Moira Castle

By kind permission of the Royal Irish Academy © RIA. Click to enlarge

A rare picture of Moira Castle in County Down, former seat of the Rawdons, Earls of Moira. 

The family sold Moira Demesne at some period ca 1805 and moved to Montalto, near Ballynahinch, in the same county.

It is thought that Moira Castle was demolished ca 1870. The water-colour above is by Gabriel Beranger (1729-1817).

Beranger was born in 1729 at Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. He moved to Dublin in 1750 to join other family members.

In 1756, he married his cousin Louise Beranger (d 1782), and shortly afterwards opened a print shop at St Stephen's Green.

Beranger became acquainted with several members of Dublin society who were then taking a great interest in Irish history and antiquities. In 1773 he and his antiquarian friends made the first of their tours through Ireland.

Beranger's wife died in April, 1782, and in June of that year, he married Elizabeth Mestayer.

In the early 1780s, he obtained a job as assistant ledger-keeper in the exchequer office. In later years his circumstances were eased after he inherited part of a fortune amassed in India by his brother-in-law, Colonel Mestayer.

Gabriel Beranger died at a house in St Stephen's Green on 18th February, 1817.

First published in March, 2011.

White of White Hall

WHITE OF WHITE HALL

THE WHITES OWNED 2,897 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

The family of White, though long settled in Ulster, was of English extraction.

In the reign of CHARLES I, the Whites owned considerable property in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and they were seated at Hudson Hall.

During the English Civil War, they threw in their lot with the King, on whose behalf they raised and maintained, at their own expense, a troop of dragoons.

When the King's cause was lost, they were involved in its ruin; and one of the family, Fulke White, or Whyte, for so he spelt his name, took refuge in Ulster.

This Fulke settled, it would appear, in the town of Antrim, where he maintained himself for many years by "teaching a classical school"; but in 1687, being then a clergyman of the Presbyterian Church, he was invited by the Presbyterians of Broughshane, a village in the valley of the Braid, to become their minister.

THE REV FULKE WHITE, of White Hall, County Antrim, Minister of Broughshane, 1687; dying in 1716, was father of

THE REV JAMES WHITE, of White Hall. Dying in 1761, his son,

JOHN WHITE, of White Hall, who died in 1770, was father of

JAMES WHITE, of White Hall, Deputy Governor of County Antrim, 1793. Dying in 1809, he left two sons,

1.  JOHN, his heir;
2   JAMES ROBERT, who succeeded his brother.

JOHN WHITE, of White Hall, High Sheriff of Antrim, 1845, died in 1857 and was succeeded by his brother,

JAMES ROBERT WHITE, of White Hall; barrister-at-law; wedded Frances, daughter of George Stuart, of Donaghey, County Tyrone, surgeon-general of the Army in Ireland.

Following his decease, in 1872, he left two sons and two daughters. The eldest son,

 Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

FIELD-MARSHAL SIR GEORGE STUART WHITE VC GCB OM GCSI GCMG GCIE GCVO (1835-1912), born at Rock Castle, Portstewart, County Londonderry.

He married Amelia Maria, daughter of Joseph Daly, in 1874, at Bengal, India, and had issue, three children:

• Rose Frances White b 1876
• James Robert White DSO (1879-1945)
• May Constance White (1884-1937)

Sir George died at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and was buried with his ancestors at Broughshane, County Antrim, in 1912.

His only son,

CAPTAIN JAMES ROBERT (Jack) WHITE DSO (1879-1946), of White Hall, left issue,

DERRICK O'CLANCY WHITE (1942-2007).  

Ormiston House

Ormiston House, Belfast, was built in 1867 to designs by David Bryce of Edinburgh for James Combe, a Scots-born iron-founder and linen manufacturer (Combe Barbour).

Two gate lodges still stand at the Belmont and Hawthornden roads. There were likely lodges at the Wandsworth and Upper Newtownards roads, too.

In 1876, the grounds comprising 62 acres would have been bounded by Belmont Road, Wandsworth Road, Upper Newtownards Road and Hawthornden Road.

The Falls Foundry was one of the main foundries in Belfast. It was set up in 1845 by Combe, to supply equipment for the railways, which were expanding at the time. By the 1850s the firm had moved into the textile machinery business and was making carding machinery for long staple flax fibres. 

The name of the firm was later changed to Combe, Barbour and Combe and, in 1900, became a part of Fairbairn Lawson Combe Barbour Ltd. For a period from about 1880 to the end of the first world war, the Falls foundry also made large steam engines as part of their service to mill owners.

