The Bateson Baronetcy

THE BATESON  BARONETCY, OF BELVOIR PARK, WAS CREATED IN 1818 FOR ROBERT BATESON MP

This family is descended from THOMAS BATESON, who resided upon his family estates in Garstang, Lancashire. He died in 1603, leaving two sons, Robert and Gilbert, and a daughter, Margaret.

The eldest son,

ROBERT BATESON, died in 1663, and was succeeded by his only son,

ROBERT BATESON, who had two sons,

THOMAS, of whom presently;
Richard, ancestor of the BATESON-HARVEY BARONETS.

THOMAS BATESON (1705-91) succeeded his father in the Lancashire estates, but disposing soon afterwards of those, he removed to Ulster, and settled at Orangefield House, Knockbreda, County Down.

He also purchased the Salters' Estate, Magherafelt, County Londonderry, and Moira Demesne.
 

Thomas Bateson was a partner in the firm Mussenden, Bateson and Company, wine merchants, in Winecellar Court, Belfast, with trading links to the West Indies.

His firm imported wine and rum. Benn (1880) also notes that, in 1752, Bateson was one of three founding partners of Belfast’s first bank, Mussenden, Adair and Bateson. Like many successful merchants, he invested in land, acquiring property at Magherafelt and Moira.

Bateson acquired a leasehold interest in Orangefield, in the parish of Knockbreda, for the term of twenty-one years, where he lived.

Mr Bateson wedded, in 1747, Margaret, daughter and co-heiress of of Mr White, of White Hall, County Antrim, and widow of William Hartley, of Dublin, and had issue,

THOMAS, of whom we treat;
Richard, died unmarried;
William, died unmarried;
Jane, m in 1782, J Dunne, KC;
Frances, m in 1805, Hans Mark Hamill, of Co Down.

Mr Bateson was succeeded by his eldest son, 

THOMAS BATESON (1752-1811), who married Elizabeth, youngest daughter of  George Lloyd FRS, of Hulme Hall, Lancashire, by Susanna, sister of Sir William Horton Bt, of Chadderton, Lancashire, and had an only son,

ROBERT BATESON (1782-1863), of Belvoir Park and Moira Park, both in County Down, who succeeded to the family estates at the demise of his father in 1811.

Mr Bateson was created a baronet in 1818, designated of Belvoir Park, County Down.

He married, in 1811, Catherine, youngest daughter of Samuel Dickinson, of Ballynaguile, County Limerick, and had issue,

ROBERT, MP, (1816-43);
THOMAS, his successor;
Samuel;
George;
Stephen;
Richard;
John;
Maria Catherine; Elizabeth Honoria.

Sir Robert was succeeded by his second son,

SIR THOMAS BATESON, 2nd Baronet (1819-90), DL, MP for Londonderry, 1844-57, who wedded, in 1849, Caroline Elizabeth Anne, second daughter and co-heiress of George, 4th Baron Dynevor, and had issue,

Eva Frances Caroline, m to David Alfred Ker, of Montalto;
Kathleen Mary, m to W A Farquhar.

Sir Thomas was elevated to the peerage, in 1885, in the dignity of BARON DERAMORE, of Belvoir, County Down.

His lordship died without male issue, when the titles devolved upon his surviving brother,

GEORGE WILLIAM, 2nd Baron (1823-93), who married Mary Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of George John de Yarburgh, of Heslington Hall, Yorkshire, and assumed in 1876, by Royal licence, the additional surname of DE YARBURGH.

His lordship assumed, in 1892, the surname of BATESON after, instead of before, that of DE YARBURGH.

By his wife he had issue,

ROBERT WILFRED, his successor;
GEORGE NICHOLAS, succeeded his brother as 4th Baron;
Eustace;
Mary; Katherine Hylda.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT WILFRID, 3rd Baron (1865-1936), Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire, 1924-36, who espoused firstly, in 1897, Caroline Lucy, eldest daughter of Henry William Fife, of Lee Hall, Northumberland, by whom he had an only child,

Moira Faith Lilian.

He married secondly, in 1907, Blanche Violet, eldest daughter of Colonel Philip Saltmarshe, of Daresbury House, Yorkshire.

His lordship died without male issue, when the family honours devolved upon his brother,

GEORGE NICHOLAS, 4th Baron (1870-1943), who wedded, in 1900, Muriel Katherine, third daughter and co-heiress of Arthur Duncombe, MP, and had issue,

STEPHEN NICHOLAS, his successor;
Richard Arthur;
Judith Katherine.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

STEPHEN NICHOLAS (1903-64), 5th Baron, who wedded, in 1929, Nina Marion, eldest daughter of Alistair Macpherson-Grant, and by her had an only child,

Jane Faith.

His lordship died without male issue, and was succeeded by his brother,

RICHARD ARTHUR (1911-2006), 6th Baron, who espoused, in 1948, Janet Mary, daughter of Dr John Ware, and by her had an only child,

THE HON ANNE KATHERINE DE YARBURGH-BATESON, who married, in 1982, Jonathan Henry Maconchy Peel, of Buckinghamshire, and has issue.

The titles expired following the death of the 6th Baron in 2006.

I have written about Belvoir House and Moira Castle elsewhere on this blog.

Photo Credit: Royal Irish Academy © RIA.  Click to Enlarge

In 1800, the Moira Demesne was purchased by the family of Sir Robert Bateson. Bateson was MP for County Londonderry.

Since the Batsons resided at Belvoir, it is likely that Moira Castle was a ruin by this time.

The Bateson family built Moira's Market House in 1810 and their crest (top) is prominent on the building.

The Salters' Company's Irish estate, also known as the 'Manor of Sal', was originally granted in 1618.

It consisted of 23,250 acres (55 townlands) bordered in the east by Lough Neagh, in the south by County Tyrone, and in the north and west by the lands of the Vintners' and the Drapers' Companies respectively.

It was the most densely forested of all the proportions.

In 1744, the lease was bought by the Belfast merchant, Thomas Bateson, who hoped to foster the spread of the linen industry throughout the Magherafelt area. 

The tide of emigration to America coupled with the fact that he was unable to grant long leases to tenants, however, meant that these plans were never completely fulfilled. 

After 1786, Bateson held the lease in partnership with Robert Stewart (later Lord Londonderry), and together they initiated various improvements to the estate including the drainage of land and the construction of new public buildings.

Belvoir House: West Front

The Batesons' main family seat became Belvoir Park, Newtownbreda, in County Down, having moved from the neighbouring Orangefield demesne. 

Robert Bateson paid £39,000 for the property in 1811, equivalent to almost £2.4 million in today's money.

Prior to this they had resided at Orangefield House, also near Belfast. 

The Family of Thomas Bateson (1705-91).  Photo Credit: Ulster Museum

There is an oil-painting of the Bateson family posing in their drawing-room at Orangefield House in the Ulster Museum.

The family association with Belvoir remained from ca 1811 until the 1st Baron's death in 1890 by which time the de Yarburgh-Batesons had removed to Heslington Hall.

In 1876 the Belvoir Estate comprised 6,348 acres. 

First published in November, 2010.