Conlig House

Little Clandeboye, or Conlig House, near Bangor, County Down, was built ca 1855 in the Neo-Tudor style.

The architect is unknown, though Lord Dufferin commissioned Benjamin Ferrey in the mid-1850s for various projects on his Clandeboye estate.

Conlig House, however, can be dated originally to ca 1830 and was very similar in style to Glencraig House (now altered) which dates from the same period.

The architect may have been William Burn, who was later consulted by Lord Dufferin with regard to the remodelling of Clandeboye House in the 1840s.

J A K Dean, in his informative gazetteer, The Gate Lodges of Ulster, remarks that Conlig House was once a dower house for the Blackwood family.

It had north and south wings, a projection and seven cellars.

By 1850, Conlig House was the residence of Captain William Pirrie, the Belfast ship-owner and harbour commissioner.

His son, James Alexander Pirrie, emigrated in 1844 to Canada, where he entered the timber shipping trade.

When James Pirrie died, his widow took her son William back to Ulster to live at Conlig with his grandfather.

William Pirrie (1st Viscount Pirrie) was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution (Inst) from 1858-62, and then became an apprentice at Harland and Wolff. He was married to Eliza Morrison, who came from Conlig and was part of the wider family of the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava.

James Pirrie subsequently sold Conlig House to Lord Dufferin.

Little Clandeboye, as it became known, was unoccupied for a period until it was let to Hugh Creighton, who was engaged to be married, from 1863 until at least 1871.

Creighton took the house for a rent of £100 a year.

The valuer noted in 1880 that the house was still vacant, but by 1882 Richard T Hamilton was in residence.

James Fagan occupied the house from 1894; and JT Barrett from 1901.

A number of occupiers followed: SJ McLean (1904); Thomas O Dickson (1909); Walter Barbour (1915); Lord Dufferin (1926); George McCracken (1927); and Walter John Dyer (1929).

James Bernard Fagan (1873-1933) was an actor, theatre manager and playwright, who had recently made his acting debut when he lived at Little Clandeboye. A letter survives written by him at Little Clandeboye to Lord Dufferin in which he thanks him for an introduction and promises to send him two one-act plays he had written.

After several years working as an actor, Fagan embarked on a career as a dramatist, a number of his plays being filmed in the early days of the cinema. In 1917 he began a third career as a producer, ultimately taking over management of the Royal Court theatre in London.

In 1923 he opened the Oxford Playhouse and continued to stage notable productions in London and New York, spending increasing amounts of time in Hollywood where several of his plays were filmed and where he died in 1933.

Little Clandeboye became a mental hospital in the 1930s before eventually falling into disuse, and was a "romantic ruin" for many years before being demolished.

*****

A symmetrical single-storey two-bay gate lodge with extension, built ca 1855, is located at the former entrance to Little Clandeboye.

The lodge is robustly detailed, echoing the style of the main house.  

It was renovated in the late 20th century; however, the scale, proportion and detailing structure have survived.

Although the original gates have been replaced, the alcoved gate screen remains.

The lodge is now of significance as the only remaining structure of the Little Clandeboye demesne, connected to the Sinclair and Pirrie families, who were central to the development of Conlig village.

First published in December, 2014.

Londonderry House Ball

THE LATE CHARLES VILLIERS, A GREAT-GRANDSON OF THE 7TH MARQUESS AND MARCHIONESS OF LONDONDERRY, SENT ME INFORMATION ABOUT A BALL HELD AT LONDONDERRY HOUSE, PARK LANE, LONDON, ON THE 23RD OCTOBER, 1959.

THE BALL WAS HELD FOR LADY MAIRI BURY'S ELDER DAUGHTER, THE HON ELIZABETH MAIRI KEPPEL [ELIZABETH LADY SUDELEY].

Londonderry House

 A FAMILY SETTING

THE NEXT NIGHT, a starlit night, was also a gay one in Park Lane when Lady Mairi Bury had a coming-out dance for her petite, blonde daughter, the Hon Elizabeth Keppel.

Lady Mairi, in tangerine paper-taffeta and fabulous tiara and necklace of square-cut diamonds and emeralds, stood at the top of the imposing staircase of Londonderry House - her childhood home - to receive her guests.

It was a wonderful setting for a ball, though Lady Mairi told me that she thought Elizabeth might well be the last of the Londonderry family to have a coming-out there.

In the gold-and-white ballroom the gay colours of dresses glowed softly under the chandeliers.

The young men, the Earl of Portarlington, Mr Alexander Cadogan, Mr William Lindsay-Hogg, Mr Paul Channon MP, and the Hon John Jolliffe, found that they had only to walk a few yards from the dance-floor to sit out in rooms hung with fine old paintings.

As Elizabeth is the eldest of her branch of the family, there were many relatives present:-

Her father, Viscount Bury; the Earl & Countess of Albemarle, her cousin the Hon Camilla Jessel, the Dowager Viscountess Chaplin and the Hon Walter & Mrs Keppel.

For the older generation it was an evening of memories - memories of some of the greatest pre-war parties when Prime Ministers and future Prime Ministers argued long after dinner.

