Ballyarr House

LORD GEORGE AUGUSTUS HILL WAS A MAJOR LANDOWNER IN COUNTY DONEGAL, WITH 24,189 ACRES

LORD GEORGE AUGUSTUS HILL (1801-79), fifth son of Arthur, 2nd Marquess of Downshire, married firstly, in 1834, Cassandra Jane, fifth daughter of Edward Austen Knight (the novelist Jane Austen's brother), of Godmersham Park, Kent, and had issue,

ARTHUR BLUNDELL GEORGE SANDYS;
Augustus Charles Edward (1839-1908);
Norah Mary Elizabeth.

He wedded secondly, in 1847, Louisa, daughter of Edward Knight, and had further issue,

Cassandra Jane Louisa;
George Marcus Wandsbeck (1849-1911).

Lord George was succeeded by his eldest son,

ARTHUR BLUNDELL GEORGE SANDYS HILL (1837-1923), of Gweedore, County Donegal, who espoused, in 1871, Helen Emily, daughter of the Most Rev and Rt Hon Richard Chenevix-Trench, Lord Archbishop of Dublin, and had issue.

BALLYARR HOUSE, near Ramelton, County Donegal, was built ca 1780.

It was acquired in 1842 by Lord George Hill.

Lord George had previously bought 23,000 acres in and around Gweedore.

Ballyarr’s most famous visitor during Lord George's time was the historian Thomas Carlyle, and it was he who later described the house as ‘a farm-like place’ with a ‘piazza’, an Italian style square that was then considered fashionable.

After Lord George's death, in 1879, the house passed through his family until it was sold in 1900, along with the adjacent mill, to William Russell.

It remained in the Russells’ hands until it was bought in 1974 by Ian Smith, a former hotelier and war hero, and his artist wife Peggy.

One wing of the house, which had been barely altered since Lord George’s time, had fallen into ruin and was demolished.

However, one large fanlight window was saved and later erected in a house in Castle Street, Ramelton, known as ‘ The House on the Brae’, owned by Ramelton Heritage Society.

Ballyarr House was bought in 1981 by Andy O’Loghlin, bank manager, and his wife Breda.

They sold it to Roy and Noreen Greenslade in 1989 and the following year they oversaw a substantial restoration in order to return the interior to something like its original Georgian appearance.

The drawing room and library were returned to their previous proportions, with the addition of new fireplaces.

Ceiling cornices in the main bedroom were restored.

The exterior front elevation was also stripped of its stucco to reveal the original stone-work. 

LORD GEORGE HILL

In 1838, Lord George Augustus Hill purchased land in Gweedore and over the next few years expanded his holdings to 23,000 acres, including a number of offshore islands, the largest of which was Gola island.

He estimated that his lands had about 3,000 inhabitants, of whom 700 were rent payers.

Unlike previous landlords who often left their holdings and people alone, Lord George came to stay, and set about to improve the roads and bridges.

He had an advantage in that he knew the Irish language, the main language of the people of the area.

The first road into Gweedore was constructed in 1834 when the Board of Works constructed a road from Dunlewey to the Gweedore River and Lord George further improved the roads on his estate.

At Bunbeg he constructed a harbour and corn store and a general merchandise store.

By purchasing grain at the prices prevailing in Letterkenny, Lord George hoped to curb the practice of illicit distillation, which he perceived was one of the prime causes of distress in the area.

The suppression of illicit distillation was one thing in which Lord George had to admit he wasn't as successful as he would have liked.

Quite conveniently, although not mentioned by him or his admirers, the purchasing of grain from the tenants would have given them money with which to pay their rent. Potatoes were grown for their own needs.

About four miles from Bunbeg, up the Clady River, Lord George constructed a hotel, which he surrounded by a model farm.

Early editions of Hill's book were subtitled With Hints For Donegal Tourists, and this was, apart from demonstrating his agricultural improvements, the other purpose for writing Facts from Gweedore; he wanted people to come and stay in his hotel.

Hill also set up a shop in Bunbeg and imported a Scot named Mason to open a bakery.

Lord George was not for the "free market,"  and made sure that no one else opened up in opposition to him.

Margaret Sweeney was evicted for trying to set up a bakery without permission.

Almost immediately on taking up his land in Gweedore, Hill set about to improve the agricultural practices of his estate.

His tenants naturally were not so inclined to share the landlord's view of what was good agriculture and this became a bone of contention for many years even though Lord George was quite successful in abolishing the Rundale system.

Even he admitted that the re-organization of the farms was

a difficult task, and much thwarted by the people, as they naturally did not like that their old ways should be disturbed or interfered with...the opposition on the part of the people to the new system was vexatious and harassing.

In 1888, there were 800 official tenancies on the Hill estate, which increased the next year to 920, due to sub-tenants being recognized as official tenants, after a settlement negotiated between the landlord and the parish priest.

Downshire arms courtesy of European Heraldry.  First published in November, 2011.

Eglinton Manor House

JAMES DAVIDSON (1809-81), of Eglinton, County Londonderry, and of Murlingden, Brechin, Angus, married Margaret Jane Walker, daughter of Minchin Lloyd, of Summerhill, Moville, and had issue,

CHARLES JOHN LLOYD, of whom we treat;
James William, of Foyle Park (1860-93);
Margaret Jane (1863-1948).

The eldest son,

CHARLES JOHN LLOYD DAVIDSON DSO (1858-1941), Colonel, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, wedded firstly, in 1890, Sophia Mary, daughter of Major Burleigh William Henry Fitzgibbon Stuart, of Dergmoney, Omagh, County Tyrone; and secondly, in 1906, Mary Natalie, daughter of Colonel Alexander Bulstrode Cumberlege, Indian Army, and had issue,

CLAUDE JOHN LLOYD;
KENNETH BULSTRODE LLOYD, of whom presently;
Christine Rosemary.

Colonel Davidson's eldest son and heir,

CLAUDE JOHN LLOYD DAVIDSON (1907-29), Lieutenant, East Lancashire Regiment, died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

KENNETH BULSTRODE LLOYD DAVIDSON JP DL (1908-96), of The Manor House, Eglinton, Lieutenant-Colonel, Ulster Defence Regiment, who espoused, in 1937, Elizabeth Maud, daughter of James, 2nd Viscount Younger of Leckie, and had issue,

Charles Kenneth Lloyd;
Andrew James Lloyd;
Claude John Lloyd;
ALASTAIR MICHAEL LLOYD, of whom presently;
Anne Elizabeth Lloyd;
twin daughters who died in infancy.

Colonel Davidson was High Sheriff of County Londonderry, 1954, Commandant, City of Londonderry, Ulster Special Constabulary, 1968-70, Commanding Officer, 5th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment, 1970-71.

His fourth son,

ALASTAIR MICHAEL LLOYD DAVIDSON DL, of The Manor House, Eglinton.

THE MANOR HOUSE, Eglinton, County Londonderry, is a two-storey late-Georgian house of ca 1827.

It was built by the Worshipful Company of Grocers, which owned 11,638 acres in the county ca 1870.

Seemingly this house was originally intended to be the village inn (Muff being the village's original name).

(Image: PropertyPal, 2022)

It cost a relatively modest £1,200 to construct, equivalent to about £140,000 in today's money.

In 1877 James Davidson purchased a considerable amount of land from the Grocers' Company and moved in to the manor house.

The manor house comprises seven bedrooms, though the present complex of outbuildings increases that figure to ten bedrooms in total, and five reception rooms.

The house has an eaved roof, with a fanlighted doorway.

The Manor House was later extended by the addition of a battlemented wing, with a small battlemented turret at the junction of the wing and the original house.

The flat roof of the castellated wing was renewed in 1993.

The wing and turret have large, vermiculated quoins similar and complementary to the main block.

The manor house operated as bed and breakfast accommodation.

It is been on the market for sale since at least May, 2020.

The Belfast Telegraph interviewed the Davidsons in 2008.

First published in May, 2014.

