A Statistical Survey of Millstreet (1810)

“Near Millstreet the principal seat is Westwood, the property of John Wallis, Esq. an extensive demesne, situated on the Blackwater, and richly adorned with timber. It enjoys the convenience of limestone, the staple manure of this part of the country, and from which several parts of it are very remote. The neighbourhood of Millstreet, surrounded for the most part by lofty mountains, contains nevertheless a good deal of arable land, which lets much higher than might be expected from its remote situation. There are instances of farm land bringing 40s- per acre, and near the town still greater rents. Turf fuel is here in the utmost abundance, affording most convenient means, from the proximity of limestone, for reclaiming the extensive ranges of moorland, with which this part of the country abounds. Of these there are some very fine tracts adjoining the Blackwater, and not much elevated above the bed of the river. I know no part of the county, that presents, to appearance, a finer subject for the hand of judicious improvement. The expense of draining, which is the grand requisite, might perhaps be very considerable, but the return of profit would amply repay any expenditure. The circumstances of the
country are not yet ripe for such undertakings. Draining is an agricultural art less understood than any other by common farmers, whose means, were their knowledge greater, are unequal to any works of difficulty. Of the better order of agriculturists there are as yet too few in this part of the country to encourage much expectation of extensive improvement. The traveller will be surprised to see fine flats neglected, while cultivation is creeping up the sides of hills and mountains. This seems to arise partly from the drier nature of sloping grounds, and partly from the greater facility of draining them when wet, which may generally be accomplished by the ditch of the inclosures. Flat grounds, though much more productive after the operation, can seldom be drained effectually without a far greater portion both of art and expence. Some farms near Millstreet are not ill managed, and I have seen several good implements of husbandry. On the Kerry side the cultivation is chiefly performed by the spade after the usual fashion of that county, which for the most part knows no other implements than the spade and shovel. The cultivated soil is a shallow turf, resting on a wet clayey bottom too soft indeed to bear a horse, but, for the most part, easily capable of being rendered otherwise by draining, an operation never once thought of. When potatoes are to be planted, the beds are laid out in right lines, and, the trenches being dry, the sods are laid,with the grassy side under, upon the beds. This is done early in the season, that the sods may be rotted before the ensuing spring. Sometimes the ground is previously limed, but I believe it is the more general custom to lime for the corn crop. On these beds, dung being first laid, the seed is placed, and covered again from the trenches. After the potatoes are dug out, which are always some of the coarse kinds and very indifferent food for men, the ground lies over till spring, when, unless a second crop of potatoes be taken, as is often done, oats are scattered on the bed, and covered by a light earthing from the spade. Successive crops of the same grain, if the ground will bear it, follows after which the land is suffered frequently to regain its pristine state. Such is the treatment of soil apparently capable in many places of being converted into fine meadows. A surveyor of the county of Kerry would have little else to record, on the subject of common agriculture, of a very large portion of its contents. Fortunately the great ranges of coarse pasture supply a plenty of milk, without which it would be impossible to subsist under such a style of cultivation. The produce of the potatoe crop varies, according to the goodness of the soil, and the quantity of the dung, from five to eight ton. In the immediate vicinity of Millstreet those, who have no land of their own, pay, for liberty of planting an acre dunged by themselves, the extravagant price of four guineas.

Farms in this neighbourhood are often taken by lump, estimated according to the quantity of cattle they arc considered capable of maintaining. Sometimes they rise so high as four or five guineas for a collop, which signifies a cow, a horse, or four sheep. I presume, however, that a certain quantity for tillage to supply the house is thrown into the bargain. Cows let to dairymen pay per head one hundred of butter, and one guinea. Farms are in general pretty large, and the usual leases, three lives.

Muskerry and Barretts.

Towns — Manufactures — Seats, &c.

MUSKERRY has three towns Macromp, Millstreet, and Blarney. The first, which is the most considerable, has a good weekly market, several good dwelling houses, and being 18 miles from Cork, and no town of any note within a nearer distance, is well situated for the supply of a large neighbourhood. One of die County sessions is held here, a circumstance of some advantage to the place, and of great convenience to this part of the county. Macromp stands upon the Sullane one of the upper branches of the Lee, and from the proximity of bog and mountain is well supplied with turf. I don’t find that any manufacture is carried carried on here, tho the convenience of fuel and water seem to recommend it as well adapted to purposes of this nature. The linen business might be easily introduced by encouraging the culture of flax, a plant peculiarly fitted for spade management, and which thrives well in moory soils. The circumstances of the town are at present unfavourable to its improvement. It is the joint and undivided property of Lord Bandon and Mr. Eyre. To the east of the town are some pretty tracts of tillage land on a gravelly bottom ; of the rest a large proportion is rock, bog, and mountain.

