NEWTOWN ESTATE

C1712

Barony of Moyarta, Co Clare

 

ORIGIN

The area that would form Newtown Estate was originally heavily wooded and the region would have been ruled by the McMahon clan who had title to it until late into the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The lands were eventually confiscated by the Crown and granted to Sir Daniel O’Brien, ancestor of the Viscounts of Clare in around 1599. Titles changed for the region following the Cromwellian settlement of 1667 and divided between the Earl of Thomand and Sir Daniel O'Brien of Carrigaholt. Newtown at this stage had not come into formation, but belonged to a larger land structure. 


West Clare was divided into four baronies; Moyarta, Clonderlaw, Islands, and Ibrickan. Within the four baronies are 20 parishes and 583 townlands. Townlands are the smallest administrative unit of Irish local government (excluding street names and numbers). They are used mostly in rural areas, as primary addresses (Donal De Barra, Analysis of Clare Placenames, 2018). The Barony of Moyarta came into existence around the year 1600 and was divided in ownership between the Earl of Thomond (O’Brien) and Sir Daniel O’Brien, Viscount, of Carrigaholt. In the Down Survey maps of 1656 – 1658, the area was known as Farrimwilleon Prot:land. According to the 1659 Census of Clare, the following numbers were recorded:

English 31; Irish 993; with principle names: Cahane, Connor, McDaniell, McDae, Ó Dae, Fizgerald,  Gorman, Hurly, Lenchy, Lyne, Mullowny, Mahony, McMahon, Fitzmorrice, Madigane, Quelly, Sulevane, Scanlane, McShane, and McTeige. 


 In 1712, the Earl of Thomond made a lease forever for many of the townlands to Anthony Hickman and Richard Freeman. As a result of this, it brought many English Protestant families to the area, like Francis Brew (1680 – 1760) of the Brew family, an English family that arrived in Ireland in around 1628. Francis Brew took up residence of the townlands of Newtown, Clarefield and Kilferagh. Newtown being an English name with an earlier name of "Ballyraght" being associated with Newtown East and "Gortaclare" being the former name for the townland of Clarefield and surrounding areas (Clare Local Studies & Archives). 

 

Newtown House, a 19th century house, built over an original house, became the seat for the Brew family of Newtown Estate. Both the original house and the 19th century house are demolished, with the second occurring around 1950. Little is known of the original house, but the second was a 19th century, two storey, three bay, double pile, square house facing north-east towards Poulnasherry Bay (Houses of Clare by Hugh Weir). Francis Brew (1715 – 1790) is suggested to have married Susanna Burton, daughter to the Burton family of Carrigaholt Castle & Manor, who had purchased the forfeited estates of Viscount Clare in 1698. The Burton family arrived in Ireland in 1610, with the first being brothers, Francis Burton (d.1714) and Thomas Burton (Burton Hall, Lord Belmont in Northern Ireland).

 

In 1800, the estate of Newtown was split in two to form Newtown East & Newtown West, following the death of Burton Brew (1754 – 1800), who had married Elizabeth Cox (1754 – 1834) of Mount Pleasant House, Clarefield.

 

NEWTOWN EAST & NEWTOWN HOUSE

Newtown East became the estate of Francis Brew (B.1785) and later his son, Francis Parkinson Brew (1827 – 1891) under Fee Farm Grant, dated 26 March 1860, from Richard Studdert. The land at Newtown formed part of a wider land structure of the Brew family within County Clare. The estate of Newtown East, containing 183 acres was sold in auction on the 04 July 1867, to Richard Bolton Silles (1829 - 1898, father of Richard Silles, Newtown East) JP, of Kerry. (Land Act of 1876, 333 acres, tenement valuation £161). 

 

Richard Bolton Silles was married to Anne Cunningham and had the following children: 

Clare Journal. 03 May 1906. Marriage: Silles and Counihan: At the Roman Catholic Church, Kilrush on the 25th April by the Rev. P. Hogan , John son of the late Richard Bolton Silles, Esq, J.P., Newtown House, County Clare, to Mary Helena (Mysie) second daughter of John F. Counihan, Esq, M.D., J.P., Kilrush. 

