Shanbally Castle

THE VISCOUNTS LISMORE WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TIPPERARY, WITH 34,945 ACRES

This was one of the very few native families which had been dignified by the Peerage of Ireland. The O'Callaghans were formerly princes of the province of Munster, and were seated at Dromaneen Castle. Their Chief, CORNELIUS O'CALLAGHAN, enjoyed very extensive territorial possessions in 1594, according to an inquisition taken by Sir Thomas Norris, Vice-President of Munster, in that year.

From this Cornelius descended 

CORNELIUS O'CALLAGHAN (c1681-c1742), a very eminent lawyer, MP for Fethard, 1713-14, who married Maria, daughter of Robert Jolly, and had three sons, the youngest of whom,

THOMAS O'CALLAGHAN, wedded, in 1740, Sarah, daughter of John Davis, and had, with a daughter (married to Robert Longfield, of Castle Martyr), an only son,

CORNELIUS O'CALLAGHAN (1741-97), MP for Fethard, 1768-85, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1785, in the dignity of Baron Lismore, of Shanbally, County Tipperary.

His lordship married, in 1774, Frances, second daughter of Mr Speaker Ponsonby, of the Irish House of Commons, and niece, paternally, of William, Earl of Bessborough, and niece, maternally, of William, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, and had issue,

CORNELIUS, his heir;
Robert William (Sir), GCB, lieutenant-general;
George;
Louisa; Elizabeth; Mary.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

CORNELIUS, 2nd Baron (1775-1857), who was created, in 1806, VISCOUNT LISMORE, of Shanbally, County Tipperary.

He married, in 1808, the Lady Eleanor Butler, youngest daughter of John, 17th Earl of Ormonde, and sister of the Marquess of Ormonde, by which lady he had issue,

Cornelius;
William Frederick;
George Ponsonby;
Anne Maria Louisa.

His lordship, Privy Counsellor, 1835, Lord-Lieutenant of County Tipperary, 1851-57, was succeeded by his second son,

GEORGE PONSONBY, 2nd Viscount (1815-98), an officer in the 17th Lancers, High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1853, Lord-Lieutenant of County Tipperary, 1857-85, who wedded, in 1839, Mary, daughter of George Norbury, and had issue,

George Cornelius Gerald (1846-85);
William Frederick Ormonde (1852-77).

His lordship's sons both predeceased him, when the titles became extinct.

SHANBALLY CASTLE, near Clogheen, County Tipperary, was built about 1812 for Cornelius O'Callaghan, 1st Viscount Lismore.

It was said to have been the largest of John Nash's Irish castles.

Shanbally was long and irregular, of a silver-grey ashlar.

This great mansion was 281 feet above sea-level, and about 80 feet above the level of the adjacent brook.

Shanbally Castle had numerous machicolations, towers and battlements.

The entrance front was pointed-arched, with a vaulted porte-cochere under a porch-tower.

The garden front had a round tower at one end and an octagonal tower at the other, with a central feature boasting two square turrets.

There was a stylish Gothic veranda.

Shanbally demesne is beautifully situated on low ground, in the centre of the valley, between the Galtee mountains on the north and the Knockmealdown mountains on the south.

It commands the most magnificent views of the slopes, escarpments, summits, and groupings of both of these alpine ranges.

Shanbally Castle was situated in a picturesque landscape, bounded to the north and south by two mountain ranges, the Galtees and the Knockmealdowns.

It is said that Shanbally bore a remarkable resemblance to Nash and Repton's joint venture, Luscombe Castle in Devon, though Shanbally was considerably larger.

The 2nd and last Viscount left Shanbally to his cousins, the Lady Beatrice Pole-Carew and the Lady Constance Butler, daughters of the 3rd Marquess of Ormonde.

Shanbally was sold in 1954 by Major Patrick Pole-Carew.

Following attempts by the Hon Edward Sackville-West (5th Lord Sackville) to rescue the Castle, it was demolished in 1957 and its ruin was blown up.

The following is a composition by Bill Power of the Mitchelstown Heritage Society:

Few acts of official vandalism rival the decision by the Irish Government in 1957 to proceed with plans to demolish Shanbally Castle.

Built for Cornelius O'Callaghan, 1st Viscount Lismore, ca 1810, the mansion was the largest house built in Ireland by the famous English architect, John Nash.

When the Irish Land Commission purchased the Shanbally estate in 1954, one of the immediate questions which it addressed was what should become of the castle.

For a brief period it seemed that a purchaser could be found in the form of the London theatre critic Edward Sackville-West, 5th Lord Sackville, who had a tremendous love of the Clogheen area, which he had known since childhood.

He agreed to buy the castle, together with 163 acres, but pulled out of the transaction when the Irish 
Land Commission refused to stop cutting trees in the land he intended to buy.

Consequently, by 1957, the fate of the mansion was sealed.

The Irish Land Commissioners, with Irish Government approval, decided to proceed with plans to demolish the castle on the grounds that they had no use for it and that it was in poor condition.

They ignored suggestions that a religious community might be found for the building, and also 
rejected its suitability as a forestry school.

In that year, Professor Denis Gwynn, wrote an article in the Cork Examiner in which he exhorted the authorities to reverse their decision:

"Shanbally Castle has been well known for years as one of the most graceful and original examples in Ireland of late Georgian architecture," he said. "Its formal gardens, which have run wild, could easily be brought back to order."

The Professor pointed out that Shanbally Castle was designed by one of the most famous of all modern architects, who also planned all the well known terraces that surround Regent's Park in London, and so many other celebrated buildings in England, `What conceivable justification can there be for incurring the great expense of demolishing this unique Irish mansion,' he asked.

"All around the house, with its long avenues, the land has been admirably laid out and planted with fine trees in groups to enhance the views and to produce valuable timber,' he continued. `More recently there has been wholesale clearance of the timber. Last summer I saw cutting in progress at many places, and big gaps had been made in the boundary walls to assist removal of the felled trees.

Describing the order to demolish the castle as an `act of vandalism,' Professor Gwynn called for an inquiry into the circumstances of the decision. There is no sense whatever in squandering public money on the destruction of a beautiful house which is well known to students of Nash's domestic architecture,' he added.

