The Monck papers which, like the previously mentioned Powerscourt papers, have their own index (No. 4 – Part I includes the Wicklow Estate information), have two maps of interest that I came across. Monck’s lived at Charleville, and the two maps mentioned here cover the area around Tinnehinch at the end of the 18th and 19th centuries respectively.

MS 26,949: A map of part of Tinnehinch, county Wicklow, part of the estate of Charles Stanley Monck, later 1st Viscount Monck, and holding of the Rt. Hon. Henry Grattan. Surveyed by Michael Curran. November 1788. 20 perches to 1 inch.

Michael Curran/Currin was obviously the map maker in the area at this time as he made several maps in the locality (see Powerscourt papers maps). This map shows the area east of the road, just past the narrow bridge at Tinnehinch, and the junction west to Roundwood and right to Kilcroney. Details between the road and the river are given. I was interested in this map as I was trying to pin down the building of Grattan’s house at Tinnehinch. The map shows three plots enclosed between the river and the road. The largest, most northerly and running along most of the river is annotated “Part of Lower Tinnehinch, the holdig of Henry Grattan”. The second portion has a house at the road’s edge, past the turn west for Roundwood, and is marked [unreadable]’s garden. No. 3 is a tiny plot, and either is not annotated or I did not take it down. The small remainder of the land is marked Kilcroney (possibly the townland?), and the road continuing east is marked “To Glen of the Downs”.

This map gave me more questions than answers. I wanted to know if Grattan rebuilt the inn that existed at Tinnehinch to make his new home (which seems to be locally accepted, but I haven’t seen evidence) or rebuilt the inn near the site of the old inn (some evidence for this, e.g. in landscape paintings). I go for the latter, but am still looking for the silver bullet to prove it! Let me know if you have an opinion for either option!

MS 26,962 Map of Charleville House, and lands to the north. No title, no map-maker, Lord Monck’s Estate, by John Kenny, 1891. Scale 6 inches to 1 statute mile.

A century later, and this map, which the library index suggests dates from 1890 – 1900 shows the house at Charleville and the lands to the north west, running along the river between Charleville and Powerscourt demesnes. Three large fields are marked. Most southerly, closest to, but not quite at, the house is Fernyfield, which has a track running through it south west to north east, which eventually meets the main avenue; there is a pump at the southern end. moving north along the river, the next plot is Bottoms, which contains “Drumbank”, and some forest or scrub planting. A path, along the northern edge of Bottoms runs east-west from Charleville Gate Lodge across this land, and a foot-bridge, to Powerscourt (to the Golden Gates lodge, which is not marked). The third plot, north of the path, is “Rape Field“, which is bound by the river at the west, north and east, and the mentioned path to the south.

It’s a pretty little map, with the fields coloured pink, green and yellow respectively. Fernyfield and Rape Field look to be similar size, with Bottoms approximately half as big again.

Edited:

In my haste, I forgot to include additional details from the reverse of the map. The title is Lord Monck’s Estate, by John Kenny, 18th March, 1891. He has added a note: “I have shown the Rape Field as it may be required.” 3acres and 36 perches of the land surveyed are considered woods and waste. The acreage of the three plots are given:

• Fernyfield: 11A 0R 24P Gross; 10-2-0 Net (of woods and waste)
• Bottoms and Drumbank: 15-0-38 gross, 12-3-0 net
• Rapefield: 7-1-14 gross, 7-1-0 net.

_______________

About Archive Month