Lucan Village

The Manor of Lucan

Warris married the grand-daughter of Sir Adam de Hereford of Leixlip. Their daughter Alice married Ralph Pippard and around 1300, the Pippards became the owners of Leixlip. At Lucan Warris was succeeded by another Warris de Peche. Following him, William de Peche was in posession of Lucan for a time, but he died before 1270 and the lands reverted to the Crown owing to the minority of his heir Henry.When Henry became of age in 1285, he rendered to the Crown as rent ” a drum and four pairs of furred gloves “. He died not long afterwards and his only child – a daughter named Roesia, who married John Hanstede in 1291 then came into possession of Lucan.

In 1305 John Hanstede and Roesia were involved in a lengthy lawsuit about salmon fisheries, with their relative and friend Ralph Pippard of Leixlip and also with the King. The decision on this case was that half of the Lucan Village fisheries belonged to Leixlip, and the Sheriff was directed to remove a weir recently erected at Lucan, which ” had much narrowed the Liffey “.

Robert De Nottingham, a mayor of Dublin, and one of it’s wealthiest citizens, came into possession of Lucan for some time. He died in 1327 and was succeeded by his son William, who died shortly afterwards. The estate (similar to that of Lucan Castle) was occupied for a time by Sir Thomas Rokerby and later by Sir Robert de Clinton. Eventually, it came into the posession of the Fitzgeralds of Kildare who held it until 1537.

Lucan House and demesne remained in the hands of the Vesey-Colthursts until 1921. For a short period the Cromer family had posession. In 1930, Charles O’Conor-Don purchased the property. O’Conor Don was a direct descendant of Rory O’Connor, last High King of Ireland in 1166. He was married to Miss More O’Farrell – a direct descendant of Patrick Sarsfield’s.

In 1947 the demesne was leased to the Italian Government and in 1954 the Italian Government purchased the house and the surrounding portion of the demesne. Today it remains the Italian Embassy and home of the Ambassador.