County Louth Archaeological and History Society

Shewell's Lane, Lord Limerick's Demesne Wall, and the Elgee FamilyAuthor(s): Maureen WilsonSource: Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, Vol. 22, No. 1(1989), pp. 49-53Published by: County Louth Archaeological and History SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27729674 .

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Shewell's Lane, Lord Limerick's Demesne Wall,

and The Elgee Family

By Maureen Wilson

Where was Shewell's Lane? A deed in the Society's collection not only answers this

question, but also provides evidence for the date of the erection by Lord Limerick of the wall

around his demesne. In addition, it contains clauses which allow us to see the methods used by him in the refurbishing of properties along the main street of Dundalk in the first quarter of

the eighteenth century. Finally, it gives genealogical details of families, particularly the

Elgees, who were prominent in the town in the eighteenth century. The deed, between Lord Roden and the Rev. Richard Waddy Elgee of the Rectory,

Wexford, is dated 31 May 1856 but contains recitals of earlier indentures. On 5 September 1725 Lord Limerick demised to James Tisdall1:

All that the tenement called or known by the name of Patrick Cooley's tenement,

containing in front one hundred and twenty six feet and in depth backwards one

hundred and ninety five feet, bounded on the north with Thomas Fitzsimons'

tenement, formerly Patrick Farrell's, on the west with the lane leading to John

Shewell's Park,2 on the south and east with the street of Dundalk, as also another

tenement, formerly possessed by Patrick Farrell containing in front fifty one feet and

in depth backwards two hundred and fifty feet, bounded on the south with the said

Patrick Cooley's tenement, on the north with Nicholas Haughey's holding, on the

west with the road leading to John Shewell's land, and on the east with the street of

Dundalk aforesaid, also one other tenement, then or late in the possession of Nicholas

Haughey containing in front thirty-six feet and in depth backwards two hundred and

fifty eight feet, bounded on the south with Patrick Farrell's tenement, on the north

with Patrick Sheal's holding, on the west with the town trench,3 and on the east with

the street of Dundalk aforesaid, all which said tenements were situate lying and being in the Upper Ward of Dundalk ...

The plan reproduced here is a copy of that attached to the deed. It clearly shows that the area concerned is bounded by Earl Street on the east, by Park Street (from Earl Street corner

to the Roma Caf?) on the south, by the boundary wall of the Roma Caf? to the gateway beside

Wallace's seed merchant's shop on the south side of the Market Square on the west and thence

back to the corner of the Market Square/Earl Street. For purposes of comparison the relevant

portion of the 1:500 O.S. map of 1867-9 is also reproduced. It will, however, be noticed that the boundary on the west side does not agree with the

measurements of the original deed. This is explained by the recital of a deed dated 30 March

1. James Tisdall was from Bawn, Co Louth. He died in 1757. For the Tisdalls of Bawn see J.B. Leslie, History of Kilsaran (Dundalk, 1908), 156-7.

2. ShewelFs Lane was apparently situated along the south-western boundary of the Roma Caf? premises and led from Park Street into John Shewell's park in the Demesne.

3. The town trench is shown on some old maps and mentioned as a boundary in quite a number of deeds. As described in this deed it would have been situated 290 feet west of the junction of Earl Street/Market Square.

49

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A PLAN &? SURVEY Of a Tewmenf in ?Ac fy^er J?ar?? <?/'Z)Un??a//?' jOe?0?-z&?7ZO' /a

Ta/cen A?e/?/?'/%fjay?<&rfCorran

ab.

