Tyrella House

THE MONTGOMERYS, OF TYRELLA, OWNED 3,005 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

The ancient and distinguished family of MONTGOMERY was powerful in Normandy, and had the title of Comte before the time of Rollo, the Dane, Duke of Normandy. The present chief is the Earl of Eglinton.

THE REV HUGH MONTGOMERY (1754-1815), of Grey Abbey, County Down, son of WILLIAM MONTGOMERY, married, in 1782, Emilia, youngest daughter of Bernard, 1st Viscount Bangor (by his wife, the Lady Anne Bligh, daughter of John, Earl of Darnley), and had issue,

William, his heir;
Hugh Bernard, army officer;
Edward (Rev), Rector of Portaferry;
ARTHUR HILL, of whom presently;
John Charles, Barrister;
Francis Octavius, army officer;
George Augustus Frederick Sandys, Lieutenant RN;
Anne Catherine; Emilia Georgiana Susanna.

The Rev Hugh Montgomery, a clergyman of the established church, and Sovereign Grand Commander of the Order of the Fleur-de-Lys, 1800-15, resided constantly at the Abbey, made considerable improvements there, and extended his landed possessions by purchase.

His fourth son,

ARTHUR HILL MONTGOMERY JP DL (1794-1867), of Tyrella House, County Down, wedded, in 1825, the Lady Matilda Anne Parker, daughter of Thomas, 5th Earl of Macclesfield, and had issue,

HUGH PARKER, his heir;

Arthur Hill Sandys.

The elder son,

MAJOR-GENERAL HUGH PARKER MONTGOMERY (1829-1901), of Tyrella House, and Winchester, Hampshire, died unmarried.

Tyrella House (Image: Northern Ireland Tourist Board)

TYRELLA is a parish in the barony of LECALE, 5½ miles south-east of Clough, and 4½ east of Dundrum, County Down.

The parish is situated on the north shore of Dundrum Bay and, excepting a few acres of sand hills along the shore, is land of good quality.

The topographical dictionary of Ireland, 1837, remarks:-

"Tyrella House, the handsome residence of A H Montgomery, is beautifully situated in a richly planted demesne of 300 acres, commanding extensive views over the bay, with the noble range of the Mourne Mountains in the background, and containing within its limits the site and cemetery of the ancient parish church."

Tyrella House (Image: Northern Ireland Tourist Board)

The Register of Parks, Gardens and Demesne of Special Historic Interest in Northern Ireland remarks that 

"Due to its close proximity to the sea, the plantations, which have remained largely unchanged in layout since at least 1800, are focussed in larger woodland blocks with few of the usual isolated parkland trees, clumps and belts."

"Without these woodlands the house would be very exposed to the winds, yet there is evidence that there was a house here by 1755 when it is clearly depicted on Kennedy's County Down map of that year." 

"Earlier, in 1744 Walter Harris refers to 'Tereda, a small village, the lands about which, being now the estate of Mr. Banks of Belfast, formerly of the Hamilton's of Tullamore'."

"Most likely this is a reference to Thomas Banks, a prominent Belfast citizen, but following his death in 1746 the lease reverted back to George Hamilton (1698-1770), whose father Hugh had bought this townland in the 1720s on the occasion of the latter marriage."

"It seems probable that he had built a house here, perhaps in the 1730s, but the buildings architect would indicate that the present house was built by his son, also called George Hamilton (1734- 96), probably in the 1780s, at which time the landscape park was most likely planted."

"On his death in 1796 the property passed to his nephew, the Rev George Hamilton, and it was around his death (d 1833) that the demesne was first depicted on OS maps; the outline of the plantations shown on that map remain largely unaltered."

Tyrella Demesne (Historic OS Map of ca 1830)

"The main area of woodland, as one might expect, lies just south of the house, proving shelter against the salt breezes and the second lies south of the walled garden to provide protection for the garden produce; much of the latter is now denuded with no sign of any replanting."

"The walled garden, north-west of the house, is contemporary with the creation of the parkland, that is to say it was built around the 1780s, and unusually takes the form of an oval half-moon (2.35 acres/0.95ha) ..." 

"There is a drive from the farmyard, which is adjacent to the east, to a cart entrance in the north."

"Today this entrance is used to gain access to a house built in 1987 with its ornamental garden built in the west part of the walled garden."

"There are glasshouses and a potting shed."

"The glasshouse that lies beside the main house facing the west lawn was built in the Edwardian era, around 1904, and was restored in 2011."

"The park has three entrances off the Clanmaghery Road."

Tyrella House (from a  picture post card)

"When George Hamilton died in 1796, he bequeathed Tyrella to his nephew, the Rev George Hamilton (d 1833), who probably built the low rubble wall along side the road to the north and east and remains largely intact."

"He may also have built much of the house as we know it today as the building does in parts have a Regency appearance, notably the main (south-facing) hipped roof two-storey square block, which has a four bay front, incorporating Wyatt-windows and a shallow projecting three window bay on the west side."

"In 1808 George inherited another estate, Hampton Hall, Balbriggan, County Dublin, from his late brother, Alexander."

"By the mid-1820s he had ran into money difficulties and in 1824 was forced to mortgage the Dublin property; it was probably at this point that he sold Tyrella, for by at least 1834 it was in the possession of Arthur Hill Montgomery."

"Arthur died in 1867 and his widow, Matilda, is recorded as living there until 1876, with her son, Hugh Parker Montgomery."

"In 1878 the distillery owner JAMES CRAIG, of Craigavon House, Belfast, acquired it as a summer residence."

"His son, Major Clarence Craig (d 1938), an elder brother of Sir James Craig (1871-1940), 1st Viscount Craigavon ... enlarged the house, presumably with help from his brother the architect Vincent Craig (1869-1925), remodelling parts of the house rere, where the building's west side has a distinctly Edwardian feel with several large mullioned and transomed windows and some roundels with small square panes, whilst glasshouse is also of this date."

"Members of the Craig family undoubtably must have visited the Japan-British Exhibition in the White City, London, in 1910 - the largest international exposition of the Empire of Japan, because like many other country houses owners in the decade following 1910, the Craigs created a Japanese Garden at Tyrella."

"Major Craig retained the property until 1921, when William J Neill, a coal merchant, assumed ownership."

"Mr Neill was still there in 1929, but by 1937 the house may have been vacant, for at this date the Belfast Tuberculosis Committee were considering purchasing the property for use as a sanatorium."

"John Corbett [High Sheriff of County Down, 1967] acquired the property in 1949, and it remains with his descendant."

David Corbett was High Sheriff of County Down in 2010.