The Origins and Early Development of Wesport.

The town of Westport owes its origins to a number of things most notably location, sited as it is near the mouth of the Carrowbeg River in a corner of Clew Bay. The earliest habitation in this area dates back to 5,000 years and there are a variety of archaeological sites in the locality. Long before the arrival of Christianity to Ireland we know that the summit of Croagh Patrick was occupied by a hill fort, complete with stone ramparts and dwellings. Excavations have been carried out on the summit and among the earliest dateable finds are beads, which date to the 3rd century B.C. On the outskirts of the rampart on the mountain slopes, the outline of at least thirty hut sites have been detected. Another recent survey is uncovering a wide range of newly discovered monuments throughout the mountain and around it. These include ancient cooking sites, megalithic tombs, standing stones, burial mounds, ring forts, monastic sites and children’s burial grounds.

The existence of an earlier Westport or Cathair na Mart (translated from gaeilge means Stone Fort of the Beeves) in or around the 16th Century has been proven with the area of the time being the stronghold of the O'Malleys. This stronghold was burned and destroyed by Sir Nicholas Malby, Governor of Connacht in 1583, in his campaign against the Mayo Bourkes.  During the 17th Century Cathair na Mart passed from the O'Malleys to Lord Mayo, (Theobald of the Ships, and son of Graine Uaile) and from the 3rd Viscount Mayo to John Browne, a lawyer married to Maud Bourke. He was succeeded by his son Peter Browne.

John Browne (1709 -1776) son of Peter Browne was orphaned at the age of 15, and sent by his guardians to be educated at Oxford. He returned to 1729 and conformed to the Established Church and inherited the lands around Westport accumulated by his father and grandfather. He employed a German architect, Richard Cassels to design the present East Front of Westport house in 1732. The village of Cathair na Mart existed where the demesne now is and consisted of a High Street with alleys descending to the river. It had a population of approx. 700 inhabitants. A small port also existed at the mouth of the river. Roads lead from the village to the West (The West Road), the South (Sandyhill Road), and the East (Old Paddock Road).

John Browne became M.P. for the Borough of Castlebar in 1743, was made Baron Monteagle in 1760, Viscount Westport in 1768, and Earl of Altamont in 1771. By mid-century he decided on the ambitious project of building a new town on his estate, and he continued with this project until his death in 1776 when it was continued by his son, Peter Browne, the 2nd Earl.

It has been suggested that Westport was originally laid out and planned by an architect. There are a number of variations on this theme.

The Cassells Theory - that Westport was planned by Richard Cassels in the 1730's

The French Architect Theory - that the town was planned by a French architect who came with Humber in 1798

The Wyatt Theory - that Westport was planned by James Wyatt circa 1780