Cooper Hill is about
1 mile south of Ballickmoyler village and 4 miles north of the town
of Carlow. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, (1558-1603), all
the land in this area was, along with the rest of Ireland at that
time, was in the control of the English Realm and was ruled from
London, England.
Between
1553 and 1558 this part of Queens County was 'Planted' to
forest. This was designed to secure the seized estates of
the rebellious O'Mores and O'Connors south of 'Pale
borders'. The settlement of soldier-farmers in what
became Queen's and King's Counties of Ireland did not
effect peaceful agricultural and civil conditions for
many years. Some natives received lands in the
plantation, but others, excluded from a stake, persisted
in the raiding of the new settlements.
The following is an
extract from research done by Tom LaPorte c2006:
Richard Saunders of Saunders Court in the county
of Wexford, Esq., who owned the title to the land around
Ballickmoyler in the 1600's. We don't know what period of time he
held this title. He then leased it to Richard Hovenden but Saunders
remained the owner. Edward Cooper then acquired the lease from
Saunders in 1714. The lease says that Cooper had to pay 640 pounds
initially plus ongoing rental "forever" of 80 pounds annually to
Saunders while Hovenden remained on the portion that he lived on
but when Cooper could take possession of those last 80 acres his
rent would go up to 100 pounds.
Edward Cooper could receive the rental payments
from the residents of Ballickmoyler and undoubtedly was actively
involved in replacing the Catholic tenants with Protestant tenants
such as my Bowles ancestors who arrived there with Cooper from
south Carlow. I doubt very much that they were just given vacant
land but those kind of dispossessions were common enough in that
area to promote the establishment of the White Boys and the local
Ballickmoyler area group of White Feet.
Here's my best effort to
transcribe the 1714 deed:
#5893 - Feb. 1, 1714 Saunders to Cooper
A memorial of Deeds of Lease and Release
between Richard Saunders of Saunders Court in the county of
Wexford, Esq. of one part and Edward Cooper of Newtown in the
county of Catherlogh, Gent of the other part which said release the
said Saunders in consideration of six hundred and forty pounds
sterling sum mentioned to be paid to him by the said Edward Cooper
and for this consideration do confirm etc. unto the said Edward
Cooper all that and those towns and lands of Ballickmoyler, Shragh
and Cudagh containing by estimation six hundred acres or
thereabouts profitable land plantation measure be the same more or
less situated lying and being in the Barony of Slievemargy in the
Queens County in as full and ample manner as the said Edward Cooper
and his (...illegible...) tenants and Richard Hovenden did then
hold and enjoy the same Exception in the said Release is Excepted
to have and to hold unto the said Edward Cooper and his heirs and
assigns forever at the several rents following. The yearly rent of
eighty pounds sterling during the life of Richard Hovenden or until
such time as the said Edward Cooper his heirs or assigns should be
put into the quiet possession of four score acres part of the
premises which were then in the said Richard Hovenden’s possession
and for ever afterward the yearly rent of one hundred pounds
payable half yearly above all taxes which said Deed and Release are
witnessed by (witnesses names, attestations and signatures follow,
Coopers signature and seal)
Note: Ballickmoyler
refers to the entire Ballickmoyler townland. Shragh was the
original name for Copper's Hill before Cooper renamed it. Could
Cudagh be Cloydagh to the southeast of Ballickmoyler but still in
Co. Laois?
End of transcript by Tom
LaPorte c2006:
The one time landlord and Grandson of Edward
Cooper, William COOPER, Esq., J.P. (b1756-d1830)., of the estate known
as Cooperhill Demesne, was a direct descendant of an Englishman
named Cooper who acquired a lot of land in the area during the 19th
century.
In the latter part of the 1870's William Cope Cooper Esq.,
J.P.D.L. leased approximately 2,644 acres of land in Queens
County which he leased out to local people for farming purposes mainly.
According to the Index to
Griffith's Valuation of Ireland, 1848-1864 which was
taken in this area between 1851/52 there is a listing (below) for:
In circa 1870s William Cope. Cooper, Esq., J.P.D.L.
(b1796-d1874), of address Cooper Hill, Queen's Co., is listed in Landowners of Carlow
as the owner of 160 acres of land.
In 1881 the local Magistrate was
William Augustus Cooper, M.A. (T.C.D.), of address Cooper Hill,
Ballickmoyler.
