&c., the same are thereby vested in the s trustees and their heirs in fee simple, to be sold and disposed of as aforesaid, with a saving for persons comprised within the articles of Limerick or Galway."

All grants, &c., since the 13th February, 1688, made under the Great Seal by Act of Parliament, or otherwise, of any of the sa forfeited estates, were declared null and void; and power was given to the trustees to reward discoverers of such forfeited estates concealed, by giving them such proportion of the value, after sale thereof, as they should think fit.

"And all persons whatsoever having any estate, right, title, interest, charge, or incumbrance whatsoever in or to the lands, &c., vested in the trustees before the 13th February, 1688, by reason of any settlement, judgement, &c., affecting the same" were directed on or before the 10th August, 1700 (which time was subsequently enlarged to 25th March, 1702), to enter their claims and demands thereto before the trustees, or in default thereof, the premises were to be discharged of and from the same. The trustees were to hear and determine such claims before the 25th March, 1701. The trustees to be a Court of Record, and the claims certified, and a copy good evidence. After the expiration of the time for making such claims, the trustees were directed to sell the estates and interests, vested in them and not claimed before March, 1702 (subsequently enlarged to June, 1703), such sales to be made to any persons, bodies politic or corporate, by cant or public auction.

The will of Major Owen O'Conor, by which he bequeathed his estates, subject to a life interest for his wife, and charges for his daughters, to his brother Charles and his children, brought the property under this statute; and in consequence of the attainder of Charles O'Conor, the trustees laid claim to it. Before their Court, Mr. French, who had purchased from Major O'Conor's daughters, and who was also the owner of most of the mortgages and charges, presented his claim. Before the same Court, Denis O'Conor and his sisters also appeared, and put forward their claims in the following terms :—

"To the honourable the trustees nominated and appointed by the late Act of Parliament made in England for disposall of the Forfeited Estates and other Estates and Interests in Ireland, and by a Land Tax in England for the severall uses therein mentioned.

"The humble Petition and Clayme of Dennis o'Connor, Peter Conry, and Anne Conry, alias o'Connor, his wife, and Bridgett o'Connor.

"Sheweth that Major Owen o'Connor, late of Ballenegare in the County of Roscommon, deceased, being seized in Fee of the towne and lands of Ballenegare and Carrowintober two quarters, containing by Estimation 458A. profitable, and 422a. unprofitable land; Rathnenaleg, one quarter, containing by like computation 178a. profitable land, and Raredivin, one quarter, containeing as aforesaid 260A. profitable, and tenn acres unprofitable land, whether the same be more or less: He did by his last will and testament under his hand and seal, bearing date the eight day of May, one thousand six hundred and eighty-five, Devise all and singular the premises by the name of all his lands of Inheritance to his wife and two daughters, Mary and Elinor; as alsoe all his stock of cowes, bullocks, horses, and sheep for the preferment of his said Daughters, their portion not to exceed two hundred pounds a-piece to each of them, all

to be in his wife dureing her life after paying the portions and such debts as he owed, and the reversion to fall to his brother Charles O'Connor and his children, as by the said will duly perfected and published by him may appeare.

"The Claymants further sheweth that the said Major Owen O'Connor died in London in the year 1692, seized and possessed of the premises, and after his death Dame Elinor Tuite his widdow became seized and possest thereof as her Joynture (except Raredivin and Rathnenalag, by the consent of y sd. Dame Elinor Tuite, was in the hands of Creditours), and so continued till her death in the year 1698. That the said Mary o'Connor, y' eldest Daughter of the said Major Owen o'Connor, in the year 1687, in the lifetime of her said father, and by his consent, after making y said Will, Intermarried with Alexander Plunkett, Gent., and recd. all or y greatest part of her said portion of 200a, and y' said Elinor o'Connor, youngest Daughter of the said Major O'Connor, likewise married in the lifetime of her father, but without his consent, to Major Manus o'Cahan, who is adjudged in the Articles of Lymerick.

"That the said Charles o'Connor, brother of y' said Major O'Connor, died in y° year 1696, the premises having been all along, since y' death of his said brother, in possession of his widdow, y' said Lady Tuite, and his Creditours. That the said Charles O'Connor left Issue at the time of his death, Phelim o'Connor, who is indited of high treason, and the Claymants, Dennis O'Connor, Ann Conry, alias o'Connor, and Bridgett o'Connor, which Claymants are Intitled by the said will of the said Major O'Connor to three parts of four of the said real Estate of the said Major O'Connor. Y hon" by y' forfeiture of the said Phelim, their brother, being Intituled to the other fourth part thereof by and to the uses of the said Act. That the creditors of the s Major Owen O'Connor, since the death of his sa widdow, have continued, and still are possessed, of all and singular y premises besides Raredevin, in order to the discharge of their debts.

"The claymants, to prevent any prejudice that may happen to their said title, by anything in the said Act of Parliament contained, doe claim the benefitt of the said Will, and humbly pray that this their clayme may be heard and allowed, and that they may have your hon" certificate for the same, pursuant to the said Act.

After protracted investigations the trustees, or commissioners, apparently ignoring the reference to Felim O'Conor, who had retired to France, and who had died there, decided that the estates, under the will, vested in Charles O'Conor and his children jointly; that at the time of the death of Major Owen there were only three children surviving, and that Charles, and each of these children, had a right to one-fourth part of the estates. They further decreed that in consequence of the attainder of Charles O'Conor, his fourth part should

be forfeited and sold, and that the remaining three-fourths, subject to threefourths of the mortgages and charges, which were held by Mr. French, should be restored to Denis O'Conor and his sisters.

