Tenants of the Sandes Estate in North Kerry 1797-1828
- jimryan1
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
This article (without the list of tenants) was published in The Kerry Magazine in 2025
James G Ryan
Rentals are the account books used by landlords to manage their tenancies, and are a valuable resource for family history, but are often overlooked as few are available on-line, and they can be difficult to find in archives. A useful example is a rental for the Sandes Estate in North Kerry for the period 1797 to 1828. This is in the National Library of Ireland [i]. The Sandes family had property in Kerry since Lancelot Sandes was granted an estate in 1667 under the Acts of Settlement [ii]. The family house at Sallow Glen in the townland of Glansillagh near Tarbert was built in the 1780s, according to a reference in the Post-Chaise Companion [iii]. The house name is an anglicisation of the original name of GlanSillagh. An extensive history of the family by Michael Sandes is available on-line [iv]. In addition to managing their own estate, the Sandes family were also at one time agents for the Kerry estates of Trinity college Dublin. Further information on Kerry Landlords is also available on Kay Caball’s blog pages [v].
The Sandes rental contains information on 240 tenants with holdings in the civil parishes of Murher, Knockanure and Kilnaughtin. This rental is a large ledger that sets out the tenant accounts in the ‘Debit – Contra’ double-entry style. Full information on rental formats is in (Ryan 2024) [vi]. This form of account occupies two pages: the left page details the rent due, the tenant name(s), the location of their holding, and the lease terms. The right side lists the payments made. An example is in Figures 1 and 2. In addition to the potential value of the tenant list for genealogical research, the document illustrates some interesting aspects of rental arrangements.
An example is the occurrence of tenant partnerships, e.g. Edmund Lister and partners, Daniel Ahern and John Killy (Figure 3). This was a common practice in estates. Land was rented by a group of tenants (partners) who would then distribute the land among themselves by their own arrangement. A head tenant would become the nominal land-holder and deal with the landlord. Landlords favoured this practice as it reduced the administration involved in creating leases and accounts for many small tenants. It also suited some consortia, particularly family groups, as it provided flexibility in allocation of the jointly held land. Several examples of family partnerships are in the list below, e.g. Michael, John, James and William Ahern; and Cornelius Mulvihill and sons.
The list below was compiled from an index of tenants contained within the rental. Although the index only lists the head tenant(s), the specific account for each of these tenants will often identify the partners within a consortium. An excellent example is shown in Figures 1 and 2 below. Fig. 1 is a Debit account which shows that Thomas Moran and partners held a lease on Gortaglanna (part of the townland of Carhooearagh, east of Listowel). It reads “Thomas Moran & partners rent £40 a year and a bacon hog or forty Shillings in lieu thereof. Lease from 25 March 1783 for fifteen years”. The half-yearly payments of £20 are also shown as payable on the traditional Gale days of 25 March and 29 September. The partners are not identified in this part of the account. However, Figure 2 shows the Contra side of the account which details the payments made. This usefully identifies the partners as Michael Moran, Michael and Maurice Conner, and John Ryan.
Among the interesting family names listed are Bohilly, which is possibly a variant of O’Buachalla (anglicised as Buckley); Patwell; and what appears to be Crombury or Croninbury. Some variants of this name (Crombury, Cronerbury etc) are found in Ireland, but it is very rare. Another interesting inclusion is Fizzell or Fitzell. This is a Palatine name that is often spelled Fitzell but is Fizzell in this register. Strangely, the name Fizzell or Fitzell is listed as Phyggell in the index and in the rental heading of some occurrences but is spelled as Fizzell in the payments list. Other interesting names are Moore and Kelly. These families are probably descended from those transplanted from Laois and Offaly to Kerry in the 17th century. [vii]
Some common abbreviations are used, such as: And. = Andrew; Corn. or Conl = Cornelius; Edwd. = Edward; Jno. = John; Jas. = James; Mau. = Maurice; Richd. = Richard; Thos. = Thomas; Patt = Patrick; Wm. = William. Some distinctive Irish names also occur such as Darby (Dermot) and Garrett. Note also that some names are common and the clerk has included some ‘nicknames’ to differentiate. For example, one of the Michael Enrights is called ‘Bawn’; one of the Michael Connors is called ‘piper’, presumably because he was a musician; and one of the Connors is noted as Gowla, which is one of the branches of the (O’) Connors in Kerry.
