Lyons Demesne

THE BARONS CLONCURRY WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KILDARE, WITH 6,121 ACRES

The family of LAWLESS was of English extraction, but were settled for many years in Ireland, and became first enriched by commerce, and then ennobled on account of their wealth. SIR HUGH DE LAWLESS, of Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, settled in Ireland during the reign of HENRY II and obtained a grant from the crown of the manor of Shanganagh, County Dublin, where he erected a castle, the ruins of which are still visible.

RICHARD LAWLESS was Provost of Dublin, 1311, and held the office of Chief Magistrate for three successive years. STEPHEN LAWLESS was consecrated Bishop of Limerick in 1354, and died on Innocents' Day, 1359.

WALTER LAWLESS, of Talbot's Inch, County Kilkenny, had a grant from JAMES I, in 1608, of seven manors, situated in counties Tipperary, Waterford, and Kilkenny, with rights of patronage, to be held for ever, in capite, by knight's service.

He married Margaret, daughter of Robert Wrothe, and died in 1627, leaving an only son,

RICHARD LAWLESS, who succeeding at Talbot's Inch, wedded Margaret, daughter of Patrick Den, of Grennan, County Kilkenny; and dying in 1670, left issue, two sons,

Walter, an adherent of JAMES II;
THOMAS, of whom hereafter.

The younger son,

THOMAS LAWLESS, of Talbot's Inch, espoused Elizabeth, daughter of James Butler, of Kilkenny; and dying in 1704, was father of

JOHN LAWLESS, of Shankill, County Dublin, who married Frances, daughter of John Usher, of Crumlin, and had issue, Peter, ancestor of the family seated at Shankill, and

JOHN LAWLESS, who wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Richard MacDonnell.

He died in 1730, and was succeeded by his only son,

ROBERT LAWLESS, of Abington, County Limerick, by Mary, daughter of Dominick Hadsor, of Dublin. and had issue,

NICHOLAS, his heir;
Mary (1736-67).

Mr Lawless died in 1779, and was succeeded by his only son and heir,

NICHOLAS LAWLESS (1735-99), of Abington, County Limerick, who, having returned to Ireland from Normandy subsequently to his father's decease and conformed to the established church, obtained a seat in parliament as MP for Lifford, 1776-89.

Mr Lawless was created a baronet in 1776, designated of Abington, County Limerick; and elevated to the peerage, in 1789, in the dignity of BARON CLONCURRY, of Cloncurry, County Kildare.

He married, in 1761, Margaret, only daughter of Valentine Browne, of Dublin, and had issue, 

VALENTINE BROWNE, his successor;
Mary Catherine; Valentina Alicia; Charlotte Louisa.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

VALENTINE BROWNE, 2nd Baron (1773-1853),  who wedded firstly, in 1803, Elizabeth Georgiana, daughter of Lieutenant-General Charles Morgan, and had issue,

Mary Margaret; Margaret; Valentine Anne.

He espoused secondly, in 1811, Emily, daughter of Archibald Douglas, and had further issue,

Cecil John (died 1853);

EDWARD, of whom hereafter.

The younger son,

EDWARD, 3rd Baron (1816-69), of Lyons, County Kildare, High Sheriff of County Kildare, 1838, County Dublin, 1846, married, in 1839, Elizabeth, daughter of Major John Kirwan, and had issue,

Edward, Colonel, died 1921;

VALENTINE, his successor;

FREDERICK, 5th Baron;

Emily.

His lordship took his own life by throwing himself from the third floor of Lyons.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

VALENTINE, 4th Baron (1840-1928), of Lyons, High Sheriff of County Kildare, 1867, who wedded, in 1883, Laura Sophia Priscilla, daughter of Rowland, 1st Baron St Oswald, and had issue, two daughters,

Mary; Kathleen Emily Marie (1888-1957), of Lyons.

His lordship died without male issue, when the title devolved upon his brother,

FREDERICK, 5th Baron (1847-1929), who served on the staff of two Lords Lieutenant of Ireland, was unmarried; and the titles expired on his death in 1929.

LYONS, near Hazlehatch, County Kildare, was originally the seat of the Aylmer family, though they sold it to the 1st Baron Cloncurry, who had a new house built in 1797.

The present mansion house is a three storey block with a curved bow on either side of its entrance front, joined to two-storey wings by curved sweeps.

About 1801, shortly after his release from the Tower of London, the 2nd Baron hired Richard Morrison to undertake improvements and alterations to his father's house, work continuing till 1805.

During this period, Lord Cloncurry was in Italy, collecting antiques and objets d'art for the house.

The seven-bay garden front was left fairly plain, though an immense formal garden was laid out, with abundant statuary and urns.

Beyond the lake, reputedly the largest artificial lake in Ireland, lies the Hill of Lyons.

The Grand Canal passes along one side of the demesne, with a very fine range of Georgian buildings, comprising the Cloncurry private canal station.

The Hon Kathleen Lawless bequeathed the Lyons estate to a cousin, Mr G M V Winn, who sold it about 1962 to University College, Dublin.

Sir Michael Smurfit KBE owned Lyons from 1990-96.

Lyons was later purchased by Dr Tony Ryan, who reputedly spent €100 million on its restoration.

The house stands in nearly 600 acres, including some fine formal gardens.

The orangery and hall contain a large swimming-pool.

There are seven suites in the main house, a self-contained guest wing with four bedrooms, and staff quarters in the north wing.

