An Etch of Castle Freke in 1820
The Frekes
of Castle Freke who married into the Bernard family of Bandon
There are several marriages between
the Freke family and the Bernards of Castle Bernard. A short
outline of Rathbarry, Castle Freke and the Freke family history is given below.
The former name of Castle Freke was
Rathbarry. John Evans Freke built a new castle as the old Castle
of Rathbarry
was in a neglected and delapidated state. (See "View of the Seats of
Noblemen and Gentry in England, Wales,Scotland and Ireland, 1820)
A new site was chosen in another part of the Park, the new building
containing numerous spacious suites of apartments on the principal
story, consisting of a drawing room in the gallery stye of 50 foot by 20
foot, a library and an eating room, each 34 feet by 22 feet, a breakfast
room and two other apartments. There was a magnificent hall and
staircase, an excellent bed chamber story of twelve rooms and a basement
story firmly vaulted. The pleasure grounds and gardens were very
extensive stretching along the base of the hill East of the Castle.
In 1910 there was a major fire at the Castle. The castle was rebuilt
to include concrete floors, a lift and electrification. By 1919
John Evans-Freke had sold the estate and moved to America and after a
year to Kenya.
A short Freke
family history as it relates to Rathbarry and Castle Freke
Robert Freke was auditor of the
treasury in the reigns of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth. His
estate was worth upwards of 100,000 on his death. He had 8
children. His son and heir was Sir Thomas Freke who was born 27th
September 1563 and knighted by King James. He stayed in
Dorset and was the ancestor of the Frekes of Hannington, Upway and
Farringdon and he died at Warnford, 5th May 1633. He had William
who was baptized at Shroton, Dorset on 24th April, 1577 and who married
Ann, daughter of Arthur Swaine of Sareen in Hampshire. William
moved to Ireland. William and
Ann had 12 children as follows: (1) Elizabeth born Ockaford
Fitzpaine, Dorset 1607 (2) William, born 1608 at Sareen, Hampshire
married Hays of Scotland (3) Robert born 1609 at Ockaford married
Feilding, Yorkshire (4) Thomas born 1610 (5) George born at Cerne,
Dorset (6) Alice born 1613 and buried at Cerne Dorset in 1617 (7)
Arthur born at Sareen (see below) 13 Aug 1604 (8)
Judith, baptized Sept 21, married 1st October 1622 to John Harding
of Woolcomb, Dorset (9) John born 11th June 1615 married
the Mary, sister of Frances Bernard and had issue: Ann, Elizabeth,
Alice, Mary, Margaret and Katherine (10) Margaret born 14th Jan
John Dennet of Ockford. without issue (11) mary born 13th
August 16 (12) Ann born 6th June 1613
Sir Arthur Freke,
born in England, 13th August 1604, son of William of Sareen in Hampshire and Ann
(d of Arthur Swaine) Freke. Arthur married
Dorothy Smith, daughter of Sir Piercy Smith Knight (Percy Smyth) of
Youghal. He moved to Ireland with his father, William Freke Esq.
He purchased Rathbarry Castle from David Barry in 1641. He died in 1707
Arthur and Dorothy
had the following issue:- (1) Mary married
Francis Bernard
- see Bernards of Castle Bernard, Bandon. they had
Francis, Arthur, Dorothy, Mary, Elizabeth, Ann and Catherine
(2) Peircy (Percy), heir, married Elizabeth Freke, cousin and
daughter of Raufe Freke, on 14th November 1671. Remarried on 26 July
1672 with her father's consent. He purchased the estate of
West Bilney, Norfolk with his wife's inheritance. (3) Agnes m Patrick
Crossby, Co Kerry and had Agnes, Margaret, William, Thomas, Raymond,
Maurice and Arthur
Percy and Elizabeth had
the following issue:- (1) Raufe, heir, married Elizabeth
Meade (only child and heir to her mother), daughter of Sir John Meade, 1st Baronet of Ballintober.
Had Castle Freke and West Bilney, Norfolk. Raufe was created
Baronet, 12th on 4th June 1713. He died 1718.
Elizabeth married secondly James, 4th Lord Kingston and had issue.
