Roe Park

SAMUEL MAXWELL ALEXANDER, OF ROE PARK, OWNED 5,229 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY

The elder branch of this family was ennobled, in 1663, by the title of EARL OF STIRLING, in the person of WILLIAM ALEXANDER, of Menstrie, Clackmannanshire. The name of ALEXANDER was assumed from the Christian name of its founder, Alexander Macdonald, of Menstrie. This branch, on removing into Ulster, adopted into the family shield the Canton charged with the Harp of Ireland, and settled at Limavady, County Londonderry.

JOHN ALEXANDER, of Eridy, County Donegal, 1610, had issue,

ANDREW, his heir;
John;
Archibald;
William;
Robert.

The eldest son,

THE REV DR ANDREW ALEXANDER, of Eridy, a Presbyterian minister, who married Dorothea, daughter of the Rev Dr James Caulfeild, and dying around 1641, left a son,

ANDREW ALEXANDER (1625-), of Ballyclose, Limavady, County Londonderry (attainted by JAMES II, 1689), who wedded firstly, Jessie, daughter of Sir Thomas Phillips, called Governor Phillips, and had a son and heir, JACOB.

He espoused secondly, a daughter of the Laird of Hillhouse, and had a son, JOHN, ancestor of the EARLS OF CALEDON.

The elder son,

JACOB ALEXANDER (1668-1710), of Limavady, married, in 1692, Margaret (or Jane), daughter and heiress of John Oliver, of The Lodge, Limavady, chief magistrate appointed to administer the oath of allegiance on the accession of WILLIAM & MARY, and had issue,

JAMES ALEXANDER (1694-1786), of Limavady, merchant, who wedded Elizabeth Ross, of Limavady, and had issue,

LESLEY ALEXANDER (1725-1820), of Limavady, who espoused Anna Simpson, of Armagh, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
James;
Lesley, of Foyle Park;
Alexander;
Thomas;
Louisa; Jane; Elizabeth.

The eldest son,

JOHN ALEXANDER, wedded, Margaret, daughter of Samuel Maxwell, and had issue,

Lesley, died unmarried;
Alexander, died unmarried;
SAMUEL MAXWELL, of whom hereafter;
John, of Limavady;
Anna; Jane.

The third son,

SAMUEL MAXWELL ALEXANDER JP DL (1834-86), of Roe Park, High Sheriff of County Londonderry, 1858, espoused, in 1884, Henrietta Constance, daughter of Sir Frederick William Heygate, 2nd Baronet, though the marriage was without issue.

In 1697, Sir Thomas Phillips' holdings, which included ROE PARK, were sold by his grandson to the RT HON WILLIAM CONOLLY, who came to live in Phillips' new house in Limavady, County Londonderry.

When Speaker Conolly sold his estate to MARCUS McCAUSLAND in 1743, the McCausland family greatly improved the house (and changed the name to Daisy Hill), by creating the five-bay structure which still forms the current frontage.

Roe Park House is a long, irregular, two-storey Georgian house of different periods, of which its nucleus seems to be a five-bay dwelling, built at the beginning of the 18th century by Speaker Conolly

Roe Park's principal features are a three-sided bow with a curved, pedimented and pillared door-case.

The drawing-room and dining-room have fine Victorian plasterwork.

There is a large and imposing pedimented stableyard.

In 1782, Marcus McCausland's son, Dominick, inherited the estate.

He added a fine dining-room and built substantial office buildings, which included a coach-house designed by Richard Castle in 1784.

This building still stands today and houses the Roe Park hotel's restaurant and golf shop.

Roe Park House (Image: UAHS)

Dominick McCausland also extended the estate by purchasing adjoining town lands on both sides of the river.

He proceeded to plant thousands of trees on his estate.

He also built a ten-foot wall to surround part of the estate - parts of which are still visible today - and a foot bridge (known locally as The Spring Bridge) so that he could service the well which supplied fresh water to the house known as Columba's Spring.

During this time, it's likely that the walled garden (now the golf driving-range) and gazebo were built.

This gazebo was slightly bigger than it is today and was the home of the estate's head gardener until the 1950s.

In 1817, Daisy Hill was sold to John Cromie, of Portstewart, who renamed the house Roe Park.

Mr Cromie, in turn, sold the estate to SIR FRANCIS WORKMAN-MACNAGHTEN Bt for £11,500.

Roe Park House (Ebay)

Sir Edmund, the 2nd Baronet, sold the estate in 1847 to Archibald Rennie, of Inverness, for £12,000 (about £1 million in 2019).

Mr Rennie mortgaged the property to Harvey Nicholson, of Londonderry, who came into possession of the estate during 1850.

In 1872, the estate was bought by Samuel Maxwell Alexander for £12,150 (about £1.4 million in 2019).