Although they occasionally tried to diversify by making specialist machinery for other trades, the firm was best known as a major manufacturer of spinning and twisting frames until 1955, when the parent company ceased business in Belfast. 

The school photograph below was taken outside Ormiston about 1973 and, indeed, features the young Timothy William. Spotted me yet?

CLICK TO ENLARGE

The property was sold to the shipbuilder Sir Edward Harland Bt ca 1880, who remained there until 1887, when it was acquired by his business partner William, later 1st Viscount Pirrie.

I think the Pirries would only have used Ormiston for a part of the year, because they owned a number of other homes, including a grand town-house in London.

 DOWNSHIRE HOUSE, BELGRAVIA

Ormiston must have been used a lot for entertaining visitors, senior executives having ships built and others.

Pirrie, who later became the Chairman at Harland & Wolff, retained the house until his death in 1924; however, by this stage the property was partly owned by the shipyard itself and between 1911-20, it appears to have been used to house various company directors, among them George Cuming who is recorded as resident there in 1918. 

Shortly after Lord Pirrie's death Harland & Wolff came into sole ownership of the property, selling it in 1928 to Campbell College, which remained there until the mid-1970s.

Since then the property has served as government offices, but is presently vacant.

The stable block appears to have originally consisted of the U-shaped building centred around the small courtyard.

This block was undoubtedly built at the same time as the main house (1865-67); however, as the valuation records give no indication of the original extent of the property, and as no original plans appear to have survived, we cannot be completely certain of this.

The small hipped roof extension to the eastern side of the stables was added some time before 1901, as it shown on a map of that year, as are the garden sheds and large walled garden to the south.

The latter, which included a large glass house is of uncertain date also; however the appearance of both the sheds and the extension suggests that both were added ca 1880s-90s, possibly by Lord Pirrie, who extended the house itself in 1896-97 (when he was Lord Mayor of Belfast) and made changes to the grounds, creating, amongst other features, a nine-hole golf course.

During the mid to late 20th century, much of the southern half of Ormiston's grounds was sold off for housing development with the walled garden and glass house were demolished in the process.

The garden sheds survived and were utilised by Campbell College as changing rooms serving a swimming pool (installed by the school some distance to the south of the house itself), with the stables converted to quarters for the groundsman and stores.

A Valuation Notebook of 1903 still exists which includes an entry, dated 1903, showing the changes believed to have been made by Lord Pirrie in 1896-97, including the large timber-built ballroom to the rear of the house and some additional glass-houses to the south-east of the formal garden.

The garden and the stable extension are all shown, suggesting both were added prior to 1896.

First published in July, 2010.

Mourne Park

THE EARLS OF KILMOREY WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY DOWN, WITH 40,902 ACRES.

The family of Needham was seated at Needham, Derbyshire, as early as the reign of EDWARD III; and afterwards at the estate of Shenton, Adderley, in Shropshire. 

WILLIAM DE NEDHAM, Lord of Staunton, living in the county of Chester in 1102; was ancestor of,

THOMAS NEDEHAM, of Nedeham in Derbyshire, living in 1330, whose youngest son,

WILLIAM NEDEHAM, justice of Chester, living in 1375. His descendant,

SIR ROBERT NEEDHAM, knight, who purchased, in 1506, the estate of Shenton, and served the office of Sheriff of Shropshire, during the reign of HENRY VIII. His descendant,

ROBERT NEEDHAM, of Shenton, served as Sheriff of Shropshire in the reign of ELIZABETH I; and had important commands during the war in Ireland. His son,

SIR ROBERT NEEDHAM, knight, was elevated to the peerage in 1626 as Viscount Kilmorey, in the County of Clare. His descendant,

ROBERT, 11th Viscount, died in 1818 and the title devolved upon his brother, 

FRANCIS, 12th Viscount, who was created EARL OF KILMOREY.

THE RT HON SIR RICHARD NEEDHAM, 6th and present Earl, Hereditary Abbot of the Exempt Jurisdiction of Newry and Mourne, does not use the title.

Sir Richard has three children: his heir Robert, styled Viscount Newry and Mourne; the Hon Andrew Needham, and Lady Christina Clare Needham.

Sir Richard's great-uncle was Francis Charles, 4th Earl, who married Lady Norah Frances Hastings, daughter of Warner Francis John Plantagenet Hastings, 15th Earl of Huntingdon, in 1920.

