Rochfortbridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rochfortbridge (Droichead Chaisleán Loiste which means The bridge of the sunken castle in Irish) is a rapidly expanding town in County Westmeath, Ireland with a population of about 1,700. It is located on the N6 and is rapidly becoming part of the Dublin Commuter Belt.

The town has experienced a population boom in the last couple of years as a result of the Celtic Tiger economic boom. As of 2004, three new housing estates have been completed – Rahanine Manor, Stonebridge Park and Castlelost Vale. In early 2004, a new shopping complex opened. (Text taken from www.rochfortbridge.com)

Other (incorrect) variants on the spelling of the town include Rochfordbridge, Rochfort Bridge, Rochford Bridge. The correct spelling is ROCHFORTBRIDGE.

The following text posted by denisponeill@eircom.net. all information below is accurate and can be verified.

Robert Rochfort M.P., of Gaulstown House, midway between the villages of Rochfortbridge and Milltownpass was the person responsible for setting out the village of Rochfortbridge in the year 1700 and so gave Rochfortbridge its name. The town was formerly known as Beggars Bridge as it was a river crossing and toll bridge for people travelling from the east to west where beggars unable to pay the toll often loitered for days begging for food or money to cross the bridge. The river that the original bridge crossed (the river Derry) was about thirty yards wide and spanned by a crude toll bridge. Built from timber there is no trace of the bridge today but the crossing was on the "old" road through the village.

During the 1840's when Ireland was in its worst famine in history, the river was deepened and re-routed. This work was carried out by locals and financed by Lady Cooper of Dunboden house as a means to alleviate famine in the village area.

THE ROCHFORT FAMILY

The first mention of the Rochfort family was in the year 1243, when a family of French nobility named “de Rupe-Forti“settled in Ireland. The family name was hyphenated at that time as it was the result of a co-joining of two wealthy French houses, the house of de Rupe (now Roche) and the house of Forti (now Ford or Forde), there began the family name Roche-Forde. The first recorded names to bear the Rochfort surname were Sir Richard de Rochfort and Sir John de Rochfort, who were Lords of Crom and Adare in or about 1243.

After the partition of the County Meath in the late sixteenth century the County of Westmeath was formed. Grants for the confiscation of land are well documented, notable names that were issued grants in this area include Pakenham, Cooke, Handcock, Middleton, Rochfort, Swift and Featherston. All of these names are in some way connected to the Gaulstown saga and contribute to the history of Gaulstown, long before the village of Rochfortbridge existed. The next mention of the Rochfort family in history was Sir John Rochfort, Lord of Crom, who was living in the year 1269, as was Henry Rochfort, who in the year 1300, surrendered to the King of England, the manors of Maynan, Rathcoffey, and Belgrene, in the County Kildare. Sir Maurice Rochfort was Lord Justice of Ireland in 1302 and in 1309 Sir Mills Rochfort was living in Kildare and had issue three sons, Mills, William and Walter. William the second son of Sir Mills was knighted to the manor of Kill. He had two sons, Edmund, his heir, and Gerlad. Gerlad was summoned as Baron to the parliament that was held in Dublin in the year 1339. Gerlad died in 1349. Edmund was the father of John, Lord of Tristledelan. John married Margy Berford and had two sons, John and Edmund, both living in or about the year 1409. John the eldest son was the first of the Rochfort clan to settle in “Kilbryde” in the year 1415. He married Genet Evers by whom they had issue, one son and one daughter. Thomas, their son, married Elizabeth D’Arcy. Robert, the eldest son of Thomas and Elizabeth became his heir and successor of Kilbryde. He received a discharge in 1463 for the payment of rent at Brownstown Castle. Robert Rochfort married Jane St. John, by whom they had issue a son, Christopher, from whom continued the family at Gaulstown, Kilbryde.

In the year 1651, Lt. Col. Prime Iron Rochfort, challenged Major Turner, a fellow officer to a duel which was staged in the grounds of Gaulstown House. Afterwards, it was discovered that the charge in Major Turner’s pistol was tampered with and Lt. Col. Rochfort was accused of his murder. Lt. Col. Rochfort was found guilty and executed in May 1651, just days before the birth of his son Robert.

During this turbulent era in Irish history, Lt. Col. Rochforts widow fled Gaulstown to the safer surroundings of the pale, where she and her family remained until her son Robert renovated the old house and re-occupied the ancient family home. Robert and his new wife, Lady Hannah Handcock, restored the grounds and turned Gaulstown House into one of the finest houses in the County. In 1707 Robert was appointed Baron of the exchequer by Queen Anne, this meant many long and lonely months working in London and only returning to his beloved Gaulstown during periods of leave. Robert retired his position as MP in the early 1720s and lived out his years in the company of his wife, children and grand children. In 1726, Robert commissioned the building of a chapel at Gaulstown but sadly never saw its completion. Robert died in 1727, leaving in his will among other things £200 for the completion of Christ Church chapel at Gaulstown, £10 for the poor of the parish and £100 for the children residing at Gaulstown House.

