Their inward thought is, their houses shall continue for ever, their dwelling-places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.1 Origins of the Frenches in Many genealogists of the 19th and 20th century commonly and consistently referred to the French family origins lying in the Norman Sir Humphrey De Freyne's arrival to Ireland alongside Strongbow, with some even claiming descent further back to William the Conquerors reaching English shores.2 The approved history of the French family however generally begin with John French, a salt merchant from Galway of great wealth who was born in the late 15th century and was the progenitor of the many French families of Connaught.3 Of course the laudable characters that are conveniently attached to the early histories such as the Fulco De Fryne, Seneschal of Kilkenny in 12864, or James French who was Wexford’s representative in Westminster in 13765 definitely did exist, proof to any connection to the many French families of Connaught is often sparse with an over reliance on family tales and fabricated genealogies approved by historians eager to please their customers. John or Sean na tSalainn French lived without any doubt and his family formed one of the original 'Tribes of Galway'6 but it is possible that he will be remembered more for his princely patronage of the church than anything else. D'Alton describes him as 'a man of great wealth and unbounded liberality'7 with additions to religious buildings in Galway that are still evident and may be his lasting legacy to the town that made him mayor in 1538.8 St. Nicholas Church in particular seems to have benefited with additions of ornate wings to its structure. Regrettably Hardiman reports that these were just completed when the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Leonard Grey, arrived and confiscated and consequently embezzled the entire collection of the church's ornaments.9 He also erected a stone building that stood on the arch to the side of St. Francis Abbey which was named the 'John Ffrench Chamber' in his honour10 though this is no longer standing. Johns son Peter11, continued the family's role in the development of the fledgling town by becoming mayor himself in 1576 by which time their wealth had risen to such a level that they were providing mortgages for nearby estates that were experiencing difficulties. The O'Connors of Sligo were such a troubled family and the early parts of the 17th century found them 'heavily mortgaged to the Galway merchant family of French.'12

1 Psalms 49-11, King James Bible Version. Available online http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org, accessed 24/03/14. 2 Sir Bernard Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, London 1858, page 416: Edward MacLysaght, Irish Families, Dublin 1972, page 152: Charles Mosley, editor, Burkes Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 1, Delaware 2003, page 1067- beginning with Walter French c.1425 chief magistrate of Galway. 3 George E Cokayne, editor, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the , extant, extinct or dormant, 4, London 1916, page 115. 4 John D'Alton, Memoir of the family of French De la Freyne, De Freyne, Frenshe, Ffrench etc, Dublin 1847, page 11. 5 George William Collen, editor, Debretts Peerage of Great Britain and Ireland, London 1840, page 211. 6 Michael C O'Laughlin, Families of Co. Galway, Ireland, Kansas City 1998, page 92: James McGuire and James Quinn, editors, Dictionary of Irish Biography, 3, Cambridge 2009, page 1106. 7 D'Alton, Memoir of the family of French, page 25. 8 William Henry, Roll of Honour: The Mayors of Galway City 1485-2001, Galway 2002, page 48. 9 James Hardiman, History of the Town and County of Galway, Dublin 1820, page 239. 10 Hely Dutton, A Statistical and Agricultural Survey of Galway, Dublin 1824, page 237: Mervyn Archdale, Monasticon Hibernicum – History of the Abbeys, priories, and other religious houses in Ireland, 2, Dublin 1876, page 208. Online at https://archive.org/stream/monasticonhiber01archgoog#page/n6/mode/2up . 11 Bethams Abstracts of Prerogative Will of Peter French, 24 September 1584, National Archives of Ireland, Series 1, vol. 21, MFGS 38/3, page 65. 12 Mary O'Dowd, Power, politics and land- early modern Sligo 1568-1688, Belfast 1991, page 70.

1 Consequently when the marriage of Peter's son Francis to Una O'Connor-Sligo took place it seemed to be literally a match made in heaven.13 For the Sligo family it brought financial backing of sorts and for the Frenches it provided a direct link to an ancient Irish family that for all their wealth they sorely lacked. Francis though found the estate and family in Sligo so riddled with debt that they were unsalvageable. The O'Connor's had endured a sequence of heir's deaths and widow's jointures which crippled the dwindling fortunes of a family that was already on it's knees. In 1630 a financial agreement was conducted where Donough O'Connor-Sligo delivered possession of parcels of land to Francis grandson, Patrick French of Galway, that in return was rented back to the O'Connor family.14 This lease was to be void if the O'Connors ever redeemed the land but sadly this never happened. The impossible debts proved too much for the family that ultimately paid the cost for failing to produce a direct heir15 in a time that favoured a primogeniture system. The O'Connor- Sligo family dissolved into history around this time.16 Arrival of the French Family into Roscommon Patrick's estate steadily increased through land purchases and generous inheritance of O'Connor lands17 and he recognized the need to establish a physical presence in this area by moving to build a manor at Dungar, later French Park. Reports that this building was finished in the mid 17th century seem slightly incorrect with a letter from Patrick's brother Stephen in 1659 explaining difficulties he was facing in Galway. He elaborated by giving Patrick advice on the manor he was constructing and some 'woorks in Dungar' that he was carrying out.18 Patrick though had a life where he faced difficulties of his own. By the time he was laid to rest in 1667 he had endured 86 troubled years almost all of which stemmed from him being a Catholic. In 1635 he found himself one of the unfortunates that lost out when Thomas Wentworth, as Lord Deputy of Ireland, seized and redistributed Patricks entire property along with 'one quarter of Catholic land in Connaught.'19 Following the trial and execution of Wentworth six years later, the confiscated lands were restored to him by a special vote of the English Parliament (vote passed 26 Aug 1641) with the view, that the possession of the lands complained of in said petition of Patrick French was taken from him unjustly and without any colour of law that he aught to be restored thereto.20 Once more in 1654 he found his property taken from him as Cromwell enforced swingeing Acts on the Irish in the aftermath of the rebellion of 1641.21 Through all of the persecutions though he remained steadfast in his religious beliefs and was afforded a resting place in the Dominican Priory of Cloonshanville near to his new home.22

