Sir Nugent T. Everard (1849-1929)

Sir Nugent T. Everard

This is a photograph of Sir Nugent Everard, 1849-1929, of Randlestown, Navan, Co. Meath. He is dressed in military uniform and was a lieutenant in the Royal Meath Militia. In 1898 he began experiments in growing tobacco on the Randlestown estate.

Sir Nugent T. Everard

Sir Nugent T. Everard

This is a photograph of Sir Nugent Everard, 1849-1929, of Randlestown, Navan, Co. Meath. He is dressed in military uniform and was a lieutenant in the Royal Meath Militia. In 1898 he began experiments in growing tobacco on the Randlestown estate.

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Unlike many Irish landlords Sir Nugent Everard lived on his estate and found his enjoyment in the management of a large estate. Educated at Harrow and Cambridge, he succeeded to the 1,400-acre family estate in 1870.
 

He held the position of High Sheriff and Lord Lieutenant for Meath, and was a co-opted member of the county council, serving continuously from 1899 to 1922. A representative of the minor landlords on the great land conference, and a senator for the first seven years of the new state, he was one of the foremost public figures in Meath.
 

It was in the agricultural arena that he was most active in local affairs, serving with his wife, Lady Everard, on the Meath Agricultural Society and the County Committee of Agriculture.

The demise of tillage farming in the 1880s and the consequent decrease in employment opportunities on the land for his workers made him turn his attention to tobacco in 1887, the forgotten crop of the early 19th century.