Archdale Watercolours

PETER ARCHDALE KINDLY SENT ME TWO WATERCOLOURS PAINTED AT CASTLE ARCHDALE IN 1895

CASTLE ARCHDALE was one of the largest estates in County Fermanagh.

Ely Lodge, Crom, Florence Court, Colebrooke Park, and Castle Archdale all comprised about 30,000 acres or more in Victorian times.

I have already written at length about the manor house and Archdales.

The Rock Garden (click on image to enlarge)

The Rock Garden was painted by Beatrice Emma Parsons in 1895.

Manor House: Front Lawn (click on image to enlarge)

The painting above depicted the view from the front of the manor house in 1895.

There used to be a tennis-court here.

*****

Beatrice Emma Parsons (1869-1955) was a sister of Karl Parsons, the stained-glass artist.

First published in August, 2011.

At Home with Lord O'Neill

RAYMOND, fourth Baron O'Neill, KCVO, TD, has had a remarkable and extraordinary life.

Born in London, the Hon Raymond Arthur Clanaboy O'Neill was only nine years old when his father Shane, the third Baron, was killed in action in Italy during the 2nd World War, in 1944.

I remember him well as regional chairman of the National Trust in Northern Ireland, at the annual general meetings which were held in those days, certainly the 1980s.

I also have fond memories of the Shane's Castle Railway, a miniature railway he established in April, 1971, which began at a platform near the Antrim gate lodge and terminated close to that romantic ruinous pile, SHANE'S CASTLE, at the shore of Lough Neagh, County Antrim.

Clare Weir of the Antrim Guardian had an utterly fascinating interview with Lord O'Neill in 2018, and I'd like to share Lord O'Neill's reminiscences with readers:-

WITH OVER 80 years of memories to share, it’s hard to know where to start when telling the story of Lord O’Neill of Shane’s Castle.

Born in [1st September] 1933 in London, the young Raymond O’Neill was moved out to rural Berkshire during the war.

“We didn’t go to school, we had a Governess. There were half a dozen of us,” he said.

When older he attended Ludgrove School and then went to Eton.

From there, he had four years in France, learning the language.

His wife, the late Georgina [granddaughter of 7th DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH], he says, spoke much better French after going to school in Switzerland.

In 1952 he joined the army, and went into the 11th Hussars in honour of the father of his great friend and contemporary, [4th] LORD DUNLEATH [also born in 1933], of Ballywalter.

He spent time in both England and Germany, before returning home to Shane’s Castle in the mid 1950s.

The original castle had burned to the ground accidentally in 1816 and the second, built by his great-great grandfather, was torched by the IRA in 1922 [article HERE].

“They (the IRA) were rather more polite in those days,” he said.

“My great-great-grandfather was in a wheelchair and they gave everyone a reasonable amount of time to get out.”

At the time, his great-uncle, SIR HUGH O'NEILL, was the target, being the first speaker at Stormont.

“The house then had ecclesiastical overtones, being designed by an ordained minister of the Church of Ireland,” Lord O’Neill explains.

“The main room was said to be more akin to a chapel, very long and high with two log fires and an organ. Some of the organ music written by the Rev William O’Neill [1st Baron O'Neill] is still used in Drummaul Parish in Randalstown. When I first came here I lived ‘over the yard’ above the stables until the new house was built in the late 1950s. There was no room. There were plenty of cottages dotted here and there but no room for all the family relics.”

The estate was requisitioned by the army during the war and some of it was used as an armaments depot.

“There were tin huts all round the forest. When I came they had handed half of it back and it was split in two with a wire fence and one had to sign in at the gate. They [the army] didn’t leave until 1955.”

Lord O’Neill joined the North Irish Horse, part of the Territorial Army, in memory of his father, who had been killed in action during the war, and also attended the Royal Agricultural College and did a stint in the City of London, lodging in a family mews house near Harrod's as he learned how to manage finances.

Following the death of his father, Lord O’Neill’s mother Ann married first Lord Rothermere, whose family owned the Daily Mail, and then Ian Fleming, a British Naval Intelligence officer who later became famous as the author of the James Bond novels.

