, of Kilbride, gent. Appears as a juror in 1636; he forfeited Kilbride in 1653, and, with Walter Forstall, of Kilbride, was transplanted to Connaught the same year.”
Carrickloney, Glenmore
“Carrickloney—Edmund Forstall m’Thomas m’ Redmund of Karrcknelonyne, horseman, was pardoned iin 1548-9, and Walter Forstal fitz Edmund, of the same place, horseman, probably his son, was pardoned in 1566. Richard Forstall, of the same place, was Constable of the Barony of Ida, in 1608, and received a pardon in 1612. In 1639 Thomas Forstall gent., had a grant, under the Commission of Grace, of the townlands of Carrigneglonyne, Kilmakevoe and Knockbrack and ½ of Ballynerahie. Peter Forstall forfeited Carricknegloning, Kilmackvoge, Knockbrack and Rathsallagh, in 1653, but his name does not appear on the list of the transplanted.”
“The castle of Carrickloney was taken down in the memory of the people still living.” [See our post of 8 July 2021. One room of Carrigcloney Castle still stands complete with a vaulted ceiling.]
“In Irish Carrickloney is called Corrig-na-glooin-eeny, the rock of the little lawns, meadows, or insulated bog islands.” (Referenced O’Donovan).
Mullinahone, Glenmore
“Mullinahone—Walter Forstall of Monhowen, gent., had a pardon, in 1571-2, Richard Forstall, of Monynehoen, Gent, appears as a juror, Sept. 22nd, 1636. In 1653, Edmund Forstall forfeited Munmonewhone, Jamestown, Parkstown, and Ballybraghy. He is, very probably, the ‘Edmund Forstall, of Monyhoare,’ who was banished beyond the Shannan in the same year, and who was assigned lands in the Barony of Island, in the Co. Clare, amounting to 392 stat. acres, which after his death, were confirmed to his son, ‘Peter Forstall, gent., son of Edmund Forstall, deceased,’ by a royal grant of June 26th, 1677.”
“Mullinahone castle shared the fate of the other Forrestall castles, having been razed to the ground many years ago. Its site is pointed out in Mr. Richard Phelan’s ‘castle field,’ a few fields west of Glenmore chapel.” [Per Danny’s son, Pat Dowling, the stone head in Danny’s collection was found in the castle field of Mullinahone.]
“In Irish, Mullinahone is called Mullanahooan. This, too, is the local Irish for Mullinahone, in the Co. Tipperary. In both cases we have an instance of the corruption, or substitution, of the liquid ‘l’ for the liquid ‘n’—a very usual occurrence in the spoken Irish. The correct Irish sound of Mullinahone is Munnanahooan, the shrubbery of the lamb.”
Rochestown, Glenmore
“The Forrestalls of Rochestown, lately extinct, are traced by O’Donovan, in a pedigree to be quoted before the end of this Chapter, to a Captain Edmund Duff Forrestall, who fought at Limerick, in 1690, and who most probably belonged to the Mullinahone or Carrickloney branch of the family. The Forrestall name is still well represented in this parish.” [The photo to the right is the Forrestal Coat of arms on the family vault in Kilivory Church Yard, Glenmore. For further information concerning this coat of arms see the Kilivory section at the end of our headstone page.]
O’Donovan’s Letter (1839)
On pages 98-100 Carrigan inserted the entire letter O’Donovan wrote on 30 September 1839 concerning the parish of Kilcollumb [today Kilcollumb is divided between Slieverue and Glenmore]. The following extract from the letter concerns the Forstall Family of Rochestown.
“That part of Rochestown on which Lady Esmond’s house stands is now called Ringville, but in the title deeds ‘the Ring of Rochestown,’ It was purchased by Mr. Devereux, the uncle of Lady Esmond, from the father of Pierce Edmond Forstal Esqr.”
“The family of Forstal have been a long time located in the county of Kilkenny, but I have no historical account of them. The tradition among themselves is that they came to Ireland with the Earl Strongbow, and were located in the counties of Clare and Kilkenny. Pierce Edmond Forstal of Rochestown, Esqr., has a piece of copper with the arms of the family and the following inscription engraved on it :
Insignia veteris familiae Fosterorum alias Forstallorum comitatus Kilkenniensis in Regno Hibemiae, authentice et ex officio exiradita Dublinii, ultimo die Novembris 1674, anno Regni Caroli Secundi Regis vigesimo secundo, per Richardum St. George Ulster Regem Armorum.
[Translation: The coat of arms of the ancient family of Foster, alias Forstall, of the county of Kilkenny, in the Kingdom of Ireland, authentically and ex officio struck at Dublin, on the last day of November, 1674, in the twenty-second year of the reign of Charles the Second, by Richard St. George Ulster King of Arms.]
” Three pheons in sable, a helmett on the wreath, greyhound’s head, coop argent, collar and chain.”
XXXXXXX
To view some local medieval inscriptions see, Fearghus Ó Fearghail, Old Kilkenny Review (1996) “Some Ossory Medieval Inscriptions Revisited,” p. 94-105. The featured photo above is the ancient Celtic Cross of Dunnamaggan, Co. Kilkenny (Carrigan, v. 4., p. 36). For further information see the Kilkenny Graveyards blog (post 3 July 2016).