But Professor Gwynn's article was already too late: Despite some local opposition and widespread critical comment, the roof was removed and some of its impressive cut stones were being removed by hand and broken into smaller pieces for use in road building.

The house, with its twenty stately bedrooms, extensive drawing rooms, dining room, library, marble fireplaces and mahogany staircase was rapidly reduced to a state of ruin.

In 1960, The Nationalist newspaper reported the final end of a building which was once the pride of the neighbourhood: "A big bang yesterday ended Shanbally Castle, where large quantities of gelignite and cortex shattered the building", it said.

In the weeks prior to the explosion, demolition workers bored 1,400 holes, 18 inches above ground, into the cut stone of the castle.

Each hole was then filled with explosives which were detonated on the 21st March, 1960.

Almost all of this material was used for road building.

The protests against the demolition of Shanbally Castle came from some local sources, An Taisce and a few academics such as Professor Gwynn.

Politically, the Fianna Fail Government had no love for houses of the ascendancy.

However, remarkably, it was from within the ranks of Fianna Fail that the only political voices were raised against the demolition plans, albeit privately.

One was Senator Sean Moylan, the Irish Minister for Agriculture until his death in 1957, and the other was his close friend and TD from Mitchelstown, John W Moher.

They were over-ruled by the Cabinet and failed to get wider political support, even from opposition deputies.

When the explosion finally came, the Irish Government saw fit to issue a terse public statement in response to protests favouring the retention of Shanbally Castle for the nation.

"Apart from periods of military occupation the castle remained wholly unoccupied for 40 years," said the statement.

First published in October, 2011.

Delamont Park

THE GORDONS OWNED 4,768 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

THE MANOR OF FLORIDA WAS GRANTED BY KING CHARLES I, WITH MANORIAL RIGHTS AND ROYALTIES

This family, a branch of the ancient and ennobled line of the same name in Scotland, is stated to have gone from Berwickshire to Ulster during the period of the civil wars in Scotland. Following the destruction of the family papers, the lineage cannot be traced accurately.

Nevertheless, it is known that many years after the period of the Scottish settlement, General Lord Adam Gordon, fourth son of Alexander, 2nd Duke of Gordon, during a visit to Ulster, resided with his cousin, John Gordon, of Florida Manor, County Down.

At a subsequent epoch, in 1783, the intercourse was renewed upon the occasion of some members of the Gordon family visiting Scotland, when they were received with much kindness by Alexander, 4th Duke of Gordon, who fully recognized the relationship.

The representative of the Ulster branch at the close of the 17th century,

ROBERT GORDON, of Ballintaggart, County Down, married, in 1689, a daughter of George Ross, of Portabo, and sister of Robert Ross, of Rostrevor, in the same county, ancestor of GENERAL ROSS, who fell at the battle of Bladensburg, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
Robert (Rev).

Mr Gordon died in 1720, and was succeeded by his elder son,

JOHN GORDON (1690-1771), of Ballintaggart, who wedded, in 1720, his cousin Jane, daughter of Hugh Hamilton, of Ballybrannagh, County Down, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
Jane, m David Johnston.

Mr Gordon espoused secondly, Grace, daughter of Thomas Knox, of Dungannon, County Tyrone, and had further issue,

Thomas Knox;
John;
Margery; Elizabeth.

He bequeathed his estate at Ballintaggart to Thomas Knox Gordon, the eldest son by his second marriage.

The eldest son by his first wife,

ROBERT GORDON (1722-93), of Florida Manor, married, in 1755, Alice, widow of Thomas Whyte, and only daughter of James Arbuckle and his wife Anne, daughter of John Crawford, and niece and heir-at-law of David Crawford, of Florida Manor, and had issue,

JOHN CRAWFORD, his heir;
David, of Delamont, successor to his brother;
Robert;
Alexander, of Castle Place, Belfast, father of ROBERT FRANCIS GORDON;
Alice; Anne.

Mr Gordon was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN CRAWFORD GORDON JP (1757-97), of Florida Manor, Captain, 50th Regiment, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

DAVID GORDON JP DL (1759-1837), of Florida Manor and Delamont, High Sheriff of County Down, 1812, who married, in 1789, Mary, youngest daughter of JAMES CRAWFORD, of Crawfordsburn, and sister of Anne, 1st Countess of Caledon, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir to Florida Manor;
JAMES CRAWFORD, succeeded to Delamont;
Jane Maria.

Mr Gordon was succeeded by his elder son,

ROBERT GORDON JP DL (1791-1864), of Florida Manor, High Sheriff of County Down, 1833, County Tyrone, 1843, who wedded, in 1825, Mary, daughter of William Crawford, of Lakelands, County Cork; though dsp 1864, and was succeeded by his brother,

THE REV JAMES CRAWFORD GORDON (1796-1867), of Florida Manor and Delamont House, Precentor of Down Cathedral, 1828-41, who espoused Geraldine, daughter of James Penrose, of Woodhill, County Cork; though dsp 1867, and was succeeded by his cousin, 

ROBERT FRANCIS GORDON JP DL (1802-83), of Florida Manor and Delamont, High Sheriff of County Down, 1873, who dsp, and was succeeded at Delamont by his nephew, ALEXANDER HAMILTON MILLER HAVEN, and at Florida Manor by his nephew,

ALEXANDER FREDERICK ST JOHN GORDON JP (1852-86), of Florida Manor; who dsp, and was succeeded by his cousin,

ALEXANDER MILLER HAVEN GORDON JP DL (1842-1910), of Florida Manor and Delamont, who wedded, in 1881, Ada Austen, eldest daughter of John Edward Eyre, Governor of Jamaica, of The Grange, Staple Aston, Oxfordshire, and had issue,

ALEXANDER ROBERT GISBORNE, his heir;
Eyre, CSI CIE;
John de la Hay;
Edward Ormond;
Henry Gisborne;
Eldred Pottinger;
Ivy Dorothy Catherine; Margerie Frances; Honor; Marion Alice.

