Doctor Charles Frizell (1781-1866)

Charles Frizell Junior was a very different character to his father, and broke away from the family profession – opting instead for a career in medicine. As a result of his father’s mobile occupation, it is almost impossible to definitively establish his place of birth (most likely Dublin or Wexford), but his headstone helpfully records a date of birth of 1781. Charles Junior attended Trinity College Dublin to become an obstetrician, where he gained a B.A. in 1805, an M.B. in 1808, and eventually – an M.A. in 1832.

Estate development

In 1812, the heir married Margaret Jones of Westmeath, and the marital alliance came with a respectable dowry – which was used to construct Castlekevin House, and to assume ownership of further lands on the estate. An expert in the field of maternity care, Charles worked in British Lying-In Hospital in Holborn, London, from 1815 to 1817. As he made a name for himself in the profession, he established a practice out of 16 Warrington Place, South Dublin, and was renowned for being the “discoverer of the therapeutic effects of the larch bark in bronchital and intermitting affections.”

It appears that Doctor Frizell was determined to expand the remit of Castlekevin, but it took him a number of years to put together the necessary funds to become the dominant landlord in the townland. In order to fulfil this ambition, by September 1826 – he was able to put together the means to buy out the remaining aristocratic landowners on the estate in a massive land-deal, probably falling into a mountain of debt to achieve this overarching goal. This would have surely been an immensely challenging undertaking – as the individuals with pre-existing claims to Castlekevin properties included Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, William Henry Candevish-Bentick Scott, 4th Duke of Portland, and George William Pierrepont Bentick Esquire.

Managing the estate

Following the land deal, an 1831 entry in the Tithe Applotment Books renders some valuable information on the Doctor’s stewardship of the property. Frizell family members aside, 26 tenants are recorded as living at Castlekevin, guaranteeing the landlord £297 in annual rental revenues. Around this same time, Charles found himself in disagreement with a nearby landlord, Henry Grattan Junior, who occupied the Tinnahinch estate once owned by his famous father. It took until 1835 before a legal resolution was found, which involved Frizell and Grattan trading several of their respective tenants.

When Castlekevin appeared in Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland in 1837, the property was depicted with high praise, as the author noted the landscape was “rich and diversified”,  with the estate of “Dr. Frizell occupying a lofty eminence richly planted with firs and other forest trees, and commanding an extensive and delightful view.” Further evidence regarding the condition of Castlekevin can be found in an 1843 entry of the Irish valuation records, which demonstrates the diversity of agriculture practised by the landlord.

Famine

When the Great Famine struck Ireland, the Frizell family felt obliged to do their part in securing local relief. The Doctor’s son and heir, yet another Charles Frizell Junior – acted as Secretary to the Glendalough and Calary Relief Commission, and succeeded in raising £75 from the big-wigs of wider Wicklow.

Increased revenue

By the time Castlekevin was recorded in Griffith’s Valuations in 1854, Frizell is noted as possessing over 1448 acres, containing 28 tenants – with families first appearing on the 1777 survey map still present on the estate. From the whole venture, the Doctor was earning £455 a year in rental revenues. However, debts from the 1826 land-purchase agreement appear to have still haunted the family, a problem that would greatly intensify once Charles Junior took charge as landlord.

In 1857, the Doctor accidentally stumbled across an undetermined type of fern on his property, which had not yet been documented by botanists. Subsequently, the sample was analysed by Botanic Gardens of Trinity College, where it was christened “Frizelliae” to credit its chief discoverer.

Final days

Short of money, Frizell continued to practise medicine well into advanced age, and it was at his Warrington Place practice that he eventually passed away on 19 March 1866 – at the age of 83. Charles was also laid to rest at St. Canice’s Churchyard in Finglas, to be buried next to his father, wife, and sisters.

Note

Information on the Frizell genealogy at https://alison-stewart.blogspot.com/2013/08/ (accessed 1/11/23) – Charles Frizell Jr, son of Dr Charles Frizell married Jane Bourne (of Peter Bourne and Ellen Gibbs) in St Peter’s Dublin, 1849. Their children include Charles Frizell born circa 1850 and Walter Hugh Frizell born 1856.