Tenant(s) names; (Items in italics and brackets are added by author)
Ahern Michael and partners
Ahern, Daniel and John Killy
Ahern, Daniel and partners
Ahern, James and William (2 holdings)
Ahern, John (two holdings, one with Darby Kinnelly)
Ahern, Mary
Ahern, Michael
Ahern, Michael and John
Ahern, Michael, John, James and William
Ahern, Thomas (see Connor, Michael etc)
Ahern, William (two holdings, one with William Ahern)
Bohilly, Patk.
Bohilly, Widow and son
Buckley, Andrew
Buckley, John (2 holdings)
Buckley, Widow
Bunyan, John
Bunyan, Richd.
Carrigan, Robert
Chute, Caleb
Chute, Miss
Collins, John (see Collins, Michl...)
Collins, Michl. (two holdings, one with John Collins)
Coneen, John
Connell and Mulvihill
Connell, Denis
Connell, John
Connell, Timothy
Conner, Danl. (See Enright, Pat)
Conner, Danl. (see Mulvihill, John)
Conner, Mau. and Michl.
Conner, Michl. (see Conner, Mau. and Michl.)
Connor, Bryan (see Enright, John and Bryan Connor)
Connor, Darby and Robert Delane
Connor, Cornelius
Connor, Dan and Pat Enright
Connor, Darby
Connor, Denis and And. Buckley
Connor Edmd.
Connor, James
Connor, Mau. (two holdings, one with Thomas Hanrahan)
Connor, Michael and Thomas Ahern
Connor, Michl. piper
Connor, Patrick and John
Connor, Thomas (2 holdings) Gowla.
Connor, Thomas and Corn., and Mau. Griffin
Connor, Widow
Costello, Thomas (2 holdings)
Cournane, John
Crenberry, Francis (possibly Cronbury)
Creagh, Patrick
Culhane, Thomas
Culhane, Patk.
Cunningham, John
Daly, John (two holdings, one with John Sweeny)
DeCourcy, Repr. of W. James
Delane, John
Delane, Robert (see Connor, Darby)
Doherty, Thomas
Dore, James
Elliott, Reprs. of Alexr.
Elliott, Alexander
Enright (see Reilly, William)
Enright Pat. and Danl. Conner
Enright, John (two holdings, one with Bryan Connor)
Enright, Maurice
Enright, Michael Bawn
Enright, Michael and John Sullivan
Enright, Pat (see Connor, Dan ..)
Enright, Patrick
Enright, Thos. Moriarty
Fagan, James
Feigh, Elizabeth, Widow [viii]
Fitzgerald, Garrett
Fitzgerald, James (3 holdings, one with John McMahon)
Fitzmaurice, William
Fizzell Henry
Fizzell, Adam (2 holdings)Fizzell, Henry
Fizzell, Widow Henry
Fizzell, Adam and Henry
Fizzell, Henry (see Fizzell, Adam)
Fizzell, Peter
Fizzell, Samuel
Fizzell, Widow Cockhill
Fizzell, Widow Adam
Flaherty, Denis
Flaherty, James
Golden, Darby
Golden, Denis and Philip Keily
Golden, Denis (two holdings, one with Patrick Golden)
Goulden, Hugh (a variant of Golden)
Goulden, John and partners
Griffin, Maurice
Griffin, Maurice (see Connor, Thomas …)
Griffin, Maurice and Daniel. Gortdromagowna
Grogan, Michl and Morans
Grogan, Michl.
Hanrahan, Charles
Hanrahan, Daniel
Hanrahan, John
Hanrahan, Michael
Hanrahan, Thomas (2 holdings, one with Maurice Connor)
Hedigan, Reps of John
Hewson, John F.
Hogarty, Thomas
Hunt, Elizabeth - widow
Hunt, Robert (paid rent for Widow Hunt)
Hunt, Timothy and Robert
Kean, Patrick and partner
Kean, Timothy
Keane, William
Kelly, John (2 holdings)
Kelly, John Ambrose
Kelly, Thomas
Kennelly, Cornelius
Kennelly, Daniel
Kennelly, Darby and John Ahern
Kennelly, Pat
Kennelly, Thomas
Killy, John (see Ahern, Daniel etc)
Kinnelly, Darby
Lalee, John
Lalor, J & J. Cornan
Langane Kennedy and partners
Langan, John and partner
Langan, John and John Mulvihill
Lawler, Denis
Leary, Michl.
