THE following families settled in Meath in early times: 1. De Geneville succeeded the De Lacys as lords of Meath: and afterwards the great family of Mortimer, earls of March in England. 2. Plunket became earls of Fingal; and branches of them barons of Dunsaney, and earls of Louth. 3. Preston, viscounts Gormanstown; and another branch of them viscounts of Tara. 4. Barnwall, barons of Trimblestown, and visconnts Kingsland. 5. Neterville, barons of Dowth. 6. Bellew, barons of Duleek.* 7. Darcy, of Platten, some of whom were barons of Navan. The family of Jones were afterwards barons of Navan. 8. Cusack, barons of Clonmullen. 9. FitzEustace (see the "Eustace" pedigree), barons of Portlester. 10. De Bathe of Athcarn. 11. Dowdall, of Athlumney. 12. Fleming, of Stalhomock. 13. Betagh (or Beatty), of Moynalty. 14. Cruise, of Cruisetown and Cruise-Rath, etc. 15. Drake, of Drake-Rath. 16. Corbally. 17. Everard. 18. Cheever, some of whom had the title of barons of Mount Leinster. 19. Dardis. 20. Delahoyd. 21. Balffe. 22. Berford or Bedford. 23. Caddell. 24. Scurlock or Sherlock. 25. Dillon. In modern times the following families:--26. Brabazon, earls of Meath. 27. Butler, barons of Dunboyne. 28. Wharton, Baron of Trim. 29.Schomberg, Viscount Tara. 30. Cholmondeley (modernized "Chomley"), Viscount Kells. 31. Hamilton, Viscount Boyne. 32. Colley Welsley or Wellesley, of Dangan, Earl of Mornington, afterwards Marquis Wellesley, and Duke of Wellington. 33. Taylor, earls of Bective, and marquises of Headfort. 34. Bligh, earls of Darnley. 35. The Marquis Conyngham, at Slane. 36. Langford Rowley, Baron of Summerhill. 37. Gerard, Garnet, Barnes, Lambert, Nappier of Loughcrew, Waller, Tisdall or Tiesdale, Winter, Coddington, Nicholson, and Thomson, respectable families in modern times in Meath.

* Duleek: This word is in Irish "Doimhliag," signifying a house made of stone. This village was formerly a parliamentary borough; and in early times was the seat of a small dioces afterwards united to the see of Meath.

    IN Westmeath the following families were located, together with those already enumerated: 1. The Dillons were originally of Irish descent, and of the race of Heremon. Their ancestor (see the "Dillon" pedigree) was descended from a branch of the southern Hy-Niall, in Meath; went to France, in the seventh century; and, being a famous warrior, became Duke of Aquitaine. One of his descendants came to Ireland with King John, and got large grants of land in Westmeath and Annaly; his descendants were lords of Drumrany, in the barony of Kilkenny West; and having founded many great families in Meath and Connaught, became earls of Roscommon, viscounts Dillon in Mayo, barons of Clonbrock, and barons of Kilkenny West; and several of them were counts and generals in the French and Austrian Service. 2. Dalton, and Delamere obtained large possessions in Westmeath and Annaly. The chief seat of the Daltons was at Mount Dalton, in the barony of Rathconrath, of which they were lords; and some of them were distinguished in the service of foreign states. 4. Dease, in Meath, and Westmeath. In more modern times the following families had titles in Westmeath: 5. Rochford, earls of Belvidere. 6. De Ginkell, earls of Athlone.
    In Meath, up to very recently, the following baronets were located: Sir William Somerville, Sir Henry Meredith, Sir Francis Hopkins, Sir Charles Dillon; and in Westmeath the following: Sir Percy Nugent, and Count Nugent, Sir Richard Nagle, Sir John Bennet Piers, Sir Richard Levinge, and Sir John O'Rielly or O'Reilly.
    Ancient Meath constituted the chief part of the English Pale,* and was divided into the counties of East Meath and Westmeath, in the reign of Henry the Eighth; but its extent was diminished, as East Meath in early times contained parts of Dublin and Kildare, and Westmeath contained parts of Longford and King's county.

* English Pale: The "English Pale" meant that part of Ireland occupied by the English settlers.  In A.D. 1603, the distinction between the "Pale" and the "Irish Country" terminated, by the submission of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.

    IN modern times the following families have formed the nobility of Annaly; 1. Aungier, earls of Longford; afterwards Fleming; and next Pakenham. 2. Lane, earls of Lanesborough, and next Butler. 3. Gore were earls of Annaly. 4. The family of Forbes are now earls of Granard.

