Kilbeacon, Listerlin, Rossinan, Muckalee, Aghaviller and Kilkeasy. Their lands were said to have been confiscated by Oliver Cromwell, c.1640, by which time the Walsh families owned much of the southern Knocktopher lands. Most of the remainder of the Barony was then owned by the Earl Of Ormond. In the census of 1659, the total number of Irish in the Barony of Knocktopher was recorded as 1301. Knocktopher Abbey was established by the Normans in the 13th Century and was subsequently acquired with its lands by the Langrishe family. Today is a time-share resort. The Langrishes of Knocktopher The Langrishes of Knocktopher were probably its most famous residents, their influence and impact lasting through the generations to the present day. The Langrishe's seat for nearly 300 years, until 1981, was Knocktopher Abbey. We are indebted to the permission of Art Kavanagh for these detailed references in the chapter of his book, ‘Langrishe of Knocktopher’, in a book entitled Kilkenny: The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy (pub 2004). It is believed that John Langrishe (1660-1735) was the first to arrive in Knocktopher. After his first wife, Sarah Sanford, died in 1684 he then married Hon. Alice Blaney, daughter of Harry the 2nd Lord Blaney and widow of Thomas Sandford. Alice inherited the lands at Knocktopher when Thomas died in 1679. After Alice died, John became owner of those lands and married for a third time in 1695, to Mary Grace, with whom he had a child. According to Willian Nolan and Kevin Phelan’s book entitled Kilkenny: History and Society (1990), Robert Langrishe completed the outright purchase of the fee simple of their Knocktopher lands of over 800 acres in 1757, lands that had previously been held by them on a lease of lives renewable since 1698. Although John was married five times he had only one child, a son Robert (1706-1770), who succeeded John when he died in 1735. Robert was married twice, and he had one surviving son, Hercules Langrishe (Herky, 1731-1811). Five of the eight Langrishe Baronets were named Hercules, and the current heir to the 9th Baronet title is also called Hercules (born 1988). Hercules was MP for Knocktopher for 40 years from 1761 until Act of Union 1800. It is claimed that he achieved that remarkable feat of that time by buying up Knocktopher property and leasing it to Catholic residents. Hercules held posts of Commissioner of Revenue from