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To the
Memory of
- William Cooper EsqR
J.P. of Coopers Hill, Queens Co.
- Who died June 30th
1830. Aged 74.
-
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- Susan Cooper. Wife
of the above. Died June 1826. Aged 64.
-
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- Sally Cooper
eldest daughter. Died Dec 23, 1823. Aged 32?
-
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- Edward Cooper EsqR
Second son. Died Dec 1826. Aged 25
-
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- William Cope
Cooper EsqR J.P.D.L. Eldest son Died
Nov 6 1874. Aged 78.
-
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- Susan Cooper Third
Daughter.
- Died March 21
1875. Aged 79.
-
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- Bessie Fishbourne
Second Daughter.
- Died May 21 1876.
Aged 80.
-
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- "Blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord." Rev. XIV.13.
- Erected by LT
General Henry Cooper, Colonel of the 45 Regt
Sherwood Foresters: youngest son of William & Susan
Cooper.
- In fond
remembrance of his beloved parents & his Brothers and
Sisters.
Their
remains are interred in this church-yard.
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The William Cooper memorial plaque is on the wall
in the interior of the
Castletown Church - Church of Ireland.
The Coopers centred their own estate,
Cooper Hill Demesne, on Cooper Hill about 1 mile south of
Ballickmoyler village and 4 miles north of the town of Carlow. The
"big house" on Cooper Hill was built about 1717 and was added to
later but the front section of the current house, including the
original front door, dates to that time. The last descendants of
the Cooper family were killed fighting in the First World War after
which the estate and the house fell back into Catholic Irish hands.
Today the Brennan family lives in The Big House and farms the
estate, although with somewhat less land than the origin owners.
'Friends Monthly Meeting Minutes p. 125
William Cooper second son to Edward Cooper married Experience
Strettle Daughter of Abel Strettle of Dublin the 31st day of the
1st month (March) 1730 By whom he had issue as followeth
- Lydia a daughter Born at Sragh in the Queens County the
3rd day of the 2nd month (April crossed out) 1731
- Edward a son Born at Sragh in said County the first day
of 3rd month (May crossed out) 1733
- Abel Born at said place on the 17th day of December 1734
- Thomas Born at said place on the 3rd day of 7 month
(September crossed out heavily) 1735
- Anne Born at said place on the 29th day of the 4 month
(June crossed out heavily) 1738
- Sarah Born at said Place ye 11th day of 5th month (July
crossed out) 1739
(on next page p. 126)
- Abel died (no date shown)
- William Cooper departed this life at Sragh in the
Queen’s county 28th of 12 month NS 1760
- And was buried in Friends Burying Ground at New Garden
in the County of Carlow first of first month 1761
- Experience, widow of the said William Cooper departed
this life at Sragh aforesaid 16th of 5th month 1773 and was
interred in Friends Burying Ground at New Garden aforesaid
19th of the same month 1773
Source: Tom LaPorte
Note:
OS vs. NS in Quaker records; the
month names crossed out show that someone originally wrote the
dates using the non-Quaker practice of using names for months.
The Quakers would not use the month names so someone changed the
months to numbers later but that person missed the December
reference. Also, note that March is changed to the 1st month,
April to the 2nd month etc. That is correct using the Old
Standard under which the year started in March. So all those
birth records are OS (Old Standard) . William’s death date shows
a NS (New Standard) in the date so in his case the 12th month
actually does mean December. In the Old Standard, December would
have been the 10th month. All of the records after that line are
NS. This problem has resulted in lots of date errors when people
transcribe Quaker records so it’s important to know which
standard is being used in a Quaker record.
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Cooper Hill House
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Leaving Cooper Hill
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Entrance to Cooper Hill House
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The Cooper's
employed the
local Irish families as their servants and tenants. This
planter's last descendants were all killed
fighting for England during the Great War.
After the war Cooperhill fell back into Irish
Catholic hands. In 1922 The Ruskell family bought the
house. They had three daughters, all of them were very
demure and totally chaperoned. There were no sons in the family. Mrs
Ruskell was one of the Odlums from Carlow, a descendent of the
Odlums Flour mill family; the largest cereal milling company in
Ireland. The mill was the Barrow Mills on Leighlin Road, Carlow.
