Genet (Jemet) Sarsfield (c. 1528-1598) was remarkable in that she was married six times! She was possibly born at Sarsfieldstown near Laytown, Co Meath.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenet_Sarsfield
She left her mark at Dardistown Castle, the history of which we return to, below.
Genet was an interesting lady not only for the fact that she was married six times! She was reputed to be the tallest lady living in Ireland in the 1500s. Genet's first husband was Robert Shillingford (Mayor of Dublin in 1534). Katherine Shillingford seems to be her only child who lived to adulthood. It was through Katherine that Genet appears to have moved into Dardistown as the mother-in-law of John Talbot.
The door built on to the Dardistown extension may testify to this. The extension is marked by the Sarsfield coat of arms and inscription that reads 'This chamber was made at the charge of Dame Genet Sarsfelde Ladie of Donsanie Ano 1586'. Genet continued to carry the title Lady Dunsany from her third marriage to Lord Dunsany who died in 1559. From this marriage she had two children who died in infancy. Her second husband was James Luttrell who died in 1557 and she was pregnant at the time but the child died in infancy.
Her fourth husband was Thomas Cusack, Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Genet remained in the Cusack home at Lismullin, Co Meath following Thomas's death in 1571. There followed a period of litigation with her step-son Edward Cusack. Eventually Genet left Lismullin, however removing most of the valuables! Her fifth husband was another influential legal person, John Plunkett of Dunsoghly, Co Dublin who died in 1582. The marriage seemed amicable but her husband resented the Cusack quarrel and he stated that his marriage with Genet left him none the richer! Genet's sixth husband was John Bellew who survived her by three years. She died in 1597 and is buried in Moorechurch as stated above.
Dardistown: The Sarsfield Connection
Dardistown was built in 1465 by Sir John Cornwalsh, an influential legal person who died around 1472. He married in 1444 Mrs Maud Talbot (née Plunkett) and through her the Talbots came to reside in Dardistown for a period of about two hundred years. They were related to the well-known Malahide family.
Maud (or Matilda) Plunkett, widow of Richard Talbot of Malahide Castle, and also widow of Thomas Hussey, 5th Baron Galtrim, who was murdered on their wedding day, thus inspiring the nineteenth-century ballad "The Bride of Malahide". Maud Plunkett, daughter of Christopher Plunkett, 1st Baron Killeen: she remarried firstly Richard Talbot and secondly John Cornwalsh, and she died in 1482.
Thomas and John Talbot resided at Dardistown in 1515 and were likely son and grandson of Maud and of her husband Richard Talbot of Malahide. John's son was Matthew who was married to Elizabeth Hamlyn and their son John mentioned in a deed of 1591 was married to Katherine Shillingford, daughter of Robert Shillingford (Mayor of Dublin 1534) and of Genet Sarsfield who was from Sarsfieldstown nearby. It would have then been as mother-in-law of John Talbot that Genet moved into Dardistown, and likely she carried plenty of dosh!
Two of their children were Robert Talbot (died 1636) married to Jane Dillon and Genet Talbot (died 1625) married to Robert Barnwall, Lord Trimbletown. Genet no doubt was named after her 'famous' grandmother, Genet Sarsfield.
The Osborne family acquired Dardistown in the 1690s and Francis Osborne was M.P. in 1693. There were various additions to the castle and eighteenth-century house over the period of the past two hundred years. After the Osbornes, the house went to the Jameson family. Patrick Geraint Jameson inherited Dardistown from his cousin Henry Ralph Osborne who died c. 1970. Next a religious group had for a period. The house was sold to the Armstrong family in the 1970s. The present owners purchased it in 1987.
See also:
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