The hostess on these occasions was Lady Mairi's mother, the late Dowager Marchioness of Londonderry.

• Hon Elizabeth Anson 
• Elizabeth Blakiston-Houston 
• Hon Sarah Boyle 
• The Lady Elizabeth Charteris 
• The Lady Rose Chetwynd-Talbot 
• The Lady Carey Coke 
• The Lady Diana Douglas-Home 
• The Lady Anne, The Lady Mary & The Lady Sarah Fitzalan-Howard 
• Belinda Guinness
  The Hon Lucinda Lambton
• The Duke & Duchess of Abercorn 
• The Viscount & Viscountess Allendale 
• Lord Annaly 
• The Earl & Countess of Antrim 
• Mr Mark & Lady Annabel Birley 
• The Lady Perdita Blackwood 
• Viscount Bury 
• Marquess of Clydesdale 
• The Earl of Dudley MC 
• The Marchioness of Dufferin & Ava 
• The Lord & Lady Glentoran 
• Colonel & the Hon Mrs Grosvenor 
• Lt-Cdr & Hon Mrs O King 
• Raffaele, Duchess of Leinster 
• Mr & Mrs John Profumo 
• The Duke & Duchess of Sutherland 
• The Lord Talbot de Malahide 
• The Lord & Lady Wakehurst 
• The Hon Helen Ward 
• The Dean of Windsor & Mrs Hamilton 
• Viscount Anson 
• Paul Channon MP 
• Viscount Chelsea 
• The Marquess of Dufferin & Ava 
• The Lord Dunleath 
• Viscount Dunluce 
• The Earl of Gowrie 
• Marquess of Hamilton 
• Lord Anthony Hamilton 
• Viscount Jocelyn 
• The Lord O'Neill 
• Andrew & Gavin Perceval-Maxwell 
• Lord Sudeley 
• The Viscount Sudeley 
• The Earl of Suffolk

 Londonderry arms courtesy of European Heraldry. First published in December, 2011.

1st Earl Landaff

The family of MATHEW originated from Wales, where at Radyr, Glamorganshire, they long resided; and possessed the town of Llandaff in that county. SIR DAVID MATHEW (1400-84), Knight, was Standard-Bearer of EDWARD IV, whose monument is still to be seen in Llandaff Cathedral, Glamorganshire.

EDWARD MATHEW, of Radyr, was possessed, in 1600, of the town of Llandaff, and other estates, which his ancestors enjoyed for time immemorial.

At his decease he left an only son,

GEORGE MATHEW, the first of the family in Ireland, who became seated at Thurles, County Tipperary, and married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Poyntz MP, of Iron Acton, Gloucestershire, and widow of Thomas Butler, Viscount Thurles (who died before his father Walter, 11th Earl of Ormond).

Mr Mathew died in 1636, leaving two sons and a daughter, and was succeeded by the elder son,

THEOBOLD MATHEW, of Thurles, who married Margaret, eldest daughter of Sir Valentine Browne Bt, and was succeeded by his elder son,

GEORGE MATHEW, of Thurles, who wedded Eleanor, second daughter of Edmond, 3rd/13th Baron Dunboyne, and was succeeded by his son,

GEORGE MATHEW, who erected a splendid mansion upon his estate at Thurles, containing forty bedrooms, and ample corresponding accommodation for as many guests.

This gentleman distinguished himself by hospitality upon an unprecedented and almost boundless scale. He fitted up his sumptuous residence as a guest house of the first magnitude, and his guests were informed upon their arrival, that as such they were to regard it, and to consider themselves, in every sense of the word, quite at home. 

They might either live in their own suite of rooms, or at the table d'hôte, as they pleased. There was a coffee-room, tavern, billiards-room, etc, and Mr Mathew himself appeared only as one of the guests. 

This highly accomplished and celebrated person had the degree of LL.D conferred upon him, 1677, by his half-brother James, 1st Duke of Ormond, Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

Mr Mathew wedded firstly, Catherine, third daughter of Sir John Shelley, 3rd Baronet, by Mary, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Gage Bt, of Firle, East Sussex, and had issue, an only child,

GEORGE, his heir.

He espoused secondly, in 1716, Ann, widow of James, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, by whom he no issue, and at his decease, the estates devolved upon his brother-in-law,

GEORGE MATHEW, married his cousin, Mary Anne Mathew, and had issue,

George (1733-8);
Elizabeth.

On the failure of male issue in this branch, the estates devolved to

GEORGE MATHEW, of Thomastown, who wedded firstly, Margaret, fourth daughter of Thomas Butler (grandson of the Lord Richard Butler, younger son of James, 1st Duke of Ormond, by the Lady Margaret Burke, eldest daughter of William, 7th Earl of Clanricarde, and widow of Bryan Magennis, Viscount Iveagh, and had issue, a daughter.

Mr Mathew espoused secondly, Isabella, fourth daughter of William Brownlow, of Lurgan, County Armagh (by the Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, eldest daughter of James, 6th Earl of Abercorn), and had issue, a son, who died in infancy, when the estate devolved upon a junior branch of the family,

THOMAS MATHEW, of Thurles, and subsequently of Thomastown, who married, in 1736, Miss Mary Mathews, of Dublin, and had issue,

FRANCIS, his heir;
Catherine Ann Maria.

