Wikipedia

Drought family (Ireland)

The Droughts are an Irish family.[2] They were once considered one of the principal families in the King's County (modern-day Offaly) in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland.[4]

Drought

Coat of arms of Drought[1]
Current regionEastern and Midland Region, Ireland
FoundedUnknown
Before c. 1600[2]
Historic seatDroughtville (The Heath)
Lettybrook
Whigsborough
Oldglass
Motto
Semper sitiens[2]

(Always thirsty[3])

A numerous family, they are believed to have settled in County Carlow around the year 1600.[2] They later spread to County Kildare, and the King's and Queen's Counties towards the end of the 17th century.[1][5]

History

edit

17th century settlements

edit

It is believed that the Drought family settled in County Carlow around the year 1600.[1][5]

In the middle of the 17th century, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, the family was awarded substantial chunks of land in Kinnitty, near Birr, in King's County.[6] By the close of the century, the Droughts had spread to the surrounding areas of Kinnitty, as well as County Kildare and Queen's County (now County Laois).

In King's County, the Droughts first resided in Cappagowlan, near Ballyboy, with later branches of the family settling in nearby Droughtville, Lettybrook, and Whigsborough.[7] They soon established themselves as one of the principal families of the county.

Origins

edit

Historian Edward Keane stated that a family of Droett, which was later spelt Drought, came to Ireland from the Netherlands in the 13th century.[8] This supposition was later published in the 1862 edition of Burke's Landed Gentry, which stated that the first of the Drought family was Smergar Drought, who appeared to have come to Ireland from the Netherlands in the 13th century, however Burke noted that no perfect record was traceable from that period.[9]

The Drought name is derived from the Irish words or epithets 'droichead' or 'an droichid' meaning, respectively, 'bridge', or 'of the bridge'. Irish genealogist Edward MacLysaght suggested that this may refer to a bridge an early bearer had been associated with or built.[8]

Drought appears in the Irish Faints as O' Droughie and O'Drought, and belonged primarily to County Offaly and County Westmeath. Rev. Patrick Woulfe believed that the Droughts of this region were early immigrants from England of Frankish origin.[8]

Some early and even modern forms of Drought may give rise to confusion with Drew. For example, in County Westmeath the two names are recorded as being synonymous with each other. In The Description of Ireland in 1598, historian Edmund Hogan remarked that the Droughts of County Offaly and County Carlow "seem to have been in Ireland since the 13th century",[10] however MacLysaght proposed that Hogan in this instance had perhaps confused Drought with Drew.[8]

MacLysaght has also suggested that the somewhat similar rare Irish surname Ó'Droichid (anglicized as O'Drehhitt), which was found at Kenry, County Limerick, in 1587, could be linked to the Drought family. Ó'Droichid has since become Bridgeman by semi-translation.[8]

After the 17th century

edit

Many members of the Drought family served as High Sheriff of King's County in the 18th and 19th centuries, beginning with John Drought of Whigsborough, who was appointed in 1780. Other members of the Drought family served as High Sheriff of Carlow and High Sheriff of Wicklow.[11][12]

Droughtville

edit

The Droughtville townland in the historic barony of Ballyboy is named after the Drought family who settled there. It was the seat of Thomas Drought, Esq., in 1786,[13] and the principle residence of the Drought family in the middle of the 19th century.[14] It was commonly called The Heath.[15][2]

The townland, once considered a place of note, contained a house and demesne.[16][17] The demesne was composed of peculiar groups of conical hills, forming a scene described as 'picturesque and pleasing'.[14] To the end of the demesne was a marsh named 'Muddy Lake', which had the colloquial name of 'Island Lough'.[18] On the north side of the marsh were the remains of Kiltubrid Castle.

Droughtville is contiguous to Lettybrook and Kinnitty Castle.[17] In 1656, Captain Thomas Armstrong Drought of Cromwell's army was awarded a substantial chunk of confiscated land in Kinnitty, near Birr.[6] He became the local sheriff, tasked with keeping the populace down, and built a fortified house on the site known as Moneyguyneen House, which sits on the estate of present-day Kinnitty Castle.[19][20]

The land near Droughtville was considered some of the best pasture ground in the barony.[14] Also in the vicinity of Droughtville was the ancient church of Drumcullin.[21]

Within Droughtville remains a house known today as Heath Lodge, which was built c. 1750.[22] The limestone house contains a decorative bat wing fanlight, and other elements of architectural significance, such as limestone sills and tall timber sash windows. Although no longer used, the principle avenue to the house with decorative cast-iron gates and railings flanked by limestone piers and gate lodge in the past provided a grand entrance to the estate.

Lettybrook

edit

In the 20th century, the Drought family of Lettybrook were said to have often entertained visitors from England, especially retired army officers, who would spend a week grouse shooting on the mountains. In 1920, during the Irish War of Independence, the Drought's Lettybrook home was successfully raided by the Cadamstown IRA unit for weapons. Twenty rifles, ten revolvers, and a quantity of ammunition were taken. Later, Captain Drought requested the return of one of the guns, which had belonged to their son who had been killed in the Great War. Upon returning the rifle, Captain Drought was thankful, and let it be known that there were additional weapons in the house, which were duly collected.[23]

Around 1860, respected Gothic-style architect Benjamin Woodward sketched potential alterations for gothicising a Georgian country house which closely resembles Lettybrook, however the work was not undertaken.[24] The name Captain Droght [sic] occurs in one of Woodward's notebooks held by the National Gallery of Ireland.

