Considering writing about the surname Free, we first sought to discover how numerous the name was. In the combined telephone directories of the Republic there was a total of 32, mainly in Dublin. The Phone Book of Northern Ireland had but Free n' Easy Ladies' Fashion, Free Bible Course and Free Methodist Church. The surname means "freeborn" or "noble, generous" and MacLysaght's Surnames of Ireland says this is an abbreviated form of Freeman, found in or near Cork.
Cillin an Chronain in the Co Cork parish of Knocktemple was at some stage renamed Free mount, but we do not know if this contains the surname Free. William Free Esq is the only one of this name in the 1814 directory. His address was Hot-pot Lane, Carnew, Co Wicklow.
Taylor & Skinner's 1778 Maps of the Roads of Ireland shows Freeman at Castle Freeman, north-west of Oldcastle, Co Meath, being the sole entry of that name.
In 1814 there was John Freeman Esq, at Freemount Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow; Francis Freeman Esq, at Summerhill, Co Offaly; George Freeman Esq, Summerhill, Co Limerick; Edward D Freeman at Dromina, Kanturk, Co Cork; Sealy Freeman, Esq, Ballymague, Buttervant, Co Cork and E D Freeman, Castlecor, Buttervant, Co Cork. In 1778 this had been the residence of Deavre Esq.
According to O'Hart's Irish Pedigrees a Dean Freeman was at Castlecur in the early part of the 17th century, but we cannot say if this was the address of Richard Freeman who took up his office as Lord Chancellor on July 1st, 1707.
The Kenmare Manuscripts mentions one William Freeman, Castlecor, relating to lands in Limerick and Kerry, part of the Kenmare estate as early as 1721. Lord Kenmare wrote: "This gentleman has much the same profit from the tenants who hold it from him as the rent he pays and, it will be good value to my family whenever it expires," remarking that Freeman was a person of large fortune, and accusing him of having defrauded his father.
Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) says that Castle Cor was the ancient family mansion of J Deane Freeman, Esq, "which is particularly remarkable for its fine oaks". Among the subscribers to this "dictionary" were the Rev Daniel Freeman, RCC, Killeagh; Edward Deane Freeman Esq, Sandfield, Mallow; John Deane Freeman, Esq, Castlecor; Major J D Freeman, Retreat Cove; J J B Freeman Esq, Youghal, and the Rev Richard Deane Freeman, AM Charleston, Midleton.
That same year there were 10 Freemans in the city of Dublin, among which were a lace and fur warehouse owner, a milliner and dressmaker, a rope and twine manufacturer, a manufacturer of blacking, and a manufacturer and dealer in cashmeres, hosiery and Manchester goods.
There would appear not to be any connection between these urban Freemans and the landowning Cork Freemans, as observed in Owners of Land of One Acre and Upwards (1876). Joseph Deane Freeman, Clogheen had 243 Co Cork acres; Justin D(eane), Freeman, Cork, 448 acres in that same county, and Robert D(eane) Monkstown, Co Cork, 114 Co Limerick acres.
Other Freeman holdings in Co Cork were Miss Freeman, Youghal, with eight acres, and Robert and Thomas Freeman, Westwood, with 119 and 330 acres respectively. Francis Freeman, Colgath, Co Meath had 209 Co Westmeath acres, and Edward Freeman, Tandanagh, had eight Co Wicklow acres. The 1659 "census" showed Freemans in Ballykelly, Co Derry; at Siskinraine (Seskinryan), Co Carlow; in Dublin city, and in Cloune Muckle, Co Tipperary.
Outside of the Dublin 01 area, the surname Freeman is most numerous in the 04 and 05 areas - stretching from Monaghan to south Leinster, and across to Waterford and Tipperary in Munster. It is also fairly numerous in Galway and Mayo. In all there are 216 telephone entries south of the Border, and 52 to its north.
The Irish for Castlecor is Caislean na Cora "the castle of the weir". (O) Seery, the name of a small Westmeath sept, was erroneously equated with Freeman, on the basis that the Irish word saor means "free".