13 John D'Alton, Illustrations – Historical and genealogical, of King James Army list (1689), Dublin 1860, page 534. 14 Conveyance of lands to Patrick French, deFreyne Estate Family Papers (unsorted), National Library of Ireland, PC12080. (Appendix 3) 15 Terrence O'Rorke, History of Sligo – Town and County, Dublin 1889, page 141. 16 T.W. Moody, F.X. Martin and F.J. Byrne, editors, A New , IX Maps, Genealogies, Lists – A Companion to Irish History, Part II, Oxford 1984, page 160. 17 Mary O'Dowd, Power, politics and land- early modern Sligo 1568-1688, Belfast 1991, page 92: Patrick Melvin, “The Galway Tribes as Landowners and Gentry”, Gerard Moran, editor, Galway – History & Society, Dublin 1996, page 335. 18 Letter from Stephen French of Galway to Patrick French of Dungar, deFreyne Papers (unsorted), NLI, PC12080. (Appendix 3) 19 Aidan Clark, “The Colonisation of Ulster and the Rebellion of 1641”, T.W. Moody and F.X. Martin, editors, The Course of Irish history, Cork 2011, page 169. 20 The Case of Patrick French, Journal of the House of Commons: 1640-1643 (1802), vol. 2, pages 272-273, British History Online, http://www.british-history.ac.uk, accessed10 March 2014: D'Alton, Memoir of the family of French, page 29. 21 Patrick Melvin, Estates and Landed Society in Galway, Dublin 2012, page 26. 22 Isaac Weld, Statistical Survey of the County of Roscommon, Dublin 1832, page 298. .

2 In an opposing move Patrick's second son Dominick had abandoned the faith of his fathers by pointedly marrying Anne, the daughter of the Protestant , Dr Edward King.23 However with this union and by embracing her religion, he cemented his family's position in the hierarchy of Irish gentry for the period after the Reformation in Ireland. His descendants could now begin to harbour ideas of entering the corridors of the English and Irish Parliament which the and anti-Catholic sentiments had hitherto made virtually impossible.24 The first representative of his line to take advantage was his son John French who represented Carrick-on-Shannon in the Irish Parliament in 1703 and again ten years later. Known in later years as 'Tierna More', or the 'Great Landlord' which is commonly said to be a reference to his great swathes of land that he had accrued, but it is also possible that it may have been an acknowledgement to the esteem in which he was held. When he died in 173325 an amount of £1,000 was said to have been set aside for his funeral where reports of his body being 'laid out for 3 days and nights while the tenantry and visitors feasted around it.'26 From John's third son, also named John, comes the line that would become the Earls of Ypres beginning with John Denton Pinkstone French, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland during the War of Independence, and his sister the famed writer and suffragist Charlotte Despard. John's eldest son and heir Arthur, however followed him into politics becoming MP for Roscommon County in 1721.27 A year later Arthur's marriage settlement with Jane Percival, of Knightbrook, Meath, was overlooked by his father John, who provided generously for the married couple with a £5,000 contribution in addition to a large set of tracts of land in Roscommon.28 Turbulent lives of Arthur French (1692-1769) and Jane Percival29 children The marriage seemed to be a productive one with six sons John, Robert, Arthur, George, William and Henry, all of whom bar Arthur were baptised in St. Mary's Church of Ireland chapel in Dublin. The reason why Arthur's isn't located here despite sharing the same birth date as his brother George,30 is unclear and it may be assumed that Arthur was baptised elsewhere at another date. Arthur Sr died in 176931 and consequently was to be spared the sad years that his wife witnessed.32 In 1770 their son George French was canvassing for election in Roscommon when he became involved in a conflict with Edward Crofton who was a rival for the seat. So venomous was the dispute that it could not be reconciled without a hostile meeting and the two carried out a duel behind the old castle ruins in Roscommon. With the first shot, the report goes, George French was mortally wounded with the blast nearly blowing off his leg below the thigh. The leg, once amputated, was carried to a nearby church and buried and George joined it just days later from

