Friday 28 August 2020

New DL

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANT

Mrs Alison Millar, Lord-Lieutenant of County Londonderry, has been pleased to appoint:
Mr William Oliver
Castlerock
County Londonderry
To be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County, his Commission bearing date, the 29th day of June, 2020.

Lord Lieutenant of the County

Wednesday 26 August 2020

Tyrone House

THE ST GEORGES OWNED 15,777 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY GALWAY


CHRISTOPHER FRENCH, of Tyrone, Dunkellin, County Galway (son of Jeffry French, of Mulpitt, County Galway, d 1610), settled his estate in 1675, and died intestate, 1676, leaving issue, by Jane his wife,
ARTHUR, his heir;
Jeffry;
Robert.
The eldest son,

ARTHUR FRENCH, of Tyrone, County Galway, Mayor of Galway, 1691, son of Christopher French, of Tyrone (who died in 1676), left issue by his first wife, Mary, daughter of Sir John Kirwan, two sons,
CHRISTOPHER, his heir;
Julian.
He wedded secondly, in 1691, Sarah, only daughter of Ulick Burke, of Clare, County Galway, and had further issue,
Simon Arthur Hyacinth;
ARTHUR, ancestor of
FRENCH OF CLOONYQUIN;
Jeffry;
Patrick;
Christopher;
Edmund;
Ellen; Jane; Mary; another daughter.
Mr French died in 1712, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHRISTOPHER FRENCH, of Tyrone, County Galway, conformed in 1704, who married, in 1699, Margery, third daughter of Ariel Farrell, of Cloonyquin, by Sarah his wife, daughter of Ulick Burke, and had issue,
ARTHUR, his heir;
Patrick;
Christopher;
James;
Jane; Juliane; Sarah; Mary; Margery; Rosa.
The eldest son,

ARTHUR FRENCH, of Tyrone, appellant in the case of French v Caddell in the House of Lords, 1764-5, wedded, in 1736, Olivia, eldest daughter of John Ussher MP, of Carrick, by his wife, the HON MARY ST GEORGE, only daughter and heir of GEORGE, 1st BARON ST GEORGE, of Hatley St George, Cambridgeshire, and had issue,
CHRISTOPHER, his heir;
Olivia; Julia; Nicola.
Mr French died in 1779, and was succeeded by his only son,

CHRISTOPHER FRENCH (1754-1826), of Tyrone, who assumed, in 1774, the surname of ST GEORGE, in compliance with the settlement of his great-grandfather, Lord St George.

He espoused, in 1778, Anne, eldest daughter of Henry Bingham, of Newbrook, County Mayo, and had issue,
ARTHUR, his heir;
Letitia; Olivia.
Mr French was succeeded bu his only son,

ARTHUR FRENCH ST GEORGE (1780-1844), who married, in 1801, the Lady Harriet St Lawrence, eldest daughter of William, 2nd Earl of Howth, and co-heir of her mother, the Lady Mary Bermingham, second daughter and co-heir of Thomas, 1st Earl of Louth, and had issue,
CHRISTOPHER, his heir;
Arthur St George;
Mary; Matilda; Louisa; Anne; Harriet.
Mr St George was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHRISTOPHER ST GEORGE JP DL (1810-77), MP for Galway, 1847-52, who wedded, in 1852, Honoria Kane, and had issue, three daughters,
Katherine; Josephine; Elizabeth.
KATHERINE ST GEORGE and JOSEPHINE BROWNE, co-heirs of Christopher St George, succeeded their father in 1877.

The eldest daughter,

KATHERINE ST GEORGE (d 1934), of Tyrone House, married, in 1874, Robert James Ker St George, grandson of Sir Richard Bligh St George, 2nd Baronet, and had issue,
Richard Christopher Bligh;
Arthur French;
Robert Charles Cecil;
Rosamund Frances Katherine; Gladys Alienora; Josephine.
Entrance Front (Image: Tripadvisor)

TYRONE HOUSE, near Clarinbridge, County Galway, was a Georgian mansion of 1779, built for Christopher French St George, reputedly by the architect John Roberts of Waterford.

