THE RUTTLEDGE FAMILIES OF CO. MAYO Page 443

Behaved very undutifully', and she and her descendants always remained poor, getting minimal help from her wealthy brother. But no reasons at all are given for disinheriting the surviving children of Thomas' first marriage. Peter of Cornfield and his three married sisters, all of them most admirable people. Undoubtedly Thomas was misled by those around him and was quite unaware of the contents of the will he was signing. l28 He probably was equally unaware of the contents of other documents he signed prior to the will.

He died in 1805 in his 90th year. 129 at Bushfield House, 3 miles S.E. of Hollymount and is buried with his first wife in Ballinrobe churchyard. Their only son. Peter, who had died in 1799, is buried next to them. The graves are close beside the south-east corner of the church.

ROBERT. In spite of his great wealth. Robert foolishly spent the rest of his life, after his father’s death, in fruitless litigation trying unsuccessfully to gain possession of even more Ruttledge lands. Amazingly. this very prolonged litigation reached the House of Lords in 1828. 130 Robert's will of 1832 refers, over and over again. to these 'lands and premises which formerly belonged to the late David Ruttledge of Togher. Co. Mayo' seeming to show that after all the years of litigation. Robert, at last. had become the owner of these additional Ruttledge lands. But in reality he never became the owner. So sure had he been of victory. that he had made out his will before the final court case. and then went on to lose that case. See under C below.

Robert married Elizabeth Knox of Rappa in 1787 131 but she died childless in 1824 132 and in 1828 he married a widow. Elizabeth Watson, nee Bragg. l33 who had a son by her first marriage. David Watson born 1811. For a short time Robert was a member of the Irish Parliament in College Green before it voted itself out of existence in 1800. 134 In 1819 Robert gave much of his property to his nephew, Revd. Francis Lambert, younger son of his late sister Barbara. On condition that Lambert changed his surname to Ruttledge. l35

Robert died 25 May 1833. 136 In his will he left his remaining estates to his step-son David Watson who 'will henceforward bear the arms and name of Ruttledge'. But he stipulated that the inheritance was not to pass on to David Watson's children, unless David Watson married some female descended `from a person reputed generally to have been or to be a child of my (i.e. Robert's) said father and mother. though not born in wedlock'. This last phrase covered the three children of his late unmarried nephew. Capt. Thomas Lambert, viz. Barbara, wife of John Ronaldson, Thomas Lambert and Catherine Lambert. l37

However in 1836 David Watson Ruttledge of Barbersfort, Co. Galway married instead Eleanor. Youngest daughter of John Knox. formerly of Moyne Abbey, Killala. l38 She was not a descendant

128. Family tradition tells of an ancestor. too old and blind to know what he was doing. being made to sign a will under duress, which disinherited his first family'. Obviously this incident.

I29. Wall memorial in Ballinrobe Church.

130. P. Dow (ed.) Report of cases upon appeal & writs of error in the House of Lords, London, 1830. l. pp. 331-341. Richard Bligh (ed.) New reports of cases heard in the House of Lords on appeals & writs of error, 1828, London, 1830, ii, pp. 352-373. A. Wood Renton (ed.) The English reports. House of Lords. Edinburgh & London. 1901. iv, pp. 1164-1171.

131. HOL 1828, marr. settlement dated 28 Aug. 1787.

132. Memorials of the dead, vii, p. 415.

133. PROI. index of Tuam MLBs.

134. Through his first wife Robert Ruttledge was related to the Bruens of Oak Park, Co. Carlow. who controlled the close borough of Duleek, Co. Louth. When Henry Bruen died in 1795 his son was a minor, so the guardians or trustees returned Robert in his place.

135. See BIFR, under Ruttledge of Bloomfield.

136. Telegraph or Connaught Ranger. 5 June 1833.

I37. Shannon MSS. will dated 14 Sept. 1832 with codicils dated 15 & 17 Sept. & 2 Feb.. 1833. and RD. 1834.6.250.

138. BLGI 1899, Ruttledge of Barbersfort. Robert Ruttledge bought Barbersfort in 1816 for £14,150.

RD. 724.502.494837.