Friday 14 April 2023

Slaghtfreedan Lodge

MRS LOUISA ELIZABETH DE BILLE (née DOMVILE) WAS A MAJOR LANDOWNER IN COUNTY TYRONE, WITH 12,680 ACRES

The pedigree of the family of DOMVILE was placed on record in Ulster King of Arms' office, during the reign of GEORGE IIIThere were two branches in Cheshire, the elder seated at Oxton from the period of the Conquest to its termination in females, who carried the estate through the families of Troutbeck and Hulse into that of the Earls of Shrewsbury.


The younger, of Lymm Hall, of which

GILBERT DOMVILE (1583-1637), second son of William Domvile, of Lymm Hall, who removed into Ireland in the beginning of the reign of JAMES I and was Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper there, and MP for County Kildare, 1613-15, having for his colleague the ancestor of the Wellesley family.

He was buried in the Choir of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.


Mr Domvile wedded Margaret, daughter of the Most Rev Thomas Jones, Lord Archbishop of Dublin, LORD CHANCELLOR OF IRELAND, and was father of 

THE RT HON SIR WILLIAM DOMVILE (1609-89), Attorney-General for Ireland, 1660-86, MP for Dublin City, 1661, Privy Counsellor, Speaker of the General Convention of Ireland at the Restoration.

Sir William espoused Bridget, daughter of Sir Thomas Lake, of Cannons, Middlesex, secretary of state to JAMES I, and had issue, William (Sir), MP for Dublin; and

THOMAS DOMVILE (c1655-1721), of Templeogue, Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper, MP for Mullingar, 1692-3, who was created a baronet in 1686, designated of Templeogue, County Dublin.

He married firstly, the daughter of his cousin, Sir Launcelot Lake, by whom he had a daughter, wedded to Barry, 3rd Lord Santry; and secondly, the Hon Miss Cole, daughter of Arthur, Lord Ranelagh, but had no issue.

Sir Thomas married thirdly, Anne, daughter of the Hon Sir Charles Compton, second son of Spencer, 2nd Earl of Northampton, and had issue,
COMPTON, his successor;
Elizabeth, mother of CHARLES POCKLINGTON.
Sir Thomas was succeeded by his son,

THE RT HON SIR COMPTON DOMVILE, 2nd Baronet (1696-1768), Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper, Privy Counsellor, MP for County Dublin, 1727-68.

At the decease of this gentleman, the baronetcy expired, and his estates devolved upon his nephew,

CHARLES POCKLINGTON (1740-1810), MP for County Dublin, 1768, who assumed, pursuant to the will of his uncle, the surname and arms of DOMVILE only.

He wedded Margaret, daughter of ____ Sheppard, and had issue,
COMPTON, created a baronet;
Henry Barry, in holy orders;
William, in holy orders;
Christopher;
Elizabeth; Margaret; Anna Maria; Caroline; Louisa; Mary; Bridget.
The eldest son,

(SIR) COMPTON DOMVILE (c1775-1857), of Templeogue and Santry House, both in County Dublin, wedded firstly, in 1811, Elizabeth Frances, daughter of the Hon and Rt Rev Charles Lindsay, Lord Bishop of Kildare, and cousin of the Earl of Balcarres, and had issue,
COMPTON CHARLES, 1812-52.
Mr Domvile was created a baronet in 1815, designated of Templeogue and Santry House, County Dublin.

He married secondly, in 1815, Helena Sarah, daughter of Michael Frederick Trench, of Heywood, Queen's County, and had further issue,
Frederick Compton Henry, 1821-28;
CHARLES COMPTON WILLIAM, 2nd Baronet;
WILLIAM COMPTON, 3rd Baronet;
Anna Helena.  
Sir Compton's second son,

SIR CHARLES COMPTON WILLIAM DOMVILE, 2nd Baronet (1822-84), wedded, in 1861, the Lady Margaret Frances, daughter of Thomas, 3rd Earl of Howth.

