The following is a general description of county Laois/Leix/Queen's county taken from Lewis's Topographical Directory of Ireland - c. 1837 I think. I have also in the past posted a description of county Laois from a 1931 directory which gives some statistics on emigration and population in the county taken from census statistics. Jane QUEEN'S COUNTY An inland county of the province of Leinster, bounded on the east by the counties of Kildare and Carlow and on the north by Kings county on the west by the same and Tipperary county and on the county by the counties of Kilkenny and Carlow. It extends from 52o 46' to53o 10' (N. Lat.), and from 6o 56' to 7o 48' (W. Long.); and comprises and area, according to the ordnance survey, of 396,810 statute acres, of which 335,838 are cultivated land and 60,972 are unprofitable mountain and bog. The population in 1821, amounted to 134,275; an in 1831 to 145,851. The slight notices of Ptolmey respecting the interior of Ireland lead to the inference that this county was inhabited by the Brigantes; but Whitaker asserts that the Scoti wee the first settlers in it. Afterwards, it was divided into Leix, which comprehended all that part of the county contained within the river barrow to the north and east, at the Nore to the south and the Slieve Bloom mountains to the west; and Ossory which included the remainder. So early as the middle of the third century the latter of these divisions, with parts of the adjoining counties, was ranked as a kingdom, and annexed by Conary, King of Ireland, to his native dominion of Munster, instead of being as formerly attached to Leinster. Subsequent passages of history prove it to have been a district of considerable importance. When Malachy was forming a confederacy all of the native princes against the Danes, the king of Ossory was specially required to conclude a peace with the people of the northern half of the island, the common enemy; and in the time of Cormac Mac Culinan he had the command of the first division of that monarch's army in his unjust and unfortunate invasion of Leinster, and fell in the battle of Magailbe, in which Cormac himself was slain. His dominions were afterwards disposed of by Flan, King of Ireland. St. Patrick visited both Leix and Ossory in his peregrinations through the island to establish the Christian religion. In the war raged by Roderic O'Connor, King of Ireland against Dermod MacMurough, King of Leinster, which led to the invasion under Strongbow, the king of Ossory was one of the princes who were specially summoned by the former of those potentates. The district was then subject to the Mac Gillypatricks or Fitzpatrick's, who acted with so much vigour against Mac Murrough that, when the English had partially established themselves in the country Mac Murough prevailed on them to join him in an invasion of Ossory, which they ravaged, notwithstanding the gallant resistance made by Donald Fitzpatrick, then King. Though defeated, this toparch persevered in his determination not to treat with Mac Murrough, and was again defeated and forced to seek refuge in Tipperary. He afterwards formed an alliance with Maurice Prendergast, who upon some offence received from the King of Leinster, had quitted the service of that monarch, and both invaded the neighbouring territory of Leix, which they ravaged with little opposition until O'More, then dynast of it was compelled to apply to Mac Murrough, by whom, aided by the English, he was quickly reinstated. Prendergast and Donald subsequently quarrelled and the former after skilfully extricating himself from an ambuscade laid for him by the either retired with his followers in safety into Wales. Donald, although twice defeated was not subdued. The position of his territory on the confines of Munster and Leinster afforded him opportunities of intercepting the communications between Waterford and Dublin, of which he availed himself so effectually, that a league was formed against him by Strongbow (who on Dermods death had succeeded to the kingdom of Leinster) and O'Brien, King of Limerick. But the appeal of arms was prevented by a treaty, in effecting Maurice Prendergast who had returned to Ireland, rendered his old ally good service. From this time Donald continued faithfully attached to his new friends. His territory was the place of rendezvous for their army when it was preparing to march against Donald O'Brien King of Limerick who had now declared war against the English; and he proved his adherence still further by guiding the army through the woods until it encamped before Limerick. At this time the whole of the district no forming the Queen's county was known by the name of Glanmaliere and leis; the latter division was made of county palatine; and on the division of the immense possessions of William, Earl Marshal, between his five daughters, it was allotted to the youngest, who had married William de braosa, Lord of brecknock. Their daughter Maud, Married Roger Mortimer, Lord of Wigmore and from this connection the imperial house of Austria, and the Royal families of Great Britain, France, Prussia, Denmark, Holland, Sardinia and Saxony derive their descent. Mortimer preferring to reside on his English estates employed one of the O' Mores to defend and manage this Irish property, who, within twenty years after, became so powerful, that he held it as his own, and became one of the most turbulent opponents of the English Settlers in that part of the pale. So fully as his authority recognised as lord of the district that he was summoned by the English Government to oppose Bruce and the Scots. For two centuries after, the district was the seat of the O'Mores and the English, which was carried on without any occurrence of much historical importance on either side. During the same period the Mac Gillipatricks or Fitzpatricks maintained their independence in Ossory, but generally adhered to the English. In the 5th year of Mary, both districts were reduced to shire ground, and incorporated under the name of Queen's county, the assize town being named Maryborough, in honour of the Queen. But this new