Tuesday 29 December 2020

Courtown House

THE EARLS OF COURTOWN WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WEXFORD, WITH 14,426 ACRES 

This family is said to derive its descent from Nicholas de Stockport, Baron of Stockport, one of the eight barons of the county palatine of Chester, created by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, in the reign of WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.

It is probable the family had been settled in that county before the Conquest, and certainly the estate of Salterstown, near Macclesfield, in Cheshire, belonged to the Stopfords from time immemorial.

The first of the family who settled in Ireland,

JAMES STOPFORD (1620-85), of Saltersford, Cheshire, a captain in Cromwell's army in Ireland, married firstly, Ellinor, daughter of John Morewood, of The Oaks, Yorkshire, and had issue (with a daughter),
WILLIAM, his heir, father of JAMES;
James;
Joseph, father of the Rt Rev James Stopford.
He wedded secondly, Mary, daughter of Sir Robert Forth, and had further issue, two daughters.

Upon the restoration of the royal family, acquiring considerable estates in that kingdom, partly by purchase, and partly by grants, he took up his abode at Tara Hill, County Meath.

Captain Stopford was succeeded by his grandson, 

JAMES STOPFORD (1668-1721), MP for Wexford Borough, 1703-13, County Wexford, 1713-21, who wedded Frances, daughter and heir of Roger Jones, of Dublin, by whom he had five sons and four daughters.

He was succeeded at his decease by his eldest surviving son,

JAMES STOPFORD (1700-70), MP for County Wexford, 1721-7, Fethard, 1727-58, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1756, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1758, in the dignity of Baron Courtown, of Wexford; and, in 1762, advanced to the dignities of Viscount Stopford and EARL OF COURTOWN.

His lordship married Elizabeth, only daughter of the Rt Rev Edward Smyth, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor, and had issue,
JAMES, his successor;
Edward, lieutenant-general in the army;
Thomas (Rt Rev), Lord Bishop of Cork and Ross;
Joseph;
Philip;
Frances; Mary; Anne; Catherine; Charlotte.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES, 2nd Earl (1731-1810), KP, PC, who was created a peer of Great Britain, in 1794, as Baron Saltersford.

His lordship espoused, in 1762, Mary, daughter and co-heir of Richard Powys, of Hintlesham Hall, Suffolk, by whom he had issue,
JAMES GEORGE, his successor;
Edward (Sir), GCB;
Robert (Sir), GCB, GCMG;
Richard Bruce (Rev).
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES GEORGE, 3rd Earl (1765-1835), KP, who married, in 1791, Mary, eldest daughter of Henry, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch, by whom he had issue,
JAMES THOMAS, his successor;
Edward;
Henry Scott;
Montagu (Sir), KCB;
Robert;
Mary Frances; Jane; Charlotte; Caroline.
The heir apparent is the present holder's son James Richard Ian Montagu Stopford, styled Viscount Stopford (b 1988).
*****
THE COURTOWNS were a "Patrick Family", the 2nd and 3rd Earls having been installed as Knights of St Patrick.

The 6th Earl was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Wexford, from 1901 until 1922.

James Patrick Montagu Burgoyne Winthrop, 9th and present Earl, was a Lord in Waiting (Government Whip), 1995-97; representative peer to the House of Lords, 1999-.
 

COURTOWN HOUSE, near Gorey, County Wexford, was the 18th century seat of the Earls of Courtown, overlooking the sea at Courtown Harbour.

It was significantly altered and enlarged during the 19th century, following the 1798 rebellion. 

The front consisted of a U-shaped block of two storeys and a dormer attic within the high-pitched, château-style roof.



The five-bay centre had a large open porch, with a porte-cochère carried on four piers.


Courtown House was demolished in 1962, having been sold to the Irish Tourist Board in 1948.

After the 2nd World War, the income from the amount of land left in the estate was not enough to keep Courtown House going and it had to be sold.

Marlfield House, once a Dower House on the Courtown estate, dates back to the 1840s.

The Courtown family also had a seat in Cheshire, Beale Hall.

Courtown Woodland was planted with oak and ash back in 1870.


At this time it was part of a typical Victorian estate woodland where exotic conifers and redwoods from California were planted within viewing distance of Courtown House.

Oak plantations were established at some distance.


They were under-planted with shrubs to provide food for pheasants for shooting parties.

The woodland was regularly cleared and used as firewood by local tenants.

During the 1860s and 1870s the 5th Earl established a pinetum, or conifer collection, in the grounds around Courtown House.


A small number of these trees remain today in the Woodland and in property across the river. 

Courtown arms courtesy of European Heraldry.  First published in January, 2012.

Tuesday 22 December 2020

Ballinlough Castle

THE NUGENT BARONETS, OF BALLINLOUGH, OWNED 4,692 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY WESTMEATH

This family paternally derives from the Milesian sept of O'Reilly, Princes of Lower Breffny.