23 Peter Townend, editor, Burke's Landed Gentry, 2, London 1969, page 224. 24 Charles Ivar McGrath, “Securing the Protestant Interests: The Origins and Purposes of the Penal Laws of 1695”, Irish Historical Studies, vol. 30, no 117 (May 1996), page 28: Maureen Wall “The age of Penal Laws 1691-1778”, Moody and Martin, The Course of Irish History, page 188-9. 25 Bethams Abstracts of Prerogative Will of John French, NAI, Series 1, vol. 23, MFGS 38/3, page 80. 26 D'Alton, Memoir of the family of French, page 34. 27 Mosley, Burkes Peerage, page 1067: John Lodge, The Peerage of Ireland or Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of that Kingdom, 3, Dublin 1789, page 114. 28 Marriage Settlement 22 Dec 1722, Registry of Deeds, vol. 35, page 309, memorial 22615. 29 Marriage of Arthur French and Jane Percival, 3 February 1722, original image online at http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/250c4a0557882. Accessed 21/09/2113. 30 Burke, Landed Gentry, page 541. 31 Sir Arthur Vicars, editor, Index to Prerogative Wills of Ireland 1536-1810, Dublin 1897, page 182. 32 Bethams Abstracts of Prerogative Will of Jane French 1775, NAI, Series 1, vol. 24, MFGS 38/3, page 150-1 (Jane French's lists her three sons widows).

3 massive blood loss.33 George had already fathered Sarah who would become the great grandmother of Douglas Hyde, the first President of the .34 Just five years later as the heir to the estate, John French, was making a name for himself as a public figure with advanced discussions of him being ennobled as Lord Dungar.35 However during the particularly bad storm of October 1775, which the London papers said 'rages with the destructive violence of a plague',36 John and his brother Major Robert French lost their lives while crossing the Irish Sea. Both had just recently married their sweethearts and family anecdotes tells of their two young wives awakened on the fateful night, to sounds of a ghost carriage driving down the gravel of Frenchpark Estate, through poetry reported to have been created by one of the two ladies.37 Arthur French 1728-1799 The result of this tragedy was that their brother Arthur was thrust into a situation where overnight he became next in line to inherit the great lands of his father. Before this drowning Arthur could never have harboured ideas of arriving at meaningful inheritance, with not even a mention of him in his fathers will. Although he had an obvious relationship with a local Catholic lady named Margaret Daly, which culminated in the births of several children, he married Alicia, daughter of Richard Maginis Esq. of Dublin in 1763.38 The reason why Arthur was free to marry the Maginis lady might indicate that Margaret had perhaps died but his will of 1799 which mentions his 'bastard children' with Margaret Daly may reveal something more.39 If she was indeed Catholic their marriage, if it did occur, would never have been legally recognised by the state. Even so the children from this union certainly seemed to have been provided for. One child, Dominick, managed to rise through the ranks of the West India Company to become 1st Mate and by 1784 had set himself up as ship insurer for Lloyd's of London.40 With Arthur leading the family he refused the title that was to be bestowed upon his brother John, but attempted to enter politics by looking for John's seat almost immediately after the drowning.41 Though unsuccessful in retaking this seat until 1783 he remained steadfast in his support for the Whigs in the 7 years he served office. When he died his position was taken by his son and heir Arthur jr. who continued his family's Whig connection by representing the County of Roscommon for them up until his death in 1820. Some conflicting accounts are reported as to which Arthur was representing the county at the end of the century with some writers naming the younger Arthur as being returned in 1783.42 This

33 Skeffington Gibbon, The Recollections of Skeffington Gibbon from 1796 to the present year, Dublin 1829, page 31. 34 Janet E. Dunleavy, Douglas Hyde- A Maker of Modern Ireland, Oxford 1991, page 7. 35 Edward Stewart Gray, “The High Sheriffs of Co. Sligo (1751-1800)”, Gray, editor, The Irish Genealogist, 1, (Apr1937-Oct1942), page 16. 36 The London Evening Post, 21 Nov 1775, page 1, http://newspaperarchive.com/ (paying site), accessed 20/02/2014. 37 T.W.B., The White Lady – Legend of Artagh, London 1837. 38 A.E Langman, editor, Marriage Entries in the Registry of the Parishes of St. Marie, St. Luke, St. Catherine and St. Werburgh 1627-1800 , London 1915, page 27: Index to the Act or Grant Books and to the Original Wills of the Diocese of Dublin c1638 to the year 1800 from the appendix to the 26th report of the deputy keeper of the public records and keeper of the state papers in Ireland, Baltimore 1997, page 325. Available online http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/documents/19090/eppi_pages/512914/, accessed 24/03/2014. 39 Bethams Abstracts of Prerogative Will of Arthur French, NAI, Series 1, vol. 26, MFGS 38/3, page 27. (Appendix 3) 40 Anthony Adolf, Tracing your Irish family history, London 2007, page 142. 41 Dublin Journal, 25 November 1775. Accessed online http://newspaperarchive.com (paying site), accessed 03/04/2014. 42 Edith M Johnston-Liik, MPs in Dublin- Companion to History of the Irish Parliament 1692-1820, Belfast 2006, page 90: D. R. Fisher, editor, History of Parliament – House of Commons 1820-32, Cambridge 2009 – volume unavailable in Ireland but extracts online http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-