Mr Gordon was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON  SIR ALEXANDER ROBERT GISBORNE GORDON GBE DSO (1882-1967), of Delamont, who married, in 1914, his first cousin, Alice Mary Dorothea, daughter of Robert Francis Gordon, though the marriage was without issue.

Delamont was subsequently held in trust by his niece, Patricia Lillas, for her son, Archibald Arundel Pugh, who assumed the additional surname of GORDON in 1968.

When they took up residence at Delamont in 1968, they altered and modernised the house to the designs of the architect Arthur Jury.

The remaining buildings around the back yard were removed, and water mains and electricity were installed.

To keep maintenance costs down, they ceased using the front avenue and approached the house via the back.

The farm and land were let and, when their son came into his inheritance he, too, continued to let the land.

In 1978, Mr Gordon-Pugh applied for, and obtained, outline planning permission for a hotel, marina and associated development along the shore, together with additional approval for a leisure park and golf course over the rest of the estate.

The proposals were not implemented though the house was, for a period, used as a restaurant and hired out for private parties and functions.

Delamont was sold by Mr Gordon-Pugh in 1985.

DELAMONT HOUSE (above), near Killyleagh, County Down, is a mildly Tudor-Revival 19th century mansion of two storeys with an attic and dormer gables.

Its front has a central, polygonal bow, raised above the skyline to provide the effect of a tower flanked by two narrow oriels and topped by dormer gables.

There is a rather irregular, gabled side elevation, notably longer than the front. A slender, polygonal turret with cupola is at the back of the house.

By the late 16th, early 17th centuries, much of County Down had been acquired by Scottish and English Landlords such as the Hamiltons and Montgomerys.

They, in turn, settled the area with tenant farmers, Scots in the north east and English in the rest; while the native Irish were relegated to the less fertile areas.

These early settlers were required to build fortified dwelling houses or bawns and, in the Thomas Raven maps of 1625, there appears a substantial one-and-a-half storey stone house with a wall around it on approximately the same site as the present Delamont House.

This house was approached by a long, tree-lined avenue, which does not correspond with the line of the present avenue.

The house was also on a hilltop, appearing to lie surrounded by a deer-park.

The land at the time was in the ownership of Lord Claneboye, so his tenants must have been quite prosperous farmers to have afforded such a large house.

This early Victorian period saw most of the major developments and improvements to the estate.

In 1841, the Rev James Crawford substantially extended the farm buildings and planted a second avenue to service the farm, orchard and walled garden.

A second gate lodge was built and is known as the “Gardners Cottage” [sic]. He also improved the main entrance to the estate.

Much of the planting of Delamont was carried out in the years between David Gordon’s death and 1859, most notably Kinnegar Wood and the two wooded hilltops, the “Corbally Planting” and the “Ringwood Planting”.

Gibbs Island was also planted and the wooded area round the house extended.

It would appear that the form of the present house also dates form this period.

The formal terraced gardens were laid out at the same time and provide an integral link between the house and the landscape beyond, carefully leading the eye down through the various levels and making full use of the superb natural setting.

The main terrace directly in front of the house was gravelled, with the others kept as lawn.

The flower beds at the front of house and to the side would have been planted with seasonal bedding plants. There was formerly a rose garden.

The demesne was considerably larger than at the present day, extending west of the Downpatrick Road and Island Road and, in Griffiths Valuation of 1863, the Rev James Crawford Gordon held the land in the townland of Tullykin as well as Mullagh.

He also held the right of collecting and taking seaweed from the shore.

The Rev James Crawford Gordon died in 1867 and, having no children, the estates of Florida Manor and Delamont passed to his first cousin, Robert Francis Gordon (1802-83), son of Alexander Gordon and Dorothea Gisborne.

He apparently altered the house in 1875. He remained unmarried.

Robert Francis Gordon never married and following his death, in 1883, the two estates were divided: Florida Manor was left to a nephew, Alexander Frederick St John Gordon (1852-86); and Delamont to another nephew, Alexander Hamilton Miller Haven Gordon (1842-1910).

However, the nephew who inherited Florida Manor died without issue, thence Florida passed back to Alexander Hamilton Miller Haven Gordon.

Thus the two estates were again united in the Gordon family.

This late Victorian period at Delamont was when the Long Avenue was planted, as it does not appear on the 1856 Estate Map, but it features on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1903.

Alexander Gordon appears to have taken an active interest in his estate, and his obituary in 1910 describes him as a man

naturally attracted to the necessity for cultivating the soil in an agricultural country like Ireland. He was foremost in promoting any effort to introduce modern improvements and was himself an extensive farmer, both at Delamont and Florida Manor.

The Delamont estate is now run as a country park for the use of the general public.

Up until the time of the 2nd World War, the estate seems to have flourished: Sir Alexander's land steward, Mr Carlisle, developed the farm and improved the land; fruit and vegetables from the walled garden were sold; and Mr Moreland, who was employed as gardener in the 1920s, remembers half an acre devoted purely to rhubarb.

At that time, the estate employed five indoor servants plus a chauffeur, whose duties included carrying drinking water twice a day from a well by Kinnegar Wood up the hill to the house.

Eventually water was pumped up the hill and stored in a reservoir built on top of the rath.

Delamont appears to have been quite self-sufficient in those days, even generating its own electricity.

Sir Alexander made alterations to the house at the rear, by demolishing some of the sixteen servants' rooms which were no longer needed.

He also altered the porch ca 1938.

Whether Delamont was actually purchased by the Gordons or acquired by marriage is unclear, but their other estate in County Down, Florida Manor at Killinchy, was acquired through the fortuitous marriage or Robert Gordon to Alice Arbuckle in 1755, who was niece and heiress-in-law to David Crawford of Florida Manor.

It is thought that their son, David Gordon (1759-1837), first came into Delamont in 1793.

David Gordon purchased Delamont for £8,360 in 1793 (about £1 million in today's money) from Lord Northland and Matthew Forde, who were acting as executors for Mrs Margery Delahay.

Thomas Delahay acquired the property from Lord Limerick in 1733 for £1,117.

He had married in 1721, Margery, the sister of the Rt Hon Thomas Knox MP and predeceased her in 1747. The name "Delamont" obviously derives from the surname.