The only son and heir,

FRANCIS MATHEW (1738-1806), wedded firstly, in 1764, Ellis, second daughter of James Smyth (son of the Rt Rev Edward Smyth, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor), and had issue,

FRANCIS JAMES, his heir;
Montague James, Lieutenant-General in the Army;
George Toby Skeffington;
Elizabeth.

He espoused secondly, in 1784, the Lady Catherine Skeffington; and thirdly, in 1799, ______ Coghlan, second daughter of Jeremiah Coghlan.

Mr Mathew, MP for Tipperary, 1768-83, High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1769, was elevated to the peerage, in 1783, in the dignity of Baron Landaff, of Thomastown, County Tipperary.

He was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1793, as Viscount Landaff, of Thomastown, County Tipperary.

His lordship was further advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1797, as EARL LANDAFF.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS JAMES, 2nd Earl (1768-1833), KP, MP for County Tipperary, 1801-6, Knight of St Patrick, 1831, who married, in 1797, Gertrude Cecilia, daughter of John La Touche, of Harristown, County Kildare, though the marriage was without issue.

His lordship died of syncope in Dublin, on 12 March 1833, aged 65, when the titles expired.

Dying intestate, his estates went to his sister, the Lady Elizabeth Mathew, who died in 1842, leaving the estates to a cousin, the Vicomte de Chabot, the son of her mother's sister, Elizabeth Smyth.

THOMASTOWN CASTLE, Golden, County Tipperary, was built by George Matthew and dated from ca 1670.

It comprised a long, two-storey house of pink brick.

The house in its present form was enlarged in the Gothic style by Francis, 2nd Earl Landaff, in 1812.

(Sir) Richard Morrison designed the house incorporating a veneer of Gothic openings, including the ornate polygonal and square towers to the front elevation.

The office wing to the right was also enlarged in the Gothic style.

From ca 1872 the great mansion fell into disrepair to become the impressive and spectacular ruin it is today.

Father Theobald Mathew, the famous temperance reformer whose father was a cousin of the 1st Earl, grew up at the Castle.

The 2nd Earl's sister, Lady Elizabeth Mathew, bequeathed Thomastown to her maternal cousin, the Vicomte de Rohan-Chabot, son of the Comte de Jarnac.

The estate later passed to the Daly family.

The ruinous building was purchased in 1938 by the Rt Rev David Mathew, the historian, who wished it to be kept in the family and saved from destruction.

This expectation proved to have been in vain.

The arched gate lodge to the east reflects the architecture of the main house and retains many fine details, such as the cross loops and hood mouldings.

The walled gardens provide an example of the many demesne-related activities thereby contributing context to the site.

First published in September, 2018.  Landaff arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Mount Stewart Memories: II

THE LATE CHARLES VILLIERS, A GRANDSON OF THE LATE LADY MAIRI BURY AND GREAT-GRANDSON OF THE 7TH MARQUESS AND MARCHIONESS OF LONDONDERRY, REMINISCES ABOUT MOUNT STEWART, COUNTY DOWN,  DURING THE 1960s AND 1970s

AN interesting fact was that while the gardens were open via the National Trust, the house itself was my grandmother's totally private residence until I was about 13, complete with butler and quite a lot of staff.

There were still some large house parties: At Christmas and New Year, 1973-74, I remember that every one of the twenty-six or so bedrooms had at least one guest staying in them.

At that time, the extensive attics were piled to the ceilings with an enormous quantity of surplus furniture for which there was no space in the rest of the house.

Those attics were cleared in a big furniture sale in 1975.

I must have been a very precocious 12 year-old because I wanted to use some modest Post Office savings to buy two dusty paintings of an attractive-looking lady, one with an elbow-sized hole in the canvas, clearly signed "B West" in black paint, and dated in the late eighteenth century, which I knew of from my "boy's den" in one of the attics before they were brought down for the sale.

I was told by my parents that I could not use my Post Office account for the purpose of the paintings of the beautiful lady.

In the event the portraits sold for relative buttons in the auction in the stable yard at Mount Stewart, were cleaned up by the Bond Street dealer who flew over from London and back the same day to buy them; then declared them to be by the famous American painter Benjamin West; cleaned; and identified as two portraits of Foreign Secretary Lord Castlereagh's mother-in-law; and were each quickly re-sold for large sums to two museums in the United States where they currently reside now.

There is no doubt that I would have been outbid by the dealer, but I'd have liked him to have had to cough up a bit more cash than he did.

I could go on with reams of other recollections.

My memories of Mount Stewart are, above all, of the happiest loving kind when it comes to my grandmother [Lady Mairi] who was the most wonderful grandparent anyone could have had, and we were all so lucky to have her for so long.

First published in November, 2010.

Cultra Manor

This branch of the noble house of AILSA left Ayrshire in 1668, and settled in County Down, at Cultra, where they remained.

DR HUGH KENNEDY (c1628-c1685), of Ballycultra, County Down, married Mary, daughter of Arthur Upton.

