Franklin Maxims: III

• "HE THAT SPEAKS MUCH IS MUCH MISTAKEN."

First published in April, 2020.

Stephenstown House

THE FORTESCUES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LOUTH, WITH 5,262 ACRES

This is a cadet branch of FORTESCUE of Dromiskin (from whom descended the EARLS OF CLERMONT, and the BARONS CLERMONT and CARLINGFORD).

WILLIAM FORTESCUE, of Newrath, County Louth, younger son of SIR THOMAS FORTESCUE, of Dromiskin, married Margaret, daughter and heiress of Nicholas Gernon, of Milltown, County Louth, and died in 1734, leaving, with other issue, a third son,

CAPTAIN MATTHEW FORTESCUE, Royal Navy, who wedded, in 1757, Catherine Doogh, and had (with a daughter, Catherine) a son,

MATHEW FORTESCUE, of Stephenstown, who espoused Mary Anne, eldest daughter of John McClintock MP, of Drumcar, and had issue,

MATHEW, his heir;
Anna Maria; Harriet; Emily.

The only son,

MATHEW FORTESCUE DL (1791-1845), of Stephenstown, married, in 1811, Catherine Eglantine, eldest daughter of Colonel Blair MP, of Blair, and had issue,

Mathew Charles, died in infancy;
JOHN CHARLES WILLIAM, his heir;
Frederick Richard Norman, father of MATTHEW CHARLES EDWARD;
William Hamilton;
Clermont Mathew Augustus.

Mr Mathew Fortescue was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

JOHN CHARLES WILLIAM FORTESCUE JP DL (1822-91), of Stephenstown, and Corderry, Lieutenant-Colonel, RA; High Sheriff of County Louth, 1861, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of County Louth, 1868-79, who wedded, in 1857, Geraldine Olivia Mary Anne, daughter of the Rev Frederick Pare, by the Hon Geraldine de Ros his wife.

He dsp in 1891, and was succeeded by his nephew,

MATTHEW CHARLES EDWARD FORTESCUE JP DL (1861-1914), of Stephenstown, High Sheriff of County Louth, 1903, Major, 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, who wedded, in 1894, Edith Magdalen, eldest daughter of Sir Charles Arthur Fairlie-Cunninghame Bt, though the marriage was without issue.

*****

After the death of Mrs Pike-Fortescue in 1966, Stephenstown was inherited  by her nephew, Major Digby Hamilton, who sold it about 1974.

STEPHENSTOWN HOUSE, near Dundalk, County Louth, was a square Georgian house of two storeys over a basement, five bays long and five bays deep.

The house was extended in 1820 by the addition of two wings of one storey over the basement.

One of these wings was demolished later in the 19th century.

At some time in the earlier part of the 19th Century the windows were given Tudor-Revival hood mouldings, but later the house was refaced with cement and the hood mouldings replaced by classical pediments and entablatures.

Alas, the once-great mansion is now ruinous.

Although neglected in recent years, Stephenstown House continues to play a vital role in its surroundings.

It is located on the highest point in the locality dominating the skyline and providing a point of drama in the landscape.

The outlying buildings are in fair condition and their survival contributes further to Stephenstown's significance.

The house became ruinous by the 1980s.

Abandoned Ireland has an interesting article about it here.

Other former seat ~ Wymondham Cottage, Oakham, Rutland.

First published in March, 2012.

Franklin Maxims: II

• HE THAT WOULD LIVE IN PEACE AND AT EASE, MUST NOT SPEAK ALL HE KNOWS, NOR JUDGE ALL HE SEES.

First published in April, 2020.

Carrigglas Manor

THE LEFROYS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LONGFORD, WITH 4,229 ACRES

The LEFROYS are of Flemish extraction, and emigrated from Cambrai to England in the time of the Duke of Alva's persecutions, settling at Canterbury, Kent.

The first settler, about 1559, was ANTOINE LEFROY, a native of Cambrai, who settled in Canterbury ca 1587, where his descendants followed the business of silk dying.

His descendent in the fourth generation, 

THOMAS LEFROY (1680-1723), of Canterbury, married Phœbe, daughter of Thomas Thomson, of Kenfield, by Phœbe his wife, daughter of William Hammond, of St Alban's Court, Kent, and granddaughter of the Rt Hon Sir Dudley Digges, of Chilham Castle, Kent, Master of the Rolls, and had a son,

ANTHONY LEFROY (1703-79), of Leghorn and Canterbury, who married, in 1738, Elizabeth, sister of  Benjamin Langlois MP, many years Under Secretary of State, and had (with one daughter, Phoebe, married to an Italian nobleman), two sons,

ANTHONY PETER;
Isaac Peter George.

The elder son, 

ANTHONY PETER LEFROY (1742-1819), Lieutenant-Colonel, 9th Dragoons, married, in 1765, Anne, daughter of Colonel Gardiner, and had issue,

THOMAS LANGLOIS, of whom hereafter;
Anthony, an army captain;
Benjamin, ancestor of Jeremy John Elton Lefroy MP;
Christopher;
Henry (Rev), Vicar of Santry.

The eldest son, 

THE RT HON THOMAS LANGLOIS LEFROY  (1776-1869), of Carrigglas Manor, LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF IRELAND, espoused, in 1799, Mary, only daughter and heir of Jeffry Paul, of Silver Spring, County Wexford, member of the younger branch of the family of Sir Robert Paul Bt, and had issue,

ANTHONY, his heir;
THOMAS PAUL, succeeded his brother;
Jeffry (Very Rev), Dean of Dromore;
George Thomson, High Sheriff of Co Longford, 1845;
Jane Christmas; Anne; Mary Elizabeth.