It comprised three storeys over a basement, with two bays on either side of a central, three-bay breakfront.

The house had many balustrades, including one at the grand steps leading up to the hall door.

There were prominent quoins at the breakfront and sides.


There were six bays on the garden front.

The Hall was noted for its fine plasterwork.

There was a niche containing a life-size marble statue of Lord St George, surmounted by a baron's coronet.

The St Georges stopped living in the house in 1905.

Sadly, in 1920 Tyrone House was gutted by a malicious fire, and thereafter it became a visitor attraction for people in the neighbouring towns and villages.

Tyrone House (Image: Tripadvisor)

The great mansion house is now ruinous, bereft of its park and woodland.

I'm grateful to Robert O'Byrne ~ the Irish Aesthete ~ for letting me use the coat-of-arms of the St Georges at the top of this article.

He has written a book about Tyrone House.

Tuesday 18 August 2020

Bellinter House

THE PRESTONS OWNED 7,415 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY MEATH

THE HON MARTIN PRESTON, son of Jenico, 3rd Viscount Gormanston, by the Lady Catherine FitzGerald, eldest daughter of Gerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, and brother of Christopher, 4th Viscount Gormanston, married, in 1584, Alisona Herbert, and was father of

HUGH PRESTON, of Bolton, Lancashire, who by marriage with a daughter of Jocelyn Nangle, of Navan, acquired with her the lands of Tara and Ardsallagh, County Meath, and Emo, Queen's County.

His son,

JOHN PRESTON, of Dublin, and of Ardsallagh, County Meath, Mayor of Dublin, 1653, MP for Navan, 1661-66, married firstly, Mary, daughter of John Morris, of Bolton, and had issue,
Phineas, of Ardsallagh;
Samuel, of Emo, Queen's County;
Mary.
He wedded secondly, in 1660, Katherine, daughter of John Ashburnham, and widow of Sir John Sherlock, Knight, but by her had no issue.

Mr Preston espoused thirdly, in 1676, Anne, daughter of Alderman Richard Tighe, of Dublin, and widow of Theophilus Sandford, and had further issue,
JOHN, of whom hereafter;
Nathaniel, MP for Navan.
Mr Preston's third son,

JOHN PRESTON (1677-1732), of Bellsone, County Meath, MP for County Meath, 1709-32, married firstly, in 1698, Lydia, daughter of Joseph Pratt, of Cabra; and secondly, in 1720, Henrietta, daughter of Sir Thomas Taylor, 1st Baronet.

He was succeeded by his son and heir,

JOHN PRESTON (1700-53), of Bellinter, County Meath, MP for Navan, 1732-53, who wedded Anne, youngest sister of Peter, 1st Earl Ludlow, and had issue,
JOHN, his heir;
Joseph.
The elder son,

JOHN PRESTON, MP for Navan, 1761-81, espoused, in 1758, Mary, sister of the Rt Hon Sir Skeffington Smyth Bt, of Tinny Park, who died in 1781, leaving issue,
JOHN, his heir;
James;
Joseph;
Skeffington;
Francis;
Mary; Elisha; Elizabeth; Emma.
The eldest son,

JOHN PRESTON (1764-1821), MP for Navan, 1783-1800, was elevated to the peerage, in 1800, in the dignity of BARON TARA, of Bellinter, County Meath.

His lordship married, in 1801, Harriet, daughter of Thomas Jelf-Powis, of Berwick House, Shropshire; but died without issue, in 1821, when the title expired.

Entrance Front (Image: TripAdvisor, 2019)

BELLINTER HOUSE, near Navan, County Meath, is a Palladian mansion of 1750, designed by Richard Castle for John Preston MP.

The centre block comprises five bays and two storeys, with a basement.

A pair of smaller wings, of five bays and two storeys, are adjoined to the main block by straight arcades.

