Cottage and Castle: Sizing up History at Coolcurtoga
Flesk Castle, Killarney dates to circa 1809.[1] Its origins are associated with the Coltsmann family, butter merchants of Northumberland stock, who established themselves in Kerry as landlords.[2] Its construction is attributed to John Coltsmann junior Esq, the only son of John Coltsmann Esq of London and Killarney. His achievement was described in an obituary composed […]
Dicksgrove: Notes on the Families of Meredith and Coltsmann
Dicksgrove, near Castleisland, was long synonymous with the family of Meredith, landlords there since the early eighteenth century.[1] Indeed, Richard Meredith (1739-1821), who planted, built upon, and improved the estate, is said to have named Dicksgrove after himself.[2] Meredith’s improvements were said to have been made on the site of ‘the Bailleagh forfeiture.’[3] This […]
Landlordism in Castleisland
‘Forfeitures of Kerry lands have been taking place since 1200’, observed Jeremiah King in his History of Kerry, describing the occurrences as ‘systems of robbery’.1 Within the ‘systems of robbery’, King identified the period of landlordism as 1710 to 1921. Michael O’Donohoe took a particular interest in this period. The collection contains […]
