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Yago
(Jagoeston) in the Townland of
Gaganstown, County Kildare
Jago, or Yago1, was at one time the name of a
distinct parish in the Barony of South Naas, but it is now incorporated in that
of Ballymore Eustace. It comprised of the Townlands of Gaganstown, Moorhill,
Boleybeg, and Ardinode. The parish church stood in the burial-ground situated in
Annfield Demesne, which lies in Gaganstown Townland. As the name Jago, or Yago,
implies, the Patron was St. James. The Townland of Gaganstown in documents of
the sixteenth century appears under peculiar forms, such as Yagoston,
Yagogestone, Jagoteston, Jagogeston, and Jagoeston.
In 1494 the lands of Jagoeston (Gaganstown, Parish of
Ballymore Eustace) and “Bardore,” containing a castle, a court baron and 72
acres in “Jagoeston” were in the possession of Sir Robert FitzEustace of
Ballycotelan2. Sir Robert was one of three County Kildare members of
the Brotherhood of St. George, a military association established in 1475 for
the defense of English territories in Lienster. The other Kildare members of the
Brotherhood were Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare and Roland
FitzEustace, Baron of Portlester. Sir Robert was Sheriff of County Kildare in
the years 1452, 1456, 1470 and 1472. He was the son of Sir Richard FitzEustace,
Knight, appointed Justice of the Peace for County Kildare in 1408.
A County Kildare Exchequer Inquisition held in Naas in June
1597, mentions some of Sir Robert's descendents in the following manner 3:
In the nineteenth year of King Edward IV, i.e; in 1479,
Sir Robert FitzEustace, Kt; of Ballycotelan enfeoffed his lands of Jogogeston,
Bardore, and Rocheston, for certain uses in John Stokes and William Body,
Priests. The surviving feoffee, John Stokes, priest, on the 12th of March 1487,
granted and confirmed the above premises to James, son of Sir Robert FitzEustace
and his heirs, with remainders to Oliver, Richard and Maurice, other sons of Sir
Robert, and, failing issue to them, to the right heirs of Sir Robert. The said
James FitzEustace died on 15th December 1522, and his son and heir Nicholas
succeeded him, and was so seised of the lands at the time that Christopher
FitzEustace of Cutlandestown (to whom they would go in reversion) was attainted
for high treason.
The said Nicholas died in 1577 without male issue. The
said Oliver and Richard also died without male issue. And afterwards, owing to
the attainder of Christopher FitzEustace of Cutlandstown, son and heir of
Maurice, brother of James, father of said Nicholas FitzEustace, all of these
premises reverted to the Crown.
It would appear from the above that Sir Robert
FitzEustace granted to his (?) second son James, the land of Rocheston and
Gaganstown in County Kildare, and those of Roestown and Bertramstown in County
Meath; and that his (?) eldest son Sir Maurice succeeded to Coghlanstown on his
death in about 1486.
When Christopher Eustace of Coghlanstown was executed after
the “Silken Thomas Rebellion" in 1535, those of his lands west of Ballymore
Eustace and south of the Liffey were granted to other members of the family
2. Rochestown, Gaganstown and probably part of Ardinode (just east of it)
were granted to the 1st Viscount Baltinglass, Thomas Eustace, who had
done much to quell the rebellion. Gaganstown and Rochestown seem to have passed
to Nicholas Eustace of Kerdiffstown (Cardeston), doubtless as a dowry of Anne,
daughter of the 1st Viscount, on her marriage to Nicholas in about
1538. In 1568 Roland Eustace of Jagogeston and in 1570 4 ,
Roland Eustace of Yeagogeston received pardons from the Crown
5. Gaganstown was forfeited by Thomas Eustace, son of Nicholas, after the
1580 Baltinglass Rebellion and let to Mary Heron as follows. In 1584,
“Yagogestone, near Naas,” late in the possession of Thomas Eustace, of Cardeston,
or Kerdiffstown, attainted (and executed) for rebellion in 1580, was leased for
forty years to Alice, daughter of Christopher St. Lawrence, Baron of Howth,
widow of George FitzGerald, of Ticroghann, County Meath (died 1580), and wife of
William Heron, of Kinnegad, in the county of Westmeath (Elizabeth Fiant, No.
4322).
Mason in his “History of St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” states
that out of its nineteen Prebends that of Yago is placed fourth (p. 52). He adds
that, according to Archbishop Alen (slain in 1534), the former name of the
Church of Yago was Dunamor (Donaghmore), and that it was granted in
frankalmoigne to Archbishop Comyn (1181-1212) by William FitzMaurice FitzGerald,
Baron of Naas, for the purpose of augmenting the common fund of the cathedral.
Subservient to this church were two chapels:
- Technabretnas, alias Brethnockstown,
now Brannockstown, dedicated to St. Sylvester (10th of March).
- Inchebrislane, alias Kiltown, now
Gilltown, dedicated to Saint “Boyana” (Elizabeth Fiant No. 3146.
The Fiants of Edward VI and Elizabeth record pardons by the
Crown to a Nicholas Eustace of this place in 1548, and to a Roland Eustace
between 1568 and 1582.