Dr Kennedy, a distinguished medical practitioner in Belfast during the 17th century, was physician to the 1st Earl of Donegall, who bequeathed him "£50 sterling a year (about £10,500 today) for four years, to commence within a year of my death."

He was succeeded by his son,

JOHN KENNEDY, who wedded Martha, daughter of William Stewart, of Ballylawn, County Donegal, and aunt of Robert, 1st Earl of Londonderry.

Dr Kennedy purchased the estate of Cultra from the Earl of Clanbrassil in 1671.

He was succeeded by his son,

HUGH KENNEDY, of Cultra, who espoused, in 1741, Mabel, daughter of John Curtis, of Dublin, and had issue,

JOHN, of whom presently;
Mary, m 1774, J Crawford, of Crawfordsburn.

Mr Kennedy was succeeded by his only son, 

JOHN KENNEDY, of Cultra, High Sheriff of County Down, 1769, who wedded Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev Henry Cole (brother of 1st Baron Mount Florence) by Mary his wife, daughter of Sir Arthur Brooke Bt, by whom he had, with other issue,

HUGH, his heir;
Henry, died in India;
John, of Dunbrody, Co Wexford;
Arthur, Colonel in the army.

Mr Kennedy, who, after the death of the 8th Earl of Cassilis, was a claimant for the title, was succeeded by his eldest son, 

HUGH KENNEDY JP (1775-1852), of Cultra, High Sheriff of County Down, 1802, who married firstly, in 1800, Grace Dorothea, only child of Thomas Hughes, and granddaughter of Sir Edward Newenham MP; and had issue,

John Hughes, d 1839;
Thomas Henry, d 1864;
ROBERT STEWART, his heir;
Arthur Edward (Sir), GCMG, CB;
William Hugh, Captain RN;
George Augustus;
Elizabeth; Frances; Grace; Frances Matilda; Emily Jane.

He wedded secondly, in 1824, Sophia, daughter of William John Lowe, by Sophia his wife, daughter of Richard, 4th Viscount Boyne, and had further issue,

Frederick;
Hugh;
Sophia; Georgina; Edith; Florence; Augusta.

Mr Kennedy was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT STEWART KENNEDY (1807-54), of Cultra, who married, in 1849, Anne Catherine, only daughter of Edward Michael Ward (grandson of 1st Viscount Bangor), of Bangor Castle, County Down, by his wife, the Lady Matilda Stewart (daughter of Robert, 1st Marquess of Londonderry), and had issue,

ROBERT JOHN, his heir;
Edward Henry (1854-57);
Grace Emily (1850-1938), d unmarried.

Mr Kennedy's elder son and heir,

SIR ROBERT JOHN KENNEDY KCMG JP DL, of Cultra (1851-1936), High Sheriff of County Down, 1915, who married, in 1883, Bertha Jane Ward, daughter of Henry William, 5th Viscount Bangor, and had issue,

Mary Grace Enid, b 1884;
Bertha Catherine Maud, b 1885;
Matilda Kathleen, b 1888;
Lucy Emily Harriette, 1893-1969. 

Sir Robert was educated at Harrow; graduated from Oxford, 1874; was attaché at Madrid, 1874-76; Secretary at Constantinople, 1877-79; and Secretary at St Petersburg, 1879-81; Chargé d'Affaires in Bulgaria, 1882-84; Chargé d'Affaires in Roumania, 1886-88; Secretary of Legation to Persia, 1888-93; Knight of Justice, Order of St. John of Jerusalem (K.J.St.J.); HM Ambassador Extraordinary to Uruguay, 1906-12; Knight Commander, Order of St Michael and St George, 1913; lieutenant, Royal North Down Militia; Minister Resident at Cettinjé, Montenegro; Fellow, Royal Geographical Society; Governor, Campbell College.

CULTRA MANOR, Craigavad, County Down, was built to replace a Tudor-Revival residence called Cultra House, a large, plain mansion with a central bow and a battlemented parapet.

The front of the manor house has projecting pedimented ends, joined by a balustraded Ionic parapet; the right hand projecting forth as a porch. 

There is a long, two-storey service wing, joined to the main block by a link.

The present mansion house is first shown on an ordnance survey map of 1919-31 on a previously vacant site.

The coastal areas of Cultra had, by this time, been reasonably heavily developed, and building further inland allowed Sir Robert Kennedy to benefit from a very large landscaped plot on which he could site one of the last substantial mansions to be built in the area.

The Irish Builder of 1902 announced that,

Mr Hunter, Scottish Provident Buildings, Belfast ... is also engaged on quantities for a new manor house on the Cultra Estate of R J Kennedy, Esq, DL, CMG, near Belfast. The approximate cost is £10,000 and tenders will be taken by limited competition only. The design is a fine one, and executed in blackstone with red sandstone dressings, the architectural treatment being a free Ionic. Messrs Graeme, Watt and Tulloch are the architects.

The stone used was local greywacke with Locharbriggs sandstone dressings.

Sir Robert retired in 1912 to Cultra Manor, which he had built in 1902.

The Kennedy family's former residence was Cultra House, which had passed out of their ownership in the 1870s.