Lord Chief Justice Lefroy, one of the most distinguished lawyers of his time, was called to the Bar in 1797, and appointed a Bencher of the King's Inn, 1819.

He was MP for Trinity College, Dublin, from 1830 until his elevation to the Bench, which took place in 1841, when he was appointed a Baron of the Exchequer.

He was appointed Lord Chief Justice in 1852.

The eldest son,

ANTHONY LEFROY JP DL (1800-90), of Carrigglas Manor, MP for Trinity College, Dublin, 1858-70, County Longford, 1830-47, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1849, married, in 1824, Jane, eldest daughter of Robert Edward, 1st Viscount Lorton, and granddaughter of Robert, 2nd Earl of Kingston, and had issue,

Thomas, died an infant;
Frances Jane; Mary Louisa.

Mr Lefroy was succeeded by his brother,

THOMAS PAUL LEFROY QC (1806-91), of Carrigglas Manor, County Court Judge of Down, Chancellor of the Diocesan Court of Down, Connor and Dromore, Bencher of the King's Inns, who wedded, in 1835, the Hon Elizabeth Massy, daughter of Hugh, 3rd Baron Massy, and had issue,

THOMAS LANGLOIS HUGH, his heir;
AUGUSTINE HUGH, successor to his brother;
Anthony William Hamon (Rev);
Charles Edward;
George Henry;
Alfred Henry;
Margaret Everina; Mary Georgina; Millicent Elizabeth; Grace Elizabeth; Frances Anna.

Judge Lefroy was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS LANGLOIS HUGH LEFROY JP DL (1836-1902), of Carrigglas Manor, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1892, Barrister, who espoused, in 1894, Dorothy Winifred, daughter of Robert Carreg DL, of Carreg, Carnarvonshire.

He dsp 1902, and was succeeded by his brother,

AUGUSTINE HUGH LEFROY JP DL (1839-1915), of Carrigglas Manor and The Lodge, Boxted, Colchester, Essex, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1909, who wedded, in 1878, Isabel Mary, eldest daughter of John Hebblethwaite, of St Clair, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and had issue,

HUGH PERCIVAL THOMSON, his heir;
Augustine George Victor;
Mary Elizabeth; Kathleen Grace.

The eldest son,

HUGH PERCIVAL THOMSON LEFROY DSO MC (1880-1954).

It is believed that Jeffry and Tessa Lefroy were the last of the family to live at Carrigglas.

They had moved in to the house in 1976 and opened to visitors in 1985.

Sadly, the cost of maintaining the mansion house was unsustainable and, after twenty-nine years, they sold the estate in 2005.

CARRIGGLAS MANOR, near Longford, County Longford, is one of the larger and more impressive country estates still extant in that county.

It features buildings from two distinct periods and in two different architectural styles.

The present manor house is built on, or close to, the site of an earlier house.

The estate was originally a manor of the Anglican Bishops of Ardagh.

It was left to Trinity College, Dublin, in the 17th century and was later leased by Trinity College, ca 1695, to the Newcomen family (later the Gleadowe-Newcomen family).

The estate appears to have been later bought by the Newcomens in 1772.

The owner or resident at the turn of the 19th-century, Sir William Gleadowe-Newcomen, commissioned the eminent neoclassical architect James Gandon (1742-1823) to design for him an unusual house/villa.

Gleadowe-Newcomen later went bankrupt, following financial troubles that led to the eventual collapse of the Newcomen Bank, before work could start on this house/villa.

However, a magnificent stable block and farmyard with central pedimented archways, and an elegant triumphal arch gateway incorporating gate lodges to either side, designed by Gandon were built at Carrigglas.

An unusual walled garden on oval-plan and a gardener's house may also have been built to designs by Gandon.

Carrigglas was leased to, and later bought by, Thomas Lefroy (1776-1869) ca 1833.

Reputedly the character Mr Darcy in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was based on Judge Lefroy (they met in England when Lefroy was attending college there during the late-18th century).

Lefroy engaged the architect Daniel Robertson (d 1849) to design a new house for him at Carrigglas, ca 1837, demolishing the earlier country house to site.

Robertson designed the new house in an Elizabethan/Tudor architectural idiom, creating a highly picturesque building with a dramatic roof-line of tall Tudoresque chimney-stacks, crenellated turrets and gabled projections that ranks as one of the finest buildings of its type in Ireland.

Robertson was also an accomplished landscape architect, well-known for his work on the Italian gardens at Powerscourt, and he also carried out extensive landscaping at Carrigglas.

The Lefroy family remained at Carriglass Manor until about 2005, when they sold the estate and grounds. 

Other former seat ~ The Lodge, Boxted, Colchester, Essex.

First published in June, 2012.

Franklin Maxims: I

Benjamin Franklin (1706-90), a Founding Father of the United States of America, published an almanac entitled Poor Richard's Almanack.

This series of pamphlets ran from 1732 until 1758.

They contained many wise and profound maxims.

I've been so impressed by them that I'm going to post some on the blog.

Here's the first:-

A LITTLE NEGLECT MAY BREED GREAT MISCHIEF;

FOR WANT OF A NAIL THE SHOE WAS LOST;

FOR WANT OF A SHOE THE HORSE WAS LOST;

AND FOR WANT OF A HORSE THE RIDER WAS LOST, BEING OVERTAKEN AND SLAIN BY THE ENEMY, ALL FOR WANT OF CARE ABOUT A HORSE-SHOE NAIL.

