Richard Hedges of Macroom, Co. Cork, 8th June 1714, Irate letter, ‘All Mountains, Bogs, and Rocks, Entirely Inhabited by Irish from Dunmanway to Kanturk, which is 40 miles of Barbarous Country, there is not an English Gentleman of note there except William Brown, Minister at Macroom, some Heads of Irish Clans not only carry Arms and Harbour Unregistered Non-Jurist Popish priests but have gained Ascendant over Civil power there being but few Protestants and they are Overawed by the Multitude of Papists.

The Hedges and Davies of Macroom  were active with the Whites, Fenwicks and Blairs of Dunmanway later Bantry (some of whom had been students at the Inns of Court in London) in acquiring vast tracts of land at knockdown prices from the Hollow Blade Company.  Not involved with them but active in the purchase was Francis Bernard of Bandon, this formed the base of the Bandon estate.

Macroom Castle of the Descendants was burned in 1922.

http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/property-show.jsp?id=3036&estate_id=1093

Manuscript MS 757, National Archives, from Kevin Whelan’s article on Catholic Middlemen.