Blarney Castle

THE COLTHURST BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CORK, WITH 31,260 ACRES

JOHN COLTHURST, of Ballyanly, County Cork (great-grandson of Christopher Colthurst, murdered near Macroom, in 1641, son of Colonel John Colthurst, who was murdered by the rebels, 1607), High Sheriff of County Cork, 1725, married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Nicholas Purdon, Knight, and  had two sons,

NICHOLAS, his heir;
JOHN, successor to his brother.

The elder son,

COLONEL NICHOLAS COLTHURST (1676-1754), of Ballyanly, High Sheriff of County Cork, 1736, espoused Penelope, second daughter of Sir John Topham, Knight, of Dublin, one of the Masters in Chancery, and had (with two daughters), an only son, Topham, who died under age.

Colonel Colthurst was succeeded by his brother,

JOHN COLTHURST (1678-1756), of Ardrum, MP for Tallow, 1734-56, High Sheriff of County Cork, 1738, wedded firstly, Alice, daughter of James Conway; and secondly, Mahetabel, daughter of William Wallis.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN CONWAY COLTHURST (c1720-75), MP for Doneraile, 1751-60, Youghal, 1761-8, Castlemartyr, 1768-75, who wedded, in 1741, the Lady Charlotte FitzMaurice, daughter of Thomas, 1st Earl of Kerry, by whom he had five sons.

Mr Colthurst was created a baronet in 1774, designated of Ardrum, County Cork.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN CONWAY COLTHURST, 2nd Baronet (c1743-87), who was killed in a duel with Dominick Trant; and dying unmarried, the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR NICHOLAS COLTHURST, 3rd Baronet,  High Sheriff of County Cork, 1788, who wedded Harriet, second daughter of the Rt Hon David La Touche,  and had issue,

NICHOLAS CONWAY, his heir;
Elizabeth; Catherine.

Sir Nicholas died in 1795, and was succeeded by his only son,

SIR NICHOLAS CONWAY COLTURST, 4th Baronet (1789-1829), Colonel, Cork Militia, MP for Cork, 1812-29, who espoused, in 1819, Elizabeth, daughter of Colonel George Vesey, and had, with other issue,

GEORGE CONWAY, his successor;
Charles Vesey.

Sir Nicholas was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR GEORGE CONWAY COLTHURST, 5th Baronet (1824-78), JP DL MP, High Sheriff of County Cork, 1850, who married, in 1846, Louisa Jane, daughter of St John George Jefferyes, and had issue,

GEORGE ST JOHN, his successor;
Alice Conway; Louisa Julia.

Sir George was succeeded by his son,

SIR GEORGE ST JOHN COLTHURST, 6th Baronet (1850-1925), JP DL, who wedded, in 1881, Edith Jane Thomasina, daughter of Captain Jonas Morris, and had issue,

GEORGE OLIVER, his successor;
RICHARD ST JOHN JEFFERYES, succeeded his brother as 8th Baronet;
Edith Dorothy.

Sir George was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR GEORGE OLIVER COLTHURST, 7th Baronet (1882-1951), who died unmarried, when the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR RICHARD ST JOHN JEFFERYES COLTHURST, 8th Baronet (1887-1955), High Sheriff of County Dublin, 1920-21,

Sir Richard St John Jefferyes Colthurst, 8th Baronet (1887–1955);
Sir Richard la Touche Colthurst, 9th Baronet (1928–2003);
Sir Charles St John Colthurst, 10th Baronet (b 1955);

BLARNEY CASTLE, Blarney, County Cork, is an unusually large tower-house of 1446 which incorporates the famous Blarney Stone, high up beneath the battlements.

The 4th Earl of Clancarty had supported JAMES II, with the result that his forfeited estate was granted to the Hollow Swords Company at the end of the Williamite wars.

In 1704 the Mayor of Cork, Sir James St John Jefferyes, purchased the estate and built a new house attached to the original castle.

This was greatly enlarged by his descendants and developed into large Georgian Gothic building with a central bow, rows of lancet windows and pinnacled battlements.

In 1820 this house was destroyed by fire and not rebuilt, though its remains can still be seen today.

In 1846 Louisa Jane, the Jefferyes heiress, married a neighbour, Sir George Colthurst, of Ardrum near Inniscarra.

He was a man of property, with another large estate at Ballyvourney near the border with County Kerry, along with Lucan House in County Dublin.

He also inherited Blarney on his father-in-law’s death.

When her first children died, Lady Colthurst demanded a new house at Blarney on an elevated site.

This was built in the Scots Baronial style, to the designs of Sir Thomas Lanyon of Belfast who, rather surprisingly, incorporated a number of classical details from Ardrum into the design.

Their high quality shows that this must have been an important building.

BLARNEY HOUSE is typical of its type, with pinnacles, crow-stepped gables and a profusion of turrets with conical roofs.

The interior has a double height inner hall, lit from above, a pair of interconnecting drawing rooms and a massive oak staircase.

The style varies from faux Jacobean to Adam Revival, and the rooms have tall plate-glass windows which overlook the lake.

Nearby, the Jefferyes family created the unique Rock Close, an early 18^th century druidic garden layout of large rocks, boulders and yew trees; with dolmens, a stone circle and a druid’s altar.

Today Blarney House is the home of Sir Charles Colthurst, 10th Baronet.

In 2009, Sir Charles donated the family papers of the Colthurst family to the Cork City and County Archives, adding to a previous legal collection relating to this family already in the Archives.

Other former residences ~ Ardrum, Inniscarra; Glenmervyn, Glanmire, Co Cork.