Of the O'Reillys, Richard Gough, in his additions to William Camden's Britannia, makes the following observations:-
WHENCE Mr Camden received his information that the O'Reillys derive from the Ridleys does not concern us to inquire. 
Spencer falls into a similar error; he derives the MacMahons from the Veres of England, because the one in Latin, and the other in Irish, have some affinity in sound to the name of bour pig [sic] in those languages; but both are equally the impositions of etymology. 
Before the English got footing in Ireland, the O'Reillys of Cavan, the MacMahons of Monaghan, the Maguires of Fermanagh, the O'Donnells of Donegal, with other chieftains in their own septs, were tributaries to O'Neill of Tyrone. 
Such of the descendants of those chieftains as I have conversed with seem rather to glory in their Milesian extraction. 
When Hugh O'Neill threw off his allegiance to ELIZABETH I, he also threw off the title of Earl of Tyrone, saying that he would "rather be O'Neill of Ulster than King of Spain."
JAMES O'REILLY, of Ballinlough Castle, County Westmeath, married Barbara, daughter of Andrew Nugent, of Tullaghan, in the same county, and granddaughter, maternally, of Thomas, Earl of Westmeath, and had issue,
HUGH, his heir;
Andrew;
James;
Margaret, created BARONESS TALBOT OF MALAHIDE;
Barbara.
Mr O'Reilly was succeeded by his eldest son,

HUGH O'REILLY (1741-1821), Lieutenant-Colonel, Westmeath Militia, who wedded, in 1781, Catherine Mary Anne, only daughter and heir of Charles Mathew, of Thurles, County Tipperary, cousin of the Earl Landaff, and had issue,
JAMES, his successor;
JOHN, 3rd Baronet;
Lavelin;
Eliza; Barbara; Isabella.
Mr O'Reilly was created a baronet in 1795, designated of Ballinlough, County Westmeath.

On the death of his uncle, John Nugent, of Tullaghan, he assumed his maternal surname of NUGENT solely, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JAMES NUGENT, 2nd Baronet, who espoused, in 1811, Susan Victoria Regina Mary, only daughter of Baron D'Arabet, of the Holy Roman Empire, and dying sp, 1843, was succeeded by his next brother,

SIR JOHN NUGENT, 3rd Baronet (1800-59), 1st Count of the Austrian Empire, and an officer of rank in the Austrian Service, who married, in 1842, Letitia Maria, daughter of Charles Whyte Roche, of County Limerick, and had issue,
HUGH JOSEPH, his successor;
CHARLES, 5th Baronet;
John Nicholas;
James O'Reilly;
Andrew Greville;
Letitia Mary; Kathleen Mary Georgina; Helena Mary.
Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR HIGH JOSEPH NUGENT, 4th Baronet (1845-63), who was accidentally killed while shooting, and was succeeded by his next brother,

SIR CHARLES NUGENT, 5th Baronet (1847-1927), 2nd Count, Lieutenant, 17th Lancers, who wedded, in 1871, Emily Ruth Eades, daughter of Thomas Walker, and had issue, an only child,

SIR HUGH CHARLES NUGENT, 6th Baronet (1904-83), 3rd Count, who espoused, in 1931, Margaret Mary Lavallin, daughter of the Rev Herbert Lavallin Puxley, and had issue,
JOHN EDWIN LAVALLIN, his successor;
David Hugh Lavallin.
Sir Hugh was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR JOHN EDWIN LAVALLIN NUGENT, 7th Baronet (1933-2009), JP, 4th Count, High Sheriff of Berkshire, 1981, Lieutenant, Irish Guards, who married, in 1959, Penelope Anne, daughter of Brigadier Richard Nigel Hanbury. and had issue,
NICHOLAS MYLES JOHN, his successor;
Grania Clare.
Sir John was succeeded by his son,

SIR NICHOLAS MYLES JOHN NUGENT, 8th and present Baronet (1967-), 5th Count of the Austrian Empire, of Ballinlough Castle, Director, Goffs Bloodstock Sales, who married, in 1999, Alice Mary, daughter of Captain Peter Dane Player, of Whatton Manor, Nottinghamshire, and has issue,
Lucy Rose, b 2001;
Katie Violet (2003-10).
BALLINLOUGH CASTLE, Clonmellon, County Westmeath, was reconstructed in the 1730s.

The main part of the castle, however, was built in the early 17th century: "1614" is the date on the O' Reilly coat-of-arms above the front door, although this may be inaccurate by several decades.

The newer wing at Ballinlough was added by Sir Hugh O'Reilly, 1st Baronet, ca 1790, and is probably attributable to the amateur architect Thomas Wogan Browne, also responsible for Malahide Castle, County Dublin, the home of Sir Hugh O'Reilly's sister Margaret, Baroness Talbot of Malahide.

The ground floor contains a large drawing-room and dining-room, with four first-floor bedrooms approached by a vaulted corridor above.

The spacious interiors have what may be the tallest windows in a private house of this period, overlooking the woods and lake.


The chimneypiece in the drawing-room is identical to a Wyatt chimneypiece at Curraghmore, County Waterford.

The Nugents of Ballinlough are almost unique in being a Catholic Celtic-Irish family who still live in their family castle.