4 seems to be extremely unlikely as he is reported to have just come of age and shrewdly refused his father's permission to sell the Sligo estates in this same year.43 What is clear though is that shortly after his father died the younger Arthur was offered an Earldom in exchange for his support of the Act of Union in 180044. The offer was rejected with the statement 'The independence of Ireland must always be with us a most favourite object.'45 With his death another generation of French MPs had passed without any official title being bestowed on the family but that would finally change with the next generation. Arthur French, 1st Baron deFreyne (1786-1856) Arthur, the fourth, was born in Frenchpark in 1788 and like many of his family before him was educated in Trinity College Dublin which he attended in 180646 before continuing his education in Oxford. Being his fathers eldest son he was always destined to inherit the estate and he returned home to marry Mary McDermott of Cregga, Offaly in 1818. Following his fathers death two years later he took the family seat in an uncontested by-election in 1821,47 a post that he held up until the Reform Bill of 1832. In this year he announced his retirement from politics following being passed over for the Lord Lieutenancy of Roscommon despite being the leading Whig contender to be chosen by a Whig government fronted by the Earl Grey administration. Instead Lord Lorton, a man that Daniel O'Connell called 'the leading Conservatist of this country, being the concentrated essence of Orange Toryism'48 was chosen to represent the county of an overwhelmingly proportion of Catholics. Arthur's brother Fitzstephen French replaced him as Roscommon’s representative in the corridors of power and worked almost immediately to set preferment for the French family. Having married a family member of celebrated Whig Lord John Russell49 he used this influence to further the claims of his brother. This finally seemed to have paid dividends when in 1839 Arthur was created Baron deFreyne of Artagh in Roscommon, with the remainder going to his heirs.50 Unfortunately by this time Arthur's wife Mary had died and it was generally accepted that he would not remarry. Consequently as Arthur had no heirs the title bestowed was to be a personal one and not the family title that his supporters had expected. Once again Daniel O'Connell proved himself to be a great friend of the family as he used his political experience to attempt to rectify this granting. He wrote with apparent candour to the O'Conor Don in 1846 demanding that as a member of Russell's government he was obliged to push for a permanent family title to be brought onto the family of French. Indeed O'Connell writes that making the peerage permanent would be received 'with the greatest satisfaction and considered as a mark of favour by the Irish members supporting his government.'51 Behind the scenes in the same year Arthur maintained his benevolence with a gift of timber and 500 barrels of oats52 along with a private donation of £750 to the Famine Committee for the

1832/member/french-arthur-i-1765-1820/. Accessed 21/03/2014. 43 Johnston-Liik, MPs in Dublin, page 50: Edward Wakefield, An Account of Ireland, Statistical and Political, London 1812, 1, page 275. 44 “List of those voting against the Union”, Walker Hibernian Magazine,1, February 1800, page 126. 45 Maurice French, The Frenches of Frenchpark, Warminster 1999, page 23. 46 George Dames Burtchaell, chief editor, Alumni Dublinenses :a register of the students, graduates, professors and provosts of Trinity college in the University of Dublin (1593-1860), Dublin 1935, page 308. 47 Letter confirming the election of Arthur French of Frenchpark by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 22 January 1821, deFreyne Papers (unsorted), NLI, PC12079: 48 Published letter to Lord Duncannon, Morning Chronicle, 20 Sept 1832, page 4. Accessed online http://newspaperarchive.com/ (paying site). Accessed 08/09/2013. 49 Roscommon Herald, 27 September 1913, page 8. Accessed through http://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ (Paper lists Lord Russell as uncle to Fitzstephen's wife but he was actually her grand uncle) 50 The Royal Kalender and Court and City Register for England, Scotland Ireland and the Colonies, London 1840, page 39. Available online through http://books.google.ie/books/. Accessed 03/04/2014. 51 M.R O'Connell, editor, The Correspondence of Daniel O'Connell, 8, Dublin 1977, page 76.

5 purchase of food. .53 He did this despite an attempt on his brothers life the previous year54 with contemporary writers stating 'of all the efforts made by individuals to help the people none compare with that of Lord deFreyne. '55 With the death of Daniel O'Connell in 1847 perhaps Arthur's greatest exponent was lost and with it the momentum that he may have carried in obtaining the renewed family title. In fact it was 1851 when Lord Russell finally sent forth a triumphant letter claiming the new title of Baron deFreyne of Coolavin that was to be bestowed upon Arthur but this time with a remainder to his brothers.56 Arthur died in 185657 and in his will, which was compiled less than three weeks before his death, he bequeath all of his wealth to his brother Fitzstephen French.58 With his death the first title became extinct with the second title passing firstly to his brother Rev. John French, Rector of Grange Sylvia, Kilkenny who died in 1863, then secondly to Charles French, through whom the line then passed.

