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Fontstown

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FONTSTOWN, formerly FULESTOWN, a parish, partly in the barony of UPPER-PHILIPSTOWN, KING's county, and partly in the barony of WEST-OPHALY, but chiefly in that of NARRAGH and RHEBAN-EAST, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (E.) from Athy, on the mail coach road from Dublin to Cork, by way of Cashel; containing 1043 inhabitants, and comprising 4579 statute acres, of which 810 are bog, the remainder being nearly equally divided into pasture and arable land: within its limits is a small part of the bog of Monavologh, There are quarries of good building stone of a flinty nature, which is worked for home consumption.

The living in a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Drogheda: the tithes amount to £267. 13. 10$, The glebe-houne was built, by aid of a gift of £100, mid a loan of £400, in 1810, from the late Board of First Fruits, additions to which have been made at a cost of £600: the glebe comprises 16a 2r, 16p, The church is a very neat structure, with a tower and spire, in imitation of the later English style of architecture, built in 1823, at an expense, of £1400, of which £1200 was a gift from the late Board. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Narraghmore, or Crookstown. A handsome school house has been erected at an expense of £376, of which £160 was a grant from the Court of Chancery, out of the estate of the Marquess of Drogheda; it is to be supported partly by a yearly allowance of £.30 from the same source, and a small grant of land, and £20 annually from the rector. There is it private school, in which about 10 boy and 20 girls are instructed.

In digging for marl, some time since, the skull and horns of a large elk were found, which are in the possession of Col. Bruen, of Oak Park; and about two years since a coin of the reign of Ethelred was picked up in a field here.

from Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837.

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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Fontstown which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for this parish from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.

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Land & Property

Tithe Applotment Books for county Kildare and its  parishes are available online on the National Archives of Ireland website

The entry for Fontstown from Griffiths Valuation 1847/64

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OSI grid reference N7408602000 (Lat/Lon: 53.063801, -6.895628), Fontstown which are provided by: