Ballymoyer House

HART-SYNNOT OF BALLYMOYER

THE HART-SYNNOTS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ARMAGH, WITH 7,321 ACRES

Synnot, Synot and Sinnot were a French family who derived their descent from a Marquis de Lusignan, who came to England either with William the Conqueror, or at some time thereafter.

A younger brother settled in Ireland at a very early period, and among the oldest records of Wexford the name occurs.

In that county, the ancestors of the family of which we are about to treat, possessed considerable estates, and ranked amongst the most eminent of the gentry of the baronies of Forth and Bargy. 

TOBIAS SYNNOT, of County Londonderry, was brought up a Protestant, and was in Londonderry during its celebrated siege.

The family is said to have come originally from Flanders, where the name "Sigenod" meant "Victory-bold". Translations and modifications over time saw the name become "Synad".

Various explanations of when and how the family travelled to Ireland have been documented, however all revolve around the Norman Invasion of Ireland.

It is believed that a Richard de Synad was one of the Flemish that crossed to Ireland with Strongbow in the invasion force. After various campaigns from Waterford to Wexford and on to Dublin, he returned to the Wexford region to settle down.

He later built a castle at Ballybrennan,  close to the present village of Killinick, on the main Wexford-Rosslare road.

This was the family's chief castle, which remained until dispossessed in the Cromwellian confiscations. The castle is long gone, but part of its walls is incorporated into the present large dwelling house at the site.

Tobias's eldest son,

THOMAS SYNNOT, Town Major of the city of Dublin and Captain in Lucas's Regiment of Foot 1711, left a son and heir,

RICHARD SYNNOT, of Drumcondragh, Registrar of the Diocese of Armagh, had issue,

MARK SYNNOT, whose son, 

SIR WALTER SYNNOT (1742-1821), knighted by Lord Buckingham, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; high sheriff of Armagh, 1783; died in 1821. He married and had issue, 

Sir Walter built Ballymoyer House in County Armagh. By the time of his death in 1803 he and his son Marcus had made considerable improvements to the estate and many of the beautiful trees, buildings and structural improvements date from this time. The demesne was noted as being very ornate.

His heir,

MARCUS SYNNOT JP, of Ballymoyer, who served as High Sheriff in 1830. His heir, also

MARCUS SYNNOT JP DL, of Ballymoyer House; High Sheriff, 1853; died without issue in 1874, when the estates devolved upon his brother,

MARK SETON SYNNOT JP DL, of Ballymoyer; High Sheriff, 1876. His heir, also

MARK SETON SYNNOT JP (1847-90), of Ballymoyer, County Armagh; born 1847; Captain, Armagh Light Infantry. His son, also

MARK SETON SYNNOT, a captain in the Armagh Light Infantry, died unmarried in 1901, whereby the estate devolved to his eldest sister,

MARY SUSANNA SYNNOT (1844-1913), who married, in 1868, Major-General Arthur FitzRoy Hart CB CMG, who had then adopted the surname Hart-Synnot. Their son,

Brigadier-General Arthur Henry Seton Hart-Synnot CMG DSO, inherited the demesne on his father's death in 1910 and sold portions of it to his tenants prior to 1919 under the Land Acts.

He demolished the house ca 1918 after it had been damaged by military accommodation during the 1st World War and donated the remaining land to the National Trust in 1938.

The estate is now open to the public.

The family were involved not only in the linen industry but also had lead mines in their possession. By 1838 the family had bought the eight townlands and continued to improve the estate.

In 1901 the demesne passed through marriage to the Hart-Synnot family, who presented it to the National Trust in 1937.

Major-General Arthur FitzRoy Hart adopted the name Hart-Synnot when he married Mary Synnot.

Their son, Brigadier-General Arthur H.S. Hart-Synnot, sold parts of the estate to its occupying tenants prior to 1919, under the Land Acts.

This document relates to the sale of small portions of land in the townlands of Knockavannon and Ballintate. The Conditions of Sale include rights of way for Brigadier General Hart-Synnot and the purchasers through the property to be sold.

Ballymoyer House was later demolished and Brigadier-General Hart-Synnot gave the demesne to the National Trust in 1938.

Comprising 7,000 acres of low hills, moorland and small tenant farms, Ballymoyer was one of the largest demesnes in the county of Armagh. The Synnots had made their money in the linen trade and mining and had always been resident landlords.

When General Hart added his wife's surname to his own, to become General Hart-Synnot, he thus affirmed his place among the Anglo-Irish gentry.

The general was eager to show Arthur the improvements he had begun to make on the estate, the home farm that was not rented out to tenants, knowing his son shared the same love for the place he would one day inherit.

RETURN TO BALLYMOYER

The original stone manor had been built in the 18th century in a gentle valley at a point where three brooks, after racing down from their own glens, reached flatter land and joined together to continue as one fast-running trout stream.

In the early 19th century a more imposing house in the classical style, with a stucco facade of three stories and a colonnaded porch, had been added onto the earlier, rougher building, and the two were linked with creaking corridors and staircases.

The library, the smaller bedrooms, and the servants' hall were in the old section at the back, but the principal bedrooms, drawing room, and dining room were in the grander addition, looking across the lawns and parkland to stands of beech on the hillside.

Over the years the gardens had been landscaped and replanted, and the streams channelled and directed over weirs, but the sound of rushing water could still be heard all round the house, and gave a calming, almost drowsy background noise.

For Arthur's return, both parts of the house were full, with relatives who had come to greet him and would stay until the following day. The celebrations did not end till after dinner, when the general directed a fireworks display on the lawn.

That night Arthur must have wondered how he was going to tell his family what had happened to his personal and emotional life on the other side of the world, and how he wanted nothing more than to put Ireland behind him as fast as possible and get back to Tokyo.

 First published in August, 2010.