Monday 16 October 2023

Macartney of Lissanoure

THE MACARTNEYS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ANTRIM, WITH 12,532 ACRES

Of the Auchinleck branch of the ancient Scottish family of Macartney, MacCartney, or MacCarthy, was

GEORGE MacCARTNEY, who wedded, in 1522, Margaret, daughter of Godfrey MacCullogh, of Bank of Fleet, Kirkcudbright, Ayrshire.

His son,

PATRICK MacCARTNEY, married the daughter of John McLellan, and had an eldest son,

BARTHOLOMEW MacCARTNEY, of Auchinleck, Kircudbright, in 1597; who espoused, 1587, Mary, only daughter of John Stewart, of Auchinleck, and was father of

BARTHOLOMEW MacCARTNEY, who wedded Catherine, daughter of George Maxwell, and dvp leaving a son,

GEORGE MACARTNEY (1626-91), a Captain of Horse, born at Auchinleck, who removed to Ulster, 1649, and settled in County Antrim, where he acquired a large estate, and represented Belfast in parliament.

In 1671 he served as High Sheriff of County Antrim, and in 1688 proclaimed WILLIAM & MARY at Belfast, for which he was soon after obliged to flee to England, and was attainted at JAMES II's parliament held at Dublin, 1689.

Captain Macartney was restored on the settlement of the Kingdom.

He married firstly, Janet, daughter of Quentin Calderwood, and had issue (with three daughters),
James, MP for Bridport 1692-5;
Arthur, father of George, MP for Belfast 1721;
John, died young;
Bartholomew, died young;
George, died young;
Quentin, died young.
Captain Macartney wedded secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Stephen Butler, and had further issue (with a son, Chichester, dsp),

GEORGE MACARTNEY (1671-1757), MP for Belfast, 1692-1757, Limavady, 1703-13, Donegal Borough, 1713-14, called to the Bar, 1700, High Sheriff of County Antrim, Deputy Governor and Colonel of a Regiment of Militia Dragoons.

He married firstly, in 1700, Letitia, daughter and co-heir of Sir Charles Porter, LORD CHANCELLOR OF IRELAND; and secondly, Elizabeth Dobbin.

Colonel Macartney left issue by his first wife (with two other sons),

GEORGE MACARTNEY, who wedded, in 1732, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev George Winder, and had issue,
GEORGE, 1ST EARL MACARTNEY, dsp 1806;
Letitia, m Godfrey Echlin, and dsp;
Elizabeth, m Major John Blaquiere; mother of ELIZABETH.
His granddaughter,

ELIZABETH BLAQUIERE (niece of Lord Macartney), married, in 1785, THE REV TRAVERS HUME (son of Gustavus Hume, of Dublin, State Surgeon, and had issue,
GEORGE, who assumed the name and arms of MACARTNEY;
Gustavus Thomas;
John;
Robert (Rev);
Elizabeth; Georgiana; Alicia; Anna.
The eldest son,

GEORGE HUME MACARTNEY JP DL (1793-1869), of LISSANOURE, MP for County Antrim, 1852-8, espoused, in 1828, Ellen, only surviving child and heir of Townley Patten Filgate, of Lowtherstone, County Dublin, and Drumgoolstown, County Louth, and had issue,
GEORGE TRAVERS, his heir;
Townley Patten Hume Macartney Filgate, of Lowther Lodge;
Martha Ellen; Elizabeth Jane; Anne Sophia.
This gentleman, whose patronymic was HUME, assumed, by Royal Licence, 1814, the surname and arms of MACARTNEY under the will of his grand-uncle George, 1st Earl Macartney.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

GEORGE TRAVERS MACARTNEY JP DL (1830-74), of Lissanoure, Captain, 15th King's Hussars, who married, in 1865, Henrietta Frances, third daughter of Robert Smyth, of Gaybrook, County Westmeath, and had issue,
CARTHANACH GEORGE, his heir;
Helen Henrietta; Mabel Constance; Frances Rose.
Mr Macartney was succeeded by his son,

CARTHANACH GEORGE MACARTNEY JP (1869-1936), of Lissanoure, who wedded, in 1890, his cousin Margaret Tryphena Mabel, eldest daughter of Townley Patten Hume Macartney Filgate, of Lowtherstone, County Dublin, and had issue,
Dervock George Auchinleck (1891-1900);
GEORGE TRAVERS LUCY (1896-1943), of Lissanoure.
George Travers Lucy Macartney was the last member of the Macartneys to live at LISSANOURE CASTLE.

He was said to be eccentric and a spendthrift.

Mr Macartney purchased the Torr Head fishery and initiated several fruitless projects.

He died on holiday in County Cork on the 11th July, 1943.

Lissanoure estate was subsequently sold to the Mackie family, of Belfast, industrialists, but had already been requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence as a training base for British and American troops during the 2nd World War.

There was also a German prisoner-of-war camp at Lissanoure, and the Mackies did not get full possession until the end of the war in 1945.

First published in September, 2017.

1 comment :

Handelian said...

There are some fine memorials to the Macartneys in the early nineteenth All Saints Church adjoining the Lissanoure estate and a wonderful, large triple light window by Meyer of Munich in the otherwise plain but spacious and appropriately low church building. Along with the former rectory, ruined castle, the (again, early nineteenth century) cottage ornĂ© which replaced the castle, the lakes, wooded estate and ruined St Mary’s Church, Lissanoure is one of the finest largely unspoiled ensembles remaining in Ulster. And all nestled in the shelter of the Antrim hills, though with the now ubiquitous wind farm eyesore. The estate is occasionally open for antiques fairs and well worth a visit on these occasions.