A further five lodges are located around the estate which include a 22-acre spring-fed lake which is stocked with trout and, for equestrian enthusiasts, there are stables, stud farm facilities and outstanding natural gallops.

Dublin is a 45-minute drive, but private jet access is available on request at nearby Baldonnel's Casement Aerodrome which is three miles from the estate.

It has undergone a total refurbishment which was recognized as outstanding when it received the Europa Nostra and Institut International des Châteaux Historiques joint award for refurbishment.

Cloncurry arms courtesy of European Heraldry.   First published in June, 2012.

Drumadarragh House

THOMAS DIXON (1770-1849), of Bonamargy, Ballycastle, County Antrim, married Mary McNeill in 1804, and had a son,

THOMAS DIXON (1805-68), of Larne, County Antrim, merchant and ship-owner, who married, in 1834, Sarah, daughter of Archibald McCambridge, of Mullarts, Cushendun, County Antrim.

The third son,

DANIEL DIXON (1844-1907), of Larne, was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution (Inst) and subsequently joined his father’s business, becoming a partner in 1864.

His brother, Thomas S Dixon, was also a partner.

The firm, Messrs Thomas Dixon & Sons, thrived and expanded into shipping, becoming owners of the Lord Line, which was formed in 1879 and operated services between Belfast, Dublin, Cardiff and Baltimore. They also sailed to Gulf of Mexico and several South American ports.

In 1917 the company went into liquidation and sold its two remaining ships to the Head Line (Ulster SS Co.). The Lord Line ran between Baltimore and Belfast every ten days. Daniel Dixon was a director of the Ulster Steamship Company, which owned the Head Line.

Sir Daniel was also chairman of the Ulster Marine Insurance Company and a director of the Belfast & County Down Railway.

Sir Daniel Dixon, 1st Baronet

It was his association with Belfast Corporation which brought Sir Daniel into public prominence: In 1872 he became a councillor for Dock Ward, in which his firm’s premises were located; and, nine years later, he became an alderman.

He felt strongly that the Belfast tramway system ought not to be private property and saw to it that it was owned and run by the ratepayers.

He was closely involved in the movement to build the City Hall and the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Purdysburn.

In 1892, Dixon became Mayor of Belfast for the first time, and was the first incumbent to receive the title of Lord Mayor by Royal Charter from Queen Victoria.

In the same year he was knighted.

He was re-elected in the following year and occupied the mayoral chair five more times between 1901-06.

In 1902 he was appointed a Privy Counsellor and Sir Daniel was created a baronet the following year, designated of Ballymenock, County Antrim.

• Mayor of Belfast, 1892
• High Sheriff of County Down, 1896
• Lord Mayor of Belfast, 1893, 1901-3, 1905-6 & 1906-7
• MP for North Belfast, 1905-07
  

In politics Sir Daniel was a staunch Conservative and a resolute opponent of Gladstone’s Home Rule proposals.

In 1905 he won the North Belfast by-election for the Unionist Party and successfully defended the seat in the general election of 1906.

Sir Daniel was a member of the Church of Ireland and generously supported the building of Belfast Cathedral.

He erected the “Joseph” window in the Cathedral's south aisle in memory of his brother, Thomas, and his son, Lieutenant Percy Dixon, 3rd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, who died at Cairo, 26 August 1902, aged 20.

Dixon’s first wife was a daughter of James Agnew. His second, whom he married in 1870, was a daughter of James Shaw.

They lived at BALLYMENOCH, Holywood, County Down, and worshipped at Holywood Parish Church, where Sir Daniel was a member of the select vestry for 14 years.

It was on the morning of Sunday 10 March 1907 as he was walking from his home to church when he complained of sudden pain and, instead of continuing to church, he made for his son Herbert’s house near by.

There, in spite of the efforts of his sons, Herbert and Daniel, and a nurse, he died of cardiac failure within minutes.

Sir Daniel left £307,151 in his will which equates to about £28 million in today's money.

On his decease, Sir Daniel was survived by his wife, four sons and five daughters.

His eldest son,

THE RT HON  SIR THOMAS JAMES DIXON, 2nd Baronet (1868-1950), JP, Privy Counsellor, of Graymount and Drumadarragh, succeeded in the baronetcy.

Sir Thomas Dixon Bt. (Image:Mid & East Antrim Borough Council)

His other sons were Daniel, Frank and Herbert.

• High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1912
• High Sheriff of County Down, 1913
• NI Senator, 1924
• HM Lord-Lieutenant of Belfast, 1924-50. 

The 2nd Baronet was succeeded in the baronetcy by his younger brother, 

THE RT HON SIR HERBERT DIXON, 3rd Baronet (1880-1950), OBE, PC,

born in Belfast; educated at Harrow and Sandhurst; commissioned into the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and served in the 2nd World War. Sir Herbert was elected Unionist MP for Belfast Pottinger in 1918, becoming representative for East Belfast four years later. He was also sent to Stormont in 1921 as a MP for Belfast East, being appointed Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Finance; and was finally elected MP for Belfast Bloomfield in 1929. Sir Herbert was appointed OBE in 1919 and appointed privy counsellor of NI in 1923.

Sir Herbert was elevated to the peerage, in 1939, in the dignity of BARON GLENTORAN, of Ballyalloly, County Down.

He served as Government Chief Whip from 1921-42 and as Minister of Agriculture at Stormont, 1941-43.

In 1950 he succeeded his elder brother as 3rd Baronet.