First published in November, 2011.

The Downshire Estates

Arms of Wills, 1st Marquess of Downshire,
created Baron Harwich in 1756

During the Victorian era the Downshire estates were vast.

The Hills, Earls of Hillsborough and MARQUESSES OF DOWNSHIRE, had become the largest landowners in County Down.

Arthur, the 6th Marquess, owned 78,051 acres of land in County Down, 15,766 acres in County Wicklow, 13,679 in the King's County, 5,787 in County Antrim, 5,287 in Berkshire, 1,338 in County Kildare, and 281 acres in Suffolk.

This amounted to a grand total of 120,189 acres of land in the realm.

Lord Downshire administered his estates from Hillsborough, County Down.

An article in the Ulster Journal of Archæology, third series, volume twelve, dated 1949, written by E R R Green, explains that

"The wealth of the Hill family was not founded on confiscation, like that of most of the 18th century Irish aristocracy, but on successful land speculation and fortunate marriages."

"SIR MOYSES HILL ... along with HUGH MONTGOMERY and JAMES HAMILTON ... built his fortunes on the ruin of Conn O'Neill of Castlereagh, the last native ruler of South Clandeboy."

"As early as 23 September, 1607, Conn conveyed Castlereagh and some other townlands lying around it to Hill, and in 1616 he granted a further very large tract to Sir Moyses and Sir James Hamilton."

"In 1608, the Corporation of Carrickfergus granted him lands in the liberties of the town."

"He also leased lands from SIR ARTHUR CHICHESTER at Malone, near Belfast, where he built a palisaded fort, the first Hillsborough. He died in 1630."

"His second son, Arthur, was active in buying and leasing land from the Magennises of Kilwarlin ..."

"Before the 1641 rebellion Arthur Hill was building up a considerable estate not only around Cromlyn, later to become his capital with the name of Hillsborough, but also further afield in Upper Iveagh around Carquillan, the later Hilltown."

"Arthur Hill was wise enough to serve Parliament and was rewarded by the grant of over 2,000 acres of land in Kilwarlin, erected, along with his other lands, into the manors of Hillsborough and Growle [Growell] by the Protectorate in 1657."

"Arthur's son, Moyses, married the daughter of his cousin, Francis Hill, of Hillhall, and so united the Castlereagh and Kilwarlin estates."

"All the children of this marriage died unmarried and his half-brother, William, inherited the estate."

"William's first wife, Eleanor Boyle, daughter of the Archbishop of Armagh, brought him the BLESSINGTON estate; and his second wife, Mary Trevor, brought him the third part of Sir Marmaduke Whitechurch's estate at LOUGHBRICKLAND, County Down."

"A townland exempted from King James I's grant of the Lordship of Newry was purchased at the end of the seventeenth century."

"The growth of the linen trade in the 18th century brought great prosperity to the west Down estates of the Hills."

"Banbridge, which passed into their hands in 1748, when Richard White sold Lord Hillsborough four townlands there ..."

"Wills Hill (1718-93) was a prominent figure in the world of his day, being President of the Board of Trade from 1763-5 and again in 1768, and Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1768 until his resignation in 1772."

"The wealth which enabled him to cut to fine a figure in politics was not stinted on his estates."

"He built the beautiful parish church at Hillsborough in 1773, the mansion, and most of the village."

"He became Earl of Hillsborough in 1751, and Marquis of Downshire in 1789."

"Arthur, the 2nd Marquis (1753-1801), married Mary Sandys, an heiress, who brought him East Hampstead Park in Berkshire, DUNDRUM in County Down, and Edenderry in King's County."

"Mary Sandys inherited these Irish properties from her grandmother, sister of the ... Viscount Blundell who had died in 1756."

"The house of Downshire had now reached its fullest expansion ..."

First published in August, 2021.

Mount Ievers Court

THE IEVERS' OWNED 1,203 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY CLARE

This family is descended from HENRY IVERS, of Yorkshire, who settled in County Clare in 1643. He was Clerk to the King's Commissioners for settling the quit rents, and afterwards became the Deputy Receiver. Mr Ivers was a magistrate and High Sheriff of that county, in which he held considerable landed property.

Further lucrative positions followed after the Restoration and, in 1680, Thomas Dinely estimated his income at £2,600 a year (about £580,000 in 2019), which allowed him to amass a considerable fortune and some 12,000 acres before his death in 1691.

Henry Ivers, High Sheriff of County Clare, 1673, married Elizabeth, daughter of Captain Stephens, of Ballysheen, and had issue,

Henry;
John;
William;
Thomas;
Robert;
GEORGE, of whom we treat;
Ambrose;
Ellen.

The sixth son,

GEORGE IEVERS, wedded a daughter of Robert Seward, of County Cork, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
George;
Henry.

The eldest son,

ROBERT IEVERS, espoused Mary Parsons, of County Limerick, and died in 1783, having had issue,

Henry;
Richard;
John Henry;
GEORGE, of whom presently;
Mary; Anne; Frances.

Mr Ievers died in 1783, and was succeeded by his youngest son,

GEORGE IEVERS (c1757-1808), married, in 1783, Eleanor, daughter of James Butler, of Castle Crine, County Clare, and had issue,

Robert;
William;
George;
Thomas;
James;
EYRE, of whom hereafter;
Mary; Elizabeth; Jane.

