The Burkes - Landowners

The Burkes of Glinsk

The Burkes of Glinsk were descended from a senior branch of the powerful deBurgh family who had acquired large grants of Connacht land in the 13th century. They were known as the McDavid Burkes in memory of a 13th century ancestor. The Burkes, like other chief landowners, surrendered their estate in the 16th century and got a grant by English law. This grant was confirmed in the early 17th century. The Glinsk estate, as appears from the Patent Rolls, of James I amounted to over 100 townlands and the demesne alone extended to 1,000 acres. The Burkes, according to the Patent Rolls, were empowered:

"to hold a Tuesday market at Glinsk, and a fair there on 8 September, and two days following, unless that day occur on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, in which case the fair is to be held on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday following".

The Burkes of Glinsk got their first title in the 16th century and Sir Theobald Burke the 13th and last baronet died in London in the early years of this century. The history and survival of the family in the 17th century provides a window into the local details of troubled national events. Sir Ulick Burke of Glinsk, M. P. for Galway in 1639, illustrates the predicament of a large Catholic landowner on the eve of the Rebellion of 1641. Burke’s chief allegiance was to King Charles I of England who was facing growing opposition from Parliament and its puritan or extreme Protestant supporters. His tenants were being increasingly abused by government troops who were faced with a general breakdown of law and order.

Many of his fellow Catholic landowners were being persuaded to join the Confederation of Kilkenny. He was faced, as he himself wrote from Glinsk in 1642:

"with the commands of our holy mother the church, declaring this insurrection to be a holy war, and requiring under pain of excommunication, all Roman Catholics to join in confederation for the Catholic cause".

Burke wrote these words to his kinsman, another Ulick Burke, Earl of Clanricarde, who was governor of Galway and head of the Connaught Burkes. Clanricarde was also a Catholic but, as the King’s right-hand man, his chief concern was to preserve the loyalty of Galway landowners. Burke of Glinsk does appear to have made some moves towards rebellion. Clanricarde however generously downplayed his complicity or involvement as an act "contrary to his own inclination, being a gentleman... of a very fine carriage and good disposition".

Sir Ulick Burke’s influence and local standing was acknowledged when he was made a commissioner for taking over lands owned by the King’s enemies. He had a grim local example of such people in the Ormsbys of Tobberavaddy in Fuerty parish. He accused the Ormsbys of malice towards himself and of being involved "in the destruction of his estate by frequent depredations, the slaughter of his tenants, burning his habitation, in so much as little or no part of the said estate yields any kind of profit.

Whether because of this or for other reasons Burke left the country to serve the future King Charles II overseas whereupon his estate was confiscated by the Cromwellian government. His son and heir Edmund Burke claimed the estate in his absence and the Commissioners, sitting at Loughrea, granted Sir Ulick and his heirs about 3,600 acres set out to him by transplantation. After the restoration of Charles II in 1660 he not only had this estate but also by the Act of Explanation in 1665 he was among the 54 landowners:

"to be restored to their principal seats, and 2000 acres adjoining".

The Burkes of Glinsk therefore survived the 17th century turmoils although the Dunamon branch lost out in the Cromwellian period to the Caulfield family who acquired enormous estates over several counties. The Glinsk family’s friendship with the powerful Clanricarde family was an obvious factor in their survival. But like many other estates the Glinsk estate was left a legacy of legal and financial problems which eventually proved to be fatal. Debts forced them to sell or mortgage large parts of the estate to the Dalys of Dunsandle in the early 18th century. The Glinsk estate was for many years the subject of litigation in the Dublin Courts. The problems were rooted in the 17th century and were as follows. Sir Maurice Hurley, a Catholic landowner from Limerick, was transplanted into Galway in the Cromwellian period and got land grants in different baronies. His lands in Ballymoe barony became entangled in the Glinsk estate. Proper boundaries were not drawn up and the same lands were in effect granted to different landowners. Disputes and litigation followed. Lawyers profited and tenantry suffered. There is an account in Barrington’s Personal sketches of how Sir John Burke came to Paris to spend money he could ill afford. He then had to get medical attention for some illness which appears to have been aggravated by his financial problems. Burke admitted:

"I knew very well, that one banker could do me more good, by a single dose, than all the doctors in Paris put together".

In 1813 the Burkes sold some of their lands to the Dowell family for £30,000. As these lands were disputed and indebted the Dowells were then pursued by other creditors. In 1843 the courts put up over £40,000 to satisfy various creditors and the lands had to be surveyed to establish what had belonged to the Burkes and to the Crown. Finally in 1853 the estate (7414 acres) was put up for sale in the Encumbered Estates Court and was bought in trust for £55,000. The new owner was Allan Pollok a wealthy Scots timber merchant.

The best known members of the Burke family came from a junior branch. These were the Burkes of Keelogues, Knocknagur and Waterslade House, Tuam. This extended family produced Thomas Henry Burke the Under Secretary who was murdered in Phoenix Park in 1882 and his brother Augustus Burke the artist.