Associated Families
Description
The Skerretts owned an estate in the barony of Clare, county Galway, which was confiscated at the time of the Cromwellian settlement. However various members of the Skerrett family were granted lands in the barony by patent dated 16 Mar 1678 and Hughes writes that they were able to buy back some of their former property around Ballinduff in the 1680s. Hely Dutton lists four branches of the family situated at Nutgrove, Drumgriffin, Ballinduff and Carnacrow. William Skerrett of Carrownacroagh, parish of Killursa, is documented in the Ordnance Survey Name Books. His agent was John Joyce of Headford. Over 550 acres of his estate was sold in 1843. It was bought by John Nolan, F. Blake and possibly George Staunton Lynch. By the mid 19th century the Skerrett estate was mainly in the parish of Kilcoona but also contained lands in the parishes of Killeany, Killererin and Kilmoylan. Some of their estate had formerly belonged to the Deane family of Balrobuck, parish of Annaghdown, with whom the Skerretts intermarried. The Galway County Library contains particulars of a house in Cross Street, Galway and lands in the barony of Clare, including Balrobuck, which were advertised for sale in 1841 in connection with a legal case between Dominick Lynch and Dominick Skerrett. Brooklodge was Skerrett property by the time of Griffith's Valuation but was held by the Blakes of Ballyglunin on a lease dated 1775, Ambrose Deane to Christopher French. The Skerretts were still resident at Ballinduff in 1814 but later moved to Dublin following a marriage with one of the co heirs of John Locke of Athgoe Park, Dublin. In the 1870s the Skerretts owned 3,733 acres in county Galway and 969 acres in county Dublin. Joseph Skerrett Blake was a magistrate for counties Galway and Mayo in the 1880s. He was the son of Mary Skerrett of Athgoe Park, Dublin and Joseph Blake of Tumneenaun, Clonbur, county Galway.Houses
| House Name / Description | Townland | Civil Parish | PLU | DED | Barony | County | Map Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebor Hall(H538) A house built before Griffith's Valuation by Deputy Commissary General Booth on land leased from the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin. Booth later sold his interest to Lord Mountmorres who was murdered nearby in 1880. In 1885 Walford refers to it as the seat of Joseph Skerrett Blake. It belonged to the Boyd family for much of the 20th century. Extensively renovated in the late 20th century, it is now a well maintained residence on the shore of Lough Corrib. | Tumneenaun | Cong | Oughterard | Cloonbur 157 | Ross | Galway | Lat/Lon: 53.52263 -9.37675 OSI Ref: M087 534 Discovery map #38. OS Sheet #27. |
| Brooklodge(H714) This property was leased to Christopher French by Ambrose Deane on 16 June 1775 for 1 life and 99 years. He built a house which later became a Blake residence held from the Skerretts, who had inherited it from the Deanes. It was occupied by Martin J. Blake at the time of Griffith's Valuation, when it was valued at £40. The house is now a ruin. | Brooklodge Demesne | Killererin | Tuam | Ballynapark 189 | Clare | Galway | Lat/Lon: 53.42631 -8.80341 OSI Ref: M466 421 Discovery map #46. OS Sheet #58. |
| Ballinduff Lodge(H768) A Skerrett home in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is labelled Ballinduff Lodge on the Ordnance Survey maps though the 25-inch edition of the 1890s notes that it was in ruins by then. At the time of Griffith's Valuation John Skerrett held the lands in fee when the house was only valued at £2. The old castle stands close by the house ruins. | Ballinduff | Kilcoona | Tuam | Ballinduff 200 | Clare | Galway | Lat/Lon: 53.42178 -9.04102 OSI Ref: M308 418 Discovery map #45. OS Sheet #65. |
| Ardskeabeg(H913) A property in the possession of the trustees of Dominick Skerrett at the time of Griffith's Valuation. Occupied by the Kelly family in the later 19th century and by their descendants the Canavans until 2000. The house is still extant but no longer lived in. | Ardskeabeg | Kilmoylan | Tuam | Ballynapark 189 | Clare | Galway | Lat/Lon: 53.42972 -8.83056 OSI Ref: M448 425 Discovery map #46. OS Sheet #57. |