A County Kildare Chancery Inquisition (No. 27 of James I),
taken in 1618, found that Queen Elizabeth by Letters of Patent, dated the 20th
March, 1599, granted to Nicholas Taafe, of Athclare, County Louth, and to Joan,
his wife, daughter of Christopher Eustace (or FitzEustace), of “Ballicutland,”
now Coghlanstown, who was attainted and hanged for rebellion in 1535, the lands
of “Yagogeston and Rocheston, lying near the Irish mountains,” to hold to him
and his heirs by knight’s service. On the lands of Gaganstown there then stood a
very ruinous castle, almost prostrate, and also a hall (aula) in ruins. These
lands at the taking of this Inquisition were claimed by Roland Eustace, of
Blackhall, near Punchestown, as being of his hereditary possessions. Roland
seems to have occupied Gaganstown as a tenant from 1568 until 1582.
The castle and house (in ruins in 1618) have gone but the
old graveyard marks the site of the church of the former parish of Gaganstown.
The Parish included Ardinode, Bolleybeg and Moorhill, with the chapels of
Brannockstown and Gilltown, southwest of Grangemore. Rochestown must have been
sold to the heirs of Joan Taafe, for it (with Brannockstown) later always formed
part of the Harristown estate 5.
Roland Eustace of Jagogestown (Gaganstown), County Kildare
Rowland Eustace,
born about 1568, the son of Oliver Eustace of Blackhall and his wife Joan
Eustace of Mullacash, made an unsuccessful claim to Gaganstown, west of
Ballymore Eustace, asserting his right of “hereditary possession,”
perhaps through his wife Catherine Eustace. Rowland claimed to have lived at
Gaganstown from 1568-1582.
In his will dated 1640 he asked to be buried in the ancient
graveyard of Killsaintlucan, half-a-mile south of Blackhall Castle.) In 1641 he
lost (apparently only temporarily) Blackhall and the nearby lands of Newtown
with parts of Tipperkevin and Oldtown.
Roland married Catherine Eustace, possibly of Gaganstown.
Catherine could have been a daughter of Thomas Eustace of Kerdiffstown and
his wife Joan Eustace of Mainham. If she was this would partially explain the
reason for Roland's unsuccessful attempt to claim Gaganstown for "hereditary
possession". Thomas Eustace was in possession of Gaganstown before being
attainted for his involvement in the Baltinglass Rebellion.
In the court—book, the record of court—marshals held in
Dublin after the war, in Marsh’s Library, we read under the date March 23rd,
1652: “Rowland Eustace is accused of holding correspondence with and relieving
the enemy and all evidence being heard and fully debated, it was put to the
question whether upon the whole question and circumstances to the Court there
are not strong and pregnant presumptions that the said Rowland Eustace is guilty
of the several crimes wherewith he is charged; resolved in the affirmative.
Second, whether upon the whole matter there is sufficient evidence to proceed by
judgment against Rowland Eustace or not; resolved in the negative, it was
finally ordered upon the question resolved in the affirmative that the said
Rowland Eustace be herewith removed with his whole family and dependents into
the province of Connaught. It was also further ordered that he be released,
giving security to perform the judgment of this court hereby declared, and to
appear on the forty days after the notice lodged at any of his houses.’’ On the
margin is “in Jajogstown, (Gaganstown) in the County Kildare.” Note: We
cannot be certain that this Roland is the same person as Roland, son of Oliver
and Joan, mentioned above, but the Jagoeston connection for both is strong
evidence that if not the same person, at least they are closely connected.
Roland born during 1568 or earlier, would have been at least 84 years old in
1652, quite elderly for that time, but given his strong demeanor and apparent
stamina, this certainly is possible.
Oliver Eustace of Blackhall (father of Roland) was
pardoned in 1583 6 for involvement in Baltinglass Rebellion. Fiant
Records show that Oliver and others had aided rebels numbering 500 who had taken
the field at Baltinglass, and had attacked the town of Sagard, Co. Dublin,
burning forty houses; Oliver together with Maurice FitzGerald was said to have
aided the rebels. The pardon was granted but instructions were that it not to be
“sealed” till Oliver “find surety” before the Lord Chancellor to prove his
loyalty. Oliver died in 1618. Oliver of Blackhall was married to Joan Eustace of
Mullacash who was the daughter of Thomas Eustace, (died 1594) and his wife
Catherine Eustace. Thomas Eustace of Mullacash first married Cecily Graydon and
upon her death he married Catherine Eustace.
1. Journal of the Kildare County Archaeological Society, Vol. VII;
Page 336-37.
2. Ibid, Volume XIII, No. 8 (1960); Page 372.
3. Number 41 of Elizabeth
4. Fiant Elizabeth 1268; (1568); Pardon to John Eustace of
Castlemartin, County Kildare, Roland Eustace of Jagogeston (Gaganstown) James Eustace of Cloceste, Maurice Eustace of Ballesax, John
Eustace of Kilbride and Richard Eustace of Walshetown all in the same county,
gentlemen; James Eustace of Inchcoventer and Remeletus Walsh of Balloteig, same
county, horsemen; Edmund Eustace of Castlemartin, John Fitz Rowland Eustace of
the same...(This Roland appears to be an uncle or other close relative to
Oliver, father of Roland).
5. Fiant Elizabeth 1665; (1570); Pardon to...Roland Eustace of
Yeagogiston, co. Kildare gent.
6. Fiants Elizabeth 4193; (1583); Pardon to Maurice
FitzGerald alias fitzJames of Obertstown and Oliver Eustace, late of Blackhall,
whom had aided the rebels including James Eustace, Viscount Baltinglass and
others. |
