The barony of Lurgan was created in 1839 for Mr Charles Brownlow, a County Armagh MP, as the Right Honourable Charles Baron Lurgan. his son, the 2nd Baron, joined the Liberal Party and beca

me a government whip in the Upper House; and he was appointed a Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick (KP) in 1864.
The 2nd Lord Lurgan owned the celebrated greyhound,
Master McGrath; and his brother-in-law was Mr Maxwell Close whose home, incidentally, was Drumbanagher House, built to the design of William Playfair who also designed Brownlow House.
The barony became extinct in 1991, following the death of the 5th Baron.
Lord Lurgan's seat was Brownlow House (above), a large Elizabethan-Revival mansion built by William Playfair about 1836. Indeed,
Brownlow House has recently been fully restored by its owner, the Orange Order.
The House is built of a honey-coloured stone, with numerous gables and lofty finials; abundant tall chimney-pots; oriels crowned with strap-work; and a tower with a dome and lantern.
The walls of three main reception rooms are decorated with panels painted to look like verd-antique; the ceilings grained to resemble various woods.
The windows overlooking the great staircase boast heraldic stained glass.
Brownlow House was sold by the Lurgan family to the Orange Order in 1903. The surrounding parkland is now reputedly
the largest public park in Northern Ireland.
One hundred years ago, Lord Lurgan's great country estate extended to 15,166 acres, making it the second largest in County Armagh.

The memory of the Lurgan family lives on, in the form of
a charitable trust.