Although not originally from Nenagh (as far as we know), William made an impact on the local district and is therefore worthy of a mention on this website. One looks at the architecture of local buildings such as Kilboy House, Traverston House and Prior Park and they are all united by a common creator - so called amateur architect William Leeson. But who was he and why is so so difficult to pin down?  Very little is known about him yet his work is anything but second rate. The associated buildings of Leeson have a style of their own although some merely reflect his response to other influences. 

We commence first by delving into the Archives looking for clues and seeking out anything that would give us a handle on William, his forebears or his descendants. The first record I encountered was an entry in The Execrable Irish Rebellion of 1641 of a John Leeson son of William who was taken from his home, stripped and hanged in Wicklow in November of that year. This is the earliest record of a William Leeson in Ireland that I have found. He would have been too old to have any involvement in our buildings. Expand the search to England and there’s any amount of contenders to consider.

The next William Leeson I came across was a clerk/counsellor who acted as a witness on some legal documents for Richard Lord Bellew, of Dulleek. However this was back in 1709. 

According to the Quaker Book of Sufferings, a certain William Leeson is visiting premises in Dublin to recover monies in respect of outstanding Tithes which have been unpaid. These visits took place in 1726. 

Is this the same person….?  .....or a successor to the witness? Is the Counsellor referred to as a witness, just another variant of a Bailiff.?

There is also a reference to William the Counsellor - a nephew of Joseph Leeson,  in his will of 1741. Joseph was 1st Earl of Milltown and the builder of that gem of Palladian Architecture, Russborough House. William the Counsellor would himself die in 1751. Should he be considered as a contender to be William the Architects father?

Russborough House - designed by Richard Cassell for Joseph Leeson

Castlebar St, Westport

An advertisement in Faulkner’s Dublin Journal on 17/03/1767 had advertised for the building of a new town. This would become the new town of Westport. Any pupil of Richard Cassell would be considered most favourably. Cassell’s designs were simple, balanced and effective. They had simplified and restrained exteriors in the Palladian style but the interiors gave way to a riot of exuberant rococo plasterwork by the Lafrancini Brothers from Switzerland. Cassells designs were very much aimed at the agricultural aspect, dividing the outside in walled quadrants and accompanying barns with the main house sitting firmly in the centre. This proved to be a popular concept in Ireland, no doubt echoing the Bawns and Fortified enclosures of old.

The temptation here is to ponder, did our William learn his craft under the tutelage of German architect Richard Cassells (aka Castle, previously David Riccardio)? Cassell was the designer and architect of Russborough House (1742) and one of three architects involved at Westport House (1731). No doubt it would show why so many doors were open to William the Architect within the ascendancy class. It would also explain why a relative unknown is given the freedom to re-design the street layout of Cathair na Mart, for John Browne, 1st Earl Altamont of Westport in 1767. And then we stumble on the following.....!

Willam Leesons design for the Earl of Altamont of the Balustrade of a metal outdoor staircase at Westport House.

(Gentlemans Magazine - Vol LIII. Part II.  - 1783)

There is a gap of 10 years or so before Leeson’s next credited project. It may well be that he was doing the grand tour, or possibly working on the drawings for future projects, learning his craft under his mentor or hasn’t yet been credited with other work. An entry in the Dictionary of Irish Architects credits William with the design and construction of a two storey villa at Brooklodge, Ballyglunin, Co Galway for Christopher French. This dates from 1775-76 with Leeson returning to build an extension between 1786 and 88.

Leeson’s next credited work was Peterfield House (later renamed Johnstown) at Kilodiernan outside Puckane. It was designed and constructed between 1777 and 1786. The client here was Peter Holmes who was also responsible for Peter Holmes Street in Nenagh later abbreviated to Peter St. 

