JOURNAL OP nORTICULTDRK AND COTTAGE G.'lEDENER. 



[ May 10, 1S72. 



and the histoiy of its noble owners. As far as we know, there 

 is no other garden in Ireland that lias such a history of nn- 

 broken gi-eatuess as Cai-ton, and it has been a source of much 

 pleasure to us for many years to observe the steady improve- 

 ment going on, and that without disturbing the distinct features 

 of the place. 



ilayuooth Castle was the original residence of the Kildare 

 family. The manor of JIaynooth in 1176 was granted by 

 Strongbow to Maurice Fitz-Gerald, who erected the castle for 

 protection a,f,'ainst the incursions of the natives. His son 

 Gerald, first Baron ef Offaly, obtained from John, Lord of 

 Ireland, son of Hemy II., a new grant of sundiy lordships. 

 Thomas, second Earl, was manied to a daughter of the Red 

 Earl of Ulster, and sister to Ellen, the wife of Robert Bruce, 

 Iving of Scotland. During the latter half of the fourteenth 

 century Maynooth was one of the border fortresses of the Pale, 

 or English possessions, in the defence of which Maurice, fourth 

 Earl of Kildare, distinguished himself. John, 'the sixth Earl, 



enlai'ged the castle (142C), aiid it was then said to be "the 

 lai'gest and richest earl's house in Ireland." 



Then came the wars, in which the youthful Thomas Fitz- 

 gerald, Lord Offaly, took such an active part ; but we must 

 leave the exciting and heroic defence of the castle, only quoting 

 an episode when it was betrayed. A\'hen the youthful Offaly 

 heard of his father being beheaded ii> the Tower of Loudon, 

 he renounced his allegiance to the king, gave command of the 

 castle to liis foster-brother, Christopher Parese, aud went into 

 Counaught to levy forces. Parese informed the enemj' that 

 for a certain sum he would let them into the castle ; the base 

 work was accomplished, aud Parese appeared before the Lord 

 Deputy to claim his hire. The Lord Deputy ordered the bribe 

 to be paid, aud immediately ordered the traitor to be " cut 

 shorter by the head," declaring thereby, that although for the 

 time he embraced the benefit of the treason, he could not 

 digest the treaeheiy of the traitor. 



1.1 those times wo find that the Earl of Kildare " was tho 



; revtest improver of his laudis in this land," and if we could 

 Rive the iplendid pet of plans of eottfiges prepared by and 

 carried out under the direction of C. W. Hamilton, Esq., it 

 ■would be seen that our now noble Duke of Leinster has no su- 

 perior in discharging the attributes that belong to his princely 

 inheritance, and in patriarchal care for all that dwell on his 

 property. 



Through the ravages of war Mayuooth Castle fell into dila- 

 pidation, and for a long period was not inhabited. Carton at 

 this time was not a chief residence, and was let on lease to 

 nobles of distinction. Among the notables was the Duke of 

 Tyrconnell. At that time Carton was said to be " a very fine 

 house, with all manner of convenient offices and fitie rj'ii'iU'iis." 

 Robert, nineteenth Earl of Kildare, repurchased the lease of 

 Carton with the object of nialung it his principal residence ; and 

 so energetically did the Earl go to work in adding to and improv- 

 ing the mansion, that\vithin the ye.i.r iu which the works were 

 commenced, the beautiful ceiling of the dining-room (now the 

 saloin), was finished by the Italian artists. This distinguished j 

 Earl died before the works were completed, leaving the^care of 1 

 carrying them on to his gifted Coimtess, who worthily carried 

 out the trust. A sum of over £21,000 was expended iu im- 



proving Carton at that time. This sum represents an enormous 

 amount of labour and materials at that date in Irel.and. 



It is worth notice in the history of Carton that James, 

 twentieth Earl, took to planting and improving the park ; some 

 1100 acres were enclosed by wall at that time, and four new lodges 

 and gates erected ; the Earl and Countess took great delight in 

 planning bridges aud drives, and their works bear testimony to 

 their good taste and knowledge of the capabilities of Carton. 

 In the new enclosed part of the grounds there stood a cottage 

 in the way of improvements ; in this cottage lived an old de- 

 pendent, and it is characteristic of this noble family that the 

 old man "must not be disturbed until Nature's coiu'se had 

 run." This "watertown cottage" is now the cottage garden 

 of Carton, of which we shall have more to say. We must leave 

 Earl James after staling that he enlarged the kitchen g.arden 

 aud orchard to twenty-six acres, good Irish acres. A\1iat 

 say garden economists to this, wlio would supply all that a 

 nobleman's kitchcu requires from one scrimp acre ? Cai'ton 

 came down to the present Duke in a thriving state, and he h; s 

 added many marks of valuable improvement over the estates, 

 as well as on the mansion aud gardens. 



The ancient name of Maynooth, Magh Nuadhat, signifies 



