Kennedy of Cultra

This branch of the noble house of AILSA left Ayrshire in 1668, and settled in County Down, at Cultra, where they remained.

DR HUGH KENNEDY (c1628-c1685), of Ballycultra, County Down, married Mary, daughter of Arthur Upton.

Dr Kennedy, a distinguished medical practitioner in Belfast during the 17th century, was physician to the 1st Earl of Donegall, who bequeathed him "£50 sterling a year (about £10,500 today) for four years, to commence within a year of my death".

The youngest son,

JOHN KENNEDY, purchased the estate of Cultra from the Earl of Clanbrassil in 1671.

Mr Kennedy wedded Martha, daughter of William Stewart, of Ballylawn, County Donegal, and aunt of Robert, 1st Earl of Londonderry, and was father of

HUGH KENNEDY (1711-63), of Cultra, who espoused, in 1741, Mabel, daughter of John Curtis, of Dublin, and  had issue,

JOHN, of whom presently;
Mary, m, 1774, J Crawford, of Crawfordsburn.

Hugh Kennedy (Image: Ulster Folk Museum)

Mr Kennedy was succeeded by his son, 

JOHN KENNEDY JP (1746-1801), of Cultra, High Sheriff of County Down, 1769, who wedded Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev Henry Cole (brother of 1st Lord Mount Florence) by Mary his wife, daughter of Sir Arthur Brooke Bt, and had issue,

HUGH, his heir;
Henry, died in India;
John, of Dunbrody;
Arthur, Lieutenant-Colonel;
Longford, East India Company;
William, Deputy Military Auditor-General of Bengal;
Alexander, Captain RN;
Charles Pratt, Political Agent at Simla;
Thomas;
Robert, Colonial Secretary of Bermuda;
Selina; another daughter.

John Kennedy (Image: Ulster Folk Museum)

Mr Kennedy, who, after the death of the 8th Earl of Cassilis, was a claimant for the title, was succeeded by his eldest son,

HUGH KENNEDY JP (1775-1852), of Cultra, High Sheriff of County Down, 1802, who married firstly, in 1800, Grace Dorothea, only child of Thomas Hughes, and granddaughter of Sir Edward Newenham MP, and had issue,

John Hughes, died 1839;
ROBERT STEWART, of whom presently;
Thomas Henry, d 1864;
Arthur Edward (Sir), GCMG CB;
William Hugh, Captain RN;
George Augustus;
Elizabeth Selina; Frances Matilda; Grace; Emily Jane; Dorothea.

Mr Kennedy wedded secondly, in 1824, Sophia, daughter of William Low, by Sophia his wife, daughter of Richard, 4th Viscount Boyne, and had further issue,

Frederick;
Hugh;
Sophia Jane; Georgina; Edith; Florence; Augusta.

He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

ROBERT STEWART KENNEDY (1807-54), of Cultra, who espoused, in 1849, Anne Catherine, only daughter of Michael Edward Ward, of Bangor Castle, County Down, by his wife, the Lady Matilda Stewart, daughter of Robert, 1st Marquess of Londonderry, and had issue,

ROBERT JOHN, his heir;
Edward Henry (1854-57);
Grace Emily (1850-1938), died unmarried.

Mr Kennedy was succeeded by his elder son and heir,

SIR ROBERT JOHN KENNEDY KCMG JP DL, of Cultra (1851-1936), who married, in 1883, Bertha Jane Ward, daughter of Henry William, 5th Viscount Bangor, and had issue,

Mary Grace Enid, b 1884;
Bertha Catherine Maud, b 1885;
Matilda Kathleen, b 1888;
Lucy Emily Harriette, 1893-1969.

Cultra Manor

First published in July, 2014. Kennedy arms courtesy of the NLI.

The Verner Baronetcy

THE VERNER BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ARMAGH, WITH 5,436 ACRES

This family was of long standing in County Armagh and had been, for a long time, settled at Church Hill.

HENRY VERNER, of Gullivenagh [sic], County Antrim, whose father settled in County Armagh with his relatives, the Achesons, married Isabella _________, and had issue,

HENRY;

Benjamin;

David;

James;

Mary; Sarah.

He died ca 1683, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY VERNER, who married Anne, daughter of Thomas Kerr, of Tullydraw, County Tyrone, and had issue,

James;
DAVID;
Thomas;
Mary; Anne.

The second son,

DAVID VERNER (1718-54), wedded Elizabeth, daughter of John Crossle, of Armagh, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
Thomas, an Army officer, killed at the battle of Bunker's Hill;
Elizabeth; Sarah; Margaret; Jane.

The elder son, 

COLONEL JAMES VERNER (1746-1822), MP for Dungannon, 1794-1800, High Sheriff for counties Armagh, Meath, Monaghan, Dublin and Tyrone, married, in 1773, Jane, daughter of  the Rev Walter Clarke, of Annasamry, County Armagh, Rector of Killeshill, County Tyrone, and had issue,

Thomas (1774-1853), of Cadogan Place, London;
James, Captain, 19th Dragoons;
David (1780-1826);
John (1780-1814), twin with David;
WILLIAM, his heir;
Elizabeth.

