•  Boystown, County Wicklow

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In 1837, Samuel Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland described Boystown like this:

BOYSTOWN, or BALTIBOYS, a parish, in the barony of LOWER TALBOTSTOWN, county of WICKLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Blessington; containing 3235 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the Liffey and King's rivers, and comprises, with the chapelries of Granabeg and Kilbeg, about 20,000 statute acres, of which nearly two-thirds are mountain, and the remainder is chiefly pasture land, with a small portion under tillage. ...

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The system of agriculture is improving; there is an extensive tract of bog, called Ballynahown, near Blackditches. At Baltiboys is a good quarry of slate, which was formerly worked to advantage, but is at present discontinued; and there are quarries of granite at Ballyknocken, which are still in operation. The surrounding scenery is bold and mountainous, and there are several gentlemen's seats, among which are Tulfarris, the seat of R. Hornidge, Esq., which was partly burnt by the insurgents in 1798; Baltiboys, of Lieut.-Colonel Smith, who has recently erected a handsome mansion on the demesne, which commands some fine and extensive views; Humphreystown, of W. Cotton, Esq., the demesne of which is tastefully laid out and planted; Willmount. of W. Dunbavin, Esq., commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country; and Stormount, of W. Brown, Esq., from which also is a fine view, including the mansion and demesne of Russborough.

There are also two shooting lodges, one at Kilbeg, belonging to W. Brady, Esq., and one at Marfield, the property of Robert La Touche, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, and is part of the union of St. Mary Blessington, or Burgage; the rectory is appropriate to the corps of the treasurership in the cathedral church of St. Patrick, Dublin. The tithes amount to £181. 10., of which £110 is payable to the treasurer, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is included in the union or district of Blackditches, which comprises the whole of this parish and a part of Blessington; there are chapels at Blackditches and in the small village of Lacken, both of which are in this parish. A school-house, with apartments for a master and mistress, was built at the expense of Lieut.-Colonel Smyth; there are eight hedge schools, in which are about 145 boys and 114 girls. There is an ancient cemetery at Baltiboys, and another at Templepooda.

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