Lisaniskea
NAME Peafield Cliff House/Lis-an-iskea/Lisaniskea/Lios an Uisce
AREA LOCATION Blackrock, opposite the end of Mount Merrion Avenue on the Rock Road.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of
Booterstown and it is annotated as Lisaniskea on both. On Duncan's map of 1821
it is annotated as Peafield Cliff and is unnamed on Rocque's map of 1760.
GENERAL In 1746 it was described as a rangers cottage, by 1754 it was a two story five bay
house. It was extended by Lady Denny for the purpose of entertaining, a large hall with
two bows which houses the dining and drawing room with a staircase were added.
At the end of the front lawn she had built a greenhouse study or 'chapel', as she
called it. John Wesley visited the house in 1783 and describes it as 'one of the
pleasantest spots' he ever saw. In 1852 it was for let on 4 acres.
YEAR BUILT circa 1746
VALUATION In 1912 the valuation was 68 Pounds and in the 1911 census it is noted as
having 11 rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT Builder - Mr William Metcalf
SOURCES Thom’s directories, OSI maps, Griffith's Valuation, NAI Census & Wills
contemporaneous newspapers, RCB Library, William Fitzgerald letters, Brassington
& Gale estate maps, Griffith's Valuation and Registry of Deeds.
OCCUPANTS
1746 William Medcalf
1748 - 1792 Lady Arbella Denny
1792 - 1804 Katherine Fitzmaurice
1804 - 1816 Robert Lea of Mulbury Place, Carlow
1816 - 1823 Lord Ventry (Thomas Mullins-change of name to DeMoleyns
1823 - Lord Pepper (John Pepper, cotton Merchant)
Renamed Lisaniskea in 1828
1828 - 1832 Thomas O’Mara (T.O., Barrister)
1833 - 1834 William Smith (called to the bar in 1838)
1834 Mrs Rainsford (tenant)
1836 Thomas O’Mara (owner)
1839 George Nicolls (tenant) (Sir George Nicholl of workhouse fame)
1838 - 1843 Thomas Philpot O’Mara (called to the bar c1839)
1845 Thomas Babington
1849 - 1853 James Wright
1855 Richard Guinness Hill
1856 - 1857 Lord William Fitzgerald (tenant)
1857 - 1867 Frederick Willis
1868 - 1870 Mrs Elizabeth Willis
1871 - 1872 Hon Hercules Dowey/Rowley
1873 - 1923 The Misses Trench (Maria, Fanny and Jane)
1923 - 1924 William Trench Fitzpatrick
1924 Kevin O’Higgins (tenant)(shot on cross Avenue) minister for justice of the new Irish State
1925 Hon Sybil Atkinson (Doctor?)W T Kirkpatrick
1929 William Craig Martin (tenant)/William Peters (tenant)
1930 - 1935 William Peters
1935 - 1940 Pierce and Dorothea Higgins
1962 Dorothea Higgins
1966 Daniel O’Herlihy (tenant)
1967 John Nolan (tenant)
1969 Dorothea Higgins
1972 Niall Pierce Higgins
1999 - 2001 A house built on the grounds (shared access)
2004 House on the market for 8.5 Million
2006 Auction of contents
2013 House on the market for 3 Million in May
2014 House sold for 3.2M on 18 Jan
STAFF
1755 Timothy Mahony - Servant
1849 Patrick Trawley - Porter
1901 Jane Brown - Cook
Ellen McLoughlin - Housemaid
1911 Katherine Banett - Cook
Annie Miller - Perlour & Ladies maid
Margaret Ruth Miller - Housemaid
CURRENT
STATUS Extant
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE May 2019
AREA LOCATION Blackrock, opposite the end of Mount Merrion Avenue on the Rock Road.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of
Booterstown and it is annotated as Lisaniskea on both. On Duncan's map of 1821
it is annotated as Peafield Cliff and is unnamed on Rocque's map of 1760.
GENERAL In 1746 it was described as a rangers cottage, by 1754 it was a two story five bay
house. It was extended by Lady Denny for the purpose of entertaining, a large hall with
two bows which houses the dining and drawing room with a staircase were added.
At the end of the front lawn she had built a greenhouse study or 'chapel', as she
called it. John Wesley visited the house in 1783 and describes it as 'one of the
pleasantest spots' he ever saw. In 1852 it was for let on 4 acres.
YEAR BUILT circa 1746
VALUATION In 1912 the valuation was 68 Pounds and in the 1911 census it is noted as
having 11 rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT Builder - Mr William Metcalf
SOURCES Thom’s directories, OSI maps, Griffith's Valuation, NAI Census & Wills
contemporaneous newspapers, RCB Library, William Fitzgerald letters, Brassington
& Gale estate maps, Griffith's Valuation and Registry of Deeds.
OCCUPANTS
1746 William Medcalf
1748 - 1792 Lady Arbella Denny
1792 - 1804 Katherine Fitzmaurice
1804 - 1816 Robert Lea of Mulbury Place, Carlow
1816 - 1823 Lord Ventry (Thomas Mullins-change of name to DeMoleyns
1823 - Lord Pepper (John Pepper, cotton Merchant)
Renamed Lisaniskea in 1828
1828 - 1832 Thomas O’Mara (T.O., Barrister)
1833 - 1834 William Smith (called to the bar in 1838)
1834 Mrs Rainsford (tenant)
1836 Thomas O’Mara (owner)
1839 George Nicolls (tenant) (Sir George Nicholl of workhouse fame)
1838 - 1843 Thomas Philpot O’Mara (called to the bar c1839)
1845 Thomas Babington
1849 - 1853 James Wright
1855 Richard Guinness Hill
1856 - 1857 Lord William Fitzgerald (tenant)
1857 - 1867 Frederick Willis
1868 - 1870 Mrs Elizabeth Willis
1871 - 1872 Hon Hercules Dowey/Rowley
1873 - 1923 The Misses Trench (Maria, Fanny and Jane)
1923 - 1924 William Trench Fitzpatrick
1924 Kevin O’Higgins (tenant)(shot on cross Avenue) minister for justice of the new Irish State
1925 Hon Sybil Atkinson (Doctor?)W T Kirkpatrick
1929 William Craig Martin (tenant)/William Peters (tenant)
1930 - 1935 William Peters
1935 - 1940 Pierce and Dorothea Higgins
1962 Dorothea Higgins
1966 Daniel O’Herlihy (tenant)
1967 John Nolan (tenant)
1969 Dorothea Higgins
1972 Niall Pierce Higgins
1999 - 2001 A house built on the grounds (shared access)
2004 House on the market for 8.5 Million
2006 Auction of contents
2013 House on the market for 3 Million in May
2014 House sold for 3.2M on 18 Jan
STAFF
1755 Timothy Mahony - Servant
1849 Patrick Trawley - Porter
1901 Jane Brown - Cook
Ellen McLoughlin - Housemaid
1911 Katherine Banett - Cook
Annie Miller - Perlour & Ladies maid
Margaret Ruth Miller - Housemaid
CURRENT
STATUS Extant
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE May 2019