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Cappercullen House, Co.Limerick

Cappercullen House, Cappercullen townland, Abington par (near Murroe), Co.Limerick.
This is near the Humphrys house at Glenstal.

References:
- Estate papers in [Glenstal Abbey].
  - Evans / Carbery papers.
  - Grady papers.
- Deed of 21-22 Oct 1787, Lord Carbery to Russell. [LR] Book 392, p.330, no.259031.
- Deed of 9 June 1793, Russell, Norton, Rous. [LR] Book 484, p.27, no.302107.
Sources yet to be consulted:
- Drawing of Cappercullen House by Louisa Fox Strangways, dated 1809. In the library at Bowood House, Wiltshire (seat of Marquess of Lansdowne). In a folio entitled: "Pencil drawings of Louisa Lady Lansdowne of old houses in Wilts, Dorset, and other counties". There is one drawing of Cappercullen House and one drawing of the "Ilchester Oak", both 1809.
- Drawing of Cappercullen House by Louisa Fox Strangways, dated 1835. At Penrice Castle, Swansea, Wales. Think this is an 1835 re-drawing of the 1809 drawing.
- Ultor De Lacy: A Legend of Cappercullen, by Sheridan Le Fanu, Dublin University Magazine, Volume 58, July-Dec 1861, p.694 to p.707. A fictional horror story based in the ruined Cappercullen Castle.

Origin

Cappercullen Castle was built around the 15th century.
Land in Abington parish, including Cappercullen, was granted to Peter Walshe in 1553. See [Tierney, 1966].
[Civil Survey, 1654-55] lists "Coll Piers Welsh of Abbieowghnie" as the old owner of "Abbieowhnie" (Abington) and "Keapacnillin" (Cappercullen).

Evans (later Baron Carbery) owns Cappercullen

Lieutenant George Evans came into possession of Cappercullen and surrounds. He was first given a lease in 1660, and after many disputes managed to gain ownership of Cappercullen and Garranbane. See [Tierney, 1966].
Evans leased part of his property to Joseph Stepney, who resided at Cappercullen Castle for a time and laid out the terraced gardens between 1679 and 1681 [Tierney, 1990].
A deed of 1683 in [Evans papers, Glenstal] grants George Evans permission to enclose a deerpark at Cappercullen.
Evans was living in the old Cappercullen Castle in 1699 [Evans papers, Glenstal].
Lieutenant George Evans died 1709.
His son George Evans died 1720.
Before he died, his son George Evans was cr 1st Baron Carbery in 1715.
Cappercullen House was built 1717-1718 on a different site to the old castle.

George Evans, 1st Baron Carbery resided mainly in Carass, near Croom, Co.Limerick, but still kept a house at Cappercullen. He died 1749.
His son George Evans, 2nd Baron Carbery died 1759.
His son George Evans, 3rd Baron Carbery lived in England, and immediately leased out Cappercullen to Grady.

Grady lives at Cappercullen

Cappercullen House was home of Standish Grady from 1759.
[Deed, 1787] is a Deed of Release for £2000 from George Evans, 4th Baron Carbery and David Roche of Limerick, to William Russell of Limerick, of "the castle town and lands of Cappercullen alias Cappaghcullen with the Deerpark thereof .. then late in the tenure or occupation of Standish Grady esq and his undertenants".
William Russell is party to [Deed, 1793] concerning "the castle towns and lands of Cappercullen alias Cappaghcullen with the Deerpark thereof .. then late in the tenure or occupation of Standish Grady esq .."
Standish Grady's wife died at Cappercullen in 1807.
Think [Deed, 1808] is when Grady finally left Cappercullen.

The Misses Preston, heirs of John Evans, 5th Baron Carbery, took up residence in Cappercullen House.

Barrington holds Cappercullen (but has seat at Glenstal Castle)

The Barrington family acquired Cappercullen and neighbouring townlands.
Matthew Barrington (future 2nd Baronet) wrote on 18 Dec 1817 to George F. Evans. Letter in [Glenstal Abbey papers]. (This must be George Freke Evans, of Bulgaden Hall, Co.Limerick, of the line that inherited the Barony after the 5th Baron Carbery. He died 1829.) Barrington says: "Sir, I propose to become tenant for the lands of Murroe, Capercullen, Cappananagh ... as formerly in the possession of Standish Grady esq. deceased and as now held by Tenants at Will". (The list of tenants does not include Humphrys.)
[Tierney, 1966, p.177] says that Matthew Barrington got lease of lands including Glenstal, Garranbane, Meentolla and Cappercullen in [Deed, 11 Dec 1818]. (Why is Glenstal there? Did the Carbery estate include some of Glenstal at this point?)
The Misses Preston lived at Cappercullen House until 1820 [Tierney, 1990].

Cappercullen fell into ruins. It was already in ruins on 1829 to 1842 map.
Cappercullen is still listed as part of the Carbery estate in [Tithe Survey, 1826].
"Deer-Park" is still listed as the property of Lord Carbery in [Lewis, 1837].
Barrington built their seat, Glenstal Castle, in 1839 in the townland of Garranbane. The ruin of Cappercullen was in their grounds, in the neighbouring townland.
In 1840, John O'Donovan records in his Namebook that Cappercullen was still the property of Lord Carbery.
Barrington bought the lands outright from the heirs of Lord Carbery on 28 May 1840.

Cappercullen House is vanished. Some walls and outbuildings remain.
The terraced garden remains.

"Keapacnillin" (Cappercullen) in Abington parish in [Civil Survey, 1654-55].
From pp.3-4 in Limerick, vol.4 (pp.56-58 in online copy).

The old Cappercullen Castle, in the parish of "Abbeyouthneybeg" (Abington) in the [Down Survey, 1658].
See wider. From here.

Grady at Cappercullen on p.210 of [Taylor and Skinner, 1777].

Cappercullen House on 1829 to 1842 map.
It is already in ruins.

Cappercullen House on 1887 to 1913 map.
Cappercullen House is vanished. Some outbuildings remain.
Note the footbridge (at red cross).
Cappercullen House was in the plot marked "3.099". This is tennis courts today.
See modern satellite view.

The bridge at Cappercullen, looking W.
Photo 1994.
Forward to the left is site of Cappercullen House, now tennis courts.
See larger and full size.

View of Cappercullen from the bridge, looking W.
Forward to the left is site of Cappercullen House, now tennis courts.
Screenshot from street view capture of 2014. (Click through to rotate.)

View of Cappercullen from the bridge, looking W and to the right.
Photo 1994.
See larger and full size.
See other shot and other shot.

Ruin at Cappercullen.
This is said to be part of the old Cappercullen Castle.
(Cappercullen House was at a different spot and has entirely vanished.)
Photo 1994.
See larger and full size.

The terraced gardens

The terraced gardens at Cappercullen.
Photo 1994.
See larger and full size.
See other scan.
See street view capture of 2014.

The terraced gardens at Cappercullen.
Photo 1994.

The gardens at Cappercullen.
Photo 1994.
See larger and full size.
See other shot.

Evans estate
- Cappercullen