Leonard, Richard
Leslie, Robt. and Pierce
Leslie, Sir. Thomas W. Sandes to Reps of Sir Ed. Leslie
Leyne, Patrick (2 holdings, one with Morgan McGrath)
Lindon, John (see Lindon, Widow)
Lindon, Widow (2 holdings, one with John Lindon)
Lister, Edmd. and partners
Liston, David
Mahony, Patrick
Mann, Mr. William
McCarty, John
McCormick, John
McGrath, Margaret & Barth. Leyne
McGrath, Thomas and sons
McMahon, Bryan (2 holdings, one with Tim McMahon)
McMahon, Denis (see McMahon, John)
McMahon, John (see Fitzgerald, James)
McMahon, John and Denis
McMahon, John and Joanna Mulvihill
McMahon, Peter
McMahon, Terence Jnr.
McMahon, Terence Snr.
McMahon, Thomas
McMahon, Tim (2 holdings, one with Bryan McMahon)
McMahon, Timothy and Thomas
McNamara, Michl.
Meredith, Willm.
Moore, Catherine
Moore, James and partners
Moore, Joan widow
Moore, John
Moore, Maurice and partners
Moore, Patrick
Moore, William
Moran and partners (Thomas – see Fig 1)
Moran, Denis
Moran, John
Moran, Thomas
Moran, Michl.
Morans (see Grogan, Michl.)
Moylan (see Waters)
Mulvihill (See Connell and Mulvihill)
Mulvihill, Cornelius
Mulvihill, Corn. (2 holdings, one with his sons)
Mulvihill, Cornelius
Mulvihill, Joanna (see John McMahon..)
Mulvihill, John and Danl. Conner
Mulvihill, John and Thos.
Mulvihill, John (see Langan, John)
Mulvihill, John Jnr
Mulvihill, John Snr.
Mulvihill, Michl. and John
Mulvihill, Patrick (two holdings)
Mulvihill, Thomas
Mulvihill, Thos. (2 holdings, one with John Mulvihill)
Mulvihill, Widow and Thomas Connell
Murphy, John (see Stack)
Nevill, Michl. and sons
Neville, Morgan
Nowlan, Darby (2 holdings)
Nowlan, John
Patwell, James
Phyggell, Adam [ix]
Phygell, Michael - Glencullare
Power, Patrick
Quin, Garrett
Quin, James
Quineen, John
Raymond, John
Reilly, William and Enright
Relehan and Partner
Relihan, John
Relihan, Timothy and Laurence
Ryan, John
Ryan, Widow
Sandes, Mr. Henry
Sandes, George Esq. (2 holdings)
Sandes, John Esq.
Sandes, Lancelot Esq.
Sandes, William Esq. (2 holdings)
Sandes, Wilm. Senior & Wilm. Sandes Junior
Sealy, Laurence and John Esq.
Stack (see Murphy and Stack)
Stack, Ed.
Stack, Eleanor and John Murphy
Stack, James
Stack, Reps of James
Stack, Thomas
Sullivan and Enright
Sullivan, John (see Enright, Michael)
Sullivan, Roger
Sweeny, John and John Daly
Sweeny, Owen
Talbot, William Esq.
Walsh, Richard and Ed.
Walsh, Edward
Walsh, Rev. James
Waters W. & M. Moylan
Wren, Barth.
Dr. James G Ryan is a writer, lecturer and publisher in Irish genealogy. His publications include ‘Irish Records: sources for Irish family and local history’ Ancestry Inc. (1988); Tracing your Dublin Ancestors (Flyleaf Press 2009); Irish Church Records (Flyleaf 2001); Sources for Irish Family History (Flyleaf Press 2021); Victims and Criminals in Ireland: 1821-1860 (Flyleaf Press 2022).
References
[i] A rent ledger of the estates of the Sandes family in Co. Kerry, 1797-1828. National Library of Ireland Ms 1792.
[ii] Landed Estates database. https://landedestates.ie/estate/2048
[iii] WILSON, William. ''The Post-Chaise Companion or Travellers Directory Through Ireland''. Pub: Dublin, 1786
[iv] A History of the Sandes Family of Kerry, by Michael Sandes - https://ancestry.sandes.uk/
[v] My Kerry Acestors - https://mykerryancestors.com/kerry-land-tenant-rentals/
[vi] Ryan, J. (2024) Rentals as a resource for Irish family history. www.academia.edu/118475668/
[vii] FROM LAOIS TO KERRY: I The Laois Origins and Continuing Presence in Kerry of the Moores, Kellys, Dowlings, Lawlors, Dorans, McEvoys and Devoys or Deevys or Dees. Michael C. Keane. Pub: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN-13: 978-1979168373
[viii] In this tenant’s account, from Jan 1809 she is listed as ‘Widow Hunt’
[ix] The name Fizzell or Fitzell is strangely listed as Phyggell in the index and rental heading, but is spelled as Fizzell in payments