Mr Alexander, a distant cousin of the Earls of Caledon, married Henrietta Constance Heygate, daughter of SIR FREDERICK WILLIAM HEYGATE Bt, in 1884.

As this gentleman brought extensive lands from his own estate, this extended Roe Park to 5,229 acres.

Mr Alexander died in 1886, but as he had no immediate family, the estate was left to his two nieces.

The part that included Roe Park was bequeathed to Elizabeth Jane Stanton who, in 1887, married John Edward Ritter; thus Roe Park came into ownership of the Ritter family.

Mr Ritter died in 1901 and the estate passed to his widow, who managed it until she died in 1926.

The estate then passed to her son, Major John Alexander Ritter, Royal Artillery.

Major Ritter continued to manage affairs until his death in 1931, followed by his widow, Mrs Ritter, until her death in 1951.

When Mrs Ritter died, the estate was sold again.

Alas, it was at this time that the estate was stripped of many of the fine trees planted by Dominick McCausland in the late 1700s.

Roe Park House was converted into a residential care home, which closed in 1991, when the house and lands were purchased and developed into the current Roe Park Hotel.

First published in January, 2014.

Ennistymon House

THE MACNAMARAS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CLARE, WITH 15,246 ACRES

This is a branch of the ancient Milesian family of MACNAMARA, of County Clare, which was resident at Ballynacraggy.

BARTHOLOMEW MACNAMARA (1685-1761), of Murraghlin, The Burren, County Clare, sixth son of Teige Macnamara, of Ballynacraggy, wedded Dorothy, daughter of William Brock, Mayor of Galway, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Michael, dsp;
Teige, dsp;
John;
Mary; Margaret; Ann.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM MACNAMARA (1714-62), of Doolen, County Clare, married Catherine, daughter and heir of Francis Sarsfield, of Doolen, County Clare, and had issue,

FRANCIS, his heir;
William, dsp;
Mary; Catherine; Anne; Dorothy.

The elder son,

FRANCIS MACNAMARA (1750-1821), of Doolen, espoused Jane, daughter of George Stamer, of Carnelly, County Clare, by Honor his wife, daughter of Christopher O'Brien, of Ennistymon, and Mary, his second wife, daughter of Sir Randal MacDonnell Bt, and had issue,

WILLIAM NUGENT, his heir;
Richard;
George;
Francis;
John;
Burton (Sir), KCB, Admiral;
Honoria; Dora.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM NUGENT MACNAMARA (1775-1856), of Doolen, High Sheriff of County Clare, 1798, MP for County Clare, 1830-52, married, in 1798, Susannah, daughter and eventually co-heir of the Hon Mathias Finucane, Justice of the Common Pleas in Ireland (by Anne his wife, daughter of Edward O'Brien, of Ennistymon), and had issue,

FRANCIS, his heir;
Jane; Susan; Honor; Matilda; Louisa.

The only son,

FRANCIS MACNAMARA JP DL (1802-73), of Doolen and Ennistymon House, Lieutenant-Colonel, Clare Militia, MP for Ennis, 1832, was succeeded by his son,

HENRY VALENTINE MACNAMARA JP DL (1861-1925), of Doolen and Ennistymon, High Sheriff of County Clare, 1885, who wedded, in 1883, Elizabeth Edith, daughter of Sir Daniel Cooper Bt GCMG, and had issue,

FRANCIS, his heir;
Valentine;
George;
Violet Elizabeth; Edith Eileen; Doreen Finola; Honor Nesta.

The eldest son,

FRANCIS MACNAMARA (1884-1945), married, in 1911, Mary, eldest daughter of Eduard Majolier, of France, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
Caitlin, m Dylan Thomas;
Nicolette, 1911-87.

The only son,

JOHN MACNAMARA (1908-), wedded Henriette Buffard, of France, though the marriage was without issue.

Michael MacMahon has written an article about the Macnamaras of Doolin and Ennistymon.

ENNISTYMON HOUSE, now The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon, County Clare, is a two-storey, seven-bay, gable-ended 18th century house.

It has a single-storey, 19th century, gable-ended wing.

Interior plasterwork includes a frieze incorporating an arm embowed, brandishing a sword (the O'Brien crest) in the hall.

The conservatory has art nouveau metalwork.

Ennistymon became The Falls Hotel ca 1936.

Francis Macnamara was reputedly a notable bohemian figure and the father-in-law of Dylan Thomas; who married (as his second wife) the sister of Augustus John's Dorelia.

Macnamara and John are the Two Flamboyant Fathers in the book of that name by his daughter, Nicolette Shephard.

First published in March, 2016.

1st Baron Bloomfield

BENJAMIN BLOOMFIELD or BLUMFIELD (c1682-1737), of Eyre Court, County Galway, married Dorothy _________, and had issue,

John, his heir; ancestor of JOHN COLPOYS BLOOMFIELD;
Joseph, b 1710;
BENJAMIN, of whom hereafter;
Richard;
Dorothy; Anne.

