John Blennerhassett of Ballyseedy
Extract from the elegy to John Blennerhassett in 1709.
From
page 205
of
[Dineen and O'Donoghue, 1911].
John Blennerhassett,
of
Ballyseedy,
born est c.1660.
See
wikipedia.
His father died 1677.
His older brother died 1686.
He succ to Ballyseedy.
He mar
Margaret Crosbie.
MP for
Tralee 1692.
MP for
Dingle 1695-99.
MP for
Co.Kerry 1703-09.
His will dated 24 Jan 1709
(at the time regarded as the
end of 1708).
Codicil same day.
Will would be burnt in 1922.
But copy survives:
He
died 1709, age est c.49 yrs.
Will pr 9 May 1709.
An elegy
was written to him 1709 by the Gaelic poet
Aodhagán Ó Rathaille:
"The learned were wont to revel in his bright mansion;
...
Poets and bishops, princes and viscounts;
...
In the hospitable mansion of the Munster Protestant
...
John, son of John, son of John of Ballyseedy".
The elegy describes his wife as
"The stately, polite, gentle lady,
Descendant of warriors, branch sprung from kings".
John and Margaret
had issue:
-
Col. John Blennerhassett, MP,
"The Great Colonel John",
of Ballyseedy,
born 1691 or 1692.
- Arthur Blennerhassett,
mar Frances Lucia Denny [born 1701, niece of his brother's wife].
- Thomas Blennerhassett,
of Ballymacelligott and Listrim, Co.Kerry,
born est c.1695.
He mar Avice Spring.
They had issue:
- Col. Arthur Blennerhassett, MP,
of Arabella House, born 1731.
He
mar 1stly, 1764 [her a widow, age 38]
to Arabella Blennerhassett [born 1726].
He built Arabella House
(or Arabela House),
Arabela townland, Ballymacelligott par, Co.Kerry
(some distance to the E of Ballyseedy).
Named after his wife.
Managed to get the townland named after her too.
See ARABELLA in
[Houses of Kerry].
Arabella House was later owned by Rowan.
Arthur was MP for Co.Kerry 1775-76 and 1776-83.
He was Colonel 1779-82
of the "Kerry Legion" regiment
(also known as the "Palatine" or Ballymacelligott corps)
of the Kerry Volunteers.
Chaplain of the regiment was
Rev. John Blennerhassett.
See him
listed
in Munster Volunteer Registry, 1782, p.48.
Arabella died 1795.
Inherits Ballyseedy, 1799:
Col. Arthur inherited "Ballyseedy"
from his cousin in
1799.
Think this means the old ruined
Ballyseedy Castle and estate.
He married 2ndly in 1800 at Wells, Somerset.
He lived at Bath, Somerset. Living there by 1805.
He would be
Col. Arthur Blennerhassett
who writes a letter of 24 Oct 1806
from Crescent, Bath,
to
Maurice Fitzgerald, 18th Knight of Kerry.
He died Bath, 1810, age 79 yrs.
- Thomas Blennerhassett,
born 1736.
See Wikitree.
He is said to have mar without his father's consent and been disinherited.
This branch would have inherited Ballyseedy otherwise.
He is believed to be the father of:
- Arthur Blennerhassett, of Gortatlea, Co.Kerry, born c.1755.
-
William Blennerhassett, of Elmgrove,
born 1705.
He (or someone in his family, possibly his brother Col. John)
built the new
Elm Grove (later Ballyseedy House)
1721,
which became his residence.
"Sir John Blennerhassett" shown as a Deputy Governor of Kerry in 1699.
Extract from
p.37
of
"A List of the Governors and Deputy Governors of Counties in Ireland in 1699",
by Henry A. S. Upton,
JRSAI,
Vol. 15, No. 1 (1925), pp.36-53.
Upton thinks this is probably John Blennerhassett of Ballyseedy above.
"Sir" may be an error.
This list of Governors and Deputy Governors
was prepared in 1699, but was somewhat out of date.
The information may actually relate to the situation as at 1690.
Biographies done by Upton.
From p.47 of the above.
Extract from the elegy to John Blennerhassett in 1709
by
the Gaelic poet
Aodhagán Ó Rathaille.
Ó Rathaille refers to him as
"John, son of John, son of John of Ballyseedy".
From
page 207
of
[Dineen and O'Donoghue, 1911].
Late 18th century portrait of an unidentified
John Blennerhassett, son of Arthur Blennerhassett, possibly of Ballyseedy.
See other copy
and reverse.
From Bill Jehan.
"A Portrait of Lady Blennerhassett, Ballyseedy".
18th century. Unknown who this is.
Sold by
Adams
in 2021.
Unknown Ballyseedy portraits
These unlabelled portraits were at Ballyseedy when
Sir Henry Denny, 7th Baronet
visited in 1901 and took these photos.
See
larger
and
full size.
See larger
and full size.
See larger
and full size.
