Today a farm of 521 acres might entitle the owner to be termed "a wealthy landowner" but hardly among many of those listed in Owners of Land of One Acre and Upwards (1876). Clonakility-born William Thompson (1785-1833) is so designated in A Biographical Dictionary of Irish Writers.
Owners lists but three Thompson holdings in Co Cork: one acre at Carrignafoy, Cobh; 76 acres, the property of English-residing Sir William Hamilton Thompson, and the above holding, the property of George Thompson, for which no address is furnished. We wonder if it might be Clonkeen in the Co Cork parish of Kilmacabea, listed in the 1814 Directory as the residence of one William Thompson.
The Directory listed 41 other Thompsons, the great majority of whom were in the province of Ulster. The above William Thompson of Clonkality was one of the principle figures in the creation of "scientific socialism", being the author of works on the principles of distributing wealth.
However, if he is not to be remembered as the author of the longest titled work - An Appeal of One Half of the Human Race, Women, against the Pretensions of the Other Half, Men, to retain them in Political, and thence, in Civil & Domestic, Slavery - he certainly should for its enlightened content.
Current telephone directories south of the Border list Thompson over 700 times, with 50 Thomsons. The corresponding numbers north of the Border are 2,090, and 60-plus.
Usually of English origin, and meaning "son of Thomas", this surname, though of comparatively recent introduction, is the second most numerous purely non-Irish name in Ireland.
None of our usual authorities tell when this name came to Ireland. A fiant of 1550 lists Christopher Thompson among those pardoned (among whom the Archbishop of Dublin), while Richard Thompson, treasurer of St Patrick's, was a member of 16 commissions between 1574 and 1602. The earliest, listing him as clerk, precentor of Christ Church, Dublin, was a licence to be absent in England for three years to study at either of the universities there.
A slightly earlier Thompson is listed in the index of the Calendar of State Papers 1509-1573 as "Tomson, or Thomson, John, the pirate July 21 1548, Cork. Mayor, &c. of Cork to same (Lord Deputy Bellingham). State of defences. Arrival of a big ship at Kinsale from St. Malo, going to Galway with wine and to take 15 lasts of hides. John Tomson and his men taken".
On July 31st the mayor of Waterford wrote announcing the arrival of "Tomson the pirate" at that port. In August he was set at liberty after O'Sullivan Beare had paid a large ransom. But when Thompson arrived at Dungarvan with a ship laden with wines, figs and sugar, offering to trade, the constable there wrote to inquire whether he should apprehend or trade.
He was advised that Thomson and his gang appeared to have a pardon, "and as it appears their goods are not stolen, they may trade with them".
The "census" of 1659 lists persons named Thompson/Thomson as tituladoes in Kilkeauen, Co Wexford; in Crickstown, Co Meath; Argornott, Co Armagh; Kilfentanane, Co Clare; in part of Pump Street, Derry city; in Coleraine & Liberties, Co Derry; in Cloancurrye (Cloncurry), Co Kildare; in Dunluce, Carrie, and Kilconrie, Co Antrim; in Cahir and Cahir Abbey, Co Tipperary, and in Roconnell, Co Westmeath. Richard Thompson was Co Kildare commissioner for the Poll-money Ordinances of 1660 and 1661, and for Longford in 1661.
Apart from the three 1876 Co Cork holdings, the Thompsons had holdings in 25 of Ireland's 32 counties - in all of Ulster's nine, and in 10 of Leinster's 12.
Biggest were the 1,329 acres in Co Kildare; 1,135 in Co Dublin; 4,485 in Co Offaly; 2,154 Co Meath; 1,479 in Co Tipperary; 1,187 in Co Cavan, 2,259 in Co Down, and 2,298 in Co Donegal.
Our favourite Thompson was the remarkable George Thompson, the English scholar, whose perception of the wealth of the Irish language and his belief in its importance, was only matched by his ability to speak the richest of Kerry Irish.
There are townlands named Clonkeen in Cos Antrim, Cavan, Kildare, Offaly, Monaghan, Laois, Westmeath, Wicklow and Limerick. All probably derive from Cluain Caoin "pleasant meadow".