At this time Robert’s wife, his son George, together with his wife Lady Elizabeth Moore, daughter of the Earl of Drogheda, with their thirteen children, Robert’s youngest son, his wife and children and perhaps more of Robert’s siblings and family, all lived in the big house. George inherited his fathers position as baron of the exchequer, leaving his wife and mother to care for his family, while he too spent long months in England. George died suddenly on the 8th July 1730, just three years after his father, pre deceasing Robert Rochfort 1st Earl of Belvedere his mother and wife, passing his seat in parliament to his eldest son Robert. At the age of twenty three and a single man, Robert was now the MP for Westmeath and had major plans to climb the ladder of success.However, in 1738 his first son was born. The celebrations went on for weeks. King George II was godfather by proxy to the child that was to be named George after his grandfather or most likely the king himself. Three more sons were to follow George Augustus. In 1740 Richard was born, in 1743 Robert, then in 1744 Arthur was born. The trouble then began.

Robert’s brother Arthur, who lived in Belfield house, was rightly or wrongly accused of adultery, and said to be the father of “Bobby Bán”. Robert charged his pistol and proceeded to settle the matter the old fashioned way. After a brief confrontation Arthur, bleeding heavily, fled to England never to be seen again. Robert then confronted his wife who claimed that both parties were innocent. Mary, under suspicion, pleaded for mercy to her father Viscount Molesworth, who, under pain of embarrassment, disowned Mary as an illegitimate child and whereupon conviction, he agreed she should be transported to the west Indies as a vagabond.

The trial went ahead and Arthur in his absence was charged with adultery and fined £2,000. Mary was also found guilty even though many say the trial was a farce and testimony was tainted. Mary was spared transportation and handed over to her husband to “do with as he wished”. Mary was locked in a room in Gaulstown House only to be released for brief periods and not allowed to converse with the staff or even her children, having to apply to Robert for permission to walk the grounds. Mary would be granted such permission after the route was declared and a footman employed to travel the route ahead, whilst ringing a bell and calling out obscenities about her. After fifteen years, Mary, with the help of a coachman, escaped the boundaries of her confines and travelled to Dublin, where she had secretly arranged a meeting with Arthur. The couple had planned to flee Ireland and sail to France where they would live the rest of their lives, as husband and wife. Mary thought the plan was working but unknown to her, all the secret letters to Arthur were intercepted by the housekeeper at Gaulstown, Catherine Coyne, who had passed them on to Robert. Robert was to let the couple meet and have Arthur arrested. Mary, on hearing of Arthur’s arrest before she had time to meet him, fled to her father, he, once again disowned her and arranged for her to be returned to Gaulstown.

While Robert was involved with the arrest of Arthur, Mary and the coachman returned to Westmeath under escort. They convinced the strange guard that Tudenham house was Gaulstown House. Mary was now in the safe hands of her brother-in-law George Rochfort. George and Robert were enemies almost since birth, but on confrontation by the all-powerful Robert, George reluctantly handed her back to her husband on the condition that the coachman is exonerated of all charges. Mary was incarcerated once again in Gaulstown House where she would spend the following years walking the corridors and talking only to herself and the portraits on the walls. Meanwhile Arthur was locked up in the debtors’ jail in Dublin for non payment of the £2,000 fine; there he would remain until his death.Gaulstown House was now a prison. Unkempt and dreary; it was seldom visited; only a few groundsmen were employed to watch over the house and its occupant. Mary was refused leave to exit the house and was confined to her bedroom and the gallery room.

Robert now returned to Ireland to his new home at Lough Ennell, Belvedere House. In the spring of 1757 Robert was created 1st Earl of Belvedere with much celebration. Everybody thought that this would be the end of Mary’s imprisonment as she was still his wife and now the Countess of Belvedere. Robert did not succumb to the wishes of the gentry and Mary remained a prisoner. As Robert had more enemies than friends and the hatred among the family was well known. It came as no surprise that when, in 1773, George was visited by Sir James Caldwell, sheriff of Fermanagh, who wrote in his account of his visit that Tudenham was the finest house in the district, although Tudenham was dwarfed by Gaulstown and lacked much of the splendour that Gaulstown had. Robert was inconsolably jealous and commissioned the renowned architect Barradette, with the assistance of the equally renowned stone mason Thomas Wright of Durham, to build what Robert was to claim to visitors as the “original house”, though built as a ruin it still stands today and earned the title of “The Jealous Wall”.