Sir Robert's wife Bertha, the Hon Lady Kennedy,  became the

"perfect British Embassy wife" and was "the outstanding Ulster adventuress of the Edwardian age and the first European woman to enter Khorasan and Afghanistan."

At the time the house was described thus:

Fine position on high ground, good views of lough, surrounded by plantations and charming glen with waterfall. Land immediately facing main entrance now planted temporarily with turnips but this is to be sown down to grass for lawn. Plantations laid out with pleasure walks. 

Carriage drive metalled with material from quarry adjoining, which being impregnated with sulphur is impervious to weeds and renders upkeep approximately nil. Well appointed house with a minimum of offices. Acetylene gas lighting, own plant. 

Private water supply with oil engine pump. Septic tank with overflow to river. Sir Robert and Lady Kennedy died within a few months of each other in 1936, leaving their four daughters to inherit the estate.

After the 2nd World War, the family found the maintenance of the mansion increasingly overwhelming and, ca 1952, a smaller Neo-Georgian house was built for them in the (136 acre) grounds.

The manor house and pleasure gardens were sold in 1961 to the Ulster Folk Museum, and a conversion of the building was undertaken by Robert McKinstry in association with Ian Campbell.

This consisted of re-allocating the main rooms as exhibition areas, the servants' quarters as workshops and library and extending the garages for use as an administration block.

The museum opened to visitors in 1964. 

*****

The demesne created for the house of 1902-04, which lies in an elevated position, commands fine views of Belfast Lough.

Hills behind the shelter-belt trees protect the house from the westerly winds.

There are two planted glens running on the east and west side of the house, with walks and bridges.

The lawns to the north of the house descend to a rockery, which is not maintained, neither is the once-famous rose garden.

The site is now landscaped for the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and the house is presently no longer the centre-piece. 

Kennedy family items, such as the graveyard and the pets' graveyard, have been absorbed into the subsequent development.

However, the Museum has benefited from the mature trees and sweeping carriage drive flanked by flowering shrubs since 136 acres were purchased in 1961.

The gate lodge is dated 1905.

In 2010, ca £3 million was being spent on a complete refurbishment of Cultra Manor, transforming the building into a leading venue for public programming and corporate hire.

Former town residence of Sir R Kennedy ~ 4 Onslow Crescent, London.

First published in February, 2011; revised 2014.

Ballyconra House

THE VISCOUNTS MOUNTGARRET WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KILKENNY, WITH 14,073 ACRES

This is a branch of the noble house of BUTLER, Earls and Marquesses of Ormonde, springing from

THE HON RICHARD BUTLER (1500-71), second son of Piers, 8th Earl of Ormonde, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1550, in the dignity of VISCOUNT MOUNTGARRET, County Wexford.

His lordship married firstly, Eleanor, daughter of Theobald Butler, of Nechum, County Kilkenny, and had one son, Edmund; and secondly, Catherine, daughter and heir of Peter Barnewall, of Stackallan, County Meath, and had issue, Barnewall, who died unmarried, Pierce, and other issue.

He espoused thirdly, in 1541, Anne, daughter of John, Lord Killeen, from whom he was divorced in the first year of his marriage.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDMUND, 2nd Viscount (c1562-1602), who married Grizzel, daughter of Barnaby, 1st Baron Upper Ossory, and was father of

RICHARD, 3rd Viscount (1578-1651), who wedded firstly, Margaret, eldest daughter of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, by whom alone he had issue, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDMUND, 4th Viscount (1595-1679), 

• Edmund Butler, 2nd Viscount (d 1602);
• Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount (1578–1651);
• Edmund Butler, 4th Viscount (1595–1679);
• Richard Butler, 5th Viscount (d 1706);
• Edmund Butler, 6th Viscount (1663–1735);
• Richard Butler, 7th Viscount (1685–1736);
• James Butler, 8th Viscount (1686–1749);
• Edmund Butler, 9th Viscount (1687–1751);
• Edmund Butler, 10th Viscount (d 1779);
• Edmund Butler, 11th Viscount (1745–93);
• Edmund Butler, 12th Viscount (1771–1846) (created Earl of Kilkenny in 1793).

Earls of Kilkenny (1793)

• Edmund Butler, 1st Earl of Kilkenny, 12th Viscount Mountgarret (1771–1846)

Viscounts Mountgarret (continued)

• Henry Edmund Butler, 13th Viscount (1816–1900)
• Henry Edmund Butler, 14th Viscount (1844–1912)
• Edmund Somerset Butler, 15th Viscount (1875–1918)
• Piers Henry Augustine Butler, 16th Viscount (1903–66)
• Richard Henry Piers Butler, 17th Viscount (1936–2004)
• Piers James Richard Butler, 18th Viscount (b 1961)

The current heir presumptive is the present holder's brother, Edmund Henry Richard Butler (b 1962). 

Piers James Richard [Butler], 18th and present Viscount,  is de jure 27th Earl of Ormonde and 21st Earl of Upper Ossory following the death of the 7th Marquess of Ormonde in 1997. 