Millstreet is a very small town, deriving its chief support from the establishment of a small barrack for infantry, and the accommodation of travellers between Cork and Kerry, to which it is the principal passage. The shortest road to the city of Cork, and till lately the most travelled is that, which crosses the north side of Muskerry mountain, a distance of twenty -two miles, through a very rugged and uninteresting country, with the additional discomfort of a tedious journey. A new line of mail coach road now in contemplation, and partly executed through Macromp, will greatly facilitate the communication between the counties to the mutual advantage of both. The western coast of Kerry, though not destitute of Harbours, is inconveniently circumstanced for navigation. The bays are wild, open, and exposed to the westerly winds, and the ports situated near the mouth of those bays at a great distance from all the large towns, except Dingle. Tralee and Killarney depend entirely upon land carriage from Cork, which the present state of the roads renders barely practicable.

The mention of Milktreet brings to my recollection a remarkable personage once well known in its vicinity, a short account of whom may not be unacceptable. As the bead of a respectable old Irish family he was known only by the name of O’Leary, and was one of the last of that description, who affected the ancient style of hospitable living. ‘This too he was enabled to accomplish on a moderate fortune, as his hospitality was unencumbered with equipage or parade. He lived in a small house, the lower part consisting of little more than a parlour and kitchen, the former of which, properly supplied with every article of good cheer, was open to every guest, and at every season; and, what will more surprise, this profusion was accompanied with perfect cleanliness and decorum. His cellar, well stocked with good, liquors, never knew the protection of a lock and key ; for, as be said himself, nobody had occasion to steal what any one might have for asking. It derived security however from other causes, from deference to his sway, and respect for hit person, both of which were universally felt and acknowledged within the circle of his influence. He was also a justice of peace for the county. The appearance of O’Leary was always sufficient to maintain order in fairs and meetings, and to suppress any spirit of disturbance without the aid of soldier or constable. He possessed, indeed, some admirable requisites for a maintainer of the peace, for he was a very athletic man, and always carried a long pole, of which the unruly knew him to be do churl. To these qualities O’Leary added an inexhaustible fund of original humour and goo natured cheerfulness, and being very fond of the bottle himself, it was impossible to be long in his company sad or sober. Of this I recollect one remarkable instance. A good many years ago, some friends of mine arrived in the evening at Millstreet, and, being fatigued from a long journey, wished to retire to early rest O’Leary, who was in the town happening to be a little acquainted with one of the party, after many intreaties prevailed on them to take supper at hit house. Thither they proceeded accordingly with rather ungracious reluctance, and a fixed determination neither to drink, nor to remain longer than was barely necessary. But such was O’Leary’s power of pleasing, that they willingly prolonged their stay till near morning, and were imperceptibly led from bottle to bottle, till it became a task of some difficulty to regain their lodging.

In this way O’Leary lived many years, impairing, though he did not exhaust, his property. He left one daughter, since married to Mr. M’Carthy, who has built a very neat and fashionable house near the site of the old mansion.

from A Statistical Survey of the County of Cork with Observations on the Means of Improvement Drawn up for the consideration, and by direction – by  Horatio Townsend (1810) – from page 662

The above map appears just before Chapter 1 in the same book as the text for this article [1].

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Westwood

The reference of Westwood is obviously of Drishane, but we don’t know whether it refers to the demese, the house or what exactly. Would anyone know?

“Near Millstreet the principal seat is Westwood, the property of John Wallis, Esq. an extensive demesne, situated on the Blackwater, and richly adorned with timber”

There are lots of other mentions of Westwood, and it is shown in several maps:

— With thanks to Mary on her help on Westwood

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This article’s cross-post on facebook sparked a rather interesting conversation on Thomas Wallace from Minehill (b. 1806):

Millstreet.ie oh gee Richard, you have a lot of information.
having a bit of trouble locating which Wallace Reunion page you are referring to 🙁

Millstreet.ie in 1827,
john cooke wallis esq. had about 132 acres of minehill
denis wallis had about 68 acres of minehill
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/…/00458…

Millstreet.ie Minehill, approx 1840