Westropp — Fortified Headlands and Castles, S. Coast Munster. 213 



picture of what unchecked injustice and robbery could be done by an official 

 that I give it here. 1 



When Michael Le Fleming died, he left, besides Constance, an infant son 

 Hugh. Unfortunately for him, his father had leased Dunmore to a certain 

 Eobert de Stapleton, Sheriff of Co. Waterford, for twenty years at 100 marks 

 a year, and, appointing an attorney to act for him at home, went to Dublin for 

 a lawsuit. No sooner had Michael gone than the sheriff, taking advantage 

 of the sessions, removed the attorney, produced the grant in court, and 

 seized the Manor. Michael, on his return, sued for a writ of novel disseisin, 

 but died the very day the case was to be tried, and Stapleton retained the 

 lands. The friends of the unfortunate infant took him to England, and 

 appealed to the King, who ordered the Escheator to take the Manor into the 

 hands of the Crown. The writs, however, were got in vain, for the sheriff 

 would not use them against himself. When, at last, the Crown again 

 intervened, Stapleton pretended that he only wanted his lease, and returned 

 the other documents. 



Meanwhile several of his other victims took courage ; Eeginald Brun had 

 lands at Dungarvan which the sheriff had coveted. Stapleton got a lease, 

 and took possession, refusing rent. Not content, he arrested his creditor, 

 imprisoned him in Dungarvan Castle, and, without calling a jury, produced 

 him as a felon and homicide before the justices. Brun got his case stated to 

 the Crown, and (though Stapleton again fell back on generalities) the case 

 was ordered to be strictly investigated. Bobert de Carreu had been treated 

 exactly like Brun, but had weakly tried to make terms. Lastly, Stapleton 

 had suppressed writs procured by the Bishop of Waterford, and seized the 

 prelate's milch cows, but he had now filled up the measure of his iniquity, 

 and he and the previous sheriff, Maurice Russell, an equally bad character, 

 were brought to justice, though unfortunately we do not know the end of the 

 story, for no record of redress or punishment (so far as I have seen) remains. 

 The Botiller family long held their lands at " Domnore," for, so late as in 

 1434, Robert Lynse was granted charge of John Botiller's lands there, 

 according to the Memoranda Rolls. 



I find a Dungollem, held by a William Blam, in 1286. 2 There is nothing 

 to identify it, but when we compare the name with that of the creek of the 

 Oonagollum, within Dunmore fort, the coincidence is curious, so 1 mention it. 

 " The Black Knob," as the headland is called, is a mass of red and purple 

 sandstone conglomerate, looking across the broad estuary, the " Birgos " of 



1 Abstracted from Oal. Doc. Ir., vol. iii, p. 311. 



2 Cal. Doc. Ir., vol. iii, p. 122. 



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