BALLYCONRA HOUSE is a seven-bay, two-storey over basement house with dormer attic, dated 1724, on an L-shaped plan, possibly originally a mill owner's house with two-bay two-storey side elevations, and single-bay two-storey double-pile return to north-west. Now in use as offices.

This is a well-appointed substantial house representing an important element of the early 18th century architectural heritage of County Kilkenny.

It may originally have had associations with the nearby Ballyconra Mills, though its primary significance was for the connections with the Butler Family, Viscounts Mountgarret, late of Ballyragget Castle (1495) together with the Cahill family.

Ballyconra is located on a slightly elevated site.

This house makes an important impression in a landscape dominated by late 20th-century industrial ranges.  

The house is said to be haunted by the ghost of Edmund, 12th Viscount Mountgarret and first and last Earl of Kilkenny, who died in 1846 and was the last Mountgarret to live there. 

Following Lord Kilkenny's death, the house was occupied by Michael Cahill, agent to the 13th Viscount, by whose descendants it was afterwards acquired.

The Mountgarrets' other seat was Nidd Hall, near Ripley, Yorkshire; sold in 1968.

First published in February, 2012.   Mountgarret arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

St George of Wood Park

This family deduces its pedigree from BALDWIN ST GEORGE, one of the companions-in-arms of WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, whose descendants flourished in England for several centuries, and frequently represented Cambridgeshire in Parliament.

Sir Baldwin St George (1362-1426), of Hatley, Cambridgeshire, was MP for Cambridgeshire between 1394 and 1414.

SIR RICHARD ST GEORGE (c1550-1635), Clarenceux King of Arms (19th in lineal descent from Baldwin), married, in 1575, Elizabeth, daughter of Nicholas St John, of Lidiard Tregoze, Wiltshire, by whom he left at his decease three sons,

Henry, Garter King of Arms;
George (Sir), of Carrickdrumrusk (Carrick-on-Shannon);
RICHARD, of whom we treat.

The third son,

CAPTAIN RICHARD ST GEORGE (1590-1667), went over to Ireland in the beginning of the 17th century, in the Royal Army, and was appointed Governor of the town and castle of Athlone.

He was born at Hatley St George, Cambridgeshire, and wedded, in 1625, Anne, daughter of Michael Pinnock, of Turrock, County Roscommon, by which lady he had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
Mary; Anne.

The only surviving son,

HENRY ST GEORGE (1638-1723), of Athlone, and of Woodsgift, County Kilkenny, MP for Athlone, 1715-23, was an officer in the Irish army of CHARLES II.

He espoused, in 1669, Anne, daughter of Alderman Ridgeley Hatfield, of the city of Dublin, and had issue,

Richard, of Kilrush;
Henry;
ARTHUR, of whom hereafter;
George, of Woodsgift, MP.

The third son,

THE VERY REV DR ARTHUR ST GEORGE (1681-1772), Dean of Ross, married Jane, daughter of Sir Thomas Molyneux Bt, of Castle Dillon, County Armagh, and had issue,

Richard, of Kilrush;

THOMAS, of whom hereafter;

Capel;

Arthur;

Howard, ancestor of ST GEORGE of Kilrush;

Henry (Rev);

Catherine.

The second son,

THOMAS ST GEORGE (1738-85), MP for Clogher, 1776-85, Commissioner of Barracks, wedded, in 1776, Lucinda, fourth daughter of Archibald, 1st Viscount Gosford, and had issue,

Thomas Baldwin;

ACHESON, of whom we treat;

John;

Archibald;

William Molyneux.

The eldest surviving son,

ACHESON ST GEORGE (1778-), of Wood Park, Tynan, County Armagh, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1826, espoused firstly, in 1810, Eleanor, daughter of Robert Gordon, of Clonmel, and had issue,

Thomas Gordon, Lieutenant-Colonel, East India Company;

William, East India Company;

ACHESON, of whom hereafter;

John, East India Company;

Lucinda Margaret; Eleanor Mary; Olivia.

He married secondly, in 1824, Jane, second daughter of the Hon and Very Rev John Hewitt, Dean of Cloyne (fourth son of James, 1st Viscount Lifford), and had one daughter,

Alicia Hewitt Caroline.

The third son,

ACHESON ST GEORGE (1819-1902), of Wood Park, County Armagh, married, in 1890, Jane Rebecca, only surviving child of Thomas Knox Armstrong, of Fellows Hall, County Armagh, and dsp 1902.

WOOD PARK, near Tynan, County Armagh, was a Georgian house to the south of the neighbouring estate of Fellows Hall.

Wood Park features in J A K Dean's  Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland on Page 66.

First published in December, 2020.

1st Earl of Thomond

This family (one of the few native houses to be found in the Peerage of Ireland) deduces its descent from the royal line of THOMOND, a race of princes which sprang from the celebrated Hibernian monarch, Brian Boru, who commenced his reign in 1002, and terminated it with his life at the battle of Clontarf in 1014.

