Tuesday 3 May 2022

1st Baron Armaghdale

JAMES LONSDALE JP DL (1826-1913), of The Pavilion, City of Armagh, son of Thomas Lonsdale, of Loughgall, County Armagh, married firstly, in 1846, Jane, daughter of William Brownlee, and had issue,
JOHN BROWNLEE, his heir;
Thomas;
James Rolston, MP; High Sheriff of Co Armagh, 1891;
Mary; Jane.
He wedded secondly, in 1856, Harriet, daughter of John Rolston, and had further issue, a daughter, Sara.
James Lonsdale was a prosperous tenant farmer at Loughgall. In the 1860s, he realised that, rather than merely producing and selling his own butter, it would be shrewder to buy other farmers’ butter for the English market.

He established butter depots in Armagh and many other parts of Ireland. About 1880, he moved the centre of his operations to Manchester and began to import food produce from the Empire. His two sons, John and Thomas, joined him in this lucrative enterprise.
Mr Lonsdale was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN BROWNLEE LONSDALE JP DL (1849-1924), of The Pavilion, a partner in J & J Lonsdale and Company, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1895, MP for Mid-Armagh, 1899-1918, and for fifteen years honorary secretary of the Irish Unionist Party.

Sir John, said to be a staunch opponent of Home Rule, led the Ulster Unionists for two years.

Photo Credit: Northern Ireland Assembly

In 1911 he was created a baronet, designated of The Pavilion, County Armagh.

Seven years later, in 1918, Sir John was elevated to the peerage, in the dignity of BARON ARMAGHDALE, of Armagh, County Armagh.

He served as HM Lord-Lieutenant of County Armagh from 1920-24.


Lord and Lady Armaghdale lived in the city of Armagh at The Pavilion, a single-storey house with exceptionally wide Georgian-glazed windows and a splendid portico of four Gothic columns supporting a Classical nomenclature.


The doorway was surmounted by a segmental, pointed fanlight with a Regency veranda on one side of the portico.

During the 19th century the grounds comprised twenty acres.


The conservatory was wooden and glass construction, with Georgian astragals obscuring the range behind it.

Turtle Bunbury has published a photograph (above) of the Lonsdales seated in their car at the Pavilion in 1904.

Lord Armaghdale didn't have long to enjoy the privileges of his noble title because he died in 1924; and, without an heir, the barony became extinct.

His estate amounted to £300,000, equivalent to £19.4 million in 2021.

First published November, 2009.

4 comments :

Anonymous said...

Once very prominent. Lived in The Pavilion, which was a big house in Armagh city, now demolished. Lord Armaghdale died in some sea-side town in England, can't remember which, he was succeeded as MP by his brother. There is a fine plaque to him in the Cathedral.

Always thought Armaghdale had a nice ring to it for a title. The number of titled ulstermen, lots extinct of course, never ceases to amaze me. We probably had more baronets-population ration than anywhere else in the UK!

Anonymous said...

My late father, George Allen, bought Castedillon estate around 1985 (?) Though the estate was established by a John Dillon, it was the Molyneaux family who made it famous. It's been mostly sold off now and is primarily farmed by the family of my late father's cousin, Kensy Muldrew. The old house was a nursing home for a time but is now a bit of a neglected wreck. Another relative, Jane Doherty has built a lovely new house , facing the old one across the lake. A google search for Castledillon should bring up some photos in a website from the architects/stonemasons(?).
There is an obelisk at Clonallen, behind the estate , erected by Sir Capel Molyneaux (?). Armagh museum has the old estate records but they are hand- written in Latin !!
John J. Allen johnjallen@shaw.ca

Anonymous said...

It's my understanding that his house, the Pavilion, stood beside the Court House in Armagh. From the photograph, the fan light looks rather fine!

W.

Unknown said...

Does anyone know who came after John B Londsdale? I have the top corner of a letter here telling someone they have been selected to take his place