Papers of the Esmonde Family

Repository: National Archives of Ireland

Identity Statement

TitlePapers of the Esmonde Family
Archive ReferenceIE 0625/981
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/papers-esmonde-family
Creation Dates1643-1923
Extent Medium14 boxes

Context

Creator(s): Esmonde family of County Wexford

  • Administrative History ↴

    The family came to Ireland with Strongbow in 1172 when he landed at Bannow, Co. Wexford. Family members subsequently intermarried with the families of Butler, Colclough, Devereux, FitzGerald, Kavanagh and O’Flaherty. Sir Thomas Esmonde was created a baronet in the reign of Charles I. Sir John Esmonde married Louisa Grattan, grand-daughter of the Hon. Henry Grattan M.P. They were the parents of Sir Thomas-Henry-Grattan Esmonde (1862-1935) who features prominently in this collection and collected and saved many of the objects in Ballynastragh. Sir Thomas-Henry-Grattan Esmonde served as a M.P. for Co. Dublin from 1885 until 1892, for West Kerry from 1892 until 1900 and for North Wexford from 1900 until 1918. He failed to be elected to the First Dáil in 1918 as a Nationalist for Co. Wexford. He was a member of the Seanad from 1921 to 1934 where he sat, generally, as an Independent. The family seat at Ballynastragh near Gorey, Co. Wexford was burned on 9 March 1923. This collection is what survived.
  • Archival History ↴

    The collection was accessioned in the early 1960s, received from Sir Anthony Esmonde of County Wexford.
  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Donation

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Esmonde family of County Wexford ↴

    The collection comprises bound transcripts concerning the history of the Esmonde family from 834 – 1899, coats of arms, copies of wills, genealogical tables, Grattan and Esmonde family pedigrees, architectural plans and drawings of Ballynastragh tower. Legals records such as deeds and conveyances, sale and rentals of lands, copies of the charters of Wexford issued by King James II in 1688 and documents concerning Plowden’s ‘History of Ireland’. There are also notes and lists of manuscripts and papers relating to the Esmonde family held in other collections such as at the Bodleian library, Oxford in addition to some transcripts of documents held at the British Museum and Trinity College Dublin. There is also correspondence between family members and others, letters from King Charles I and King James I. Papers relating to the Siege of Duncannon Fort especially the correspondence of Lord Esmonde 1643-1646 and papers regarding the ‘Star Chamber Trial’ of Lord Esmonde in 1639. Only about half the collection has been listed.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention
  • Accruals ↴

    No further accruals are expected
  • Arrangement ↴

    The arrangement of the collation listed here below is as it came from the individual deed-boxes. The captions are those provided by Sir Thomas-Henry-Grattan Esmonde:
    /1 Genealogical information
    /2 Genealogical information
    /3 Genealogical information
    /4 Burning of Ballynastragh, 9 March 1923
    /5 Publications and printed material

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions Available to holders of a valid readers ticket
Conditions Governing ReproductionReproduction is at the discretion of the National Archives of Ireland
Creation Dates1643-1923
Extent Medium14 boxes
Material Language ScriptEnglish and Latin
Finding Aids An item-level descriptive list for sections 1-3 is available for consultation at the National Archives of Ireland Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Related MaterialEsmonde family papers are held at the National Museum of Ireland ref. IE NMIAS/PP01 Also at the following repositories; National Library of Ireland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and St Peter’s College, Wexford
Publication NoteDictionary of Irish Biography (Cambridge University Press / Royal Irish Academy, 2009)

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NoteAdapted by IAR archivist, March 2014. Enhanced by Aideen Ireland, NAI.
Rules/ConventionsISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottowa: International Council on Archives, 2000. National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names. Chippenham: National Council on Archives, 1997.
Date of Descriptions41699