The youngest son,

EYRE IEVERS JP (1797-1860), of Mount Ievers, wedded, in 1842, Mildred, daughter of Maurice Newnan, and had issue,

JAMES BUTLER, his heir;
Eyre;
George Maurice;
William;
Philip Glover;
Mary Shinkwin; Mildred; Elizabeth Anne.

Mr Ievers was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES BUTLER IEVERS JP (1844-1915), of Mount Ievers, and Quinville Abbey, County Clare, who espoused firstly, in 1866, Elizabeth Buchanan, second daughter of Robert Blackwell, of The Prairie, County Down, and had issue,

EYRE HERBERT, his heir;
Mildred.

He married secondly, in 1899, Ernesta Carlotta Nina, younger daughter of Deputy Surgeon-General George Whitla.

Mr Ievers was succeeded by his son,

EYRE HERBERT IEVERS JP (1867-1922), of Mount Ievers, and Glenduff Castle, County Limerick, Captain, 5th Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers, who wedded, in 1902, Frances Hetty Webb, only daughter of Herbert Webb Gillman, and had issue,

EYRE HERBERT, his heir;
James Henry Gillman, b 1910;
Mildred Vivian; Annie Muriel Elizabeth.

The elder son,

COLONEL EYRE HERBERT IEVERS (1904-89), wedded, in 1934, Moirin, third daughter of the Very Rev Dr Henry John Gillespie, Dean of Killaloe, and had issue,

Nial (1946-64);
Fiona, b 1948.

MOUNT IEVERS COURT, near Sixmilebridge, County Clare, was built in 1738 by Colonel Henry Ievers to the design of John Rothery.

It replaced an older tower house, shown in Dinely’s drawing, which Henry Ievers may actually have built, since a chimney-piece re-used in the house bears the date 1648.

His eldest son was disinherited for marrying “a person of noe fortune” and the estate was inherited by the second son, Colonel Thomas Ivers, MP for County Clare, who changed the family name to Ievers.

Henry’s grandson, another Henry, inherited in 1731.

Within two years he had begun the construction of a new house, Mount Ievers Court, completed in 1738 at a cost of £1,478 7s. 9d. (about £316,000 in today's money), plus the value of two horses, two mules and various other expenses.

The house was built of red brick, which became fashionable for Irish country houses in the 1730s, and has faded to a wonderful rose pink, the plan derives from Inigo Jones’s Chevening in Kent, although the facades are both simpler and more accomplished, diminishing subtly as they rise to the bold cornice.

The Walled Garden (Image: Karen Ievers, 2022)

There are two formal fronts: the south front is of cut limestone, and the north front, originally the entrance front, of brick “exquisitely disciplined by the limestone of coigns, strings and cornice”.

The builder, John Rothery, who hailed from a prominent family of architects and builders in counties Limerick and Cork, died during construction.

The Walled Garden (Image: Karen Ievers, 2022)

In the words of the architectural historian Maurice Craig, “Superlatives have been used about out this house, and with good reason” though he also admits that the building was not in the forefront of fashion since “in style and spirit there is nothing about it which could not be of 1710,” an impression heightened by the combination of heavy glazing bars, small panes and sashes four panes wide.

Set above a high basement the interior is plain but grand, with a profusion of plaster panelling, elaborate cornices, simple compartmented ceilings, unusually generous doors with robust joinery, and a splendidly carved staircase with alternating barley-sugar and fluted balusters.

The topmost floor contains a long, barrel-vaulted gallery which stretches across the full length of the building, a feature of other Rothery houses such as the long-demolished Bowen’s Court, where it was used for dancing and exercise on wet days.

A Naïf painting, used as an overmantel in one ground floor room, shows a faithful reproduction of the present garden front with a splendidly baroque double-curved perron, instead of the present arrangement of steps, all set in an elaborate formal layout that has either largely disappeared or may never have been fully completed.

(Image: Karen Ievers)

The Ievers family’s prominence in local affairs faded over the years and much of the estate was lost in the 19th and 20th centuries before the house was sold to a cousin, Squadron Leader Norman Ievers RAF (1912-93), in 1939.

Returning at the end of the 2nd World War in 1945, after his retirement from the Royal Air Force, Squadron Leader Norman Ievers was able to re-purchase the house from his cousin’s daughter and set about a sympathetic and sensitive restoration with his wife.

Today the house is owned by their son, Norman Eyre Ievers (b 1973), together with his wife and family.

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

Sir Arthur Chichester

SIR JOSIAS BODLEY'S NARRATIVE OF SIR ARTHUR CHICHESTER

This historical extract from a volume of the Ulster Journal of Archæology provides a fascinating insight:-

The intrinsic interest of this humorous narrative of the holiday excursion of a knot of English officers in Ulster in the last days of ELIZABETH I's reign derives an extrinsic attraction from the fact that its author was a brother of the famous founder of the Bodleian Library. 

Sir Josias Bodley (c1550-1617) was the youngest of Sir Thomas Bodley's four brothers. 

In March, 1604, he was knighted by Mountjoy. After the pacification of Ireland he was appointed to superintend the Castles of Ireland. 

In 1609 Bodley was selected to survey the Ulster Plantation, and in recognition of this work received the appointment of director-general of the fortifications of Ireland, a post which he held until his death. 

Bodley, who died in 1617, was buried at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

SIR ARTHUR CHICHESTER (1563-1625), the founder of the fortunes and acquirer of the immense estates (though not the direct ancestor) of the Donegall family, is too well known in Irish history to need much notice here.