First published in September, 2018

Friday 11 December 2020

Kilboy House

THE BARONS DUNALLEY WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TIPPERARY, WITH 21,081 ACRES

The founder of this noble family in Ireland was

COLONEL HENRY PRITTIE who, for his loyalty and eminent services to the crown during the civil wars, had a grant or confirmation, from CHARLES II, of Dunalley Castle and other estates in County Tipperary, by patent, in 1678.

Henry Prittie, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1650, Tipperary, 1659, was a captain in the Kentish Regiment of Horse, New Model Army; major, Cromwell's new Regiment of Horse.

He wedded Honor, daughter of Richard Foley, and had issue,
HENRY;
Honor; Abigail; Elizabeth.
The only son,

HENRY PRITTIE (1683-1738), High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1706,  sustained a siege of twenty-one days, in his castle of Dunalley, against the disbanded soldiers of of the royal army of JAMES II after the battle of the Boyne.

The besiegers, however, at length entering, Mr Prittie was flung headlong from the top of the castle, though miraculously escaped unhurt.

He married Elizabeth, sister of Charles Alcock, and had issue,
HENRY, his successor;
Richard;
Priscilla; Elizabeth; Honora; Catherine; Judith.
The elder son,

HENRY PRITTIE (1708-68), of Dunalley Castle, MP for County Tipperary, 1761-8, wedded, in 1736, Deborah, daughter of the Ven Benjamin O'Neale, Archdeacon of Leighlin, and had issue,
HENRY, his successor;
Deborah; Elizabeth; Catherine; Martha; Margaret; Hannah.
Mr Prittie was succeeded by his son,

HENRY PRITTIE (1743-1801), of Dunalley, who espoused, in 1766, Catherine, second daughter and co-heir of Francis Sadlier, of Sopwell Hall, County Tipperary, widow of John Bury, and mother, by him, of Charles William, Earl of Charleville, and had issue,
HENRY, his successor;
Francis Aldborough, MP;
Catherine; Deborah; Mary; Martha; Elizabeth.
Mr Prittie, MP for Banagher, 1767-8, Gowran, 1769-76, County Tipperary, 1776-90, was elevated to the peerage, in 1800, in the dignity of BARON DUNALLEY, of Kilboy, County Tipperary.
The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon Joel Henry Prittie.
The 4th Baron was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Tipperary, from 1905 until 1922.

Henry Francis Cornelius Prittie, 7th and present Lord Dunalley, lives in Oxfordshire.

A note in the Dunalley Papers records the sale of the Kerry estate of this family to the Crosbies in 1742 for £1,500.


KILBOY HOUSE, near Nenagh, County Tipperary, was a middle to late 18th century house built for Henry Prittie MP, afterwards 1st Lord Dunalley, to the design of William Leeson.

It had three storeys over a basement; a five-bay entrance front with a central pediment; and four large, engaged Doric columns.

The top storey was treated as an attic above the cornice.

There was a five-bay side elevation.

Lord Dunalley & Party standing on steps

The mansion was burnt in 1922 and afterwards rebuilt minus the top storey.

About 1955, the house was demolished and a single-storey house in the Georgian style was built over the original basement.

More recently permission was granted for the reconstruction of a new Kilboy House, by the prominent businessman and philanthropist, Tony Ryan.


The project followed a fire that destroyed a large part of the property in 2005.

The local council granted planning permission for the partial demolition of the existing fire-damaged, listed, single-storey dwelling.

The former three-storey period residence over basement, based on the Georgian mansion house, has been built.


The application, in the name of Tony Ryan's son, Shane, and his wife, stated that the aim was to rebuild the house as it was originally constructed in 1780.

Before reconstruction began, the Ryans paid €60,964 to the council as a contribution to providing public infrastructure such as roads and water.

Dunalley arms courtesy of European Heraldry.  First published in January, 2012.

Monday 30 November 2020

Vice Lord-Lieutenant

APPOINTMENT OF VICE LORD-LIEUTENANT


Mr Robert Scott OBE, Lord-Lieutenant of County Tyrone, with the approval of Her Majesty The Queen, has been pleased to appoint
Mrs Frances Beatrice Nolan MBE DL
Dungannon
County Tyrone
Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the said County, her Commission bearing date the 26th day of November 2020

Lord-Lieutenant of the County

Saturday 28 November 2020

NI Peers Index

AN INDEX OF NORTHERN IRELAND PEERS, EXTANT AND EXTINCT: SELECTIVE AND PERTAINING TO NORTHERN IRELAND

ABERCORN, DUKE OF






Belfast, Earl of; courtesy lord; see Donegall






Castlereagh, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Londonderry




Cole, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Enniskillen

Corry, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Belmore

CRAIGAVON, VISCOUNT

















Hillsborough, Earl of; courtesy lord; see Downshire






MOIRA, EARL OF; see Hastings

MOUNT ALEXANDER, EARL OF

Newry and Mourne, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Kilmorey





ROKEBY, BARON (89th Lord Archbishop of Armagh)

Stuart, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Castle Stewart




WESTMINSTER, 6TH DUKE OF (b 1951 at Omagh, Co Tyrone)

First published in February, 2013.