arrangement did not immediately tranquillise the county. At the close of the reign f Queen Elizabeth, Owen Mac Rory O'More, was so powerful that Sir George Carew, president of Munster, accompanied by the then Earls of Thomond and Ormonde, was induced to hold a parley with him, to bring him back to his allegiance, in which they entrapped him in an ambuscade, and the Earl of Ormonde made prisoner, and detained till he paid a ransom of £3000. The daring insurgent himself was shortly afterwards killed in a skirmish with Lord Mountjoy; and the followers of the O'More's were driven into the counties of Cork and Kerry then nearly depopulated. At this juncture many English families, to whom grants of the lands thus forfeited had been made, settled here. Seven of them whose founders were most influential in securing the new settlements, acquired the names of the seven tribes. The families so called were those of Cosby, Barrington, Hartpole, Bowen, Ruish, Hetherington and Hovendon or Ovington, of whom the first only has retained it's possessions; tat of Barrington still extant has alienated its property; all the rest are extinct in the male line. In the reign of Chas. I, large grants of land were made to Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, now forming the extensive manor of Villiers, which has descended through the female line to the present, duke. In the same reign and, and during the unsettled period of the commonwealth, the families of Pigott, Coote, Prior, Parnell and Pole settled here; those of Vesey, Dawson, Staples, Burrowes and Johnson obtained lands in it after the Revolution. The county had its full share of the calamities of the civil war in 1641, at the beginning of which the insurgents secured Maryborough, Dunamase and other places of strength. The Earl of Ormonde arriving at Athy from Dublin, detached parties for their relief; on his retreat the whole of the county submitted to general Preston, but was forced again to submit to the royal arms. In 1646, Owen Roe O'Nial, seized upon several forts init. In 1650 Cromwell's forces entered the county and met with much resistance; in the course of the struggle most of it's fortresses were dismantled by his Generals Hewson and Reynolds. During the Revolution of 1688, a signal victory was gained by the troops of William as a noted togher or bog pass near Cappard, where they defeated a much superior number of the Irish after the termination of the war, the country was so harassed by the ravages of the reparees that the resident gentlemen applied to King William to have a force of infantry and dragoons quartered in it, and specified the castle of lea as one of the principle stations for their reception. The county is partly in the diocese of Killaloe, partly in those of Dublin and Gleandalough, partly in that of Kildare, but chiefly in those of Ossory and Leighlin. For purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the baronies of Ballyadams, Cullinagh, Maryborough East, Maryborough West, Portnehinch, Slievemargue, Stradbally, Tinnehinch and Upper Ossory. It contains the greater part of the borough and market town of Portarlington; the disfranchised borough, market and assize town of Maryborough; the ancient corporate and post town of Ballinakill; he market and post towns of Mountmellick, Mountrath, Stradbally and Abbeyleix; the post towns of burrow in Ossory; Rathdowney, Ballybrittas, Clonaslee and Ballyroan; and the suburb of the borough of Carlow called Graigue; the largest villages are those of Ballylinan, Castletown, Emo, Newtown and Arles. It sent eight members to the Irish parliament, two for the county at large and two for each of the boroughs of Portarlington, Maryborough and Ballinakill. Since the Union it has been represented by three members, two for the county and one for Portarlington; the election for the county takes place at Maryborough. The constituency, as registered up to Feb 1st, 1836, consisted of 405 £50, 270 £20 and 1210 £10 freeholders; 3 £50, 16 £20, rent chargers; and 37 clergymen of £50, in right of their respective incumbencies; 3 of £20 and 2 of £10 making a total of 2143 registered voters. Queen's county is included in the Home Circuit; the assizes are held at Maryborough, Mountmellick, Mountrath, Stradbally, Burros in Ossory and Abbeyleix twice in the year at each of these places. The county gaol is at Maryborough, and there are bridewells in Burros in Ossory and Abbeyleix. The local government is vested in a lieutenant, 18 deputy lieutenants and 82 other magistrates; besides whom there are the usual county officers, including four coroners. There are 42 stations of the constabulary police, having a force of a sub-inspector, 9 chief officers, 45 sub-constables, 291 men and 15 horses; besides which there are three station s of peace preservation police. The amount of the Grand Jury presentments in 1835 was £21,575.15.7, of which £293.16.0 was for the roads, bridges &c., of the county at large; £4124.10.0 ¼ for those of the baronies; £9835.15.0 ¾ for public buildings, charities, officers salaries and incidents; £6680.8.2 for the police; and £541.0.4 for the repayment of advances made by the Government. The district lunatic asylum for the Queen's and King's counties, Westmeath and Longford, is at Maryborough; as is also the county infirmary, and there are dispensaries at Abbeyleix, Balymoyler, Ballybrittas, Ballinakill, Clondonagh, Errill, Mountrath, Mountmellick, Newtown, Coleraine, Portarlington, Rathdowney, Stradbally, Swan, Balickmoyler, Burrow in Ossory and Clonaslee which are supported by Grand jury presentments and private subscriptions, in the proportion of one third of the former to two thirds of the latter. In the military arrangement it is included in the eastern district, and contains one barrack for infantry at Maryborough, constructed for the reception of 61 non-commissioned officers and men. The surface of the county is either generally fat or gently undulating with small hills, exhibiting a pleasing variety rather than a picturesque effect. The inequality is mostly caused by eskers, ridges of which traverse the county