Raufe and Elizabeth
had the following issue:- (1) Sir Peircy Freke, Baronet,
died unmarried 10th April, 1728, Dublin. MP for Baltimore
(2) Raufe Freke, died unmarried in 1727, Richmond, Surrey.
England (3) Sir John Redmond Freke, heir, Baronet, died 13th
April 1764 married (1) Mary Broderick, d of Alan Broderick.
She died 20th June 1761 at Castle Freke. Buried in Midleton.
No issue. Sir John was MP for the City of Cork with whom the
baronetcy expired. (4) Grace Freke (see below as her son
inherited from her brother's son),
heir of her brother Sir John and inherited Castle Freke m Hon John
Evans of Bulgadden Hall, Limerick June 1741, 2nd son of 1st Baron Carbery.
She died 1782
Grace, sister of Sir John
Redmond (above)
and Hon John Evans had the following issue:- (1)
George Evans born 1742 m Anne Stamer 1768 dsp in 1769 (2)
John - assumed the name and arms of Freke pursuant to the will of
his uncle and on the death of his elder brother succeeded also to
his paternal estate. He married Elizabeth Gore. (3)
William Evans born 16th May 1747, died 1796 m Elizabeth Beecher, d
of Richard Beecher of Hollybrook (4) Ralph Evans m
Elizabeth, d of Robert Woodcock - Had John and Mary (5) Percy Evans
died unmarried (6) Grace Evans born 1745 in Limerick m Richard Baldwin Esq, June
1764 (6) Anne Evans m William Putland (7)
Catherine Evans m George Putland (8) Jane Evans m Richard
Grace
John and Elizabeth Gore had issue:-
(1) Sir John Freke, Bart, 6th Baron Carbery, born 11th
November 1765 who represented the borough of Donegal in parliament
and on 25th January, 1783 he married his cousin Catherine Charlotte
Saunders, third daughter of his uncle, the Earl of Arran.
Address: Saunders Court, Co Wexford. Catherine Charlotte was
born Sept 1766 and died 23rd February 1852. John
was grandmaster of the Freemasons of Munster. He died 12th May
1844 aged 80. Of Castle Freke, Laxton Hall in Northamptonshire
and of Belgrave Square in London. He sat as Sir John Freke in
the Irish House of Commons. He was the son of John and
Elizabeth Gore and succeeded to the title of Baronet on the death of
his father on 20th March 1777. In 1807 on the death of his
cousin John, fifth Lord Carbery, he succeeded to the peerage.
He was one of the largest landed proprietors in ireland and
constantly resided on his estates. Left estate valued at
90,000. Left rental of estates for life to his wife. On his
death he directed that the principal family seat and residence
should be Castle and that his inheritor should redie there at least
four months in the year. If the inheritor was to become Roman
Catholic, the interest in the estate would cease and go to the next
in line provided such party was protestant. (2) George Evans-Freke born
June1772. of Bulgadden Hall
Died 19th July 1829 m 21st January 1806 Susan Carbery, widow
of 4th Lord Carbery 1828 (3) Percy Evans-Freke,
Esq born April 1774 Percy Lodge, Wexford m 1797 Dorthea Harvey (she
died 26th Maryc, 1835) daughter of Rev christopher Harvey, DD of
Bargy, Castle Kyle, Co Wexford.. Eldest son G.E. Freke left
Castle Freke and Laxton Hall and received 4,000 a year in will of
Sir John (4) Jane Grace Evans-Freke
born 1775 and died 31 Dec 1827. m Sir Fenton Aylmer, 7th Baronet
Donodea Castle in 1795 (5) Elizabeth Evans-Freke born 1782
died young
John and Catherine Charlotte (sister of the
Marchioness of Abercorn) had no issue and the title passed to George
Patrick Percy Evans Freke, his nephew.