    AS explained in the account of the grant of the Kingdom of Meath to Hugh de Lacy by King Henry the Second, De Lacy and his barons became possessed of the greater portion of the present county Dublin; Hugh Tyrrell got the territory about Caatleknock, which was long held by his descendants, as barons of Castleknock; the Phepoes got Santry and Clontarf, and, according to MaeGeoghegan, Vivian de Cursun got the district of Raheny, near Dublin, which belonged to Giollamocholmog.
    In Dublin: In the county and city of Dublin, the following have been the principal families, from the twelfth to the eighteenth century, but some of whom, it will be seen, are of Irish descent: Talbot, Tyrrell, Plunket, Preston, Barnwall, St. Lawrence, Taylor, Cruise, Cusack, Cogan, White, Walsh, Wall, Warren, Wogan, Woodlock, Darcy, Netterville, Marward, Phepo, Fitzwilliam, Fleming, Fitzsimons, Archbold, Archer, Allen, Aylmer, Ball, Bagot, De Bathe, Butler, Barry, Barret, Benningham, Brett, Bellew, Blake, Brabazon, Finglas, Sweetman, Hollywood, Howth, Hussey, Burnell, Dowdall, Dillon, Segrave, Sarsfield, Stanihurst, Lawless, Cadell, Evans, Drake, Grace, Palmer, Eustace, Fyan or Fynes, Foster, Gough, Berrill, Bennet, Brown, Duff, Nangle, Woder, Tuite, Tew, Trant, Peppard, Luttrell, Rawson, Vernon, Delahoyde, Usher, Garnet, Hamilton, Domville, Coghill, Cobb, Grattan, Molesworth, Latouche, Putland, Beresford, Shaw, Smith, etc. For accounts of all those families and others, see D'Alton's Histories of Dublin and Drogheda.
    In Kildare: In the county Kildare, the following have been the chief families of Anglo-Norman and English descent: Earl Strongbow (a quo, probably the names "Strong" and "Stronge") having become heir to the kingdom of Leinster, as son-in-law of Dermod MacMurrough, king of that province, as already mentioned, gave grants of various parts of Leinster to his followers. Amongst other grants, Strongbow gave in Kilare to Maurice Fitzgerald, Naas and Offelan, which had been part of "O'Kelly's Country;" to Myler Fitzhenry he gave Carbery; to Robert de Bermingham, Offaley, part of "O'Connor's Country;" to Adam and Richard de Hereford, a large territory about Leixlip, and the district called De Saltu Salmonis or the Salmon Leap (on the banks of the river Liffey, between Leixlip and Celbridge), from which the baronies of North and South "Salt" derive their name; and to Robert FitzRichard he gave the barony of Narragh. The family of De Riddlesford, in the reign of King John, got the district of Castledermot, which was part of the territory of O'Toole, prince of Imaile, in Wicklow; and Richard de St. Michael got from King John the district of Rheban, near Athy, part of "O'Moore's Country;" and from the St. Michaels, lords of Rheban, the manors of Rheban and Woodstock in Kildare, with Dunamase in the Queen's County, passed to the Fitzgeralds, barons of Offaley, A.D. 1424, by the marriage of Thomas Fitzgerald with Dorothea, daughter of Anthony O'Moore, prince of Leix. As already mentioned, the county Kildare, in the thirteenth century, became the inheritance of Sibilla, one of the daughters of William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, by Isabella, daughter of Strongbow, and grand-daughter of Dermod MacMurrough, King of Leinster; and Sibilla having married William Ferrars, Earl of Derby, he became in right of his wife lord of Kildare; which title passed (by intermarriage of his daughter Agnes) to William de Vesey, a nobleman of the De Veseys, barons of Knapton in Yorkshire; and this William de Vesey was appointed by King Edward the First lord justice of Ireland, and was lord of Kildare and Rathangan. But having some contests with John FitzThomas Fitzgerald, baron of Offaley, who charged him with high treason, it was awarded to decide their disputes by single combat. De Vesey, having declined the combat and fled to France, was attainted, and his posessions and titles were conferred on Fitzgerald, who, A.D, 1316, was, by King Edward the Second, created earl of Kildare; and his descendants were, in modern times, created dukes of Leinster (see the "FitzG-erald" pedigree). The other chief families in Kildare have been those of Aylmer, Archbold, Bagot, Burgh or Bourke, Butler, Brereton, Burrough, Boyce, Dungan or Dongan, Keating, Eustace or FitzEustace, Preston, Lawless, Wogan, Warren, White, Woulfe, Ponsonby, Nangle, Hort, etc. Some of the Aylmers of Kildare became barons of Balrath in Meath; and Arthur Woulfe, chief justice of the Queen's Bench, who was created "Viscount Kilwarden," was of the Wolfes or Woulfes of Kildare.

