My ancestors - Blennerhassett - Contents

Sir Arthur Blennerhassett, 3rd Baronet

Sir Arthur Blennerhassett, 3rd Baronet,
born 30 July 1794.
See wikitree.
Lived Churchtown House, near Killarney, Co.Kerry.
Arthur Blennerhassett of Churchtown witnessed [Deed, Aug 1815].
He is party to [Deed, Feb 1816] with his parents and grandfather. Listed as of Churchtown.
Listed as of Churchtown in 1820.
High Sheriff of Co.Kerry 1820-21. He was succeeded by Arthur Blennerhassett of Ballyseedy.
Listed at Churchtown in [Deed, Apr 1821].
Arthur Blennerhassett junior, Churchtown, is listed as holder of a game licence in Limerick Chronicle, 29 Sept 1821.
Before he inherited he lived at Mount Rivers, near Killorglin, Co.Kerry.
Listed at Mount Rivers at mar 1826.
[Tithe Survey, 1823-37] shows him listed at Mount Rivers before he became Baronet 1831.

Married a Catholic 1826, and converted to Catholicism:
Arthur mar 26 Aug 1826 to Sarah Mahony [born 1808, Catholic].
They mar at Killorglin RC church. NOT 26 July 1826. She was age 18. He was age 32.
When he married he was heir to the Baronetcy but not yet Baronet.
When he married he became Catholic. He took an oath as a Catholic shortly before 25 Oct 1827 [Letter of Daniel O'Connell].
The Baronet family is now Catholic. It dates from this marriage.
While Sarah was a Catholic, she was from an ancient Irish family with many exotic and landed ancestors. [Burkes Peerage, 1862] describes her as "of the O'Mahonys of Kerry".

Arthur might be "A. Blennerhasset, J.P." who approved George Cashel joining the County Constabulary 1828.
Maybe he had sympathy for a disinherited Catholic relative.

He is listed at Mount Rivers in Tralee Mercury, July 27, 1831.
He succ Sept 1831.
Listed of Churchtown House in [Deed, Dec 1831]. Though there are further entries at Mount Rivers.
Arthur Blennerhassett of Mount Rivers is listed in House of Commons Parliamentary papers, Volume 35, 1832, as one of the Magistrates in the Commission of the Peace in Co.Kerry. The list is from 1831-32 and is slightly out of date, showing his father the 2nd Baronet as alive.
He is party to [Deed, June 1834]. Listed as of Churchtown.
Listed as one of the "Magistrates" of Co.Kerry in [Pettigrew & Oulton, 1835]. Listed as of Mount Rivers.
In 1835 he let out Churchtown House.
He is in the List of Justices of the Peace, 1844. Says he presides at Killorglin petty sessions, and at Coolmagort petty sessions, near Killarney. Living Churchtown.
He is listed among the Magistrates of Co.Kerry in [Thom's, 1847, p.478]. Listed as of Churchtown House. From here.

3rd Baronet dies, 1849:
He died 22 Apr 1849, think NOT Feb 1849, age 54 yrs.
See legal notice in Warder and Dublin Weekly Mail, 4 August 1849.
His will pr 1849. Would be burnt in 1922.

Sarah mar 2ndly, 16 May 1850, London, to Frederick Randall [of Highbury, London].
She died 10 July 1866.
MAHONY in [Burkes Irish, 1976] says died 11 July.
See death notice in Limerick Chronicle, 21 July 1866. Says she died at her residence, Mount Rivers, near Killorglin, Co.Kerry.
See notice in Illustrated London News, 4 Aug 1866. Says she died at Annaghgarry House.
See death notice on p.413 of The Gentleman's Magazine, Volume 221, July-Dec 1866. Says she died at Annaghgarry House.
See declaration dated 26 Feb 1867 by 4th Baronet after death of his mother. Refers to [Deed, Dec 1831].
3rd Baronet and Sarah had issue:

Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, 4th Baronet,
born 5 Sept 1839.
1901 census says he was born at Churchtown House.
[DNB] and [DIB] are probably wrong to say he was born at Blennerville.
He was Catholic even before his marriage.
Rosanna Blennerhassett,
Rose, "Sister Rose", born 1843.
She became engaged in 1868 to Francis Richard Plunkett but the marriage did not take place.
She became a nurse.
She went in 1890 to South Africa.
She was a pioneer nurse in Rhodesia in 1891-1893.
She died unmarried, 1907.
Only two children are listed on p.103 of [Burkes Peerage, 1846].
Only two children are listed on p.100 of [Burkes Peerage, 1862].

The Catholic marriage of the (future) 3rd Baronet, 26 August 1826, Killorglin RC par records.
I do not know what is in front of Arthur's name. It is maybe some version of "Dominus" for "Sir". Except he had not yet become "Sir Arthur".
See larger and full page.
From Killorglin RC church. Used with permission.

Churchtown House to be let by 3rd Baronet in 1835.
Notice in Tralee Mercury, October 14, 1835.

1901 census says 4th Baronet was born at Churchtown House (in 1839).

Death of Sarah Mahony on 10 July 1866.
From The Gentleman's Magazine, July-Dec 1866.

Letter from Daniel O'Connell, 1827

Letter from Daniel O'Connell to his wife, Oct 25, 1827, re: the conversion of Sir Arthur Blennerhassett, 3rd Baronet, to Catholicism.
From p.351 (letter 1422) of [Correspondence of Daniel O'Connell, vol 3].
Original in [NLI] Ms 33,565/25(5).

References

Deed, 6 Dec 1831. Registered 1831. [LR] 878 390 582890. Post-nuptial settlement. Sir Arthur Blennerhassett of Churchtown and his wife Sarah and O'Sullivan.
A letter of 2 Nov 1835 from Daniel O'Connell to 3rd Baronet, on business matters. MS 49,848/1-2 in [NLI].
- See p.1 and p.2.
- This also has a partial legal opinion, signed by O'Connell, 9 June 1819, concerning an unidentified will.

Sources yet to be consulted

Letter from Colonel James Crosbie [MP for County Kerry] to Charles Grant, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, recommending Arthur Blennerhassett of Churchtown, County Kerry [future 3rd Baronet] for post of sheriff of County Kerry. 15 Feb 1820. [CSORP, 1820, no.263].