A near neighbour of the Holmes family were the Wallers of Prior Park, Puckane. Leeson is credited with constructing Prior Park House in 1779 - 86 for the owner, James Otway. Architecturally it looks quite similar to Peterfield. However it looks unbalanced with the windows looking too small within the expanse of wall. Simple blind pilasters would have remedied this in my opinion. These houses were followed by the exceptional Kilboy House outside Dolla for Lord Dunalley in 1775-80 and also during this period of time Leeson was working on Clonbrock House (1780-88) in Galway for Robert Dillon. This was situate near Mount Bellew (remember William the Counsellor). There is also to be included Traverston House, Lisgorriff in 1786 for Robert Going where Leeson returns to his well proven simple box formula for design. How much was he influenced by the recently built (1779), John Roberts square and spartan designed Tyrone House on Galway Bay. Surely Traverston House is just a homage. Certainly the similarities are striking. 

Of course these decisions on design are more likely to have been made by the client with any form of embellishment having a cost consideration. As with any form of creativity, the person holding the purse strings ultimately calls the tune, with artistic vision being determined by cost and how much the client is willing to pay. 

Possible Influences

These two buildings are worthy of comparison with Leeson's later work and suggest influences on his design style

An interesting interlude happens in 1784. Enter Austin Cooper (1759 - 1830) into the mix. Born in Killinure outside of Ardfinnan in South Tipperary, he would later make his mark in the treasury department of Dublin Castle. While there he met with Gabriel Beranger, noted antiquarian artist and also part of the Dublin Castle treasury staff. Beranger and Cooper were encouraged by William Burton Conyngham, teller of the Exchequer and antiquarian, to visit and record Irish antiquities as they existed at the time. This would be no problem for Beranger who was a competent artist, however Cooper had quite a naive style. Cooper appears to have met up with William Leeson. 

On the left we have a typical naive Austin Cooper sketch, drawn by himself and of the Castle ruins at Nenagh. However on the right hand side we have a drawing by William Leeson which has been adulterated by Cooper. - (NLI)

a series of works created at Knockmoy Abbey by William Leeson and edited by Austin Cooper. Each showing drawn by William Leeson - (NLI)

On a number of his sketches, re-edited in Coopers unique style, are the notes that the original having been drawn by Leeson would have been edited by Cooper.  It was during this time he created some sketches of Knockmoy Abbey Ruins also in Galway. The most famous of these drawings were a record of the so-called Knockmoy fresco’s. In actual fact they should be more suitably referred to as monochromatic line drawings. Although the drawings are credited to Cooper, it clearly shows that the originals were drawn by Leeson, including an architectural plan of the Abbey. This is probably the closest we can get to Leeson’s original architectural style.

Limerick Chronicle - 27/10/1785

On 19/10/1785, a William Leeson is reported as living in the Bolingbroke area outside Nenagh and subject to a home invasion. The location of a house in Bolingbroke would have been handy for both Kilboy and Traverston. I wonder however, if this location should be expanded to include Barnagore and possibly over as far as Upperchurch as Bolingbroke itself is quite mountainous, boggy and remote. One of the things that doesn’t sit right is the lack of large houses within the district. My own grandfather came from Beannasceagh in Boilingbroke and the landowner for the district was the Pritties/Dunalley's of Kilboy. Any of the cottages within the area would be unsuitable and lacking in the high ceilings and resultant light that an architect would need for his drawings. It’s worth noting also that whatever house William was living in had a cellar as this is where the chest contain jewellery and precious metals were kept. There is also the mention of the stewards room and the servants being ushered into an apartment. Just how big is this house? 

I offer in evidence an entry for a William Leeson as a voter of Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire. Is this merely coincidence? Has he just renamed the house in remembrance of a homeland and sloppy reporting has assumed its the Tipperary townland. This line of enquiry needs further investigation.

In any case, William at Bolingbroke is the target for a band of thieves armed with guns, pistols and bayonets. The main suspects were James Blanchfield of Drombane and Edmund Ryan of Clareen. Both of these are townlands close to Upperchurch. 

The crime itself was reported in The Limerick Chronicle of 27/10/1785. The Chronicle includes in the report a full itemised list of jewellery and other objects taken. Of significance is that some of these objects are emblazoned with the Leeson Coat of Arms. Use of a family coat of arms is strictly policed so unless he purloined the objects himself, he is somehow connected to the Milltown Leeson’s of Russborough House. If William was illegitimate the arms would be emblazoned with a ‘baton Sinister’ denoting a bastard.  Of significant interest however in the items stolen are the deeds of property for houses in Clerkenwell, Hatch End, Harrow-on-Weald, Pinner and Middlesex which were also taken, as was paperwork

“of no use to anyone but the Earl Leeson”.  