They sold the property to John Brennan who was a Butcher
sometime around 1942. The BRENNAN's of to-day still live in the
large mansion known as Cooper Hill House which is referred to
locally as 'The Big House', and farm the land they have left.
The oldest part of the house is
the front section which was built about 1717 and the front door is
one of the original features of the original building. The
second part of the house was added about 1840. The back entrance
from Ballinrahin is still in continues use today.
The back road to Ballinrahin |
Close to the property itself are the remains of an old
Oak wood which was part of the plantation. Due to the interests of
the Cooper's and the Realm of England and doubtless of other
planters in Ireland also, the timber in the ceilings of Westminster
Abbey, London, England., was taken from these trees on this estate.
There is still some evidence to-day of some of the original old Oak
trees which can still be found in the Cooper Hill area.
The Oak trees referred to
are next to the property known as Cooper Hill
House. These have now almost vanished but there
are still a few left lining the avenue to the
house and in a few other areas near by.
- The modern spelling of
'Cooperhill' is now written as 'Cooper Hill'.
There are only about four families currently
living in the 'Demesne of Cooper Hill' and most
of the land which belonged to the Coopers was
sold off to local farmers and the Laois County
Council for small land holders.
-
- I was reading in a book I purchased in Ireland, a list of the
Clergy of Killabban. who of course looked after Castletown. Rev
Robert Cooper was a local man, one of the Cooper Hill family. He was
curate from 1832 the year in which he took his M A. at Trinity,
until 1835 when he became vicar of Kilpatrick in the diocese of
Ferns. He died at Cooper Hill in 1883.
- Rev W F Benson came in 1926, lived in Ballickmoyler, stayed
for 26 years, he died in Dublin where he came from in 1954. Rev A E
Crawford was the curate in the 1950's and lived in the Ballickmoyler
area. The parish is now united with Killeshin.
Inside the Aghade Church : This tablet is
inscribed to the memory of Rev Robert Cooper M. A., Cooper Hill,
Queens Co, for 16 years Rector of this parish. Born 1802 Died 1879.
Also of Alice Maria Isabella his wife, daughter of George Agustus
Le Hunte Esq., Artramont, Co Wexford., Born 1809, Died 1883.
FUSHOGE RIVER
Stone bridge over the river near
Cooper Hill |
Stone bridge over the river near
Cooper Hill |
The Fushoge at Cooper Hill |
The river known as Mill Race rises to the
west of Ballynagall near Arles and joins the Fushoge halfway
between Cooper Hill and Coolrain and the Fushoge rises in the
Killeshin Hills. There are 9 tributaries within less than one mile
before they all converge at Kylenahorn to become one river, The
Fushoge.
Places to be found along the route of the Mill Race and the Fushoge river:
Oldleagh, Ballickmoyler, Cooper Hill Demesne, Coolrain,
Shanvally, Curragh, Ballykillen Bridge, Olderrig, Springhill
Bridge, Ballyhide and enters the River Barrow at Clogrenan bridge.
Places close to the Fushoge river: Ballybar house - Baunrce wood - Belmount house - Cooper
Hill house and Clogrenan house.
NOTE:
The Mill Race
appears as such in the Griffiths Valuation map of 1852. It is
also referred to as Millstream in a document description of the
land in Ballickmoyler dated sometime around 1750.
Here is the full description:
6 acres plantation
measure bounded on the north east from the High Road by
Adam Taylor’s Orchard and from thence on the north and
northwest by said Taylor’s holding from thence on the west
by the Miller’s holding to the said High Road and crossing
the said High Road near the New Water Course lately made by
the said William Cooper bounded by the brook commonly
called the Millstream to the ditch that divides the piece
of ground / part of the said premises / formerly planted by
said William Cooper with Hops from the field commonly
called or known by the name of Acrasheroon and on the south
east by the said ditch to the Croft or garden then in
tenure to John Murray and by said Croft or garden to the
High Road aforesaid and so by said High Road to Adam
taylor’s orchard as aforesaid
The deed states
that it is between William Cooper and John Bowles
Perrukemaker of Ballickmoyler, and assigns him the land and
croft currently occupied by his mother Mary Bowles for the
lives of John Bowles, his wife Anne and for their eldest
son Michael.
Curtsey of Mr Tom LaPorte c2007
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