He was, at that time, Governor of Carrickfergus; and as Sergeant-Major of the army, somewhat similar to the rank of General, had command over the whole of the troops in Ulster; and had, accordingly, concentrated at Dungannon the troops under his own immediate command;

Sir Arthur Chichester (Image: Belfast Harbour Commissioners)

As well as those of the western parts of Ulster under the command of SIR HENRY DOCWRA (whose headquarters were at Derry, and under whose superintendence the walls and fortifications of that town were shortly afterwards erected) to drive Tyrone out of his fastnesses.

Choosing such a season of the year, to perform such a duty in such a locality, Sir Arthur proved himself as ignorant in strategy as he was subsequently pre-eminent in statesmanship;

and it is amusing to read the growlings [sic] of the rough old soldier, Docwra, as given in his narrative, at being dragged across the country on such a fruitless expedition, and his despair on climbing a hill to view the woods of Glenconkeine*, spread far and wide before him,

without a road to penetrate or a guide to trust; besides having to ford a river which, if swollen by rain, would eventually cut off his retreat.

It reminds us of some of the difficulties we read of as attendant on the late Caffre war.

Sir Arthur Chichester was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland, 1604-5, and held that office for the long period of ten years, during which time he was created a peer [1st Baron Chichester].

He was then appointed Lord High Treasurer, and held that office till his death in 1625.

His monument is to be seen in Carrickfergus Church.

He died without issue and was succeeded by his brother.

*Glenconkeine - comprised parishes which included Desertmartin ... extended nearly from Dungannon to Dungiven. Dockwra says it was a wilderness of woods, ravines and mountains, extending 20 miles in length and 10 in breadth; and all the writers of that day agree that as a fastness it was almost impenetrable.

Traditions still exist amongst the mountains of Londonderry and Tyrone of the immense forests that filled their valleys; and of their being inaccessible from the total absence of roads.

First published in September, 2015.  Chichester arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Huntley House

THE CHARLEYS OWNED 348 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

The family of Charley, or Chorley, passing over from the north of England, settled in Ulster in the 17th century, firstly at Belfast, where they were owners of house property for two hundred years; and afterwards at Finaghy, County Antrim, where  

RALPH CHARLEY (1664-1746), of Finaghy House, was father of

JOHN CHARLEY (1712-93), of Finaghy, who left a son and successor,

JOHN CHARLEY (1744-1812), of Finaghy House, who married, in 1783, Anne Jane, daughter of Richard Wolfenden, of Harmony Hill, County Down, and had issue,

JOHN, of Finaghy House 1784-1844, died unm;
MATTHEW, of Woodbourne; father of SIR WILLIAM T CHARLEY QC MP;
WILLIAM, of Seymour Hill.

The third son,

WILLIAM CHARLEY, of Seymour Hill, Dunmurry, married, in 1817, Isabella, eldest daughter of William Hunter JP, of Dunmurry, and had issue,

JOHN, of Seymour Hill;
WILLIAM, succeeded his brother;
Edward, of Conway House;
Mary; Anne Jane; Eliza; Isabella; Emily.

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

JOHN CHARLEY, of Seymour Hill, who died unmarried, in 1843, aged 25, and was succeeded by his brother, 

WILLIAM CHARLEY JP DL (1826-90), of Seymour Hill, who married, in 1856, Ellen Anna Matilda, daughter of Edward Johnson JP, of Ballymacash, near Lisburn, and granddaughter of Rev Philip Johnson JP DL, and had issue,

William, 1857-1904;
EDWARD JOHNSON, of Seymour Hill;
John George Stewart, 1863-86;
Thomas Henry FitzWilliam, 1866-85;
Arthur Frederick, of Mossvale, b 1870;
Harold Richard;
Ellen Frances Isabella; Elizabeth Mary Florence;
Emily Constance Jane; Wilhelmina Maud Isabel.

The second son,

EDWARD JOHNSON CHARLEY (1859-1932), of Seymour Hill, was succeeded by his sixth son, 

HAROLD RICHARD CHARLEY CBE DL (1875-1956), of Seymour Hill, Colonel, 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles; fought in the Boer War and First World War, with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, and was wounded and became a PoW. 

In 1916 he started workshops for interned British servicemen at Murren. He was Officer-in-Charge for Technical Instruction for servicemen interned in Switzerland in 1917; Commissioner of British Red Cross Society, Switzerland, 1918; commander of the 1st Royal Ulster Rifles, 1919-23.

Appointed CBE, 1920; City Commandant, Ulster Special Constabulary, 1924-52; originator of the British Legion Car Park Attendants scheme (adopted throughout Great Britain); Honorary Colonel, 1938, Antrim Coast Regiment (Territorial Army).

His eldest son, 

COLONEL WILLIAM ROBERT (Robin) HUNTER CHARLEY OBE JP DL (1924-2019), married Catherine Janet, daughter of William Sinclair Kingan, in 1960. 

HUNTLEY, Dunmurry, originally known as Huntley Lodge, was built ca 1830 by William Hunter (1777-1856), of Dunmurry House, on land leased by the Stewarts of Ballydrain from the Donegall Estate.

His son William (1806-90) lived in Huntley for a time and brought up his family.

In the mid 1850s, he moved with his family to the Isle of Man.

The house was then left by his father William (1777-1856) to his widowed sister, Mrs Isabella Charley (1800-82). 

Isabella's husband, William Charley of Seymour Hill, had died in 1838 and she lived at Seymour Hill until her eldest son William was married in 1856.

Isabella then moved to Huntley, where she was joined by her late husband's sisters Mary (1820-86) and Anne Jane Stevenson (1822-1904), whose husband had died in 1855, and Emily (1837-1917).