Friday 27 November 2020

Tubberdaly House

THE BEAUMONT-NESBITTS OWNED 4,063 ACRES OF LAND IN THE KING'S COUNTY

JOHN DOWNING, of Bellaghy and Rowesgift, County Londonderry, born in 1700, married Anne, daughter of the Rev Dr J Rowe, and had issue,
ALEXANDER CLOTWORTHY, his heir;
Dawson, ancestor of
FULLERTON OF BALLINTOY;
Sarah, m to Charles Dawson.
The eldest son,

THE REV ALEXANDER CLOTWORTHY DOWNING, of Bellaghy and Rowesgift, Rector of Leckpatrick, County Londonderry, wedded Tamison, daughter of James Nesbitt, of Tubberdaly, King's County, and had, with other issue, a daughter, Medicis, who married her first cousin, ancestress of EDWARD BEAUMONT-NESBITT, of Tubberdaly, and a son,

JOHN DOWNING-NESBITT, of Tubberdaly, who assumed the additional surname of NESBITT on inheriting the Nesbitt estates in the King's County, and counties Roscommon and Galway.

He married, in 1800, Jane, daughter of General Brady, of Leixlip House, County Kildare, and had, with other issue,
Alexander, died unmarried;
WILLIAM GEORGE, his heir;
CATHERINE TAMISON, succeeded her brother;
Jane, m to Francis, Count de Lusi;
Mary Anne, died unmarried, 1873.
Mr Downing-Nesbitt died in 1847, and was succeeded by his son,

WILLIAM GEORGE DOWNING-NESBITT, of Tubberdaly, who died a bachelor in 1857, and was succeeded by his sister,

CATHERINE TAMISON DOWNING-NESBITT, who died unmarried in 1886, and was succeeded by her cousin,

EDWARD BEAUMONT, who adopted the additional surnames of DOWNING and NESBITT.


FAMILY OF BEAUMONT

GEORGE BEAUMONT wedded, in 1815, Alice, daughter of James Akroyd, of Brook House, near Halifax, and died in 1858, leaving a son,

THE REV THOMAS GEORGE BEAUMONT JP, Rector of Chelmondiston, Suffolk, who espoused Tamazine, daughter of the Rev John Bradshaw, Incumbent of Lambeg, County Antrim.

He died in 1908, having had issue,
EDWARD JOHN, of Tubberdaly;
George;
Henry;
Alice Mary; Mabel.
The Rev T G Beaumont was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDWARD JOHN DOWNING BEAUMONT-NESBITT OBE JP (1860-), of Tubberdaly, High Sheriff of King's County, 1892, who wedded, in 1890, Helen, daughter of Frederick Freeman Thomas, of Ratton, Sussex, by his wife, Mabel, third daughter of Viscount Hampden, and had issue,
FREDERICK GEORGE, major-general;
Wilfred Henry, b 1894;
Violet Catherine, b 1891;
Eileen Mabel, b 1898.
Edward John Downing Beaumont-Nesbitt was the last Lord-Lieutenant of King's County (Offaly), from 1918 until 1922.

*****


TUBBERDALY HOUSE, near Edenderry, County Offaly, was a Georgian mansion built near the site of the ruinous Tubberdaly Castle.

It was one of the last big houses to be burnt by the IRA, on the night of the 15th April, 1923.

First published in March, 2018.

Brackenber Day

THE HEADMASTER'S VALEDICTORY LETTER

Here is the final correspondence I received from Brackenber's last headmaster, Mr John Craig, following his retirement.

It is clearly valedictory in nature.

Click on the image to read it.

It reflects Mr Craig's feelings about Brackenber; his profound devotion and deep affection for what became his home and his life; his dedication, care and passion for our school:-

click to enlarge
First published in February, 2011.

Wednesday 25 November 2020

Hilton Park

THE MADDENS OWNED 4,644 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY MONAGHAN

The name MADDEN or O'MADDEN is among those which claim descent from the Milesian colonizers of Ireland.

THOMAS MADDEN, of Bagottsrath, near Dublin, comptroller to Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, Lord Deputy of Ireland, was eldest son of John Madden, of Bloxham Beauchamp, Oxfordshire, and brother of Robert Madden, of Donore, County Dublin, ancestor of the Maddens of Meadesbrook, and, in the female line, of Oliver Goldsmith, the poet.

He married Elizabeth, heiress of William Pettiver, of Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire.

This gentleman died in 1640, leaving his eldest son,

JOHN MADDEN (1598-1661), of Maddenton, County Kildare, and Enfield, Middlesex, one of the attorneys of His Majesty's Court of Castle Chamber, and general solicitor for parliamentary sequestrations, 1644-49.

He espoused, in 1635, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Charles Waterhouse, of Manor Waterhouse, County Fermanagh.

This gentleman was succeeded by his second son,

DR JOHN MADDEN (1648-1703), of Manor Waterhouse, County Fermanagh,  who wedded firstly, in 1680, Mary, daughter of Samuel Molyneux, of Castle Dillon, County Armagh; and secondly, Frances, daughter of Nicholas Bolton, of Brazeel, County Dublin.

