The Wandesfordes Arrive

In 1635 Thomas Wentworth, the incumbent Lord Deputy of Ireland and later Earl of Strafford, settled an area in Co.Kilkenny with six hundred Yorkshire men, and his colleague, Christopher Wandesforde, was granted to acquire an area round the present town of Castlecomer. Wandesforde laid out the town and also established Castlecomer Demesne (now the Discovery Park) before his death in 1640. The market town design and construction was based on the Italian town of Alsinore, its ornate stone houses flanking a wide market square lined with iconic lime trees. Castlecomer and the surrounding area remained owned by the Wandesforde family until the 21st century.