The youngest son,

SIR WILLIAM VERNER KCH JP DL (1782-1871), of Church Hill, County Armagh, Lieutenant-Colonel, 7th Hussars, MP for County Armagh, 1832-68, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1820, Armagh, 1822, Tyrone, 1823, who wedded, in 1819, Harriet, only daughter of Colonel the Hon Edward Wingfield, of Corke Abbey, Bray, County Wicklow, son of Richard, 3rd Viscount Powerscourt, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Edward Wingfield, 4th Baronet;
Emilia; Frances Elizabeth; Frederica;
Harriet Jane Isabella Cecilia; Henrietta Constantia Frances.

Sir William was created a baronet in 1846, designated of Verner's Bridge, County Armagh.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Verner, 1st Baronet, KCH, by Martin Cregan

He was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR WILLIAM VERNER, 2nd Baronet (1822-73), of Corke Abbey, MP for County Armagh, 1868-73, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1848, who espoused, in 1850, Mary, daughter of Lieutenant-General the Hon Sir Hercules Robert Pakenham, and had issue,

WILLIAM EDWARD HERCULES, his successor;
Alice Emily; Edith.

Sir William was succeeded by his only son,

SIR WILLIAM EDWARD HERCULES VERNER, 3rd Baronet (1856-86), of Corke Abbey, who married, in 1877, Annie, daughter of John Wilson, of Melbourne, Australia, though died without issue, when the title reverted to his cousin,

SIR EDWARD WINGFIELD VERNER, 4th Baronet (1830-99), JP, of Corke Abbey (second son of the 1st Baronet), High Sheriff of County Dublin, 1866, MP for Lisburn, 1863-73, County Armagh, 1883-90, who wedded, in 1864, Selina Florence, daughter of Thomas Vesey Nugent, and had issue,

EDWARD WINGFIELD, his successor;
Hubert Henry Wingfield;
Florence Winifred Wingfield; Sybil; Isabel Dorothy Wingfield.

Sir Edward was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR EDWARD WINGFIELD VERNER, 5th Baronet (1865-1936), Captain, the Norfolk Regiment, who wedded, in 1901, Agnes Dorothy, daughter of Henry Laming, and had issue,

EDWARD DERRICK WINGFIELD, his successor;
John Wingfield (1910-43), killed in action;
Ruth Wingfield; Betty Dorothea Wingfield; Monica Wingfield.

Sir Edward was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR EDWARD DERRICK WINGFIELD VERNER, 6th Baronet (1907-75), of Corke Abbey, Lieutenant, the Rifle Brigade, who wedded, in 1948, Angèle, elder daughter of Mime Becco, of Palais des Fleurs,  Menton, France, though died without issue.

The baronetcy expired on the 6th Baronet's decease in 1975.

CHURCH HILL (or Churchill House), near Moy, County Armagh, was a three-storey mansion over a basement, built about 1830.

The masonic hall in Markethill is said to include the portico of the old mansion-house.

The former estate is now Peatlands Park

The 1st Baronet was at Eaton Square for his birthday, and died there in 1871, aged 88. 

His body was brought by ship and train to Armagh, and he was buried at Loughgall.

The cortège left Armagh at 11.00am with over 140 carriages of various sorts following the hearse. The pallbearers were:-

Lord Lurgan, Sir Capel Molyneux Bt., J Y Burges DL., Col. Pakenham, Maxwell Close DL., Lt-Col Cross JP., Parker Synott JP., Sir James Stronge Bt. MP., Sir John Stewart Bt., the Hon Col. Knox MP., A H Pakenham JP., John Irwin JP., Joseph Atkinson DL., Col. Simpson JP., and Major Burleigh Stuart. 

The number of people following was estimated at 10,000.

Sir William Verner, 2nd Baronet, lived with his family at Churchill and London from the early 1860s, the 1st Baronet and his wife having removed to Corke Abbey at this time.

The 3rd Baronet, also William, was born in 1856, so he must have known his aunts, his uncle Edward Wingfield, and his illustrious grandfather, the first Sir William.

William and his mother were to reside at Eaton Square and for a reasonable time each year at Churchill.

He was to inherit all the estates on becoming 21, or marrying before that.

Sir William and his wife Annie had no children.

They divided the time between Eaton Square and Churchill, and entertained on a lavish scale.

In 1880, the 3rd Baronet made his will, leaving the estates and Eaton Square to his wife, and then to "the boy who with my consent has assumed the name of Verner and is living under my charge".

Sir William Edward Hercules Verner died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1886, at London, and was buried at Loughgall, in the same tomb as his father.

His widow died two years later and was interred in the same tomb.

This was, in effect, the end of the Verners at Churchill; though Harry Felix Verner, presumably a kinsman, was High Sheriff of County Armagh in 1898.

*****

Churchill House was put up for sale in 1898, but was not sold.