Mr Bloomfield's third son,

BENJAMIN BLOOMFIELD, of Meelick, County Galway, was father of

JOHN BLOOMFIELD, of Newport, County Tipperary, who married Charlotte, daughter of Samuel Waller (by Anne, sister to LORD CHANCELLOR JOCELYN), and had issue,

BENJAMIN, his heir;
Anne, m Thomas Ryder Pepper;
Charlotte, m Very Rev T B Gough.

Mr Bloomfield was succeeded by his son,

THE RT HON SIR BENJAMIN BLOOMFIELD GCB GCH (1762-1846), who wedded, in 1797, Harriott, daughter of John Douglas, of Grantham, Lincolnshire, and had issue,

JOHN ARTHUR DOUGLAS, his successor;
Georgina Mary Amelia; Harriott Mary Anne.

1st Baron Bloomfield (Wikipedia)

Sir Benjamin was elevated to the peerage, in 1825, in the dignity of BARON BLOOMFIELD, of Oakhampton and Redwood, County Tipperary.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

2nd Baron Bloomfield (National Portrait Gallery)

JOHN ARTHUR DOUGLAS (1802-79), 2nd Baron, GCB PC DL, who wedded, in 1845, Georgiana, daughter of Thomas, 1st Baron Ravensworth, in a childless marriage.

In 1871 his lordship was created BARON BLOOMFIELD of Ciamhaltha, County Tipperary (second creation), on his retirement as British ambassador to Austria.

His lordship dsp in 1879, when the titles expired.

*****

CASTLE CALDWELL passed to the Bloomfields through the marriage, in 1817, of Frances Arabella, daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Caldwell, 5th Baronet, of Castle Caldwell, to John Colpoys Bloomfield. High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1825.

Bloomfield arms courtesy of European Heraldry.  First published in January, 2012.

Ballyhaise House

THE HUMPHRYS' OWNED 5,146 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY CAVAN

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS, of Ballyhaise, County Cavan, younger brother of Christopher Humphrys, of Dromard, married Letitia Kennedy, and had issue,

Christopher, b 1786;
WILLIAM, of whom we treat;
John, 1809-18;
Anne; Matilda; Letitia; Amelia; Caroline; Sophia.

Mr Humphrys, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1822, was succeeded by his second son,

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS JP DL (1798-1872), of Ballyhaise House, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1832, who wedded firstly, in 1826, Anna Maria, daughter of John Pratt Winter, of Agher, County Meath, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
JOHN WINTER, succeeded his brother;
Mervyn Archdall;
Anne Elizabeth.

He espoused secondly, in 1838, Maria Clarissa, daughter of Hugh Moore, of Eglantine House, County Down, and had further issue,

Hugh (Rev);
Armitage Eglantine;
Cecilia Letitia; Clara; Sylvia Priscilla.

Mr Humphrys was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS (1827-77), High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1877, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

JOHN WINTER HUMPHRYS (1829-84), of Ballyhaise House, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1879, who married, in 1854, Priscilla Cecilia, daughter of the Rev J P Garrett, of Killgaron, County Carlow, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
John Mervyn;
James Winter;
Charles Vesey;
Mervyn Archdall;
Francis Edward;
Arthur Armitage;
Llewellyn Winter;
Percy Raymond;
Caroline Elizabeth; Priscilla Cecilia; Clara Christina; Anna Maria; Emily May.

Mr Humphrys was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS JP (1855-97), of Ballyhaise House, Lieutenant RN, who wedded, in 1879, Alice, daughter of James Stannard JP, of Bricketstown House, County Wexford, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
NUGENT WINTER, succeeded his brother;
Ethel Elizabeth; Evelyn Alice.

Mr Humphrys was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM HUMPHRYS (1883-1906), of Ballyhaise House, Lieutenant, 17th Lancers, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

NUGENT WINTER HUMPHRYS (1885-1931), of Ballyhaise House, Lieutenant, Manchester Regiment, who espoused, in 1911, Blanche Ada de Vivefay, daughter of William Edward Wilson, of Daramona.

BALLYHAISE HOUSE, Ballyhaise, County Cavan, is one of the greatest mansions in County Cavan.

It was built about 1733 for Colonel Brockhill Newburgh.

The house comprises two storeys over a basement, with seven bays; with ashlar dressings, faced in brick.

The entrance front has a pedimented feature with four Ionic pilasters.

The garden front has a central carved bow with round-headed windows.

The bow contains an oval saloon, which has been considered one of the earliest of its kind in the British Isles.

Ballyhaise was sold in 1800 to William Humphrys, who enlarged the house considerably by adding two storey wings of the same height as the original block.

The estate was sold by the Humprys family in 1906 and now serves as an agricultural college.

