Those bearing the surname Knox in the United States were not behind the door when it came to perpetuating their name and naming places after themselves. There are Knox, and Knox City and three places named Knoxville.
However, despite owning 81,326 Irish acres, as listed in Owners of Land of One Acres and Upwards (1876), be it modesty, carelessness or plain forgetfulness, those bearing that surname in Ireland named but a single place for themselves. That is Knoxpark, a townland in the Co Sligo parish of Ballysadare.
The 1876 Knox holdings were in three Leinster, four Connacht and five Ulster counties, comprising altogether 67 holdings. The largest was the 24,374 acres of Captain Charles Howe Knox, of Cranmore, Ballinrobe, Co Mayo.
Indeed their 13 holdings in that county were on average far larger than in any other. The second largest in the country was the 6,855 acres of Annesley Knox of Rappa House, Ballina, where Elizabeth Knox had an additional 3,143 acres.
A number of the Knox landowners were clergymen, the most eminent being the Right Rev Robert Knox, of The Palace, Hollywood, Co Down, with a modest 69 acres. The Phone Book of Northern Ireland contains 150 Knox entries, while to its south there are 106, mainly in south Leinster and east Munster.
However, the most famous of the Knox families which settled in Ireland acquired estates in Counties Derry, Mayo, Tipperary and Dublin.
All these stemmed originally from Ranfurly in Renfrewshire (Ulster Surnames: Robert Bell). The Census of 1659 notes that in Co Donegal Major Knox was titulado of Ray; Alexander Knox, titulado of Killigaden (Killygarvan?); George Knox titulado of Ballinagunnenagh, and commissioner for the poll-money ordinances for 1660 and 1661 for the Borough of Lifford.
Another Donegal Commissioner was Andrew Knox. In Co Wexford Thomas Knox was titulado of Tagonan (Tagunnan), Maglas (Mayglass), and also Commissioner for the Poll-Money Ordinances for 1660 and 1661.
Taylor & Skinners 1778 Maps of the Roads of Ireland shows Knox seats in Counties Louth, Down, Derry, Donegal, Cavan, Mayo and Tyrone. The 1814 Directory lists 12 Knox residences - in Counties Derry, Tyrone, Wicklow, Down, Roscommon and Mayo - in which are four in the vicinities of Ballina and Killala.
In 1831 Thomas Knox was created earl of Ranfurly, Viscount Northland, Baron Wells, (Baron Ranfurly of the United Kingdom) his residence being Dungannon Park Mansion, Co Tyrone.
Co Tyrone-born Robert Bent Knox (1808-1893), born at Dungannon Park Mansion, published Ecclesiastical Index (of Ireland) in 1839, later becoming Archbishop of Armagh in 1886. Major Laurence Knox published the first issue of The Irish Times (price 1d) on March 29th, 1859. The major, running as a Conservative in the Mallow by-election of 1870, was defeated by Henry Munster (Liberal). Munster was unseated and Knox, running this time as a Home Ruler, was again defeated by a Liberal candidate.
The Rev Robert Knox (181593) born at Clady, Urney, Co Tyrone, was a prolific builder of churches and schools. He founded and edited the monthly Irish Prot- estant, and was also co-founder of the Sabbath School Society. He became widely known for his newspaper controversy on the subject of baptismal regeneration with the Rev Theophilus Campbell.
Foynes, Co Limerick became the landing site for transatlantic flying boats in 1937, and when Pan-American and BOAC came there, wages of £5 were common. Risteard Mac Siacuis in his Idir Tuile 'gus Tra informs us that Feis na Sionnaine was held on the Monteagle/Spring Rice 6,445 estate at Mount Trenchard. Then cathaoirleach of the Foynes branch of Conradh na Gaeilge was Doreen Knox, a relation of the wealthy Monteagles.
In 1876 the Hon Jane Knox shared 1,815 Co Limerick acres with the Earl of Buckingham and Col William Maunsell. Doreen Knox changed her name to Doirin de Cnoc, which presumably she found in Woulfe's Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall. Not as outlandish as might appear!
The Penguin Dictionary of Surnames informs that the surname Knox derives from of (i.e. at) the Knock" or a plural (Knocks). The surname Knock is from "hillock, hump", Irish and Scots Gaelic.