The ladies at Huntley were talented artists, did embroidery and kept beautiful scrapbooks.

They supported many charities and gave generously to local churches, schools and church halls.

They founded the Charley Memorial School at Drumbeg in 1892 in memory of their brother William Charley (1826-90) of Seymour Hill; and also established the Stevenson Memorial School, Dunmurry.

They built the church hall in Dunmurry on the condition that a service must be held there every Sunday afternoon.

Huntley remained in the possession of the Charley family until 1932, when Edward Charley, of Seymour Hill, died.

The house was sold to Mr George Bryson, who had been a tenant there since just after the 1st World War.

Huntley now operates as a country guest house and outdoor venue for small parties.

First published in March, 2011.

Cloverhill House

THE SANDERSONS OWNED 2,560 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY CAVAN

JAMES SAUNDERSON (alias SANDERSON), of Cloverhill, Drumcassidy, County Cavan, son of Alexander Sanderson, (and nephew of Colonel Robert Sanderson, of Castle Saunderson), MP for Enniskillen, 1727-60, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1732, married Maria, daughter of Colonel Brockhill Newburgh, of Ballyhaise, County Cavan, and had issue,

ALEXANDER, his heir;
Francis (Rev);
Robert;
Mary, m Charles Atkinson.

Mr Sanderson died in 1767, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

ALEXANDER SAUNDERSON, of Cloverhill, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1775, who wedded Lucy, daughter of the Rev Dr Samuel Madden, of Manor Water House, Galloon, County Fermanagh, "Premium Madden," and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
Lucy; Mary; Charlotte.

Mr Sanderson's will was proved in 1787, and he was succeeded by his only son,

JAMES SANDERSON JP DL, of Cloverhill, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac Walker, of Newry, and had issue, four daughters,

Mary Anne, d unm 1873;
Lucy, m 1826, S Winter, of Agher, Co Meath; mother of SAMUEL SANDERSON;
Elizabeth;
Frances Alexandrina, m 1830, Richard Winter Reynell, of Killyon, Co Westmeath.

Mr Sanderson died suddenly in 1831, as the result of a tragic carriage accident, and was succeeded by his sister,

MARY ANNE SANDERSON, during which period the Cloverhill estate was managed by her agent. 

Miss Sanderson built a chapel of ease (St John's) at the entrance to Cloverhill demesne in memory of her late father, which was consecrated in 1860. During her time, the post office was also built.

Miss Sanderson also built the schoolmaster's house, latterly a post office, and now known as The Olde Post Inn.

Miss Sanderson died in 1873, and was succeeded by her nephew,

SAMUEL WINTER SANDERSON JP DL (1834-1912), of Cloverhill, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1876, who married, in 1860, Anne, daughter of John Armytage Nicholson, of Balrath, County Meath.

Mr Sanderson, second surviving son of the late Samuel Winter, of Agher, assumed, in 1873, the name and arms of SANDERSON quarterly with those of WINTER.

He was succeeded by his nephew,

JOHN JAMES PURDON JP (1855-1933), Major, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1915, who was succeeded by his nephew,

MAJOR JOHN NUGENT PURDON OBE (1899-1967), who sold Cloverhill demesne ca 1958 to Mr Thomas Mee. 

CLOVERHILL HOUSE, near Belturbet, County Cavan, is a three-storey edifice built for James Sanderson, to the designs of Francis Johnston.

The original block was built in 1758; followed in 1799-1802 by a greatly-enlarged addition to the east.

The top storey is concealed in the front, of three bays, the centre bay breaking forward.

There was a single-storey Ionic portico, though this was removed ca 1993 and re-erected at a house in County Wexford.

There is a wide, curved bow at one side, with Wyatt windows; and a bow-ended drawing-room.

The main entrance of the demesne boasts a plain, though noble, triumphal arch of ca 1800.

 

Further along the main avenue is the two-storey Red Lodge (the steward's lodge) which, as the name suggests, is a red brick house with timbered oriel dormers and an open porch.

The North Lodge of ca 1837 has been attributed to Edward Blore.

I visited Cloverhill in August, 2013.   I am grateful to Henry Skeath for his invaluable assistance in compiling this article.

Duckett's Grove

THE DUCKETTS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CARLOW, WITH 4,923 ACRES

THOMAS DUCKETT, who first settled in Ireland, and purchased, 1695, Kneestown and other estates in County Carlow, from Thomas Crosthwaite, of Cockermouth, Cumberland, is stated, by Sir William Betham, Ulster King of Arms, to have been the son of JAMES DUCKETT, of Grayrigg, Westmorland, by his third wife Elizabeth, daughter of Christopher Walker, of Workington, Cumberland.

James Duckett, of Grayrigg, was tenth in descent from JOHN DUCKETT, of Grayrigg, during the reign of RICHARD II (1377), who obtained that estate by his marriage with Margaret, daughter and heir of Willian de Windesore, Lord of the Manor of Grayrigg, in Westmorland.

John Duckett, of Grayrigg, was son of HUGH DUCKETT, of Fillingham, Lincolnshire, during the time of JOHN and HENRY III. This descent is elaborately given in a pedigree certified by Sir William Betham, Ulster King of Arms, in 1842.

The first settler in Ireland,

THOMAS DUCKETT, of Kneestown, County Carlow, married Judith, daughter and heir of Pierce Power, of Killowen, County Waterford, and was father of

THOMAS DUCKETT, of Phillipstown (which he purchased from the Earl of Ormond), who married, in 1687, Jane, daughter of John Bunce, of Berkshire, and had, with other issue, a son,

JOHN DUCKETT, of Phillipstown, and Newton, County Kildare, who wedded Jane, daughter of Thomas Devonsher.

