County Louth Archaeological and History Society The Clinton Family in County Louth Author(s): James B. Leslie Source: Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Nov., 1911), pp. 398-412 Published by: County Louth Archaeological and History Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27727928 . Accessed: 14/06/2014 18:14 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. County Louth Archaeological and History Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 195.78.108.199 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 18:14:20 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 39? &i)e (Clinton g itmil it tn ?omttij gcuttlf* ? Abbreviations used to indicate Authorities cited: P./?.--Patent Roll; J/.i?.?Memoranda Roll'; /A/?.=l)i(K*osan Registry. ^O^-* tne Norman families settled in Louth fewT exercised such ?j8)?r?isS?k influence and from 1200 to as the Clintons. The 'JbI?w^II power 1650 was closehT associated with the Norman of JfSf m WviP fam?y kings Eng l-and- de Clinton was Chamberlain to W MMt^Jm Geoffrey Lord High Henr\r and de Clinton, who went with Edward I #' .p"1^^ W#% II, John I y*kfr into his Scottish wars, was created Baron Clinton. The m 9th Baron was made Earl of Lincoln in 1572, and his descendant, in was created Duke of Newcastle. On the death of the 6th Earl CJ\ l I75?, hi the baroiu7 fell into and on its revival, in it j0*f?^?? 1693, abe3rance 1721. into another of Trefusis. The motto of the Clinton ig5K^'""'" passed family?that is the Norman Tout vient de Dieu All come from God ?g^"' Baroity (" things ") WE and that of the Newcastle Dukedom is loyault? n'a honte (" Lo3ralt3~ is never ashamed The were the ancient owners of Kenilworth ?g^fi?^ "). famhy * Castle a reference to this in Scott's i?)l (see Keni'worth, chap. xxv). Early Louth Clintons. or The Clintons came to Ireland with Strongbow Henr3* II, and seemed to have settled in Clintonstowne and Drumcashell in Louth at the end of the at as twelfth centur>r, probably first feudatories of Roger Peppard, until his estate was surrendered to the Crown, when the\T became direct holders from the Crown. we a Among the earliest references to them find Simone de Chmtoii witness to deed (dating almost certainly 1191) of Ralph de Repeuteiw of Drumcar granting to St. Mar\T>s Abbe\% Dublin, an annual rent of one mark in Tauerach [evidenthr in Co. Louth] and to grants b3r same of the Church of St. Ultan at Coillifan and tithes of mills and fisheries, and of the Church of St. Finian of Drumcar to the same Abbo3T ?both evidenthr of the same date (Chart. St. Mary's Abb. I, 39. 40). He also witnesses to a grant tnr Ralph de Vernon [? Verd?n) of Ballisconan and its Church and ecclesiastical benefices (ibidem). a son of de above-named?is Hugh de Clynton?probabl\r Simon Ctynton, a witness to a grant of land from Robert Mor in Dromkar to the Abbe>\ and to grant of land, mill and pasture rights in Ballisconan from Galfrid de Auters and his wife Cecilia de Verdun, as well as a confirmation of this from Cecilia after 1 her husband's death. Pie got a grant of carucate of land in Ballisconan from said was Galfrid which he re-granted to the Abbe\~ ;'Geoffre3r de Marisco then Justiciary, This content downloaded from 195.78.108.199 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 18:14:20 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions COUNTY LOUTH ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL. 399 so that the date is circa 1216 (Chart. St. Mary's Abb. I, 56, 59, 60, 61). John de as a Clinton, perhaps his brother, appears witness to this and to grant from Peter de Repenteny in Drumcar and to other deeds (ibidem I, 65, 41, 43). Hugh is also witness to a grant made by Matthew Lupus of the lands of Drummermoy in Ballisconan (I, 65). Roger de Clinton appears as witness to a grant of Galfrid de Auters concerning the church of Ballisconan. [This was, it seems, in Drumcar He was witness to a parish ?]