| Carrownacroagh(H1131) Home of William Skerrett in the 1830s. By the time of Griffith's Valuation, the townland was in the possession of Dominick O'Flaherty but there was no house with a valuation greater than £2. | Carrownacroagh | Killursa | Tuam | Killursa 207 | Clare | Galway | Lat/Lon: 53.45042 -9.15161 OSI Ref: M235 451 Discovery map #45. OS Sheet #55. |
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Archival sources
- Galway County Library: Sale particulars of a house in Cross St, Galway and land in barony of Clare, re case Dominick Lynch v Dominick Skerrett, 9 June & 22 Nov 1841. D1144
- Galway County Library: Rental of the fee simple estate of William Skerrett in a case taken against him by Eliza McDowell in the Court of Chancery, to be sold by Edward Litton, amounting to 551 acres, 20 Apr 1843
- National Archives of Ireland: Landed Estates' Court Rentals (O'Brien), Blake, 17 May, 5 July & 22 Nov 1867, Vols 85, 86 & 87, MRGS 39/041& 39/042, (microfilm copy in NUIG)
- National Archives of Ireland: Copy will of William Skerritt, Galway town, 15 July 1811. 999/390/1/1
- National Archives of Ireland: Solicitors' records from office of E.J. French, include references to William Skerrett. Small Accessions Index, No. 8
- National Archives of Ireland: Philip Crossle, two notebooks containing abstracts of deeds and wills of the Skerrett family, Galway. Acc. No 1/755. 1A.58.123
- National Library of Ireland: Pedigree of Skerrett of Ballinduff, Co Galway, c 1600-c 1700. GO MS 161: 95
- National Library of Ireland: E Naomi Campbell Collection includes extracts from the wills of Skerretts of Co Galway. Ms 10,418.
- National Library of Ireland: Blake Papers Ms 10781(8).
- Parliamentary Archives: Petition and appeal of Humphry Skerrett, Skerrett v Nesbitt et al, 3 Apr 1734. HL/PO/JO/10/3/230/36
- Parliamentary Archives: Skerrett v Woulfe, 1 Apr 1747. HL/PO/JO/10/3/242/28
- Parliamentary Archives: Answers of Matthew Nesbitt and Prudent Nesbitt, Skerrett v Nesbitt et al, 24 & 28 Mar 1735. HL/PO/JO/10/4/21
- Public Record Office, Northern Ireland: Estate papers of the Fitzgerald-Kenney family of Kilclogher, Co Galway microfilmed by courtesy of Kieran Thompson, April 2002, include deeds re the Skerretts of Ballinduffe, 18th century. MIC/667/667A/1/1
- Tuam Diocesan Archives, Tuam: Fr. Heaney Collection, Mayo Abbey. P45/09/03: 130
Contemporary printed sources
Many of these resources are now available online. For a list with Web links please see the Online Printed Sources Links
- DUTTON, Hely. Statistical and agricultural survey of the county of Galway. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1824. : 416
- HUSSEY DE BURGH, U. H. The Landowners of Ireland. An alphabetical list of the owners of estates of 500 acres or £500 valuation and upwards in Ireland. Dublin: Hodges, Foster and Figgis, 1878. [available online at www.askaboutireland.ie] : 414
- LEET, Ambrose. A directory to the market towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, and other noted places in Ireland. Dublin: Printed by B. Smith, 1814 : 27 (Ballinduff) & 90 (Carnacrow)
- LEWIS, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837: II, 157 (Carnacrow)
- ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOKS, County Galway, http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/default.html: Balrobuck
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. 15th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Records Ireland, 1825. Vol XVI, Appendix I, Grants under Acts of Settlement: 249
- PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards, in the several counties .... in Ireland. HC 1876, LXXX: 299
- TAYLOR, George & SKINNER, Andrew. Maps of the Roads of Ireland, surveyed in 1777 and corrected down to 1783. Facsimile of 2nd edition. Shannon: Irish University Press, 1969: 218 (Drumgriffin)
- WALFORD, Edward. 'The County families of the United Kingdom. London: Chatto & Windus, 1885): p.94 (Joseph Skerrett Blake)
Modern printed sources
- Irish Ancestor: Abstracts from some Skerrett wills. V, 2 (1973), 100-104
- Jnl. of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society: CROSSLE, Philip. Some Records of the Skerrett Family. XV, (1931-1933), 33-72
- The Irish Genealogist: CHAMNEY, Anne R. Extracts from Father Clare’s Annotations to the Conformity Rolls, include reference to this family. X (2001), 427-454