in several parts, they are mostly formed around nodules of limestone, calcareous sandstone and coal shale, the parent rock of which are found in the county or close to its confines. The principal of these eskers called the Ridge, rises near Athlone and thence proceeds across the King's county, enters the Queen's county at Mountmellick and proceeds to Rathleague through the extremity of Maryborough, forming in this county an unbroken line about 6 miles long, varying in height from 12 to 45 feet, being generally broad at the base and narrowing upwards to the width of a few feet. Near the same place very copious springs bursts from it, called the Blessed Well of Maryborough, and much resorted to by the peasantry who perform devotional ceremonies, called stations around it. Beyond Rathleague, the esker maintains a south eastern course, and are broken and interrupted but they soon resume a regular ridge like form and divide into two branches one southwards towards the Doon of Clopoke and the other eastwards towards Stradbally, again forming an unbroken line of more than miles. The tract extending from Urlingford in Kilkenny County, to Dawson's Grove near Monastereven in the confines of Kildare is the most improved of any in Leinster. It is generally well planted, not in isolated patches close to the mansion houses, but over the whole face of the landscape, so as to give it much the appearance of an English woodland scene. The Dysart hills which are situated in this rich tract of country, add much to its variety and beauty; they are wholly composed of limestone, and their direction is north and south between the baronies of Maryborough, Stradbally and Cullinagh, not forming a continuous elevation, but in most cases standing singly; the Rock of Dunamase and Doon of Clopoke are two of the most striking of them. To the west the land rises in the lofty range of the Slieve Bloom mountains, which form a marked line of division between this and the King's county: their summit is called the 'Height of Ireland', from a popular opinion that it is the most elevated point in the island; near it is the pass of Glandine, a narrow defile, impassable for carriages and forming the only mountain communication between the King's and Queen's counties. The northern side of the mountains of this range is very fertile while the southern though more exposed to the genial influences of the sun is nearly barren and mostly covered with heath. Towards the southern boundary of the county the ground rises into the Slievemargue hills, which separate it from Kilkenny. The only lake is that of Lough Duff on the border of the King's county to which one half of it is considered to belong. The soil, which rests chiefly on a substratum of limestone, varies from a stiff clayey loam, well adapted to the growth of wheat, to light sand which however produces good barley, turnips and potatoes. In the Slieve Bloom mountains the surface inclines to a black and in some parts a yellow clay, of unequal depth covering a mouldering rock or gritty gravel, it's general character is spongy wet boggy even where highest and very rocky. The Dysart hills are fertile to their summits, which, though too steep for the plough afford rich pasturage for sheep. The soil of the southern barony of Culinagh is gravely siliceous clay towards the mountains; in the central parts it is a rich loam and in the south, light and sandy; the largest bullocks in the county are fattened on the rich pastures in the low lands. In the northern barony of Portnehinch the soil is light and unproductive, unless in some favoured spots where a persevering course of judicious cultivation has improved it's character. Bogs are frequent in every part, chiefly about Maryborough; they may all be considered branches of the great central Bog of Allen. The turf from them yields both white and red ashes; that affording the latter is most esteemed either for manure or fuel. In some places are large tracts of marshy land called callows, which are inundated during winter but in summer afford excellent pasturage. The land on the banks of the Barrow is alluvial and forms rich and valuable meadows, The average size of farms, particularly in the tillage districts, is not more than from 12 to 14 acres; some noblemen and landed proprietors hold large tracts of land in their own hands, the superior cultivation of which is very effective as a leading example towards the general improvement of agriculture in the county. Wheat is not generally grown even in the mountain districts; barley is also extensively cultivated; potato and oats form an essential part of the rotation system. Green crops are often seen, particularly turnips of which the Swedish is the most esteemed; rape and vetches are extensively raised; clover is to be seen everywhere. flax is planted only in small quantities for domestic consumption. The implements and carriages employed in rural economy are generally of t he most improved description; both bullocks and horses are used in ploughing, generally in pairs, where the soil is very stiff, two pairs of the latter are sometimes put in the same team. The manures are line and limestone gravel, here called corn gravel, procured with little labour or expense, and composts from the farm yard. The common fence s of white thorn plant on ditches well constructed but too often subsequently neglected; stone walls are also raised for the same purposes, particularly for the demesnes of the nobility and gentry. All the improved breeds of English cattle have been introduced into the county. The most esteemed dairy cows are a cross between a Durham and native breed, as they are good milkers of large size and easily fattened. Dairies are numerous and productive, cheese is made in small quantities; but butter which is of very good quality is the chief produce. Pigs are reared in very great numbers; no farmhouse is without them, but the breed is inferior to that in the southern counties; the small farmers and cottiers also keep goats. The horse's area light small boned, active race good for saddle but not well fitted for heavy agricultural use.