Identity Statement
| Title | Sampson Papers |
| Archive Reference | IE CLCCA/PP/SOL/1 |
| Web Link to this Entry | https://iar.ie/archive/sampson-papers |
| Creation Dates | 1790-1970 |
| Level of Description | Fonds |
| Extent Medium | 5,636 items, paper |
Context
Creator(s): Kerin, Hickman and O'Donnell Solicitors, Bindon Street, Ennis, Co. Clare
-
Administrative History ↴
The papers in this collection comprise the contents of files held by Ennis solicitors Kerin, Hickman and O’Donnell relating to the Sampson family, represented by the firm from c. 1890 up to 1970. Dr. Francis Cornelius Sampson (Dr. F.C. Sampson Snr.) acquired Williamstadt House and an estate of 527 acres through his marriage to Mary Brady in 1833. He died in 1884 and his estate passed to his third son, F.C. Sampson Jnr. Dr. F.C. Sampson Jnr. was born in 1839, qualified as a medical doctor and was medical officer of Scariff Workhouse and Mountshannon Dispensary District for 43 years. In 1870 he acquired the interest of John Cecil Read in Moynoe House and demesne and it was here he made his home which passed to family members until it was sold in the 1959. The Sampson link to Moynoe House stretches back further however, as his father Dr. F.C. Sampson Snr. had leased Moynoe from the Reads from 1842 to 1849 (PP/SOL/1/2/1/2(26). Moynoe House and Demesne comprised parts of the townlands of Carrowmore and Moynoe in the barony of Tulla Upper, Co. Clare. Dr. Sampson Jnr. acquired further property throughout East Clare and was a tenant of his relative Donat Sampson whose lands he later purchased through the Irish Land Commission. In 1873 Dr. Sampson Jnr. married Constance Jane O’Connell, daughter of Maurice O’Connell of Kilgorey. Constance Jane brought a fortune of £700 to her marriage [PP/SOL/1/2/2(1)] and at a later date she became entitled to two thirds of the O’Connell lands of Coolbaun, Kilgory, Knockdoocunna, Tooreen and Bauregegaun in the barony of Tulla Upper, Co. Clare (PP/SOL/1/1/10/1(45) pp97 – 100). Francis and his wife had five children who attained the age of 21. Three of their children were clients of Kerin, Hickman and O’Donnell: Col. Francis Cornelius Sampson, Miss Mary Sampson, and Maurice George Sampson. Copies of legal documents regarding William Brady and Amy created by other solicitors are contained in the papers as well as correspondence regarding their estates. Dr. Sampson Jnr's son Francis Cornelius inherited his father's estate in 1925. Born in 1880, he qualified as a doctor in Dublin and joined the British Army Medical Corps eventually reaching the rank of Colonel. He married Mary Davidson of England in 1927 (PP/SOL/1/1/10(1), p23) and they returned to Ireland in 1946 and resided in Moynoe after the death of Col. Sampson’s sister Mary. The couple had no children and Mary Davidson Sampson lived at Moynoe House for a short time after her husband’s death in 1958. In 1959 she sold the house and lands of Moynoe and purchased a house in Foxrock, Co. Dublin, where she died in 1964. A large part of the lands of Moynoe were sold to a local farmer who had worked on the Sampson lands. The remainder of the lands and Moynoe House were sold to another local. Moynoe House was demolished in 1997. -
Archival History ↴
Kerin, Hickman and O'Donnell Solicitors, Bindon Street, Ennis, Co. Clare. -
Immediate Source Acquisition ↴
Donation
Content & Structure
-
Scope & Content: Kerin, Hickman and O'Donnell Solicitors, Bindon Street, Ennis, Co. Clare ↴
The papers in this collection cover a date span of 1790 to 1970, with the majority of the papers dating from 1920 to 1960. They comprise of some original but mainly copy legal papers including deeds, leases, conveyances, marriage settlements and wills, along with a number of maps, bills, and receipts,and a great deal of correspondence between Kerin, Hickman and O’Donnell, solicitors of the Sampson’s and various state bodies and commercial companies on behalf of individual members of the Sampson family.
The majority of the lands referred to in conveyances, leases and settlements as well as in litigation and testamentary papers relate to Sampson property located in County Clare, and concentrated in the baronies of Tulla Upper and Lower. Prior to 1898 parts of County Clare located in the north east of the county and now in the barony of Tulla Upper were situated in County Galway in the barony of Leitrim, and are referred to as such in earlier documents. Other lands referred to in these documents relate to property acquired by the Sampson’s outside the county including lands at Rodeen Upper, barony of Lower Ormand, Co. Tipperary, and the lands of Bal Ivor, in the barony of Garrycastle, Co. Offaly.
The papers are mainly derived from obtaining Probate or Letters of Administration of the Estates of deceased Sampson family members. This involved a great deal of correspondence and the papers comprise largely of letters and copy replies. The solicitors corresponded with various state bodies including District Probate Registries in Ireland and in other jurisdictions including England, Scotland, Wales, South Africa, Canada and the United States. In proving title to lands there was correspondence to the Land Registry and to other solicitors holding title documents.
Regarding financial property the papers contain correspondence to stockbrokers, estate agents and valuers, and various companies in Ireland and abroad. The papers contain a great deal of correspondence with the Inland Revenue in Britain and the Revenue Commissioners in Ireland and contain many drafts and copies of official forms relating to the assessment, and payment of Estate, Succession, and Legacy Duty.
Kerin, Hickman and O’Donnell also represented the family in regard to other legal matters including the sale and purchase of lands, both private sales and purchases and the sale and purchase of land by the Irish Land Commission; and with litigation relating to property such as the fixing of fair rents and access to lands.
-
Appraisal Destruction ↴
Permanent Retention -
Accruals ↴
Accruals not expected -
Arrangement ↴
When acquired by the Archives a number of papers were not in any particular order regarding the clients in question or chronology. The remainder however were contained in bundles, envelopes and files and related in the main to particular clients and issues. The files retained their original chronological order and this original order has been respected.
The papers are divided into two broad categories, Estate Papers and Family Papers. Estate Papers relate to property acquisition, transfer and disposal, and with dealings between the solicitors on behalf of various Sampson family members and the Irish Land Commission (including litigation) the Local Authority (Clare County Council), and the Land Registry. This category also contains papers relating to litigation and legal costs.
Family Papers are comprised of Testamentary Material and Marriage Settlements. Testamentary papers include loose documents and files relating to administration and probate of the estates of individual family members. The Marriage settlements contains copies and drafts of marriage settlements between Francis Cornelius Sampson and Constance Jane O’Connell dating to 1873, and copies and drafts and the marriage settlement between their daughter Amy Mary and Joseph Corcoran of Bal Ivor, Kings County dating to 1907.
Conditions of Access & Use
| Conditions Governing Reproduction | Material may not be reproduced without the prior consent of the archivist. Access conditions will also be taken into consideration. |
| Creation Dates | 1790-1970 |
| Level of Description | Fonds |
| Extent Medium | 5,636 items, paper |
| Material Language Script | English |
| Finding Aids | Descriptive list Archive Web Link → |
Allied Materials
There are no Allied Materials
Descriptive Control Area
| Archivist Note | Róisín Berry; Rene Franklin; Edel Greene |
| Rules/Conventions | ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000. |
| Date of Descriptions | Dec-11 |