First published in July, 2018.

Hollymount Demesne

NICHOLAS PRICE, of Hollymount, near Downpatrick, County Down, wedded Catherine, daughter of Sir James Hamilton*, MP for County Down, 1692-3, Bangor, 1695-9 and 1703-6, and widow of Vere Essex Cromwell, 4TH EARL OF ARDGLASS.

*William Hamilton, of Bangor, County Down, fifth son of the Rev Hans Hamilton, married Jane, daughter of Sir John Melville, and dying in 1627, left issue, James Hamilton, of Newcastle, County Down, MP for Bangor, 1627, killed at Blackwater fight, 1646, who wedded Margaret, daughter of Francis Kynaston, and had issue, SIR JAMES HAMILTON MP, of Bangor, who married Sophia, daughter of John, 1st Viscount Avalon, and sister to Charles, Earl of Peterborough and Monmouth, and had issue, JAMES, MP for Bangor, 1692, dsp; CATHERINE, m firstly, Vere Essex, 4th Earl of Ardglass; secondly, Nicholas Price, of Hollymount.

Nicholas Price's son and heir,

MAJOR-GENERAL NICHOLAS PRICE (c1665-1734), of Hollymount, MP for Downpatrick, 1692-3, Down, 1695-1714, married Dorcas, fourth daughter of Roger West, of Ballydugan, County Down, and had issue,

James, his heir; ancestor of PRICE OF SAINTFIELD HOUSE;
CROMWELL, of whom we treat;
NICHOLAS;
Sophia; Margaret; Anne.

The second son,

CROMWELL PRICE (c1696-1776), of Hollymount, MP for Downpatrick, 1727-60, espoused firstly, in 1720, Margaret, daughter of George Anderson, of Belfast, and had issue,

Nicholas Tichborne, died young;

Catherine; Harriet; Dorcas; Elizabeth.

He married secondly, in 1741, Mary Willoughby-Montgomery, and had further issue,

CROMWELL, his heir;

Nicholas (c1753-1847);

ANNE, of whom hereafter.

The eldest surviving son,

CROMWELL PRICE (c1752-98), MP for Kinsale, 1783-90, Monaghan Borough, 1791-7, Fore, 1798, died without male issue, when the estates devolved upon his sister,

ANNE PRICE (1753-75), of Hollymount, who wedded, in 1769, Charles Savage, of ARDKEEN, County Down, and had issue, a son,

FRANCIS SAVAGE (1769-1823), of Hollymount and ARDKEEN, MP for County Down, 1801-12, who married firstly, in 1795, Jane, daughter of James Crawford, of CRAWFORDSBURN, County Down, and had issue, one daughter, dvp.

He married secondly, in 1806, the Lady Harriet Butler, daughter of Henry Thomas, 2nd Earl of Carrick.

Savage Coat-of-arms

Mr Savage's second wife,

THE LADY HARRIET SAVAGE (1781-1865), of Hollymount, following her husband's death, espoused secondly, in 1829, COLONEL MATHEW FORDE, of Seaforde, County Down, though the marriage was without issue.

Following the decease of Lady Harriet Forde, in 1865, Hollymount demesne passed to Francis Savage's nephew,

CLAYTON BAYLY, eldest son of Mr Savage's only sister, Mary Anne Savage; who assumed the surname of SAVAGE, in compliance with the will of his uncle.

Mr Bayly Savage, of Norelands, County Kilkenny, married, in 1821, Isabella Jane Octavia (d 1865), daughter of Mathew Forde, of SEAFORDE, though the marriage was without issue.

Subsequently, the Hollymount and Ardkeen estates passed to Clayton Bayly-Savage's sister,

MARY ANNE BAYLY (d 1855), who married Sir Henry Meredyth, 4th Baronet (1802-89), and had issue, a son,

Armorial Bearings of
the Meredyth Baronets

HENRY WILLIAM MEREDYTH JP DL (1829-78), who married, in 1862, Harriet Anne, elder daughter of the Rev William Le Poer Trench, and had issue,

HENRY BAYLY;

William Clayton (b 1865).

Mr Meredyth pre-deceased his father, the fourth baronet, in 1878, and the title passed to his elder son,

SIR HENRY BAYLY MEREDYTH, 5th Baronet (1863-1923), of Norelands, Lieutenant, 4th Brigade, North Irish Division, Royal Artillery, who dvp, when the baronetcy expired.

*****

EVER since I discovered the hidden, lost demesne of Hollymount it has captivated me.

The entire townland, which includes Ballydugan with its lake, mill, and country pub, is utterly bewitching. 

Parking is generally limited to roadside verges. 

Ballydugan and Hollymount, close to the river Quoile, are about two miles west of Downpatrick, county town of Down.

I've read that the lands here once belonged to Down Cathedral, presumably before dissolution.