The 1st Baron married, in 1905, Emily Ina Florence, daughter of Arthur, 6th Baron Clanmorris (this family shares a common ancestor with the Earls of Lucan).

He died in 1950, and was succeeded by his son,

DANIEL STEWART THOMAS, 2nd Baron and 4th Baronet (1912-95), KBE,

educated at Eton and Sandhurst; appointed ADC to the General Officer Commanding NI in 1935; Grenadier Guards, 2nd World War; mentioned in dispatches; and in 1950; MP for Belfast Bloomfield at Stormont; Minister of Commerce, a post he held until elected to the NI Senate in 1961. 

He was then minister in, and leader of, the Senate for three years, becoming its last Speaker in 1964. Lord Glentoran was said to have had such a grand demeanour that once, when visiting America, a Texas newspaper carried the headline "Irish Royalty to Visit Texas".

The 4th Baron was appointed KBE in 1973. Lord Glentoran was also HM Lord-Lieutenant of Belfast from 1950-85. In 1933 he married Lady Diana Mary Wellesley (died 1984), daughter of the 3rd Earl Cowley, by whom he had three children.

Coronation Day, 1953, 2nd Lord & Lady Glentoran. Photo Credit : NPG

MAJOR THOMAS ROBIN VALERIAN, 3rd and present Baron and the 5th Dixon Baronet (1935-), CBE.

I have written about him HERE.

DRUMADARRAGH HOUSE, near Doagh, County Antrim, is a two-storey, three-bay, 18th century house with fan-lighted doorway.

Two wings were added ca 1827 of two bays each, in keeping with the centre block, though each has a pediment gable with an oeil-de-boeuf window.

The rear of the house is similar, except for a wing in the same style as the rest of the house which was added in 1903.

The site benefits from mature trees which provide a shelter belt, the chief attribute being a well planted and maintained ornamental garden planted from 1948, both within and outside the walled garden.

Outside there is a wild garden beside a stream and inside there are herbaceous borders, island beds, productive areas, mature trees and an arboretum begun in 1964.

*****

Drumadarragh House was purchased in Thomas Dixon in 1891, though used only as an occasional residence, because the family also owned Graymount in Belfast and RAVENSDALE PARK, County Louth.

Drumadarragh was requisitioned by the army during the 2nd World War; and then reverted to private ownership, by Lord Glentoran.

Drumadarragh House is the seat of the LORD AND LADY GLENTORAN.

First published in 2010.

Derryquin Castle

THE BLANDS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 25,576 ACRES

SIR CHRISTOPHER BLAND WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE BBC BOARD OF GOVERNORS, 1996-2001

This family was originally seated in Yorkshire. The first who settled in Ireland was THE VERY REV JAMES BLAND, Archdeacon of Limerick and Dean of Ardfert. In a deed of sale registered in Wakefield, 1717, he is described as "of Killarney, County Kerry", and as disposing of his estates in Sedbergh, Yorkshire, to Richard Willen. Dr Bland was the son of John Bland, of Sedbergh, as proved by the records of St John's College, Cambridge, where he was admitted in 1684. He went to Ireland as Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Henry Sydney, Earl of Romney, in 1692.

Dr Bland wedded Lucy, eldest daughter of Sir Francis Brewster, Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1674-5, by whom he had issue, and was father of the Rev Francis Bland (whose great-grandson, THE VEN NATHANIEL BLAND, Archdeacon of Aghadoe, was the head of the family); and of

NATHANIEL BLAND LL.D, Judge of the Prerogative Court of Dublin, Vicar-General of the Diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, who married firstly, Diana, only daughter and heiress of Nicholas Kemeys, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
John.

He wedded secondly, Lucy, daughter of Francis Heaton, and had further issue,

Francis;
Nathaniel;
George;
Lucy; Hester; Dorothea.

Dr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE REV JAMES BLAND, of Derryquin Castle, who espoused firstly, Elizabeth, daughter of Christopher Julian, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER, his heir;
Nathaniel;
James;
Letitia; Diana; Maria; Elizabeth.

He married secondly, Barbara, daughter of _____ Nash.

The Rev James Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER BLAND, of Derryquin Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1806, who wedded, in 1798, Lucinda, daughter of Arthur Bastable Herbert, of Brewstersfield, near Killarney, by his wife Barbara, daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, Knight of Kerry, and had issue,

JAMES FRANKLIN, his heir;
Arthur;
John;
Edward;
Nathaniel;
George;
Francis Christopher;
Elizabeth; Lucy; Frances Diana; Mary Matilda;
Christina Frances; Laetitia; Barbara; Laetitia; Clara Delinda.

Mr Bland died in 1838, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES FRANKLIN BLAND JP (1799-1863), of Derryquin Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1835, who espoused, in 1825, Emma, daughter of Major Joseph Taylor, of Dunkerron Castle, County Kerry, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER, his heir;
James Franklin;
Nathaniel Franklin;
Alice Phillis.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER BLAND JP (1826-94), of Derryquin Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1859, who married, in 1849, Jane, daughter of the Rev Archibald Robert Hamilton, and had issue,

JAMES FRANKLIN, his heir;
Archibald Robert Hamilton;
Francis Christpher Earle;
Richard Townsend Herbert;
Emma Alice; Jane Hamilton; Catherine Cotter;
Alice Phillis; Mary Evelyn.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES FRANKLIN BLAND (1850-1927),  late of Derryquin Castle, and of Drimina House, Sneem, County Kerry, who wedded, in 1873, Agnes Margaret, eldest daughter of Samuel Wilson Block, of 15, Talbot Square, Hyde Park, London, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER CECIL, his heir;
Archibald Franklin Wilson;
Godfrey Hamilton;
Agnes Emma; Evaleen Wilson; Ethel Hamilton.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER CECIL BLAND (1875-1953), of Drimina House, who married, in 1904, Mary Green, daughter of Henry Albert Uprichard, and had issue,

JAMES FRANKLIN McMAHON;
Henry Archibald Forster.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his elder son,

JAMES FRANKLIN McMAHON BLAND (1905-84), of 14, Tullybrannigan Road, Newcastle, County Down, who married, in 1936, Jess Buchan, daughter of Major Harry Campbell Brodie, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER BUCHAN;
Godfrey Hamilton.