Dr Madden was succeeded by his son (by his first wife),

THE REV DR SAMUEL MADDEN (1686-1765), of Manor Waterhouse, Rector of Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, who was one of the founders of the Dublin Society, and a great benefactor to his country, known in the family as "Premium" Madden.

Dr Madden, who married Jane Magill, of Kirkstown, County Armagh, was succeeded by his third son,

JOHN MADDEN, of Maddenton, County Monaghan, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1750, who wedded, in 1752, Anne, daughter of Robert Cope MP, of Loughgall, County Armagh.

He died in 1791, having had, with four daughters, a son,

SAMUEL MADDEN (1756-1814), of Maddenton, now Hilton, County Monaghan, Lieutenant-Colonel, Monaghan Militia, who married Katherine, daughter and heiress of the Rev Charles Dudley Ryder, and granddaughter of the Most Rev John Ryder, Lord Archbishop of Tuam, and had issue,
JOHN, his heir;
CHARLES DUDLEY, of ROSSLEA MANOR;
Catherine; Anne; Charlotte; Maria Alicia.
Colonel Madden was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN MADDEN JP DL (1782-1844), of Hilton Park, and Manor Waterhouse, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1811, Fermanagh, 1808, Colonel, Monaghan Militia, who married, in 1835, Sydney Anne, daughter of Admiral William Wolseley, of Rostrevor, and had issue,
JOHN, his heir;
Charles Dudley Ryder;
William Wolseley;
Sydney Jane.
Colonel Madden was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN MADDEN JP DL (1837-1902), of Hilton Park, and of Manor Waterhouse, who married, in 1864, Caroline, daughter of the Rev and Hon Nathaniel Clements.

Mr Madden, High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1859, County Monaghan, 1863, was succeeded by his son,

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN CLEMENTS WATERHOUSE MADDEN JP DL (1870-1935), High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1906, County Fermanagh, 1909, who wedded, in 1908, Agnes Mary, third daughter of Sir William Henry Tate Bt, of Highfield, Woolton, Lancashire.

He was succeeded by his son,

JOHN WILLIAM RYDER MADDEN (1913-1996), of Hilton Park, Major, Irish Guards, who married, in 1937, Nita, daughter of Brigadier J Seymour Mellor CBE DSO MC.

Major Madden's son and daughter-in-law, Mr and Mrs J S D Madden (who made significant additions to the deposits in PRONI), opened Hilton as a 'Hidden Ireland' country house establishment.

Hilton Park is today run by the seventh generation of the Madden family, Fred and Joanna Madden, and Fred's sister, Laura, with her family.

The estate still extends to over 600 acres, much of it woodland, and provides a remarkable natural habitat for flora and fauna.


HILTON PARK (formerly Maddenton), near Clones, County Monaghan, is a noble house, built in 1734, comprising two storeys over a basement.

It has an eleven-bay entrance front, the five central bays of which break forward.

Hilton Park House was rebuilt, having suffered a fire in 1804.

In 1872, the basement was excavated to become the ground floor and the house was re-faced in Dungannon stone.

A fine Ionic porte-cochère was added, with coupled central columns.


Hilton Park, as we see it today, is the work of noted church architect William Hague, for Colonel John Madden.

Classical influences are evident in the elaborate portico and symmetry of the façade, which was developed from a simple two-storey Georgian house when the ground around the basement was excavated, and the evolution of the house is testament to the power and stature of the Madden family.

A variety of timber sliding sash windows is retained throughout, articulated by dressed sandstone detailing.


The large porte-cochère is the dominant feature of the building and amply articulates the entrance.

The various additions to the rear enhance the building and reflect the changes over the building's history.

Prominently set within extensive parkland among related demesne structures, Hilton Park is a relatively complete demesne landscape.

First published in January, 2014.

Monday 23 November 2020

Hamwood House

THE HAMILTONS OF HAMWOOD OWNED 352 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY MEATH

HUGH HAMILTON (1572-1655) settled in Lisbane, County Down, during the reign of JAMES I, and was made a denizen of Ireland, 1616.

This Hugh Hamilton married, and had issue,
John, of Ballymenoch;
ALEXANDER, of whom presently;
Robert.
The second son,

ALEXANDER HAMILTON, of Killyleagh, County Down, wedded Jean, daughter of John Hamilton, of Belfast, and had issue,
HUGH, his heir;
Jane, married William Sloane, of Chelsea.
Mr Hamilton died in 1676, and was succeeded by his son,

HUGH HAMILTON (1664-1728), of Ballybredagh, County Down, who married Mary, sister of Robert Ross, of Rostrevor, County Down, and daughter of George Ross, of Portavo, by Ursula his wife, daughter of Captain Hans Hamilton, of Carnesure, and had issue (with three daughters), two sons,
George;
ALEXANDER.
The younger son,

ALEXANDER HAMILTON (1690-1768), of Knock, County Dublin, and Newtownhamilton, County Armagh, MP for Killyleagh, 1730-61, wedded Isabella, daughter of Robert Maxwell, of Finnebrogue, County Down, and had issue,
Hugh (Rt Rev), Lord Bishop of Ossory;
George, MP for Belfast, 1769-76;
CHARLES, of whom hereafter;
Anne.
The youngest son,