Garden Front (Image: TripAdvisor, 2019)

There is a niche between the first floor windows, directly above the porch which probably contained a statue.

The Hall (Image: TripAdvisor, 2019)

The hall is notable for having a magnificent stone chimneypiece with a Bacchantic mask.

Bellinter passed out of the Preston family in 1892, when John Joseph Preston bequeathed the estate to Gustavus Villiers Briscoe, High Sheriff of County Meath, 1897, said to be a family friend.

The Briscoes sold Bellinter in 1955 to the Holdsworth family, who lived there until 1966; and thereafter it was acquired by a religious order, the Sisters of Sion, who sold it to the present owners in 2004.

Bellinter House is now a hotel.

Tara arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Monday 10 August 2020

Slane Castle

THE MARQUESSES CONYNGHAM OWNED 7,060 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY MEATH

The family of CONYNGHAM was originally of Scottish descent, and of very great antiquity in that part of the United Kingdom.

THE HON WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, Bishop of Argyll in 1539, a younger son of William, 4th Earl of Glencairn, left a son,

WILLIAM CONYNGHAM, of Cunninghamhead, Ayrshire, who had two sons, WILLIAM, who succeeded at Cuninghamhead, and was created a baronet; and

ALEXANDER CONYNGHAM, who, entering into Holy Orders, and removing into Ireland, was appointed, in 1611, the first Protestant minister of Enver and Killymard, County Donegal.

Mr Conyngham was appointed to the deanery of Raphoe on the consecration of Dean Adair as Lord Bishop of Killaloe in 1630.

Dean Conyngham settled at Mount Charles, County Donegal, which estate he held, by lease, from the Earl of Annandale, and wedded Marion, daughter of John Murray, of Broughton, by whom he had no less than twenty-seven children, of which four sons and five daughters survived infancy.

He died in 1660, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

SIR ALBERT CONYNGHAM, Knight, who was appointed, in 1660, Lieutenant-General of the ordnance in Ireland.

This officer fought on the side of WILLIAM III at the Boyne, Limerick etc, and fell in a rencounter with the Rapparees, near Colooney in County Sligo.

He espoused Mary, daughter of the Rt Rev Robert Leslie, Lord Bishop of Raphoe, and was succeeded by his only surviving son,

MAJOR-GENERAL HENRY CONYNGHAM, of Slane Castle, MP for Killybegs, 1692-3, Donegal County, 1695-99, 1703-06, who served during the reign of JAMES II as a captain in Mountjoy's Regiment.

When JAMES II desired his army to shift for itself, Conyngham prevailed upon 500 of his regiment to remain united, and with them offered his services to WILLIAM III.

He became subsequently a major-general, and fell, in 1706, at St Estevan, in Spain.

General Conyngham wedded Mary, daughter of Sir John Williams Bt, of Minster Court, Kent, and widow of Charles, Lord Shelburne, by whom he got a very considerable property, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his successor;
Henry;
Mary.
He was succeeded by his elder son,

WILLIAM CONYNGHAM, of Slane (an estate forfeited, in 1641, by Lord Slane), who was succeeded at his decease by his brother,

THE RT HON HENRY CONYNGHAM (1705-81), MP for Killybegs from 1727 until raised to the peerage, in 1753, in the dignity of Baron Conyngham, of Mount Charles.

His lordship was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1756, as Viscount Conyngham; and further advanced, in 1781, to the dignity of an earldom, as Earl Conyngham, the barony to descend, in case of failure of issue, to Francis Pierpoint Burton, the eldest son of his sister Mary, by Francis Burton.

The 1st Earl married, in 1774, Ellen, only daughter and heir of Solomon Merret; but dying without an heir, in 1781, all his honours became extinct, except the barony of Conyngham, which devolved, according to the limitation, upon the above-mentioned

FRANCIS PIERPOINT BURTON (c1725-87), as 2nd Baron; who wedded, in 1750, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the Rt Hon Nathaniel Clements, and sister of Robert, Earl of Leitrim, and had issue,
HENRY,  his successor;
Francis Nathaniel (Sir), GCH;
Catherine; Ellena; Henrietta.
His lordship, on inheriting the title and estates of his uncle, assumed the surname and arms of CONYNGHAM.