 

Clare Journal & Ennis Advertiser, December 1893 - Dr. Silles, son of Mr. Richard Bolton Silles and brother to Messrs Richard and Francis Silles, Newtown House, Kilrush


Richard Bolton Silles, magistrate, left Newtown House for Leicester, England in 1888 (Clare Journal & Ennis Advertiser, November 1888). Richard O'Connell Silles, son of Richard B Silles, left for London in 1912, recorded as follows:

Saturday Record (Ennis) 11 May 1912. A highly esteemed West Clare gentleman Mr. Rd. O'Connell Silles, JP, Newtown House, Querrin, left last week for London, where he will permanently reside in the future. He carries with him, every good wish of the people of the district, who keenly regret his departure from their midst. 

 

Newtown East and Newtown House were put for sale as per the following record:

Clare Champion. 28 October 1911. 

NEWTOWN to be sold, on Friday, October 27th, 1911.

His valuable form consisting of 183 acres (10 are sub-let) held under the Landed Estate Courts at the nominal annual rent of £35 13s 6d, the valuation being £99 10s 0d. 

Descriptive Particulars

Newtown House occupies an elevated position between the town of Kilrush and the well-known health resort, Kilkee. It commands a magnificent view of the picturesque country around and from the hall door there are distant and pleasing views of three surrounding counties. The house which is approached by a well-kept and tastefully planted avenue, contains three fine sitting rooms, six bedrooms, lavatory, kitchen, pantry, and the out offices, well-built commodious, are in keeping with the substantial proportions of the residence itself. The farm is at present in great heart, judiciously sub-divided into paddocks of convenient size plentifully supplied with water and fenced with white thorn hedges, which afford the necessary shelter to outlying cattle in the winter and when the flies and heat of the summer come, make it impossible for stock to stray. For dairying or tillage purposes, a ready market is to be found in Kilkee, a few miles distant, and for grazing purposes, the farm is admirably located, being only three miles from Kilrush, an important and progressive port on the Shannon. 

Sale at One O'Clock


 By 1921 Thomas Falvey was in residence at Newtown House. As of the 1926 census, Thomas Falvey, his wife, Bridget (of Tipperary), son, John and daughter, Bridget M, were at the house, occupying ten rooms. Thomas Falvey was elected for the County Constituency of Clare in June 1927 (Saturday Record (Ennis) 1917). The Falvey family remained on at Newtown House and Newtown East, until the entire property along with Newtown House was purchased by Thomas Coughlan, whose family still remain there today (2026). Newtown House was demolished in the 1950s with only part of the ground floor remaining, which now forms part of the farm buildings (2026).

 

NEWTOWN WEST & BREW-HEAPHY HOUSE
Newtown West was divided between brothers, Jonathon Brew (m. Abigail Pilkington) and Burton Brew (m. Anne Pilkington). Jonathon lived at an older house, now referenced as the Brew-Heaphy House. This house was built in the mid to late 18th century. Jonathon’s brother, Burton, built his own house c1819. Another house existed next to Burton's house, however no history is known of this house and it has been demolished. The house was associated with a Court of Chancery case on the lands of Burton Brew, following his death, between his widow Anne Pilkington Brew V William Brew & his wife, Susanna Daxon, dated 1875. 


Jonathon Brew was registered as Freeholder at Newtown West and the Brew-Heaphy Houses in 1832 as follows:

Jonathon Brew, Newtown, house and land at Newtown, townland of Newtown, and Barony of Moyarta


Population census of Newtown in the 1840s by Sir Petty was recorded as follows:

Newtown West 150 People

Newtown East 182 People  


In 1853, part of the lands of Newtown West, once belonging to Jonathon Brew, including the 18th century Brew-Heaphy House were granted in a marriage agreement between Jane Brew (1825 – 1904, daughter of Burton Brew & Anne Pilkington), and Eyre Heaphy (1806 – 1891), son of John and Frances Heaphy, formerly of Elm Park, Clarina, Limerick, introducing the Heaphy name into the estate of Newtown.


 Only two of the original houses exist today in Newtown West (2026); the Brew-Heaphy House by the Heaphy family and the house built by Burton Brew c1819 by the Scanlan family. Access to these two houses were originally through long avenues leading to the south of the houses. Following 1878, road access changed and long avenues were used leading into the north side or rear of both houses.

