Registry of Deeds 1788 - John Crowley, Macroom

By Mary Casteleyn, Crowley Clan Newsletter, July 2009

Registry of Deeds, Dublin
3rd June 1788:
Eyre to Crowley Deed No 262970

This Deed was made between Edward Eyre Esquire, Lindville, County Tipperary and John Crowley, Macroom, County Cork “now and many years past Coachman to the said Edward Eyre”. By this Deed John Crowley surrenders 5 acres of land at Fainmateen, County Tipperary previously leased to him by Edward Eyre his employer for the term of 99 years from 19th June 1787 at a yearly rent of one peppercorn (meaning for nothing). In return Edward Eyre leases to John Crowley “that part of the lands of Modeshial* (previously?) in possession of Bath (Bartholomew) Tobin and his under tenants, by William Hunt’s survey one hundred occupied acres, one rood and twenty perches” in the Barony of Slievedagh**, County Tipperary, “to have and to hold the said demised premises with the appurtenances unto the said John Crowley, his executors, administrators and appointees for the term of 99 years”.

The Deed in favour of John Crowley comes into effect on the expiry of a previous Deed made on or about the 9th day of November 1765 in favour of Thomas Lloyd Price Esquire (now deceased) by Eyre Hedges, Elizabeth Rowan and Margaret Burke named as co-heirs of Edward Eyre, Esquire, for lands which included the “hundred occupied acres, one rood and twenty perches”. My reading of this is that the 1765 Deed is therefore amended and that John Crowley got his lease at Modeshial with immediate effect.

Edward Eyre signed and sealed the Deed in the presence of William Wiltshire and an indecipherable signature

*Modeshial is modern Modeshil, barony of Slievedagh, parish of Modeshil, South Riding of Tipperary, later in the Poor Law Union of Callan, County Kilkenny.
**Slievedagh is in the parish of Lismalin, South Riding of Tipperary, later in the Poor Law Union of Callan, County Kilkenny. They are adjacent civil parishes.

Edward Eyre is likely of the house of Eyre of Eyrecourt, County Galway. This pedigree shows an Edward Eyre, High Sherriff County Galway in 1680, MP, who married Jane, daughter of Lord Maynard “and was by her the ancestor of the family of Hedges-Eyre of Macroom Castle”. (The Landed Gentry of Ireland 1958). The fact of an Eyre family living at Macroom Castle, and of John Crowley being from Macroom suggest that Edward Eyre is of this family of Macroom Castle.

This is an extraordinary Deed. Why is Edward Eyre in effect giving over 100 occupied acres to his coachman? There is more to this than meets the eye. Was John Crowley his illegitimate son? Was Edward Eyre being blackmailed by him? We will never know, but my guess is John Crowley was his son.