Wills Index

Carlow County - Ireland Genealogical Projects (IGP TM)


The Will
 of
Robert Moore Fishbourne

1765-1828


I Robert Moore Fishbourne of Carlow in the county of Carlow Esquire being of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding do make and publish this my last will and testament hereby revoking all former will and wills by me made.

I hereby confirm the settlement and provision made for my wife on my intermarriage and also leave and bequeath to my said wife the sum of fifty pounds sterling for her sole use to be paid immediately after my decease.

I also leave to my said wife my carriage and pair of carriage horses and all my household goods plate china house linen and furniture of every description whatsoever of which I shall die possessed together with her watch jewels and wearing apparel.

I order and direct that my executors herein after named shall as soon as they think it advantageous so to do sell and dispose of all my stock of sheep and cattle of all kinds, corn, hay and farming utensils and out of the produce thereof and of my other assets not hereby disposed of after payment of my just debts and funeral expenses the said executors shall in the first place lay out at interest with the consent and approbation of my said wife during her life the sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds and that the interest of the said sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds shall be paid to my said wife during her natural life as further provision for her and that after the death of my said wife the said sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds shall go as a provision for any child of which my said wife may be enseint at the time of my death and which shall be afterwards born and if there shall not be any such child born then that the said principal sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds shall be paid to and amongst such of my children as shall be living at the time of the death of my said wife in such shares and proportions as my said wife shall in her discretion think fit or as she think them deserving.

Such appointment to be made by my said wife by deed in her lifetime or by her last will and testament, and in case my said wife shall not make any appointment of the said principal sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds then my will is that the said sum shall be divided amongst such of my children as shall be living at the time of her death share and share alike.

I leave devise and bequeath unto to my eldest son William Fishbourne and to his heirs the town and lands of Lambstown of which I am seized in fee and also my freehold estate and interest in the town and lands of Cappalug called Russells Farm and also that part of Cappalug... (?) Coolhenry and Coolrain which I hold from Hans Hamilton Esquire all situate in the Queens County. 

I leave devise and bequeath unto my second son Henry Hamilton Fishbourne my estate and interest in the lands of Bullockpark situate in the County of Carlow my interest in the town and lands of Jerusalem situate in the county of Kildare and my interest in the town and lands of Rathellig situate in the Queens County.  ...

I leave devise and bequeath unto my said son Robert Fishbourne my interest in the town and lands of Moorefield with the dwelling house thereon situate in the Queens county also my interest in the dwelling house in Carlow wherein I now reside together with the garden offices and appurtenances thereunto belonging. Also the house and old fields which I hold under William Brown Esq. And also my interest in the house in Tullow Street called Nugents Plot in the Town of Carlow with the appurtenances which I hold under Robert Bayly Esq. And I also leave and bequeath to my said son Robert the sum of one thousand pounds Ster. with interest from the time of my decease. ...

And I leave to my said son Joseph my interest in the said house and old fields which I hold under the said William Brown and the said house and premises in Tullow Street in the Town of Carlow which I hold under Robert Bayly Esq. ...

I leave devise and bequeath unto my said son Joseph Fishbourne my interest in the field adjoining the Town of Carlow which I hold from George Sykes for a term of nine hundred years together with the sum of one thousand five hundred pounds Ster. with interest for the same from the time of my decease. ...

I leave and bequeath unto my daughter Catherine Maria Fishbourne the sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds Ster. with interest from the day of my decease to be paid to her on her attaining the age of twenty one years or day of marriage whichever shall first happen provided she shall marry with the consent of my said wife during her life but not otherwise.

And in case my said daughter shall marry under the age of twenty one years without the consent of my said wife then and in that case my will is that she shall be intitled only to the sum of one thousand pounds of said sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds and that the remaining sum of two hundred and fifty pounds thereof shall be paid to any child I may have born after my death or if no such child then to be equally divided amongst my other children who shall be living at the time of the marriage of my daughter under age and without such consent of my said wife as aforesaid. ...