Charles French, 3rd Baron deFreyne, (1790-1868) Charles was born into a protestant family like all of his ancestors since Dominick French married the daughter of the Bishop of Elphin, Dr. Edward King. Unlike his older brothers it appears that he didn't follow the academic schooling that they enjoyed which is unsurprising. As the third born male in these times, it was supposed that he would neither inherit the estate which lay with the oldest nor would a secular life be his which was to go to elder brother John. In an almost inevitable choice he entered the military and rose to the lowly rank of Captain in the British army. He had however left this life and was found by Samuel Lewis in his Survey of 1837 to have his seat in Caher House not far from Frenchpark.59 Maurice French writes that Charles's son, William, wrote in his memoirs that his father left the army in 184860 but this appears to be a good deal off. A letter from 1824 written by Charles to his brother Arthur begs him to write to the Earl of Kingston on his behalf in order to extend his leave,61 while the army list of 1824 containing his '81st Regiment of Foot' with his name crossed out also indicate that he would presently leave the military.62 His early life wasn't blessed with a marriage and it was 1851, when he was into his sixties, before he found happiness. Family legend tell of the young Catholic, Catherine Maree, arriving at Frenchpark House in order to sell eggs and Charles, despite the age difference, became enamoured with her. The courting was to be brief and they married in a local Catholic ceremony early in this year, with Catherine bearing him a son, Charles, before the year was out. By 1854 as the 1st Baron edged closer to death and it became abundantly obvious that the line of succession lay with Charles' family, a problem with the marriage of 1851 arose. As the ceremony was conducted by a Catholic

52 Famine Relief Commission Papers 1844-47, National Archives of Ireland, RLFC3/2/25/38. Available online at http://www.ancestry.com/ (paying site). Accessed 08/09/2013. 53 Cyril Mattimoe, North Roscommon – it's People and Past, Boyle 1992, page 159. 54 “A return of all murders that have been committed in Ireland since the 1st day of January 1842”, House of Commons papers no. 220, vol. 35, page 11. Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers Online, http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/documents/12092/eppi_pages/291008/, accessed 03/09/2013. 55 Mattimoe, North Roscommon, page 159. 56 Letter from Lord Russell to Arthur French, 22 February 1851, British National Archives, HO 45/8996. (Appendix 3) 57 London Morning News, 7 October 1856, Accessed online http://newspaperarchive.com/ (paying site). 58 Will of Arthur French proved in London 9 October 1856, British National Archives, PROB 11/2240/112. Available online for fee at http://nationalarchives.gov.uk. Accessed 21/03/2013. 59 Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, London 1837, Page 599. available online http://books.google.ie/books. 60 French, The Frenches of Frenchpark, page 29. 61 Letter from Charles to Arthur 13 May 1824, deFreyne Papers (unsorted), NLI, PC12079. 62 War Office Annual Army Lists, British National Archives, WO65/79, page 251. Available online at http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/image/Index/C4431942?index=3&page=39/. Accessed 25/02/2014.

6 priest it was deemed to be illegal under the Penal Laws and those born under this marriage illegitimate.63 The couple travelled to Dublin in order to get legally married by a protestant minister but it is said that the journey was too much for the heavily pregnant Catherine and she gave birth to William in Mullingar station in March of that year. William therefore also missed out on inheriting the title which along with the estate went to the next born son. Instead he moved to the States and became a successful rancher in New Mexico in the late 19th century where he worked alongside many of the Wild Bunch Gang which included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In later years he wrote of the Wild West and the life he had there in his memoirs.64 Returning to Roscommon and following the birth of William, Charles and Catherine journeyed once again to Dublin and were married in the Church of Ireland chapel at Grangegorman in May 1854 with the 40 years age difference between the two clearly visible.65 Their first legitimate heir , Arthur, was born in July the following year. Arthur French, 4th Baron 1855-1913 As Arthur's mother had reverted the family to Catholicism66 his education was undeniably of this religion with his early schooling coming at Beaumont College in Berkshire and then Downside in Somerset.67 According to the laws of the day, while still in school, Arthur inherited the estate on his fathers death in 1868 yet it was a legacy that sat uneasily with him. While still a minor, in the months before he took control in his own right, he attempted to provide extraordinary stipends for his siblings and mother to be paid out of the estate, all of which his lawyer disagreed with.68 In 1877 he married Laura Octavia Dundas, sister of the 3rd Earl of Zetland and with her had issue of Arthur Reginald, his heir, and a daughter Gwedolen who died young. Sadly his wife died just four years into the marriage in France.69 The deFreyne estate was at this stage certainly burdened with debts and interest repayments. As the family were Liberals they battled the heavily financed Tories for representation of the county. Several generations of these political scraps had left the estates heavily mortgaged to finance them. A rough balance sheet of 1860 deposited with the family papers show a massive £55,000 loan on the estate and a private loan of £10,000 among others while income from rent amounted to just £12,000.70 Arthur's uncle John while Baron deFreyne had foreseen the problems back in 1860 and pushed through a bill to enable him to sell the Sligo and Galway lands and consolidate the Roscommon estate.71 Alas Arthur was a spendthrift and held grand balls at Frenchpark that were renowned throughout the countryside and added further to the financial strains.72

63 An Act for annulling all Marriages to be celebrated by any Popish Priest 1775, (19 George II), Chapter 13. Available online http://library.law.umn.edu/irishlaw/intermarriage.html. Accessed 16/01/2014. 64 William French, Some Recollections of a Western Ranchman, New Mexico1883-1899, London 1927. 65 Irish Genealogy, http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/1610b40527586. Accessed 08/11/2014. 66 'List of Catholic Peers of Great Britain and Ireland', The Irish Catholic Directory and Almanac for 1920, Dublin 1920, folio xlix. Available online http://www.archive.org/stream/irishcatholicdir00dubluoft#page/xlviii/mode/2up. Accessed 02/09/2013. 67 John Bateman, Great Landlords of Great Britain and Ireland, London 1883, page 124. 68 Legal agreement sent to John O'Hagan Solicitors, Dublin, 28 June 1876, deFreyne Papers (unsorted), NLI, PC12080. 69 England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1966, Ancestry, http://www.ancestry.com (subscription service), accessed 28/02/2014. 70 Rough Balance Sheet of 9 June 1860 compiled by D. Gordon, deFreyne Papers (unsorted), NLI, PC12079. 71 Lord deFreyne Estate Act 1860, (23&24 Victoria) Chapter 4. Available online at https://www.justis.com/ (subscription service), accessed 3 March 2014. 72 Dunleavy, Douglas Hyde, page 60.