Unlike his father and grandfather, who were wine and general merchants, David Gordon entered the legal profession and also established the banking house of Gordon and Company in 1808, which later became the Belfast Banking Company.

He married Mary Crawford, of Crawfordsburn, in 1789 who was, by all accounts, a very wealthy lady.

The Delamont demesne dates from the 17th century. Raven’s picture map of 1625 shows a straight avenue leading to a previous house apparently on top of a drumlin, with mature trees and deer.

The present house was built in the mid-19th century on high ground with extensive views over Strangford Lough.

The ground undulates and the site is very attractive.

There are fine parkland trees, woodland belts and stone enclosed clumps on the hill tops.

The tree-lined ‘Long Walk’ was laid out post-1860 and has recently been shortened by a road-widening scheme. There is a narrow ornamental garden at the house which is not kept up and the conservatories are gone.

To the south of the house there is an enclosure, which has been adapted as a garden feature with encircling, tree-lined walks.

There are farm buildings of 1841, a walled garden and walled orchard. The walled garden is cultivated as a nursery.

There are two gate lodges built ca 1855. Delamont Country Park owned by Down District Council and is open to the public, as is the nursery garden.

Delamont House is presently owned by the Belfast Education & Library Board.

FLORIDA MANOR

FLORIDA MANOR comprised the townlands of Ballybunden, Drumreagh and part of the townland of Kilmood.

In 1791, the estate was described as containing 1,300 acres of arable land and 400 acres of bog and it was let for £1,000 per annum.

In 1867, when Robert Francis Gordon took possession of the Florida Manor estate, it was valued at £4,634.

However, the bulk of Florida Manor, including the townlands of Ballygraffan, Ballyminstragh, Kilmood, Lisbarnet, Raffrey, Ravara and Tullynagee, formed part of the Londonderry Estates.

There is very little information relating directly to Florida Manor, though it is possible to draw together some information about the building of the house or, at least, to establish an approximate date of when the house was completed.

A bill of complaint declares that, when John Crawford Gordon died in 1797, his brother, David, succeeded to the estate which included the mansion-house called Florida Manor and demesne.

Moreover, a survey of 1794 for the Florida demesne of John Crawford recorded that it comprised just over 100 acres.

A memorandum of agreement between Robert Gordon and Hugh Agnew, a brick-maker, for 'fifty thousand bricks or any greater number...' is dated 1775.

First published in July, 2010.

Franklin Maxims: VIII

AN HONEST MAN WILL RECEIVE NEITHER MONEY NOR PRAISE, THAT IS NOT HIS DUE.

First published in May, 2020.

Round the Coast of Northern Ireland

The Rev Canon Hugh Forde, sometime Rector of Tamlaghtfinlagan (Ballykelly), and a canon of St Columb's Cathedral, Derry, was author of SKETCHES OF OLDEN DAYS IN NORTHERN IRELAND and the book I am going to quote from, Round the Coast of Northern Ireland.

Canon Forde wrote the latter book in 1928, and the foreward was written by the RIGHT HON SIR JOHN ROSS, 1st Baronet, last Lord Chancellor of Ireland.


LORD ROSEBERY, speaking of the Scottish settlers in Ulster, at the Edinburgh Philosophical Institute in 1911, said of them:-

"We know that the term Ulster-Scot is generic, and simply means Scoto-Irish. 

I love the Highlanders and I love the Lowlanders, but when I come to the branch of our race that has been grated on the Ulster stem, I take off my hat with veneration and awe. 

They are, I believe, the toughest, the most dominant, the most irresistible race that exists in the universe at this moment."

The passage is quoted by Sir John Ross in his book Pilgrim Scrip.

"It is true that the people are dominant and irresistible.

On the terrible day of Thiepval, 1st July, 1916, they exhibited a gallantry and sacrifice that have never been surpassed.

In the early part of the 18th century the Anglican bishops most unwisely proceeded to enforce the Act of Uniformity, the result of which was that about 100,000 Ulstermen of the Scottish breed migrated to the country that afterwards became the United States of America.

Here they were planted on the Indian frontier, where massacres of the settlers were matters of frequent occurrence.

In spite of the tomahawk, and the scalping knife, the dour race held its ground till it had driven back the savage foes.

The dour race did not forget  how they had been treated  by England and the English Bishops.

When the War of Independence came on they formed the backbone of Washington's army.

FURTHER, there was a time when peace could easily have been effected between the mother country and the revolting States, but the Ulster men would hear of no compromise and insisted on independence.

"As separation was inevitable some time," Sir John goes on to say, "perhaps their persistence did real service to England itself. They have left their mark upon the United States to this day in the peculiar intonation of their accent and in the Puritanical character of their ideals."

First published in April, 2019.

Owenmore House

THE ORMES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 11,771 ACRES

WILLIAM ORME, of Hanch Hall, Longdon, Staffordshire, descended from a family of graziers long settled in Cheshire, married, in 1612, Grace, daughter of Nicholas Hurt, of Castern, Staffordshire.

He died in 1623, leaving a son,

WILLIAM ORME (1614-65), of Hanch Hall, who being a Royalist, suffered heavy fines and imprisonment at the hands of the usurper, CROMWELL.

He lived to witness the Restoration, and had a confirmation of his arms by Sir William Dugdale, Norroy King-of-Arms, 1665.

Mr Orme wedded Anne, daughter of Thomas Brudenell, of Staunton Wivell, Leicestershire, and had issue,

Thomas (c1637-1716), dsp;
William, Colonel in the French Army;
JAMES, of whom presently;
Robert;
Dorothea.

The third son,

JAMES ORME, settled ca 1671 in County Mayo, where he purchased considerable estates.

He espoused Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Barrow, of County Cork, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
William, of Ballintubber.

Mr Orme died in 1707, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT ORME, of Carne, County Mayo, who married, in 1703, Elizabeth, daughter of James Johnston, and had issue,

Thomas, of Carne;
James, of Fairfield;
WILLIAM, of whom hereafter;
Robert (Congressman), settled in Jones County, USA;
Mary; Margaret; Lettice.