He died in 1961, aged 77, and was succeeded in the titles by his nephew Francis, 5th Earl.

MOURNE PARK is situated south of Kilkeel, County Down.

The main block of the house suffered  a catastrophic fire in the early morning of Saturday, 18th May, 2013.


The 6th Earl said he had been devastated by the fire:

"It's a dreadful end to a house which had been connected to my family for over 500 years and a house which although when I started first going there in 1970 had lost most of its grandeur and glamour - there were buckets in most of the bedrooms to stop the rain coming through - it still was a wonderful happy house where I have fantastic memories of good and great times.

My aunt asked me to go over and stay there because my father had inherited it but he didn't actually want to live there so he sold his interest back to our cousins, and when he died my aunt said you better come and see what once might have been yours.

I went over there and it was a stunning wonderful estate, absolutely beautiful. I looked at this and thought to myself 'goodness me, that might have been mine' but it wasn't."

The current ownership of Mourne Park originates with the founder of the Kilmorey family’s Irish estates, Sir Nicholas Bagenal, who was granted extensive lands in Newry and Mourne, in 1552, by EDWARD VI.

The present mansion was extensively re-built in 1806 on the instructions of the 12th Viscount and 1st Earl of Kilmorey, known as ‘The Little General’.

Later extensions were made in 1820 and again in 1859.

The main family seat was at Shavington Hall in Shropshire. Mourne Park was used mainly as a holiday residence, designed and used for lavish entertainment and house parties.

On the death of the 1st Earl his son, the 2nd Earl, ‘Black Jack’, inherited the estates and the role of MP for Newry.

He lived a notorious and colourful life, travelling extensively. Part of his legacy is the ‘famine wall’ which surrounds Mourne Park. He died in 1880 aged 92 and was succeeded by his grandson.

The 3rd Earl was involved with the London stage and built the Globe Theatre. His extravagance lead to the sale of Shavington and the family moved to Mourne Park, which was extended further.

A variety of specimen trees were planted at Mourne Park and today the gardens are a recognised arboretum.

The 3rd Earl, also MP for Newry, married Ellen-Constance Baldock in 1881, a renowned beauty who caused a scandal by being bequeathed the ‘Teck Emeralds’ among other jewels, from her lover, Francis of Teck, brother of Queen Mary. She also reputedly had a liaison with EDWARD VII, a frequent visitor to Mourne Park.

During the 2nd World War, the house was used as an officer’s mess for British and US regiments who were on their way to France and the Normandy landings.

THE BILLIARDS-ROOM

Lord Kilmorey, who died in 1961, was the 4th and last Earl to live at Mourne Park, which subsequently passed through the female line to the current owners.

The original house was modest in scale. However, after 1820, a third storey was added; then, after 1859, a new two-storey front, of granite and ashlar, was built.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the 3rd Earl added rectangular bows to this front; and around 1904, he built a single-storey wing containing a large room known as the Long Room.

Finally, between 1919-21, the 4th Earl built a wing to the left of the front. The entrance was subsequently relocated to this side of the house.

 THE MORNING-ROOM

So the mansion house, with its seventeen bedrooms and eight reception rooms, has had many additions encompassing a period of two centuries. The parkland presently comprises 160 acres.

The estate, which had diminished in size to about 800 acres, was not, however, inherited by the 5th Earl, who opted instead to inherit contents to the value of the estate, as he lived in England.

THE SWIMMING-POOL

It is currently owned by the Anley family, descendants of the late Lady Eleanor Needham, elder daughter of the 4th Earl, the last Earl of Kilmorey to live at Mourne Park, till he died in 1961.

The 4th Earl was distinguished as having been a captain in the Life Guards, HM Lord-Lieutenant for County Down and High Sheriff in 1913; and Vice-Admiral of Ulster, 1937-61.

Following the 4th Earl's decease, his nephew and heir, Major Patrick Needham, subsequently 5th Earl, waived his right of succession to Mourne Park in return for assets of equal value.

This arrangement allowed the 4th Earl’s widow, Norah, and her two daughters to continue living in the house.

Nicholas Anley, the son of the elder daughter of the 4th Earl, married Julie Ann in the early 1960s and moved into the converted stables at Mourne Park. He inherited the house in 1984.

Norah, Dowager Countess of Kilmorey, died in 1985.

Formerly known as Ballyrogan and Siberia, the demesne was founded in the 17th century and about 2,000 acres are walled in.