He was succeeded by his son,

HENRY, 3rd Baron (1766-1832), who, in 1787, was created Viscount Conyngham, of Slane, County Meath.

He was also created, in 1797, Viscount Mount Charles, of Mount Charles, County Donegal, and Earl Conyngham.

Lord Conyngham was appointed a Knight of St Patrick in 1801.

In 1803, he was appointed Governor of County Donegal, a post he held until 1831, and Custos Rotulorum of County Clare in 1808, which he remained until his death.

His lordship was created, in 1816, Viscount Slane and Earl of Mount Charles; and further advanced to the dignity of a marquessate, as MARQUESS CONYNGHAM.

In 1821, he was created Baron Minster, of Minster Abbey, Kent, sworn of the Privy Council, and appointed Lord Steward, a post he retained until 1830.

From 1829 until his death in 1832, the 1st Marquess served as Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle.

His lordship married, in 1794, Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Denison, and had issue,
Henry Francis, Earl of Mount Charles (1795-1824);
FRANCIS NATHANIEL, of whom hereafter;
Albert Denison, created Baron Londesborough;
Elizabeth Henrietta; Maria Harriet.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

FRANCIS NATHANIEL, 2nd Marquess (1797-1876), KP GCH PC, a General in the army, Vice-Admiral of Ulster, 1849-76, who wedded, in 1824, the Lady Jane Paget, daughter of Henry William, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, and had issue,
GEORGE HENRY, his successor;
Francis Nathaniel;
Cecilia Augusta; Jane; Frances Caroline Maria; Elizabeth Georgiana.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

GEORGE HENRY, 3rd Marquess (1825-82), a General in the army, Vice-Admiral of Ulster, who espoused, in 1854, the Lady Jane St Maur Blanche Stanhope, daughter of Charles, 4th Earl of Harrington, and had issue,
HENRY FRANCIS, his successor;
Charles Arthur;
Blanche; Constance Augusta; Jane Seymour; Elizabeth Maud; Florence.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY FRANCIS, 4th Marquess (1857-97), DL, who married, in 1882, Frances Elizabeth Sarah, daughter of Dayrolles Blakeney, 4th Baron Ventry, and had issue,
VICTOR GEORGE HENRY FRANCIS, his successor;
FREDERICK WILLIAM BURTON, succeeded his brother;
Blanche Frances; Mildred Martha; Hersey Constance Evelyn; Edina Dorothy Hope; Barbara Helen.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

VICTOR GEORGE HENRY FRANCIS, 5th Marquess (1883-1918), who died unmarried, when the family honours devolved upon his brother,

FREDERICK WILLIAM BURTON, 6th Marquess (1890-1974), who wedded firstly, in 1914, Bessie Alice, daughter of William Andrew Tobin; and secondly, in 1922, Antoinette Winifred, daughter of John William Howard Thompson, by whom he had issue,
FREDERICK WILLIAM HENRY FRANCIS, his successor;
John Victor Albert Blosse;
Antionette Frederika Hersey Cecilia.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

FREDERICK WILLIAM HENRY FRANCIS, 7th Marquess (1924-2009), of Ramsey, Isle of Man, Captain, Irish Guards, who espoused firstly, in 1950, Eileen Wren, daughter of Charles Wren Newsam, and had issue,
HENRY VIVIEN PIERPONT, his successor;
Simon Charles Eveleigh Wren;
Frederick William Patrick.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY VIVIEN PIERPONT, 8th Marquess (1951-), who wedded firstly, in 1971, Juliet Ann, daughter of Robert Richard Buller Kitson, and has issue,
ALEXANDER BURTON, his successor;
Henrietta Tamara Juliet.
He married secondly, in 1985, the Lady Iona Charlotte Grimston, daughter of John, 6th Earl of Verulam, and has further issue,
Tamara Jane (b 1991).
The 8th and present Marquess's only son,

ALEXANDER BURTON CONYNGHAM, styled Earl of Mount Charles, married Carina Suzanne, daughter of Nicholas George Bolton, and has issue,
Rory Nicholas Burton, styled Viscount Slane;
Caspar;
Laragh.