First published in April, 2020.

Adare Manor

THE EARLS OF DUNRAVEN AND MOUNTEARL WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LIMERICK, WITH 14,298 ACRES 

The descent of the Earls of Dunraven from the ancient Milesian princes is certified by the recognition of the pedigree of their ancestor, Thady Quin, of Adare, in a record entered in Ulster King-of-Arms' office by Sir Richard Carney, Knight, Ulster King of Arms, 1688.

Con Cead Caha, or Con of the Hundred Battles, described by genealogists as monarch in Ireland during the 2nd century, is represented as the founder of the family of QUIN; his grandson, Cormac, who is said to have reigned in AD 254, was the first who adopted the surname of QUIN, which signifies a descendant of Con. The family certainly possessed large territories in Ireland, and governed as hereditary chieftains, before the invasion of the English in the reign of HENRY II. 

The Earls of Dunraven descended from a branch which for many centuries possessed great feudal power in County Clare, whence their ancestors were finally expelled by the more powerful family of O'Brien, and settled in County Limerick.

JAMES QUIN, of Kilmallock, County Limerick (whose brother, John Quin, a Dominican friar, was Bishop of Limerick, 1521), had a son,

DONOUGH QUIN, who was father of

DONOUGH QUIN, who married Judith, heiress of the family of O'Riordan, which had been settled for more than five centuries in County Limerick.

He died in 1621, leaving a son,

THADY QUIN (1645-1726), of Adare, who wedded firstly, Bridget, daughter and heir of Andrew Rice, of Dingle, County Kerry; and secondly, Frances, daughter of Major Hull, son of Sir William Hull, Knight; and thirdly, Catherine, daughter of Piers Morony, by whom he had issue,

VALENTINE, his heir;
John;
James;
Catherine; Eleanor; Judith.

Thady Quin was succeeded by his eldest son,

VALENTINE QUIN, of Adare, who espoused Mary, eldest daughter and co-heir of Henry Widenham, of The Court, County Limerick, and had issue,

WINDHAM, his heir;
George, of Quinsborough;
Mary; Margaret; Alice; Catharine; Anne.

Mr Quin died in 1744, and was succeeded by his elder son,

WINDHAM QUIN (1717-89), of Adare, High Sheriff of County Limerick, 1747, MP for Kilmallock, 1768-76, who married, in 1748, Frances, daughter of Richard Dawson, of Dawson's Grove, County Monaghan, and had issue,

VALENTINE RICHARD, his successor;
Windham, lt-col in the army;
John, in holy orders;
Elizabeth; Mary; Catherine; Frances.

Mr Quin's eldest son,

VALENTINE RICHARD QUIN (1732–1824), MP for Kilmallock, 1800, was created a baronet in 1781, designated of Adare, County Limerick.

Sir Valentine was elevated to the peerage, in 1800, in the dignity of Baron Adare, of Adare, County Limerick; and advanced to a viscountcy, in 1816, as Viscount Mount-Earl.

His lordship was further advanced, in 1822, to the dignities of Viscount Adare and EARL OF DUNRAVEN AND MOUNTEARL.

He wedded firstly, in 1777, Frances, daughter of Stephen, 1st Earl of Ilchester, and had issue,

WINDHAM HENRY, his successor;
Richard George;
Elizabeth; Harriett.

His lordship espoused secondly, Mrs Blennerhasset, widow of Colonel Blennerhasset, but had no further issue.

He was succeeded by his elder son,

2nd Earl of Dunraven (Image: National Library of Wales)

WINDHAM HENRY, 2nd Earl (1782-1850), MP for County Limerick, 1802-20, who married, in 1810, Caroline, daughter of Thomas Wyndham, and had issue,

EDWIN RICHARD, his successor;
Windham Henry, father of the 5th Earl;
Anna Maria Charlotte.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDWIN RICHARD, 3rd Earl (1812-71), KP, MP for Glamorgan, 1837-51, who wedded firstly, in 1836, Augusta, daughter of Thomas Gould, and had issue,

WINDHAM THOMAS, his successor;
Augusta Emily; Mary Frances; Caroline Adelaide; Edith; Emily Anna.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

WINDHAM THOMAS, 4th Earl (1841-1926), KP CMG OBE PC, who espoused, in 1869, Florence Elizabeth, daughter of Lord Charles Lennox Kerr, and had issue, three daughters,

Florence Enid; Rachael Charlotte; Aileen May.

His lordship died without male issue, when the titles reverted to his cousin,

WINDHAM HENRY, 5th Earl (1857-1952), CB DSO DL, High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, 1914, who married, in 1885, the Lady Eva Constance Aline Bourke, daughter of Richard, 6th Earl of Mayo, and had issue,

RICHARD SOUTHWELL WINDHAM ROBERT, his successor;
Valentine Maurice;
Olein Eva Constance; Kathleen Sybil.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD SOUTHWELL WINDHAM ROBERT, 6th Earl (1887-1965), CB CBE MC, who espoused firstly, in 1915, Helen Lindsay, daughter of John Swire; and secondly, in 1934, Nancy, daughter of Thomas B Yuille, by whom he had issue,

THADY WINDHAM THOMAS, his successor;
Melissa Eva Caroline; Caroline Olein Geraldine.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

THADY WINDHAM THOMAS, 7th Earl (1939-2011), who married, in 1969, Geraldine, daughter of Air Commodore Gerald Ward McAleer CBE, and had issue, an only child,

THE LADY ANNA ELIZABETH WYNDHAM-QUIN (1972-), who wedded, in 2009, Duncan Yeats, son of Patrick Johnson, and has issue,

Tarka Valentine Mary (b 2015);
India Catherine Nancy (b 2016).

