Local Kerry

The parish of Ballyduff in North Kerry and the parish of Tracton in South Cork share many similarities. Both consist of small villages surrounded by a large rural hinterland, the village being Minane Bridge in the case of Tracton parish. Both contain the remains of medieval abbeys, Rattoo Abbey with its round tower in Ballyduff, and the scant remains of Tracton Abbey in Cork . Both are feared by opponents on the hurling field. However, the two parishes share one further commonality. Throughout the 19th Century, both contained vast estates that were the property of the same family – the Stoughtons. In the case of Tracton Parish, the Stoughton family obtained the Gortigrenane Estate through marriage with the Daunt family. This advantageous marriage also brought them large estates in England – including Owlpen Manor in Gloucestershire, where the Daunts originally came from . The Stoughton home estate, prior to this marriage, had been at Ballyhorgan House, Ballyduff. The purpose of this article is to compare their management of their English and Cork estates, with that of the Ballyhorgan estate, and to examine relationships between the family and the people of Ballyduff.

A brief essay on the historical presence of the Knights Hospitaller, i.e. the knights of the Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, in the County of Kerry in Ireland, from the 12th to 17th century, to be published in the Journal of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society in Winter 2015.