Heraldry at Knockabbey, Co Louth, O'Reilly family

Knockabbey Castle has been advertised for sale. It was home to the O'Reilly since the late 1700s. It originally was a tower house built by the Bellew family. The first deed dates to 1399.

The crest the O'Reilly family lies on the south side of the house.

 

 

 

The current owner has a display of the arms associated with various owners of Thomastown (Knockabbey) including the arms of O'Reilly.The arms in the second quarter are curious as they appear to belong to a family named Orrell, whose spelling is not unlike Oreill(y).

 

 

The arms of Orrell
http://cheshire-heraldry.org.uk/visitations/CV23.html

Acknowledgement to Martin Goldstraw 
http://cheshire-heraldry.org.uk

A copy of O'Ferrall's "Lines Antiqua" a collection of Irish genealogies with additions by Sir William Bethom and J. Bernard Burke, c. 1860. A copy of O'Ferrall's "Lines Antiqua" a collection of Irish genealogies with additions by Sir William Bethom and J. Bernard Burke, c. 1860. This available on GO 155 or GO 156? at the National Library and the association of the arms of Orrell with O'Reilly is mentioned in the Linea Antiqua, this is second hand, but  may point to the origin of the source and that Orrell is not necessarily a quarter in the sense of representing a family of an heiress.


John Bellew was granted an estate in Co Louth including the townland of Thomastown. The construction of the tower house followed. The Bellew’s were to reside theThere for some three hundred years. Around 1653-5 Roger Bellew’s lands were confiscated by the Crowellian forces and the Bellews were ‘transplanted’ to Co Galway.

William Tichburne then acquired Thomastown but it was granted to the Bellews again on the ‘restoration’.  However it was not for long as Roger Bellew lost half of his estate when he supported James II.  Through marriage with the Bellew’s the MacCartan’s came to own Thomastown. Sean MacCartan has carried out extensive unpublished research on the ownership of Thomastown and the Bellew/MacCartan ownership carried on for a longer period than previously attributed eventhough they did not reside there.