Following the death of the 7th Earl without male issue, the titles expired.

Unable to bear the expense of maintaining Adare Manor, the 7th Earl sold it and its contents in 1984.

The mansion was purchased by an Irish-American businessman, Tom Kane, and subsequently converted into a hotel.

Adare Manor was originally a two-storey, seven-bay early 18th century house, most likely built about 1725 by Valentine Quin, grandfather of the 1st Earl of Dunraven.

From 1832, the 2nd Earl, started rebuilding the house in the Tudor-Revival style as a way of occupying himself (his wife was handicapped).

When the house was almost completed in 1846, A W Pugin was commissioned to design some features of the Great Hall.

Between 1850-62, the 3rd Earl finally completed the mansion by building the principal garden front.

The Great Hall is a room of vast size and height, divided down the middle by a screen of giant Gothic arches of stone.

A carved oak Minstrels' Gallery runs along one side; originally there was once an organ loft.

Mark Bence-Jones remarks that Adare Manor, as completed, is a picturesque and grey stone pile, composed of various elements that are rather loosely tied together; some of which are reproduced from Tudor originals in England. viz. the entrance tower, bearing a verisimilitude to the Cloister Court at Eton College.

The Long Gallery above is 132 feet long and 26 feet in height.

The mansion is set in a 840-acre estate and now operates as a luxury hotel, featuring the Adare Golf Club, Elemis Treatment Rooms, Townhouses and Villas on the rest of the resort.

President Clinton stayed at Adare Manor in September, 1998.

First published in August, 2011.

Kinlough House

THE JOHNSTONS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LEITRIM, WITH 14,395 ACRES

ROBERT JOHNSTON (1768-1843), of Kinlough House, County Leitrim, and 23 Mountjoy Square, Dublin, married Florence, daughter of Henry Rathborne, of Dunsinea, County Dublin, and had, with other issue,

WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Henry (Ven.), Archdeacon of Elphin;
St George Robert.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM JOHNSTON JP (1814-88), of Kinlough House and Mountjoy Square, High Sheriff of County Leitrim, 1850, wedded, in 1856, Sarah Jane, daughter of the Rev William Percy, Rector of Carrick-on-Shannon, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
Florence Elizabeth; Sophia Mary;
Emma Caroline; Lucy Katherine.

Mr Johnston was succeeded by his son,

JAMES JOHNSTON JP DL (1858-), of Kinlough House, High Sheriff of County Leitrim, 1884, who married, in 1890, Rebecca Ceely, daughter of Maurice Ceely Maude, of Lenaghan Park, County Fermanagh, and had issue,

William James, 1891-3;
ROBERT CHRISTOPHER, b 1896.

I have been unable to find much information relating to the Johnstons of Kinlough.

KINLOUGH HOUSE, originally known as Oakfield House, was the seat of the Johnston family in the early 18th century.

It was remodelled in the 1820s by Robert Johnston, who renamed it Kinlough House.

In 1943 the Irish Tourist Association Survey recorded that the house had been destroyed by fire twenty years earlier, but that the gardens were still open to the public.

Housing development is occurring on the site, adjacent to the walled garden.

It was a five-bay, two-storey over basement house, built ca 1800 by Robert Johnston; now ruinous.

Its roof has been removed.

There were two ashlar chimney-stacks with string courses; sandstone walls with ruled-and-lined render; and tooled limestone quoins and string course.

It had a Doric portico to the façade, with tripartite window and pediment above.

Segmental-arched openings to basement with cast-iron railings.

Although this impressive former country house now lies in ruins, the grandeur and elegance of the building still survives.

Detailing such as the flower motif to the tripartite window contributes to the artistic quality of the house.

First published in March, 2012.   Sir James (Jim) Kilfedder MP (1928-1995) was born at Kinlough, County Leitrim.

House of Cole

By a deed of WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, it appears that the Coles were of the rank of barons, and were resident in Hampshire in that monarch's reign. The first of this family who settled in Ulster was

SIR WILLIAM COLE, Knight (c1571-1653), who fixed his abode in County Fermanagh early in the reign of JAMES I.

He was the son of Emmanuel Cole (c1545-c1625), third son of Thomas Cole, of London; whose father, John, was son of William Cole, who was a younger son of John Cole, who was second son of Sir John Cole, of Nethway, Devon, by Anne, daughter and heir of Sir Nicholas Bodrugan, Knight, son of John Cole, of Hittisleigh, Devon, during the reign of EDWARD III, great-grandson of William Cole, of Hittisleigh, living in 1243.

Sir William was appointed captain of the longboats and barges at Ballyshannon and Lough Erne, by patent, in 1607.

This gentleman became an undertaker in the plantation of Ulster, and had an assignment, in 1611, of 1,000 acres of escheated lands, in the county wherein he resided; to which, in 1612, were added 320 acres in the same county.

Eighty acres whereof were assigned for the town of Enniskillen; and that town was then incorporated by charter, consisting of a provost and twelve burgesses, Sir William being the first provost.

Sir William raised a regiment, which he commanded against the rebels, in 1643, with important success.

He wedded twice: Firstly, to Susan, daughter and heiress of John Croft, of Lancashire, by whom he had two daughters.

