My Great Great Grandfather William Brennan rented his land from the Coote family who settled in Queen's county (county Laois) in the early 17th century and the head of the family was granted the title Earl of Mountrath in 1661. The title expired in 1827 but the baronetcy, created in 1621, continued with Sir Charles Henry Coote (1794-1864) who became Ireland's Premier Baronet in 1827. By patent dated 1666 Lord Mountrath was granted over 4,200 acres in the Connacht counties of Roscommon and Galway and over 15,000 acres in Leinster.

His brother, Chidley Coote, was granted over 3,800 acres in county Roscommon in 1674. In 1709 Chidley Coote, then of Jamestown, served as High Sheriff of Leitrim but this branch of the family were mainly resident in county Limerick.

In the mid 19th century the county Roscommon estate of Sir Charles Henry Coote, 9th baronet, was in the parishes of Fuerty, Rahara, Killinvoy, Taghmaconnell, barony of Athlone, Oran, barony of Ballymoe, Kilmacumsy, barony of Frenchpark, Kilglass, barony of Ballintober North, Kilbride and Roscommon, barony of Ballintober South and Clooncraff, Elphin, Kiltrustan, Shankill, barony of Roscommon.

In the 1870s Sir Charles Henry Coote, 10th baronet, owned over 1,000 acres in county Roscommon but his main estate of 47,451 acres was in Queen's county (county Laois), where he resided at Ballyfin House, Mountrath. He also owned land in the parishes of Athneasy and Knockainy, barony of Small county, county Limerick at the time of Griffith's Valuation and in the 1870s his county Limerick estate amounted to 340 acres and he owned 878 acres in county Kildare. His brother, John Chidley Coote of Farmleigh, Castleknock, county Dublin, owned 10,318 acres in county Roscommon.