Fleming had purchased a 20-acre plot in Oracabessa, Jamaica, which became known as Goldeneye.

“I loved it out there,” Lord O’Neill said.

“It was still part of the British Empire and there were governors with cocked hats wandering around. It was right on the edge of the sea and you could see the fish swimming around. I became fascinated by the underwater world, I loved snorkelling, there was no plastic in the oceans back then. Diving was a different matter, you can’t do that on your own or you will get into trouble!”

Lord O’Neill admits that Fleming didn’t quite know what to do with his stepson, and whilst whiling away the hours on the island, he became pals with society figure Blanche Blackwell, part of the old Jamaican establishment, who he describes as ‘a great friend’.

She was descended from the Lindo family of Jewish immigrants who had made their fortune from rum and sugar in the 19th Century and was mother of Chris Blackwell, who went on to found Island Records and went into the hospitality business.

His father was Joe Blackwell from Waterford, a captain in the Irish Guards and heir to the Crosse & Blackwell foods fortune.

Ironically, Chris has now turned Goldeneye into a luxury hotel as well as turning around the fortunes of a series of hotels along Miami Beach.

The Blackwell family also sold land to Noel Coward who built his own villa nearby.

Blanche passed away in 2017 at the ripe old age of 104 and a photo of her, surrounded by colourful parrots, takes pride of place in Lord O’Neill’s living-room.

“Goldeneye wasn’t luxurious at all in those days,” he recalled.

“There was no more than a net over the window to stop the bugs from coming in, it was just a place for Ian to write his books. Noel Coward’s place was a much more comfortable home.”

Another friend was the artist Lucian Freud, who painted Lord O’Neill’s mother.

Lord O’Neill also spent time in the Cayman Islands.

“It was so odd, a tiny little place, full of banks, the Rolls-Royces would turn up at the end of the day to take people home and drive all of five miles to the outskirts.”

Lord O’Neill’s mother Ann and Ian Fleming only had one son, Caspar, who met a tragic end.

“Caspar was fascinated by Egyptology and went to read it at Oxford - there must only have been three in his class. He loved to come to Shane’s Castle and go digging for artefacts and he adored the Antrim Hills. However he got himself in with a bad crowd and he was addicted to drugs. He took sleeping tablets and then he needed ‘uppers’ to wake himself back up again. He took his own life aged only 23 and then Ian died aged only 58. He used to smoke 60 or 70 a day and he had been warned, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Lord O’Neill says that he has tried to stay out of politics.

His uncle Terence was a one-time leader of the Official Unionist Party who became the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.

Terence O’Neill [later a life peer as the Lord O'Neill of the Maine] was known for his moderate and conciliatory approach, which angered some of his rivals.

“When I saw Paisley shouting ‘O’Neill must go’, I decided to join the Alliance Party,” said Lord O’Neill.

“I have never been active but I have always been a firm supporter.”

He has also been involved with the Ulster Countryside Committee, the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

“When I first became involved, no-one wanted to come here,” he recalls.

“Northern Ireland was in turmoil, there were bombs going off and daily shootings, it was certainly a hard sell.”

He was also on the board of the National Trust in Northern Ireland and is still involved in regimental associations.

A former Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim (he was succeeded by Joan Christie), Lord O’Neill was tasked with welcoming dignitaries to Northern Ireland.

Avowed anti-royalist Mo Mowlam ‘pretended I wasn’t there’, he remembers, adding that he enjoyed long chats about his beloved jazz music with former US president Bill Clinton.

“We exchanged stories about Presentation Hall in New Orleans. He, like I, was a big jazz fan,” Lord O’Neill said.

“On that first visit to Belfast City Hall, he was supposed to play the saxophone, but he ran out of time, it never happened. In fact I kept him so long on the tarmac after he landed, it was probably my fault!”

Not surprisingly, perhaps his greatest passion is for steam.

Shane’s Castle hosts the annual May Day Steam Rally and also had its own railway in the not-too-distant past.

Lord O’Neill is an avid collector of rail memorabilia and has had a number of paintings of his favourite trains commissioned by top artists.