The old County Down railway line used to skirt Hollymount and, I gather, Noel Killen, local landowner and business man, restored part of its structure close to the entrance to the former demesne.

Three centuries ago the land here was like a flood plain: tidal, and certainly navigable by boat at high tide. 

The first Hollymount House: A Drawing by Mrs Delany, 1745

EDWARD, 3RD BARON CROMWELL (1559-1607), great-grandson of THOMAS CROMWELL, chief minister to HENRY VIII, purchased the lands in County Down from CHARLES BLOUNT, 8th Baron Mountjoy and 1st Earl of Devonshire.

The Down Estate passed eventually to Lord Cromwell's great-granddaughter, the Lady Elizabeth Cromwell, suo jure Baroness Cromwell, wife of the Rt Hon Edward Southwell MP. 

In 1695, Lady Cromwell leased the lands at Hollymount and the adjacent townland of Woodgrange, comprising 1,895 acres, and the townland of Lisdalgan (473 acres), later to become Saintfield, to her half-brother, Lieutenant-Colonel (later Major-General) Nicholas Price, for £30 per annum (about £6,400 in 2020).

The original Hollymount House, quite a modest dwelling, commanded a superb prospect of the water at high tide.

This high square building, built in the early 1700s, had a handsome entrance-hall, broad staircase, and lofty rooms; and stood (and still stands) on elevated ground.

It was approached from the high-road by a very long and sweeping avenue.

The demesne was of considerable extent, and was well-wooded, and it contained a natural lake of considerable size.

Hollymount was unoccupied when the Delanys rented or borrowed it in 1744 for a number of years.

Mary Delany's husband, the Very Rev Patrick Delany, had been appointed to the deanery of Down, so Hollymount would have been most convenient to the cathedral and town of Downpatrick.

Hollymount House ( Image:Vivian Shepherd)

About a century later (DAB Dean suggests 1781; Bill Spence, the early 1800s) a new Georgian block was built, most likely adjoining the original house.

The new block was built either by General Price's grandson, Cromwell Price (c1752-98) or his granddaughter Anne's son, Francis Savage (1769-1823).

It was neat and plain, two storeys above (it's thought) a basement, judging by the ruinous remains today. 

Hollymount: Porch (Image: Vivian Shepherd)

There were five bays with a parapet at the low roof, and two prominent chimneys.

The door-case and porch seemed to be the most striking feature of the house, with four small Ionic columns supporting a pediment with fluted column.

Hollymount changed hands many times during its existence.

The owners were all interrelated through marriage, though as the decades progressed those links became more tenuous.

The last member of the Prices to live there might have been Cromwell Price, who died in 1798.

Hollymount Demesne ca 1830

The Lady Harriet Forde seems to have moved from Hollymount House to DRUMCULLEN HOUSE (further down the main drive) about 1853.

When Lady Harriet died in 1865, the estate passed to her first husband's nephew, Mr Clayton Bayly; thence to his sister, Mary Anne, who had married Sir Henry Meredyth, 4th Baronet.

It's thought that the Baylys and Meredyths never inhabited Hollymount and were, most likely, absentee landlords.

Subsequent tenants were numerous: The first tenant is believed to have been ROBERT FRANCIS GORDON; followed by Andrew McCammon; then John Greenlaw Napier and his family, who possibly purchased the estate from the Merethyths. 

Ionic Columns at Porch (Image: Vivian Shepherd)

The Kellys, farmers, purchased what remained of the old estate in the 1920s, by which stage the house, uninhabited and neglected, had become dilapidated.

After the 2nd World War the Kellys stripped Hollymount of its roof, selling the lead and slates.

Shooting Party at Hollymount (Image: Vivian Shepherd)

In 1968 Hollymount was sold to the Brownlows (James Christy Brownlow (1922-2006) lived at BALLYDUGAN HOUSE in 1976).

Hollymount House (Timothy Ferres, 2021)

The Northern Ireland forestry service purchased Hollymount in 1975, and the former demesne is now known as Hollymount Forest.

Hollymount House (Timothy Ferres, 2021)

What remains of what was once a fine demesne of great historic value is today abandoned, derelict, and run-down, at the risk of tautology; though it cannot be understated.

Hollymount House (Timothy Ferres, 2021)

EDITED EXTRACT FROM A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE SAVAGES IN ULSTER (1906)    

The demesne of Hollymount is situated a short distance from Downpatrick, in the barony of Lecale, the old territory of the Savage family.

It is interesting as having been the temporary residence [the first house] of the celebrated Mrs Mary Delany (the friend of Dean Swift), whose husband, when Dean of Down, rented it from the family of Price.

It is described in some of her letters, written there and preserved in the work known as The Life and Correspondence of Mrs Delany.

