History of Mearescourt

Mearescourt house and estate dates from 1667 when Lewis Meares, an officer in the Cromwellian army, was granted the lands at the expense of the Catholic Dalton family, who were dispossessed for their support of the 1641 Irish rebellion. Lewis built his house of the site of the old Dalton castle and christened the new estate Mearescourt. The house passed through five generations of the Meares family, and the present house was built in 1750 by John Meares. The extensive walled gardens at the back of the house also date from this time. In 1790, the last John Meares died without leaving an heir and the lands passed to his nephew, William Devenish, who inherited it on the condition that he take the name Meares. The Devenish-Meares line also lasted for five generations before it came to an end in 1935 with the death of John Frederick Devenish-Meares. The house and its land was then sold to the Winters family, who lived and worked the farm for almost twenty years, enduring through the Emergency before finally selling the estate on in 1948. The Winters family, in turn, sold the house to the Lister-Kaye family who remained in residence until 1976, when the Lady Lister-Kaye died. Subsequently, the house was bought by the Pendred family, who ran it as a B B until 2004, when it was bought by the developer and businessmen David Agar and George Tracey. The house remains as a guesthouse, but also other aspects: it has often hosted weddings and parties, such as Halloween celebrations. There is also a rally track, forest and a deer farm on the property.

Those who own the house also inherit the Meares family crest, motto and title. The crest consists of a three-masted sailing ship, representing the family’s maritime roots, surrounded by sable and surmounted by a mermaid. The motto is ‘Omnia providentiae committo’: Trust All to Providence. The titles of Earl and Duke are also bestowed along with the estate. Currently, George Tracey is Duke of Mearescourt and David Agar, co-owner of the house, is Earl of Meares.

Timeline

• 1667: Lewis Meares is granted Dalton lands in Westmeath
• 1750: John Meares builds the current Mearescourt house and gardens
• 1790: Meares line ends and estate passes to William Devenish-Meares
• 1816: Church at Almorita is rebuilt and renovated
• 1840: Stable block and canal is built by John Devenish-Meares
• 1887: Almorita Church is renovated again by General William Devenish-Meares
• 1907: Estate passes to Joseph Leycester Deve
nish-Meares
• 1929: House is sold to the Winters family
• 1935: John Frederick Devenish-Meares, last of the family, dies
• 1948: House is sold to Sir and Lady Lister-Kaye
• 1976: Lady Lister-Kaye dies and the house is sold to Pendred family
• 2004: Pendreds sell the house to George Tracy and David Agar, current owners