A Castle Coat--of---Arnlsin Derrane

Katherine Mehigan

then front garden of Mrs Margaret Hickey's residence, Durham Lodge, in Derrane, three miles east of IRoscommon town, there is a carved stone with a coat~of arms resting there for as long as family members can remember. Margaret Hickey thinks it may have been brought there by a member of an earlier generation of the Sandys family, of which she is the last of the name, being an only child to John Edwin and Mai Sandys. Margaret was married to the late Johnny Hickey. The Sandys family have been in Roscommon since the mid 17th century, at least, as a headstone in Roscommon's old St Coman's churchyard testifies. They have been in Derrane for many generations, and the family name is also found at Sandfield, near Knockcroghery, where Nehemiah Sandys lived in the mid 18th century.

A story tells of the stone being in the Durham House property, not far from Durham Lodge, until the property was sold in the 1820s when Basil, his brother, William Sandys and some of their men carried it to Durham Lodge. In the late 1600s Robert Sandys married Mary Reynolds daughter of James Reynolds of Loughscur. There was a brother John who died shortly before the birth of his son. Within two years this son also died and Mary became sole heiress to her father's estate, which she passed to her second son Edwin. He added the name Reynolds, becoming Edwin Sandys Reynolds and lived at Durham House and Loughscur. Some sixty years later, in 1738, a member of another branch of the Reynolds Family contested the rights of the Sandys family to the Reynolds inheritance, as he claimed the property was only to descend in the male line. The legal Sandra Hickey with the Armorial Stone in 1983. battle lasted over sixty years and the Reynolds family claim was aforementioned are advanced because they are nearest to upheld. The property was returned to the Reynolds family and Derrane, but, in the absence of stronger identifying the Sandys family had to sell Durham House and much of the information, the stone and its original intended display lands to cover the legal costs. This was the time they moved to location may well remain in the realms of mystery. In Athlone Durham Lodge and brought the stone with them. the North gate of the town wall had a stone similar to the one The stone, square in form and deeply carved in relief, has a coat~ here and at Daingean (Philippstown), Co Offaly, two stones of-arms, not yet attributable to any known family in the area. with coats~of~arms have survived from the Castle built in the The shield is surrounded by the belt device known as The Order mid 16th century. of the Garter with the words 'Honi Soit Qui Mal Pense' ~ translating as 'Shame on him who thinks ill of it'. Supporters of Unfortunately the stone from Athlone is now lost but the arms are a lion and dragon. A label at the bottom gives the references are made to it and vague sketches of its appearance words 'Dieu et mon Droit' ~'God on my Right'. A coronet are available e.g. an 18th century traveller in Ireland speaks of surmounts the whole with the letters ER signifying the reign of it as 'England and France only, supported by a lion and a griffin'. Elizabeth L The part of the stone with the letter E has been It probably predates 1578, when one Robert Damport, provost~ damaged. Using semi heraldic language the arms are in quarters marshal of Connacht, lived there, having come to Athlone a showing the arms of France, the fleur~de~lis, in the first and decade earlier to oversee the construction of the bridge fourth quarters and an uncertain charge in the second and third (P.Harbison, Cooper's Ireland, O'Brien Press. 2000, p 226~7). quarters. This charge is difficult to interpret due to age and Preserved in Daingean branch library are two stones with coats~ exposure to the elements but may represent foliage of some kind. of arms reminiscent of the Durham Lodge example. They came from the fort of Philipps town or Fort Governor. One of the Due to factors outlined, it is possible that this stone was stones is about 38 cm sq. (15 inches sq.) and has the Garter removed from a castle, e.g. Roscommon Castle or the castle insignia over the arms of Thomas Ratcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex that once stood near Roxboro, named Boyanagh, and found its and Lord Deputy of Ireland with the date 1566 inscribed. The way here. The original location is purely speculative and the shield has eight quarterings, the first being that of Ratcliffe. Not

129 co. ROSCOMMON HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL all of the other quarterings have been distinguished but Fitzwalter and Devereaux are among them. The shield is surmounted with an Earl's coronet. The second stone bears the arms of Queen Mary i.e. the shield is quartered bearing the arms of France in the first and fourth quarters, three fleur,de,lis. The second and third quarterings are three lions passant guardant (England). The Garter insignia surrounds the shield and a crown surmounts it. These were the arms used by the monarchs of England from the time of Henry IV to that of Queen Mary, sister of Queen Elizabeth. On the accession of Elizabeth I, the arms of Ireland, a gold harp with silver strings on a blue background, were introduced into the Royal Coat being placed in the third quarter, those of France occupying the first and fourth quarterings, with the arms of England in the second quarter. (Armorial Carved Stones at Daingean in joum. Kildare Archaeol. Soc. Vol 12, no 6 (l941A2) p. 275,281).

Order of the Garter: Of the origin of the Most Noble Order little of certitude is known. One view of the garter refers to a fabled incident in the reign of Edward III when a garter was dropped by the Fair Maid of Kent at a court function causing Durham Lodge Armorial Stone (above) her some embarrassment. The King picked it up, bound it to his with comparative Daingean example (below). own leg and said the above words. It led to a series of enactments at court when The Order of the Garter was founded. It is now one of the most glorious and historical organisations in Britain being the foremost Order of Chivalry. Other accounts of its founding speak of King Edward making a Brotherhood and Order to be called the Knights of the Blue Garter following the legend of King Arthur and his Round Table, and a feast to be kept yearly on St George's Day. Some historians say it commemorated an occasion where King Edward III had "given forth his own garter as the signal for battle", probably Crecy in 1346.