Writing from Hollymount to Mrs Dewes, in June, 1745 (twenty-four years before the birth of Francis Savage), Mrs Delany thus speaks of it:-

This is really a sweet place, the house ordinary, but is well enough for a summer house. 

Two rooms below, that is a small parlour and drawing-room, and within the drawing- room a little room in which there is a bed, but the Dean makes it his closet. 

Above stairs four pretty good bed-chambers and a great many conveniences for the servants. 

I have a closet to my bed-chamber, the window of which looks upon a fine lake inhabited by swans, beyond it and on each side are pretty hills, some covered with wood and others with cattle. 

On the side of one of the hills is a gentleman's house with a pigeon-house belonging to it, that embellishes the prospect very much. 

About half-a-mile off is a pretty wood which formerly was enriched with very fine oaks and several other forest trees (it covers a hill of about twenty acres); it is now only a thicket of the young shoots from their venerable stocks, but it is very thick, and has the finest carpeting of violets, primroses, and meadow-sweet, with innumerable inferior shrubs and weeds, which make such a mass of colouring as is delightful. 

But thorny and dangerous are the paths, for with these sweets are interwoven treacherous nettles and outrageous brambles! 

But the Dean has undertaken to clear away those usurpers, and has already made some progress; it is called Wood Island, though it is no more than a peninsula; the large lake that almost surrounds it is often covered with three-score couple of swans at a time. 

On the other side of the lake are various slopes, and on the side of one of them the town of Downpatrick. 

The ruins of the old cathedral are on an eminence just opposite to Wood Island, from whence I have taken a drawing. 

DD [Dr Delany, Dean of Down] is making a path round the wood large enough to drive a coach; in some places it is so thick as to make it gloomy in the brightest day; in other places a view of the lake opens, and most of the trees are embroidered with woodbine and the "flaunting eglantine! 

Four extraordinary seats are already made, one in an oak, the other three in ash-trees. 

This afternoon we proposed spending some hours there, but the rain drove us back again ; on the beach of the lake are a great many pretty cockle shells,' which will not be neglected when the weather will permit me to go to it.

Hollymount: Main Entrance (Gate Lodges of Ulster, Page 79, DAB Dean)

THE main drive to Hollymount had a grand entrance, measuring about seventy feet in total width.

A pair of stately little gate-lodges or pavilions guarded the entrance, with railed screen between them.

The gates themselves were supported by a a pair of rusticated ashlar pillars with ball finials.

*****

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Dean, DAB, Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland, 2021, and Gate Lodges of Ulster, 1994; Bill Spence, Lecale Review, Number 16, Page 31, 2018.

I wish to express my gratitude to D A B Dean, Bill Spence, Vivian Shepherd, Denese Carberry, and Margaret Ferguson for their support in compiling this article.

Killala Castle

The episcopal see of Killala appears to have been founded between the years 434 and 441 by St Patrick, who, during that period, was propagating the faith of Christianity in the province of Connaught.

Patrick built a church at this place, called Kill-Aladh, over which he placed one of his disciples, St Muredach, as bishop.

In 1255, a bishop of Killala, whose name is not given, accompanied the Archbishop of Tuam into England to petition the King for the redress of certain grievances to which the clergy were then exposed.

Robert of Waterford, who succeeded in 1350, was fined 100 marks for neglecting to attend a parliament assembled at Castledermot, in 1377, to which he had been summoned.

Owen O'Connor, Dean of Achonry, was advanced to the See by ELIZABETH I in 1591, and was allowed to hold his deanery with the bishopric; and his successor, Miler Magrath, was permitted to hold also the See of Achonry in commendam.

Bishop Hamilton, who succeeded in 1623, obtained from JAMES I a commendatory grant, of the See of Achonry.

Bishop Otway, who succeeded to the united sees in 1671, rebuilt the cathedral from the foundation.

The Sees of Achonry and Killala continued to be held together until the death of the last bishop, Dr James Verschoyle, in 1833, when they became annexed to the archiepiscopal province of Tuam, and the temporalities were vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

They both extend into the counties of Mayo and Sligo.

The River Moy and the Ox Mountains form the boundary between them.

The greatest length of Killala is from east to west 57 miles, by a breadth of 27.

Achonry stretches from north-east to south-west 35 miles, and is 27 broad.

Killala Castle (Image: Robert French)

KILLALA CASTLE, Killala, County Mayo, was the seat of the Lord Bishops of Killala and Achonry.

It was a tall, plain, three-storey, L-shaped building with a gable-ended tower-like block at the end of one of its arms.

The Castle was said to be ruinous by 1787, though some repairs were undertaken in 1796.

Around this time the Right Rev Joseph Stock, Lord Bishop of Killala and Achonry, 1798-1810, took up residence.

The Castle was occupied by French troops for a period.

The Right Rev Dr James Verschoyle succeeded Bishop Stock in 1810; and when he died in 1834 the see of Killala was amalgamated with that of Tuam.