The following year it could have been bought for £12,000, but much of the best timber had been sold.

In 1900, the Irish Peat Development Company bought 548 acres of bog land. The most valuable furniture was sold in 1902.

More and more bog-land was sold to the Irish Peat Development Company.

Churchill, vacant since 1918, was known to have wood-rot in 1926.

The house and remaining lands were sold in 1927, and the house was dismantled by the end of 1928.

Today there is no sign of the Churchill estate, but a few things can still be seen: Verner's Inn, at Vernersbridge, has been restored.

A row of Irish yew trees remain, which were near the house.

At Maghery, the railings and gates at the old chapel were once at the Southern entrance to Churchill.

The entrance to the Masonic Hall at Markethill is adorned by the former portico of the main entrance.

The Loughgall graves in the old churchyard are of interest:

The vault where the 2nd Baronet and the 3rd Baronet and his wife were interred could be entered until 1962, when, as it was no longer weatherproof it was sealed up.

A full length portrait of Sir William Verner, 1st Baronet, in the uniform of a Colonel of the 7th Hussars, is in the Armagh museum.

The marble mantelpiece from Churchill's entrance hall is said to be in Derryadd Orange Hall. 

"There was a huge grave stone in the family cemetery that covered the remains of Sir William's beloved charger which he brought home after Waterloo – she was known locally as The Waterloo Mare.

Would-be thieves tried to remove the stone in – I'm guessing – 1982, but I discovered their handiwork and the stone is now mounted in a wall in the local Orange Hall.

The cottage, Yew Cottage (named, not after the avenue of yews on the estate, but after a 2,000 year-old yew in the cottage's garden), is still, I believe, the longest thatched cottage in Ireland.

My parents lived in the only other surviving house on the Verner estate and coincidently, my father was also Deputy Lieutenant of Tyrone – and also High Sheriff of Tyrone".

former residence ~ Lane House, Tilford, Farnham, Surrey; London residence ~ 86 Eaton Square.

I acknowledge the article by John Kerr - Churchill, Home of the Verners - and Craigavon Historical Society as a source of information.

First Published in July, 2011. Verner arms courtesy of the NLI.

Holestone House

THE OWENS' OWNED 3,766 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

The family of Gillilan, from which that of Owens derived the Holestone property, went from Scotland to Ulster in the reign of CHARLES II.

HENRY OWENS wedded, in 1724, Jane, eldest daughter of William Gillilan, of Holestone (by which marriage the Gillilan property, for want of heirs male, passed to the OWENS), and had issue (with a daughter Hessie) two sons,

William, of Holestone, died unmarried, 1725;
JOHN.

The younger son,

JOHN OWENS (1726-1806), of Tildarg,  wedded, in 1769, Anne, daughter of the Rev George Rogers, rector of Dunaghy, County Antrim, and had issue,

William Gillelan, dsp;
John, dsp;
JAMES, of whom presently;
Anne; Jane; Rachel Margaret Hester.

The third son,

JAMES OWENS JP DL (1777-1848), of Holestone, married, in 1799, Mary, daughter of John Forsythe, of Ballynure, by Sarah his wife, daughter of William Gillilan, of Collin, by whom he left a son and successor,

JOHN OWENS JP (1801-74), of Holestone, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1838, who espoused, in 1828, Jane, daughter of James Stewart Moore JP DL, of Ballydivity, and had issue,

JAMES, of Holestone;
Harriett Skeffington, m,1850, the Rev James Orr*;
MARGARET, of Holestone;
Jane, d unm 1902;
Elizabeth Anne.

The only son,

JAMES OWENS JP DL (1836-1900), of Holestone, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1878, wedded, in 1861, Evelyn Margaret, daughter of Robert James Tennent JP DL, of Rushpark, County Antrim.

Mr Owens died without issue, and was succeeded by his sister,

MISS MARGARET OWENS, of Holestone, who died unmarried in 1904, and was succeeded by her niece,

MISS JANE EMILY ORR-OWENS, of Holestone, daughter of the Rev James Orr*, by his wife, Harriett Skeffington, daughter of John Owens, of Holestone.

In 1904, she assumed the arms and name of ORR-OWENS (see armorial bearings at top).

HOLESTONE HOUSE, near Doagh, County Antrim, is a two-storey, five-bay house.

It has a single-storey porch with Doric pilasters.

Two-storey semi-circular bays project at each end.

Holestone House was built in 1827 for James Owens, to replace a previous smaller house on the site.

The property had been owned by the Owens family from at least as early as the 1760s.

The Owens' ceased to own the property in 1919 and it was sold to Captain W G Hamilton in 1932.

The house takes its name from an unusual antiquity in the form of a standing stone slab with a hole through it, aptly called the Hole Stone, which stands some distance to the north of the house.

An undressed recumbent stone in the grounds to the south of the house is inscribed "2,500 forest trees planted by William Owens on this farm from the year 1791 to the year 1802".