The third son,

WILLIAM ORME JP (1810-76), of Owenmore, County Mayo, wedded firstly, in 1837, Janette, daughter of Christopher Carleton L'Estrange, of Market Hill, County Fermanagh; and secondly, in 1858, Margaret Barbara, eldest daughter of the Rev Savage Hall, Rector of Loughgall, County Armagh,

He dsp and was succeeded by his brother, 

ROBERT ORME JP DL (1815-77), of Owenmore, County Mayo, and Enniscrone, County Sligo, who espoused, in 1843, Sidney Frances, daughter of Christopher Carleton L'Estrange, and had issue,

ROBERT WILLIAM, his heir;
CHRISTOPHER GUY, succeeded his brother;
Albert L'Estrange;
Janet Georgina, m 1882, Claude Brownlow, of Killynether.

The eldest son,

ROBERT WILLIAM ORME JP DL (1856-1903), of Owenmore and Enniscrone, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1879, died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

CHRISTOPHER GUY ORME JP DL (1858-1929), of Owenmore and Enniscrone, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1914, who married, in 1907, Mary Kathleen, daughter of the 1st Baron Morris and Killanin, and had issue,

ROBERT WILLIAM MARTIN, b 1908;
Lettice Frances; Cicely Dorothea.

OWENMORE HOUSE, near Crossmolina, County Mayo, built ca 1847, comprises two storeys over a high basement.

It has a five-bay entrance front, with a single-storey Doric portico.

The other side elevation has a two-storey bowed wing of similar style and height to the main block, though set back.

When the estate was decimated by the Land Acts, about 1926, it was sold to the Knox family.

It was sold again in 1950 to Major Marcus McCausland.

First published in July, 2012.

Ballydugan House

THE KEOWN-BOYDS OWNED 4,191 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

This family descended maternally from BOYD, of Glastry, County Down, who claimed to be a branch of the Kilmarnock family.

RICHARD KEOWN, of Downpatrick, County Down (son of Richard and Margaret Keown, m 1768), married Mary (who assumed the name of BOYD, as heiress of the Boyds of Glastry and Portavogie), daughter of Henry Keown, and had issue,

John, JP, barrister;
Henry, a military officer;
WILLIAM, of whom hereafter;
Mary, m WILLIAM BEERS;
Margaret;
Anne, m George Gulliver;
Isabella, m Dr R Boyd.

The third son,

WILLIAM KEOWN JP (1816-77), of Ballydugan House, County Down, High Sheriff of County Down, 1849, MP for Downpatrick, 1867-74, wedded, in 1845, Mary, eldest daughter of the Rev Robert Alexander, Prebendary of Aghadowey, County Londonderry, and had issue,

RICHARD, his heir;
Robert;
William;
John Maxwell;
Alfred Henry;
Edmund Walter;
Mary; Matilda Catherine; Hilda Margaret.

Mr Keown assumed the surname of BOYD in 1873, under the will of his grand-uncle, Major David Hamilton Boyd, of Glastry.

The eldest son,

RICHARD KEOWN-BOYD (1850-), of Ballydugan and Glastry, Lieutenant, Royal Navy, married, in 1875, Florence, fourth daughter of Charles Manners Lushington MP, and had a daughter,

SYLVIA IRONSIDE KEOWN-BOYD, who espoused, in 1927, Sir Denys Henry Harrington Grayson, 2nd Baronet.

They divorced in 1937.

BALLYDUGAN HOUSE, near Downpatrick, County Down, is a three storey, five bay, Georgian house of ca 1770.

The estate lies close to BALLYDUGAN LAKE and flour mill, and the disused railway line, one of my favourite places in the county.

A two-storey, bow-fronted wing was added about 1815.

The estate today comprises about 750 acres.

Ballydugan has changed ownership on a number of occasions: from its origins in the early 17th century when Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Ardglass, granted the lands to the Wests; to 1819, when ownership changed to the Keowns.

Richard Keown was a shrewd solicitor from Downpatrick, who purchased most of the property between 1790 and his decease in 1829.

Mr Keown bequeathed Ballydugan to his second son, John.

 Following Richard Keown, two more generations of Keowns occupied the house till 1906.

In 1844 it was let to Major Stephen Percival-Maxwell, and in 1906, following Richard Keown-Boyd's bankruptcy, Stephen Percival-Maxwell took the opportunity to purchase Ballydugan House and demesne. 

Mr Perceval-Maxwell died in 1935, and as his only son Nigel was killed in action in France, his wife Henrietta ‘Mabel’ (nee Richardson) was given her life in the house before their nephew Gerald Henry Aubrey Percival-Maxwell moved in.

Major Percival-Maxwell was High Sheriff for County Down in 1957.

The Percival-Maxwells remained on the estate until 1965.

Captain James Christy Brownlow (1922-2006), High Sheriff of County Down, 1971, purchased Ballydugan circa 1963 and remained there for the next fifteen years.

Captain Brownlow was the younger brother of Colonel William Brownlow, of BALLYWHITE HOUSE.

The estate was sold in 1978 to Sven and Simone Mackie, who had come from Snipe Island, a ruined beetling mill in Dunadry that they had restored.

Sven had been a sales director in the family business, James Mackie & Sons, travelled extensively, and spoke fluently in French, German and two dialects of Italian.

After Sven’s death in 1986, Simone later married their long-time friend John Beach who had been land agent to the O’Neills at Shane’s Castle and previously worked for the Vestey family in East Anglia. 

Simone now manages the estate with her grandson, Edward Manningham-Buller.

Stuart Blakley has written a piece about Ballydugan here.

The demesne was established in the 18th century.

There are mature shelter trees and woodland.

The walled garden is not cultivated but there is a very large English yew flourishing in the centre.

A maintained ornamental and productive garden is near the house.

The gate lodges have gone.

This site lies to the south of a much larger demesne, Hollymount, which has completely gone.

There are remnants of a fine oak wood on the east side, amongst forest planting.

The Keown-Boyd mausoleum of ca 1825 remains in very good condition.

First published in March, 2016.