This gentleman's second wife was Catherine, daughter of Sir Laurence Parsons, of Birr, second baron of the Irish Exchequer, by whom he left, at his decease (with at least two daughters),

MICHAEL, his successor;
John, MP for Fermanagh; cr baronet, 1660.

The elder son,

SIR MICHAEL COLE (1644-c1711), Knight, MP for Enniskillen, 1665-6, 1692-3, 1695-9, 1703-11, wedded Alice, daughter of Chidley Coote, of Killester, County Dublin, and was succeeded by his only surviving child,

SIR MICHAEL COLE, Knight, who wedded, in 1671, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Cole Bt; and dying in 1710, was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN COLE (c1680-c1726), of Florence Court, County Fermanagh, MP for Enniskillen, 1703-26, who espoused Florence, only daughter of Sir Bourchier Wrey, 4th Baronet, of Trebitch, in Cornwall, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN COLE (1709-67), of Florence Court, MP for Enniskillen, 1730-60, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1760, in the dignity of Baron Mount Florence, of Florence Court, County Fermanagh.

John, 1st Baron Mount Florence (Image: National Trust)

His lordship espoused Elizabeth, daughter of Hugh Willoughby Montgomery, of Carrow, County Fermanagh, and had, with several daughters, two sons,

WILLIAM, his successor;
Arthur, m Letitia Hamilton.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son, 

WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, 2nd Baron (1736-1803), who was created, in 1776, Viscount Enniskillen; and advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1789, as EARL OF ENNISKILLEN.

His lordship married, in 1763, Anne, daughter of Galbraith Lowry-Corry, of Aghenis , County Tyrone, and sister of Armar, 1st Earl of Belmore, and had issue,

JOHN WILLOUGHBY, his successor;
Galbraith Lowry (Sir), GCB, general in the army;
William Montgomery (Very Rev), Dean of Waterford;
Arthur Henry, MP;
Henry, died young;
Sarah; Elizabeth Anne; Anne; Florence; Henrietta Frances.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN WILLOUGHBY, 2nd Earl (1768-1840), KP, who married, in 1805, the Lady Charlotte Paget, fourth daughter of Henry, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, and had issue,

WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, his successor;
Henry Arthur;
John Lowry;
Lowry Balfour;
Jane Anne Louisa Florence.

His lordship was appointed a Knight of St Patrick, 1810.

He was created, in 1815, Baron Grinstead, of Grinstead, Wiltshire, in the peerage of the United Kingdom.

His Lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, 3rd Earl (1807-86), Honorary Colonel, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.

• John Willoughby Cole, 2nd Earl (1768–1840);
• William Willoughby Cole, 3rd Earl (1807-86);
• Lowry Egerton Cole, 4th Earl (1845–1924);
• John Henry Michael Cole, 5th Earl (1876–1963);
  • Michael Galbraith Lowry Cole, Viscount Cole (1921-56);
• David Lowry Cole, 6th Earl, MBE (1918-89);
• Andrew John Galbraith Cole, 7th Earl (b 1942).

The heir presumptive is the present holder's first cousin Berkeley Arthur Cole (b 1949). He is the eldest son of the Hon Arthur Gerald Cole (1920–2005), younger brother of the 6th Earl.

First Published in January, 2012.

Ballyfin House

THE COOTE BARONETS WERE THE GREATEST LANDOWNERS IN THE QUEEN'S COUNTY, WITH 47,451 ACRES

This is the parent stock whence the noble houses of COOTE, Earls of Mountrath, and COOTE, Barons Castle Coote, both now extinct, emanated. 

This noble family derives its origin from

SIR JOHN COOTE, a native of France, who married Isabella, the daughter and heir of the Seigneur Du Bois, of that kingdom, and had issue,

SIR JOHN COOTE, Knight, who coming into England, settled in Devon, and married a daughter of Sir John Fortescue, of that county.

His lineal descendant,

JOHN COOTE, heir to his uncle, 28th Abbot of Bury St Edmund's, wedded Margaret, daughter of Mr Drury, by whom he had four sons,

Richard;
FRANCIS, of whom we treat;
Christopher;
Nicholas.

Mr Coote's second son,

FRANCIS COOTE, of Eaton, in Norfolk, served ELIZABETH I; and by Anne, his wife, had issue,

SIR NICHOLAS COOTE, living in 1636, who had two sons,

CHARLES, his heir;
William (Very Rev), Dean of Down, 1635.

Sir Nicholas's elder son,

SIR CHARLES COOTE (1581-1642), Knight, of Castle Cuffe, Queen's County,

Who served in the wars against O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, at the head, as captain of the 100th Foot Regiment, with which corps he was at the siege of Kinsale, and was appointed, by JAMES I (in consequence of the good and faithful services he had rendered to ELIZABETH I), provost-marshal of the province of Connaught for life. 

In 1620, he was constituted vice-president of the same province; and created, in 1621, a baronet, designated of Castle Cuffe, Queen's County. Sir Charles distinguished himself, subsequently, by many gallant exploits; but the most celebrated was the relief of Birr, in 1642. 

Being dispatched, with Sir Thomas Lucas and six troops of horse, to relieve that garrison, and some other fortresses, it was necessary, in order to effect the objective, to pass the causeway broken by the rebels, who had thrown up a ditch at the end of it. 

Sir Charles, leading thirty dismounted dragoons, beat the enemy, with the loss of their captain and twenty men; relieved the castles of Birr, Borris, and Knocknamase; and having continued almost forty hours on horseback, returned to the camp with the loss of only one man.