Captain Alexander Drought of Lettybrook died in 1859. In 1862, architect Thomas Newenham Deane, who was a partner to Woodward, designed a house for Drought's first cousin, William Henry Head of nearby Derrylahan Park, father of Lieutenant–Colonel Charles Octavius Head.[25]

The Droughts of Lettybrook were said to be distantly related to George Gresson of Glencairn, a wealthy Dublin lawyer.[24]

Whigsborough

edit

The Drought family built a house known as Whigsborough House in 1714, near Parsonstown, and lived there for 250 years, modifying the home in 1780 and again in the early 1800s to add a ballroom.[26] It is said to have been built on the previous site of an O'Molloy castle.

Queen's County (County Laois)

edit
 
Granston Manor (formerly Oldglass) in 1904. Built by the Drought family in the early 19th century.

In around 1800, the Drought family built an estate called Oldglass (now Granston Manor) in Ballacolla, County Laois.[27][28]

The Droughts were succeeded there by the Whites family, from whom the place passed by purchase to the late Richard Fitzpatrick, Esq., who bequeathed the manor to his brother, Lord Castletown, who then made it his family mansion.[27]

The mansion was partially burned down in the late 20th century.[28]

Prominent family members

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c O'Laughlin, Michael (2002). The Book of Irish Families, Great & Small. Irish Roots Cafe. p. 88. ISBN 9780940134096.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Burke, Bernard (1879). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. pp. 480–481.
  3. ^ Stone, Jon R. (2013). The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs, and Sayings. Routledge. p. 204. ISBN 9781135881108.
  4. ^ a b Curry, William (1842). The Dublin University Magazine, Volume 19. p. 261.
  5. ^ a b "Anglo-Irish Families". Irish Midlands Ancestry. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ a b Keenan, Mark (31 July 2011). "Top of the pile and still rising". The Times. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021.
  7. ^ Hitchcock, F. R. Montgomery (1908). The Midland Septs And The Pale. Dublin.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ a b c d e MacLysaght, Edward (1960). More Irish families. Ireland. p. 92.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ^ Burke, Bernard (1862). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. p. 392.
  10. ^ Hogan, Edmund I. (1878). The Description of Ireland in 1598. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. p. 265.
  11. ^ "Anthologia Hibernica". Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  12. ^ Papers by Command-Great Britain, Parliament, House of Commons-Volume 6
  13. ^ The Post-chaise Companion: Or, Travellers Directory, Through Ireland. ... To which is Added, a Dictionary, Or Alphabetical Tables. Shewing the Distance of All the Principal Cities, ... from Each Other. Dublin. 1786. p. 146.
  14. ^ a b c Lewis, Samuel (1837). A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland: Comprising the Several Counties; Cities; Boroughs; Corporate, Market and Post Towns; Parishes; and Villages, with Historical and Statistical Descriptions Embellished with Engravings of the Arms of the Cities, Bishopricks, Corporate Towns, and Boroughs ; and of the Seals of the Several Municipal Corporations. p. 514.
  15. ^ "Old Castles In The King's County". The Limerick Reporter. 4 July 1854. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ Fraser, James; Lowry, Joseph Wilson (1849). A hand book for travellers in Ireland : descriptive of its scenery, towns, seats, antiquities, etc. : with all the railways now open : and various statistical tables : also, an outline of its mineral structure, a brief view of its botany, and information for angles. Dublin: James McGlashan. p. 373.
  17. ^ a b Atkinson, A (1815). The Irish Tourist. pp. 206–207.
  18. ^ Wood-Martin, William Gregory (1886). The Lake Dwellings of Ireland Or Ancient Lacustrine Habitations of Erin, Commonly Called Crannogs. p. 207.
  19. ^ "Moneyguyneen House, Ballybritt, Letterluna, Moneyguyneen". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
  20. ^ Be Our Guest: Hotels & Guesthouses Guide. Irish Hotels Federation. 2005. p. 388.
  21. ^ Brewer, James Norris (1826). The Beauties of Ireland: Being Original Delineations, Topographical, Historical, and Biographical, of Each County, Volume 2. Sherwood, Jones, & Company. p. 154.
  22. ^ "Heath Lodge, Pass Crossroads, Droughtville, Offaly". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
  23. ^ Heaney, Paddy; Muldowney, Pat; O'Connor, Phillip (2008). Coolacrease: the true story of the Pearson executions, an incident in the Irish War of Independence. Aubane Historical Society. pp. 20, 77–78.
  24. ^ a b Kennedy, Tom (1980). Victorian Dublin. Dublin Arts Festival. ISBN 9780906002056.
  25. ^ Burke, Bernard; Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1912). A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Ireland. London: Dalcassian Publishing Company. p. 305.
  26. ^ Cooke-Yarborough, Ann (2005). Ireland. Bristol: Alastair Sawday. p. 229.
  27. ^ a b Carrigan, William (1905). The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory. Sealy, Bryers & Walker. p. 63.
  28. ^ a b "Granstown Manor". AskAboutIreland.ie.
  29. ^ Alumni Dublinenses : a register of the students, graduates, professors and provosts of Trinity College in the University of Dublin (1593–1860), George Dames Burtchaell/Thomas Ulick Sadleir p. 246: Dublin, Alex Thom and Co, 1935
  30. ^ Dalton, Charles (1890). The Waterloo Roll Call: With Biographical Notes and Anecdotes. pp. 78, 80.
  31. ^ a b Hart, H. G. (1848). "War Services of the General Officers". The New Annual Army List for 1848. London: John Murray. pp. 15, 27, 104, 117. OCLC 1242929486.
  32. ^ Mills, T.F. "The East Yorkshire Regiment (The Duke of York's Own)". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
  33. ^ Bigger, Francis Joseph; The National Volunteers of Ireland, 1782, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Second Series, Vol. 15, No. 2/3 (May, 1909)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Drought_family_(Ireland)&oldid=1247060965"