Chapter 13.

Killsallaghan,

where are some remains of a once extensive castle. A plain, rustic church is also there, without any monument of note either in it or the surrounding grave-yard, and near it is a glebehouse with a glebe of 32 acres. There is also a school here in connexion with the National Board, from which it receives £10 per annum, the number of its pupils was 106 in 1834.

The parish bears the same name, and, though included in the obvious course of this excursion, is wholly situated within the barony of Castleknock. It comprises 2730a. 3r. 37p., and ranks as a vicarage united with the chapelry of Chapel Midway. In 1831 its population was returned as 581 persons, of whom the Protestants were stated as less than 40.

A monastery was founded here at an early age, which subsequently became parochial, when the church was dedicated to St. David, and in 1197, with the consent of Aubort de Lockhart, the proprietor of the soil, was granted to the canons of the abbey founded in Dublin in honour of St. Thomas-a-Becket, by whose Community a vicar was endowed there.

In 1200, and subsequently, the family of de la Field were seised of the lands of Kilsallaghan by grant from the crown. See “Chappelizod,” in the year 1200. For a notice of the Cruises’ possessions here in 1392, see at “Merrion.” In 1412 Thomas, the son of Sir John Cruise, was seised of this manor by inheritance, and so transmitted it to his descendants.

In 1536 Patrick White of Killsallaghan had a grant of the office of second baron of the exchequer.

In 1537 an inquisition was taken concerning the possessions of its monastery. In 1539 its church was rated to the First Fruits at £5 6s., and in 1540, on the dissolution of monasteries, Henry Duff, the last abbot of that of St. Thomas, had a grant of a yearly pension of £42, Irish, chargeable on the tithes of the rectories of Greenock, Killsallaghan, Chapel-Midway, &c., with clause of distress, while smaller pensions were similarly charged for other members of that establishment. The lands of Stradbally, in this parish, then appertained to the religious house of Grace Dieu.

An inquisition of 1612 finds Philip Hoare seised of the castle, manor, town, and lands of Killsallaghan, containing 300a., exclusive of other adjacent lands, which were so held under the crown by knights service. The document further states, that said Philip Hoare and others, the lords of this manor, had from time immemorial held a court baron and a court leet here. All these premises wore surrendered in the same year to the crown by Hoare, who took out a fresh patent thereof, and died in 1630; they were, however, forfeited by his heir in the troubles of 1641.

In 1613 Dudley Norton, Esq., Chief Secretary of State for Ireland, had a grant of the rectories and tithes of Killsallaghan [393] and Chapel-Midway, parcel of the estate of the monastery of Thomas Court, and which had been theretofore held under grants from Queen Elizabeth to Turlough Mac Cabe and Sir Thomas Masterson. For a notice of Killsallaghan in 1615, see at “Chapel-Midway,” and for notices of the exercise of presentation in 1622 and 1625, see at “Balrothery.”

In 1641 this place was the station of Lieutenant General Byrne, and hither the Earl of Fingal led a party of 60 horsemen, and was met by Laurence Dowdall of Athlumney, Patrick Segrave of Killeglan, Patrick Barnewall of Kilbrew, Sir Richard Barnewall, Adam Cusack of Trevett, Nicholas Dowdall of Brownstown, and divers others. Ormond was thereupon commissioned to drive them from this castle. “His orders were to burn and destroy their haunts and to kill all the inhabitants capable of bearing arms; but his proceeding was more moderate, nor were those petty excursions deemed by military men, sufficiently interesting, when the gallant forces of Drogheda were surrounded by enemies, and exposed to the utmost severities of toil and famine.” [Leland’s Hist. of Ireland.] He, however, dislodged his opponents from this position, strengthened as it was by woods, ditches, barricadoes, and other fastnesses.

In 1661 the king presented Henry Brereton to this benefice, and in 1666 Sir George Lane Knight passed patent for the manor, castle, town and lands of Killsallaghan, 269a., plantation measure, together with a windmill, six messuages, a court leet and a court baron, with 154a., like measure, adjoining thereto. About the same time Philip Hoare was one of the signers of the Roman Catholic remonstrance. For an important notice of Killsallaghan in 1673, see at “Chapel Midway.

In 1680 Daniel Jackson was vicar on royal presentation, and in 1683 Viscount Lanesbrough died seised of the town and lands of Castletown and Killsallaghan 569a., in Swords 40a., in Rollestown 5A., and a chief rent out of the manor of Westpalstown, &c. [Inquis. in Canc. Hib.]

In 1697 the Rev. Mr. Scallery was returned as Roman Catholic pastor of half this parish, and the Rev. Mr. Murphy of the other moiety.

[294] In 1709 the vicarage was filled by Charles Smyth, who was succeeded in 1715 by Peter Wybrants, and he in 1732 by Edward Leigh, all on royal presentation. The latter had in 1735 a grant, from James Bennett, of 10 acres of glebe in Stradbally within this parish.

In 1758 the king promoted Philip Yorke to this vicarage, who was succeeded in 1768 by Edward Day, he by Henry Parish in 1770, he by Maurice Collis in the same year, Collis by Richard Straubenee Wolfe in 1801, Wolfe by Thomas Henry Kearney in 1803, he by Charles Milley Doyle in 1806, and his successors have been Mr. Gregg and Mr. Perrin the present incumbent.

In 1810 the Board of First Fruits lent £768 for the erection of the church here.

A beautifully shaded road leads hence to