Liscartan (or Liscarton) (meaning "Cartan's Fort") is the

county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

, and

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

, Republic of Ireland. It is 2 three-quarters miles northwest of

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland by population, tenth largest settlement in ...

, on the river Blackwater, and on the former mail road from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , 'Cethlenn, Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of ...

History

The name Liscartan has been translated as "Cartan's Fort", which likely indicates it was a defensive site from the 12th century. Some of the earliest references to Liscartan suggest that the lands were part of lands granted to the original Abbey in Navan by the O'Rourkes of Breffni.Wilde, William R. ''The Beauties of the Boyne and Blackwater'', (first edition 1849) After the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, the lands were included in the grant of the Barony of Navan made to the knight

Jocelyn de Angulo Jocelyn de Angulo, 1st Baron of Navan (''fl.'' 1172), was an Anglo-Norman knight. Biography De Angulo was one of fifty knights serving under Hugh de Lacy upon the latter's grant of the Lordship of Meath by King Henry II of England in 1172. Joce ...

Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, 4th Baron Lacy (; before 1135 – 25 July 1186), was an Anglo-Norman landowner and royal office-holder. He had substantial land holdings in Herefordshire and Shropshire. Following his participation in the Norman Inva ...

.French, Noel E. ''Navan by the Boyne'' (2002) A mid-17th-century civil survey shows that Sir Robert Talbot of Carton (brother of the

Earl of Tyrconnell Earl of Tyrconnell is a title that has been created four times in the Peerage of Ireland. It was first created in 1603, for Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, formerly king of Tyrconnell, along with the subsidiary title Baron Donegal. The 1s ...

, the

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

under

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

) and the Irish

Papist The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodox ...

Adam Missett of

Bellewstown Bellewstown () is a village located 8 km south of Drogheda, on the Hill of Crockafotha in County Meath in Ireland. It takes its name from the Anglo-Irish Bellew family, who were the dominant local landowners from the thirteenth to the s ...

owned lands at Liscarton.Simmington, Robert C., ''Civil Survey of County of Meath, Vol. V'' (quote: "There being on the sd lands Two Castles, a Church, a Mill and a Weare.") The last recorded owner of Liscartan Castle was Sir Richard Talbot Bart. in 1633.Moore, Michael J. (compiled by), ''Archaeological Inventory of County Meath''. Dublin. (1987) In the 18th century, Liscarton was the birthplace of

William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan William Cadogan (-1726), 1st Earl Cadogan, an Irish-born British Army officer, began his active military service during the Williamite War in Ireland in 1689 and ended it with the suppression of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. A close associate an ...

as his father,

Henry Cadogan Henry Cadogan (1642 – 13 January 1713/14) of Liscartan, County Meath was an Irish barrister. Early life Cadogan was the son of Maj. William Cadogan and Elizabeth Roberts.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 1 ...

, the

High Sheriff of Meath The High Sheriff of Meath was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Meath, Ireland, from the conquest until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Meath County Sheriff. The sheriff ...

, who owned the property by 1703. Lord Cadogan was an army officer whose active military service began during the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...

in 1689 and ended with the suppression of the

1715 Jacobite Rebellion The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, lo ...

. A close associate and confidant of the

Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an Engl ...

, he was also a diplomat and Whig politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

from 1705 until 1716 when he was raised to the peerage. Lord Cadogan succeeded Marlborough in 1722 as

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

and senior army commander. Reportedly, the prosperous

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

Gerrard family of Gibbstown occupied Liscarton for much of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. Thomas Gerrard operated a substantial flour mill nearby. A deed from 1841 records "a dwelling house, corn mills, kilns, water courses and stores". The lease was made between Thomas Gerrard and William Gerrard and James Cullen, Michael Cullen and Thomas Cullen. All were brothers of Paul Cullen, the

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

who was the first Irish

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

and

Primate of Ireland The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...

. Cardinal Cullen addressed several letters from Liscarton Castle. "The Cullens operated the mill as a profitable enterprise for the rest of the 19th century." In 1834, there were 14 Protestants and 222 Roman Catholics in Liscarton.''The Parliamentary Gazetteer 0f Ireland'', 1844, Vol. 2 In 1842, the '' Lewis Topographical Directory'' listed "Bachelor's Lodge" as the residence of John Wade, Esq. in this parish. According to ''Slater's Directory'' in 1894, Liscartan consisted of 1,303 acres and the population in 1891 was 144 and Liscartan Castle, a modernised ancient building was the seat of Hugh J. Cullen Esq. J.P.

Liscartan Castle

Liscarton Castle is a 15th-century

castellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

building that originally consisted of 2 towers connected by a large hall. Around 1800, one of the towers was shortened and converted into living accommodations. The remaining tower is 4 stories high featuring multiple carved heads in the stonework.Mulligan, Kevin V. ''The Buildings of Meath'', The Fieldgate Press,

An Taisce An Taisce – The National Trust for Ireland (; meaning "the store" or "the treasury"), established in June 1948, is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) active in the areas of the environment and built heritage in Ireland. It considers itself t ...

(2001). In the 15th century, Jane Taafe was recorded as having inherited lands at Liscarton. In 1403, Taafe sought permission to take scrub from Barfotstown to produce

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

for the construction of a castle at Liscarton. According to

George Victor Du Noyer George Victor Du Noyer MRIA (1817 – 3 January 1869) was an Irish painter, geologist and antiquary of Huguenot descent. As an artist, his favourite medium was watercolour, but a large number of sketches by him in pencil and other mediums also s ...

, Taafe's husband built the manorial church the following year, which according to Sir William Wilde: ""the church is remarkable for the extreme beauty of its eastern and western windows, each of which consists of one great light.... an exquisite variety of tracery, in the decorated style of gothic architecture, fills the head of both windows, and the mouldings are deep and well executed. Upon the exterior face may be observed well carved human heads projecting from the dripstone." Following Taafe's death, the castle passed to Nicholas Rowe (Jane's son from her first marriage to Peter Rowe).

People

Sir Robert Talbot, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Talbot, 2nd Baronet ( – 1670) of Carton was an Irish landowner, soldier, and politician. Talbot was the eldest son of Sir William Talbot, 1st Baronet and his wife Alison Netterville. His father was a landowner and politician from ...

* Paul Cullen

References

External links

Historical Society of Liscartan website
{{coord, 53, 40, N, 6, 43, W, display=title, region:IE_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki County towns in the Republic of Ireland Towns and villages in County Meath

History

Liscartan Castle

People

See also

References

External links