This is the surprising passage through Mountrath woods which justly caused the title of MOUNTRATH to be entailed upon his son,

Sir Charles, who married Dorothea, youngest daughter and co-heir of Hugh Cuffe, of Cuffe's Wood, County Cork, and had issue,

CHARLES, his heir;
Chidley, of Killester, Co Dublin;
Richard, ancestor of the EARL OF BELLAMONT;
Thomas, of Coote Hill;
Letitia.

Sir Charles being slain in a sally to protect the town of Trim, in 1642, was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR CHARLES COOTE, 2nd Baronet (c1610-61), who was elevated to the peerage, in 1661, in the dignities of Baron Coote, Viscount Coote, and EARL OF MOUNTRATH; and the baronetcy merged in the superior dignity, until the demise of

CHARLES HENRY (1725-1802), 7th Earl, without male issue, when the earldom expired.

A new barony, that of Castle Coote, which his lordship obtained, passed accordingly and ceased likewise, in 1827; while the ancient baronetcy reverted to 

SIR CHARLES HENRY COOTE, 9th Baronet (1792-1864), of Ballyfin, great-grandson of the Rev Chidley Coote DD, lineal descendant of Chidley Coote, by his second wife, Eliza Anne.

*****

Sir Algernon Charles Plumptre Coote, 12th Baronet (1847–1920), was Lord-Lieutenant of Queen's County, 1900-20.

Sir Ralph Algernon Coote (1874-1941), 13th Baronet, was the last representative of his line to occupy Ballyfin House.

Thereafter the estate was purchased by the Irish Land Commission, while the noble mansion and portion of the demesne were acquired in 1930 by the Patrician Order, a distinguished Irish teaching brotherhood long associated with successful educational work in the district.

The 14th Baronet, Rear-Admiral Sir John Coote, CB CBE DSC, was Director of Naval Ordnance, 1955-58. 

Sir Christopher John Coote, 15th Baronet (b 1928) is married and lives in Wiltshire.

BALLYFIN HOUSE, situated at the foot of the Slieve Bloom mountains near Mountrath in County Laois, is said to be "the grandest and most lavishly appointed early 19th century Classical house in Ireland" (Bence-Jones). 

The mansion was built between 1821-26 for Sir Charles Coote, 9th Baronet, replacing a house of 1778 which belonged to William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington and brother of the 1st Duke of Wellington.

Sir Charles purchased the estate from Wellesley-Pole about 1812 and apparently employed an architect called Madden to design the initial phase of Ballyfin; then switched to the Morrisons.

Ballyfin is a two-storey maansion house with a long library running at one side from front to back, extending into a curved bow in the centre of the side elevation, containing a top-lit rotunda.

The library wing is of one bay on either side of the central curved bow, fronted by a colonnade of large Ionic columns. 

The side elevation is prolonged by an elegantly-curving glass and iron conservatory of about 1850.

The principal front consists of thirteen bays with a massive Ionic, pedimented portico; the two end bays on either side being stepped back.

The interior is quite magnificent and exquisitely furnished, with a riot of notable effects and a wealth of heavy, opulent plasterwork; Scagliola columns in Siena, porphyry, green and black; inlaid parquetry floors.

The saloon is flanked by the rotunda (above), which is surrounded by Ionic columns and has a coffered dome.

The entrance hall is said to be more constrained, with a coffered ceiling and a mosaic Roman floor. 

This leads into the splendid top-lit saloon in the centre of the mansion, which boasts a coved ceiling adorned with superlative plasterwork and a screen of Corinthian columns at either end.

The drawing-room has a typical Morrison ceiling and gilded Louis Quinze on the walls of ca 1840s.

Today the demesne comprises 600 acres of parkland, a lake and ancient woods, delightful garden buildings, follies and grottoes.

The landscape, laid out in the 18th century, is among the finest examples in Ireland of the natural style of gardening inspired by ‘Capability’ Brown.

Ballyfin House was formerly the Patrician College.

Patrician College Ballyfin operated from 1930 to 2009.

Sir Ralph Algernon Coote (1874-1941), 13th Baronet, was the last representative of his line to occupy Ballyfin House.

Thereafter the estate was purchased by the Irish Land Commission, while the noble mansion and portion of the demesne were acquired in 1930 by the Patrician Order, a distinguished Irish teaching brotherhood long associated with successful educational work in the district. 

Its architectural beauty has, however, been carefully preserved, and nothing has been lost in the change of ownership to deteriorate from the graceful lines of the building that Sir Charles Coote, 9th Baronet, expended a fortune in perfecting.

The Patrician Order sold the estate in 2009.

In 2011, Ballyfin became a country house hotel.

Among other features are a medieval-style tower, built as a folly in the 1860s and said to command a view of seven counties; and walled gardens.

London residence ~ 5 Connaught Place.

First published in May, 2011.  Images of Ballyfin House courtesy of Ballyfin Demesne.

Strand Hotel: Reminiscences

Strand Hotel, Portstewart: prospect from the golf links

A FRIEND OF THIS BLOG HAS KINDLY SENT FOND MEMORIES OF TIMES SPENT AT THE STRAND HOTEL, PORTSTEWART, AND THE NORTHERN COUNTIES HOTEL, PORTRUSH

I HAVE great memories of going to The Strand in the late 1970s/early 80s, when it was our regular haunt of a Saturday night.

Of course that was the heyday of disco, and there were no fewer than three separate dance floors - the most popular was the Cellar, which was accessed by an always-packed-with-people narrow staircase (not so much H&S or fire regulations in those days I suppose).