Please send any corrections, further information or photos to glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
Death Comes in Three: 1868 Inquests
In our previous blog of 29 August 2021 we highlighted three Glenmore inquests that took place in 1866. Today, we are going to feature three inquests that were held in 1868 involving the deaths of three men under entirely different circumstances. One died from pneumonia, another from asphyxia, and the third drowned in a well.
John Forrestal (c. 1813-1868) of Carrickcloney, Glenmore
On 18 November 1868 an inquest was held at Carrickcloney on the body of John Forrestal, aged 55. It was reported that the deceased was formerly a farmer who retired from the management of the farm in favour of his younger brother, Thomas Forrestal. Evidence was produced that the deceased had complained of having a pain since the previous week. “No doctor attended him as he said he did not want one. He had had tea and whey, but no medicine. His sister-in-law, Mrs. Thomas Forristal, deposed that she had used some of both the tea and the whey herself, and had not received any bad consequence from it. He took to his bed, in the barn, in which he remained till his death, which took place on Sunday morning. It was given in evidence that the deceased and family lived on good terms. Neither clergyman nor Doctor had seen the man, and he was discovered dead in bed about 10 o’clock, on Monday. A man slept in the barn, and had not been aware of his death.”
Dr. Cane examined the body and testified that the deceased’s death was caused by pneumonia, and that the valves of the heart were also diseased. Dr. Cane went on to explain that “pneumonia is a disease of the lungs, and the death took place from natural causes…there was nothing to indicate poison.” The jury accordingly found a verdict of ” Death from natural causes” (Kilkenny Moderator, Sat. 21 November 1868, p. 3).
For further information concerning the dispensary doctor, James Butler Norris Cane (c. 1840-1906), who was the doctor covering Mullinavat and Glenmore for decades, see our previous blog of 29 April 2020.
Patrick Darmody of Smithstown
On 31 October 1868 the body of Patrick Darmody, a schoolteacher, from Smithstown, was found by a farmer named Walsh dying in a field at Ballynooney half way between Mullinavat and Glanmore (sic). Earlier in the week the deceased had stopped at the farmer’s house. At said time the deceased stated that he was suffering from a sore throat, and had great difficulty in swallowing. He obtained some medicines from a “quack doctor” named Doolan, at Mullinavat. The medicine comprised an internal wash for the throat, and a bottle for external application. Both of the bottles were properly labelled, and the external medicine had a caution on the bottle that it was poison. “The chief object of the inquiry was to ascertain if the man had received injury from the use of either of these prescriptions, or if he could have accidentally used internally that intended for external application. It appeared, however, from testimony adduced, that the deceased had been most careful and cautious in the use of the bottles.”
Dr. James Cane, Mullinavat, examined the body as well as the bottles and testified that the death was due to asphyxia. The deceased had a large abscess on his right parotid gland that pressed on his trachea. He observed that there was no injury on the body caused by the medicines applied or otherwise. On this evidence the jury—of which Mr. William Costello, of Mullinavat was Foreman — arrived at a verdict ‘Death from natural causes’” (Kilkenny Moderator, Wed., 4 Nov. 1868, p. 3).
John Walsh (c. 1833-1868) of Forristalstown, Glenmore
An inquest was held on 12 September 1868 at Forristaltown, near Glanmore (sic) on the body of John Walsh, a farmer’s son, who had been discovered dead in a well adjoining the farm yard, on the previous morning. The coroner’s jury heard that the deceased was going to take a cow to the fair of Ross early the morning in question. When the family got up at the usual time, about six o’clock, the cow was discovered in the field, although John Walsh was not in his room. A search was then made for the deceased, whose body was discovered at the bottom of a well 30 feet deep, head downwards, and even the feet nearly covered with water. “It appeared his sister, Ellen, discovered his coat in his room, and knowing that it had been his habit to go to the well in the morning to raise a bucket of water to wash his person, she went there, and, looking down, saw his feet above the surface. She promptly let herself down by a rope, and shortly, assisted by her cousin, named Edward Doherty, got up the body. The windlass over the well was found out of order, the iron handle, at one end, being out of its place; and it was conjectured that the deceased had lost his balance in consequence of the sudden disarrangement of the machinery and fallen into the well, head foremost. The skull was injured, and it was conjectured it came into contact with the bucket in the fall. The deceased was 35 years old and unmarried.”
Dr. Mullin, of Ross, was summoned by the constable to determine if the injury to the deceased’s head had been inflicted maliciously before death. After examining the deceased’s body Dr. Mullin concluded the head injury was accidental. The jury arrived at a finding that the deceased came to his death by having accidentally fallen into the well (Kilkenny Moderator, Wed. 16 Sept. 1868, p. 3).
Thus, the juries in all three of the 1868 inquests above found that the deaths were accidental although it is understandable, under the circumstances, how each of the deaths needed to be investigated. Each of the inquests gives fascinating insight into the ordinary lives of local people from the man who would not see a doctor, a teacher who relied on a “quack doctor,” to a tragic accident on a fair day and his extraordinary sister finding and retrieving the corpse by climbing down into the well.
The drawing of the well above is older than the wells of the 1860’s and it does not have a windlass. Robert, Hubert (1733-1808). Woman drawing water from a stone well. 1763 – 1764. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/90b4e4a4-4c99-1240-e040-e00a180601fd. (Accessed October 21, 2021.)
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh