Ballyhaise House

THE HUMPHRYS' OWNED 5,146 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY CAVAN

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS, of Ballyhaise, County Cavan, younger brother of Christopher Humphrys, of Dromard, married Letitia Kennedy, and had issue,

Christopher, b 1786;
WILLIAM, of whom we treat;
John, 1809-18;
Anne; Matilda; Letitia; Amelia; Caroline; Sophia.

Mr Humphrys, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1822, was succeeded by his second son,

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS JP DL (1798-1872), of Ballyhaise House, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1832, who wedded firstly, in 1826, Anna Maria, daughter of John Pratt Winter, of Agher, County Meath, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
JOHN WINTER, succeeded his brother;
Mervyn Archdall;
Anne Elizabeth.

He espoused secondly, in 1838, Maria Clarissa, daughter of Hugh Moore, of Eglantine House, County Down, and had further issue,

Hugh (Rev);
Armitage Eglantine;
Cecilia Letitia; Clara; Sylvia Priscilla.

Mr Humphrys was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS (1827-77), High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1877, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

JOHN WINTER HUMPHRYS (1829-84), of Ballyhaise House, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1879, who married, in 1854, Priscilla Cecilia, daughter of the Rev J P Garrett, of Killgaron, County Carlow, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
John Mervyn;
James Winter;
Charles Vesey;
Mervyn Archdall;
Francis Edward;
Arthur Armitage;
Llewellyn Winter;
Percy Raymond;
Caroline Elizabeth; Priscilla Cecilia; Clara Christina; Anna Maria; Emily May.

Mr Humphrys was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS JP (1855-97), of Ballyhaise House, Lieutenant RN, who wedded, in 1879, Alice, daughter of James Stannard JP, of Bricketstown House, County Wexford, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
NUGENT WINTER, succeeded his brother;
Ethel Elizabeth; Evelyn Alice.

Mr Humphrys was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS (1883-1906), of Ballyhaise House, Lieutenant, 17th Lancers, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

NUGENT WINTER HUMPHRYS (1885-1931), of Ballyhaise House, Lieutenant, Manchester Regiment, who espoused, in 1911, Blanche Ada de Vivefay, daughter of William Edward Wilson, of Daramona.

BALLYHAISE HOUSE, Ballyhaise, County Cavan, is one of the greatest mansions in County Cavan.

It was built about 1733 for Colonel Brockhill Newburgh.

The house comprises two storeys over a basement, with seven bays; with ashlar dressings, faced in brick.

The entrance front has a pedimented feature with four Ionic pilasters.

The garden front has a central carved bow with round-headed windows.

The bow contains an oval saloon, which has been considered one of the earliest of its kind in the British Isles.

Ballyhaise was sold in 1800 to William Humphrys, who enlarged the house considerably by adding two storey wings of the same height as the original block.

The estate was sold by the Humprys family in 1906 and now serves as an agricultural college.

First published in July, 2018.