? ** O U M D A? i_ K.

reference: to the: map

/K:/, T/ee yoeeee of yrat?/??? Cu? ?ff ?y /?e tfayy JV<z?? ano? o ?rese eif> Jf CA<zr/es J?fyee /? ?A? j5a?"A<f' &&/?/&rasjf'/?;

t/t Co/?.s?ofe?"ec#?o/? cf wAz'cA Ae #of ??2 /?eue /Aere?f/Ae f&geee^^ Comvrton/r CaAfec/ dt?evy/s Z,?Zs?e ,

Fif?m A ?oB Mol? ?s f*/~am /Aej?u??fA ?na? ?f /Ae J)f??rAe? //?use ?ajMaHAyees /en??7?enY S?feef,JiD AAe ?At>yo//? ?>f S?z?A /?/?e??i?e??f Azytmn^r ?zf ?Ae jtf/ree? arzeA f&r?rzenci/e??i?? a?/AeJpe>y}V??//J90,

Fig. 1. Plan and survey showing Shewell's Lane, Dundalk.

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Shewell's Lane, Lord Limerick's Demesne Wall and the Elgee Family 51

1766. James, Earl of Clanbrassil (as Lord Limerick had become) also owned the piece of

ground (called Shewl's Lane and marked No. 2 on the map) adjoining the demised premises and to facilitate the building of his new demesne wall4 he had exchanged this piece with

Charles Elgee for the western portion (No. 1 on map) of the holding described in the 1725

lease. Charles Elgee had become the lessee by a deedTdated 29 March 1766.

The final recital, dated 7 February 1826, shows that the lessees were then Anne and

Agnes Elgee of Dundalk, spinsters, and Jane Morphy, otherwise McClure, otherwise Elgee, wife of Captain Pool Morphy of the Kilkenny Militia, and the Rev. Richard Waddy Elgee.

The Elgees5: Although "Speranza", mother of Oscar Wilde, claimed that the name Elgee derived from Alighieri and that Dante's blood flowed in her veins the truth is rather more

prosaic. Charles (bapt. 6 June 1714) and William (bapt. 4 Dec. 1705) Elgee of Raby, parish of

Staindrop, Durham settled in Dundalk in the 1730s. William laid out the Market Square and

built the original court-house which was demolished to make way for the more handsome and

ambitious present building. He later moved to Carrickmacross.

Charles, who resided at No. 1 Francis Street, is described variously as a bricklayer, builder and carpenter. He died in Feb. 1787, having had issue, by his wife Alice Simmons:

Richard, bapt. 8 Dec. 1744

Margaret, bapt. 22 July 1746

Mary, bapt. 2 July 1748

Alice, bapt. 23 Nov. 1749

William, bapt. 25 July 1752

John, bapt. 3 Nov. 1753

Agnes, bapt. 6 Nov. 1760

Ann, living unmarried 1797.

John entered the ministry of the Church of Ireland and became rector of Wexford and

archdeacon of Leighlin. He married 30 Dec. 1782 Jane, daughter of Cadwallader Waddy of

Wexford and became the ancestor of two famous people. Rev. John's daughter, Jane, married

Capt. Robert McClure of the 89th Regt, by whom she had an only child, born posthumously, Robert John le Mesurier McClure, the Arctic explorer.

Rev. John's eldest son, Charles, married Sarah Kingsbury in December 1809. Their

youngest child, born in Dublin c. 1825 was Jane Francesca, better known by her pen name

"Speranza". She married Sir William Wilde in 1851 and was mother of Oscar Wilde, the

dramatist.

The Rev. Richard Waddy Elgee mentioned in the deed was the fourth son of Archdeacon

Elgee. An inscription on a tombstone in St Nicholas's churchyard, Dundalk reads as follows :

Beneath this stone are deposited the mortal remains of Ann Elgee who departed this life the

12th of March 1826 aged 70 years. Also the remains of her sister Agnes Elgee who departed this life the 27th of Jany. 1838 aged 75 years, the last surviving children of the late Mr Charles

Elgee of Dundalk.

The church registers record the burial of Mr Charles Elgee on 10 Feb. 1787.

4. This 'new' wall, which still survives in places, forms the boundary between the townlands of Demesne and

Townparks. Independent evidence for the construction of the wall in 1766 may still be seen at the-rear of Mr

James Bishop's residence, "Laragh House", Anne Street where a stone in the wall carries the inscription This

wall built 1766\

5. For the Elgees see B. De Breffny, "Speranza's Ancestry : Elgee ? the Maternal Lineage of Oscar Wilde", Irish

Ancestor, IV, 2, (1972), 94-103 and V, 2. (1973), 127.

