{"id":2403,"date":"2025-12-23T00:25:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T00:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/galwaycivictrust.ie\/?page_id=2403"},"modified":"2026-03-10T01:06:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T01:06:25","slug":"tribes-of-galway-ffrench","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/galwaycivictrust.ie\/index.php\/tribes-of-galway\/tribes-of-galway-ffrench\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribes of Galway \u2013 Ffrench"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Motto<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>: One heart, one mind<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Ffrench family, one of the Tribes of Galway, descended from Norman nobles who followed William the Conqueror. Their Irish presence began in Wexford before spreading west. Walter French arrived in Galway around 1425, followed later by Henry Begg French under Elizabeth I. The family held major estates at Castle French, Monivea, and Frenchgrove. Charles, Baron Ffrench, was elevated to the peerage in 1798.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The first person of the name to become Mayor was John French in 1538. He erected a chapel on the south side of the Franciscan Friary which stood outside the wall of Galway. Many of the French family acquired estates in Co. Galway and elsewhere in Connaught in the late 16<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span><\/sup> and early 17<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span><\/sup> cent. The French Park, Co. Roscommon branch produced Field Marshal Sir John French, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1920, and his redoubtable sister, the revolutionary Madame Despard. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The major buildings owned by the French family in Galway City in the medieval period were a fine tower house in Market St, the property of <\/span><\/span>Sir Peter French<\/b><\/span><\/span>, and another town house in Market St, that of <\/span><\/span>Sir Oliver French<\/b><\/span><\/span>, Mayor of Galway in 1650, as shown on the mid-seventeenth century map of the city. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The mansion house of<\/span><\/span> Sir Peter French, knight <\/b><\/span><\/span>was situated in Market Street, on the North side. The depiction of his mansion on the Pictorial Map of 1651 shows a very large tower with surrounding out-offices. (Marked as <\/span><\/span>X <\/b><\/span><\/span>on the map)<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>After the Cromwellian confiscations, it was used as a nunnery. The building was in ruins by the late nineteenth century. During the 19th century, this building was known as De Burgo\u2019s Mansion. It was demolished for the Connacht Tribune printing works by 1944. This building had been adorned by a decorative doorway, which was removed from the site in 1928 prior to the demolition. Today the Portershed occupies this site.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

An elaborate memorial slab to Sir Peter French and his wife, Maria Browne, is preserved in the grounds of the Franciscan Church, The greater part of the monument was said to have been broken up by Cromwellian soldiers in 1653.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The mansion house of<\/span><\/span> Sir Oliver French, knight was located <\/b><\/span><\/span>also located on Market Street, and is noted on the 1651 Map. (Marked as <\/span><\/span>&c <\/b><\/span><\/span>on the map)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another house of the Ffrench family, in Abbeygate St, contained the former Cooke\u2019s Restaurant. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

1651 Map<\/strong>: https:\/\/galwaycivictrust.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Cantec_Scan-of-1651-map.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Sources Consulted<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Books<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Dargan, Pat, Galway \u2013 City of Heritage<\/i>, Eastwood Books, Dublin, 2024<\/span><\/p>\n

Dowd, Peadar, \u201cA Family Heritage in Stone\u201d, Galway Roots- Journal of the Galway Family History Society West<\/i>, Summer 1993, (pp6-8)<\/span><\/p>\n

Hardiman, James, Hardiman\u2019s History of Galway,<\/i> 1820 (reprint, Connacht Tribune 1985)<\/span><\/p>\n

Larkin, Patrick \u201cSOME TOWN CASTLES OF GALWAY.\u201dJournal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society<\/i> 72 (2020): 157\u201372. <\/span><\/p>\n

Martyn Adrian, The Tribes Of Galway; 1124- 1642<\/i>, Galway; Adrian Martyn, 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

O\u2019Neill T.P., The Tribes and other Galway families<\/i>, (1984), reprint, Galway Civic Trust, 2013<\/span><\/p>\n

Prunty, Jacinta; Walsh, Paul, Galway- Irish Historic Town Atlas No 28<\/i>, Royal Irish Academy, 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

Walsh, Paul, Renaissance Galway- Delineating the Seventeenth Century City<\/i>, Royal Irish Academy, 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

Internet<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome to County Galway Guide, \u2018\u2019Tribes of Galway\u201d, (2007), https:\/\/www.galway-ireland.ie\/galway-tribes.htm<\/a><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.houseofnames.com\/<\/a><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Motto: One heart, one mind The Ffrench family, one of the Tribes of Galway, descended from Norman nobles who followed William the Conqueror. Their Irish presence began in Wexford before spreading west. Walter French arrived in Galway around 1425, followed later by Henry Begg French under Elizabeth I. The family […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2377,"parent":2281,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2403","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nTribes of Galway \u2013 Ffrench - Galway Civic Trust - D\u00fachas Na Gaillimhe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/galwaycivictrust.ie\/index.php\/tribes-of-galway\/tribes-of-galway-ffrench\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tribes of Galway \u2013 Ffrench - Galway Civic Trust - D\u00fachas Na Gaillimhe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Motto: One heart, one mind The Ffrench family, one of the Tribes of Galway, descended from Norman nobles who followed William the Conqueror. 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