The last of those princes,

CONNOR O'BRIEN, who was inaugurated King of Thomond in 1528, died in 1540, when his son was set aside and the principality usurped by his brother,

MURROUGH O'BRIEN, who surrendered his royalty to HENRY VIII, and was created in consequence by His Majesty, in 1543, EARL OF THOMOND, with remainder to his deposed nephew, Donough O'Brien, and BARON INCHIQUIN to his own male heirs; and for the better support of these honours, the King granted and confirmed to him and his male heirs all his lands, possessions, and patronages in Thomond beyond the River Shannon, bishoprics excepted.

His lordship died in 1551, when the Earldom devolved accordingly upon the said

DONOUGH O'BRIEN, who, on surrendering the patent to EDWARD VI, obtained a new grant of the dignities to himself and his male heirs, in 1552, and also possession of all the honours and lands which had fallen to the Crown by the death of his uncle.

From this nobleman the Earldom of Thomond passed in regular succession to

HENRY, 8th Earl, 1st Viscount Tadcaster (1688-1741); at whose decease, without male issue, it expired with his lordship's other honours.

The barony of Inchiquin was inherited by the 1st Earl's son and heir by Eleanor, daughter of Thomas FitzGerald,

DERMOD, 2nd Baron; to whom his father assigned the castle and lands of Inchiquin and other extensive territorial possessions.

His lordship wedded Margaret, eldest daughter of Donough, 2nd Earl of Thomond; and dying in 1557, was succeeded by his son,

MURROUGH, 3rd Baron (c1550-74), who espoused Mabel, eldest daughter of Christopher, 6th Baron Delvin, and was succeeded at his decease by his son,

MURROUGH, 4th Baron (1563-97), who married Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Cusack, LORD CHANCELLOR OF IRELAND, and was succeeded by his son,

DERMOD, 5th Baron (1594-1624), who wedded Ellen, eldest daughter of Sir Edmund FitzGerald, Knight, of Cloyne, and was succeeded at his decease by his eldest son,

MURROUGH, 6th Baron (1614-74), who was advanced, 1664, to the EARLDOM OF INCHIQUIN.

Murrough, 1st Earl of Inchiquin,  Photo Credit: Manchester Art Gallery

• Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin, 6th Baron Inchiquin (1618–74);

• William O'Brien, 2nd Earl of Inchiquin, 7th Baron Inchiquin (1640–92);

• William O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin, 8th Baron Inchiquin (1662–1719);

• William O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin, 9th Baron Inchiquin (1700–77).

The 4th Earl was succeeded, in 1777, by his nephew and son-in-law,

MURROUGH (1726-1808), as 5th Earl; who was created, in 1800, MARQUESS OF THOMOND, and was enrolled amongst the peers of the United Kingdom, 1801, as Baron Thomond, of Taplow, Buckinghamshire.

Murrough, 1st Marquess of Thomond KP

His lordship had several children by his first consort, Mary, 3rd Countess of Orkney, none of whom lived, however, except MARY, who succeeded to the honours of her mother, as 4th Countess of Orkney, and wedded the Hon Thomas Fitzmaurice.

He espoused secondly, in 1762, Mary, eldest daughter of John Palmer, of Great Torrington, Devon, and niece of Sir Joshua Reynolds, but had no other issue.

The 1st Marquess was installed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1783.

His lordship was thrown from his horse in Grosvenor Square, London, in 1808, and died in consequence of the fall, when the barony of THOMOND, of Taplow, expired; but the Irish honours devolved upon his nephew,

WILLIAM O'BRIEN (1765-1846), as 2nd Marquess, KP, who married, in 1799, Elizabeth, only daughter and heiress of Thomas Trotter, of Duleek, County Meath, and had issue,

Susan Maria; Sarah; Mary; Elizabeth.

His lordship, who was installed a Knight of St Patrick in 1809, died without male issue, when the family honours devolved upon his brother,

JAMES, 3rd Marquess (1769-1855), Admiral in the Royal Navy, who wedded firstly, in 1800, Eliza Bridgman, second daughter of James Willyams, of Carnanton, Cornwall; and secondly, in 1806, Jane, daughter of Thomas Ottley; and thirdly, in 1847 , Anne, sister of Sir Charles William Flint.

His lordship, however, left no issue, and the marquessate and earldom expired; the barony of Inchiquin, however, reverted to Sir Lucius O'Brien Bt, in 1855, as 13th Baron Inchiquin.

ROSTELLAN CASTLE, County Cork, was delightfully situated and presented a striking object to vessels entering Cork Harbour.

The ancient castle, from which it acquired its designation, was a residence of the FitzGeralds, built by Robert FitzStephen; and during the wars of 1645 it was twice assailed and captured.

The early Georgian mansion of 1721 was built on the site of the ancient pile, and was considerably enlarged and improved by at least two of its noble proprietors.

The castle was rebuilt at some stage prior to 1750, possibly by the 4th Earl (1700-77), who established the predecessor of the Royal Cork Yacht Club in 1720.

In 1777 the 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Thomond extended and renovated Rostellan; and further alterations were undertaken by the 2nd Marquess.

Thereafter it comprised three storeys, with a five-bay front between two three-sided bows.

A side elevation consisted of four bays and a three-sided bow.

The house front had noticeable string courses and quoins.

The Chapel

A Gothic porch was added in the 19th century; and a substantial Gothic chapel wing with pinnacles and castellated round tower.

