Seamus Smith, 2025

Author Kevin Cahill in his book Who Owns Ireland believes that the Plunkett name is of Danish (Viking) origin. They were already in Ireland when the Normans arrived in 1169. The Plunkett family came to Bewley Co Louth, late in the reign of Henry II and John Plunkett, was born there in 1270. Sir Christopher Plunkett married in 1403, Joan, only daughter and heiress of Sir Lucas Cusack, knight, feudal Lord of Killeen, Dunsany, and Gerardston. When Sir Christopher died he left Killeen to his eldest son John and Dunsany to his second son Richard and so two of the great dynasties of the Plunkett family, Killeen (later Fingall) and Dunsany were formed. The remainder of Christopher’s family were Nicholas, Gerald, Henry and Oliver from whom the Plunketts of Loughcrew, and Ballymacad, originated

Plunkett lands in this area

Killeen

Lucas Plunkett was 10th Lord Killeen and 1st Earl of Fingal in 1628. In 1612-13, he had a grant (for the cost of £2,001 English) of  Moynterconnagh, in Cavan containing 2,400 acres of land. His mother was Genet Dillon and his brothers was Bishop Patrick Plunkett of Meath and Nicholas, a prominent lawyer, who was involved in the Confederation of Kilkenny

Dunsany

Grant for the fine of £200 Irish in 1618 given to Patrick Lord Baron of Dunsany of the castle and manor or Lordship of Oldcastle, all the lands in Oldcastle, Castlecorre and Crossdrome. The Plunkett’s already owned these lands but Patrick was under 21 when his father died in 1603 and so could not inherit property until he was 21.

Plunkett’s in the Oldcastle area

The Plunketts of Dunsany were once the owners of almost all the lands in the Barony of Fore and Oliver, of Dunsany decided, sometime before 1511 to give estates to his three sons.

He gave the greatest part to his son Oliver Og Plunkett – Loughcrew, Tubride and Tubrid. He was the ancestor of St Oliver.

Christopher got Clonabraney, John got Ballymacad, Oliver, Lord Dunsany held onto the remainder which included  Castlecor, Oldcastle and Fennor.

A list of property owners drawn up by Gerard Cusack sheriff of Meath in about 1510 included Robert Bernewall of Moyla (Moylagh), Oliver Plunket of Logrw (Loughcrew), Cristor (Christopher) Plunket of Clon (Clonabreny) and John Plunket of Balmacade (Ballymacad).

This list was drawn up to summon landowners to “Hostings” i.e. battles against the enemies of the Pale.

The Justice System in the 1500’s and 1600’s

While all the main families of this area, the Plunketts, the Dillons and the Nugents were connected through marriage they were fierce rivals when competing for prominent positions of power. Below is an example of that rivalry dating back to 1581.

Commission of lord deputy and council, to Sir Edward Moore, knight, John Plunket of Loughcrew and others, and with such men as they can raise, to resist and pursue with fire and sword William Nugent, brother to Lord Delvin, in their attacks and spoils on the borders of Meath and West Meath. (Virtual Treasury – CALENDAR OF COUNCIL BOOK, A.D. 1581-1586)

There was bad blood between the Plunkett’s and the Nugent’s. In 1573, William had kidnapped and married Janet Marward heiress and titular Baroness of Skryne, (aged 11) and ward of his uncle, Nicholas Nugent, Baron of the Exchequer. Janet’s mother was Ellen Plunkett and Janet was betrothed to her relative the Baron of Dunsany. William Nugent and his brother Christopher, were suspected of sympathising with the rebellion of Viscount Baltinglass, as was their uncle Nicholas, and William had to flee.

Nicholas Nugent

Nicholas Nugent, Baron of the Exchequer and later Chief Justice and uncle of William and Christopher, was married to Janet Plunket, (Janet Marward’s mother) daughter of Sir John Plunket, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, and widow of Thomas Marward, titular Baron of Skryne.  He was great grandson of Richard Nugent titled the ‘Black Baron’ who built Ross Castle and which William inherited from his father, also Richard. He had a lifelong feud with Sir Robert Dillon since his college days at Lincoln’s Inn.

Sir Robert Dillon, who had been passed over as Chief Justice in Nugent’s favour, went to London and persuaded the Crown to suspend Nicholas from office as a suspected traitor, an action which public opinion in Ireland attributed to spite and envy.’  Following a trial in Trim, with a lot of similarities to the trial of Oliver Plunkett almost 100 years later, Nicholas Nugent was hanged.