7 Regrettably his political career was never going to save the estate either. In 1880 he contested a seat in the county that seemed a formality but the politics of the times had changed. The Parnellite candidates in the county were returned to power instead thus ending a political dynasty that went back nearly 200 years.73 His second wife, Marie Georgiana Lamb who he married in 1882 might have provided the financial clout to re-establish the estate but a new difficulty was on the horizon and landed right at his doorstep. Over the next 20 years his estate would become a battlefield of unrest as the Irish Land League organised a policy of agitation on his land. In return, Arthur carried out draconian evictions that were graphically reported in Dublin, London and in the States. The whole episode came to a conclusion in late 1901 when the tenants ceased paying any rent at all. Arthur duly sought to bring the protagonists to trial in the High Court. They included leading members of the United Irish League and several nationalists newspapers, who he believed ignited the revolution on his estates. Arthur told the trial in 1902 that the rent received in the preceding quarter totalled just £156 down from £2643 the previous year74 with the entire loss explained by the so called 'Plan of Campaign' which was taking place. His support at this time was great with among others the Chief Secretary of Ireland, George Wydham, who defended deFreyne in Parliament,75 the landlords of Ireland and the Catholic Church in the form of the Archbishop of Dublin, William Walsh, who wrote letters of encouragement to Arthur throughout the trial.76 Sadly even a victory in the trial would be hollow and Arthur understood that the time of landlordism was at an end in Ireland. In 1904 the Congested District Board used its new authority to purchase and redistribute uneconomical estates and concentrated its attention on deFreyne. After years of struggling with the courts, political unease and unruly tenants he had finally had enough and he accepted that the time had come to sell the estate. Arthur died 22 September 191377 having overseen the crumbling of the estate on his watch but he was spared the tragedy that would once again strike his family as four of his sons were to die in the Great War. Arthur Reginald 5th Baron deFreyne 1879-1915 and the final outrage Reggie, as he was known, had a difficult childhood with his mother dying shortly after his birth in London, and his father subsequently remarrying. Reggie himself was presently sent to boarding school in England where found the regimental lifestyle to his liking and he joined the military in 1899. By 1901 he was already a Lieutenant with the Royal Fusiliers at Hythe Barracks in Kent78 but he would be married within a year. The matrimony was one that stunned his family greatly. His wife, Annabelle Angus, had come from modest origins- her father was a Scottish publican, and she herself was working as a barmaid when Reggie first met her. She was just 15 years old herself when she gave birth to a son that would become the notorious murderer Roland True,79 and she had already married and divorced before meeting Reggie. The union was not to be a lengthy one and Reggie, realising the mistake, left his regiment and the marriage and travelled to the States in 1905 with the notion of visiting his uncle William French in New Mexico. When he

73 Paul Hickey, “The Collapse of Roscommons 19th century political establishment”, Co. Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society Journal 2009, 11, page 123. 74 Arthur French copy of affidavit, Redmond Papers, NLI MS 15/241/6. 75 “Evictions on the deFreyne Estate”, House of Commons Debate 2 July 1902, volume 110, pages 599-639. Available online at http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1902/jul/02/evictions-on-the-de-freyne-estate/, accessed 03/02/2014. 76 DeFreyne Estate Papers (unsorted), NLI, PC12079. 77 Civil Death Certificate. General Registry Office, Roscommon. 78 1901 English Census, Ancestry, http://www.ancestry.com (subscription service). 79 Donald Carswell, The Trial of Ronald True, Glasgow 1925, page 1 and 43: John C. Goodwin, Insanity of the Criminal, New York 1924, page 269. Accessed through UCD electronic library.

8 disappeared on arrival foul play was immediately suspected and a country wide hunt involving the British Consulate and American police was initiated, gleefully covered by the scandal hungry media. He was eventually discovered months later in an American military barracks in New York having enlisted as a private a week after arriving in the States. The nonplussed Reggie declared that he 'liked his new job and he proposed to stay in the army for the long term,'80 furthermore he vowed to never go back to England.81 Afterwards he once again disappeared and for the next 10 years only sent home the occasional letter to his father, one of which tellingly refers to him ceasing his wife's allowance. On his fathers death he bought his way out of his American enlistment and returned home to Roscommon as the 5th Baron deFreyne but he wouldn't be home for long. In July 1913 the First World War broke out and Reggie like many of his brothers enlisted to fight for the cause. Sadly he would be killed on 9th May 1915 in Flanders along with his half-brother George who fell in the same action.82 He was succeeded as Baron deFreyne by his half-brother Francis but with Reggie's death the last feasible link to Frenchpark and Ireland had gone. The family now lived primarily in London and the old family residence slowly became more dilapidated. The final furniture and fitting effects of the manor were auctioned off on 4th November 195383 and the interior dismantled. Despite objections by local residents, historians and the President of the National Trust of Ireland84 the house was later razed leaving the present day ruins that remind of past greatness.