SLANE CASTLE, Slane, County Meath, stands augustly above the River Boyne in County Meath.

During Victorian times Lord Conyngham owned about 7,060 acres in County Meath.

His lordship was, however, the greatest landowner in County Donegal, where he owned 122,230 acres.

It has been the principal seat of the Marquesses Conyngham since it was built in 1785 by Francis, 2nd Baron Conyngham, to the designs of Francis Johnston.

The Castle was completed by his son Henry, 3rd Baron and 1st Marquess Conyngham.

It is said that "Capability" Brown, James Gandon, Thomas Hopper and other architects were consulted at the time.


Slane Castle comprises three storeys over a basement, which serves as a lower ground floor at the river, where the ground falls away quite steeply.

There is a bow in the centre of the river front, elevated to form a massive round tower.


With the exception of this round tower and lesser square towers at each corner, the house is essentially a battlemented Georgian block.

The interior is Classical in style.

The hall boasts Tuscan columns; while the drawing-room has a frieze of late-Georgian plasterwork, terminating in a kind of apse.

The great circular library or ballroom encompasses two lower storeys of the round tower and is reputed to be the finest of its kind in Ireland, with its exquisite and delicate Gothic plasterwork.

The upper storey of the round tower is divided into three bedrooms.

The floor below, however, contains the two grandest bedrooms in the house, which were designed for King George IV and the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

His Majesty stayed at Slane as Prince of Wales and again as the Sovereign in 1821.

The 1st Marquess's wife was a favourite of the King; even the straight road from Dublin to Slane is said to have been specially made for him.


This approach affords elaborate Gothic entrance gates; though the entrance from the north, through the village, is particularly striking.

Conyngham arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Thursday 6 August 2020

Enniscoe House

THE PRATTS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY MAYO, WITH 17,995 ACRES


The branch of the family of which we are treating was settled in Leicestershire in 1641, when three brothers, Joseph, Benjamin and John Pratt, migrated thence; Joseph and Benjamin to Ireland, John to Jamaica. Joseph and Benjamin obtained lands in County Meath from CROMWELL, which they divided between themselves. The elder brother was ancestor of PRATT OF CABRA; the younger, of WINTER OF AGHER.


JOSEPH PRATT, High Sheriff of County Meath, 1698, married firstly, Frances, sister and heir of Colonel Thomas Cooch, of Cabra Castle, County Cavan, and Covoaddy [sic], County Donegal; and secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Audley Mervyn, and widow of Nathaniel Poole, and had issue,
Joseph, died young;
Benjamin (Dr), Provost, Trinity College, Dublin;
John, a Lord of the Treasury;
Thomas, dsp;
MERVYN, of whom hereafter;
Margaret.
The youngest son,

MERVYN PRATT (1687-1751), MP for Cavan County, 1715, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1722, wedded, in 1704, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Coote, of Cootehill in that county, and sister of the Earl of Bellamont.

Mr Pratt died in 1751, having had (with three daughters) a son and successor,

THE REV JOSEPH PRATT, of Cabra, who espoused Elizabeth, daughter of Knightley Chetwood, of Woodbrook, Queen's County, and had issue,
Mervyn, died 1798;
JOSEPH, of whom presently;
James Butler;
Elizabeth; Ann.
The second son,