CHARLES HAMILTON (1738-1818), married Elizabeth, daughter of Crewe Chetwood, of Woodbrook, Queen's County, and had issue,
CHARLES, his heir;
Robert, of Liverpool;
George, of Quebec, and Hawkesbury, Canada;
William Henry;
John, of Liverpool;
Henrietta.
Mr Hamilton was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES HAMILTON (1772-1857), of Hamwood, County Meath, who wedded, in 1801, Marianne Caroline, daughter of William Tighe MP, of Rossana, County Wicklow, by Sarah his wife, only child of Sir William Fownes Bt, of Woodstock, County Kilkenny, and had issue,
CHARLES WILLIAM, his heir;
William Tighe;
Frederick John Henry Fownes;
Sarah; Mary; Caroline Elizabeth.
Mr Hamilton was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES WILLIAM HAMILTON JP (1802-80), of Hamwood, who espoused, in 1841, Letitia Charlotte, eldest daughter of William Henry Armstrong MP, of Mount Heaton, King's County, and had issue,
CHARLES ROBERT, his heir;
Edward Chetwood;
Arthur, of Hollybrook.
Mr Hamilton was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES ROBERT HAMILTON JP (1846-1913), of Hamwood, who married, in 1874, Louisa Caroline Elizabeth, daughter of Francis Richard Brooke, of Somerton, County Dublin, by his wife, the Hon Henrietta Monck, eldest daughter of 3rd Viscount Monck, and had issue,
Charles George (1875-77);
GERALD FRANCIS CHARLES, of whom hereafter;
Frederick Arthur (1880-1962);
Henry John;
Eva Henrietta; Letitia Marion; Amy Kathleen; Ethel Grace; Constance Louisa; Lilian Mary.
Mr Hamilton was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

GERALD FRANCIS CHARLES HAMILTON JP (1877-1961), of Hamwood, who wedded firstly, in 1911, Violet Travers, daughter of Robert Craigie Hamilton, and had issue,
CHARLES ROBERT FRANCIS, his heir;
Esme Violet; Elizabeth Mary.
He married secondly, in 1949, Rosamund Mary, daughter of Maurice Bauer.

Mr Hamilton was succeeded by his son,

MAJOR CHARLES ROBERT FRANCIS HAMILTON (1918-2005), of Hamwood, who wedded, in 1958, Margaret Anne Lanfear, daughter of Captain Simon Ralph Fane Spicer, and had issue,
CHARLES RALPH, b 1960;
Annabel Honor, b 1959.

HAMWOOD HOUSE, Dunboyne, County Meath, is a small Palladian house of the 1764, with a central block joined to little octagonal ‘pepper-pot’ wings by elegantly curved sweeps.

Unusually, one wing contains the main entrance, since the house (as originally built) was reputedly so cold that the family decided to place the hall door as far away from the main rooms as possible.

The removal of the front entrance from the main block creates an interesting internal arrangement with a double drawing-room, unusual in a house of this size.

There is good late-18th century decoration and an interesting family collection, including the intriguing drawings and paintings of Caroline Hamilton.

Hamwood’s builder, Charles Hamilton, acted as land agent for the Dukes of Leinster whose principal seat, Carton, is nearby; and the Duke generously gave the Hamiltons a present of the impressive fights of granite steps leading to the doors in the end pavilions.

Successive generations of the family acted as the Leinsters' agents until the present owner's husband, Charles Hamilton (1918-2005), retired in the 1970s.

*****

MRS ANNE HAMILTON, Major Charles Hamilton's widow, died suddenly on the 4th December, 2013.

She represented the family at a function in Farmleigh House in 2012 honouring the Irish team at the 1948 Olympics in London.

A relative, Letitia Hamilton, was the only Irish medal-winner at those Games, for her painting of a scene at the Meath Hunt Point-to-Point races. 

Anne Hamilton was born Anne Spicer in Wiltshire, England. Her father, Ralph Spicer, had married Mary Graham, whose family lived at Spye Park, near Bromham, Wiltshire, since 1855.

The Grahams were originally from Lisburn in Northern Ireland, involved in the linen industry.

Anne and her siblings holidays at their grandparents’ place at Sallins every summer, and to escape the rationing and austerity England in the years following the 2nd World War, her mother moved them to Carnew in County Wicklow.

In 1958, Anne married Charles Hamilton, who had served in the 2nd World War.

He was a farm estate manager and they lived in County Galway for a period before returning to Hamwood in 1963, following the death of Charles’ father, who was the land agent at Carton House.

Charles also managed the Slane Castle estate for a period.

At Hamwood, they were involved in bloodstock breeding and a pure-bred Charolais herd.

The gardens were also a great treasure and open to the public.

In an interview for the Irish Life and Lore Collection at South Dublin Libraries, Mrs Hamilton was critical of how the Irish Land Commission had broken up large estates and the manner in which they allowed fine houses to decay.

In recent years, she continued to open the gardens and house at Dunboyne to the public.

Mrs Hamilton was survived by her son, Charles, of London, and Annabel, of Paris, and her sister in County Cork.