It lies on a fine site on the south-facing slopes of Knockchree and was admired by 19th century travellers and artists.

Mature beech woods were photographed by R Welch at the turn of the century and many remain amongst mixed planting at the base of the mountain.

There are extensive stands of mature trees in the woodland, shelter belts and parkland.

The Whitewater River runs from north to south on the west side of the demesne and riverside walks are edged by mature trees. Bridges are important.

There are three avenues: the Jubilee Avenue; the 1920s Christmas Tree Avenue; and the Walnut Avenue, which was replanted in the 1990s.

Many trees were felled during the 1940s and there has been recent re-planting. The structure of the planting has been examined as part of a tree survey of the Mournes, published in 1996.

The ornamental gardens to the south of the house begin with a terrace man-made lake, which once provided a vista but is now silted up and surrounded by trees. The thatched boat house has collapsed.

Grounds to the east of the house are well planted and contain many features including exotics and specimen trees, a rockery and pool.

The walled garden is a considerable distance from the house and is attached to the farm buildings to the north-east. There is a head gardener’s house, but the garden is no longer cultivated.

The farm buildings are used by a pony-trekking business.

The 19th century school-house has its own garden. The south-eastern area is now a golf course and the club-house is in the former land steward’s house. About 700 acres were sold for forestry.

Four gate lodges were constructed at different times during the 19th century: the East Lodge of 1820; West Lodge, 1840; Whitewater Gate lodge, 1830; and Green Gate Lodge, 1890. 

 First published in June, 2010.

Lord Shaftesbury

The Aristocrats, on More4 this evening at 8pm, follows the Right Honourable Nicholas Edmond Anthony [Ashley-Cooper], 12th Earl of Shaftesbury, Baron Ashley, Baron Cooper, and 13th Ashley-Cooper Baronet, coming to terms with his sudden and tragic assumption of the earldom and other titles.

His father, the 10th Earl, was brutally murdered in France.

 I wrote an article about this incident three years ago.

The 8th Earl wedded Lady Harriet Chichester and thereby acquired part of the Donegall Estate and Belfast Castle. The 9th Earl was sometime Lord Mayor of Belfast, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Belfast and Chancellor of the Queen's University of Belfast.

Lord Shaftesbury endeavours to rescue the family name, famed for philanthropy and acts of charity down the centuries, from bankruptcy and ruin.

This is the first documentary made with access to Lord Shaftesbury and his family.

The 12th Earl thought he was going to be a disc-jockey, and was enjoying success in New York, when his father Anthony, 10th Earl, was murdered by his Tunisian wife's brother.

Lord Shaftesbury's brother Anthony, who had become 11th Earl a month earlier, when their father's body was discovered, then died tragically of a sudden heart attack, aged just 28.

The death of his father and brother left Nick facing an appalling challenge.

The family seat at Wimborne St Giles was in such bad condition that English Heritage had placed it on their at-risk register.

The film follows the 12th Earl as he decides that he will rescue it, borrowing millions from the banks to do so.

Minnowburn Day

I have spent four hours today at Minnowburn, a National Trust property near Belfast, with six other volunteers.

Alas, I was the only volunteer from the Strangford Lough & Ards group.

Our task today was to remove the loose stones from a decrepit wall near the Warden's office in preparation for rebuilding.

It remained dry till lunchtime, when the rain arrived and play was called off.

Tomasz, one of the rangers, brought us all into the old barn afterwards, where he was creating a wooden sculpture of an oak-leaf, which will be used as a bench-seat.

Skipper Street, Belfast

 MERCHANT HOTEL

Skipper Street, Belfast, runs from Waring Street to High Street.

This is the oldest part of Belfast, where the River Farset used to flow openly along High Street itself (it still does, though it's culverted).

 HIGH STREET ca 1830

The street was thus named because skippers of sailing vessels lodged here.

This street is mentioned as far back as 1685; it was, however, significantly affected by the 1941 blitz.

In 1974, the Albert Inn stood at 3 Skipper Street; then it changed its name to the Blackthorn Bar.

Alas, the buildings are all relatively recent since many, if not most, were destroyed by bombing during the 2nd World War.

The most notable premises today are The Merchant Hotel - formerly the Ulster Bank head office - which now runs along the entire left-hand side of the street (the even numbers).

The Spaniard Bar  is at number three; and Jackson Sports retailers is located at one corner of Skipper Street and High Street.

First published in July, 2009.