    THE following have been the noble families in the counties of Dublin and Kildare since the reign of King John:--
    In Dublin:-- As already explained, the De Lacys were lords of Meath and of a great part of Dublin. In the year 1384, Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was created Marquis of Dublin and Duke of Ireland; and, in the present Royal Family of Great Britain and Ireland, some of the dukes of Cumberland were earls of Dublin. Talbot, a branch of the Talbots, earls of Shrewsbury, Waterford, and Wexford, have been celebrated families in Dublin and Meath, chiefly at Malahide and Belgard in the county Dublin; and were created barons of Malahide, and barons of Furnival: of these waa Richard Talbot, the celebrated duke of Tyrconnell, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, under King James the Second. Tho Plunkets, great families in Dublin, Meath, and Louth, were created barons of Killeen and earls of Fingal; and branches of them, barons of Dunsany in Meath, and barons of Louth; William Conyngham Plunket, formerly Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was created "Baron Plunket." Preston, viscounts Gormanstown, and some of them viscounts of Tara. St. Lawrence, earls of Howth. Barnwall, vicounts of Kingsland, and barons of Turvey; and also barons of Trimblestown in Meath. De Courcey, barons of Kilbarrock. Fitzwilliam, vicounts of Merrion. Rawson, viscounts of Clontarf. Beaumont, viscounts of Swords; the Molesworths, viscounts of Swords. Temple, vicounts Palmerstown or Palmerston. Treacy, viscounts of Rathcoole. Patrick Sarsfield, the celebrated commander of the Irish forces under King James the Second, was created "Earl of Lucan;" and the Binghams are now earls of Lucan. The Marquis of Wharton, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, waa created earl of Rathfarnham; and the family of Loftus, viscounts of Ely, were also earls of Rathfarnham. Luttrell, earls of Carhampton. Leeson, earls of Miltown. Harman, viscounts of Oxmantown (the name of an ancient district in the vicinity of Dublin); and the family of Parsons, earls of Rosse, in the King's County, are barons of Oxmantown. Wenman, barons of Kilmainham. Barry, barons of Santry. Caulfield, earls of Charlemont, resided, until lately at Marino, Clontarf. Brabazon, earls of Meath, have extensive possessions in Wicklow and Dublin. And Thomas O'Hagan, of Dublin, Lord Chancellor of Ireland under the Gladstone Administration, was A.D. 1870, in the peerage of the United Kingdom, created "Baron O'Hagan." See the "O'Hagan" pedigree. In Kildare, the following have been the noble families since the Anglo- Norman invasion: Fitzgerald, barons of Offaley, earls and marquises of Kildare, and dukes of Leinster. The title of "Earl of Leinster" was, A.D. 1659, borne by the family of Cholmondely; and the title of "Duke of Leinster" was, A.D. 1719, held by a descendant of Duke Schomberg. De Yesey or De Vesci, lords of Kildare and Rathangan. De Lounder, barons of Naas; Preston, also barons of Naas. St. Michael, barons of Rheban. FitzEustace, barons of Kilcullen in Kildare, of Portlester in Meath, and viscounts of Baltinglass in Wicklow. Bourke, barons of Naas, and earls of Mayo. Bermingham, barons of Carbery. Wellesley, barons of Narragh. Allen, viscounts of Allen in Kildare, and barons of Stillorgan in Dublin. Burgh, barons Down. Pomeroy, barons Harberton, and viscounts of Carbery. Agar, barons of Somerton, and earls of Normanton. Lawless, barons of Cloncurry. The barons De Roebeck. Moore, earls and marquises of Drogheda, and barons of Mellifont in Louth, reside at Monasterevan in Kildare. Scott, earls of Clonmel; and the family of Clements, earls of Leitrim, have seats in Kildare.

