Friday, 11 December 2009

Landowner Series

I'm looking forward to writing about the biggest Victorian landowners in the remaining Northern Ireland counties; so much so, that I'm actually quite excited about the prospect...

...about the wealthy banker, rich as Croesus, who bought a mountain estate with a hunting lodge; and the illegitimate son of a marquess who became one of the greatest landowners and philanthropists, whilst travelling by private train from his rented castle.

Can't wait.

8 comments:

  1. Who was the tenant with thetrain privé?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I thought he lived in Castle St., Lisburn. My father had a very elderly great aunt who was a spinster and one of the last residents of the large townhouses there - before my time though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, but before that he had to lease Antrim Castle! He hired a private train to take him from the Castle to Lisburn on one occasion. I'm uncertain about the chronology of it all.

    Tim

    ReplyDelete
  4. Didn't know he had a lease on Antrim; I thought Lord M&F used it as their main house then.

    ReplyDelete
  5. As I say, I still need to work on that; but the Massereenes weren't living there all year round, I gather.

    It'll be some time before I reach Co Antrim landowners! Haven't decided which county to do after Tyrone. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. If you have the time Anon, here is a very interesting article:-

    http://www.lisburn.com/books/historical_society/volume3/volume3-2.html

    Tim

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks, I would need the time though - it's very long! ha

    ReplyDelete