Her funeral service took place at St Peter’s parish church, Dunboyne, County Meath, followed by burial in the adjoining graveyard.

First published in November, 2017.  Select bibliography: Irish historic Houses Association.

Saturday 21 November 2020

Lord Bingham's Theory

The Daily Telegraph published an interview given by George, Lord Bingham, only son and heir of the 7th Earl of Lucan, in September, 2012.

Lord Lucan likely committed suicide by drowning himself following the murder of family nanny Sandra Rivett, his son has said.

George Bingham said he was certain his father wished to "vanish for ever" and died in a small boat which sank to the bottom of the English Channel after drinking whisky and taking sleeping pills.

Lord Bingham spoke for the first time about the mysterious disappearance of his father in 1974. He has been unable to succeed to the titles because a death certificate has not been issued.

In his first in-depth interview about the murder, he insisted he was certain his father was not the killer, though he said that he did hope his father had been involved in some way as it would make him "feel better" about his disappearance.

Sandra Rivett, 29, was found dead at the Lucan home in Belgravia, London, in 1974, after being bludgeoned with a lead pipe.

The nanny's attacker turned on the Countess of Lucan, beating her severely before she managed to escape and raise the alarm at a nearby pub.

Lord Lucan's car was later found abandoned and soaked in blood in Newhaven, East Sussex, and an inquest jury declared that the nobleman was the killer a year later.

What happened to Lucan remains a mystery and he was officially declared dead by the High Court in 1999.

George Bingham, who was in the house with his siblings at the time of the attack, said it was "extraordinarily unlikely" that his father was the killer or paid somebody else to carry out the atrocity.

He believes his father lost all sense of perspective as he became increasingly worried about being blamed for the nanny's death:
"I think Dad felt backed into a terrible corner. I think he chose almost immediately to take his own life. He had such a huge sense of pride and couldn't bear to consider the horrendous storm that was coming. It was his intention, therefore, to vanish ... and vanish for ever."
Lord Bingham added:
"Dad adored boats. He even built a powerboat. As a seaman, he would have known that if you jump from a boat in the English Channel, you will bloat, float and be washed up with the tides. It seems very likely he would have had access to a small motor boat somewhere in Newhaven harbour.
He would have got on board with a bottle of whisky and some pills and taken it out to the 50 metre mark, the point where if you go down you're not going to come back up again, but not so far out that you are in the shipping lane."
The former merchant banker has said he would prefer that to trying to understand why his father had left the family for "no apparent reason".

Lord Bingham continued,
"I've always thought it extraordinarily unlikely my father went into our family home, wandered down and killed anybody with a piece of lead piping for the love of his children, while those very children might well have come downstairs and witnessed this appalling carnage."
He also dismissed the possibility of a contract killer being involved, but added he had no idea of the extent of his father's involvement or his guilt.

First published in September, 2012.

Thursday 19 November 2020

Kenure Park

THE PALMER BARONETS, OF CASTLE LACKIN, WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY MAYO, WITH 80,990 ACRES

THEY OWNED 3,991 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DUBLIN

ROGER PALMER (alleged to have been the third son of Edward Palmer, of Nayton and Casterton, Norfolk) went over to Ireland and had a grant of Castle Lackin, and many other lands in County Mayo, in 1684.
His signature appears to the address from the nobility and gentry of County Mayo to CHARLES II in 1682. 
The Palmer family had come to Ireland in 1681 from Norfolk, and had acquired lands in County Mayo, where by the end of the 19th Century, they had amassed 80,000 acres. 
THOMAS PALMER, of Castle Lackin, second son of Roger Palmer, of Palmerstown, in the same county, was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROGER PALMER, who was created a baronet in 1777, designated of Castle Lackin.

Sir Roger wedded Miss Andrews, and had issue,
JOHN ROGER, his successor;
WILLIAM HENRY, succeeded his brother;
Sophia.
He died about 1790, and was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR JOHN ROGER PALMER, 2nd Baronet, who married Mary, only daughter of the Rev Thomas Althem, and was succeeded at his decease, in 1819, by his brother,

SIR WILLIAM HENRY PALMER, 3rd Baronet, of Castle Lackin, who espoused Alice, daughter of _____ Franklin, and had issue,
WILLIAM HENRY ROGER, his heir;
Francis Roger;
John Roger;
Charlotte Alice; Augusta Sophia; Ellen Ambrosia.
Sir William died in 1840, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR WILLIAM HENRY ROGER PALMER, 4th Baronet (1802-69), who married and was succeeded by his only son,

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR ROGER WILLIAM HENRY PALMER, 5th and last Baronet (1832-1910), MP for Mayo, 1857-65.

Kenure Park

The Palmers owned a number of seats, including Keenagh Lodge, Crossmolina, and the ruinous Castle Lackin in County Mayo; Cefn Park, near Wrexham, North Wales; Glenisland, Maidenhead, Berkshire.

Their principal Irish seat (through marriage) was Kenure Park, near Rush, County Dublin, where the estate comprised 3,991 acres.

Lieutenant-General Sir Roger Palmer, 5th and last Baronet, MP for Mayo, 1857-65, was Ellen Palmer's only brother.