. also charter of Luke, Archbishop of Armagh, which must date circa 1223 as it was also witnessed by Laurence, Archdeacon (ibid.). Hugh seems to have been the head of the Louth family at this time. Thomas de Clinton was found to be seized of the Manor of Ballybragan (now Braganstown) m 128g (Cal. Doc. I). That the family was then an important one is seen in the fact that Hugh de Clynton?probably a great-grandson of the above was Sheriff of the in Rolls S- Cal. Doc. Hugh County 1301 "(Pipe I.). In the Plea Rolls of 1306 we are told that Hugh de Clynton puts Adam de Stanleye v. the king of a plea of trespass to wit of a fishery challenged." The fishery is no doubt that referred to in the same year in a suit in which " a John de Haddesore claims to have fishery in the lands of Hugh de Clinton for half a league and has 2 weirs in it for his 2 mills and comets and says that his ancestors acquired them from Simon de Clynton, a conqueror [no doubt the Simon of the 1191 Deed]. Hugh de Clinton who has farther a several fishery to the lands of John Hamelyn for about a quarter of a league, where he was accu customed to have a weir, but now only a new millpond, comes and says his ancestors had them from said Simon." We further read that Robert de Dromgol had 60 perches of fishery, also ac quired from Simon de Clynton, and that James le Blound and others had also shares in fisheries from Adgaul [=At ^aX)aI, the ford of the forks!?evidently a a on ford on the Dee, perhaps corresponding to ford the river near Dromin station where the river forks and there is an island on which remains the foundation of wdiat was once a mill?called Blackmills. In 1300-1 we find that John Pyppard feoffed John de Kent (which I conjecture be a contraction Kent' for Kenton or Kinton, a variant for Clynton) of the fishety of the waters of Gernonstown [Castlebellingham] which was value 1 mark yearly : see (Plea Rolls Hist, of Kilsaran, p. 98). In 1302 William de Clinton was one of four knights from Louth [the others were Nicholas de Netterville, John de Clifford, and Milo de Napton] appointed to choose 12 others to form a Grand Jury; but they made a return and said that there were only five knights altogether in the County ! (Justiciary Rolls I., 417). seme About the same time of the family owned premises in Clonmel, as Peter Clinton and Philip Clinton are parties to a suit at Assizes of Novel Disseisin in Tipperary, 1300, for disseising Adam Daniel of his freehold there ;which said Peter averred his father John was seized of at his death (ibid., p. 346). Sibilla, John's widow, is also mentioned. John de Clinton received the lands and tenements of Donaghmoyn with the appurtenances in the Co. of Monaghan, close to Louth, in 6th of Edward III?1332/3 (Originalia Rolls). These lands?in consequence of the incursions of the McMahons were to to some of Farney of little value the Clintons and passed " Roger Gernon after this is de of 39 years " (Shirley's Farney, p. 18). Probably John Clynton Drumcashel of a Plea Roll of 1336 and a Patent Roll of 20 Edward III (1346-7). John de Clynton and Geraudyn (sic) de Clynton are among the Magnates of Ireland styled armigers [?knights, or those having a right to Arms] who granted the un. Crown horses and arms (Rolls in Turr. Berm., Lib. M IV, 121). John is men tioned in the Close Rolls of 17 & 18 Edw. Ill (1343-4), and was a son of Simon Clynton. He was nominated Sheriff of the County 20 Oct., 1355, and Escheator soon after (P.R. 29 Edw. III). His nephew, Sir Robert de Clinton, got a grant This content downloaded from 195.78.108.199 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 18:14:20 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE CLINTON IN LOUTH. 4oo FAMILY COUNT? for life from the Crown, dated 30 June, 1360, of the Manors of Kildraught and Kil macridok, Co. Kildare. and the Manor of Lucan and Luttrelsrnill. Co. Dublin (M.R. 3 Henry V). Sir Robert had 3 sons, Robert, John and Thomas, who all died minors and without issue. His widow Matilda Tirrell sued Richard Aylmer concerning the above Manors in 1415/6. His uncle John became his heir (M.R. 47-49 Edw. III). From the Close Re 11s of 48 Edw. Ill we find that Sir Robert and Thomas, his son, had held 1 messuage [?a dwelling-house] and 5 acres at Abeynagh [where ?] in Co.