He died without issue, when the baronetcy devolved upon his brother,

SIR WILLIAM COMPTON DOMVILE, 3rd Baronet (1825-84), JP DL, who espoused, in 1854, Caroline, daughter of General the Hon Robert Meade, and had issue,
COMPTON MEADE DOMVILE, his heir;
Mary Adelaide; Helena Maud; Evelyn Caroline.
Sir William's only son,

SIR COMPTON MEADE DOMVILE, 4th Baronet (1857-1935), died unmarried, when the baronetcy expired. 

His eldest sister,

MARY ADELAIDE POË (1855-1929), of Heywood, Queen's County, Slaghtfreedan, County Tyrone, and Ashburton House, Roehampton, married, in 1886, COLONEL WILLIAM HUTCHESON POË CB JP DL, Royal Marines, High Sheriff, 1891, third son of William Thomas Poë, of Curraghmore, County Tipperary, and had issue, HUGO COMPTON POE, born in 1889.

It is presumed that Slaghtfreedan Lodge was sold to the Sinton family thereafter.

Sir William Hutcheson Poë, 1st Baronet, of Heywood, Ballinakill, Queen's County, and Slaghtfreedan Lodge, County Tyrone, was the last Lord-Lieutenant of Queen's County (now Laois), from 1920 until 1922.
JOHN ALEXANDER SINTON VC OBE JP DL (see below) retired from military service in 1938 with the rank of brigadier and he settled in County Tyrone, where he occupied at various times the roles of Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lieutenant of the county, High Sheriff for Tyrone, Queen's University Pro-Chancellor and president of the Cookstown branch of the Royal British Legion.
Following his death in 1956, aged 72, Brigadier Sinton was buried with full military honours at Claggan Cemetery. 

The owner in 1872 was a Mrs Louisa Elizabeth de Bille (nee Domvile), widow of Torben de Bille, Danish Minister at the Court of St James.

Slaghtfreedan

Intriguingly, there is a plaque in All Saints Church, Ballinakill, County Laois, Ireland, which reads,
The origin and history of All Saints Church is spelt out in a plaque in the Church which reads; In affectionate remembrance of Louisa Elizabeth-de-Bille, daughter of Sir Compton Domville Bart, and widow of Torben de Bille, late Danish Minister at the Court of St. James, who died March 26, 1888 aged 91 years. Erected by her niece Mary Adelaide Poe. 
More recently, Brigadier John Alexander Sinton VC OBE JP DL, died at his home, Slaghtfreedan Lodge, in 1956.


Slaghtfreedan

The entry in the London Gazette reads as follows:
War Office, 21st June, 1916.

His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to award the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned Officer and Man:-

Captain John Alexander Sinton MB, Indian Medical Service

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. Although shot through both arms and through the side, he refused to go to hospital, and remained as long as day-light lasted, attending to his duties under very heavy fire.

In three previous actions Captain Sinton displayed the utmost bravery.
(Image: © Army Medical Services Museum)

His Victoria Cross is located at the Army Medical Services Museum, Aldershot, England. 

First published in December, 2009.

6 comments :

Anonymous said...

Sinton married a Steuart-Martin, perhaps there's a connection there, or through the Pringles, his mother's family, who were from Co. Tyrone.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it seems to have been the Domville seat, Mrs. de Bille being a Domville prior to her marriage. All gone now. Perhaps Brig. JAS just bought it, his family had quite a lot of big houses around Armagh and Down.

Anonymous said...

Surely you must have enough material by now to devote an entire page to "Famous Instonians and how they built the Empire". Sinton would make a good start.

Timothy Belmont said...

Lt-Col William John English VC was an Old Campbellian, worth noting.

Anonymous said...

Worth noting a Victoria Cross has been awarded to two Old Campbellians.

Matt said...

I've been researching the townland of Dunmore, parish of Lissan, County Tyrone. The estate holder in Griffith's Valuation (1860) was Mary Elizabeth Stuart Trench; and in the next update it was Louisa Domville, and then the next update Louisa Elizabeth de Bille.

Googling those surnames brought me to your page; Dunmore is near Slaghtfreeden so I interpret this to mean that Dunmore was part of the estate of Slaghtfreeden House, and the owners were absentees who lived in Queen's County as you describe.

I also found one family who actually lived at Slaghtfreeden House as per his obituary in the Mid-Ulster Mail, see https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Black-11236 .