THE REV JOSEPH PRATT (1738-1831), of Cabra Castle, wedded, in 1772, Sarah Morres, daughter of Harvey, 1st Viscount Mountmorres, by the Lady Letitia Ponsonby, his wife, daughter of Brabazon, Earl of Bessborough, and had issue,
JOSEPH, his heir;
Mervyn, 1823;
Harvey, of Castle Morres, County Kilkenny, 
who upon the decease of his father, succeeded his mother in the Kilkenny estates, which she and her sister, the Marchioness of Antrim, had jointly inherited as co-heiresses of their brother Redmond, Viscount Mountmorres;
Mary; Letitia.
Mr Pratt was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOSEPH PRATT JP (1775-1863), of Cabra Castle, Colonel of Militia, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1799, who espoused firstly, in 1806, Jemima Roberta, daughter of Sir James Stratford Tynte Bt, of Tynte Park, and by her had issue,
MERVYN, his heir;
Joseph Tynte;
Fitzherbert;
Walter Caulfeild;
Fitzmaurice Caldwell Tynte;
Hannah, Sarah Emily Tynte; Elizabeth Martha.
Colonel Pratt wedded secondly, in 1826, Nicola Sophia, widow of Claudius William Cole-Hamilton, of Kingscourt, County Meath, but by her had no issue.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

MERVYN PRATT JP DL (1807-90), of Cabra Castle, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1841, County Mayo, 1843, and County Meath, 1875, who espoused, in 1834, Madeline Eglantine, only daughter and heir of Colonel William Jackson, of Enniscoe, County Mayo, and had issue,
JOSEPH, his heir;
Louisa Catherine Hannah; Madeline Caroline Mary; Jemima Roberta Emily Tynte.
Mr Pratt was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOSEPH PRATT JP DL (1843-1929), of Enniscoe, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1894, County Mayo, 1876, who married, in 1870, Charlotte Eliza, only daughter of James Hamilton, of Cornacassa, County Monaghan, and had issue,
MERVYN;
Audley Charles (1874-1917);
Eglantine Madeline Georgina, died in infancy.
Mr Pratt was succeeded by his eldest son,

MERVYN PRATT DSO JP (1873-1950), of Cabra Castle and Enniscoe, Major, King's Royal Rifle Corps, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1921.

Major Pratt was badly wounded in the Boer War and never married.

He lived permanently at Enniscoe, County Mayo, and left Cabra Castle unoccupied.

His younger brother, Colonel Audley Pratt, was killed in the 1st World war and was also unmarried.

Major Pratt died at Enniscoe and bequeathed Cabra to his nearest male relative, Mervyn Sheppard CMG MBE.


ENNISCOE HOUSE, Castlehill, Ballina, County Mayo, appears to be a classical, late-Georgian house, though it incorporates a much earlier building.

Francis Jackson, an officer in Cromwell’s army, was granted land here in the 1650s.

Jackson first lived in Crossmolina Castle but he later built a house beside Lough Conn.

His great-grandson, George, built a tall, three-storey house over a basement in the 1740s, but this was subsequently incorporated into a later building.

The new house was built in the 1790s by George’s son, also called George (the family refer to them as George One and George Two), and it was literally wrapped around the earlier building, which is still easily identifiable today.


Works were largely completed when it was occupied and damaged during the French invasion in 1798.

Today Enniscoe is a two-storey house of five bays.

While externally plain, it contains some elegant late-Georgian plasterwork and a very beautiful elliptical staircase leading to an oval landing.

The large principal rooms have decorated cornices, and the original silk wallpaper survives in the drawing room, though the pale blue has faded to mushroom pink.

George Two’s granddaughter, Madeline Eglantine Jackson, married her cousin, Mervyn Pratt.

They inherited the estate in the 1830s, restored the neglected house and created a notable garden.

Their son, Joseph, and his wife Ina continued the work, however, fortuitously, there was insufficient money for further alterations so the house remains largely unaltered today.

Their unmarried son, Major Mervyn Pratt, lived here until 1950.

After his mother’s death the house was maintained and the garden became his life’s work.

Following Major Pratt's death in 1950 his cousin, Jack Nicholson, inherited Enniscoe.

Today it is the home of his daughter, Susan Kellett, and her son and daughter-in-law, D J and Colette Kellett.

Select bibliography: Irish historic Houses Association.