Gaulstown, also spelt Gallstown is a townland in

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The townland is located in between the towns of

Rochfortbridge Rochfortbridge () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland. The village is located at the intersection of the R400 and the R446 (formerly the N6) roads. As of the 2016 census, the population of Rochfortbridge was 1,473. History Rochfortb ...

and

Milltownpass Milltownpass () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is in the south of the county, 10 km south-east of Mullingar. The village is on the R446 regional road (formerly the N6 national primary route); the old route was replaced ...

, close to the R446 regional road.. Neighbouring townlands include Bellfield,

Corcloon Corcloon is a townland in Milltownpass in County Westmeath, Ireland. The townland is in the civil parish of Pass of Kilbride. The Milltown River flows through the townland. The townland stands to the east of the village of Milltownpass, on th ...

, Drumman, Milltown and

Windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

to the east, Gibbonstown and Gortumly to the west and Mahonstown to the north.

History

The townland is recorded on the Griffith Valuation in

1868 Events January * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsu ...

, under Gallstown. A total of 10 tenants are listed in the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

, residing on property owned by the Lord Kilmaine. The Lord Kilmaine himself ( Francis Browne, 4th Baron Kilmaine) is also residing in the townland.

Gaulstown House

Gaulstown House was a large

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

that stood on the townland. The house was home of the

Rochfort family The Rochfort family came to Ireland (possibly from France) in the thirteenth century and acquired substantial lands in counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. Several members of the family were prominent lawyers and politicians. They gained the titl ...

for centuries, before being passed to

John Browne, 1st Baron Kilmaine John Browne, 1st Baron Kilmaine (20 May 1726 – 7 June 1794), known as Sir John Browne, 7th Baronet, from 1765 to 1789, was an Irish politician. Early life Kilmaine was the younger son of Sir John Browne, 5th Baronet of The Neale, and Margare ...

and his descendants. It was largely demolished in an attack by the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

Residents of the house included: * James Rochfort (until his death in 1652) *

Robert Rochfort Robert Rochfort (9 December 1652 – 10 October 1727) was a leading Irish lawyer, politician and judge of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. He held office as Attorney General for Ireland, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, ...

(1652-1727) * George Rochfort *

Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere, PC (Ire) (26 March 1708 – 13 November 1774) was an Anglo-Irish politician best known for his abusive treatment of his second wife, Mary Molesworth. Early life He was the son of George Rochfort (son ...

(1708-1774) *

George Rochfort, 2nd Earl of Belvedere George Augustus Rochfort, 2nd Earl of Belvedere (12 October 1738 – 13 May 1814) was an Anglo-Irish politician. Early years George Augustus Rochfort was born on 12 October 1738, son of Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere and Hon. Mary Mol ...

(1738-sold the home in 1784) *

(1730–1794, purchased the home in 1784) * James Caulfeild Browne, 2nd Baron Kilmaine (1765–1825) * John Cavendish Browne, 3rd Baron Kilmaine (1794–1873) * Francis William Browne, 4th Baron Kilmaine (1843–1907) * John Edward Deane Browne, 5th Baron Kilmaine (1878–1946)

References

{{coord, 53.4351, -7.2824, region:IE-G, display=title Townlands of County Westmeath Edward Lovett Pearce buildings *