Thereafter Killala Castle ceased to the the episcopal seat.

For a period it was the residence of Walter James Bourke and family; then a warehouse; before being swept away in the 1950s for a housing estate.

First published in October, 2015.

The School Report

Several years ago I stumbled upon a large brown envelope, full of miscellaneous documents relating to Brackenber House School; and containing my personal Report Book.

This booklet is red in colour.

The first page states: To be returned to the Headmaster at the beginning of each term.

My final Brackenber report was in the Summer Term of 1973, when I was thirteen years old.

I was in Form Five, and the average number of pupils in the form was 15:-

LATIN: "Good progress" (Mr Maguire)

FRENCH: "Good" (Mr McQuoid)

ENGLISH: "His English has improved considerably" (Mr McQuoid)

SCRIPTURE: "Good progress" (TP)

HISTORY: "Not very good" (Mr Craig)

GEOGRAPHY: "Steady improvement" (Mr Maguire)

MATHEMATICS: "He has worked very well this term" (Mr Magowan?)

ALGEBRA/GEOMETRY "Has improved but still gaps in his knowledge of elementary ***

DRAWING: "Some good work" (Mr Cross?)

SCIENCE: "Satisfactory" (Mrs Dunlop)

GENERAL REPORT: "He has made satisfactory progress generally... he did well to pass the Common Entrance considering the great handicap [late starter] he had. He has had a good career here & we wish him well at Campbell" (Mr Craig)

CONDUCT: "Excellent" (Mr Craig)

GAMES: "He made good progress in his game of cricket & proved a fine runner"


Doubtless some of them were being charitable to me.

I was awful at Maths, geography and history.

As Mr Craig, said, though, I was a very good sprinter and promising athlete.

First published in November, 2009.

Oak Park

THE BRUENS WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CARLOW, WITH 16,477 ACRES 

JAMES BRUEN, said to have been of Tarvin, Cheshire, went to Ireland in Cromwell's Army and settled at Abbeyboyle, County Roscommon. He was administrator to his brother, Henry Bruen, of Dublin, in 1700.

James Bruen’s son,

MOSES BRUEN, of Boyle, County Roscommon, purchased land and property in counties Carlow and Wexford from the Beaucamp, Grogan and Whaley families.

Thereafter, the family settled at Oak Park, County Carlow, and Coolbawn, County Wexford.

This Moses, who died in 1757, left issue,

Moses;
HENRY, of Oak Park;
Bridget; Mary; Elinor Catherine; Margaret; Elizabeth.

The second son,

COLONEL HENRY BRUEN (1741-95), of Oak Park, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1785, MP for Jamestown, 1783-90, County Carlow, 1790-95, removed, ca 1775, to estates which he purchased in County Carlow.

He married, in 1787, Harriette Dorothea, daughter of Francis Knox, of Rappa Castle, County Mayo, and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
John, of Coolbawn;
Francis, of Coolbawn;
Maria; Margaret; Harriett.

The son and heir,

COLONEL HENRY BRUEN (1789-1852), of Oak Park, and Coolbawn, County Wexford, married, in 1822, Anne Wandesforde, daughter of Thomas Kavanagh MP, of Borris House, County Carlow, by Lady Elizabeth his wife, daughter of John, 17th Earl of Ormonde, and had issue,

HENRY, of Oak Park;
Elizabeth; Harriet; Anne.

Colonel Bruen was succeeded by his only son,

THE RT HON HENRY BRUEN JP DL (1828-1912), of Oak Park and Coolbawn, MP for Carlow, 1857-80, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1855, Privy Counsellor, who married, in 1854, Mary Margaret, third daughter of Colonel Edward M Conolly MP, of Castletown, County Kildare, and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
Edward Francis, Captain RN;
John Richard;
Arthur Thomas;
Charles;
Katherine Anne; Mary Susan; Elizabeth; Eleanor; Helen; Grace.

Mr Bruen was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY BRUEN (1856-1927), of Oak Park, and Coolbawn, Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1886, Wexford, 1909, who wedded, in 1886, Agnes Mary, youngest daughter of the Rt Hon Arthur M Kavanagh, of Borris, County Carlow, and had issue,

HENRY ARTHUR BRUEN (1887-1954), of Oak Park, Captain, 15th Hussars, who wedded, in 1913, Jane Catherine Gladys, daughter of Arthur George Florence McClintock, and had issue,

GLADYS PATRICIA BREUN (1914-), of Oak Park, who married, in 1939, Mervyn Anthony Arthur Rudyerd Boyse, son of Major Henry Thomas Arthur Shapland Hunt Boyse. They had four sons.

She lived in 1976 at Maryvale, Church Road, Ballybrack, County Dublin.

OAK PARK, near Carlow town, is a large Victorian classical house by W V Morrison.

