ROEBUCK, a district, in the parish of TANEY, halfbarony
of RATHDOWN, county of DUBLIN, and province
of LEINSTER, 2½ miles (S.) from the General Post-office,
Dublin, on the road to Enniskerry, by way of Clonskea:
the population is returned with the parish. Roebuck
Castle, the seat of A. B. Crofton, Esq., was originally
erected at a remote period and strongly fortified. About
the year 1534 it was the residence of Lord Trimleston,
then Lord Chancellor of Ireland; and it was occupied
by Jas. II. and the Duke of Berwick, when they encamped
in this neighbourhood. It was subsequently
suffered to fall into decay, until about the year l790,
when it was repaired by the then Lord Trimleston, who
fitted up one of the apartments, a noble room, 50 feet
in length, as a theatre. About 10 years after it was
purchased by James Crofton, Esq., the father of the
present proprietor, who pulled down a portion of the
buildings, and modernised the remainder, of which the
room before mentioned, now used as the drawing-room,
is the only remaining part of the old castle. This district
is chiefly occupied by handsome villas, situated in
tastefully disposed grounds, many of which command
magnificent views of the bay and city of Dublin, the
Dublin and Wicklow mountains, and the beautiful adjacent
country. Among these are Roebuck Lodge, the
residence of J. E. Hyndman, Esq., formerly the manorhouse,
and about 50 years since the only house in the
district with the exception of the castle; Rich View,
the residence of M. Powell, Esq.; Springfield, of Sir
John Franks, Knt.; Roebuck House, of J. Power, Esq.;
Roebuck, of John Ennis, Esq.; Mount Dillon, of the
Rev. Dr. Prior; Roebuck Hall, of the Rt. Hon. Fras.
Blackburne; Moorefield, of P. Curtis, Esq.; Prospect
House, of Lady Harty; Roebuck Park, of Geo. Kinahan,
Esq.; Roebuck Villa, of D. Kinahan, Esq.; Farm Hill,
of Jas. Pratt, Esq.; Castle View, of A. Brewster, Esq.;
Roebuck House, of J. D. Farrer, Esq.; Roebuck Grove,
of Jno. Cumming, Esq.; Casino, of Geo. Stapleton,
Esq.; Rosemount, of R. Corballis, Esq.; Rose Vale, of
Geo. Thorpe, Esq.; Rose Villa, of L. E. Leipsett, Esq.,
M.D.; Roebuck, of R. Connor, Esq.; Bloom Villa, of
Col. Thackeray; Bird Avenue, of F. Codd, Esq.; Hermitage,
of W. C. Quinn, Esq.; Friarsland, of C. Copland,
Esq.; and Ivy Lodge, of Robt. Billing, Esq. Adjoining
Roebuck Castle is a remarkable walnut tree,
which grew out of an old wall, carrying in its trunk a
large stone that is now upwards of four feet from the
ground. Several coins of Elizabeth and Jas. I. have
been found here.