The elder son,

SIR (FRANCIS) CHRISTOPHER BUCHAN BLAND (1938-).

DERRYQUIN CASTLE, Sneem, County Kerry, was a Victorian pile of rough-hewn stone by James Franklin Fuller, built for the Bland family.

The main block was of three storeys, with a four-storey octagonal tower running through its centre.

The entrance door was at one end, flanked by a two-storey, part-curved wing.

There were rectangular, pointed and camber-headed windows; battlements, and machicolations.

The castle was eventually sold by the Blands to the Warden family.

In 1906, it was owned by Colonel Charles W Warden and valued at £70.

The Wardens resided there until it was burnt in 1922.

It was located in the grounds of what is now the Parknasilla Hotel, but the ruins were demolished in 1969.

In 1732, the Rev Dr Nathaniel Bland obtained his grant of the Parknasilla area, the grantors being described as 'Rt Hon Clotworthy, Lord Viscount Massareene, and Philip Doyne, with the consent of James Stopford.'

The link with these three gentlemen is Elizabeth Smyth.

Her father, the Rt Rev Edward Smyth, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor, married secondly, the Hon Mary Skeffington.

She was the daughter of Clothworthy, 3rd Viscount Massareene. Elizabeth married James Stopford in 1726.

In 1762, he was created Viscount Stopford and Earl of Courtown.

His sister, also Elizabeth Stopford, was the third wife of Philip Doyne.

The Rt Rev Richard Pococke, Lord Bishop of Ossory, visited the area in 1758.

He was an avid traveller who published accounts of his visits to the Middle East, Scotland and England.

The Bishop went in search of Dr Bland's house, which was a summer residence located between the Sneem River and the Owreagh River.

He found the house, known as 'The White House', abandoned by its owner, in favour of Parknasilla, a fine Georgian residence a little further east.

Nathaniel Bland's first wife Diana, was the daughter of Nicholas Kerneys or Kemis of County Wexford. They had two sons, John and Rev James.

It was to Rev James that Nathaniel left the bulk of his estate and we shall return to him presently.

John served in the army at Dettingen, Fontenoy and Clifton Moor.

Nathaniel's son Francis, by his second marriage, was a captain in the army and gave it up to become and actor in Thomas Sheridan's company in Dublin.

He fell in love with Grace Phillips, a Welsh actress, and married her in 1758.

They had several children. Grace was the daughter of the Rev Phillips of St. Thomas's Haverfordwest.

Nathaniel  died in 1760 just before the birth of Francis and Grace's child, a daughter, in 1761.

She was christened Dorothea and known as Dorothy, although she referred to herself as Dora and acquired a surfeit of names.

In 1774, Francis decided to leave Grace and his family and marry an heiress.

This time he chose the well-to-do Catherine Mahony from Kerry.

Dora became an actress and was also known by her stage name, Mrs Jordan. She was seduced by her actor manager in Dublin.

Shortly afterwards she became pregnant and fled to England and fell in love with Richard Ford , a handsome lawyer, who was knighted some years later.

She lived with Ford and had three children by him.

When he failed to do the decent thing and marry her, she left him.

She became mistress to William Henry, Duke of Clarence, 3rd son of George III in 1790. He became William IV upon the death of his brother George IV.

They lived together in Busy House in Teddington, near Hampton Court from 1797 until 1811, when he took a new mistress.

Their children, ten in total and all illegitimate, were known as the FitzClarences. The boys were ennobled, the eldest was created Earl of Munster.

The girls married well, viz. two earls, a viscount, the younger son of a duke and a general in the army.

The Duke pensioned Dora off. She was swindled out of money by a son-in-law.

When Nathaniel Bland died in 1760, his son, the Rev James Bland, inherited the estate. Derryquin Castle was probably built during his era.

His son, Francis Christopher Bland, married Lucinda Herbert in 1798.

His son, James Franklin Bland, was born in 1799. Under him the Derryquin estate witnessed its golden years and was self-supporting.

His sister Frances "Fanny" Diana married Thomas Harnett Fuller of Glasnacree and their son James Franklin Fuller was to become the architect of the new Parknasilla hotel in 1897.

James Franklin Bland was succeeded in turn by his son Francis Christopher.

This Francis Christopher joined the Plymouth Brethren.

He neglected his estate and devoted his energy to preaching.

Land agitation was rife in Ireland at this juncture and it was unfortunate that Bland decided to absent himself.

The estate inevitably went into rapid decline.

First published in September, 2012.