Former London residence ~ 39 Ovington Square, Lennox Gardens.

First published in February, 2015. Orr-Owens arms courtesy of the NLI.

1st Earl Cawdor

THE EARLS CAWDOR WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN NAIRNSHIRE, WITH 46,176 ACRES

This is a branch of the ducal house of ARGYLL

THE HON SIR JOHN CAMPBELL (c1490-1546), third son of Archibald, 2nd Earl of Argyll, married, about 1510, Muriel, daughter and heir of John Calder, of Calder, or Cawdor, Nairnshire, representative of the old thanes of Cawdor.

The eldest son,

ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL, of Cawdor, wedded Isabel, daughter of James Grant, of Freuchy, and died 1551, having had issue,

JOHN CAMPBELL, of Cawdor, ancestor of

ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, of Cawdor, wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Lort, 2nd Baronet (c1637-c1673), of Stackpole Court, Pembrokeshire, and sole heiress of Sir Gilbert Lort, 3rd Baronet.

JOHN CAMPBELL OF CAWDOR (1695-1777), of Cawdor Castle, Nairnshire, and Stackpole Court (son and heir of Sir Alexander Campbell), married Mary, eldest daughter and co-heir of Lewis Pryse, and had issue,

PRYSE, his heir;
John Hooke, Lord Lyon King of Arms;
Alexander;
Anne.

The eldest son,

PRYSE CAMPBELL (1727-68), of Cawdor Castle, and Stackpole Court, Pembrokeshire, MP for Inverness-shire, 1754-61, Nairnshire, 1761-8, Cardigan Boroughs, 1868, Lord of the Treasury, 1766, wedded Sarah, daughter and co-heir of Sir Edmund Bacon Bt, and was succeeded by his son,

JOHN CAMPBELL (1753-1821), who was elevated to the peerage, in 1796, in the dignity of Baron Cawdor, of Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire.

His lordship had previously represented the town of Cardigan in parliament.

He wedded, in 1789, the Lady Caroline Howard, eldest daughter of Frederick, 5th Earl of Carlisle, and had issue, his eldest son,

JOHN FREDERICK, 2nd Baron (1790-1860), who married, in 1816, the Lady Elizabeth Thynne, eldest daughter of Thomas, 2nd Marquess of Bath.

His lordship was advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1827, as EARL CAWDOR.

• John Frederick Campbell, 1st Earl (1790–1860);
• John Frederick Vaughan Campbell, 2nd Earl (1817–98);
• Frederick Archibald Vaughan Campbell, 3rd Earl (1847–1911);
• Hugh Frederick Vaughan Campbell, 4th Earl (1870–1914);
• John Duncan Vaughan Campbell, 5th Earl (1900–70);
• Hugh John Vaughan Campbell, 6th Earl (1932–93);
• Colin Robert Vaughan Campbell, 7th Earl (b 1962).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son James Chester Campbell, styled Viscount Emlyn (b 1998).

Cawdor Castle (Image: Wikipedia)

CAWDOR CASTLE, near Nairn, is the ancestral seat of the Earls Cawdor.

The earliest documented date for the castle is 1454, the date a licence to fortify was granted to William Calder, 6th Thane of Cawdor (or Calder, as the name was originally spelled).

However, some portions of the 15th-century tower house or keep may precede that date.

Architectural historians have dated the style of stonework in the oldest portion of the castle to ca 1380.

The castle was expanded numerous times in the succeeding centuries.

In 1510, the heiress of the Calders, Muriel, married Sir John Campbell of Muckairn, who set about extending the castle.

Further improvements were made by John Campbell, 3rd of Cawdor, who purchased rich lands on Islay.

By 1635, a garden had been added; and after the Restoration, Sir Hugh Campbell of Cawdor added or improved the north and west ranges, employing the masons James and Robert Nicolson of Nairn.

The architects Thomas Mackenzie and Alexander Ross were commissioned to add the southern and eastern ranges to enclose a courtyard, accessed by a drawbridge.

In the 20th century John, 5th Earl Cawdor, moved permanently to Cawdor and was succeeded by the 6th Earl, whose second wife Angelika, the Dowager Countess Cawdor, lives there still.

The castle is renowned for its gardens, which include the Walled Garden (originally planted in the 17th Century), the Flower Garden (18th century), and the Wild Garden (added in the 1960s).

In addition, the castle property includes a wood featuring numerous species of trees. 

Other seat ~  Stackpole Court, Pembrokeshire; Golden Grove, Carmarthen.

First published in January, 2014.   Cawdor arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

1st Viscount Templetown

The family of UPTON was seated at Upton, Cornwall, about the time of the Conquest. ARTHUR UPTON, of L'Upton, Devon, elder brother of the Chevalier John Upton, Knight of Malta, and grandson of John Upton, of L'Upton, by Joan his wife, daughter and heir of Sir Wincomb Raleigh, Knight.

John Upton, of L'Upton, was fourth in descent from John Upton (and Agnes his wife, sister and heir of John Peniles, of Lupton), younger son of John Upton, of Trelaske, Cornwall.