Roberts’ death in 1774 has many different versions, one being that a boat from across the lake came ashore at Belvedere House in the dead of night and the occupants of the boat murdered Robert. Others say that while on a moonlit walk in the grounds of Belvedere House, he was either attacked by wild dogs or fell and struck his head on a rock and bled to death. Whatever story is true it was the ending of the reign of a tyrant. On hearing the news of her husbands’ death from her son George, who had come to free her, Mary did not show any remorse and instructed her son to destroy all that belonged to him, even Gaulstown House. Robert was laid to rest in the family crypt at Christ Church, Gaulstown, on the 19th November 1774. Mary, now aged 54, looked haggard and old. Despite his best intentions, George, now the 2nd Earl of Belvedere could not convince his mother to stay in Gaulstown. George even demolished Gaulstown House and built a smaller house in the grounds of the old one. Mary, after a brief stay with her daughter Jane, set sail for France, where it is said she became a nun and lived the rest of her life as a hermit.

Mary’s family: Grandfather: Molesworth, Robert, Viscount Molesworth 1st Born: 1656 Acceded: 16th July 1716. Died: 22nd May 1725 Mother: Bysse, Judith. Grandmother Coote, Letitia, Hon. Father: Molesworth, Richard, Viscount Molesworth 3rd Born 1656 Acceded: 1726 Died: 12th Oct 1758 Uncles Molesworth, John, Viscount Molesworth 2nd Molesworth, William, Capt., MP Molesworth, Edward, Major Molesworth, Hamilton Walter Molesworth, Coote, M.D., b. 1697 Molesworth, Bysse, MP Aunts Molesworth, Mary Molesworth, Charlotte Amelia Molesworth, Letitia

Mother Lucas, Jane

Sister 1: Molesworth, Letitia Sister 2: Molesworth, Amelia Step mother 7th Feb 1743 Usher, Mary Step sisters: Molesworth, Melosina Molesworth, Mary Molesworth, Henrietta Molesworth, Louisa Molesworth, Elizabeth Step brother: Molesworth, Richard Nassau, Viscount Molesworth 4th, b. 4 NOV 1748

George Augustus Rochfort, 2nd Earl of Belvedere.

George was the first Worshipful Master of the Mullingar Lodge of Masons in December 1765. He also formed the first Volunteer Corps in the County at Mullingar in 1777. George restored once again the finest house in the County at Gaulstown, George had botanists employed to plant the bog land with exotic plants and formed three artificial lakes linked by a canal throughout the estate. He walled in a portion of the estate and had the finest herd of fallow deer therein. This area is still known today as “the Park”. Shortly after the death of his first wife, George married Lady Jane Belvedere and moved into Belvedere House. In 1784 George sold Gaulstown to Sir John Browne M.P. 1st Lord Kilmaine. George died without issue in 1814 thus ending the title Earl of Belvedere.

The estate was divided between his wife Lady Belvedere, and his sister Jane, Countess of Lanesborough. Jane Countess of Lanesborough died in 1828. The estate passed to her grandson Lord Brinsley 4th Earl of Lanesborough. With Gaulstown House now under new management, its new owner Lord Kilmaine was now the landlord for much of the area around Gaulstown. The years to follow were trouble free until the famine struck, although not harshly in this area, it still had its effect. Sir John Cavendish Browne, 3rd Lord Kilmaine, chaired a meeting of the landlords in the barony that was attended by gentry and peasantry alike. Work was provided in the area to give some relief. This George Augustus Rochfort, 2nd Earl of Belvedere together with grain imported by Lady Cooper of Dunboden House, and the construction of a wall around Dunboden Park, the straightening of the road to Rochfortbridge and the re- routing of the Derry river, all made life easier during the famine in this area. In the O.S. land survey of 1844, we see that the main road from Rochfortbridge to Mullingar takes the route along the Dalystown road, turning at “Lambs Crossroads”, to Kilbride House and then through Gaybrook into Mullingar. This was a major undertaking of work and may have contributed in a large way to the saving of lives of the hungry in the greater Rochfortbridge area.

The Facts about George.

George Rochfort, 2nd Earl of Belvedere was the son of Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere and Hon. Mary Molesworth. He was born on 12th October 1738. He married, firstly, Dorothea Bloomfield, daughter of John Bloomfield and Jane Jocelyn, on 20th August 1775. He married, secondly, Jane Mackay, daughter of Reverend James Mackay, on 10th November 1803. He died on 13th May 1814 aged 75, at Great Denmark Street, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland, without issue.

He was styled as Viscount Belfield between 1756 and 1774. He held the office of M.P. for Philipstown between 1758 and 1761. He held the office of M.P. for County Westmeath between 1761 and 1774. He held the office of Sheriff of County Westmeath in 1762. He held the office of a Governor of County Westmeath between 1772 and 1814. He held the office of Grand Master of the Freemasons [Ireland] between 1774 and 1776. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Earl of Belvedere, of Co. Westmeath [I., 1756] on 13th November 1774. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Viscount Belfield, of Co. Westmeath [I., 1751] on 13th November 1774. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Baron Belfield, of Co. Westmeath [I., 1738] on 13th November 1774. On 7th June 1776 he obtained a pension of £800 per year for his and his father's services. On his death, his three peerages became extinct.