Welcome to the Yeilding Family History Site. Think of it as a road map with no beginning and no ending. On the road there are brief stops with hazy glimpses of the past, but it falls far short of a historical account. Never-the-less, I cherish every historical nugget we manage to discover. Each one adds so much to the stale data of name, birth, and death dates. Mind you, this is a work in progress so please forgive the blank pages and dead ends. These are trail markers for future additions. If you uncover errors or problems while exploring this site please let me know. Also, if you have something to add I welcome your contribution. Your help in improving the experience will be very much appreciated.
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Sir Rowland Blennerhassett (1741-1821) established himself some 20 miles away from his birthplace, the family manor house of Mount Rivers, at Cathair Uí Mhorain and renamed it Blennerville after his family. Blennerville was the old port for Tralee until the Tralee Ship Canal was built 1846. This majestic mill was the last sight for many Irish leaving their beloved Ireland for the last time and sailing off to America, Canada, or Australia. In 1762, Sir Rowland, the son of Frances
Yeilding (1717-1771), traveled to Rathkeale in Co. Limerick (presumably
to the Church of Ireland where so many of
the Yeilding's attended and where most of them were
christened) In 1783 Sir Rowland built Blennerville House as the seat of the family and which is still in use there today. The mill, completed sometime around 1800 (at about the time of the birth of Richard Massy Yeilding, Jr.), was an important fixture on the main port of Kerry for almost five decades. There local farmers brought their wheat for grinding into flour for their personal use and for marketing. Shortly after its completion, said to be 1801, the mistress of Blennerville, Millicent, stepped out onto the walkway that surrounds the base of the great structure only to be struck and killed by the whirling blades.
The Blennerville Windmill is Ireland´s only commercially operated windmill, over 200 years old and standing almost 70' high (the tallest windmill of its kind in Europe). Sir Rowland became the 1st Baronet of Churchtown (Blennerville) 22 Sept 1809 by George III. |
The Blennerville Windmill stands
triumphantly on the coast of Co. Kerry and prominently in the history of the
Yeilding family. The history of the Blennerville
Windmill appears as a reflection of the history
of Ireland
itself in that it experienced early days of glory, a dark
tragic period of
decline, and finally a 'phoenix-like' revival.
Although it is not located in Limerick, the Yeilding's home
county, many Yeilding's also made their home in Kerry over the
ages. The windmill stands today only about 30 miles from Glensharrold,
the birthplace of so many Yeilding's.
to
marry his 1st cousin, Millicent
Agnes Yeilding (1742-1801), daughter of Frances Yeilding's
brother, Richard (1717-1804). Following the
wedding on Sunday, October 31, the happy couple returned to Blennerville
where they began their life together among the landed
gentry
of County Kerry.
The
mill fell into a state of near total disintegration
by the end of the 19th Century. In 1983, with
only the shell still standing the combined resources
of the local population, and government began a long
and tedious process of bringing the windmill back to life.
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