The fourth son,

JONAS DUCKETT (1720-97), of Duckett's Grove, County Carlow, married Hannah, daughter of William Alloway, of Dublin, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
John;
Thomas;
Jonas;
Frederick;
Mary Alloway; Hannah; Jane.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM DUCKETT, of Duckett's Grove, born in 1761, wedded, in 1790, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of John Dawson Coates, of Dawson Court, banker in Dublin, and had issue,

JOHN DAWSON, his heir;
William;
Joseph Fade;
Thomas Jonas;
Elizabeth; Elizabeth Dawson.

The eldest son,

JOHN DAWSON DUCKETT (1791-1866), of Duckett's Grove, County Carlow, and Newtown, County Kildare, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1819, wedded, in 1819, Sarah Summers, daughter of William Hutchinson, of Timoney, County Tipperary, and had issue,

WILLIAM;
John Dawson;
Eliza Dawson;
Anne, m, in 1856, HARDY EUSTACE;
Sarah; Victoria Henrietta.

Mr Duckett was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM DUCKETT JP DL (1822-1908), of Duckett's Grove, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1854, Queen's County, 1881,  who wedded firstly, in 1868, Anna Maria (dsp 1894), third daughter of Thomas Harrison Morony JP, of Milltown House, County Clare.

Mr Duckett espoused secondly, in 1895, Marie Georgina, eldest daughter of Captain R G Cumming, and widow of T Thompson JP, of Ford Lodge, County Cavan.

He dsp in 1908, when the family estate devolved upon his nephew, Colonel John James Hardy Rowland Eustace, who assumed the additional arms and surname of DUCKETT. 

JOHN JAMES HARDY ROWLAND EUSTACE-DUCKETT JP (1859-1924), of Castlemore and Hardymount, County Carlow, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1895, Colonel, 8th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps, wedded, in 1895, Gertrude Amelia, daughter of Algernon Charles Heber Percy, of Hodnet Hall, Shropshire, and had issue,

Hardy Rowland Algernon (1896-7);
OLIVER HARDY;
Rowland Hugh, b 1902;
Elizabeth Gertrude; Doris Anna; Diana.

The eldest surviving son,

(OLIVER) HARDY EUSTACE-DUCKETT, espoused, in 1926, Barbara Kathleen,  daughter of Major William Charles Hall, and had issue,

Hardy, died in infancy;
Olive; Kathleen; 

*****

WILLIAM DUCKETT JP DL (see above).

Following William Duckett's death in 1908, his widow Maria continued to live at Duckett's Grove until 1916, when she abandoned the estate.

DUCKETT'S GROVE, near Carlow, County Carlow, was formerly at the centre of a 12,000-acre estate that dominated the landscape of the county for over 300 years.

It was built in 1830 for William Duckett.

It was designed in a castellated Gothic-Revival style by Thomas A Cobden ca 1825.

The mansion house incorporates numerous towers and turrets of varying shapes – round, square and octagonal.

One tall, octagonal turret rises from the structure.

Duckett’s Grove is elaborately ornamented with oriels and niches containing statues.

Several statues on pedestals surrounded the building and lined the approaches.

The house itself is situated in the townland of Rainstown, between Carlow and Tullow; but the estate comprised several large townlands and parts of others.

Following the departure of the Ducketts, the estate was managed by an agent until 1921; then by local farmers; and later by the Irish Land Commission.

The division of the lands was completed by 1930.

Duckett’s Grove was destroyed by fire in 1933, the cause never having been determined.

In September, 2005, Carlow County Council acquired Duckett’s Grove and commenced the restoration of two inter-connecting walled gardens.

It was officially opened in September, 2007, for use as a public park.

The first of the gardens, the Upper Walled Garden, has been planted with historical varieties of shrub roses and a collection of Chinese and Japanese peonies.

The second garden, the Lower Walled Garden, which was once the site of the family's old orchard, now contains a variety of fruits, including figs and historical varieties of Irish apples.

The borders were planted to contain a variety of shrubs and perennials.

First published in February, 2013.

The Earls Cairns: II

THE EARLDOM OF CAIRNS WAS CREATED IN 1878 FOR THE RT HON HUGH McCALMONT, BARON CAIRNS, PC, QC, LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR

WILLIAM CAIRNS became a merchant in Dublin, where he married firstly, in 1778, Sarah Hutchinson, of St James's parish; and secondly, in 1787, Margaret Keine, of St Mark's parish.

He died at Parkmount in 1819, leaving issue, besides one daughter who died young,

DANIEL CAIRNS, born 1784, became an officer in the 28th and afterwards in the 62nd Regiment, and died unmarried, at Jamaica, in 1802.

In the Belfast Newsletter of October 17, 1775, both William and his eldest son John appear in a list of subscribers to a testimonial to the Rev Matthew Garnett, Vicar of Carnmoney. 

For my references to early Belfast newspapers and some of my information as to the Gregg family, I am indebted to Mr Isaac Ward, who is probably the greatest living authority on old Belfast History. 

The Gregg family settled in Belfast in the 17th century and became prosperous in business.

In 1700, three brothers, Nathan, Thomas and John Gregg, were merchants in Belfast.

Nathan died in 1705, leaving his sons John and Thomas, then under age.

Thomas had an eldest son, Nathan, and other children, of whom probably William, of Parkmount, was one.