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S. I s I S

Fig. 2. 1 : 500 O.S. map showing area covered by Fig. 1. Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey by permission of

the Minister

for Finance.

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Shewell's Lane, Lord Limerick's Demesne Wall and the Elgee Family 53

The Shewells: The Shewells first appear in Dundalk in 1675 when the map of that year shows William Shewell's house situated at the corner of Yorke Street and Clanbrassil Street.6 The Hearth Money Rolls of 1666 show that this was the largest house in Dundalk, having seven

chimneys.7 No attempt has been made here to supply a genealogical tree but the following notes give references to various members of the family in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

1709 William Shewell {C.L.AJ., VII, 3, (1931), 403, No. 1203). 1713 and 1716 William Shuel/Shuell has thirty acres in the Merches (C.L.A.J., VIII, 2,

(1934), 196, No. 4457; C.L.AJ., X, 1, (1941), 63, No. 8101). 1714 William Shewell was one of the creditors of Brabazon Moore {C.L.AJ., VII, 4, (1932),

477). 1719 William Shewell, postmaster; Mary his daughter then aged 20 and Edward Shewell,

junior {C.L.AJ., X, 2, (1942), 142-3, No. 17). 1719 George Shewell, tenant of premises in Bridge Street {C.L.AJ., X, 2, (1942), 143, No.

19). 1721 Edward Shewell, probate of will {C.L.AJ., X, 2, (1942), 115). 1721 George Shewell, attorney (C.L.AJ., X, 3, (1943), 260-1). 1721 Theobald Shewell, son of Mr Edward Shewell of Dundalk deceased (C.L.A.H.J., XX,

1, (1981), 51-2, No. 65). 1724 John Shewell's land, mentioned in the deed here published, is referred to in a deed of 4

Nov. 1724, summarised in C.L.AJ., X, 3, (1943), 247 where, in the absence of a map, it was located as 'probably in Clanbrassil Street'.

1768 Theobald Shewell, gentleman {C.L.A.H.J., XX, 1, (1981), 52. No. 67). c. 1785 Thomas Shewell, leaseholder of three houses in Yorke Street {C.L.AJ.,XV, 1,

(1961), 78). 1799 Thomas Shewell, Bellewsbridge is mentioned in a deed dated 1 Jan. 1799 (P.R.O.N.I.,

D462/63). 1812 Margaret Shewell's will (P.R.O.N.I.).

The registers of St. Nicholas's Parish Church, Dundalk show the following: Elizabeth Murphy, alias Shewell, buried 13 May 1742

Catherine, wife to Tib: Shewell, buried 27 April 1743

Widow Shewell buried 3 June 1752

Theobald Shewell buried 10 Dec. 1770.

The lease to James Tisdall was for the lives of James Tisdall the lessee, Richard Tisdall, son of Richard Tisdall of Ardee, and George Taaffe of Mansfields House8 in the county of

Louth. Yearly rent ?3 12s together with six days work of man, horse and car. Lessee to grind his corn at the mills of Dundalk. Within three years the lessee was to build the front of the

premises ten feet high in the side wall with good sufficient bricks and lime or stone and lime

and roof the same with good oak or fir timber.

NOTE: Eighty-two of the deeds in the Society's collection have been published. This one may be taken as No. 83.

6. 'A plan of the Town of Dundalk taken in the year 1675', C.L.AJ., VI, 4, (1928), 271. 7. L.P. Murray, "Old Title Deeds of County Louth", C.L.AJ., VIII, 3, (1935), 285. 8. Mansfields House is a copyist's error for Mansfieldstown. The original deed of 5 Sept. 1725 (also in the Society's

collection), although somewhat worn and faded, reads Mansfieldstown.

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