Franklin Maxims: VII

LEARN OF THE SKILFUL: HE THAT TEACHES HIMSELF, HATH A FOOL FOR HIS MASTER.

First published in May, 2020.

The Bateson-Harvey Baronetcy

THE BATESON-HARVEY BARONETS OWNED 7,485 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM, 1,394 ACRES IN SOMERSET, 2,013 IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, 195 IN DORSET, AND 1 ACRE IN BERKSHIRE

This family and that of BATESON, of Belvoir Park, Newtownbreda, County Down, derive from a common ancestor, namely,

ROBERT BATESON, of Lancashire, who died in 1663, leaving an only son,

ROBERT BATESON, father of THOMAS, from whom the Belvoir Park family, and of

RICHARD BATESON, of Londonderry, who wedded firstly, Sarah, daughter of _____ McClintock, and had a son,

Thomas, father of ROBERT, 2nd Baronet.

He espoused secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Harvey, of Londonderry, and sister and heir of David Harvey, of London, by whom, with several other children, he had,

ROBERT BATESON, of Killoquin, County Antrim, who assumed, in 1788, the additional arms and surname of HARVEY.

Mr Bateson-Harvey was created a baronet in 1789, designated of Killoquin, County Antrim.

Sir Robert died without male issue, in 1825, and was succeeded, according to the special remainder, by the son of his deceased half-brother,

SIR ROBERT BATESON, 2nd Baronet (c1793-1870), JP DL, of Killoquin, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Donegal, 1822, who married, in 1819, Eliza, second daughter of Anthony Hammond, of Hutton Bonville, Yorkshire, though the marriage was without issue.

A baronetcy was created in 1868 for Robert Bateson Harvey MP, of Langley Park, Slough, Buckinghamshire, son of Robert Harvey and his wife Jane Jemima Collins daughter of J R Collins of Hatchcourt Somerset.

His father was an illegitimate son of Sir Robert Bateson-Harvey, 1st Baronet.

SIR ROBERT BATESON HARVEY, 1st Baronet (1825-87), of Langley Park, married firstly, in 1855, Diana Jane, daughter of the Ven. Stephen Creke, and had issue,

ROBERT GRENVILLE, his successor;

Charles Bateson (1859-1900);

Caroline; Diana Genevieve.

He wedded secondly, in 1874, Magdalene Breadalbane, daughter of Sir John Pringle Bt.

Sir Robert was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR ROBERT GRENVILLE HARVEY, 2nd Baronet (1856-1931), who espoused, in 1893, Emily Blanche, daughter of Montolieu Fox Oliphant Murray, 1st Viscount Elibank, and had issue,

Irene Alice Gertrude; 

Diana Blanche;

Caroline Magdalen.

Sir Robert died without male issue, when the title expired.

The Bateson-Harveys were seated were Killoquin, County Antrim, and Langley Park, Buckinghamshire.

LANGLEY PARK

In 1788, the 4th Duke of Marlborough sold Langley Park, Buckinghamshire, to Robert Bateson-Harvey.

In 1866, the Temple was replaced with a now-demolished tower built in his memory.

Towards the end of the 19th Century and early 20th Century, considerable garden projects were undertaken at Langley which focused on three areas; the gardens around the Mansion House, the Pinetum (Arboretum) and the rhododendron collection at Temple Gardens. This included 160 tonnes of peat being brought to the gardens from Scotland by a specially chartered train.

At the outbreak of the 1st World War, the cavalry unit, 2nd King Edward’s Horse, was given permission to use Langley Park for training, and later the mansion was used as a hospital and recuperation unit for their officers injured in battle.

In 1935, the Pageant of England was held in Langley Park to celebrate King George V’s silver jubilee, with Lady Harvey playing ELIZABETH I.

In 1938, legislation was passed which enabled County Councils to purchase land to help control the outward sprawl of London.

Buckinghamshire County Council proposed to purchase Langley Park, but the 2nd World War intervened.

During the War the Mansion was the headquarters of the Southern Home Guard and in 1944 Polish units preparing for D-Day used the park as a training ground.

After peace was declared in 1945, Buckinghamshire County Council finally purchased the estate.

By 1959, the Harvey Memorial Tower was deemed to be unsafe and was demolished upon the order of the County Architect, Mr Fred Pooley.

Regrettably I have no information relating to the Killoquin estate, except that it was in the vicinity of Rasharkin, County Antrim.

I'd be grateful if any readers have any further information.

First published in December, 2010. 

Castlerea House

THE BARONS MOUNT SANDFORD WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ROSCOMMON, WITH 24,410 ACRES

THEOPHILUS SANDFORD (1631-68), descended from a good family in Yorkshire, obtained grants of land in Ireland for his services during the civil wars, as a captain in Reynolds' regiment. He fixed his abode at Castlerea, County Roscommon; and from him lineally descended

COLONEL HENRY SANDFORD (ante 1671-1733), of Castlerea, MP for Roscommon Borough, 1692-1713, who married, in 1692, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rt Hon Robert FitzGerald, and was succeeded at his decease by his eldest son,

ROBERT SANDFORD (1692-1777), MP for Boyle, 1715-27, Newcastle, 1727-60, who wedded, in 1717, Henrietta, second daughter of William, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin, and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
Robert, major-general, Governor of Galway;
Henrietta.

Mr Sandford was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY SANDFORD (1719-96), MP for County Roscommon, 1741-60, Kildare Borough, 1761-8, Carrick, 1768-76, who married, in 1750, Sarah, eldest daughter of Stephen, 1st Viscount Mount Cashell, and had issue,

HENRY MOORE, of whom we treat;
William (Rev); father of HENRY, 2nd Baron;
GEORGE, 3rd Baron;
Louisa.

Mr Sandford was succeeded by his eldest son, 

HENRY MOORE SANDFORD (1751-1814), High Sheriff of County Roscommon, 1784, MP for Roscommon Borough, 1776, 1791-99, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1800, in the dignity of BARON MOUNT SANDFORD, of Castlerea, County Roscommon, with remainder, in default of male issue, to his brothers and their male descendants.