The Fleur ..de..lis: In 1340 Edward 111 asserted his claim to the Kingdom of France through his mother Isabella de France. He and his successors spent more than a hundred years trying to conquer France, coming close to success many times but ultimately failing. The claim was expressed by quartering the arms of England with those of France. There is a story that the quarter of France was dropped to satisfy the demands of Napoleon at the Peace of Amiens in 1802 but negotiations with the French Republic were going on in this regard since 1797. Dieu et mon droit: A war cry used· at the Battle of Crecy in 1346,God on my Right, i.e. to the throne of France dates from Sandys of North bum in Kent. She died in 1704. A coat,of'arms Henry V (rex 1413 ..1422). on this stone can be described in semi ..heraldic language as three red crosslets £itchley with a crescent in a central \\'a\1' While coats,of,arms are occasionally found fashioned as band. The motto is "probum non poenitet" .. honesty is the best separate square slabs to complement grave slabs, the possibility policy. The coat'of"arms of Roger jones on the pediment of .of the Durham Lodge stone being in this bracket is reduced due Ranelagh Charter School, just outside Roscommon town on to· the Garter and ER insignia, they being rarely found in the the Boyle Road, has ph eons or broad arrows as charges in the sepulchral area of stone carving. It appears to have been carved shield so clearly the foregoing have no connection with the for a Plantation family, name as yet unknown, in the mid Co. Durham Lodge stone, taking into consideration the limited Roscommon area for display on their strong house or castle. knowledge of the vast area of research that is the field of Eventually through time and circumstance it came to Durham armorial bearings and the fact that many bearings are spurious Lodge .. and entitlement to depict the Garter is a particular grant to those within that order. The Sandys Family in Roscommon As stated earlier the Sandys family have been in Co. It appears that Col. Robert Sandys was granted lands at Roscommon since the mid 17th century. The memorial stone at Drimnacor, in Co. Roscommon. He settled there and renamed St Coman's Church states that Mrs Elizabeth Sandys, daughter his estate Sandfield. The marriage of Col. Robert and Elizabeth of Roger jones, Viscount Ranelagh, was married to Col. Robert produced twelve children two of whom were:

130 co. ROSCOMMON HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL

Captain Edwin Sandys who served in the Royal Regiment of Kilbride, Fr Andrew Quinn, were also founding members. Horse Guards. He was in General de Ginkle's army and led the William gave favourable character witness to the trial of James final attack on Athlone in June, 1691, at the head of 2000 men Commons for his part in the murder of Major Mahon in 1849. through the ford of the Shannon. Robert, who married Mary William was thus an active and respected local figure though a Reynolds, daughter of James Reynolds of Loughscur, Co. middleman in land holdings. Due to non'payment of rent on Leitrim. Robert was High Sheriff of Roscommon in 1683 and lands at Carnalasson, to Sir Alexander Crichton in 1848, 1685. They had six children, one of whom was Edwin who was William found himself in prison. By June 1848 he was a free living in Durham in 1749 according to the Elphin Census. He man and in Feb. 1849 he brought a petition personally to Sir married Jane and died in 1770 leaving four children living, of Alexander in England. He explained how difficulties, in a whom, Nehemiah lived at Sandfield near Knockcroghery. He business arrangement, with another middleman,Wynne married Elizabeth Ryves; daughter of William Ryves of Peyton, caused trouble for him in a very unfair way [Landlords, Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow in 1766. Nehemiah was High Sheriff Tenants, Famine, thesis by Des Norton, Dept of Econs, UCD for Roscommon in 1788 and also held the licence for fairs and (l994)]. His petition seems to have yielded dividends as he is the market in Knockcroghery. He was a Lieut. In the 83rd Regt. still shown as occupier of Carnalasson in 1857. of Foot and was appointed Captain in the Roscommon Militia. They had seven children, one of whom was Edwin who married The late 11m Cronin of Mount Talbot, in his research of the Catherine Aldwell, daughter of the Rev. Basil Aldwell. He Elizabethan period in Co.Roscommon [The Elizabethan lived at Durham and died before 1822. They had three sons, Colony in Roscommon, Essays in hon. Of N. W. English, The Basil, William and George. Basil and William married two Old Athlone Soc. (l980)], brought to light many names that sisters, daughters of Martin Geraghty of Roscommon. William were prominent on the military and colonising scene in that was born in 1803, he married· Bridget and lived at Fortfield. troubled century. Names like Goodman, Shaen, Clifford, They had· no living children and he died in 1859. Basil was Harrison, Brabazon and the arch military man Nicholas Malby, born in 1800, he married Catherine and lived near Derrane who was Governor ofConnacht in 1578, to name but a few, are Abbey. They had a son and daughter. James, Basil's son, was among candidates that may have a connection with this born in 1846 and lived at Durham Lodge. He married Margaret ... armorial stone. It is tempting to conjecture that the foliage White, daughter of James White of Rockfield,· Roscommon. He charge in the quarters are, with a stretch of the imagination, died in 1904. They had nine children of whom only John possibly sheaves of com, which are known to form the armorial Edwin remained in Roscommon. John Edwin was born in 1874 bearings of Malby. One colonizing family whose coat'of'arms and lived at Durham Lodge, where he continued to farm. He are fairly well known are the Mapothers of Kilteevan as it is married Mary (MaO O'Brien of Athlone and they had a prominent on the burial vault in the local Kilteevan daughter Margaret who is a close relative of the writer. churchyard, but again shows no similarity to the Durham stone. It is clear that further research is needed to throw light on the William and Basil Sandys gave a site for a new Catholic Church origins of this most interesting stone that symbolises plantation in Derrane. In 1845 William gave ten pounds towards its activity in Co. Roscommon four hundred years ago. building. William was a member of the Kilbride Famine Relief Committee. Major Mahon of Strokestown and the curate of··· ....

131