Allen's and Sweeney's of Summerhill Parish, County Meath and Jersey County, Illinois: 05/17/14

Summerhill House

Summerhill Demesne

Listed on the same page as the Allen family on Griffith's Valuation is "Summerhill Demesne." Demesne is a feudal term, referring to times when the king granted large pieces of land, or baronies, to his barons who lived on the demesne property, which included their own home, plus gardens, hunting grounds, etc. These barons leased out the land they owned surrounding their home to serfs.) Ireland in the 1800's still operated much like a feudal society. The serfs had become tenant farmers, still dependent on the baron for their living.

The landowner of Summerhill Demesne in 1855 was the Honorable Hercules L. Rowley- Lord Langford. The valuation shows that the demesne included 755 acres of land. All in all, Lord Langford owned 2,231 acres throughout Ireland.

The 2nd Baron Langford succeeded the title in 1825, the same year as the marriage of Richard Allen and Margaret Sweeney.

This Baron lived only 14 years after succeeding the title, dying in 1839, and leaving his 15 year old son as heir. His son was educated at Eton, but also died young, at age 29 in 1854, leaving the title to his 6 year old son, who lived until 1919.

Baron Langford

Sir Hercules

An excellent overview of the lives of the Langford family and other landed families in Meath is offered by Terence Dooley in "A World Turned Upside Down; a study of the changing social world of the landed nobility of County Meath- 1875-1945." These families lived a "Downton Abbey" type existence, hiring an army of servants from England, Scotland, and Protestant Ireland, with few Irish Catholics employed on the grounds. Servants who were employed generally lived on the estate in cottages or in the attics of the house. They generally worked 6 days a week, for very little pay.

http://eprints.nuim.ie/771/1/county_meath.pdf

Summerhill House

The family entertained guests at lavish dinners and all night balls were held on occasions. Games such as croquet were popular during the day. Gentlemen enjoyed shooting for game on the vast grounds, which also brought food to the table. Fox hunting, however, was the most important activity, often taking place five days a week. Tenant farmers were required to allow the hunt to cross their fields. Racing and steeplechase events were also popular. The Meath nobility were well known for their breeding and ownership of fine horses, used both in racing and hunting. Lord Langford's "Sir Hercules" was unbeaten in Ireland in 1828 and became a famous foundation stud in Irish racing.

One claim to fame of Summerhill Demesne is that is was visited/rented by the Empress of Austria in 1879-1880, who sought it out due to its reputation for excellent hunting and hounds. The Empress was, by the way, Roman Catholic, and even constructed a Catholic chapel in the house for worship during her stay. (Apparently the residents tolerated Catholicism in an empress!)

Catherine, Empress of Austria

The Langfords tended to be absent landowners, and were away in London when the IRA burned Summerhill House in 1921. Once one of the greatest houses in Ireland, now only ruins remained. In time, even the memories of the greatness of Summerhill faded away. I read recently that now, even the ruins are gone, plowed over and planted into fields.