Percy Evans
(3rd son of John and Elizabeth Gore) and Dorothea Harvey
had issue:- (1 ) John, born 19th February 1799 and died 1804,
(2) Elizabeth born 15th February, 1800 and died 21st
February 1813, (3) Dorothea born 15th May 1802 and died
young, (4) Catherine Charlotte died 26th January 1826,
(5) George Patrick Percy (heir) and 7th Lord, nephew
of 6th Lord, born 17th March 1810, succeeded 12th May 1845 m 5th
August 1852 Harriet Maria Catherine, only daughter of
Edmund William Shuldham Esq, Honorable E.I.C.s service of Dunmanway,
Co Cork Died 25th November 1889 in Uppingham, Rutland. England
(6) Hon Lieut Colonel Percy Augustus died unmarried 15th
January 1857 (7) Hon Major Fenton-John, Capt, 2nd Life
guards m 14th oct 1851 Lady Katherine Felicia Pakenham, eldest d of
Thomas, 2nd Earl of Longford and had issue (8) Hon Jane
Grace Dorothea m 25th July 1843, the
Hon and Rev Charles
Brodrick Bernard (9) Hon William Charles, born
24th May 1812 m 23rd April 1840 Lady Sophia Sherard, 3rd d of
Philip, 5th Earl of Harborough (and widow of Sir Thomas Whichcote,
bart) who died 23rd Sept 1851. He became 8th Lord Carbery on
the death of his brother, George Patrick Percy in 1889.
William Charles married secondly Lady Victoria Cecil, daughter of
Brownlow Cecil, 4th Marquess of Exeter. he died on 7th
November 1894 in Laxton Hall, Northamptonshire.
(10)Anna-maria born 1819, died young
George Patrick Percy and Harriet
Maria Catherine had issue:- Georgiana Dorothea Harriet born 3rd
November, 1853 in Brighton, Sussex, married 22nd June 1876,
James Francis, 4th Earl of Bandon. Lived at Castle Bernard in
Bandon.
William Charles Evans-Freke (brother of 7th Lord),
8th Lord Carbery (1812-1894) had issue by his second wife,
Lady Victoria Cecil:- (1) Algernon William
George (heir) (born 9th Sept 1868, St Georges, London and died
12th June1898 in Ledbury, Hertfordshire) married
26th November, 1890 Mary Toulmin,
2nd daughter of Henry J Toulmin of The Pre, St Albans,
Hertfordshire (2) Percy Cecil (born 19th May1871
St Georges, London-died1915)DL Captain Leicestershire IY (Bisbrook
Hall, Uppingham) married Eva Kirwan of Dalgan Park (3)
Cecil Montague (born Sept 1876- died at war in South Africa 2nd June
1900)
Algernon (Algy) William George Evans-Freke, 9th
Lord Carbery Sold Laxton Hall. He and Mary had
issue:- (1) John, heir (2) Ralf
born 23rd July, 1897, Marlebone, Middlesex m Vera
Harrington Moore and had issue
Mary, wife of Algernon, married again on 11th February 1902 to "Kit"
Dr Arthur Wellesley Sandford who was born at
Kilvernon Rectory, Co Tipperary in 1859, son of Rev William
Sandford, rector of Clonmel. Arthur Sandford
had the Cork Eye Ear and Throat hospital built.
Mary was close friend to Doty Bandon
John
Evans-Freke, 10th Lord Carbery (born 20th May 1892- died 25th
December 1970) Was a nationalist and flew the tricolour
from Castle Freke. Owned his own plane. His last act at
Castle Freke was to shotgun blast the portraits of his ancestors on
the grand staircase. He sold the 1100 estate of Castle Freke
in 1919 at a fraction of its worth and took off for America but his
citizenship was refused. In the1920s he purchased a farm in
Kenya. married (1) m 7th July 1913 Jose,
daughter of Evelyn James Mecalf of Chester Place,
London divorced 1920.
In 1921 he changed his name by deed poll from John Evans-Freke, 10th
Lord Carbery to John Evans Carbery. He
(2) m 1922Maia Ivy, daughter of Alfred Anderson of Nairobi,
Kenya She died 1928 in an air crash. had issue: Juanita,
his only child (3) m July 1930 June Weir Mosley
She died 1980
Peter Rolfe Harrington
Evans-Freke, 11th Lord Carbery (born 20th March, 1920-)
Son of Ralf by Vera Harrington
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