Quinville Townlands

Quinville North and South occupy most of the northwest of the as village on the righthand side of the road heading for Ennis. They are seperated from eachother by Knocknagoug townland. Most of these territories were in the ownership of Quinville Abbey Manor House. This was originally one townland called Poll an Ghearráin (Hole of the Geldings). The townland retained its original name until the manor house was built. Quinvill was for the first time recorded on Henry Pelhams map of 1787 and the townland was subsequently named after the big house. Henry Pelham, a surveyor/engineer was also the second husband of Sarah Singleton Copley of Quinville Abbey and would have spent much time at the house. More details on him at the end of this post.

Quinville Abbey

The early history of the major families who were resident in this house is elsewhere covered within the Quin Heritage website:

https://ebw.pms.mybluehost.me/john-singleton-family-of-quinville-abbey-by-jane-halloran-ryan/

https://ebw.pms.mybluehost.me/john-singletons-diary/

In the twentieth century Quinville became the residence of a branch of the McCausland family from Derry. These were a good family to work for according to the oral account of our own Tom O’Halloran.

https://ebw.pms.mybluehost.me/tom-ohalloran-ballyhickey-quin/

Like the other big houses in the area, Quinville Abbey was an important employer. This family augmented their earnings through the sale of vegetables and flowers from their market garden. In addition to domestic staff, this required the employment of gardeners and stable hands. Sitting amongst 47 acres, it was not huge in comparison with other demesnes, but would still require some farm labour to maintain it.

Historical records do not present John Singleton in good light but the oral history in our possession tells a different story of the McCauslands.

Major Marcus McCausland sold the property to an American, Mr John Burke of California. Quinville then passed to another American, Dr Chapin. His wife, Mrs Chapin, was the eldest daughter of the late 16th Baron Inchiquin of Dromoland Castle.

It came into the possession of the Ennis based solicitor Desmond Houlihan and his wife Helen, who completely refurbished it in 1999. After 20 years, this couple put it on the market in 2012 following which it sold to a Dublin based family.

The Pain brothers redesigned the mansion in 1830, on a commission from John Singleton, so that the windows of all the major rooms face south, opening out onto a vista stretching down to the village and Quin Abbey. The Pain brothers were two innovative architects who had designed nearby Dromoland Castle for Lord Inchiquin. It is described, by those in the know, as having a ‘neo-Gothic-cum-Elizabethan appearance’. The ‘Abbey’ appendage to the name is presumably to present the new house as more ‘Grand’ that it is!

Quinville North or Poll an Ghearráin Thuaidh

Quinville North is contained within an area of 47 acres or 0.19 sq.km’s.

Griiffiths 1855 Survey of property owners: John Singleton, John Blood Singleton

The 1901 Census records the following residents: James & Ernesta Butler-Ievers plus a visitor and 3 servants, Jane Lynch, Thomas Shea, Mary Peacocke.

The 1911 Census records the following residents: James & Isobella Butler-Ievers plus domestic servants.

The population today is likely to be even less than those recorded above.

Quinville South is contained within an area of 24 acres or 0.1 sq.km’s.

Griiffiths 1855 Survey of property owners: John Singleton, Francis Leonard, Patrick Markaham, John Reynolds, Cornelius Halloran

Features of note:

Village Milestone

Freestanding cut-limestone milestone, dated 1828, on a square plan. Inscribed: “Ennis 7½ Sp’hill 4 Gort [?]”, “SM Bridg [destroyed] Limerick [destroyed] N Market 4”, “Tulla 7 Tomgreany [?]” and “Placd [sic] here by J.S 1828 at his own expence [sic]”. The “J.S” is presumed to be John Singleton (1793-1877) of nearby Quinville Abbey and the stone, its upper margin showing foliage in low relief, may have been left over from the reconstruction of ‘the handsome mansion…rebuilt [1827] in the Elizabethan style’ to designs by James Pain (c.1779-1877)

RIC Constabulary Barracks

The above mentioned milestone sits in front of what was the old RIC barracks, which opened on 27th November 1848 and closed in July 1916. This replaced the original barracks situated where the Abbey Tavern pub restaurant is now. John Singleton of Quinville Abbey, a member of the county Grand Jury and Justice of the Peace, seems to have been much concerned about ‘White-boy’ outrages, as noted in his diaries. The new location of the barracks at the edge of his demesne hopefully eased these concerns! The growing assertion of agrarian rights at this time eventually resulted in many landlords transferring their land to former tenants with a consequent decline in the extent of many estate holdings. Quinville Abbey and the land holdings of the Singleton family would succumb to this also. This building was to become the home of Stephen ‘Johnny’ Clune in 1917, as can be seen in this aerial photo of the village taken in the 1930’s. The building circled in blue is shown on early OS maps as ‘Courthouse’

New developments

Cluain Gearráin – Plain of the Geldings. The retail and housing developments in Quinville South have created a population boom in this townland. Credit must go to the house developers and Clare CoCo for choosing a name for the housing estate that displays sensitivity to the existing local placename, rather than trying to create new pretentious ones. Hopefully this will inspire other developers to follow suit in the future.

Retail and apartments. The retail development at the entrance to the village has been tastefully designed and adds an attractive introduction from the Ennis approach.

Closing Summary

These townlands act as a kind of gateway into the village coming from the Ennis direction. The big house and dwellings offer an attractive run, with well cared for floral displays and gardens. The now closed health centre in Quinville North is the exception and is yet another example of state assets lying wastefully idle. Hopefully this will not continue for too long and both this and the Garda Station will be put to productive use. 

Historical references:

John Copley Singleton (see P.48)

https://ebw.pms.mybluehost.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Quin-Audit-Report-Final-October-2021-18th-October.pdf

Henry Pelham

Born in Boston in 1749, he was forced to emigrate to London during the colonial wars as he was a royalist. He met and married two Clare women, the second wife being Sarah Singleton of Quinville Abbey. His first wife brought him to Clare via Dublin where he found plenty of work. He was a teacher, artist, surveyor, engineer and astrologist but is best known in Clare for his maps produced for the Clare Grand Jury, pre-cursor to the County Councils, in 1787. This series of 12  maps covering the county are a valuable record produced to a high standard, for its time. This was 100 years after the last widespread map coverage by William Petty and nearly 50 years before the Ordnance Survey.

Unfortunately, he died tragically in a boating accident in Kerry in 1806 while undertaking a coastal survey. He is also known for his sketches of the abbeys of Quin, Clare and Ennis. Having spent time in Quin, one has to wonder if he ever crossed paths with our native scholar and astrologer Pádraig Ó Loingsigh!

Limerick Chronicler Death Notices, Sat 2/05/1835:

On Wednesday, at her house in Georges-street, in this city, to the inexpressible grief of her numerous family and connections, Mrs. Singleton, relict of the late Edward Singleton, of Quinville, county Clare. Seldom, if ever, have we had to record the departure from this life of a more tender and affectionate parent, a kinder friend, or a more constant and unostentatious benefactress to the poor, by whom her loss will be long and deeply felt. Her remains left this morning for interment in the family vault at Kilnasulla, county Clare.

John Singleton

‘The diaries of John Singleton of Quinville, 1845-51’. National Library of Ireland Mss. 16884-5 Pages 105-107. The ‘Whiteboys’ were one of the many organisations engaged in agrarian unrest throughout the country. The ‘Ribbonmen’ was another active group in the south, particularly the Munster region. There was particular loathing toward the payment of ‘tithes’ to the Protestant Church and the middle-men who collected them.