In conformity with this decree,' on the 24th January, 1703, the forfeited. one-fourth part of the estate of Belanagare and Rathnenalag was put up for sale and purchased by William Gore, in trust for John French, and one-fourth of Rardiven was purchased at the same time by an English mercantile company, designated, from their manufacturing swords of a particular design, the "Hollow Blade Company."

By this purchase Mr. French became the absolute owner of one-fourth of the entire estate, which he already held in possession, besides being the possessor of the charges already alluded to.

The troubles and difficulties which beset Denis O'Conor, first in obtaining this decree of the Court, and subsequently in his arrangements with Mr. French, are graphically described in the memoir of his son, by the late Dr. O'Conortroubles and difficulties which prematurely turned his hair grey, whence he was usually known amongst the people as Donough-a-lia, or Denis of the Grey Head. The severity of the laws against the Catholic religion rendered it almost impossible that any property could be recovered by a person professing that faith, and Denis O'Conor lived for many years in an humble cottage at Kilmactranny, in the Co. of Sligo, hopeless of ever recovering the estates decreed to him by the decision of the Court, but still in the hands of strangers.

The decree of the Court was made in 1701; but it was not until 1720 that O'Conor recovered possession, and when restored, there was very little left to enjoy. Partially confiscated and heavily incumbered, the estates dealt with by

'Extract from the decree of the Trustees of Forfeited Estates on the claim of Mr. French :"Now upon heareing the said claim, in open Court at Chichester House, Dublin, and in the year of our Lord 1701, in presence of Councell as well on behalf of the claimant as of the s4 trustees: It appearing to the Court, on perusal and proof of the said mortgages, stat. staple, bonds, judgements, assignments, will, and examination of witnesses, that the sa claimant had a good right to the s several incumbrances and £400 legacies. But the Court being of opinion that by virtue of the s will the s Charles O'Connor and his children were well entitled to a joint estate in fee-simple in the premises, subject to the said debts and legacies, and it appearing to the Court that the s4 Charles, at the death of the said Owen, had 3 children only, and that he himself was attainted of high treason on account of the late warr or rebellion in this kingdom, whereby his sa fourth part of his said lands is vested in the s trustees. It is therefore, this said fourth day of March, 1701, adjudged, determined, and decreed by the Court that the 4" part of the lands of the s4 Owen O'Connor is vested in the s trustees," subject to of mortgages, &c.

PP

the Court represented a mere fraction of the princely territory which belonged to his great-grandfather; but looking back to the difficulties which then existed in the way of any Catholic holding property, the marvel is, not that the portion of his ancestral property which escaped confiscation was so small, but that any at all remained; and considering the number of families that were totally despoiled of everything they possessed, Denis O'Conor may be considered fortunate in getting even the remnant that was left to him.

To follow in detail all the intricate legal proceedings and deeds which succeeded the granting of the decree to Denis O'Conor and his sisters would be uninteresting, and foreign to the purpose of this memoir; and it will be sufficient to mention, that having bought up his sisters' share in the property, he eventually, it is said, through the friendly assistance of Counsellor Terence M'Donough, then M.P. for Sligo, came to an arrangement with Robert French, the representative of John French, by which French became possessor of the whole of Rathnenalag, and Denis O'Conor of the whole of Belanagare, subject to an annual rentcharge of £79, payable in perpetuity. This rentcharge corresponded to the interest on the mortgages and charges which existed on the estate, which had previously, as already stated, become the property of French; and the form of an irredeemable rentcharge was adopted, to save O'Conor's title from the operation of the Popery laws.

Denis O'Conor, having been thus restored to the possession of a portion of his estates, went to reside at Belanagare. He had previously married Mary, daughter of Colonel Tiernan O'Rourke, and niece to the wife of Counsellor M'Donough; and thus he became nearly allied to the man who had proved himself his truest friend. Mrs. O'Conor's father was grand-nephew to Brian "na Murtha" O'Rourke, who was hanged in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and whose daughter was married to Sir Hugh O'Conor Don. Colonel O'Rourke had withdrawn to France, like many of his countrymen; and after signalizing himself on various occasions in the service of the French. king, was killed in the Battle of Luzara in 1702. His widow, called the Countess O'Rourke, was a lady of honour at the Court of James II. at St. Germains; and having been invited by her son-in-law, Denis C'Conor, she came to Belanagare, where she remained until her death on 22nd December, 1760.1

Denis O'Conor's house at Belanagare soon became the rendezvous for the

'The Countess O'Rourke left, as an heirloom and a memorial of her visit to Belanagare, a handsome portrait of herself, which had been executed in Italy, and which is still preserved amongst the family portraits.

numerous ill-fated Irish Catholic gentlemen of the province. His hospitable door was never shut against those in misfortune and distress, and both Catholic layman and cleric felt at home beneath his roof. Here it was that Carolan, styled the last of the Irish bards, composed his most impassioned melodies, and that Bishop O'Rourke, who had been chaplain to Prince Eugene, hid his persecuted head, and by stealth performed the sacred rites of religion.

Denis O'Conor, who died in 1750, had five sons: Charles, who succeeded him; Roger and Owen, who died young; Mathew, in holy orders; Daniel, who became an officer in the French service; and Hugh, who subsequently conformed to the established religion, and by so doing, nearly succeeded in supplanting his eldest brother in possession of his estate.

Six?