A Short History of Talbots Inch

Paddy Neary

Talbot’s Inch is a townland in County Kilkenny about one mile north of the city. The lands were named after a Norman family Talbot but whether they had residence there is no known record. On the southern side of the Inch or meadows in the right angle bend of the river Nore, the remains of a court yard wall and flagstones were to be seen up to 150 years ago. This was claimed to be the ruins of a house but if so it was in a very bad position as this field floods every year. More likely it was a bawn for cattle. It was mentioned that gold and silver were buried there, more about this story later.
The Talbots were among the first of the Norman families to settle in Kilkenny. Their story and history is similar to other Norman families who were witnesses and took very little part in commercial activities in the city or county. Then at a later time when they were prominent citizens their names occurred constantly in city and county records.
Gilbert Talbot an ancestor of the Earl of Shrewsbury married Petronilla daughter of James 1st Earl of Ormonde, and a later connection between the families was the marriage of Elizabeth daughter of the 4th Earl of Ormonde with John Talbot 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. The earliest mention of the Talbots is 1233 and many of the early references to them refer to them acting as witnesses to deeds, rents, and grants pertaining to the settlement of lands the Normans had acquired.

Theobald Walter Butler of Ireland is the chief figure in these deeds and it is interesting to note that at first he was Theobald Walter Chief Butler of Ireland and this gradually changed in the course of one hundred years to Sir Walter De Butler.

The mention of lands at Talbot’s Inch is in a deed of 1332, when Thomas Parmenter grants to Richard son of Peter de Arderne of Kilkenny and the heirs male of the same for ever all his right in two acres and one stang of land in the burgage of Irishtown lying in length between the lands of William Geoffrey and in breadth from the lands of John Talbot to the lane which leads to Talbots Ynche. This lane is still in existence and was part of the old road to Freshford, it started at the foot of Bishops Hill where a branch leads down to the Bishops Meadows .
In 1342 William Fowler grants to Peter de Arderne two and a half acres of arable land which lies in length from the highway leading to the grange of Robert Fitz Hugh to John Talbots land and in breadth from the land of the said Robert to the lands of the Bishop of Ossory. (The Bishop’s Meadows)

In 1322 Thomas Talbot was granted a pardon for trespass against the Crown in consideration of services he had rendered in fighting against the O’Nolans and other native clans on the Eastern borders of Kilkenny. From this time on the Talbots became increasingly prominent in the affairs of the town and county. John Talbot in 1334 and 1340 was Sheriff of Kilkenny and had to render an account to the court of barons of his work. There must have been an error in his accounts because the Seneschall of Kilkenny was ordered to arrest Talbot so he could give a statement of his arrears. Five years later he was again before the courts to render an account and he was short of cash by £10-10s 3d. and he was committed to the custody of the town marshal. It is not known if he was kept in prison for almost three years but on the 10th March 1348 a mandate was issued from the Treasurer of Kilkenny to the Seneschall of the town suspending the distraint and he was forgiven the debt to the extent of £10-6s-9d leaving 3s-6d unaccounted for. In spite of these troubles he was a very esteemed man of good credit for in 1366 he was accepted as surety for John de la Freyne and went bail for both the Seneschall of the liberties of Kilkenny and the Sheriff of the cross of Kilkenny. Again in 1357 he was Portreieve.

When a very old man in 1381he went surety for his son Robert as Sheriff, it is presumed he died around this time, his tomb is in St. Canice’s Cathedral but no date recording his death. It is believed this John Talbot is of the Ormond deeds who left three sons all who are mentioned in the City records.

Robert is the most prominent and he is generally regarded as the builder of the Town Walls. But it is most likely he was responsible for the collection of the murage tolls as there is a reference to land outside the town wall in 1331. He may also have lent money to the town for wall building on security of the tolls. It is recorded that Robert Talbot a most worthy gentleman enclosed with walls the greater part of the town by which it is greatly fortified. He filled many offices as a citizen, Sovereign in 1374, 75, 80, and 84. Was placed first on the roll of the 12 chief burgesses for many years, and was Sheriff of Kilkenny seven times.

In 1408 Thomas of Lancaster the Kings son summoned a Parliament to meet in Kilkenny and Robert Talbot paid 50s for a pipe of wine for the entertainment of Thomas .This meeting was probably about the repairing or rebuilding of the town walls. He died about 1415 and in 1417 his widow paid the Corporation 9d for a year’s rent for Kytelers Hall. He is also buried in St. Canices Cathedral. After the death of the three brothers there is no mention of any of this family of Talbot or indeed any Talbots for over two centuries.

In 1661 a Thomas Talbot was a vintner and tailor in Kilkenny, who issued penny tokens in the course of his trading but he is supposed to be a Cromwellian. The lands of Talbots Inch then came into the hands of the Cotteral family who had their main land near Kells a Talbot heiress evidently married a Cotteral.

A tomb in St Canices Cathedral dated 1550, records the names of Adam, and John Cotteral, Richard and Walter Lawless Lords of Talbots Inch. The Lawless and Cotteral families were of Norman origin. Their history in many ways is parallel to the Talbots. They were Sovereigns, and Sheriffs of the city, and the Lawless name is mentioned many times in the Liber Primus. One Walter Lawless in 1537 being indicted, and denounced before the Jury of Kilkenny as a grey merchant or forestaller. Another Walter descendant of the afore mentioned was stated to be “a man born to be lucky” He attracted the attention of James 1 and was granted seven manors in Waterford, Tipperary, and Kilkenny. He married a daughter of Robert Roth and one of his grandsons was also a Walter Lawless, he was a friend of James 11. He was with him at the Battle of the Boyne. James had Silver plate with him engraved with the Stuart coat of arms which he gave to William Lawless. This possession of the Silver may account for the legend that Gold and Silver was buried at Talbots Inch. This gold and silver story is very persistent along the Nore valley in the North of the county.
The Lawless lands were forfeited in 1703.Bishop John Hartstonge bought the estate of Talbots Inch, 174 acres for £455 in trust for his brother Sir Standish Hartstonge M.P. for Irishtown. These Hartstonges were a Norfolk family but John was educated at Johns College, he was chaplain to the Duke of Ormonde.

There is a gap in the grounds as to who were the owners between 1711 and 1890. A Mr. Murphy farmed the lands around this time to 1906 Mr. Morris was the occupant.
Lady Desart came to Talbots Inch in 1906 and soon after had the village for built for the employees working at the Wood workers factory, the tobacco growing and the Woollen mills. She bought the lands of Talbots Inch from Col. Frederick McCastie in 1912.

Lady Desart called Talbot’s Inch, Aut Even from the Gaelic meaning a pleasant place. She died in 1933 and the lands and village were sold.