New Vice Lord-Lieutenant

APPOINTMENT OF VICE LORD-LIEUTENANT

The Viscount Brookeborough, KG, Lord-Lieutenant of County Fermanagh, with the approval of Her Majesty The Queen, has been pleased to appoint:-

Mrs Jane Styles DL
Drumsillagh

Enniskillen
County Fermanagh

Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the said County, her Commission bearing date the 3rd day of July 2022


Lord-Lieutenant of the County

Ashford Castle

THE BARON ARDILAUN WAS A MAJOR LANDOWNER IN COUNTY GALWAY, WITH 27,111 ACRES 

The family of GUINNESS claims descent from the ancient and eminent house of MAGENNIS, in which formerly vested the viscountcy of Magennis of Iveagh. Several members of this family are interred in the churchyard of St Catherine's, Dublin, and, in the parish register, the translation of the name from Magennis to McGuinness, or Guinness, is clearly traceable.

ART ROE or ARTHUR MacGUINNESS, of Rathfriland, County Down, received the honour of knighthood, and assumed the surname of MAGENNIS.

In 1623 Sir Arthur was created Viscount Magennis of Iveagh, though that peerage expired in 1693.

He died in 1629, and was buried at Drumballyroney, near Rathfriland, County Down.

His younger son,

CON MAGENNIS, married and was father of

HUGH MAGENNIS, who wedded and had a son,

EVER MAGENNIS, who removed to, and settled in Dublin.

He married and had issue, 

RICHARD GUINNESS (c1690-1766), of Celbridge, County Kildare, said to be an innkeeper at Celbridge, who was the first of the family to assume the surname.

In 1746, Mr Guinness was described in a Bill in Equity Exchequer as "Richard Guinis, agent or receiver to the Most Rev Arthur Price, Archbishop of Cashel".

He married firstly, Elizabeth, daughter of William Read, of Huttonread, County Kildare, and had issue,

Richard;
ARTHUR, of whom we treat;
Samuel;
Benjamin;
Frances; Elizabeth.

Mr Guinness wedded secondly, ca 1752, Elizabeth Clare.

His second son,

ARTHUR GUINNESS (1725-1803), of Beaumont, County Dublin, the first of the family that established the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, espoused, in 1761, Olivia, daughter and co-heir of William Whitmore, of Dublin, and had issue,

Hosea (Rev);
ARTHUR, of whom we treat;
Edward;
Benjamin;
William Lunell;
John Grattan;
Elizabeth; Olivia; Louisa; Mary Anne.

The second son,

ARTHUR GUINNESS JP DL (1768-1855), of Beaumont, County Dublin, Governor of the Bank of Ireland, held for many years the foremost place amongst the merchants of his native city of Dublin.

He married firstly, in 1793, Anne, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Benjamin Lee, of Merrion, County Dublin, and had issue,

William Smythe Lee (Rev);
Arthur Lee;
BENJAMIN LEE, of whom we treat;
Susanna; Mary Anne; Louisa; Anne; Elizabeth; Rebecca.

Mr Guinness's eldest surviving son,

BENJAMIN LEE GUINNESS JP DL (1798-1868), Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1851, MP for Dublin City, 1865-68, married, in 1837, Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Guinness, and had issue,

ARTHUR EDWARD, his successor;
Benjamin Lee, father of the 3rd Baronet;
Edward Cecil, created EARL OF IVEAGH;
Anne Lee.

At his own expense of £150,000 (£15,445,000 in 2014) Mr Guinness restored the venerable cathedral of St Patrick, which was almost in ruins. In commemoration of this patriotic act, Queen Victoria created Mr Guinness a baronet in 1867, designated of Ashford Castle, County Galway.

Sir Benjamin was succeeded by his eldest son, 

SIR ARTHUR EDWARD GUINNESS, 2nd Baronet (1840-1915), JP DL, MP for Dublin City, 1868, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1880, in the dignity of BARON ARDILAUN, of Ashford, County Galway.

He married, in 1871, the Lady Olivia Charlotte White, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Bantry, though the marriage was without issue.

The barony consequently expired following his lordship's death in 1915; the baronetcy, however, devolved upon his nephew, Algernon Arthur St Lawrence Lee Guinness, as 3rd Baronet.

ASHFORD CASTLE, County Galway, is a medieval castle turned luxury hotel near Cong on the Mayo/Galway border, on the shore of Lough Corrib.

The original castle built in 1228 by the Anglo-Norman House of Burke following their defeat of the O'Connors, the Royal House of Connaught, who are still extant in the person of the O'Conor Don.

The principal legacy of the native O'Connors is to be seen at the gates of the estate in the form of the Romanesque Augustinian Abbey of Cong.

After more than three and a half centuries under the de Burgos, whose surname became Burke or Bourke, Ashford passed into the hands of a new master, following a fierce battle between the forces of the de Burgo's and those of the English official Sir Richard Bingham, Lord President of Connaught, when a truce was agreed.

In 1589, the castle fell to Bingham, who added a fortified enclave within its precincts.

In 1715, the estate of Ashford was established by the Browne Family (Barons Oranmore), and a lodge in the style of a 17th-century French chateau was added to the medieval splendour of the castle.

The Ashford estate was purchased in 1852 by Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, 1st Baronet, who extended the estate to 26,000 acres, built new roads, planted thousands of trees and added two large Victorian style extensions.

On his death in 1868, the estate passed to his son Lord Ardilaun, an avid gardener who oversaw the development of massive woodlands and rebuilt the entire west wing of the castle.

He also subsidised the operation of several steamboats, the most notable of which was the Lady Eglinton, which plied between the villages of the Upper Lough Corrib region and Galway City, thus opening the area to increased commerce.