The aforesaid Arthur Upton married Gertrude, daughter of Hugh Fortescue, of Filleigh, and had, with other issue,

John, of Lupton, MP;
HENRY, of whom hereafter.

The younger son,

HENRY UPTON (1592-1642), fixed his abode in County Antrim, and was returned to parliament for the town of Carrickfergus in 1634.

He married, in 1628, Mary, daughter of Sir Hugh Clotworthy, Knight, and sister of John, Viscount Massereene, and had issue,

ARTHUR, his heir;

John;

John;

Henry;

Mary; Margaret; Letitia.

The eldest son,

ARTHUR UPTON (1633-1706), of Castle Upton, MP for Carrickfergus for a series of forty years, who wedded Dorothy, daughter of Michael Beresford, of Coleraine, and had issue,

CLOTWORTHY, his heir;

JOHN, succeeded his brother;

Thomas;

Mary; Olivia; Ann; Frances; Rebecca.

The eldest son,

CLOTWORTHY UPTON (1660-1725), of Castle Upton, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1695, MP for Newtownards, 1695-1703, Antrim County, 1703-16, who, raising a party of men, joined the standard of WILLIAM III at the siege of Limerick, and was taken prisoner there, after entering the breach sword in hand, and almost alone, his followers, nearly to a man, being cut to pieces.

Mr Upton married firstly, Mary, only daughter of Roger Boyle, Earl of Orrery, by whom he had no issue; and secondly, Margaret, daughter of William Stewart, of Killymoon, County Tyrone, which lady died also without issue; and thirdly, Jane, daughter of John Ormsby, of Athlacca, by whom he had an only daughter,

ELIZABETH ORMSBY UPTON, who wedded, in 1732, the Rt Hon Hercules Langford Rowley, and was created a peeress of the realm, suo jure, in 1766, in the dignity of Baroness Summerhill and VISCOUNTESS LANGFORD, of Langford Lodge, County Antrim. 

Mr Clotworthy Upton was succeeded by his brother,

JOHN UPTON (1671-1740), of Castle Upton, MP for Antrim County, 1725-7, a military officer, who distinguished himself at the storming of the citadel of Liège, and at the Battle of Almansa, under Lord Galway, where, for his spirited conduct, he obtained the command of a regiment upon the fall of Colonel Killigrew.

Colonel Upton wedded, in 1711, Mary, only daughter of Dr Francis Upton, and had issue,

CLOTWORTHY, his heir;

Arthur (Rt Hon); MP for Carrickfergus, 1741-68; High Sheriff of Co Antrim, 1757;

Mary.

Colonel Upton was succeeded by his elder son,

CLOTWORTHY UPTON (1721-85), who was elevated to the peerage, in 1776, in the dignity of Baron Templetown, of Templetown, County Antrim.

His lordship espoused, in 1769, Elizabeth, daughter of Shuckburgh Boughton, of Poston Court, Herefordshire, and had issue,

JOHN HENRY, his successor;
Fulke Greville;
Arthur Percy, CB;
Elizabeth Albinia; Caroline; Sophia.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN HENRY, 2nd Baron (1771-1846), who married, in 1796, the Lady Mary Montagu, only daughter of John, 5th Earl of Sandwich, and had issue,

HENRY MONTAGU, his successor;
GEORGE FREDERICK, 3rd Viscount;
Arthur;
Edward John, father of the 4th Viscount;
Mary Wilhelmina.

His lordship was advanced to the dignity of a viscountcy, in 1806, as VISCOUNT TEMPLETOWN, in the County of Antrim.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY MONTAGU, 2nd Viscount (1799-1863, who died unmarried, when the titles devolved upon his brother,

General Lord Templetown GCB (Image: Defence Academy of the UK

GEORGE FREDERICK, 3rd Viscount (1802-90), GCB, a general in the army, MP for County Antrim, 1859-63, who wedded, in 1866, Susan, daughter of Field-Marshal Sir Alexander Woodford GCB, though the marriage was without issue, when the titles reverted to his nephew,

HENRY EDWARD MONTAGU DORINGTON CLOTWORTHY, 4th Viscount (1853-1939), who espoused, in 1883, the Lady Evelyn Georgiana Finch-Hatton, daughter of George, 10th Earl of Winchilsea, and had issue,

Eric Edward Montagu John (Captain, killed in action, 1915);

HENRY AUGUSTUS GEORGE MOUNTJOY CLOTWORTHY, his successor;

Margaret Evelyn.

His lordship was succeeded by his surviving son,

HENRY AUGUSTUS GEORGE MOUNTJOY CLOTWORTHY, 5th Viscount (1894-1981), who married firstly, in 1916, Alleyne, daughter of Captain Henry Lewes Conran RN, and had issue,

Henry Eric Patrick Mountjoy Spalding (1917-57);

Alleyne Evelyne Maureen Louisa (1921-2012).