Nathan Gregg mentions these children in his will; also his sisters, Elizabeth, wife of James Smith, of Belfast; and Agnes, wife of John Stevenson, of County Antrim.

Book of Grants of Licenses, Dublin, in the Public Record Office, Dublin: In both these entries, Nathan is written "Nathaniel", but undoubtedly Nathan was the name.

In the first marriage Hutchinson is given as the wife's name, but in a family bible the name is recorded Hutchins.

 
WILLIAM CAIRNS, of Parkmount, born 1789,

entered the army and became a captain in the 47th Regiment. He married, when only seventeen, Rosanna, daughter of Hugh Johnston, merchant of Belfast. During his father's lifetime he lived at Rushpark, near Carrickfergus, and also had a house in Belfast, which stood on the grounds now occupied by the Robinson & Cleaver building.

Parkmount House

After his father's death, William moved to Parkmount House, which he shortly afterwards sold to John McNeill, a banker in Belfast.

He subsequently lived at Cultra, County Down.

He married secondly, Matilda, daughter of Francis Beggs, of The Grange, Malahide, and dying at Cultra in 1844, left issue, Nathan Daniel, born 1807, who married, in 1839, Mary, daughter of Thomas Miller, of Preston. 

McNeill, of Machrihanish, who came over to Ireland about 1625 with his relatives the MacNaghtens, obtained the lands of Killoquin, County Antrim, where he settled, marrying Rose Stewart of Garry, in that County, John McNeill of Parkmount, having succeeded to a large fortune as heir of his uncle General McNeill, purchased Parkmount and a considerable estate at Craigs, County Antrim, and became a private banker in Belfast, eventually forming, with others, what is now the Northern Bank. 

His grandson sold Parkmount, which, as Belfast extended, became a particularly desirable property.

The new owner of Parkmount was the prominent Belfast merchant Sir Robert Anderson Bt, DL, Lord Mayor and High Sheriff.

The Cairns family, since the Reformation, were all Presbyterian.

The 1st Earl's great-grandfather, or some members of his family at least, seem to have conformed to the established Church (of Ireland) shortly after their move to Parkmount.

In the Belfast News-Letter, dated about 1790, there is an advertisement inserted by John Cairns, of Parkmount, offering a reward for the recovery of his watch, which he had lost the previous Sunday between Parkmount and Carnmoney Church.

As early as 1775, both John and his father William appear on a list of subscribers to a testimonial to the Vicar of Carnmoney; however, the History of Belfast (supplement) records that two of John's sisters were members of Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church.

First published in February, 2011.  Cairns arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

County of Tyrone

Tyrone is an inland county, bounded in the north and north-east by County Londonderry; on the east, by Lough Neagh; on the south-east by County Armagh; on the south by County Fermanagh, and County Monaghan in the Irish Republic; on the south-west by County Fermanagh; and on the west and north-west, by County Donegal in the Irish Republic.

The boundary line, over about eleven miles in the central part of the north, is formed by the watershed of the Sperrin Mountains; over six miles in the eastern part of the north to Lough Neagh by the river Ballinderry; over the whole of the line of contact with County Armagh, by the River Blackwater.

Over about seven miles of the line of contact with County Monaghan, by the River Blackwater; and over ten miles of contact with the counties of Monaghan and Fermanagh, by the watershed of the Slieve Beagh mountains; over a large aggregate distance, but with many intervals or interruptions, of the line of contact with counties Fermanagh and Donegal, by mountain brooks, and especially by lofty watersheds; and over about ten miles of the terminating contact with County Donegal, down to the junction point with County Londonderry by the rivers Finn and Foyle.

The outline of the county, in a loose or general sense, exhibits a broad parallelogram, extending in the direction of south-east by east.

The greatest length of the county, in the direction of south-east by east, and along the southern border, from the summit of the Croagh mountains, a few miles east of the Barnesmore Gap to the River Blackwater at the village of Caledon, is 38 miles. 

Its greatest breadth, in the opposite direction, and along the western border, over Strabane and Lough Derg, is 30 miles; whereas its least breadth, across the eastern district, and almost over the village of Donaghmore, is 16 miles.

The area of the county comprises about 807,000 acres.

The county town is Omagh.

The highest mountain in The Sperrins is Sawel Mountain, at 2,224 feet.

First published in February, 2018.

HMS Caroline Tour

In June, 2016, I spent a marvellous morning aboard HMS Caroline.

It was dry, so I unearthed the trusty two-wheeler from the garden shed, inflated the tyres till they were rock-hard, donned the high-visibily, sleeveless jacket, the cycle helmet, and ventured forth.

HMS Caroline, a historic 1st World War light cruiser, has been moored in the port of Belfast for over ninety years.

In excess of £12 million was spent on her restoration.

I dismounted at Alexandra Dock, purchased a ticket, and ascended the gangway.

A pair of headphones and a very helpful audio device is included.

Caroline's self-guided tour comprises the two principal decks, viz. the Upper and Lower decks.

She must have five decks altogether, I suppose, though the two below sea-level were used mainly for storage, fuel and so on.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy has installed several elevators or lifts throughout the ship.

I began my tour with a pot of tea in the Mess Deck Café on the Lower Deck.

This cafeteria also exhibits a historic recreation of a light cruiser's mess-table, ready for the ratings to get tucked in to a meal.

The Stewards' Mess

The Lower Deck also contains the cable lockers, coal store, torpedo school, engineers' workshop, signal-room; and, at the stern, the marines' mess, ward-room, officers' cabins, and officers' bathroom.

