LEIXLIP CHRONOLOGY 1200-1699 A.D. Compiled by John Colgan

1474: On 12/8/1474 William White, chaplain of St Columba’s parish church, Confey, had an appeal hearing before Brother Wm. Stevenot, prior of All Saints, near Dublin, and Delegate of the Apostolic See, against a decision and sentence passed on him by John Alleyn, dean of the church of Dublin, and lately guardian of the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Dublin during the then vacancy of the See.  The business concerned a dispute between the chaplain, W. White, and the abbot and convent of the Monastery of St Thomas the Martyr, near Dublin. An application was made by Walter Eustace, proctor (manager of court business) for the chaplain, Wm. White, to the court causing the abbot and convent and John Alleyn, the judge, to be called. They, not appearing, Walter Fitzsimon, advocate of Wm. White, sought to have them pronounced contumacious (insubordinate) and he sought that the judge should pronounce that his jurisdiction was valid; that the appellant was not too late with his appeal. As the parties were contemplating resorting to arms to collect the tithes of the church of Confey, the judge, in order to prevent bloodshed, pending the suit, decreed that the fruits and tithes of the church should be sequestered and he sequestered them and ordered them to be preserved. Witnesses summoned and questioned in the premises were brother Wm. Kerney, Canon of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Dublin; Wm. Blewet, chaplain; Nicholas Boys, Canon of the Cathedral Church of St Patrick, Dublin; Wm Chamberlayn, gentleman; Richard Gerrot, yeoman [NB: Confey family], and John Alexander, yeoman, also Wm Stewenot, literate - cited in Henry E Berry (ed), Register of Wills and Inventories of the Diocese of Dublin 1457-1483, JRSAI, 1898, p99-102.

1547:  George, archbishop of Dublin, with the consent of the chapter of Holy Trinity church, granted to Edward de St Laurence, alias Houthe (Howth), John Eustace of Conffe (Confey), Christopher Luttrell, son and heir of Sir Thomas Luttrell, chief justice of the Common bench, (inter alia).. the advowsons of Ballybought, … and Uske; in trust that the grantees shall, whenever a living is vacant, present one of the vicars choral of Holy Trinity church thereto, and assign the whole, should royal licence be obtained, to the dean and chapter there.  Dated 20/9/ 1547 (1 Edward VI). [Deed No 441, Calendar of Christchurch Deeds, cited in an appendix of the 20th Report of the Deputy Keeper of Public Records in Ireland.

1552:  Grant to Thomas Luttrell, of Luttrelliston, knight., for £56 8s 1d; of the wardship and marriage of Nicholas Eustace, cousin and heir of John Eustace, late of Confey, Co. Kildare, esq.; also grant of the third part of the manor of Sawntre (Santry), County Dublin, and the lands there, worth by the year £10 11s 8d; for the sustenance of the minor; with demise of messuage and land in Sawntre, for 13 years (unless the minor die sooner), at a rent of 50s. . (Fiants of Edward VI, No 1012, dated 25/5/1552, cited in The Irish Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns during the Reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Philip & Mary, and Elizabeth I, Vol I, Dublin 1994).

1552:  Wardship of Nicholas Eustace, cousin and heir of John Eustace, late of Connfeye, [sic] in the county of Kildare, granted to Thomas Lutrell, for a fine of £46 odd. Dated 25/5/1552, Edward VI. [James Morrin (ed), Extracts from Calendar of the Patent and Close Rolls of Chancery in Ireland, Volume I, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary & Elizabeth I, Dublin, 1861, no 170.)

1556:  On 3/7/1556, Philip & Mary granted a commission to (inter alia) Nicholas Eustace, sheriff of Kildare, and Thomas Alen, clerk of the Hanaper, to be justices and keepers of the peace in … County Kildare, and the marches and liberties of the same, in the absence of the Deputy on an expedition against the Scots and other enemies in the North. (Fiant no.113, Philip & Mary, cited in Appendix IV, 9th Report of the Deputy Keeper of Public Records in Ireland).

1563-4:  On 4/3/1563-4 Elizabeth I granted Livery to Nicholas, son and heir of James, son and heir of John Eustace, late of Confey, esq.  Fine, £59 4s 4d. [Fiants of Elizabeth I, No 593, 1563-4, cited in The Irish Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns during the Reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Philip & Mary, and Elizabeth I, Vol II, Dublin 1994].

1565:  On 8/11/1565 Elizabeth I provided a certificate for Nicholas Eustace, of Confey, county Kildare, gent; assigning his land of Confey to be free of subsidy under 3 & 4 Philip & Mary, c12. [Fiants of Elizabeth I, No 774, 1565, cited in The Irish Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns during the Reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Philip & Mary, and Elizabeth I, Vol II, Dublin 1994].

These pages © Ronald Eustice, 2009