The Brew-Heaphy House, the oldest of the two houses in Newtown West, stands on the western edge of Newtown and has been witness to an exorcism, armed attacks, funeral wakes, births, parties, fire, and was a home to bats. It is unknown if the house was built in its current form or extended upwards by either Jonathon Brew or Eyre Heaphy. The house, is a story and half, with originally having 7 front facing windows. The house was slated as per the 1901 census and categorised as a class 1 house. It contained a minimum of three fire hearths, with three chimneys, with the one on the western end a dummy.

 

The house was completely renovated in the 1950s and again in the early 2000s. The 1950s works saw the removal of a red brick fireplace in an upper floor bedroom at the east end of the house; removal of a window on the western gable; removal of one of the four front facing windows on the upper floor. A photo of the house exists pre the 1950s work. The work in the 2000s, saw the demolishing of the central chimney and its reconstruction, along with complete overhaul of all rooms, including all electrical & plumbing works, and redevelopment of the kitchen at the rear of the house, which was an addition from the 1970s.  

 

Occupants of the 18th Century Brew-Heaphy House of Newtown West

 

Circa 1770 – 1799

Brew Family

 

1799 – 1816

William Pilkington & Jane O’Donnell with children under lease: 

Abigail (Brew), Catherine (O'Donnell), Anne (Brew), Thomas, Francis, William, Richard, Mary (Bradley), Jane, John, & Thomas. 

 

1816 – 1844

Jonathon Brew & Abigail Pilkington with children: 

Jane, Eliza, Burton, William, Francis, Katherine, Susanna, William, Anne (Griffin), Margaret, Francis, Jonathon, Richard, and Abigail.

 

1844 – 1853

Burton Brew & Jane Brew. Burton died in 1848 and the couple had no children.

Some of Burton’s siblings may have continued to live at the house during this time. 

 

1853 – 1891

Eyre Heaphy & Jane Brew with children: 

Harriet (Wallace) & John Eyre Heaphy (born Clarina, Limerick, from Eyre’s first marriage), Elizabeth (Parkinson), Burton, Samuel, Frances Jane, Catherine, Abigail (Young), and George Francis.  

Anne Pilkington Brew, mother of Jane Brew Heaphy, originally born at the house, returned to live there following c1870 until her death in 1880. 

 

1891 – 1937

Burton Heaphy & Johanna Harvey with children: 

Mary Anne, Francis, Jane Frances, Samuel John, Johanna, and Bridget. Johanna Harvey died in 1906.

 

Burton Heaphy & Anne Lynch with children: 

Johanna and Jane (Sheedy) (Frost).

 

1937 – 1970

Samuel Heaphy & Josephine McMahon with children:

Samuel, Thomas, Mary (Farrell), and Josephine. 

 

1970 – 2001

Thomas Heaphy & Mary Fennell with children:

Carmel (Maye), Noel, Brendan, and Imelda (McGuirk). 

 

2001 – 2024

Noel Heaphy

 

2024 – Present

Heaphy family, under guardianship of Thomas & Mary Fennell Heaphy. 


 

Short Family Trees of Heaphy/Brew families of Brew-Heaphy House

 

HEAPHY

John Heaphy (1776 – 1851) = Frances Green (Clarina, Limerick)

Eyre Heaphy (1806 – 1891) = Harriet Vokes (1827 – 1852) (Clarina, Limerick)

Eyre Heaphy (1806 – 1891) = Jane Brew (1825 – 1904) (Newtown West, Clare)

Burton Heaphy (1859 – 1947) = Johanna Harvey (1869 – 1906)

Samuel Heaphy (1901 – 1977) = Josephine MacMahon (1905 – 1975)

         Thomas Heaphy = Mary Fennell

Noel Heaphy (1975 – 2024)

 

BREW

Burton Brew (1752 – 1800) = Elizabeth Cox (c1754 – 1834) Newtown House, Newtown East, Clare

Jonathon Brew (1789 – 1845) = Abigail Pilkington (1796 – 1843), Newtown West, Clare

Burton Brew (1821 – 1848) = Jane Brew (1825 – 1904)

Jane Brew (Brew) (1825 – 1904) = Eyre Heaphy (1806 – 1891)