In a time of agitation by tenant farmers in the Land Wars of the late 19th century, epitomised by the action of tenants at nearby Lough Mask House (home of Captain Charles Boycott), he was considered by many to be an 'improving' landlord.

Some of his efforts were unsuccessful, particularly the Cong Canal, also known as 'the Dry Canal', which was built to link Lough Mask and Lough Corrib but was a failure, due to its inability to hold water.

Despite such setbacks, the love borne by him and his wife Olive, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Bantry, for the castle and the estate was deep and best epitomised by that fact that when he was ennobled in 1880 he derived his title from the island of Ardilaun, which formed part of the estate on Lough Corrib.

Ashford passed to Lord Ardilaun's nephew, Ernest Guinness, who sold it to Noel Huggard in 1939.

He opened the estate as a hotel, which became renowned for the provision of its country pursuits, such as angling and shooting.

Noel Huggard's parents had been in the hotel business in Waterville, County Kerry, since 1910 and his granddaughters, Louise and Paula, run the Butler Arms Hotel there to this day.

In 1951, the film director John Ford came to the west of Ireland to film what would become a movie classic The Quiet Man starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.

The grounds of Ashford Castle as well as nearby Cong formed the backdrop for much of the action in the film.

In 1970, Ashford Castle was bought by John Mulcahy, who oversaw its complete restoration and expansion, doubling its size with the addition of a new wing in the early 1970s, building a golf course and developing the grounds and gardens.

In 1985, a group of Irish American investors, which included Chuck Feeney, purchased Ashford.

The Castle was sold by these investors in 2007 for €50 million to Galway-based property investor Gerry Barrett and his family.

Ashford was financed by Bank Of Scotland (Ireland), who placed the property in receivership in November 2011, though the hotel continues as a going concern.

In its time the castle has played host to many notable guests, including: John Lennon, George Harrison, King George V, his consort Queen Mary, Oscar Wilde (whose father, Sir William Wilde, had an estate adjacent to Ashford, where the writer spent much of his childhood), HRH The Earl of Wessex, John Wayne, HSH The Prince Rainier III of Monaco and his consort, HSH The Princess Grace.

Former seats ~ Ashford Castle, near Cong, County Galway; Macroom Castle, County Cork; St Anne's, near Clontarf, County Dublin; Muckross, Killarney, County Kerry. 

10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London

Former town house ~ 11 Carlton House Terrace, London: Gladstone took up occupation in 1856, and was there during the early years of his first great ministry, 1868-74; and finally the Guinness family took over, staying on until the 1920s (with an interruption when the house became an annexe to the Horse Guards' high command).

First published in June, 2012.

White's Tavern

Prospect of White’s Tavern from Lombard Street entrance

WHITE'S TAVERN, Winecellar Entry, Belfast, is a three-storey rendered public house of ca 1790 facing onto the courtyard of Winecellar Entry.

The style is urban vernacular, though the fenestration is fairly regular.

The roof is covered with Bangor Blue slates, with the ridge parallel to Lombard Street; eaves with ogee gutter.

the front elevation is rendered and painted with slight texture; shallow frames surround most windows, and projecting cills.

Windows are contemporary, typically two-over-two, quite regularly spaced in six bays.

the ground floor is more irregular, with four windows close together, one much smaller window and three doors.

Modern ornamental iron grilles protect the windows at ground and first floor levels

Quoin-stones are at each end of the terrace.

The building is “landlocked,” being enclosed on three sides.

THE STUMP of a bollard of some antiquity survives in Winecellar Entry, at the corner of the courtyard near White's Tavern. Marcus Patton suggests that it might be what remains of an old cannon.

White's claims to be Belfast's oldest tavern.

The first building on the current site is believed to have been established as early as 1630, according to popular tradition.

It is thought that the original structure on the site was erected in 1630 by Thomas Kane.

There is, however, no documentary evidence that accurately supports this construction date.

The 1685 map of Belfast records that Winecellar Entry did not even exist in the mid-17th century.

The map shows that the area between High Street, Bridge Street and Waring Street was utilised as yard and garden space, whilst there were no standalone buildings depicted within the area which later became Winecellar Entry.

Another theory suggests that the Bateson family established a wine and spirit store in the vicinity during the late-1600s.

The current building does not date from the mid-17th century, but actually dates from the late-18th century, when the previous structure was demolished and reconstructed by VALENTINE JONES.

Mr Jones, a wine merchant, constructed "two good and substantial messuages or tenements of brick and lime, three stories high.”

Marcus Patton OBE states that Winecellar Entry was known in 1715 as 'Bigart's Alley'.

I wonder if this entry was more likely to have been named after James Bigger, a prominent merchant in Belfast at the time.

The alley was renamed Winecellar Entry by the early-19th century due to the number of wine cellars that had been established along the alley.

During the early-19th century the wine and spirit store changed hands with great frequency.

In 1803, the property came into the possession of James Napier, and was later controlled by William Park & Co.

John Kane was the sole wine merchant recorded in 1824; however, by the 1830s the premises were occupied by Messrs John Murphy & Co.

Winecellar Entry ca 1845

By 1852, the property was occupied by Hugh White and his trading partner, James Neil.

In that year the site was recorded as "Neil & White - Wholesale Wine and Spirit Merchants.”

Neil and White continued to work in partnership until at least the early-1860s.

James Neil left the partnership between 1861-68, when Hugh White took over the wine and spirit stores, giving the building its current name, although the establishment was then known as Hugh White & Co.