A few years later, the then Lord Deputy recommended that only English judges be appointed in Ireland, as Irish born judges decided cases purely on family or local loyalties. One of these judges was Sir Robert Napper great grandfather of Captain James Naper who came to Loughcrew in the 1650’s.

The Lands of the Plunkett’s in this area

In the Civil Survey of 1654 the various branches of the Plunkett family held several townlands in the Ballinacree area as well as lands in Loughcrew and Moylagh parishes

It is not easy to distinguish the relationship between the different branches of the family as the Christian names were similar in all branches of the Plunkett family.

The tables below are a transcription from the Civil Survey with the areas in brackets P.Ac, (plantation acres) taken from the Downes survey. (Plantation acre or Irish acre = 1.62 statute acres)

Ballinrink and Tubbred

John Plunkett, of Loughcrew, Irish Papist	Ballinrink	4 Cartrans (446 P.Ac)	Arable 105, Meadow 10, Shrubby Pasture 50, Unprofitable 54 acres & Commons 35
John Plunkett of Loughcrew Irish Papist	Tubbred	4 Cartrans (467 P.Ac)	Arable Meadow & Shrubby Pasture 44, Unprofitable 70 acres

 

Ballymacad and Rasillagh

Christopr Plunkett of Ballimacad Irish Papist	Ballimacad,	One Cartran (256 P. Ac)	Arable and shrubby pasture 55, Unprofitable 5 acres
Christopr Plunkett of Ballimackad Irish Papist	Rasillagh,	One Cartran (125 P. Ac)	Arable & Shrubby Pasture 50, Unprofitable 10 acres

 

Crossdrum and Castlecor parish

Patrick Lord Barron of Dunsany, Irish Papist	Crossdrum	4 Cartrans  (447 P.Ac)	Arable, Meadow & Pasture 290 Unprofitable 10 acres
Patrick Lord Barron of Dunsany Irish Papist	The Towne & Parish of Castlecorr	4 Cartrans (579 P.Ac)	Arable  & Pasture 260 acres & Unprofitable 20 acres

 

A Cartran was ¼ of a ploughland, A ploughland was the amount of land that could be ploughed by a team of 6 oxen in a season.

John Plunkett’s other lands in Downes Survey

Killeagh Glebe acreage not given

Loughcrew 706 Plantation acres

Knockmacooney 110 Plantation acres

Carnbane acreage not given

Newtown (ED Moylagh)

 

The Plantation

The Civil survey and the Downes survey, was the beginning of the end of John Plunkett’s and Christopher Plunkett’s families involvement in the lands of Ballinacree.  Following the Act of Settlement, John Plunkett’s family were transported. Captain James Napper was granted the lands of the Plunkett’s of Loughcrew and Clonebreany and also some of the lands of Lord Dunsany.  Patrick, Lord Dunsany and successors were restored to some of the lands of the parish of Castlecor following the restoration of Charles II and the Court of Claims.  The Cromwellian wars and the ensuing plantation happened while Oliver Plunkett was in Rome pursuing his studies and where he was later ordained a priest. The remainder of his siblings lost their lands and homes to the planters.

 

Edward Plunkett, brother of Oliver

Edward Plunkett born 1623, the eldest of Oliver’s family was transported but eventually came back to Ardpatrick, Co Louth where his daughter Catherine married James Plunkett, whose father was Col George Plunkett, brother of Christopher, the 2nd Earl of Fingal.  They had at least 2 daughters Catherine and Mary, and a son Luke (named after his grandfather Lucas) who was lost at sea. (Later Oliver would stay at Ardpatrick as Archbishop of Armagh). Catherine and Mary both became nuns and were forced to go abroad due the persecution.

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Sister Catherine Plunkett grand daughter of Edward

Sr Catherine Plunkett born in 1690. She and her sister Mary joined the Dominican Community in Galway and was professed on November 1st 1709, a year after joining. They remained in the community for about 5 years. Having been dispersed 3 times, the Provincial, Fr Hugh Callanan suggested that they go to Dublin along with 6 other nuns to be the nucleus of a convent there. However, it wasn’t until 1717 that the move took place when they took up temporary accommodation in Fishers Lane before moving to Channel Row.

