The Silver Bowl: 1755 November 18 Deed

1755 Nov 18 DONALDSON-DONALDSON

DEED - ___-____-119061

Deed Number 119061 was registered On 18 Nov 1755 at 12 noon. A memorial of an indenture of lease bearing date the third day of Dec in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty four, made between Randal DONNALDSON[1] of Castledillon[2] in the County of Armagh Esq of the one part and William DONNALDSON[3] of Cloghog[4] in said County of the other part, Whereby the said Randal DONNALDSON for the consideration therin mentioned did demise and set unto the said William DONNALDSON that part of Cloghog commonly called by the name of QUINs Quarter[5], and then in his possession with the Appurtenances Situate and being in the Barony of Fews and County of Armagh except as therein is excepted. To hold to the said William DONNALDSON his heirs and assigns form the first of November then last past for and during the natural life and lives of the said William DONNALDSON and Samuel DONNALDSON[6] son to the said lessee and William DONNALDSON [7]son to Alexander DONNALDSON[8] of that part of Cloghog called Alista[9] and also for and during the term of thirty one years, whichsoever should last longest and in case the aforsaid Samuel DONNALDSON should die before he was twelve years old[10] the said Randal DONNALDSON his heirs and assigns should and would insert another life in his stead, at the yearly rent of eighteen pounds sterling with six fat hens or six shillings in lieu therof, over and above taxes quit and Crown rent excepted payable on every first of May and first of November, in which said indenture of lease are contained covenants of distress and reentry and other clauses and covenants usual between landlord and tennant, which said indenture of lease is witnessed by John BABE [11]of Johnstonsbridge[12] in the County of Armagh Innholder and John DONNALDSON of Castledillon aforesaid servant to the said Randal DONNALDSON and this memorial is also witnessed by the said John BABE and by Mathew MURPHY[13] of City of Dublin Gents. WILLIAM DONALDSON (SEAL)

[1] Randal DONNALDSON.

SOURCE: Irish edition of Alexander Ban Donaldson: Our ancestor 1698 – 1776, Ron Donaldson 1989. p243 ff. Notes: Randal Donaldson Esq. was a counsellor, an influential member of the bar and owner of several thousands of acres of land in County Armagh, in County Antrim. He was probably born in the late 1690s and died at 1770 he lived at Drumgher, Castle Dillon, County Armagh. He invited Alexander ban Donaldson to settle on his estate in County Armagh. They are probably Kinsman but the exact connection is not known.

Seemingly he was on very good terms with the fifth Earl of Antrim Alexander who lived 1713 -- 1775. One of the leases between the two men was in 1748 March 6^th where Alexander the Earl of Antrim demised unto Randall Donaldson Esq. land in Parishagh, land in Carriveagh and Ringfad and two tenements in the town of Glenarm, County Antrim containing over 1588 acres. 10 acres of this was in the Desmesne of the Castle of Glenarm close to the Earl's home, so it seems that there was a relationship between the men. In other latest leases dating back to 1738 Randall owned 1300 acres much of it in County Armagh. He married Ann (last name is not known) was and known as a benevolent purpose person.

One other link to him can be seen in the lease information with respect to the will of Louis Jane KELLY. http://www.thesilverbowl.com/documents/1823Apr5_LouisaJaneKelly.htm

[2] Castledillon, Co. Armagh. It is on Castle Dillon Lake which is about 3 miles northeast of Co. Armagh.

A current building at Castledillon has recently been remodelled SEE: http://www.smcconnellandsons.com/castledillon.html .
It was described in 1613 as 'certain small buildings within a strong rath' and in another account as 'a strong bawn, with houses for lodgings'.
In the late 12600s and early 1700s, the property was associated with Samuel Molyneux. The Ulster Architectural Society included the stables of Castel Dillon on its endangered list and included the description: The now vacant Castle Dillon House and its equally impressive stable block and unlisted gate lodges, have had a somewhat chequered recent history. First included in Buildings at Risk, Vol. 1, p. 50, and then again in Vol. 4, p. 43, the stables continue to deteriorate despite hopes being raised several years ago of a potential restoration scheme. The stables were described by Brett as having “...two storeys to the front but three-storey to the rear, thirteen bays long: the three central bays breaking forward and surmounted by pediment and cupola; each of the bays having a recessed archway framing either doorway or window-opening”. They were designed by Thomas Cooley in 1782 and built of limestone with ashlar dressings. A large number of roof slates are missing and part of the roof structure appears at serious risk of imminent collapse. Urgent action is needed to prevent further loss of original fabric.

[3] William DONNALDSON (abt 1723-abt 1811) married Agnes whose last name is unknown and had 8 known children.

· Irish Edition of Alexander ban Donaldson p. 249 had lease from his father of southern part of Cloghog.

· From various deeds, this would appear to be the family that emigrated to America and supplied Col. Donaldson. SOURCE Oct 13, 2004, email from Peter McWilliam.

· Irish Edition of Alexander ban Donaldson p255 DONALDSON, WILLIAM born about 1723 got most of the southern part of Cloghoge which was said to be the most rocky and barren part of the townland. He shared this with his Uncle Thomas Mcllveen and Robert McKnight, the latter who may have been related also.

· Irish Edition of Alexander ban Donaldson p. 256 William wrote a will 12 Nov 1805 and died around 1811, in it he mentions his sister Mary and the witnesses were John and Andrew. Unfortunately, the rest of the will was not saved, only the above portion was copied. We believe William's wife may have been Agnes and that she prepared a will 25 Oct 1808 three years before William died. He was 88 at the time of his death so may not have been well.

[4] Cloghoge, Parish of Creggan, is a townland of 929 acres in the Parish of Creggan. DONALDSONs still live there and run substantial farms.

[5] QUINNs quarter. This would apparently be the southern quarter of Cloghoge. The QUINN name turns up in other deeds of that time and place as well as in the Creggan Graveyard. It may be that Terrence QUIN, the pastor of Creggan who died at age 60 in 1775 lived here (or else his relations).

[6] Samuel DONNALDSON (1753-1827) married Alice (last name unknown) and they had 8 children. SOURCE: PRONI MIC 1-11 – he was buried at Creggan.

[7] William DONNALDSON

[8] Alexander DONNALDSON I am supposing this to be the Alexander DONALDSON (1671-1776) husband of Alice McILVEEN.

[9] Alista as part of Cloghog is new to me.

[10] He was two years old at the time of the lease.

[11] John BABE of Johnstonsbridge. He may be related to the John BABE who was an MP of the Patriot Parliament (the Irish Parliament called by James II during the Williamite War) in 1689 and representing Dundalk. Their platform of freedom of religion for Catholics, a rollback of the Cromwellian land ownership transfers and full independence for Ireland would certainly be a fit with the United Irishmen sympathies of this line of DONALDSONs.

[12] Johnstonsbridge – I don`t know where this is.

[13] Mathew MURPHY of Dublin.