    THE New Settlers who joined Strongbow in Ireland, and got large grants of lands, were:
     In Wexford--Maurice Fitzgerald, ancestor o{ the earls of Kildare and Desmond; Harvey de Monte Morisco, and Robert Fitzstephen. The other families who settled in Wexford were those of Carew, Talbot, Deveroux* Stafford, Sinnott, Sutton, Keating, Power, Walshe, Fitzharris, Fitzhenry, Derenzy, Masterson, Butler, Brown, Rositer, Redmond, Esmond, Hore, Harvey, Hay, Hughes, Codd, Comerford, Colclough, Lambert, Boyce, Morgan, Tottenham, Ram, Furlong, etc. In the first volume of the Desiderata Curiosa Hibernica, an account is given of various patentees and undertakers who, in the reigns of Elizabeth and King James the First, got extensive grants of forfeited lands which were confiscated in the county of Wexford. The following persons obtained lots of those lands: Sir Richard Cooke, Sir Laurence Esmond, Sir Edward Fisher, Francis Blundell, Nicholas Kenny, William Parsons, Sir Roger Jones, Sir James Carroll, Sir Richard Wingfield, Marshal of the Army; Sir Adam Loftus, Sir Robert Jacob, Captain Trevellian, Captain Fortescue; and Conway Brady, Queen Elizabeth's footman. Several families of the Old proprietors in Wexford are enumerated, with the lands they possessed, and the re-grants of part of those lands which they obtained; as those of Masterson, MacMurrough, MacBrien, MacDowling, MacDermott, Malone, Cavanagh, Moore, O'Bulger, O'Doran, Sinnot, Walsh, Codd, etc.
    In Carlow the following have been the chief old English families:--De Bigod, earls of Norfolk, by intermarriage with the daughter of William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, became lords of Carlow in the thirteenth century; and, A.D. 1346, the county of Carlow was granted to Thomas Plantagenet or De Brotherton, Earl of Norfolk and Marshal of England: whose successors, the Mowbrays, and Howards, dukes of Norfolk, possessed the county of Carlow down to the reign of King Henry the Eighth, when they were deprived of it in consequence of the law against absentees being enforced; and after that time the Butlers, earls of Ormond, became possessed of a great part of Carlow. It may be here observed, that in the fourteenth century the Courts of Exchequer and Common Pleas were for a long period held at Carlow. The other chief families who settled in Carlow were the following: Butler, Brown, Burton, Bagnal, Carew, Cooke, Eustace, Rochfort, Cheever, Ponsonby, Astle or Astly, Bunbury, Blackney or Blackeney, Doyne, Bruen, etc.
    In Wicklow, Maurice Fitzgerald and his descendants, in the reigns of Henry the Second and King John, got extensive grants of land about Arklow; and Walter de Riddlesford, who had the title of "Baron of Brey," got from King John a grant of the lands of Imaile in Wicklow, and of Castledermot in Kildare; both of which belonged to the ancient principality of O'Toole. The other chief families of Wicklow were Butler, Talbot, Eustace, and Howard.

* Devereux: This is the gallicised form of the lrish sirname Leimhearois ("leimhe:" Irish, simplicity, folly, silliness; "aros," a dwelling, a house, or habitation. Compare with it the French Vereux, "worm-eaten" "rotten," etc.); of which family Tomhas Leimhearois (or Thomas Devereux) was an Irish Catholic Bishop, temp. Queen Elizabeth.