80 London Evening News and Evening Mail, 18 Feb 1905, http://newspaperarchive.com (paying site). 81 Aberdeen Journal, 2 October 1913, http://www.findmypast.com (subscription service). 82 Committee of the Irish National War Memorial, Ireland's Memorial Records 1914-1918, 2, Dublin 1923, page 293. 83 Hamilton and Hamilton Microfilm, NLI, P4692. 84 Letter from T. H Mason to the editor of The Herald, 21 January 1954. Clipping from Hamilton microfilm, NLI, P4692.

9 Appendix 1 : French Family Pedigrees

John French (Sean an tSalainn) 1489-1545 Mayor of Galway 1538

Peter Mayor of Galway 1576

Francis Una O'Connor-Sligo Mayor of Galway 1617

Stephen Marion Lynch

Patrick Stephen d. 1667 Dr. Edward King Bishop of Elphin

Dominick Anne King d. 1670

Sir Arthur Gore of Newtown

John French Ann Gore (Tierna More) d. 1733

Arthur French Jane Percival John Judith King 1692-1769 d.1775

Earls of Ypres

John Robert Arthur George William m. Alicia Crowford m. Frances Donnellen 1728-1799 m. Martha Lennox Henry d. 1775 d. 1775 continued next 1728-1770 d.s.p d.s.p page

Sarah Arthur Hyde

Douglas Hyde

Pedigree of the French Family from early 16th to late 18th Century.

10 m.1 Margaret Daly Arthur French m.2 Alicia Maginis 1728-1799

Dominick Arthur Margaret dau Edmond Costello Patrick 1750-1820 Edmonstown, Mayo Thomas Emilia Louisa

Arthur Mary McDermott John Charles Catherine Fitzstephen 1st Baron deFreyne 2nd Baron deFreyne 3rd Baron deFreyne dau. Luke Maree m. Charlotte Bennett 1786-1856 1788-1863 1790-1868 d. 1900 granddaughter d.s.p d.s.p Lord William Russell 1801-1873

Charles John William m.1 Laura Octavia Arthur m.2 Marie Georgiana Richard Robert b. 1851 b.1853 b.1854 Dundas 4th Baron deFreyne dau Richard Lamb b.1857 b.1858 d. 1881 1855-1913 d. 1923

Arthur Reginald Annabelle Angus Gwendolen Francis Lina Victoria William 5th Baron deFreyne 1874-1962 1879-1893 6th Baron deFreyne dau Sir John Alexander Edward 1879-1915 1884-1935 Arnott Lilly d.s.p 1887-1974 Louis George Muriel Eileen Ernest Hubert Bertram Patience Jeanne Patience Faith Francis 1912-2006 1919-1960 1922-1985 1925-1962 7th Baron deFreyne 1927-2009

Pedigree of French Family from Late 18th Century to modern day

Sources:Burkes Peerage, 2, Delaware 2003, pages 1067-1070. Bethams sketch pedigrees, NLI, GO MS 263, Series 1, page242; GO MS 269, Series 1, page 116; GO MS 294, Series 2, page 81. Bethams Will Abstracts, NAI, MFGS 38/3. Maurice French, The Frenches of Frenchpark, Warminster 1999. John D'Alton, Memoir of the family of French, Dublin 1847. DeFreyne Estate Papers, NLI, PC12079,80,81,83,84. Edith M Johnston-Liik, History of the Irish Parliament 1692-1820, Belfast 2006. page 90. Arthur Vicars, editor, Index to Prerogative Wills of Ireland 1536-1810, Dublin 1897, pages 182-184. William Henry, Roll of Honour: The Mayors of Galway City 1485-2001, Galway 2002, page 48. Church and Civil Records of French family members. Various newspaper clippings and articles.

11 Appendix 2 Family Portraits

Arthur French 1692-1769 Arthur French 1728-1799

Charles French 3rd Baron deFreyne 1790-1868 Images from Maurice French, The Frenches of Frenchpark

Arthur Reginald 5th Baron Annabelle Angus Baroness deFreyne 1879-1915 deFreyne 1874-1962

Images from George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress). Available online http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/4408110497/

12 Appendix 3 : Letters and Legal Documents

Transferal of properties of Donnogh O'Connor-Sligo to Patrick French, merchant of Galway -13 January 1630. NLI PC12080.

Letter from Stephen French of Galway to Patrick French in relation to building carried out at Dungar - 8 May 1659. NLI PC12080.

13 Will Abstract of Arthur French 24 April 1799, NAI, Series 1, vol. 26, MFGS38/3, page 27.

14 Letter from Lord John Russell (PM of England) announcing new Baron deFreyne title to be conferred on Arthur French 22 February 1851, The British National Archives, HO 45/8996.