Mr White died in 1882; however, the licensed stores continued to operate under his full name for a century until the 1960s.

Winecellar Entry in 2022 (Timothy Ferres)

Since the early-19th century, the building on Winecellar Entry was not referred to as a public house but operated as a licensed wholesale store.

A section of the building operated as The Temperance Hotel in the 1870s.

It is not known precisely when Hugh White's wine and spirit store was converted into a public house; however, in 1900 the building included a public house which was open for six days of the week, but was required to close early.

Mr White continued to sell wine and spirits wholesale.

The premises were renamed White's Tavern in 1962, when the building was renovated.

White's Tavern underwent a major restoration and heavy redecoration in the 1980s, when

"...the style of both the exterior and the interior [was] designed to reflect the rich heritage of one of Belfast's oldest drinks emporiums."

Sir Charles Brett, writing in 1985, criticised the renovation, noting that

"Until quite recently it combined the picturesque and the practical to perfection with its heavy timbered bays, barred windows and roof hoist. Unfortunately it has recently been disastrously restored in "Ye Olde" style; the outside boasts a poker-work inn-sign, the interior is replete with arty brass and electric bulbs in bogus lanterns."

The Tavern was acquired by the owners of the Merchant Hotel ca 2013.

In 2019 the bar was acquired by the Clover Group.

The exterior of the building affords little of great interest today, architecturally or aesthetically.

First published in February, 2015.

Marley Grange

THE ROWLEYS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY DUBLIN, WITH 3,659 ACRES

The noble family of ROWLEY is of Saxon origin, and was seated at Kermincham, Cheshire, in the reign of EDWARD II, in the person of RANDOLFE DE ROWLEY. This branch of the family settled in Ireland in the reign of JAMES I.

THE HON HERCULES LANGFORD BOYLE ROWLEY JP DL (1828-1904), of Marley Grange, County Dublin, younger son of Hercules, 2nd Baron Langford, High Sheriff of County Meath, 1859, Honorary Colonel, 5th Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own Leinster Regiment, married, in 1857, Louisa Jane, sister of 1st Baron Blythswood, and had issue,

HERCULES DOUGLAS EDWARD, his heir;
Arthur Sholto, 8th BARON LANGFORD;
Armine Charlotte; Gladys Helen Louisa; Evelyn Augusta.

Colonel Rowley was succeeded by his eldest son,

HERCULES DOUGLAS EDWARD ROWLEY JP DL (1859-1945), of Marley Grange, Lieutenant, 5th Battalion, Leinster Regiment, who wedded, in 1884, Agnes Mary, only daughter of A Allen, of Devizes, Wiltshire, and had issue,

Ivy Mabel Armine Douglas, b 1889;
Monica Evelyn Douglas, b 1893.

MARLEY GRANGE, near Rathfarnham, County Dublin, is an important cut-stone two storey high-roofed Victorian house built in the Gothic style ca 1850 in a woodland setting.

The house has gables, dormer gables, plus a tower with a truncated pyramidal roof.

There is a two-storey gate lodge located at the entrance.

Marley Grange is approached through an impressive entrance, via a long tree lined avenue, that leads to a large gravelled forecourt to the front of the house.

The extensive are interspersed with specimen trees, two ornamental ponds, trellis covered sunken pathway enclosing a semi-circular formal garden on the south gable of the house.

There is also a paddock and extensive woodland.

The property is bounded to the east by Three Rock Rovers hockey grounds; to the west by Grange Golf Club; and is beside Marley Park.

The house and estate were sold by the former owners, the McGrane family, in 2000, to the British Embassy in Dublin for £6.4 million.

It was intended to replace the ambassador's residence at Glencairn House.

The house suffered a disastrous fire in 2010.

The estate agents Colliers apparently then agreed sale terms on the ten-bedroom house, which is acknowledged to be one of the few examples of late Victorian Gothic revival architecture in Ireland.

Colliers are understood to have settled for a price close to €2.5 million for the listed building and its 12.4 acres of woodland next to Marley Park, which are owned by the property developer and charity founder Niall Mellon.

The house was unoccupied and uninsured when it was set ablaze in July, 2010.

All that remain of the imposing cut-stone, two-storey, high-roofed structure dating from the 1870s are the walls.

However, because of its architectural and historical significance, the planners are anxious to have it restored to its former glory – a challenging project, which one expert says could cost anything from €1.5 million to €2 million.

Mellon bought Marley Grange from the British Embassy in 2008 after it dropped plans to use it as its ambassadorial residence.

The embassy had previously sold its long term residence Glencairn and its 34-acre grounds in Sandyford in 1999 for security reasons.

The entire property was acquired by Michael Cotter of Park Developments for €35.6 million.

The Foreign Office in London then wished to buy back Glencairn, without its substantial grounds.

Former town residence ~ 8 Cambridge Place, Kensington, London.

First published in May, 2012.

M Piper, Greengrocer

Self, M Piper, and Mrs D's gooseberry jam (June, 2022)

My quest for Mrs Darlington's beetroot chutney has borne fruit, in a sense.

It transpires that my local greengrocer, Michael Piper, purveyor of fine fruit, vegetables, preserves, and conserves, stocks Mrs D's products.

His shop is located at 23, Belmont Road, Strandtown, Belfast.

A dear friend is sending me two jars of Mrs D's excellent beetroot chutney, so today I purchased a jar of the gooseberry jam instead.

