Portaferry House

THE NUGENTS OWNED 4,638 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

The very ancient Anglo-Norman house of SAVAGE was settled at Portaferry, County Down, since the time of the first conquest of Ireland by John de Courcy, Earl of Ulster, in 1117. Under that famous warrior, the original ancestor in Ireland established himself in County Down; and by a written document, dated 1205, in the Tower of London, we find Robin, son of William Savage, named as one of de Courcy's hostages for his appearance before KING JOHN.

The present barony of Lecale was anciently termed the Territory of the Savages, wherein, at Ardglass, they and their dependents erected seven castles, the ruins of which are still extant. It appears, also, that a stately monastery of Dominicans was founded at Newtownards, in 1244, by the Savages, "gentlemen of English extraction". From the extreme scarcity of records in Ireland, it is impossible, at this remote period, to determine, without liability to error, which is the senior branch of the family, that of PORTAFERRY or ARDKEEN CASTLE. 

In 1400, HENRY IV granted to Robert FitzJordan Savage the office of sheriff of the Ards; and it appears, by an indenture dated 1538, that Raymond [Savage] should have the chieftainship and superiority of his sept in the Territory of the Savages, otherwise called Lecale. However, in 1559 the Lord Deputy, Sir William FitzWilliam, made a division between Roland and Raymond Savage of several towns and territories in the Ards.

By pedigree annexed, Roland, in 1572, was in possession of Portaferry Castle, and styled himself "Lord of the Little Ards"; and Lord Deputy Chichester, some years afterwards, addressed him as such by letter. The Ardkeen family had some territories in the barony of Lecale, and also in County Antrim, that family always being sore enemies of the O'Neills. 

ROWLAND SAVAGE, Lord of the Little Ards, County Down, representative of the family in the middle of the 16th century, died at Portaferry in 1572, leaving issue,

PATRICK, his heir;

ROWLAND;

Edmund;

Richard;

James.

The eldest son,

PATRICK SAVAGE (1535-c1604), Lord of the Little Ards, wedded Anne Plunket, and left two sons, of whom the elder,

ROWLAND SAVAGE, Lord of the Little Ards, succeeded his father, and married Rose, daughter of Russel of Rathmullan, County Down.

Mr Savage was, however, succeeded by his brother, 

PATRICK SAVAGE, of Portaferry, who wedded, in 1623, Jean, only daughter of Hugh, 1st Viscount Montgomery, and had issue, 

HUGH, his heir;

ELIZABETH, co-heir to her brother;

SARAH, co-heir to her brother.

Patrick Savage died in 1644, and was succeeded by his son, 

HUGH SAVAGE, of Portaferry, who died unmarried in 1683, and was succeeded in the representation of the family by his cousin, 

PATRICK SAVAGE, of Derry, County Down, and afterwards of Portaferry, who, by his wife Anne Hall, of Narrow Water, left issue,

EDWARD SAVAGE, of Portaferry, who died unmarried in 1725, and was buried at Portaferry.

His uncle and successor, 

JAMES SAVAGE, of Portaferry, wedded Mabel, daughter of Edmund Magee, of Lisburn, and had issue, 

JOHN, his heir;

ANDREW, of whom hereafter;

James;

Margaret; Elizabeth.

The eldest son,

JOHN SAVAGE, wedded Catherine, daughter of ___ Savage, and had issue a son, James, who died young.

At his decease he was succeeded by his brother,

ANDREW SAVAGE, of Portaferry, who espoused Margaret, sister and co-heir of Governor Nugent (of Tortola), and daughter of Andrew Nugent, of Dysart, County Westmeath, by his wife, the Lady Catherine Nugent, daughter and co-heir of Thomas, Earl of Westmeath, and had a son and heir,

PATRICK SAVAGE, of Portaferry, who married, in 1765, Anne, daughter of Roger Hall, of Narrow Water, and by her had, with daughters who died unmarried,

ANDREW, his heir;

Patrick Nugent, m Hariett, daughter of Rev Henry Sandford;

Roger Hall, Captain RN, died unmarried;

John Levallin, died unmarried;

William, in holy orders;

Barbara; Dorcas Sophia.