Then there was the upstairs disco frequented mostly by the young farmers, and another, more upmarket area at the other side of the hotel which seemed to us to be for a much older crowd ("older" to us then being people in their 30s).

Admission was £2, with a letter stamped on the back of the hand which was then widely copied using felt tip pens or eyeliner (and that wasn't just the girls - this was also the age of the New Romantics, don't forget).

As well as the discos they would have live music, and anyone who socialised on the North Coast in those days will have danced to Cuddles, or Plug Torrens and Dominic, legends in their own lifetimes.

Of course there were other great venues, not least Kelly's nightclub in Portrush and Spuds for live music in Portstewart, but The Strand will always hold a particular place in the affections of many, remembering that all this was happening at the height of "the Troubles", when any sort of apparent normality was welcome.

Not a comment on architecture or historical family lineages this time I'm afraid, Tim, just a fond memory of part of our more recent social history!

*****

I THINK it must have been 1989 or 1990 when it closed.

It was subsequently demolished for re-development, but the site then lay half-finished for years, until the local Council put a complete or demolish order on it in 2013.

Northern Counties Hotel, Portrush (Welch Collection/NMNI)

Another little nugget relating to the Strand's history - Jack Fawcett, who bought the hotel in partnership in 1963, also owned the old Northern Counties Hotel in Portrush.

It had started out life as The Antrim Arms, and when the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway purchased a share in it in the 1880s it was renamed.

The newly-named hotel was improved by John Lanyon in the late 1800s and by Berkeley Deane Wise in the early 1900s (Wise was chief architect to the railway company and his designs included the red brick and mock Tudor-style railway stations we see in Northern Ireland, the Portrush railway station being a fine example).

Those of us of a certain vintage will recall the big revolving entrance door of the Counties and the timber-panelled sitting room, where the two enormous resident Irish wolfhounds were usually to be found sprawled asleep and snoring in front of a roaring fire.

On warmer days they would invariably be found lying at the revolving door so that guests had to clamber over them on their way in or out.

The dogs were big genial creatures, and didn't seem at all put out by people interrupting their snoozing.

Both The Strand and the Northern Counties were the venues for many years for weddings, dinners and dances.

The Counties had an ornate grand ballroom on the first floor, where I recall taking dance classes (I can still produce a fair quickstep when the occasion demands, though unfortunately it is rather creakier these days) and a heated pool (up on the second floor I think?) where I learned to swim.

Sadly the old hotel was destroyed by fire in 1990.

The modern hotel now standing on the site makes a pleasant place for coffee.

Viscount's Coronet

The coronet of a viscount is a silver-gilt circlet with sixteen silver balls (known as pearls) around it.

The coronet itself is chased and embossed as if in the form of jewels (like a royal crown) with alternating oval and square jewel-shaped bosses, but is not actually jewelled.

It has a crimson velvet cap with lined ermine trim (the cap being purple in heraldic representation).

There is a gold-threaded tassel on top.

The sixteen pearls are what distinguishes the coronet of a viscount from other degrees of the Peerage.

The coronet of a viscountess (above) is smaller in size and sits on top of the head, rather than around it.

Like all heraldic coronets, it was customarily worn at coronations, but a viscount is entitled to bear a likeness of it on his coat-of-arms, above the shield.

Viscounts are peers of the fourth degree in the nobility, next in rank above a baron and below an earl.

First published in June, 2011.

Earl's Coronet

The coronet of an earl is a silver-gilt circlet with eight strawberry leaves alternating with eight silver balls (known as pearls) on raised spikes.

The coronet itself is chased as if in the form of jewels (like a royal crown) but is not actually jewelled.

It has a crimson cap (lined ermine) in real life and a purple one in heraldic representation.

there is a gold tassel on top.

The raised pearls on spikes distinguish it from other coronets.

It has also been described thus,

This coronet, which is one of the most striking, has, rising from a golden circlet, eight lofty rays of gold, each of which upon its point supports a small pearl, while between each pair of rays is a conventional leaf, the stalks of these leaves being connected with the rays and with each other so as to form a continuous wreath.

The coronet of a countess (below) is smaller in size and sits directly on top of the head, rather than around it.

Earls rank in the third degree of the hereditary peerage, being next below a marquess, and next above a viscount.

First published in June, 2010.

Jenkinstown House

THE BRYANS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KILKENNY, WITH 8,209 ACRES

The immediate ancestor of this family,

JOHN BRYAN, of Kilkenny, was younger brother of James Bryan, of Bawnmore, and son of John Bryan, of Bawnmore (whose father, Lewis Bryan, had a grant from Thomas, Earl of Ormonde, of Whitewalls, alias Bawnmore, County Kilkenny, and died in 1568).

He married Anna, daughter and heir of Henry Stains, of Jenkinstown, County Kilkenny, and was father of

JAMES BRYAN, of Jenkinstown, County Kilkenny, 1673-4, father of

PIERCE BRYAN, of Jenkinstown, who wedded Jane, daughter of George Aylmer, of Lyons, County Kildare, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
George, of Portland Place, London; father of GEORGE, successor to his uncle;
Aylmer, Brigadier in the French Service;
Pierce;
Alice; Rose; Mary.