It has two storeys, the entrance front having a five-bay central block with a pedimented portico of four huge Ionic columns.

The main block is prolonged by wings of the same height, initially set back though returning forwards with Wyatt windows at their ends.

The garden front of thirteen bays is duller in appearance.

The interior has splendid plasterwork in the style of Morrison; while the Hall boasts giant, free-standing Ionic columns.

Part of the former Oak Park estate, once the home of the Bruen Family, from 1775 to 1957, is now the 127 acre Oak Park Forest Park.

The Oak Park demesne was bought by Colonel Henry Bruen in 1775, after making his fortune in the American Army.

He was the grandson of James Bruen, of Tarvin, Cheshire, who came to Ireland with Oliver Cromwell and received land at Abbeyboyle, County Roscommon.

The Bruens intermarried with the County Mayo families, Knox of Rappa and Ruttledge of Bloomfield.

HMS Drake, the wreck of which lies at Church Bay, Rathlin Island, was torpedoed in 1917. One of her Captains was Edward Bruen, son of the MP. He was Captain when the ship was flagship on the Australian station circa 1912/13.

The Senior Naval Officer in Australia at the time was Admiral King-Hall (Admiral Sir George Fowler King-Hall KCB CVO) who had a very strong Ulster connection. Captain Edward Bruen RN was married to Olga Ker, one of the Montalto and Portavo family.

Captain Bruen later went on to command HMS Bellerophon at the Battle of Jutland.

The Bruen estate was mainly in the counties of Carlow and Wexford where they had houses at Oakpark in Carlow and at Coolbawn, Enniscorthy.

Francis Bruen was married to Catherine Anne Nugent, daughter of the Earl of Westmeath.

Three townlands in the barony of Athenry were offered for sale in the Landed Estates court in 1866.

All this land gave the Bruen family political power and, in 1790, Henry Bruen was returned to Parliament, winning the seat of a neighbouring family, the Butlers.

However, the Butlers reclaimed their seat five years later with the sudden death of the Colonel in December, 1795.

This allowed his son, also called Henry, to assume control of the estate.

The Bruen estate in County Galway amounted to over 700 acres in the 1870s but was part of an estate of almost 25,000 acres in total.

Manuscripts in the Irish Genealogical Office would suggest that the family held lands at Boyle, County Roscommon, in the 18th century.

These lands seem to have been at the centre of a legal case between the Bruen family and Richard St George.

Henry Bruen attended Harrow School alongside the poet Lord Byron and Robert Peel, with whom he would later serve as a Conservative MP.

Peel was Home Secretary at the time of Catholic Emancipation, a Bill which Henry Bruen supported.

Bruen quickly amassed the land surrounding Oak Park.

In 1841, a survey of every Bruen farm revealed that the family's estates in County Carlow covered 20,089 acres.

In the 1841 election, Henry defeated the Liberal candidate, Daniel O'Connell, Jnr., son of “The Liberator”.

However, the Bruen hold on the seat lapsed with the death of Henry in 1852; but his son, also confusingly called Henry, returned to the House of Commons in 1857 and held his seat until 1880, which marked the end of the family's 90-year history of political involvement over three generations.

The current mansion house at Oak Park is the result of four periods of expansion and remodelling carried out between 1797 and 1902.

Twenty-two years after he arrived, Henry employed Michael Boylan to redecorate the house.

In 1832, the second Henry Bruen commissioned William Morrison to re-model the house and in 1876 Samuel Bolton, a builder, signed a contract for a major extension, which took three years to complete.

However, on 22nd February, 1902, the house was gutted by fire.

After eight hours of fighting the blaze, all that remained was the north wing. Fortunately, a large number of paintings, furniture and books were saved by the workers.

The house was rebuilt under the supervision of William Mitchell.

The last male Bruen, the fifth Henry, died in 1954.

By then, the estate had reduced in size to a relatively small 1,500 acres.

He left nothing to his estranged daughter Gladys, who had several years earlier married Prince Milo of Montenegro.

The remainder of the estate was bequeathed to a cousin in England, minus a weekly income for life of £6 to his daughter, Patricia.

In 1957, the estate was purchased at auction for £50,555 by Brownes Hill Estates, who already owned the nearby estate in which a Norfolk farmer was principal partner.

However, within three years the property was back on the market after fierce protest from smaller farmers in opposition to the purchase by the Norfolk farmer.

The estate was bought by the Irish Land Commission for £68,000, and seven hundred acres were divided up among small holders, while the house and the remaining land were taken over as a research centre for the Irish Agricultural Institute (Teagasc).

The last member of the Bruen family to be buried in the family's private burial ground at the Mausoleum was Gladys, the estranged wife of Henry (d 1969). 

First published in April, 2011.

I am grateful to Henry Woods and Robert Power for most of the information; further reading about the Bruens and Oak Park can be read here.