Lime Kiln

NEIL PORTEOUS AND CHARLES VILLIERS, GRANDSON OF THE LADY MAIRI BURY, EXPLAIN THE ABANDONED STRUCTURE NEAR THE LOUGH SHORE AT MOUNT STEWART

Neil Porteous explains: 

"This is an 18th century lime kiln, but castellated to look like a medieval structure."

 "Lady Mairi [daughter of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Londonderry] had a wooden shed placed on top and used to do her homework there as a youngster."

"You often find lime kilns by water because the limestone was heavy."

"There were often derricks on top of the structure to lift off the stone and deposit it down into the kiln."

"The process is like charcoal burning, controlling the amount of oxygen drawn into the kiln and depending on the fineness of the grade of lime required may take many days say for plasterers lime or a lesser time for agricultural lime."

"The lime kiln probably dates from around 1784 and was a designed feature of the demesne."

"The whole Sea Plantation was reclaimed from Strangford Lough, its sea wall and peripheral walk would provide views of the Lough."

"The canal which held all the drainage water when the tide was in and released it into the lough by means of a non-return valve a pier for mooring yachts and rowing boats and a boat-house; then you would return by the Clay gate lodge and thence on to the Temple of the Winds."

"Beyond that there is a faux chapel as well as real archaeological remains ~ the Gothic cow byre; the cromlech; the ruined abbey; and a Motte-and-Bailey from Norman times."

"The idea was to provide curiosities, all of them Gothic in design."

"They were laid out by William King, of Dublin, Ireland’s answer to Humphrey Repton."

"It is one of his very early commissions and is significant in that the estate is intact and unspoilt."

Charles Villiers continues: 

"I saw one of your readers has inquired about the building near the Mount Stewart swimming pool: I can supply some information about the one with the "Gothick" windows and traceries."

"Whilst I do not know why it was originally built - in, I suppose, the early 19th century - I do know it was adapted in the 1930s with a staircase; the pouring of a concrete floor foundation on the roof; and the construction of four stone columns to support a wooden summer house; completing this substantial superstructure on the old building for the benefit of my late grandmother [Lady Mairi Bury] when she was in her "teens"."

"My grandmother used it for her studies on warm summer days and to entertain her friends of her own age nearby to the swimming pool, as somewhere separate from the adult gatherings at the swimming pool itself in the 1930s."

"My grandmother's siblings were all much older, so her parents gave her the summer house so she had somewhere fun to entertain the numerous friends of her own age who were invited over."

"It is obviously sad that this elevated summer house, and the older building which is underneath, is now largely obliterated - like every other building in and around the swimming pool of Mount Stewart, where so much fun was had by so many for around 50 years."

"I believe some mindless moron decided to smash the Gothick window surrounds of the old building with a sledgehammer."

First published in May, 2012. Revised in 2014.

Castle Ward Project

A View of Castle Ward from the Doric Temple, by William Ashford (1746-1824)
(Image: the National Trust, Castle Ward)

In 2017 the National Trust announced an ambitious conservation project at CASTLE WARD, Strangford, County Down, which entailed refurbishment of the Temple and restoration of historic paths and vista points.

The man-made landscape of the Temple Water area, conceived by the Wards, Viscounts Bangor, is one of the most important late 17th and early 18th century gardens to survive in the British Isles.

Richard W Wheeler, the Trust's Gardens and Parks historian, remarked:-

"Whether intentionally or not, the whole composition mirrored the work of that great influencer of 18th century landscapes, the artist Claude Lorrain, whose painting of Landscape with Apollo and the Nine Muses provides a mythological parallel for this wonderful composition at Castle Ward."

Landscape with Apollo and the Muses, by Claude Lorrain (1604-82)
Image: National Galleries of Scotland/ Scottish National Gallery

The National Trust's general manager for South Down, Jonathan Clarke, remarked in 2017,

"Over the years the design of the landscape has become obscured by self-seeded trees, poor drainage and other changes."

"As a conservation charity we are committed to protecting our special places for ever, for everyone and so we are restoring this hidden part of Castle Ward to enhance visitor enjoyment and understanding of the area."

"We anticipate the project will take three years and will include the repair of the Temple and improvements to the parkland that will open up views of both Audley’s Castle and Strangford Lough."

The lake at Castle Ward, known as Temple Water, will be central to the restoration project.

The Temple Water, Castle Ward

Features planned for restoration include the crumbling stone sides of the Temple Water which have been weakened by tree roots over the years.

The Temple will also be refurbished and the original paths will be reinstated, creating a picturesque route around the Temple with spectacular viewpoints.

Historic paths will be reinstated along Lime Tree Walk and visitors will be able to grace the reinstated historic steps on the Yew Tree Terraces.

The viewing mound and early 18th century Ward family home, the Green House, will both be revealed and interpreted.

The walled garden will be levelled and a planting design scheme started.

It will also be opened for public viewing.

The Doric Temple

Improvements will also be made to access around the Temple Water by reinstating former pathways and steps; repairing drains; creating pockets of natural biodiversity; removing some inappropriate trees; pruning others, and planting new trees in locations based on early demesne maps. 

Enhanced interpretation will also be installed to enable everyone to share in the story of the Ward family and their grand designs.

Map of 1835 showing the Green House

A team of National Trust specialists including curators, archaeologists, historic gardens advisers and interpretation designers will be available to provide advice and work together to bring the Temple Water back to the late 17th early 18th century design.

The final picture will be a grand formal and unexpected statement in the midst of rolling landscape.

First published in 2017.