Directly below the torpedo school are the mighty engine rooms.

Ascending the steps to the Upper Deck, we observe the restored Sick Bay, galleys, the drill-room and the Captain's quarters.

Incidentally, Caroline was commanded by Captain Henry Crooke RN during the Battle of Jutland.

Captain Crooke went on to become Admiral Sir Henry Ralph Crooke, KBE, CB.

The Ward Room

Close to the forecastle (fo'c's'le) is the Navigating Bridge, with its four-inch guns, Captain's day-cabin, and "crow's nest" mounted on a massive steel tripod.

I took my time and spent over two and a half hours on the tour.

I'm in no doubt that HMS Caroline will become one of Belfast's main tourist attractions.

It deserves to be.

This is a floating, historic museum which we are proud to have in the port of Belfast.

First published in June, 2016.

County of Fermanagh

An inland county, Ulster's Lakeland, bounded on the north by County Tyrone, and County Donegal in the Irish Republic; on the north-east, by Tyrone; on the east, by Tyrone, and County Monaghan in the Irish Republic; on the south and south-west, by County Cavan in the Irish Republic; and on the west by counties Cavan and Leitrim, both in the Irish Republic.

Its boundary line, though occasionally formed by lakes, streams and watersheds, is so very interruptedly natural, and so generally artificial, that it may be pronounced altogether and even curiously capricious.

Its outline is roughly that of an oblong, extending from east-south-east to west-north-west; yet it may be more closely described as including a broad parallelogram in the direction of west by north, and an irregular sub-added feature of nearly equal area, and extending towards the north-west.

Its greatest length is about 35 miles; its greatest breadth, 20; and its area comprises about 457,000 acres, including 47,000 acres of water.

The county town is Enniskillen.

Cuilcagh Mountain, at 2,182 feet, is the highest peak.

First published in February, 2018.

Kilbride Manor

THE MOORES OWNED 8,730 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY WICKLOW

The family, which is of Scottish origin, settled in Ulster about 1650.

JOSEPH MOORE (c1775-1852), of Bond's Glen, Donemana, County Tyrone, farmer and merchant, married, in 1794, Anne, daughter of George Fletcher, of Tottenham, Middlesex, and had issue,

JOSEPH SCOTT;
George Fletcher (1798-1886).

Mr Moore was succeeded by his elder son,

JOSEPH SCOTT MOORE JP (1796-1884), of Manor Kilbride, near Blessington, County Wicklow, High Sheriff of County Wicklow, 1866, who wedded, in 1832, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Browne, of Ardwick, near Manchester, and had issue, an only child,

JOSEPH FLETCHER MOORE JP DL (1835-1916), of Manor Kilbride, Barrister, High Sheriff of County Wicklow, 1894, who espoused, in 1861, Jane, daughter of James Atkinson, of Longford Terrace, Monkstown, and New South Wales, Australia, and had issue,

Thomas Brown (1865-95);
JOSEPH SCOTT, of whom hereafter;
George Fletcher;
Nithsdale Carleton Atkinson;
James Maxwell;
Emily Elizabeth; Bertha Mary; Ada Catherine.

Mr Moore was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

JOSEPH SCOTT MOORE JP (1866-1950), of Manor Kilbride, Colonel, Army Service Corps, High Sheriff of County Wicklow, 1921, who married, in 1902, Violet Grace Hastings Wheler, only daughter of Charles Wheler Wheler, of Ledston Hall, Yorkshire.

The Manor House, Kilbride (Image: Colliers)

KILBRIDE MANOR, County Wicklow, is a three-bay, two-storey, Tudor-Revival house of ca 1835. 

It has a single-bay, two-storey gabled entrance bay, four-bay two-storey garden front, and three-bay single-storey wing leading to serve and outbuildings ranges.

The manor house is set back from the main road with gravel drives and paths, and landscaped grounds.

The Courtyard (Image: Colliers)

In 1824 the Kilbride estate was purchased from George Ponsonby's widow by George Moore, barrister, MP for Dublin, 1826-31 and Registrar of Deeds until 1846.

The current house, designed by Thomas Cobden, was under construction when the Valuation House Books were being compiled in 1843.

It replaced or incorporated an earlier building, Kilbride House, depicted on the 1838 OS maps, possibly built before 1800.

George Moore was living in Kilbride Manor in 1844, when James Frazer noted 'a new mansion and other improvements are in progress'.

After Moore's death in 1847 his property passed to one of his sons, the Very Rev (William) Ogle Moore, Dean of Clogher, whose financial difficulties are described in the diaries of Elizabeth Smith.

In March, 1853, she noted:

“Ogle Moore has completed the preliminaries of his sale. A few weeks now will see him an independent man. All debts paid, his little income clear, and twenty thousand pounds to leave among his six daughters. He will educate and start his sons and they must make their own way.”

George Moore's Estate Act of 1853 allowed Elizabeth Brown and her husband, Joseph Scott Moore, to purchase the Kilbride estate.

Upon his death in 1884, he was succeeded by his son, Joseph Fletcher Moore, whose son, Colonel Joseph Scott Moore, died in 1950.

It has been the home of Cully family since the 1960s, and its large, sunny rooms afford wonderful views of the Wicklow Mountains as its backdrop.

The mansion is surrounded by 40 acres of private gardens and winding woodland paths, where guests can enjoy the private lake, stroll or fish along the banks of the river Brittas running through the grounds; or explore the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

The manor was for sale in January, 2021.

First published in January, 2018.