Villiers-Stuart Collection

Context

Creator(s): Villiers-Stuart family of Dromana House, Co. Waterford

• Administrative History ↴

  The Villiers Stuart family, which descends directly from the Fitzgeralds of the Decies and of Dromana, has been in unbroken, though not undisturbed, possession of the Dromana estate, near Cappoquin, in West Waterford, since mediaeval times. They descend from Thomas FitzAnthony, Seneschal of Leinster, who in 1215 obtained from King John a grant of the custody of the territories of Decies and Desmond. Thomas's daughter Margery married John FitzThomas, ancestor of the Earls of Desmond. Their descendant James, 6th Earl of Desmond, who died in 1462, granted to his younger son Gerald the territory of Decies, an area extending roughly between the rivers Blackwater and Mahon in Co. Waterford. Gerald established his headquarters at the castle of Dromana in a virtually impregnable position on a cliff above the Blackwater to the south of Cappoquin. Although the descent has been unbroken, it has on three occasions during the period 1664-1824 been through the female line. As a result, the family name changed from Fitzgerald, to Fitzgerald Villiers, to Mason Villiers, to Villiers-Stuart, and the family has held a succession of titles, each extinct or dormant in their turn - a viscountcy of Decies, viscountcies and earldoms of Grandison, and a barony of Stuart de Decies.

• Archival History ↴

  GB MIC464, T3131, IE BL/EP/VS are the estate, family and political papers of the Fitzgerald, Villiers, Mason, Aland and Villiers-Stuart families of Dromana, Co. Waterford, Viscounts and Earls Grandison and Barons Stuart de Decies. James and Emily Villiers-Stuart sold Dromana and moved to Co. Galway in 1958. They took most of the archive with them. They did leave some material with Sir John Ainsworth (Business Records Surveyor for the Irish Manuscripts Commission) for examination, whose office was in the National Library of Ireland. James and Emily Villiers-Stuart bought Ballynaparka, Aglish, near Villierstown, near Dromana, in 1967, bringing their archive with them. Dr. Anthony Malcomson (PRONI) visited in 1970 and over a number of visits sorted and listed this material. Sir John Ainsworth passed away in the early 1980s and James Villiers-Stuart approached the NLI asking after the archival material he had left with Sir John. It was located and Dr. Malcomson arranged and listed this material. He was asked to use the numbering system of the NLI and he was able to cross-reference the material to the already listed records under the PRONI system. After this listing was completed the Villiers-Stuarts brought the material back to Ballynaparka. In 1985 James and Emily Villiers-Stuart bought back Dromana and moved everything back to this property. A further 14 boxes of papers came to light in 1996. This material was not integrated with the rest of the archive, as this would have thrown the microfilming that had been completed on the collection by this time. Dr. Malcomson re-visited Dromana to sort and list this material. It was added on as “Section P”, arranged where possible according to the categorization of Sections A-N, and cross-referenced accordingly. In 2003 James and Emily Villiers-Stuart transferred ownership of their family papers to University College Cork.

• Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

  Donation