He married secondly, in 1975, Margaret Violet Louisa (Lady Cust), daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Arthur Clowes.

Following the death of the 5th Viscount, in 1981, without surviving male issue, the titles expired.

The ancestral seat of the Templetown family was Castle Upton, Templepatrick, County Antrim.

The Viscounts Templetown owned 11,924 acres of land in County Antrim and 12,845 acres in County Monaghan (Castleblayney).

Other former seat ~ Wonham Manor, Surrey.

Former London residence ~ 10 Hill Street, Berkeley Square.

First published in March, 2010.

Learmount Castle

THE BERESFORDS OF LEARMOUNT WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY, WITH 10,420 ACRES

THE RT HON JOHN BERESFORD MP (1738-1805), of Abbeville, County Dublin, and Walworth*, County Londonderry, second son of MARCUS, 1st EARL OF TYRONE (third creation) by his wife, the Lady Catherine Power, suo jure Baroness La Poer, daughter and heiress of James, last Earl of Tyrone (second creation), married firstly, in 1760, Anne Constantia (d 1772), granddaughter of the Count de Ligondes, and had issue,

Marcus (1764-97);
George de la Poer (Rt Rev), Lord Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh;
John Claudius (1766-1846);
Charles Cobbe (Rev), Rector of Termon;
Annette Constantia; Jane; Catherine.

He wedded secondly, in 1774, Barbara, daughter and co-heir of Sir William Montgomery Bt, of Macbie Hill, Peebles, and had further issue,

James Hamilton (1782-1806);
HENRY BARRÉ, of whom we treat;
Anna.

The youngest son,

HENRY BARRÉ BERESFORD (1784-1837), of Learmount Park, County Londonderry, wedded, in 1812, Eliza, youngest daughter of John Bayly, of Bristol, and had issue,

JOHN BARRÉ, his heir;
Henry Barré (1816-71), Commander RN;
William Montgomery, in holy orders;
James David, a military officer;
George de la Poer, a military officer;
Mary Barbara; Eliza Frances.

Mr Beresford's eldest son,

JOHN BARRÉ BERESFORD JP DL (1815-95), of Learmount Park, High Sheriff of County Londonderry, 1846, married firstly, in 1840, Sophia, sister of Hugh Lyons-Montgomery, MP for County Leitrim, and had issue,

Henry Barré Blacker (1848-82), Lieutenant RN;
JOHN CLAUDIUS MONTGOMERY, of whom hereafter.

He wedded secondly, in 1853, Caroline, only child of William Hamilton-Ash, of Ashbrook, by the Lady Elizabeth Emma Douglas his wife, sister of George, 17th Earl of Morton, and had further issue,

William Randal Hamilton, of Ashbrook;
MARCUS JOHN BARRÉ, of whom we treat;
Emma Clara; Barbara Caroline; Mary Elizabeth; Louisa Gertrude Douglas.

Mr Beresford's second son,

JOHN CLAUDIUS MONTGOMERY BERESFORD (1850-94), of Learmount, Major, Royal Engineers, wedded, in 1884, Rose Sophia Montgomery, daughter of Ralph Smith, and had issue, an only child,

RALPH HENRY BARRÉ BERESFORD (1886-1925), of Learmount, High Sheriff of County Londonderry, 1924, who died unmarried, when the estate devolved upon his cousin,

MARCUS JOHN BARRÉ BERESFORD (1868-1944), of Learmount, who married, in 1914, Alma, daughter of David Methven, 

Mr Beresford was killed in action, 1944, and was survived by an only daughter,

Patricia Douglas Methven Beresford (1924-2012), who sold Learmount Park in 1944 to the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture.

The Beresfords owned 1,342 acres of land in County Donegal, and 1,111 acres in County Tyrone.

*Walworth, near Ballykelly, features in J A K Dean's Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland.

THE BERESFORDS acquired Learmount Park through the marriage of John Beresford to the heiress Barbara Montgomery, though he never lived there, and died at Walworth, Ballykelly, in 1805.

His son, Henry Barré Beresford, did not live in it either: His estate was let out to the McCauslands.

He himself worked as estate agent to his own brother Marcus, on his estate at Ballyquin.

It was only when Henry Barré Beresford retired from this position that he started to modernize the Beresford estate.

He began with great plans for the old Montgomery house.


Instead of demolishing it, his architect, John B Keane, incorporated it as an east wing on to a new mock Tudor-styled castle.

The same architect also designed, in the same style, the western gate lodge house at Stratton's Brae, which is now sadly gone.

He may even have been responsible for the design of the parish church which was built on land donated by the Beresfords, and consecrated in 1831.

A school and schoolhouse had already been established on a site close by.

Henry Barré Beresford died in 1837 and was succeeded by his son John Barré Beresford, who continued with the building plans begun by his father.

Another gate lodge house, in a different design, was built at the western entrance, where Park Recycling Centre is now located.

Another lodge was also built on the main entrance.

At Learmount Castle, coaching houses were provided for the horses, including those which worked on the farm, and grooms and coachmen employed to look after them. 