I do hereby order and direct that the produce of the sale of all my stock together with all my other personal property and assetts after payment of my just debts and funeral expenses and after deducting the said legacy of fifty pounds herein before bequeathed to my said wife for her own use and also the said sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds so directed to be laid out at interest for the use of my said wife as aforesaid shall be placed in the public funds by my executors for the purpose of paying the said legacys of one thousand pounds, one thousand five hundred pounds and one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds so bequeathed to my said children Robert, Joseph and Catherine Maria with interest as aforesaid making together the sum of three thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds Ster.

And in case my said personal fortune shall not after the deductions aforesaid amount to the said sum of three thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds Ster. then my will is and I do  hereby order and direct that the rents issues and profits of all my said lands houses tenements and premises herein before bequeathed to my said sons William Henry and Robert shall be received by my executors and after allowing a reasonable and proper sum thereout for the clothing education and maintenance of my said sons William Henry and Robert respectively, that the overplus thereof shall be applied and go in aid of my said personal fortune until thereby the said sum of three thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds shall be made up to be laid out in the funds as aforesaid and no longer and that afterwards the savings and income of my said lands shall be applied to the use and benefit of my said sons respectively to whom the said lands are given and devised as aforesaid.

I hereby nominate and appoint my said wife guardian to the persons of my said children respectively, and I do hereby nominate and appoint Robert Eustace of Newstown and William Fishbourne of Carlow Esquires guardians of the respective fortunes of my said children and I do hereby authorise and empower them or the survivor of them to lay out and expend such sum and sums of money from time to time as they shall in their discretion think fit for the cloathing education and maintenance of said children respectively during their respective minorities without being in any manner accountable for the same.

And I do hereby authorise and empower the said Robert Eustace and William Fishbourne or the survivor of them to demise and set at reasonable rents all the several towns lands houses tenements and premises herein before bequeathed to my said children respectively for and during their respective minorities and no longer, it being my intention upon each of my children’s attaining the age of twenty one years they shall respectively be put into the actual possession of the several premises hereby bequeathed to them respectively discharged of any lease to be made by the same Robert Eustace and William Fishbourne or either of them. And as to all the rest residual and remainder of my property whether real freehold or personal of which I shall die seised possessed of or intitled unto I bequeath the same unto all my said children share and share alike.

And I do hereby nominate and appoint the said Robert Eustace and William Fishbourne executors of this my will in testimony whereof I have hereunto and to one other part hereof signed my name and affixed my seal this twentieth day of February in the year one thousand eight hundred and five.  Robt Moore Fishbourne

Signed sealed published and declared by the said Robert Moore Fishbourne the testator as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us who in the presence of said testator at his request and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as witnesses.

Ja. Butler
Henry Butler
William Butler

Notes on the above will   (Provided by Kaye Cole)

Robert Moore Fishbourne 1765-1828 was the eldest son of William Fishbourne 1728-1796 and his wife Alice Moore. Robert married (1) in 1792 Lydia Semple who d. 1794, no issue. (2) in 1795 Catherine Maria Eustace, the mother of his children. The children named in the will were b. 1796, 1798, 1800, 1802, 1803 (Joseph). Two other sons were born later, Edward/Edwin Eustace Fishbourne about 1805 and Thomas Moore Fishbourne in 1811. All survived to adulthood. At least the three eldest sons attended Trinity College Dublin.

The executors named in the will were Robert’s brother William 1768-1855 and his brother-in-law Robert Eustace.

This Protestant Ascendency family possibly came to Ireland with one of the early English plantations in the Irish Midlands. They seem to have originally been skilled tradesmen, as the earliest family member who came to Carlow in 1738 was Joseph Fishbourne, a glazier from Monasterevan. One of his sons was a watchmaker in Carlow and an earlier Robert Fishbourne in Monasterevan was a sadler. This Joseph was probably the grandfather of Robert Moore Fishbourne.

Sources: Monasterevan C of I Parish Register, Carlow Vestry Minute Book, Carlow C of I Parish Register, Betham’s Will Abstracts, several 18th century Deeds, Alumni Dublinenses.

Source: Kaye Cole c.2012


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