The eldest son,

JAMES BRYAN (1719-1805), of Jenkinstown, died unmarried, and was succeeded by his nephew,

GEORGE BRYAN (1770-1843), of Jenkinstown, who wedded, in 1794, Maria Louisa, Comtesse de Rutaut, daughter of the Comte de Rutaut, of Lorraine, and left at his decease a daughter, Mary, and a son and successor,

GEORGE BRYAN (1796-1848), of Jenkinstown, who espoused, in 1820, Margaret, daughter of William Talbot, of Castle Talbot, County Wexford, and had issue,

GEORGE LEOPOLD;
Augusta Margaret Gwendaline, m Edward Joseph, 2nd Baron Bellew.

The second surviving son was GEORGE LEOPOLD BELLEW BRYAN, of Jenkinstown.

George Bryan was succeeded by his only son,

GEORGE LEOPOLD BRYAN JP DL (1828-80), of Jenkinstown, MP for County Kilkenny, 1865-80, High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, 1852, who married, in 1849, the Lady Elizabeth Georgina Conyngham, daughter of Francis Nathaniel, 2nd Marquess Conyngham KP, and had one daughter, Mary Margaret Frances, who died in 1872.

Mr Bryan was succeeded by his nephew,

GEORGE LEOPOLD BELLEW-BRYAN JP DL, 4TH BARON BELLEW (1857-1935), of Jenkinstown, Lord-Lieutenant of County Louth, 1898-1911, who assumed the surname of BRYAN in lieu of BELLEW, by royal licence dated 1880.

JENKINSTOWN HOUSE, Ballyragget, County Kilkenny, was an early 19th century house in "pasteboard Gothic", following the traditional Palladian plan of a centre block joined to wings by  single-storey links.

The house was built for Major George Bryan to the design of William Robertson.

There is a two-storey centre block; a two-storey projecting porch crowned with a battlemented gable and pinnacles; two-storey end towers with quatrefoil windows.

Jenkinstown House (Image: Savill's)

Later in the 19th century, one of the wings was re-built with corbelled bartizans; and the centre block was demolished apart from one of its walls.

The 4th Lord Bellew lived in one wing of the house; his staff in the other.

By the 1930s, the house had become somewhat dilapidated.

First published in December, 2012.

Kelly's Cellars, Belfast

Kelly's Cellars, Bank Street, Belfast ca 1960 (Image: eBay)

Much has already been written about Kelly's Cellars, the celebrated public house located at 30-32, Bank Street in Belfast.

I propose, nevertheless, to condense some of the more salient and relevant information relating to that notable establishment.

Bank Street, as it is now called, is (or was) one of the oldest and most historic streets in Belfast.

It runs from 2, Royal Avenue, to Chapel Lane, where it terminates at St Mary's Church.

This street is shown in Thomas Phillips' 1685 map of central Belfast as a lane veering off from Castle Street, with houses lining it on each side.

It was once known as Bryce's Lane; Crooked Lane or simply Back of the River; Cunningham Row; Bank Lane; and today as Bank Street.

Thomas Phillips' 1685 map of central Belfast

The crooked bend in the lane, caused by Kelly's Cellars, appears in a 1757 plan.

Whereas it is generally accepted by historians that the present building dates from at least 1780, buildings existed here in 1685; so proprietors' claims that the premises were established in 1720 could well be true.

Doubtless Kelly's Cellars is the oldest public bar in Belfast.

McHugh's Bar, at Queen's Square, is an older building, said to date from ca 1711; though it did not operate as a public house until the 19th century. 

White's Tavern, according to Historic Buildings Branch, "probably dates from the late 18th century;" the date of 1630 "does not necessarily refer to the construction of a building on the current site but is most likely derived from the granting of a continuous tavern licence which was not restricted to a particular area or building."

The first recorded tenant of Kelly's Cellars, about 1830, was Hugh Kelly, a wine and spirit merchant.

Kelly leased the premises from Robert Stewart, who administered the estate on behalf of Captain William Mussenden, of Larchfield, County Down (the Mussendens were prosperous bankers in Belfast, and owned property in and around Bank Street).

Hugh Kelly died in 1871 at his residence in Holywood, County Down.

A painting of Bank Street drawn in 1920 by Frank McKelvey

Following Hugh Kelly's death the premises were leased by Young, King, and Co.

Kelly's Cellars was damaged during the Belfast blitz in 1941, and purchased from the Mussenden Estate in 1942 by James Tohill of the Tohill Vino wine company.

Jimmy Tohill carried out more alterations to the bar's interior, when a cocktail bar was opened upstairs in 1948, followed by the Tudor Lounge in 1954.

Kelly's Cellars was sold for £43,000 in 1961 (equivalent to about £800,000 in 2024) to Kevin O'Kane.

Bank Street, Belfast, with whitewashed Kelly's Cellars, ca 1973,
Image: Guy Butler Slides Archive, History Hub Ulster

Croft Inns, a division of Guinness and Co., purchased Kelly's Cellars as well as the Fountain Tavern in 1972.

Lily Mulholland and Martin O’Hara bought Kelly's Cellars in 2004 and are the current proprietors.

Bank Street entry for 1974
Click to Enlarge

The historic buildings department of the Northern Ireland Department for Communities remarks in its general comments:-

"Two-storey painted brick public house perhaps c1720 but definitely constructed by 1757. It is reputed to be the oldest public house in Belfast and an impression of this character survives, despite extensive alterations. However, more recent changes and renovations have resulted in the loss of most historic fabric and detailing and have compromised its historic and architectural interest."

"Although no longer a Georgian, or even Victorian, public house, it is of historic significance due to its strong connection to the 1798 Rebellion and the continuous presence of the public house in this location from the time of the early development of the city."