He resided at Kenure with his wife, Gertrude Millicent, until his death in 1910.

Lady Palmer survived her husband for many years. She continued to spend much of her time in Kenure (above) until her death in 1929.

There are people in Rush who still remember the parties held in the house for the children of the town.

Sir Roger and Lady Palmer left no heirs, and the property devolved to Colonel Roderick Henry Fenwick-Palmer, who had fought in the 1st World War, and still bore the marks of shrapnel wounds to his face.


He had property of his own in Wrexham, North Wales, and only came to Kenure in the summer.

A plain man, he was not given to living the high life, apart from dining occasionally with friends, such as the late Lord Revelstoke.

He spent a lot of money trying to keep the house in repair.

He was finally defeated by rising costs on a property which was not making money.

Part of the estate had already been sold years before.

He eventually sold Kenure to the Irish Land Commission, in 1964, for £70.000.

Most of the land was divided up among local farmers.

The remainder was sold to Dublin County Council for housing and playing fields.

The woodland was cleared and all that now remains of the trees, which once dominated the skyline, is a small area around the main gate.

The front gate lodge is now the local Scouts' Den.

The gate lodge at Skerries Road belongs to Rush Cricket Club, which has beautifully refurbished it.

The Gate-Keeper's Lodge, the walled garden, the Steward's Lodge, the pond and shady avenues, have all gone the way of the big house itself. Only the portico remains, a stark remainder of what once was there.

The contents of the house were auctioned in September 1964, the auction lasted four days and realised £250,000, which would be over £1,000,000 in present day values.

Socially, Kenure had been a place apart from the ordinary life of the town, but it had been there for hundreds of years, an essential part of the Rush scene.

The general feeling was one of regret and disbelief that it was disintegrating.

As landlords, the Palmers had not been the worst.

However, there had been some evictions, and one action, which is still adversely remembered, was the removal of some of their tenants from their ancient holdings in order to lengthen the main avenue and have the main entrance gate near the town.

Nevertheless the Palmers were in many ways beneficent to Rush.

They gave land for the Catholic and Protestant churches, for a presbytery and for a teacher's residence.

In 1896, when the Catholic church was being refurbished, they donated the seating for the nave, and a brass memorial tablet in the church testifies to this.

A portion of the estate was allocated to the local cricket club, and it was certainly the most beautifully situated cricket pitch in north County Dublin.

Dublin County Council was left with an empty mansion, for which they could find no buyer.

The house continued to deteriorate.

During this time it was rented to a film company and a few films were made there, including "Ten Little Indians", "Rocket to the Moon", and "The Fall of Fu Manchu".

In 1978, after a series of incidents in which the house was vandalized and set on fire, with the inevitable water damage that resulted from the fire engines having to put out the blaze, the house was in a very dangerous condition structurally.

The County Council decided it had no choice but to demolish the house.

Within a few days, all that was left of this once great house was a mountain of rubble, from which the massive portico arose, forlorn and lonely against the sky.

First published in September, 2011. Select bibliography: KENURE HOUSE AND DEMESNE

Wednesday 18 November 2020

Baron Rees-Mogg

JOHN REES, of Wick, Glamorganshire, was father of

THE REV JOHN REES (1772-1835), Prebendary of Tytherington, Cheshire, Chaplain to HRH The Duke of Cumberland, who married, in 1805, Mary Mogg, daughter of William Wooldridge, and assumed the additional surname and arms of MOGG.

By his wife he had issue,

WILLIAM REES-MOGG (1815-1909), of Cholwell House, Somerset, who wedded, in 1847, Ann, daughter of William Coxeter James, and had issue,
WILLIAM WOOLDRIDGE, his heir;
Henry James (Rev), Vicar of Midgham.
The elder son,

WILLIAM WOOLDRIDGE REES-MOGG (1848-1913), of Cholwell House, who espoused, in 1884, Emily Walcot, daughter of the Rev Henry Stiles Savory, and had issue (with a daughter),

EDMUND FLETCHER REES-MOGG JP (1889-1962), of Cholwell House, High Sheriff of Somerset, 1945, who married, in 1920, Beatrice, daughter of Daniel Warren, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his heir;
Elizabeth.
The only son and heir,

WILLIAM REES-MOGG (1928-2012), of the Old Rectory, Hinton Blewett, Somerset, High Sheriff of Somerset, 1978, wedded, in 1962, Gillian Shakespeare, daughter of Thomas Richard Morris, and had issue,
Thomas Fletcher (1962-);
JACOB WILLIAM, of whom we treat;
Emma Beatrice; Charlotte Louise; Annunziata Mary.
Mr Rees-Mogg, Director, Times Newspapers, 1978-81, Vice-Chairman, BBC Board of Governors, 1981-6, was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 1981.

Sir William was created a life peer, in 1986, in the dignity of BARON REES-MOGG, of Hinton Blewett, Somerset.

Lord Rees-Mogg's younger son, the Rt Hon Jacob William Rees-Mogg (1969-), is Member of Parliament for North East Somerset.

First published in November, 2018.