    THE following have been the noble families in Wexford, Wicklow, and. Carlow, since the reign of King John:
    In Wexford, in the thirteenth century, the noble English families of De Mountchensey, and De Valence, got large possessions, with the title of lords of Wexford, by intermarriage with a daughter of Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, above mentioned; and by intermarriage with De Valence, Talbot, earls of Shrewsbury, became lords of Wexford, in Ireland; the family of Petty, marquises of Lansdowne, in England, and earis of Shelbourne, in Wexford; Butler, viscounts Mountgarret; Keating, barons of Kilmananan; Esmond, barons of Limerick; Stopford, earls of Courtown; the family of Loftus, earls and marquises of Ely; the family of Phipps, barons Mulgrave, barons of New Ross in Wexford, earls of Mulgrave, and marquises of Normandy in England; Ponsonby, viscounts of Duncannon; Annesley, viscounts Mountmorris; Carew, barons Carew.
    In Carlow, De Bigod, Mowbray, and Howard, dukes of Norfolk, were lords of Carlow; Butler, barons of Tullyophelim, and viscounts of Tullow; Carew, barons of ldrone; O'Cavanagh, barons of Balian; Cheever, viscounts Mountleinster; Fane, barons of Carlow; Ogle, viscounts of Carlow; and Dawson, viscounts of Carlow; Knight, earls of Carlow; the celebrated Duke of Wharton, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the reign of Queen Anne, was created Marquis of Carlow.
     In Wicklow, Howard, earls of Wicklow; Stuart, earls of Blessington; and Boyle, viscounts Blessington; Wingfield, viscounts Powerscourt; Maynard, barons Maynard; the family of Cole, barons of Ranelagh; and Jones, viscounts Ranelagh; Butler, barons of Arklow; Eustace, viscounts of Baltinglass; and the Ropers, viscounts of Baltinglass; Stradford, barons of Baltinglass and earls of Aldborough; Proby, earia of Carysfort; Brabazon, earls of Meath; Berkeley, barons of Rathdown; and the family of Monk, earls of Rathdown; the earls Fitzwilliam in England have extensive possessions in Wicklow.
    Wexford was formed into a County in the reign of King John, and was, as already stated, part of the ancient territory oi Hy-Cinsellagh; it was called by the Irish writers "The County of Lough Garman," as already mentioned. It was also called Contae Riavach (signifying the grey county), from some peculiar greyish appearance of the country; but which Camden incorrectly states to have meant the "rough county." It got the name of Wexford from the town of Wexford, which was called by the Danes, "Weisford," signifying the western haven: a name given to it by the Danish colonies who possessed that city in the tenth and eleventh centuries. The greater part of Wexford was in former times also sometimes called "The County of Ferns," from (as stated by Spenser) the city of Ferns, which was the capital of the MacMurroughs, kings of Leinster. In the tenth century, the Danes of Wexford worked the silver mines situated at Clonmines, in the county Wexford; and in that city had a mint where they struck several coins.
    Carlow was formed into a County in the reign of King John; it was called by the Irish writers Cathairlach and Ceatharloch, anglicised "Caherlough," now "Carlow;" and the name is said to have been derived from the Irish Cathair, a city, and loch, a lake; thus signifying the City of the Lake as it is stated that there was in former times a lake adjoining the place where the town of Carlow now stands; but there is no lake there at present.
    Wicklow was formed into a County in the reign of King James the First; its name being derived from the town of Wicklow, which, it is said, was called by the Danes "Wykinlow or Wykinlough, signifying the "Harbour of Ships;" it was called by the Irish Cilmantan. According to O'Flaherty, the name of "Wicklow" was derived from the Irish Buidhe Cloch, signifying the yellow stone or rock; and probably so called from the yellow colour of its granite rocks. Wicklow was in ancient times covered with extensive forests; and the oak woods of Shilielagh, on the borders of Wicklow and Wexford, were celebrated in former times. The gold mines of Wicklow, celebrated in history, were situated in the mountain of Croghan Kinselagh, near Arklow; and pieces of solid golden ore of various sizes were found in the rivulets: one of which pieces was twenty-three ounces in weight.

