Farney and the Shirley Estate, Carrickmacross, c. 1840, a silver award medal by G.R. Collis, façade of mansion house, arms and motto below, rev. legend in wreath, 51mm. Very fine and rare; with fixed suspender
£120-150

Provenance: E.W. Danson Collection.

The Shirley estate, just outside Carrickmacross, was the largest estate in co Monaghan and at one time spanned 26,386 acres. The lands had to be sold due to the Land Acts before the First World War, leaving the estate with less than 1,000 acres of grass and woodland. The Shirleys were absentee landlords, but in 1826 Evelyn John Shirley (1788-1856) laid the foundations of a mansion on the banks of Lough Fea and the house depicted on the medal still stands. It was erected entirely of free stone found on the estate and built in the manner of a college, the ground floor with a Great Hall, a chapel and, in the centre, the principal living rooms