Sr Catherine did not join them in their new home. Instead, she travelled to Brussels, where there was a thriving English-speaking Dominican Monastery. She returned to Drogheda and founded the Monastery of Saint Catherine of Siena, in a mud cabin in 1722. She opened a school for poor girls and in 1725 she opened a boarding school for well to do families. She died in 1757 age 67. The head of St Oliver was brought from Rome around 1725 and looked after by the Dominican nuns in Drogheda. (The Rock from which we were Hewn.  Published by Dominican Nuns Ireland in News and Dominican Life · 28 March 2022)

 

Katherine and Anne Plunkett, St Oliver’s sisters

While Oliver was in Rome, Francis Betagh, his wife Katherine Plunkett and Anne Plunkett were transported to Kilmaine Barony in Co Mayo. They were granted 666 acres of land and so became the planters. The date of the settlement was 13th May 1656.

As well as the Plunkett involvement in the politics of the country they were also involved in in religious affairs. Below are some of them.

                                                                                   

Dr Patrick Plunkett 1603 – 1679

Cistercian Patrick Plunkett, later bishop of Ardagh (1647-69) and Meath (1669-79). His father was Christopher Plunkett, 8th Lord Killeen and his grandfather, James Plunkett, 7th Lord Killeen. His older brother Luke was the 10th Lord of Killeen and another brother was Nicholas. His mother was Genet Dillon, daughter of Sir Lucas Dillon and Jane Bathe,  Genet Dillon, was an aunt of Thomasina, St Olivers’ mother. The bishop tutored Oliver until he left for Rome .

 

Fr Robert Plunkett

During the Cromwellian plantation, Bishop Patrick Plunkett proposed the Rev Robert Plunkett PP of Kilbride to be Coadjutor (assistant bishop) of Kilmore in a letter to Rome dated 2nd June 1669.

“I propose to you (as Coadjutor of Kilmore) a person renowned for his learning and piety, who during the persecution of Cromwell never abandoned the sheep entrusted to his charge. For 6 years he dwelt by day in the caverns and rocks, and by night offered the Holy Sacrifice and refreshed the scattered flock. His name is Robert Plunket, Pastor of Kilbride, and son of the Baron of Lockriff (Loughcrew), not far from the diocese of Kilmore.”

Some people suggest, that it was his body, that was found along with the Crossdrum Chalice in 1750. It was stated by Dr Patrick Plunkett, that he was the son of the Baron of Loughcrew. However, Dr Plunkett may have been referring to John Plunkett’s father or brother who was Baron of Loughcrew before John.

(Kilbride parish otherwise Castlecor and Kilbride was the Mountnugent part of the current parish of Mountnugent before being united with Killeagh, the Ballinacree part, sometime between 1716 and 1740)

 

Fr James Plunkett

The Rev James Plunkett, ordained in Cork in 1701 was a native of Ballymacad and was registered in Trim as “Popish priest of Killeagh” in 1704 at the age of 26. In 1716, during the penal laws, he was arrested by a “Priest Hunter” named Charles Woodward (ex) High Sheriff of Meath, for celebrating Mass in Kilskyre. (The law said that Catholic priests could not say Mass outside their own parish). He was tried in Galway and sentenced to be deported. There is no further record of him or whether the sentence was carried out or not. He was probably g-grandson of Christopher Plunkett of Ballymacad and Rasillagh. He was the last PP of the parish of Killeagh. Woodward claimed his reward.

 

Dr Patrick Joseph Plunkett

Dr Patrick Joseph Plunkett was bishop of Meath (1778 -1827). He was born in Kells in 1738 to Thomas Plunkett and Mary Murphy. He was made Bishop of Meath in 1778. His mother was from Drumlerry, outside Oldcastle. He had family connections in the Ballinlough area and often stayed with them on his visitations to the neighbouring parishes. He founded St Finian’s College, Navan in 1802; this was later relocated to Mullingar.

 

Conclusion

As can be seen from the paragraph on the justice system of the 16th and 17th century corruption was rife. Oliver Plunkett, as he awaited his trial was fully aware of this. If powerful and rich people wanted to achieve their personal goals, they had no issues with “rabble rousing” with false and malicious stories. The friends and the family members of their victims were coerced into supporting these stories or they themselves were accused of involvement, i.e ‘guilty by association’. So it was, with the friends of Oliver Plunkett, who were fearful of being arrested, if they travelled to England to give evidence at his trial.

 Continue to Part Two: Some Notes on the Life of Oliver Plunkett

Sources

Peerage of Ireland

Virtual record Treasury of Ireland

Dictionary of Irish Biography

Defending English ground – War and Peace in Meath and Northumberland 1460 – 1542

Cambrensis Eversus

Calendar of Carew Manuscript

Fodhla – The Oldcastle Review Easter 1953

The priest Hunters by Colin C Murphy

Cogan’s History of the Diocese of Meath