    AS already explained, the daughter of Dermod MacMurrough, King of Leinster, having been married to Richard de Clare, earl of Pembroke, commonly called Stronghow, the kingdom of Leinster was conferred on Strongbow by King Dermod; and William Marshall, earl of Pembroke, having married Isabella, daughter of Strongbow, by his wife Eva, the inheritance of the kingdom of Leinster passed to the family of the Marshalls, earls of Pembroke, and was possessed by the five sons of William Marshall, who became in succession earls of Pembroke and lords of Leinster; and on the extinction of the male line of the Marshalls, the counties of Leinster were divided amongst the five daughters of the said William Marshall, earl of Pembroke; and their descendants in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries (see Hanmer's "Chronicle," Baron Finglas's "Breviate of Ireland," and Harris's "Hibernica"): Joanna, the eldest daughter of the said William Marshall, had, on the partition of Leinster, Wexford allotted to her as her portion; and being married to Warren de Montchensey, an English baron, he, in right of his wife, became lord of Wexford, which afterwards passed by intermarriage to the De Valences, earls of Pembroke, and lords of Wexford; and, in succession, to the family of Hastings, earls of Abergavenny; and to the Talbots, earls of Shrewsbury, Waterford, and Wexford. Matilda or Maud, another daughter of William Marshall, earl of Pembroke, had the county Carlow allotted to her; and she married Hugh Bigod, earl of Norfolk: this family became lords of Carlow, which title, together with the county Carlow, afterwards passed in succession, by intermarriages, to the Mowbrays and Howards, earls of Norfolk. Sibilla, another of the daughters, got the county Kildare, and was married to William Ferrars, earl of Ferrers anA Derby, who became lord of Kildare; a title which passed, by intermarriage to the De Veseys. The family of the Fitzgeralds afterwards became earls of Kildare. Isabel, another daughter of William Marshall, earl of Pembroke, had for her portion the county Kilkenny, and was married to Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester and Hereford; and, leaving no issue, the county Kilkenny, after his decease, fell to his three sisters, and passed by intermarriage chiefly to the family of De Spencers, barons De Spencer, in England, and afterwards became possessed mostly by the Butlers, earls of Ormond. Eva, the fifth daughter of William Marshall, had, as her portion, Leix and the manor of Dunamase or "O'Moore's Country," comprising the greater part of the present Queen's County; and having married William de Bruse, lord of Gower and Brecknock in Wales, he became, in right of his wife, lord of Leix; and one of his daughters being married to Roger Mortimer, lord of Wigmore in Wales, Leix passed to the family of Mortimer, who were earls of March in England. The King's County, as already stated, was formed out of parts of Offaley, Ely O'Carroll, and the kingdom of Meath; and in the grant of Meath given by King Henry the Second to Hugh de Lacy, a great part of the present King's County was possessed by De Lacy, who built in that county the castle of Durrow, where he was slain by one of the Irish galloglasses, as mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, at A.D. 1186. The Fitzgeralds, earls of Kildare and barons of Offaley, became possessed of a great part of the King's County; and the family of De Hose or Hussey had part of Ely O'Carroll, and the country about Birr.
    The following have been the chief families since the English invasion in Kilkenny, King's, and Queen's Counties.
    In Kilkenny: Butler, Grace, Walsh, Fitzgerald, Roth, Archer, Cantwell, Shortall, Purcell, Power, Morris, Dalton or D'Alton, Stapleton, Wandesford, Lawless, Langrish, Bryan, Ponsonby, etc. The Butlers became the chief possessors of the county Kilkenny, as earls of Ormond and Ossory, dukes of Ormond, earls of Kilkenny and Gowran, viscounts of Galmoy, and various other titles derived from their extensive estates in this county and in Tipperary. "The Graces:" An account has already been given of Maurice Fitzgerald, a celebrated Anglo-Norman Chief who came over with Strongbow, and was ancestor of the earls of Kildare and Desmond. William Fitzgerald, brother of Maurice, was lord of Carew in Wales; and the descendants of one of his sons took the name of De Carew, and from them, it is said, are descended the Carews of Ireland, great families in Cork, Wexford, and Carlow. From another of the sons of William Fitzgerald, were descended the Gerards, families of note in Ireland. The eldest son of William Fitzgerald, called Raymond Fitzwilliam, got the name of "Raymond le Gros," from his great size and strength; he was one of the most valiant of the Anglo-Norman commanders; was married to Basilia de Clare, sister of Strongbow; held the office of standard bearer of Leinster; and was for some time chief Governor of Ireland. Raymond died about A.D. 1184, and was buried in the Abbey of Molana, on the island of Darinis, on the river Blackwater, in the bay of Youghal. Maurice, the eldest son of Raymond le Gros, was ancestor of the great family of the Fitzmaurices, earls of Kerry. Raymond had another son called Hamon le Gros, and his descendants took the name of "le Gros," or "le Gras," afterwards changed to Grace. The Graces were created barons of Courtown, and held an extensive territory in the county Kilkenny, called "Graces' Country;" but, in the wars of the Revolution, the Graces lost their hereditary estates: John Grace, the last baron of Courtown, having forfeited thirty thousand acres of land in Kilkenny for his adherence to King James the Second. "The Walshes;" This family was, by the Irish, called Branaghs, from "Breatnach," which signifies a Briton: as they originally came from Wales with Strongbow and his followers. They therefore got extensive possessions in Waterford, Kilkenny, Wexford, and Carlow; and held the office of seneschals of Leinster, under the successors of Strongbow. The Butlers, viscounts of Galmoy; the Graces, Walshes, Roths, and Shees, lost their extensive estates in Kilkenny, in the war of the Revolution. The Bourkes, a branch of the Bourkes of Connaught, settled in Kilkenny and Tipperary; and some of them in Kilkenny took the name of Gaul, from "Gall," the name by which the Irish then called Englishmen; and from them " Gaulstown" got its name. The Purcells were also numerous and respectable in Kilkenny and Tipperary; and, in the latter county, had the title of barons of Loughmoe.
    In the Queen's County: The following were the chief families of English descent; After Leix had been formed into a county, the following seven families were the chief English settlers in the reigns of Queen Mary and Elizabeth, and were called the seven tribes; namely, Cosby, Barrington, Bowen, Rush, Hartpole, Hetherington, and Hovendon; and in the reign of Charles the First, Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, having got extensive grants of land in the Queen's County, his lands were formed into the "Manor of Villiers," and passed to the present dukes of Buckingham; and after the Cromwellian wars and the Revolution, the families of Parnell, Pole, Pigot,* Prior, Coote, Cowley, Dawson, Despard, Vegey, Staples, Brown, Johnson, Trench, Weldon, And Walpole, got extensive possessions.
    In King's County; Fitzgerald, Digby, Hussey, and Fitzsimon, were the chief families before the reign of Elizabeth; and some of the Fitzimons took the Irish name of "MacRuddery," from the Irish MacRidire, which signifies the Son of the Knight. In aftertimes, the families of Armstrong, Drought, Bury, Parsons, Molesworth, Lestrange, and Westenra, were the chief new settlers.