His lordship espoused, in 1780, Catherine, eldest daughter of the Rt Hon Silver Oliver, of Castle Oliver, County Limerick; but dying childless, in 1814, the barony devolved, according to the limitation, upon his nephew,

HENRY, 2nd Baron (1805-28); who, being brutally slain in a riot at Windsor, and dying unmarried, the barony reverted to his uncle,

GEORGE, 3rd Baron (1756-1846), MP for Roscommon, 1783-97.

The title became extinct in 1846 following the death of the 3rd Baron.

CASTLEREA HOUSE, near Castlerea, County Roscommon, was a large 17th century (ca 1640) block of three storeys over a basement, with 19th century wings of two storeys over a basement.

The main block of seven bays was plain; while the wings had balustraded parapets.

The three-bay side of the left wing served as the entrance front.

The house is now demolished and the demesne serves as a public park.

First published in January, 2012.

Commercial Buildings, Belfast

Commercial Buildings: Engraved for Smyth's Belfast Directory (Hogg Collection/ NMNI)

"WHERE the Commercial Buildings now stand, there were, in the year 1800, a row of low cottages, thatched with straw. This has been affirmed by respectable persons who saw them. They have been mentioned the names of those who lived, or had their places of business, in them; these were Thomas McCabe, Valentine Joyce, Russell, and others."

Thus wrote George Benn, the Belfast historian, in 1880.

The United Irishman Samuel Neilson (1761-1803) is said to have occupied one of the cottages.

Commercial Buildings are located at the corner of Waring Street and Bridge Street in Belfast.

Construction of the Buildings began on St Patrick's Day, 1819, when the foundation stone was laid by GEORGE, 2ND MARQUESS OF DONEGALL KP.

Commercial Buildings from Donegall Street painted by W A Maguire ca 1830-30 (NMNI)

The designer was John McCutcheon, the architect who oversaw the erection of Royal Belfast Academical Institution five years previously, in 1814.

The building is said to have cost £20,000 to build, equivalent to about £2 million in 2021.

Commercial Buildings remain in splendid condition to this day, doubtless due to its construction with Dublin granite.

The ground-floor stonework is rusticated, with arched window apertures.

Decorative feature (Timothy Ferres. 2022)

There is a pair of Doric porches in the Waring Street elevation, which clearly terminates the vista from Donegall Street.

The most prominent features of this elevation are eight large Ionic columns, paired at each end.

Directly above these columns is a date stone inscribed with the Roman numerals "MDCCCXX."

(Timothy Ferres, 2022)

The Historic Buildings database of the Northern Ireland Department of Communities has already written a comprehensive document about Commercial Buildings, including the fact that the Northern Whig newspaper acquired the property and operated there from 1919 until 1963.

Marcus Patton, OBE, in his Historical Gazetteer of Belfast (1993), also includes the Commercial Buildings on pages 326-7.

Bridge Street façade in 1942 (Belfast Telegraph/NMNI

High Street and Bridge Street suffered catastrophic damage caused by bombing during the Blitz in 1941; and as a consequence of this the Bridge Street elevation of Commercial Buildings was virtually destroyed.

The Waring Street frontage, however, remained largely unscathed.

Prospect from Donegall Street in 2022 (Timothy Ferres)

The historic buildings database remarks:

"With the closure of the news-press in 1963, the former Northern Whig headquarters was reconverted into commercial office space; the structure was listed in 1975. Utilised as office space for over three decades the Northern Whig was purchased by the Botanic Inns in 1997 who converted the majority of the building into a licensed restaurant and bar called ‘The Northern Whig;’ a portion of the upper floor continues to be utilised as office space."

Elphin Palace

THE diocese of Elphin is said to have been established by St Patrick, who places over it St Assicus, an austere monk, who soon filled the cathedral with members of his own order.

Several small surrounding sees appear to have been annexed to it at an early period, and a short time before the arrival of the English in Ireland it was enriched with many large estates by the annexation of the See of Roscommon.

Following the death of Bishop Hodson, in 1686, JAMES II kept the diocese vacant for several years and distributed the revenue among the Catholic clergy.

Elphin was one of the six Anglican dioceses which formed the ecclesiastical province of Tuam; though today it is united with the diocese of Kilmore.

Elphin comprises parts of the counties of Galway and Sligo, and the greater part of Roscommon, and is computed to contain 420,150 acres.

the see lands once comprised 42,843 acres, of which 29,235 were profitable.

Elphin Palace (Image: Landed Estates of County Roscommon)

The episcopal palace was "a good building in an extensive demesne near the town," and was erected by an accumulated fund of £500 bequeathed by Bishop Hodson in 1685.

The last prelate in the Church of Ireland to hold the bishopric of Elphin was the Rt Rev John Leslie (1772-1854). 

Image: Landed Estates of County Roscommon

THE PALACE, Elphin, County Roscommon, was commissioned by Bishop Synge (1691-1762), and erected between 1747-49.

It comprised a three-storey central block, facing east, featuring a first-floor Venetian window complementing the style and proportions of the main entrance below.

Its two-storey wings on either side were linked to the main building by quadrants and by underground passages.

In 1845, the Church of Ireland bishops' residence moved to Kilmore, and the old palace was let as a private residence thereafter.

It subsequently became known as Elphin House.

In 1911 the main block was destroyed by accidental fire; the wings and quadrants, still extant, became derelict thereafter.

Victoria Park

During the pandemic lockdown in 2020 I paid a visit to Victoria Park in east Belfast.

There's a footbridge at the Sydenham railway halt, which is particularly useful for pedestrian access to Belfast City Airport and the Park.

I occasionally manhandle my bike over the footbridge if I'm going to the airport for a flight.

Though its official address is given as Park Avenue, Victoria Park stands directly beside the Sydenham by-pass and Belfast City Airport.

East Belfast Yacht Club, renowned for its concrete boats, is at the north-east of the Park.

According to my 1974 street directory, the Park comprises sixty-three acres, and was formed from land reclaimed from the eastern shores of Belfast Lough.

In 1974 it contained a salt-water boating lake some twenty acres in extent.

Click to Enlarge

A bowling green and football pitches - seven within the inner island -  remain, though there was also a putting green.