15 REFERENCES PRIMARY

National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin Betham's Abstracts of Prerogative Wills, MFGS 38/3 Famine Relief Commission Papers 1844-47, RLFC3/2/25/38, accessed through http://www.ancestry.com/

National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin Betham Sketch Pedigrees, GO MS 263, Series 1, page242; GO MS 269, Series 1, page 116; GO MS 294, Series 2, page 81 Sale of Frenchpark House, NLI, P4692 DeFreyne Estate Papers, PC12079-84 (PC12081 mislaid)

General Registry Office, Convent Road, Roscommon Civil Registrations of French family members 1868-1913

British National Archives, Kew Will of Arthur Frenchpark 1856, PROB 11/2240/112. Available online for fee at http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/. Granting of Title onto Arthur French 1851, HO 45/8996. War Office Annual Army Lists, WO65/79. (Accessed online through http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/)

Printed

Isaac Weld, Statistical Survey of the County of Roscommon, Dublin 1832. “A return of all murders that have been committed in Ireland since the 1st day of January 1842”, House of Commons papers no. 220, vol. 35, accessed http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/. Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, London 1837, accessed http://books.google.ie/books/. An Act for annulling all Marriages to be celebrated by any Popish Priest 1775, (19 George II), Chapter 13, accessed http://library.law.umn.edu/. Lord deFreyne Estate Act 1860, (23&24 Victoria) Chapter 4, accessed http://www.justis.com/. Evictions on the deFreyne Estate”, House of Commons Debate 2 July 1902, volume 110, pages 599-639, accessed http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/.

16 SECONDARY

Reference

Archdale, Mervyn, Monasticon Hibernicum – History of the Abbeys, priories, and other religious houses in Ireland, 2 volumes, Dublin 1876, page 208. Burke, Sir Bernard, Landed Gentry, London 1858. Burtchaell, George Dames, chief editor, Alumni Dublinenses, Dublin 1935. Collen, George William, editor, Debretts Peerage, London 1840. Committee of the Irish National War Memorial, Ireland's Memorial Records 1914-1918. Dublin 1923. D'Alton John, Illustrations – Historical and Genealogical, of King James Army List (1689), Dublin1860. Dutton, Hely, A Statistical and Agricultural Survey of Galway, Dublin 1824. England & Wales, Index of Wills and Administrations (accessed through http://www.ancestry.com) GEC, The Complete Peerage, 14 volumes, London and Stroud 1910-98. Henry, William: Roll of Honour: The Mayors of Galway City 1485-2001, Galway 2002. Johnston-Liik, Edith M, MPs in Dublin- Companion to History of the Irish Parliament 1692-1820, Belfast 2006. Langman, A.E, editor, Marriage Entries in the Registry of the Parishes of St. Marie, St. Luke, St. Catherine and St. Werburgh 1627-1800 , London 1915. 'List of Catholic Peers of Great Britain and Ireland', The Irish Catholic Directory and Almanac for 1920, Dublin 1920. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families, Dublin 1972.. McGuire, James, editors, Dictionary of Irish Biography, 9 volumes, Cambridge 2009. Melvin, Patrick, Estates and Landed Society in Galway, Dublin 2012. Moody, T.W and F.X. Martin, editors, The Course of Irish history, Cork 2011. Moody, T.W and others, editors, A New History of Ireland, 9 volumes, Oxford, 1982-2009. Mosley, Charles, editor, Burkes Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, Delaware 2003. O'Rorke Terrence, History of Sligo – Town and County, Dublin 1889. The Royal Kalender and Court and City Register for England, Scotland Ireland and the Colonies, London 1840. Vicars, Sir Arthur, editor, Index to Prerogative Wills of Ireland 1536-1810, Dublin 1897.

17 General

Adolf, Anthony, Tracing your Irish family history, London 2007. Bateman, John, Great Landlords of Great Britain and Ireland, London 1883. Carswell, Donald, The Trial of Ronald True, Glasgow 1925. Dunleavy, J.E and G.W,, Douglas Hyde- A Maker of Modern Ireland, Oxford 1991. French, Maurice, The Frenches of Frenchpark, Warminster 1999. Goodwin, John C, Insanity of the Criminal, New York 1924, accessed through UCD electronic library. Hardiman, James, History of Town and County of Galway, Dublin 1820. Hickey, Paul, “The Collapse of Roscommons 19th century political establishment”, Co. Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society Journal 2009, volume 11, page 123. D'Alton, John, Memoir of the family of French, Dublin 1847. O'Laughlin, Michael C, Families of Co. Galway, Ireland, Kansas City 1998. O'Dowd, Mary, Power, politics and land- early modern Sligo 1568-1688, Belfast 1991. Mattimoe, Cyril, North Roscommon – it's People and Past, Boyle 1992. McGrath, Charles Ivar, “Securing the Protestant Interests”, Irish Historical Studies, vol. 30, no 117 (May 1996), page 29. Gibbon, Skeffington, The Recollections of Skeffington Gibbon from 1796 to the present year, Dublin 1829. T.W.B, The White Lady – Legend of Artagh, London 1837.

Internet

Google Books, http://books.google.com/. Findmypast, http://www.findmypast.ie/. (paying site). Newspaper archives, http://newspaperarchive.com/. (paying site). Ancestry, http://www.ancestry.com/. (subscription service). Internet Archives, https://archive.org/. British History Online, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/. Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers on Ireland, http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/. Hansard, http://hansard.millbanksystems.com /. British National Archives, http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/. Irish Genealogy, http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/.

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