* Pigot: According to some authorities, it was in tha reign of Queen Elizabeth that the "Pigott" family came to the Queen's County.

    THE following have been the noble families in Kilkenny, King's and Queen's Counties, since the reign of King John:-- In Kilkenny: Marshall, earls of Pembroke; De Clare, earls of Gloucester and Hertford; and De Spencer, as above mentioned, were all lords of Kilkenny; Butler, earls of Ormond and Ossory, and marquises and dukes of Ormond, earls of Kilkenny, earls of Gowran, earls of Glengall, earls of Carrick, viscounts of Galmoy, viscounts Monntgarrett, and barons of Kells; Butler, earls of Ossory; Fitzpatrick, barons of Gowran and earls of Ossory; Grace, barons of Courtown; Fitzgerald, barons of Burntchurch; Wandesford, earls of Castlecomer; De Montmorency,* viscounts Montmorres and viscounts Frankfort; Flower, barons of Castle Durrow and viscounts Ashbrook; Ponsonby, earls of Besborough, and viscounts Duncannon; Agar, barons of Callan, viscounts of Clifden, and barons of Dover; Cuffe, viscounts Castlecuffe, and barons of Desart. In Queen's County: Marshall, earls of Pembroke; De Bruce and Mortimer, as above mentioned, were lords of Leix; Fitzpatrick, barons of Castletown, barons of Gowran, and earls of Upper Ossory; Butler, barons of Cloughgrennan; Coote, earls of Mountrath; Molyneaux, viscounts of Maryborough and earls of Sefton, in England; Dawson, earls of Portarlington; De Vesey, barons of Knapton and viscounts De Vesey or De Vesci. In King's County: Fitzgerald, barons of Offaley and earls of Kildare; Digby, barons of Geashill, and earls Digby, in England; O'Carroll, barons of Ely; O'Sionnagh or Fox, barons of Kilcourcey; O'Dempsey, barons of Philipstown and viscounts of Clanmaliere; Lambert, barons of Kilcourcey and earls of Cavan; Blundell, barons of Edenderry; the family of Parsons, at Birr or Parsonstown, earls of Ross and barons of Oxmantown; Molesworth, barons of Philipstown; Moore, barons of Tullamore; Bury, barons of Tullamore and earls of Charleville; Toler, earls of Norbury and viscounts Glandine; Westenra, barons of Rossmore.

*Montmorency: In p. 135, Vol. 1., of the "De la Ponce MSS., are given twenty-seven generations of this family: commencing with Bouchard I., who d. A.D. 984, and ending with Hervey, who d. 1840.

