Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1803-1905 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
3 standard boxes and 1 outsize box
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Moynehall estate in county Cavan was granted by the Crown in 1629 jointly to Abigail Moigne née Dodd, widow of Thomas Moigne, Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral; her son Captain Roger Moigne; and her brother-in-law John Greenham. Three years later, Abigail and John released their right to and interest in the lands to Roger. When Roger was slain in the Siege of Drogheda in 1641, his three daughters became jointly entitled to the Moynehall estate. The eldest, Abigail, married Major Nicholas Moore and in 1698 settled her part of the Moynehall estate on her descendants. Samuel Moore the elder (d. 1848) was her great-great-great-grandson. He married Frances Nesbitt of the Lismore family in 1809. Their son Colonel Samuel Moore lived at Rockville and married his first cousin Louisa Nesbitt in 1849. They had an only child, Frances, who in 1883 married Captain Ernest Edward Cator Nevile of Yorkshire.
In 1794, the Moores leased Moynehall to Samuel Adams, whose descendants remained in possession until 1857, when the property was advertised for sale in the Encumbered Estates Court. In 1876, Moynehall belonged to John Fay. Today, it is home to the Backyard Arts and Cultural Centre.
Archival history
Unknown
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Unknown; acquired c. 1997.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The material consists of deeds, wills, marriage settlements, legal searches, statements, opinions, accounts and correspondence relating to the legal and administrative affairs of the Moore family of Moynehall, County Cavan. The documents are primarily concerned with Samuel Moore the elder and his younger son and namesake, who succeeded to the estate as a consequence of the untimely death of his elder brother. Of particular note is the material relating to the case of Moore v Jackson, which provides a good example of the complex set of procedures required to break an entail to facilitate the mortgaging of lands. Also of note are the copies of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century documents, the originals of which may no longer survive; and statements of title such as P15/1/2/1/1 which contain valuable genealogical information of the Moore family across three centuries.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
All records have been retained.
Accruals
No accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
No original order was discernible at the time of cataloguing. The material is now arranged into five series by the family member to which the material primarily relates. Thus, Series 1 comprises materials related to Samuel Moore the elder, Series 2 to his eldest son Gerard Moore, Series 3 to his younger son Samuel Moore, Series 4 to his daughter Louisa Noble née Moore, and Series 5 to his granddaughter Frances Nevile née Moore. Within each series, material has been subdivided by the case or matter to which it relates and thereunder listed chronologically by date. Owing to the considerable complexity of the collection and the interconnectedness of its individual parts, it has not always been possible to successfully reconstruct each legal case. For example, the documents concerning the birth and marriage of Samuel Moore the younger (P15/3/1/1-4) were used as evidence in the land transaction between Moore and William Hague (P15/3/5/1/1-P15/3/5/3/7).
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted access to all items.
Conditions governing reproduction
Standard copyright regulations apply to all items. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult with the staff.
Language of material
- English
- Latin
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Paper documents mostly in good or reasonable condition. A number of items are fragile and may require conservation treatment. These items have been identified in the descriptive catalogue.
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Publication note
For a better understanding of the contents of this collection, the researcher is referred to the report on the case of Tennison v Moore in Irish Equity Reports, of Cases Argued and Determined in the High Court of Chancery and the Rolls Court, during the Years 1849 and 1850, vol. XII (Dublin: Hodges and Smith, 1852), pp. 424-443.
Notes area
Note
The spelling of personal and place names appears in the catalogue as it appears in the documents.
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
This description follows guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd edition (2000), Irish Guidelines for Archival Description (2009), National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names (1997) and EAP Guidance on Data Protection for Archive Services (2018).
Status
Level of detail
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Papers arranged and described by Arianna Shorey in May 2019. Revised by Anna-Maria Hajba in November 2022.