Surely this points to Milltown and Russborough interest and association?

The following January 11th a proclamation is issued by the Lord Lieutenant for the apprehension of the main culprits with a pardon and reward offered to any of the other participants who offer evidence sufficient to prosecute Blanchfield and Ryan. This points towards a man with powerful friends.

Pallas House, Tynagh, Co Galway - 1797

In 1797 William was commissioned by the 4th Lord Nugent to design and build Pallas House in Tynagh, Co.Galway. This would later be largely extended by the 10th Earl of Westmeath when he inherited the title and estate. However, in the surviving photographs you can still see Leeson’s basic cubic design. The house was systematically demolished and sold for scrap by the Irish Land Commission in 1945. 

Entry in the book of Trinity College Alumni

Before we close, there’s one last tentative piece of the puzzle to be considered… there is an entry in the Alumni of Trinity College, Dublin for 23 year old William Leeson, son of Patrick (Agricola=farmer) Leeson for 1777. He was born in Tipperary. Could this be our chap? We find an entry in the 1799 census for a Leeson family in Carrick on Suir but sadly as part of the workhouse inmates. We could also mention the marriage of Grace Head, of Derrycastle to Hon. Robert Leeson in 1795. Doe’s this add to our Tipperary connection? We're moving within a close knit communiety but lacking those key pointers to say who William was. Did he commit a crime which resulted in all records of him being removed or has he merely been misfiled? Sadly nothing yet found on Patrick Leeson in Tipperary and his origins.

Finally, we have an entry for the death of William Leeson of Newgrove in Loughrea, Galway who died in 1806. This is generally believed to be William the Architect.

Prerogative Wills 1806 entry for the death of William Leeson at Newgrove, in Galway. 

Moving on, before we close our list….we have to consider the Honourable William Leeson. Now The Rt Hon William was son of Joseph Leeson 1st Earl of Milltown and Elizabeth French (remember Brooklodge Villa) and was born in 05/03/1770. William the Architect had already designed the street plan for Westport at this stage so I think therefore we can discount the Honourable William as contender. 

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So what do we now have? ….any reference to William describes him as an amateur architect. I would suggest he is anything but. Certainly he doesnt have the large output of work that Cassell achieved. However, the likes of Kilboy House and Brooklodge Villa point to a competent architect who although influenced by the architectural fashion of the time is still able to bring to these works his own mark and interpretation. Some of his work is appropriated by others whether in collaboration or unwillingly as in the case of the Tipperary born Austin Cooper. 

I believe William the Architect is probably a kinsman to William the Counsellor or if not, a son, probably illegitimate of one of Joseph Leeson’s the Brewer’s siblings.

• Joseph the Brewer’s own son Joseph, is elevated as 1st Lord Milltown. William has access to silver plate with the Leeson family crest yet still must work for a living. William's association with the Earls of Milltown opens doors within other ascendancy class families with buildings in the counties of Galway and North Tipperary bearing testimony to his popularity as a local architect. I include for consideration the marriage of Michael Head of Derrycastle and Margaret Prittie of Kilboy in 1761. A daughter of this marriage - Grace Head, would later marry the Honorable Robert Leeson in 1795. Other Prittie inlaws being the Otway and Holmes families, hence Prior Park and Peterfield House.
• The list of Alumni at Trinity has William Leeson born 1754 which would make him a gifted amateur when designing the layout of Westport. I propose that his father was Patrick Agricola Leeson but there still remains the connection to the Milltown Leesons.
• William probably learned his craft on the construction of Russborough House under the master architect Richard Cassells who probably oversaw young Williams work at Westport. 

Our primary problem is that this is all conjecture with nothing concrete upon which to base my suppositions. I fear this is a puzzle I will be returning and adding to again. I welcome any input that might offer some different solutions.