    IN the 12th century John de Courcy made some attempts with his Anglo-Norman forces towards the conquest of Connaught, but did not succeed to any extent. The De Burgos or Bourkes, in the reign of King John, obtained grants in various parts of Connaught; and, for a long period, carried on fierce contests with the O'Connors, kings of Connaught, and various chiefs. They made considerable conquests in the country, and were styled lords of Connaught; but it appears that in the fourteenth century, several chiefs of the Bourkes renounced their allegiance to the English Government, and some of them took the sirname of "MacWilliam;" and, adopting the Irish language and dress, identified themselves with the ancient Irish in customs and manners. One of them took the name of Mac William Oughter or Mac William the Upper, who was located in Galway, the upper part of Connaught; and another, Mac William Eighter, or Mac William the Lower, who was located in Mayo, or the lower part. Some branches of the Bourkes took the sirnames of MacDavid, MacPhilbin, MacGibbon, from their respective ancestors. (See the "Bourke" pedigree.) From Richard or Rickard de Burgo, a great portion of the county Galway got the name of Glanrickard, which, according to Ware, comprised the baronies of Clare, Dunkellin, Loughrea, Kiltartan, Athenry, and Leitrim. The De Burgos became the most powerful family in Connaught, and were its chief governors under the kings of England. They were styled lords of Connaught, and also became earls of Ulster; but, on the death of William de Burgo, earl of Ulster, in the fourteenth century, and the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth, to Lionel, Duke of Clarence, son of King Edward the Third, his titles passed into the Royal Family of England. Ulick Burke, the progenitor of the marquises of Clanrickard, had great possessions in Galway and Roscommon; and Sir Edmund Bourke, called "Albanach," had large possessions in Mayo, and was ancestor of the earls of Mayo. Mayo: The other families who settled in Mayo, were the following: De Angulo or Nangle, who took the Irish surname "MacCostello," and from whom the barony of "Costello" derived its name. De Exter, who took the name of "MacJordan," and were styled lords of Athleathan, in the barony of Gallen. Barrett, some of whom took the sirname of "MacWatten;" and "MacAndrew." Staunton, in Carra some of whom took the name of "MacAveely." Lawless, Cusack, Lynot, Prendergast, and Fitzmaurice; Bermingham, who changed their name to "MacFeorais;" Blake, Dillon, Bingham, etc. The MacPhilips are placed on the map of Ortelius in the barony of Costello; their principal seat is at Cloonmore, and they are a branch of the Bourkes who took the name of "MacPhilip. " Mayo, according to some accounts, was formed into a county, as early as the reign of Edward the Third; but not altogether reduced to English rule till the reign of Queen Elizabeth. In Speed's "Theatre of Great Britain," published, A.D. 1676, Mayo ig stated to be "replenished both with pleasure and fertility, abundantly rich in cattle, deer, hawks, and plenty of honey." Mayo derives its name from "magh," a plain and "eo," a yew tree, signifying the Plain of the Yew Trees. In Sligo, the Anglo-Normans under the Bourkes and the Fitzgeralds (earls of Kildare) made some settlements, and had frequent contests with the O'Connors; and with the O'Donnells (princes of Tirconnell), who had extended their power over a great part of Sligo. Sligo derives its name from the river Sligeach ("Slig." a shell), and was formed into a county, A.D. 1565, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, by the lord deputy Sir Henry Sydney.

    THE following have been the noble families in Mayo and Sligo since the reign of King James the First. Mayo: Bourke, viscounts Clanmorris and earls of Mayo. Browne, barons of Kilmain: barons of Westport, and barons of Oranmore. Bingham, barons of Castlebar; and Saville, barons of Castlebar. Dillon, barons of Costello- Gallen, and viscounts Dillon. O'Hara, barons of Tyrawley and Kilmain. Sligo: O' Taaffe, barons of Ballymote, and viscounts of Corran. Coote, barons of Collooney. Scudamore, viscounts of Sligo. And Browne, marquises of Sligo.

    IN the twelfth and thirteenth centuries several new families settled in the town of Galway, and other parts of that county; the principal of whom were Athy, Bermingham, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, Blundel, Deane, Dillon, Darcy, French, De Jorse, Kirwan, Lynch, Lawless, Morris, Martin, White, etc. The De Jorses came from Wales to Galway in the reign of Edward the First, and having formed an alliance with the O'Flahertys, chiefs of West Connaught, got large possessions in Connemara in the barony of Ross; and towards the borders of Mayo a territory which is called "Joyces' Country." These DeJorses changed their name to "Joyce."

    THE following have been the noble families in Galway and Roscommon since the reign of King James the First:
    In Galway: De Burg or Burke, earls and marquises of Clanrickard; Bourke, viscounts of Galway, and barons of Brittas; Bermingham, barons of Athenry: Butler and Gore, earls of Arran; De Massue and Moncton, viscounts of Galway; Le Poer Trench, earls of Clancarty, viscounts Dunloe, and barons of Kilconnell; Vereker, viscounts of Gort; Dillon, barons of Clonbrock; French, barons French; Browne, barons of Oranmore; Blake, barons of Wallscourt; Trench, barons of Ashtown.
    In Roscommon: Dillon, earls of Roscommon; Wilmot and De Ginkle, earls of Athlone; King, viscounts Lorton; Coote, barons of Castlecoote; Crofton, barons Crofton; Mahon, barons Hartland; and Sandford, barons of Mountsandford.
    In the reign of Elizabeth, the Lord Deputy Sir Henry Sydney, A.D. 1565, formed Galway into a county; which took its name from the chief town, called in Irish Gaillimh [Galliv], anglicised "Galway." And in the same reign the same Lord Deputy formed Roscommon into a county, which took its name from the town of Roscommon, which in Irish is Ros-Comain (signifying the Wood of Coman), and was so called from St. Coman, who founded an abbey there in the sixth century.

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