Salterbridge House

THE CHEARNLEYS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WATERFORD, WITH 18,165 ACRES

SAMUEL CHEARNLEY (son of Anthony Chearnley, of Kilgrogy) married Mary, daughter of Philip Moore, and had issue,

ANTHONY, of whom presently;
Samuel.

Mr Chearnley died in 1741, and was succeeded by his elder son,

ANTHONY CHEARNLEY (c1716-55), of Spring Park, Affane, County Waterford, who wedded firstly, Anna Gervais, by whom he had a son, Thomas; and secondly, Janet, daughter and co-heir of Richard Musgrave, of Salterbridge, County Waterford, and had issue,

Samuel;
RICHARD, of whom hereafter;
ANTHONY, succeeded his brother;
Christopher;
Joseph;
John;
Christopher;
Janet; Mary; Elizabeth.

The eldest son of his second wife,

RICHARD CHEARNLEY, of Salterbridge, succeeded to his mother's property in 1760, and died childless, 1791, when he was succeeded by his brother,

ANTHONY CHEARNLEY (1761-1842), of Salterbridge, High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1809, who wedded firstly, in 1796, Julia Browne, of Gallstown, County Meath; and secondly, Isabella, daughter of the Most Rev Dr William Newcombe, Lord Archbishop of Armagh, and had issue,

Anthony, died unmarried;
RICHARD, of whom hereafter;
William;
Edward;
Philip;
Philip;
John.

The second son,

RICHARD CHEARNLEY JP DL (1807-63), of Salterbridge, High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1842, espoused Mary, daughter of the Ven Henry Cotton, Archdeacon of Cashel, and had issue,

RICHARD ANTHONY, his successor;
HENRY PHILIP, succeeded his brother;
William John;
Walter Cecil;
Isabella Mary; Frances; Mary.

Mr Chearley was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD ANTHONY CHEARNLEY JP DL (1850-79), of Salterbridge, High Sheriff of County Waterford, who died unmarried, 1879, and was succeeded by his brother,

HENRY PHILIP CHEARNLEY JP DL (1852-1916), of Salterbridge, High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1882,  Major, Waterford Artillery Militia, who espoused, in 1879, Anne Elizabeth, daughter of John Palmer, of Tralee, and had issue,

Anthony Richard;
HENRY JOHN;
Charles Leopold;
Cecil Philip;
Aileen.

Major Chearnley was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

HENRY JOHN CHEARNLEY (1882-1935), Captain, supplementary list, RFA, who wedded, in 1910, Dora, second daughter of Henry Lamont, of Gribton, Dumfriesshire.

His daughter Janet, who married Anthony Chearnley of Affane, inherited the property, and it remained in the ownership of the Chearnley famly until 1947.

SALTERBRIDGE HOUSE, near Cappoquin, County Waterford, is a two-storey house, built in 1849 on to the front of an earlier house around three sides of a courtyard.

The original house on this site was built in about 1750 by Richard Musgrave on land which had been acquired from the Lismore Castle estate.

The 1849 front comprises a three-bay projecting centre with a parapet and plain pilasters between the bays.

There are two-storey, one-bay wings with eaved roofs and single-storey three-sided bows.

The house has Wyatt windows, some with wooden mullions; a glazed classical porch; many Georgian glazed windows in the courtyard.

The drawing-room is remarkable for its ceiling decoration of scrolls and shields.

The Victorian country house’s grounds are filled with camellias, magnolias, rhododendrons and many other woodland shrubs.

Philip and Susie Wingfield have opened the house and gardens to visitors.

There are many fine trees, including most notably four splendid Irish yews, a cork oak, an Indian horse chestnut and a single leaved ash.

The garden is at its best in the spring.

First published in July, 2012.