A walled garden provided vegetables and work for gardeners. Gamekeepers and bailiffs were also employed, all overseen by an estate manager.

Control of the estate passed from John Barré Beresford to his grandson Ralph, when the former died in 1895 and was commemorated by a stained glass window in the parish church. 

Ralph was a minor aged 11 at the time, and did not inherit the property until 1922.

When Harry Ralph Beresford died in 1925, the estate began to decline.

Compulsory sale of tenant lands and death duties would in due course take its toil.

The Osgood family, tea planters from overseas, hired out the property for about four years, long enough it has been reported, for them to marry off two daughters.

While they were there they played tennis, looked after horses and dogs, and even installed electricity, supplied by a water wheel in the estate grounds.

During this time the estate was owned by Lieutenant-Colonel Marcus John Barré Beresford, though he never lived there and Learmount Castle remained unoccupied until the 2nd World War.

Local people were employed as cook and janitor, and an Aga cooker and the telephone were installed.

Colonel Beresford was killed in 1944 due to enemy action and his daughter, Patricia, decided to sell the property.

The Forestry Service promptly bought it and the buildings were allowed to fall into disrepair.

The Castle was granted a temporary reprieve, when the Youth Hostel Association set up a hostel in the main building, run by wardens Doreen and Marcus Lowther.

However, still no money was available for repairs.

It was decided that the old (Montgomery) wing should be demolished and replaced by a low wall, compatible with the style of the newer building.

But when the lease for the hostel expired in 1983, the youth hostel association refused to renew it, so the Lowthers left and the cycle of decay continued.

Prior to this, the gate lodges at the western and eastern entrances to the estate were demolished.

Only the old coaching house survived intact, bought by Mr Peter Mullan, who converted it into a home and a self catering apartment.

He has also reclaimed the gardens, reseeding them as a neat lawn and adding a very attractive pond.

He stabilized the back of the castle which has enhanced its appearance.

LEARMOUNT CASTLE, near Claudy, County Londonderry, is a Tudor-Gothic house, built in 1830 by Henry Barré Beresford.

The main block has a gabled front and pointed finials on the gables; and a battlemented porch.

There is a battlemented wing set back, ending in a slender, round battlemented tower and turret.

The house is situated above a steep, terraced drop to the River Faughan below. The terracing is grassed and decorated with ornamental yew trees.

There is an unused walled garden to the immediate south of the house.

Learmount is close to the village of Park in County Londonderry.

Learmount Forest covers just over 3,000 acres of the foothills at the northern face of the Sperrin Mountains.

Bought by the Forest Service at the end of the 2nd World War, it has over fifteen different tree species planted, with some well over 100 years old.

This is due to the planting of selected trees by Henry Barré de la Poer Beresford, who came from Staffordshire as landlord at the time of the Plantation by the Livery Companies.

The imposing castle was built by him in 1830 as an extension of an older building erected by a Captain Montgomery around 1710.

The castle was used by Ashleigh House Girls School (Belfast) during the war, and then by the Youth Hostel Association until later it was bought by the present private owner.

The Beresford coat-of-arms emblazons the doorway of the Castle, with the family motto Nil Nisi Cruce - No dependence but in the cross; and the Arms, a semée of cross crosslets fitchée and three fleurs-de-lis within a border engrained sable.

The demesne contains commercial plantations and mature trees in an area noted by Lewis in 1837 in the Topographical Dictionary, for its ‘large and valuable timber …’.

Paths are maintained and the site is an amenity.

Sal Lim, who has kindly provided me with photographs of the Castle:

"The way I remember it may not actually be the way it was, - the memory does play tricks after forty years. One thing I do know is that the far side in the photo was already derelict at that stage and was blocked off although it was possible to get in through the basement."

"It was said to be haunted so had not been used for some time. Apart from that I remember a very impressive staircase opposite the front entrance. There was a large room to the right of the front door. It was used as the common room with dining area at that time but it had obviously been a beautiful room."

"The fireplace matched the proportions of the room. It was so big that my brother was able to sit cross-legged on the mantelpiece ... the staircase went straight up opposite the front door towards the back of the house and then divided on the first landing with flights going up in both directions."

"When we were there the room behind the large common room was the kitchen but originally when it was a family home, the kitchen was probably in the basement, which you can see from the photos went the full length of the house."

First published in February, 2010. Beresford arms courtesy of the NLI.

Barcroft of The Glen

AMBROSE BARCROFT (1574-1648), of The Haigh, near Foulridge, Lancashire, and afterwards of Foulridge Hall, son of THOMAS BARCROFT, of Foulridge Hall, son of HENRY BARCROFT, of Foulridge, younger son of WILLIAM BARCROFT, of Barcroft, Lancashire (who died in 1581), where his family was seated from the earliest times to which records extend, down to the middle of the 17th century.

Barcroft passed by the marriage of one of his daughters and co-heirs of Thomas Barcroft, of Barcroft, last of his line, who died in 1668 (great-grandson of William Barcroft, above mentioned) to the Bradshaws, and afterwards by purchase to the Townleys.