Mr Savage died in 1797, and was succeeded by his eldest son (who assumed the surname of NUGENT and became co-heir of the barony of Delvin),

ANDREW NUGENT JP DL (1770-1846), of Portaferry House, Lieutenant-Colonel, North Down Militia, High Sheriff of County Down, 1808, who wedded, in 1800, the Hon Selina Vesey, youngest daughter of Thomas, 1st Viscount de Vesci, and had issue, 

PATRICK JOHN, his heir;

Thomas Vesey, m Frances, eldest daughter of Sir James Stronge Bt;

Andrew Savage, m Harriet, Viscountess Bangor;

Arthur, m Charlotte, only daughter of Major Brooke, of Colebrooke;

Charles Lavallin, major-general in the army;

Selina, m James, eldest son of Sir James Stronge Bt;

Anne.

Colonel Nugent succeeded his father in 1797, and assumed his present surname, on succeeding to a portion of the estate of his maternal great-uncle, Governor Nugent, in 1812.

His eldest son,

PATRICK JOHN NUGENT (1804-57), of Portaferry House, Lieutenant-Colonel, North Down Militia, High Sheriff of County Down, 1843, married, in 1833, his cousin Catherine, daughter of John 2nd Viscount de Vesci, and had issue,

ANDREW;

JOHN VESEY, lieutenant-colonel in the army;

Arthur Vesey;

Frances Isabella.

His eldest son,

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL ANDREW NUGENT JP DL (1834-1905), of Portaferry House, High Sheriff of County Down, 1882, Colonel, Royal Scots Greys, died unmarried and was succeeded by his brother,

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN VESEY NUGENT JP DL (1837-1914), of Portaferry House, who married, in 1886, Emily Georgiana, daughter of Herbert Langham.

Colonel Nugent died without issue, and was succeeded by his cousin, 

EDMOND HENRY STUART NUGENT, whose son,

ROLAND THOMAS NUGENT (1886-1962), was a Northern Ireland politician. 

He entered the diplomatic service in 1910 and served with the Grenadier Guards in 1918; and again in 1940-43; was a Director of the Federation of British Industries, 1916-17 and 1919-32; and was knighted in 1929.

In 1944, Sir Roland Thomas Nugent entered Northern Ireland politics, serving as Leader of the Senate, 1944-50; Minister without Portfolio in the Northern Ireland Government, 1944-45; Minister of Commerce, 1945-49; Minister in the Senate, 1949; and Speaker of the Senate, 1950-61. 

On his retirement from that post, Sir Roland was created a baronet, though he died in the following year, when the baronetcy became extinct.

Sir Roland, 1st and last Baronet, married, in 1917, Cynthia Maud Ramsden, daughter of Captain Frederick William Ramsden and the Lady Elizabeth Maud Conyngham (daughter of 3rd Marquess Conyngham).

The couple had three children, of whom their two sons were both tragically killed in action during the 2nd World War. 

I have written about the Nugent Baronets here.

PORTAFERRY HOUSE, Portaferry, County Down, is a dignified mansion of ca 1750, designed by William Farrell for Andrew Savage.

It was extended ca 1790, and assumed its present form in 1818-20.

The central entrance front comprises five bays, with a Wyatt window in each of the two upper storeys.

The porch has paired Ionic columns and end piers.

On either side of the centre there are broad, three-sided bows of two storeys, though the same height as the main block.

The hall had Ionic columns and good plasterwork. 

Kennels were built to the north side of the demesne.

A threshing mill/horse walk was built to the north east of the farmyard.

The work to the house was completed in 1820 at a total cost of £7,140.

Portaferry House remained in the Nugent family until the 1980s, by which time sections of it had fallen into disrepair.

The present owner has done much to restore the building.

*****

THE DEMESNE is laid out as a fine landscape park for the 1760 house, enlarged in the early 1820s after additions and alterations were made to the house by Andrew Nugent.

It is placed in a splendid position overlooking lawns, pleasure grounds, a series of small lakes and parkland to Strangford Lough.

The original 1760 house stands on a site chosen because it was near ‘a beautiful well-spring up to which from the old castle’. 

The present building owes it appearance to Patrick Savage, who engaged Charles Lilley, a Dublin timber merchant in 1789-90, to start work on an enlarged house.

Later, in 1814, William Farrell was engaged to complete the building, and following Lilley’s designs, this work being completed in 1820.

The parkland incorporates extensive woodland blocks, screens and isolated park trees.

Nugent’s Wood, alongside the shore, belongs to the National Trust. 

A folly tower, which resembles a windmill stump, has far reaching views from the top.

The walled garden, near the town, which belongs to the council, has an interesting ziggurat wall to allow maximum heat to wall fruit.

It is open to the public, as it is adjacent to the 16th century tower house, Portaferry Castle.

There are listed farm buildings and three gate lodges built in 1830. 

First published in November, 2014.