1901 Census Research for Celbridge, Co. Kildare

Celbridge is dominated physically by the Castletown Estate, in which Castletown House was erected in the Palladian style between 1722 and 1729 for the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, William Conolly. Conolly rose from humble beginnings to become the wealthiest and most powerful politician in Ireland. He had amassed 100,000 acres by the time of his death in 1729.

The family had donated the land for the workhouse that was the centre of the Celbridge Poor Law Union, and Castletown remained in the ownership of the Conolly family at the time of the 1901 Census. However, none of the Conolly family were present on Census night. Thomas Conolly, aged 6, had inherited Castletown in 1876 on the death of his father. In 1900 he was a Lt. in the 2^nd Dragoons, The Scots Greys, but was  killed at 14:15 on July 11^th 19011 during the Boer War at Nital’s Nek west of Pretoria.  

He was succeeded by his brother Major Edward Conolly but he never settled at Castletown House until after World War I.

Census Night in Castletown House

On Census night, the house was under the charge of House Steward, 38 year old London born William Miller, presiding over 16 staff, who were waiting upon only three guests on Census night, namely, Portuguese born George F. Warre, wine agent Richard G. Turbett, and American born Emily Ladenburg. Only four of the staff, William Quin, Joseph Murray, Kate Maguire and Thomas Doughan, were born in County Kildare, with 12 born in England.

From 1851 to 1891 the Celbridge ED population declined every decade, at an average annual rate of 20 people in the 1850’s, 13 people in the 1860’s and 1880’s but at an average of almost 56 people a year in the 1870’s. The government return form for the 1891 Co. Kildare Census confirms this rapid decrease in the 1870’s was due to factories closing, but it doesn’t specify what the factories were. More research is required here. 

The population of the town fell by 31% in the 1870’s from 1467 to 1002 in 1881, and fell again to 836 in 1891 before recovering to 921 in 1901.

Castletown House is located in the townland of Castletown and it is notable how the population of this townland declined from 122 in 1851 to only 62 in 1901. When Thomas Conolly died sine prole in 1900, the value of his estate left to his brother was £6314.

Other Townlands 

Nobody was living in Kilmacraddock Lower by 1901 while Kilmacraddock Upper had 6 residents, down form 33 in 1851. It was home to the family of Patrick and Rose Quigley, both aged 30, and their four children, Patrick (6), Matthew (5), Bridget (3) and William (1). The entire family were born in Co. Meath so they must have only recently settled in Kilmacraddock Upper.    

In contrast other townlands experienced significant growth, albeit off low bases.

• Agharas was up 70% from 10 to 17, thanks to the presence of two large households, that of John and Elizabeth Farrell and 5 of their children, and the family of Henry and Maryane Burgess and 8 of their children.
• Crippaun up 122% from 9 residents to 20 in 1901;
• Kelleenlea up 200% from 4 to 12 residents. The family of Laurence and Mary Daly and their 7 children explain the growth here. And
• Moortown, up 115% from 13 in 1851 to 28 in 1901. Again, the presence of a large family makes a difference, in this case that arrival of the family of Dublin born Joseph Bean and his Galway born wife Mary. Joseph was a carpenter, and his sons Richard (21), James (19), John (18) and Patrick (16) were all carpenters, the latter three being apprentices. All were born in Dublin but the next 5 children were all born in Kildare starting with 15-year-old Anne, which would suggest the family arrived in Celbridge shortly after the birth of Patrick in c1885.