Ambrose Barcroft married Mary, daughter of ________ Hartley, of Wellhead, near Colne, Lancashire, and had issue,

Thomas, of The Haigh;

Ambrose (Ven), Archdeacon of Kilmore; went to Ireland with his brother;

WILLIAM, of whom presently;

John (Rev), Rector of Roughton;

Paul, of York;

Robert. settled in Bedfordshire; ancestor of the BEARCROFT family;

Mary; Janet.

The third son,

WILLIAM BARCROFT (1612-96), went over to Ireland and settled at Ballylaking, King's County, wedded firstly, Grace, daughter of Henry Rycroft, of Moss House, within Foulridge, and by her had five children, who were drowned with their mother when crossing to Ireland to join her husband.

Mr Barcroft espoused secondly, in 1652, Margaret, daughter of Daniel Bernard, of Colne, and had issue,

AMBROSE, of whom presently;

Thomas, dsp;

John, a minister of the Society of Friends;

Ellen.

William Barcroft died at Drumcooley, King's County, and was buried at Rosenallis, Queen's County.

His eldest son,

AMBROSE BARCROFT, of Drumcooley, King's County, born near Thornton, in Yorkshire, married, in 1676, Jane, daughter of William Slade, of Athlone, and had issue,

Ambrose (died unmarried);

WILLIAM, his heir;

Thomas;

Ellen; Alice.

Mr Barcroft died at Drumcooley in 1687, and was succeeded by his second son,

WILLIAM BARCROFT (1681-1709), of Ballybrittan, King's County, who wedded, in 1705, Ellen, daughter of Joseph Inman, and had issue,

Joseph, of Dublin;

AMBROSE, of whom presently;

Elizabeth, died in infancy.

The younger son,

AMBROSE BARCROFT (1707-), of Dublin, espoused, in 1733, Abigail, daughter of Thomas Wilcocks, and had issue,

WILLIAM, of whom presently;

Thomas;

Joseph;

Ambrose;

Elizabeth.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM BARCROFT (1734-72), of Dublin, married, in 1757, Mary, daughter of John Pim, of Lackagh, and had issue,

Joseph;

JOHN, of whom hereafter;

George;

Ambrose.

The second son,

JOHN BARCROFT (1758-1815), of Lisburn, County Antrim, wedded, in 1797, Sarah, daughter of James Hogg, of Lisburn (uncle of Sir James Weir Hogg Bt), and had issue,

JOSEPH, his heir;

William James;

John Pim;

Ruth; Mary.

Mr Barcroft was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOSEPH BARCROFT (1799-1855), of Lisburn, and afterwards of Stangmore Lodge, Dungannon, County Tyrone, who espoused, in 1838, Mary, daughter of John Wandesford Wright, and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;

Elizabeth, m 1864, Sir Samuel Lee Anderson (Principal Crown Solicitor for Ireland);

Sarah, of Stangmore Lodge, m William Barcroft.

Mr Barcroft was succeeded by his son,

HENRY BARCROFT JP DL (1839-1905), of The Glen, County Armagh, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1890, who married, in 1867, Anna (The Glen, Newry), daughter of David Malcomson, of Melview, County Tipperary, and had issue,

JOSEPH, his heir;

David Malcomson;

Sarah Richardson; Mary; Anna Henrietta.

Mr Barcroft was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOSEPH BARCROFT CBE (1872-1947), of The Glen, Newry, County Down, Fellow of the Royal Society, who wedded, in 1903, Mary Agnetta, younger daughter of Sir Robert Stawell Ball, and had issue,

HENRY;

Robert Ball, Lt-Col (1909-88).

The elder son,

HENRY BARCROFT (1904-98), of London, married Bridget Mary, daughter of Arthur Stanley Ramsey, and had issue,

John, b 1936;

Michael Joseph, b 1938;

Roger Henry, b 1947;

Sarah Agnes, b 1942.

The eldest son,

DR JOHN BARCROFT, was a consultant in child psychiatry at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.

THE GLEN, Newry, County Down, formerly called Turner Hill, was once the property of Baron Frederick Lewis von Stieglitz*, who later sold it to Henry Barcroft.

*Baron von Stieglitz (1803-66), a JP for counties Armagh and Down, proceeded, in early life, to Tasmania, where he became possessed of considerable property, and was a member of the Legislative Council of Tasmania during Sir William Denison's Government.

After 1850 he returned to Ireland, and resided at The Glen.

The Baron married firstly, Mrs Ransom; and secondly, in 1859, Hester Anna, daughter of George Blacker, of Carrickblacker. 

Hester Anna accordingly became Baroness von Stieglitz, of Carrickblacker.

Baron von Stieglitz is buried in the family vault at Derryloran, near Cookstown, County Tyrone.

The website Newry.ie has written an article about the Barcrofts of The Glen.

Barcroft arms courtesy of the NLI.