- BURKE, Sir Bernard. A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Harrison & Sons, 1886: II, 1677
- DEAN, J.A.K. The gate lodges of Connaught: a gazetteer. Dublin ; Wordwell, 2019. : p.19 (Ballinduff Lodge)
- HUGHES, Michael John. Caherlistrane GAA & 150 years of Parish Life. Caherlistrane GAA Club, 1990: 146
- NATIONAL LIBRARY OF IRELAND. Reports on Private Collections: Report on records of Loughrea Abbey, includes reference to register of graves & papers relating to the Skerrett family, No. 224
by Susan Flantzer
Marianne Skerrett attributed to Dr. Ernest Becker, circa 1859; Credit – Royal Collection Trust
Read about others who served Queen Victoria at Unofficial Royalty: Queen Victoria’s Inner Circle Index.
Marianne Skerrett was the Head Dresser and Wardrobe-Woman to Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1862.
Marianne Skerrett was the daughter of a British Army officer who owned a plantation in Bermuda. Her uncle had been sub-treasurer to Queen Charlotte, Victoria’s paternal grandmother. Her great-grandfather William Popple had been a Governor of Bermuda. Marianne was born in 1793, so she was 44-years-old when the 18-year-old Victoria became queen. She was very intelligent, extremely well-read and fluent in Danish, French, and German. Recommended to Queen Victoria by Louisa Petty-FitzMaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne, a Lady of the Bedchamber, Marianne became one of Queen Victoria’s two dressers in 1837 and eventually became head dresser.
As the head dresser, Marianne, who was called Skerrett by Queen Victoria, was responsible for Victoria’s wardrobe. She oversaw the ordering of all the queen’s clothing, shoes, hats, gloves, and undergarments. In addition, Marianne kept the wardrobe accounts and was diligent in checking all the bills to make sure no one tried to cheat Victoria. She was also responsible for supervising the hairdressers, dressmakers, and the seamstresses who kept the royal wardrobe in good repair.
Marianne and Victoria had a lot in common. They were both intelligent, loved animals, spoke several languages, read and discussed books, and shared an interest in paintings and painters. Victoria would come to rely on Marianne to help with the purchase of paintings and in corresponding with artists. After the departure in 1842 of Baroness Louise Lehzen, Victoria’s former governess and then advisor and companion, Marianne took on some of her duties, becoming somewhat of a secretary and doing whatever Victoria needed her to do.
After 25 years of serving Queen Victoria, Marianne retired in 1862 at the age of 69. She was anxious to return to the world beyond the palace walls. She wrote about her retirement, “This year I shall hope and trust to be able to say and do to a certain extent what I have so long been wanting to do…” Marianne received a pension of £70 and went to live with her sister in the Marylebone section of London.
Marianne Skerrett by Rosa Koberwein, 1880; Credit – Royal Collection Trust
See Full List On Victoria.fandom.com
Marianne Skerrett remained in contact with Queen Victoria, visiting her and writing to her, until her death in 1887 at the age of 94. She bequeathed to Queen Victoria a painting by the British painter William Hogarth, The Popple and Ashley Families, a colonial family in Bermuda, one of which had been Marianne’s grandmother (the child in the painting). The painting is currently in the Royal Collection. Upon hearing that Marianne Skerrett had died Queen Victoria wrote in her journal: “She came to me at my accession, & was most useful at the head of my Wardrobe, ordering everything, looking over my bills, &c, & arranging with the different artists. She was quite a superior person, very clever, read enormously, had an intense passion for animals, & was a great friend of Landseer’s, & of many of the artists.”
The Popple and Ashley Families by William Hogarth; Credit – Royal Collection Trust
Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard
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Works Cited
- Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
- Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
- Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012.