Facing the water-front, near the house, there was a battlemented terrace complete with canons, akin to a battery.

The 1st Marquess erected a tower in honour of Mrs Siddons, a house guest.

Following the decease of the 3rd and last Marquess in 1855, Rostellan was purchased by Dr Thomas Alexander Wise.

Sir John Pope-Hennessy, KCMG, formerly of Myrtle Grove, became the next owner; followed by Charles John Engledow MP.

Rostellan suffered the fate of many mansions, in 1944: demolition.

The demesne which surrounded it was exquisite in situation, and commanded an unequalled prospect of the animated, picturesque and grand harbour.

The grounds were well planted, displayed a profusion of luxuriant evergreens, and presented many delightful indications of the mildness of the climate, and the fertility of the soil.

First published in March, 2016.  Thomond arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

WILLIAM III at Hillsborough

WILLIAM III, By Manner of Willem Wissing ~ Rijksmuseum

WILLIAM III's PROGRESS TO THE BOYNE

KING WILLIAM III ARRIVES AT HILLSBOROUGH

In the evening of the 19th June, 1690, King William III arrived at Hillsborough, County Down, nothing remarkable having occurred during the march from Lisburn.

The town, which was then the property of the Hill family [Marquesses of Downshire], whose name it bears, was incorporated by charter of CHARLES II, and the Corporation was styled "The Sovereign, Burgesses, and Free Commons of the Borough and Town of Hillsborough."

There, also, had been Schomberg and his army, on Tuesday, the 3rd September, 1689, on their way to Loughbrickland.

And a weary way it was; for what the Protestants spared in the flight from their homes; the Jacobites destroyed, so that in the district not a sheep nor a cow was to be seen; the track of Schomberg and his men was through ruin.

Now the King himself and his forces had arrived.

The fort had been prepared to receive and accommodate His Majesty.

It was a magnificent structure, built by Sir Arthur Hill, in 1650, and consisted of four bastions.

Bonnivert describes it as "a great house belonging to the King, standing on a hill on the left hand of the road;" and in a certain sense the Frenchman was right.

The site was chosen so that the fort might command the Pass of Kilwarlin, the chief road between Belfast and Dublin.

Accordingly, it was strongly fortified within, and had the additional strength afforded by a trench.

At the close of the year 1660, it was made a Royal garrison, and placed in command of a Constable, who received 3s 4d a day, having under him twenty-four warders whose pay was each 6d a day.

The constable-ship was vested in the Hill family for ever.

As might be expected, the old Castle in the demesne is much venerated by loyal men.

There His Majesty remained two days, and strangers are still shown relics of the Royal visit.

They have pointed out to them the apartments he occupied; the chair on which he sat; the table on which he wrote his Orders; the window opposite which chair and table stood; the bedstead on which he slept; the stable in which his horse was put up; the situation of the gardens, and the direction in which he walked - in fact, everything is to be seen but the King himself.

More interesting than the silent witnesses is the testimony borne by the successors of the original warders.

They are regularly on duty at the new Castle of Hillsborough, wearing the uniform, somewhat modernised, of the Dutch Guards - blue coat with red lapels; cocked hat trimmed with white lace, and for plume a red feather; white breeches and gaiters.

Hillsborough Old Guard during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations at
Hillsborough Castle, Lisburn (Image: Kelvin Boyes/Presseye/PA Wire)

From the Court at Hillsborough, His Majesty issued two important documents: One was a Royal Warrant, addressed to Christopher Carleton, collector of customs at Belfast, authorising the payment of £1,200 yearly to the Presbyterian ministers of Ulster.

This is understood to be the origin, of the grant called "Regium Donum."

The pension was inserted in the Civil List, and made payable out of the Exchequer.

Here is a copy of the Warrant:--

Whereas, upon our arrival in this kingdom at Belfast, we received a loyal and dutiful address from our trusty and well-beloved subjects, Patrick Adair, etc., in the name of themselves and the rest of the Presbyterian ministers of their persuasion in these northern parts of our kingdom: 

And calling to mind how early they also were in their address unto us upon our arrival in England, and the promises we then made them of a pension of eight hundred pounds per annum, for their subsistence, which, by reason of several impediments, hath not as yet been made effectual unto them:  

And being assured of the peaceable and dutiful temper of our said subjects, and sensible of the losses they have sustained and their constant labour to unite the hearts of others in zeal and loyalty towards us: 

We do hereby, out of our Royal Bounty give and grant unto them the sum of twelve hundred pounds per annum, to be paid by quarterly instalments, the first payment of three hundred pounds sterling, to begin upon the 24th day of this instant June, and so forward:  

And our will and pleasure is, that you, or the collector of our customs at Belfast for the time being, do make the payments of the said pension into the hands of Mr. Patrick Adair, Alexander Hutchinson, Archibald Hamilton, Robert Craghead, Hugh Wilson, Robert Henry, and William Adair, or to the person which they, or any five of them shall appoint, to be by them distributed among the rest. 

And for so doing this shall be your warrant.

"Given at our Court at Hillsborough the 19th day of June, 1690, in the second year of our reign."

First published in July, 2012.