There were formerly cricket pitches, tennis courts, and an open-air swimming-pool at the north-western end.

An open-air theatre was added in 1969, though has recently been demolished.

Victoria Park also has a cycling and BMX track, and two walking trails that surround the lake.

The Sam Thompson Bridge, which links the Park to Belfast Harbour Estate (at Shorts' head office) was officially opened in 2014, and a splendid feature it is.

I use it quite regularly to cycle into the city centre.

2020 Map of Victoria Park

Belfast City Council explains that the idea of creating a public park near the river Connswater was first suggested by the Harbour Commissioners in 1854.

Progress was slow because the land was very marshy, inaccessible to the public and generally unsuitable for a public park.

After many meetings, surveyors' reports and drainage schemes, the idea was approved and Victoria Park opened in 1906.

It was landscaped by Charles McKimm, who also built the Tropical Ravine in Botanic Gardens.

First published in April, 2020.

General Gage

The family of GAGE, which is of Norman extraction, derives its descent from De Gaga, Guage, or Gage, who accompanied WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR into England, and was rewarded with large grants of land in the Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire; adjacent to which forest he fixed his abode, and erected a seat at Clearwell. He also built a large mansion house in the town of Cirencester, where he died, and was buried in the abbey there.

The ancestor of the present Lord Gage,

JOHN GAGE, whose name is found in deeds during the time of HENRY IV, and who was lineally descended from the Norman, left a son,

JOHN GAGE, who married Joan, daughter and co-heir of John Sudgrove, of Sudgrove, Gloucestershire.

The son and successor of this John,

SIR JOHN GAGE (c1420-86), Knight, made great additions to his estate by purchases, and, further, by marrying Eleanor, daughter and heir of Thomas St Clere, lord of the manor of Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, and had issue,

WILLIAM;
John, ancestor of GAGE OF RATHLIN ISLAND;

The elder son,

WILLIAM GAGE (c1456-96), who resided at Burstow, in Surrey, wedded Agnes, daughter of Benjamin Bolney, and was succeeded by his son,

THE RT HON SIR JOHN GAGE KG (1479-1556), a distinguished soldier and statesman in the reigns of HENRY VIII, EDWARD VI, and QUEEN MARY, whose services are thus detailed in an ancient manuscript written by his third son, Robert Gage.

This eminent person espoused Philippa, daughter of Sir Richard Guildford KG, and had issue,

EDWARD, his heir;
John;
Robert;
William;
Alice; Anne; Elizabeth Cicily.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR EDWARD GAGE KB, of Firle, Sussex, who married Elizabeth, daughter of John Parker, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
Edward;
Thomas;
Agnes; Philippa; Mary; Margery; Lucy; Margaret.

Sir Edward died in 1568, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN GAGE, at whose decease, in 1595, without issue, the estates, including no less than fifteen manors, devolved upon his nephew,

JOHN GAGE, who was created a baronet in 1622, designated of Firle, Sussex.

Sir John wedded Penelope, daughter of Thomas Darcy, 1st Earl Rivers, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
John;
Edward;
Henry;
Frances; Penelope; Elizabeth; Anne.

Sir John died in 1633, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS GAGE, 2nd Baronet, who wedded, in 1635, Mary, eldest daughter and co-heir of John Chamberlain, of Sherburn, Oxfordshire, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
JOHN, 4th Baronet;
Henry, dsp;
Joseph, of Sherburn;
Catherine; Mary; Frances.

Sir Thomas died in 1654, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS GAGE, 3rd Baronet, who died unmarried in 1660, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR JOHN GAGE, 4th Baronet (c1642-99), who espoused firstly, Mary, daughter of Robert Middlemore, of Edgebaston, Warwickshire, and had issue,

Bridget; Mary.

He married secondly, Mary, daughter of Sir William Stanley Bt, and had further issue,

JOHN, 5th Baronet;
THOMAS, 6th Baronet;
WILLIAM, 7th Baronet;
Mary.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN GAGE, 5th Baronet (c1691-1700), who was succeeded by his brother,

SIR THOMAS GAGE, 6th Baronet (c1694-1713), who died on his travels, and was succeeded by his only surviving brother,

SIR WILLIAM GAGE, 7th Baronet (1695-1744), KB, who, conforming to the Church of England, was elected to the last Parliament of GEORGE I, as MP for Seaford, 1727-44.

Sir William died unmarried, in 1744, and his sisters, Lady Shelley and the Viscountess Fauconberg, became his co-heirs, while the title reverted to his kinsman,

THOMAS GAGE, as 8th Baronet (c1702-54); who was created, in 1720, Baron Gage, of Castlebar, County Mayo, and VISCOUNT GAGE, of Castle Island, County Kerry.

His lordship married firstly, in 1717, Benedicta Maria, Theresa, only daughter and heir of Benedict Hall, of High Meadow, Gloucestershire, and had issue,

William Hall, his successor;
THOMAS, of whom we treat;
Theresa.

He wedded secondly, in 1750, Jane, widow of Henry Jermyn Bond, by whom he had no child.

His lordship's younger son,

THE HON THOMAS GAGE (c1718-87), the celebrated General Gage, Commander-in-Chief, North America, 1763-75, Governor of Massachusetts Bay, 1774-5, wedded, in 1758, Margaret, daughter of Peter Kemble, President of the New Jersey Provincial Council, and had issue,

HENRY, his successor;
John;
William Hall (Admiral Sir, GCB);
Maria; Charlotte; Harriet; Louisa; Emily.

General Gage was succeeded by his eldest son,

MAJOR-GENERAL HENRY GAGE (1761-1808), who succeeded to the viscountcy of Gage following the decease of his uncle, the 2nd Viscount.

• Henry Hall, 4th Viscount  (1791–1877);
• Henry Charles Gage, 5th Viscount (1854–1912);
• Henry Rainald Gage, 6th Viscount (1895–1982);
• George John St Clere Gage, 7th Viscount (1932–1993);
• (Henry) Nicolas Gage, 8th Viscount (born 1934).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon Henry William Gage (b 1975).

Gage arms courtesy of European Heraldry.