John Eyre, Colonel in the Oliver Cromwell Army, he went with General Ludlow to Ireland where he acquired large tracts of land in counties of Galway, Kerry, Tipperary, Clare and Kings. By Patent dated in 1662, he was granted the Manor of Eyre Court with powers to empark. In the county of Galway he built Eyre Court Castle, served as High Sheriff and a member of Parliament. He married Mary Bygoe, daughter of Philip Bygoe, the High-Sheriff of King’s County, Ireland in 1662. Philip Bygoe or Bigoe was a glass manufacturer and a native of the Province of Lorraine of France. A Hugenot and one of those who were forced to leave France during one of the purges of that religous order, Bygoe was somehow connected to the Royal Family of France, and arrived in England with some of his assets. Queen Elizabeth of England granted him a considerable estate in King’s County, Ireland. He had four glass-houses built in Kings County, one at Newtown, one at Gloster, one at a place still known as Glasshouse, near Shinrone and another place also called Glasshouse near Portarlington. Bygoe had three daughters, the eldest was Mary. His second daughter married Colonel Evans of the County of Limerick, the youngest was married to Ananias Henzell of King’s County.

John Eyre died 22 April 1685, his will was dated 13 March 1685 and proved 8 June 1685. After his death, Mary married a Colonel Seymour, who also died before his wife. Colonel Seymour left her a legacy of £500 per Annum. Madam Seymour resided in the castle of Ballyknockin, near Roscrea, and kept the only six horse coach that was in the King’s County at that time.134
Second son.

COL. JOHN EYRE, a younger son of Giles Eyre, esq. of Brickworth, in the county of Wilts, and brother of Edward Eyre, esq. the ancestor of the EYRES of Macroom Castle. He went over, made several purchases of lands in the counties of Galway and Tipperary, and in the King's county, seated himself at Eyre Court castle, in the shire of Galway. After the restoration of King CHARLES II. he was returned to parliament by the town of Galway, and had a patent from the crown, dated in 1662, granting him the manor of Eyre Court, with power to empark eight hundred acres. Colonel Eyre, m. Mary, daughter of Philip Bygoe, esq. who was sheriff of the King's county in 1662, and left two sons,205