Landed Estates Collections at the James Hardiman Library

In conjunction with the landed estates exhibition currently running in the James Hardiman Library, a guide to landed estates collections in the Archives Service is also available.

Introduction
There are over forty collections relating to landed estates in the
holdings of the Archives Service of the James Hardiman Library.
These range in date from the seventeenth century to the midtwentieth
century, and touch on a range of economic, social and
political issues. The majority of the collections relate to the west
of Ireland. The purpose of this brochure is to give a general introduction
to the material, as well as give an overview of some of
the main collections.

The Use of Landed Estate Collections

Evidence of the legal basis of estates

Documents relating to deed of title

Wills, marriage settlements and associated legal documents

Legal Papers

Estate Management

Contains information on the administration of leases, including rentals, correspondence with agents, re-leases.

Documents relating to workmen on the estate, land improvements and accounts of stock.

Within collections, estate management material is divided out by estate, providing a unique insight into the area and the management of the land.

Letter from M Walsh, PP, of Kinvara, to John Wilson Lynch, on behalf of Patrick Kelly of Cloosh, stating that his stock has been seized “under very painful circumstances”. He complains that Mr Wilson-Lynch’s tenants are subjected to a lot of costs above their rents. He comments that if Patrick Kelly’s stock is sold, that they will all lose out in the long run, [James Hardiman Library Archives, Wilson-Lynch Collection, LE6/B/593.]

Personal Papers

Material relating to the personal activities of family members.

Can include political activities, business interests, hobbies, leisure activities, travelling.

Also provides information on the social interaction of different landed estate families at the time.
Accessing the Collections

Descriptive lists to the landed estate collections are available for consultation in the Special Collections Reading Room.

A collection-level guide to our holdings is available on the Library web-pages at http://archives.library.nuigalway.ie/Guide/CollectionListAlpha.html

Landed Estates collections in the James Hardiman Library are also listed among the sources in the Irish Landed Estates database at http://www.landedestates.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/

Our holdings are augmented by material held in Special Collections, such as the Ordinance Survey maps, House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, newspapers and microfilm copies of the Landed Estate Court Proceedings.

For any queries on our holdings, contact the archivist on 091.493636 or kieran.hoare@nuigalway.ie for further information.