Mulroy House

THE EARLS OF LEITRIM WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY DONEGAL, WITH 54,352 ACRES

This family is originally from France, where Albert Clements is said to have been a Marshal in 1183. It seems plausible that this claim refers to Albéric Clément (c1165-91), the first Marshal of France. This branch of the family, however, settled in Ireland some time during the reign of JAMES I.

DANIEL CLEMENTS JP (c1624-80), son of Robert Clements, of Cosby, in Leicestershire, went over to Ireland with Oliver Cromwell.

Mr Clements, a cornet in the New Model Army (possibly in Colonel Thomas Coote's regiment), High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1674, was succeeded by his son,

ROBERT CLEMENTS (1664-1722), who wedded Mary, eldest daughter of Theophilus Sandford (ancestor of the Lords Mount Sandford), and had issue,

THEOPHILUS, his heir;
Robert;
John;
NATHANIEL, succeeded his brother;
Mary.

He was attainted by the Irish parliament convoked by JAMES II in 1689, but was restored to his estates in County Cavan on the establishment of the government of WILLIAM III, and appointed Deputy Vice-Treasurer of Ireland.

Mr Clements, MP for Carrickfergus, 1692, Newry, 1715-22, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1694, Teller of the Irish Exchequer, and Deputy Vice-Treasurer of Ireland, was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON THEOPHILUS CLEMENTS (c1687-1728), MP for County Cavan, 1713-28, Teller of the Exchequer in Ireland, who married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Francis Burton, of Duncraggy, County Clare.

Theophilus Clements died without issue, and was succeeded by his brother,

THE RT HON NATHANIEL CLEMENTS (1705-77), a Teller of the Irish Exchequer, MP for Duleek, 1727-55, Cavan Borough, 1761-76, Roscommon Borough, 1768-70, Leitrim, 1776-7, who espoused, in 1729, Hannah, eldest daughter of the Very Rev William Gore, Dean of Down, and had issue,

ROBERT;
Henry Theophilus;
Elizabeth, m to Lord Conyngham;
Hannah, m to Sir George Montgomery Bt;
Catherine, m to Eyre, Lord Clarina;
Alicia, m to Ralph Gore, Earl of Ross.

Mr Clements was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT CLEMENTS (1732-1804), who was elevated to the peerage, in 1783, in the dignity of Baron Leitrim, of Manor Hamilton, County Leitrim; and advanced to a viscountcy, 1793, as Viscount Leitrim.

1st Earl of Leitrim, ca 1754, by Pompeo Batoni

The 1st Viscount was further advanced, in 1795, to the dignity of an earldom, as EARL OF LEITRIM.

He wedded, in 1765, the Lady Elizabeth Skeffington, daughter of Clotworthy, 1st Earl of Massereene, and had issue,

NATHANIEL, his successor;
Robert Clotworthy;
Caroline Elizabeth Letitia; Elizabeth; Louisa.

The 1st Earl was succeeded by his eldest son,

NATHANIEL, 2nd Earl (1768-1804), KP, Colonel, the Donegal Regiment, High Sheriff of County Leitrim, 1796, who espoused, in 1800, Mary, daughter of William Bermingham, and had issue,

George Robert Anson, died 1837;
Robert Bermingham, styled Viscount Clements (1805-39);
WILLIAM SYDNEY, his successor;Charles Skeffington;
Francis Nathaniel (Rev), father of the 4th Earl;
Caroline; Maria; Elizabeth Victoria.

His lordship was succeeded by his third son,

WILLIAM SYDNEY, 3rd Earl (1806-78), who died unmarried, when the family honours devolved upon his cousin,

ROBERT BERMINGHAM, 4th Earl (1847-92), DL, who married, in 1873, the Lady Winifred Coke, daughter of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Leicester, and had issue,

CHARLES, his successor;
Francis Patrick (1885-1907);
Robert (1888-90);
Winifred Edith;
Mary Hilda, m Robert, 4th Baron Rayleigh;
Maude; Lily; Kathleen.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES, 5th Earl (1879-1952), Lord-Lieutenant of Londonderry City, 1904-21, who wedded firstly, in 1902, Violet Lina, daughter of Robert Henderson; and secondly, in 1939, Anne Mary Chaloner, daughter of the Hon William Vanneck.

5th Earl of Leitrim

The marriages were without issue.

The titles expired followed the decease of the 5th and last Earl in 1952.

Image: Alexander Hogg, ca 1919

MULROY HOUSE, near Carrigart, County Donegal, is a two-storey, Tudor-Revival, grey stone mansion, built ca 1865, possibly by William Burn, with fine views over Mulroy Bay, in good condition.

Austere externally but commodious inside and maintained as a dwelling, wings added in 1890s.

Important plant collection was begun by the 5th Earl and Countess.

Extensive and important planting, by the 5th Earl and Countess, of rhododendron, magnolia, eucryphia and other species put in from 1936, mainly along the drives and sheltered by pre-existing shelter belts from the 1860s; a great deal of the latter suffered during Hurricane Debbie in the 1960s.

Lady O'Neill (in an article pre-1985) refers to huge specimens in 'first class condition' but noted that they were very overgrown with lesser material.

Image:Alexander Hogg, ca 1919

Now even more overgrown, but the collection is supervised by Uel Henderson; said to be a site for the rare Killarney fern (Lamb & Bowe).

The village of Carrigart originally formed part of the Leitrim estates, near Mulroy House.

The Earls of Leitrim also owned Lough Rynn Castle, near Mohill, County Leitrim.

The 4th and 5th Earls, however, used Mulroy House as their main residence.

When Lady Leitrim died in 1984 the estate, comprising 325 acres, was inherited by her late husband's nephew, the Hon Hedley Strutt (1915-2012), son of the 4th Baron Rayleigh.

Hedley Strutt's nephew, the 6th and present Lord Rayleigh, inherited the estate thereafter.

*****

THE THIRD EARL was murdered in nearby Cratlagh wood, in 1878, by men from the neighbouring peninsula.

It is said that the 3rd Earl's "overbearing behaviour as a landlord brought him much hatred from his tenants, Roman Catholic and Protestant alike, whom he evicted with equal enthusiasm."

Former London residence ~ 44 Grosvenor Gardens.

First published in August, 2011.