One depicts him in his racing Mercedes, one of only a handful ever made, with a train chugging alongside.

The car itself was later sold to a collector for an eye-watering sum - Lord O’Neill had bought it for £1,000.

In his office hangs a painting of the former railway at the castle, which closed to the public in 1994, and one of his favourite engines, Quo Vadis.

The Showman's road locomotive was built in 1922 by Burrells in Thetford, Norfolk, and was later sold to Dorset and was even shipped to New Zealand for an exhibition.

Two of the trains which used to ferry visitors around the grounds of Shane’s Castle were sold to the ill-fated Causeway rail project and are now lying in storage.

Lord O’Neill admits he would like to buy them back one day, but is pleased that the station is still being used for corporate meetings and private functions.

Other engines and carriages have gone off to museums and heritage railways around the UK and Ireland.

Shane’s Castle is still very much a working estate and has hosted such diverse events as scout jamborees to the dance event Planet Love.

The Game Fair and Antrim Show are also annual fixtures, along with the religious event ‘Open Skies’.

And of course, the smash hit HBO series Game of Thrones has also used the grounds of the old castle as a film location - although Lord O’Neill says he has no interesting celebrity gossip to share - preferring to ‘leave them all to it’.

Eldest son Shane attended Cirencester College and takes charge of the day-to-day running of the 3,500 acres, 2,000 of which lie inside the estate walls.

This includes 800 acres of farmland ‘and quite a lot of bog’, as well as some trees thought to be over 200 years old.

Some were damaged in the storms in 2018, which Lord O’Neill says is ‘really rather sad - some were totally uprooted’.

Other features include two bridges and the ‘big gate’ at Randalstown, which Lord O’Neill describes as ‘the most impressive entrance in Northern Ireland’.

He takes a keen interest in his family history and gets tipped off by Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses if ‘something of interest’ is coming on the market.

His house in the grounds of the castle is full of paintings, drawings and etchings of the old castle as it looked in the glory days, which he has either collected or had commissioned.

Copies of more illustrious pieces are kept, with the originals loaned out to top galleries.

Lord O’Neill is especially fascinated by the story of Laura Bell, who lived in a cottage on RAM'S ISLAND, which is also part of the estate and is now leased to the River Bann and Lough Neagh Association Company.

Miss Laura Eliza Jane Seymour Bell from Glenavy was a ‘very good looking lady of ill repute’ who entertained her guests for a short time at the cottage, and drew the ire of local people living on the shoreline because of her very noisy parties.

In the 1860s, Laura experienced a religious conversion and became an established woman evangelist, preaching in public and holding evangelical tea parties at her home.

The cottage burned to the ground after a particularly raucous party held by American and Canadian airmen stationed at Langford Lodge.

“I’m afraid when you have a cottage on an island, you have to have someone living in it or it will fall into disrepair,” said Lord O’Neill.

Also hanging on the walls of his home are the plans of a ‘cottage orné’ once owned by the family on the shores of Lough Beg.

The Rev William Chichester became an heir after two of the O’Neill brothers died without having children and changed his name to O’Neill.

“By the time he visited the cottage, word was that it had become a brothel, frequented by the great and the good of the day. He was said to have been so appalled that he ordered it be burned down. I doubt it is true, but it’s a good story!”

I wish to express my gratitude to Clare Weir, Deputy Editor of the Antrim Guardian.  O'Neill arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Malone Place, Belfast

Malone Place at Sandy Row, May, 2020 (Timothy Ferres)

MALONE PLACE, Belfast, is a short, narrow terrace of little houses tucked away from the madding crowd.

You might catch a glimpse of it if you are travelling past the beginning of the Lisburn Road.

It's actually at the very end of Sandy Row, leading to Bradbury Place.

This diminutive terrace is one-sided, as it were.

The Toll-house Garden, May, 2020 (Timothy Ferres)

There's an enclosed 'garden' opposite the houses, with railings, locked up, without any seating.

Incidentally, King William Park (aptly named, being adjacent to loyal Sandy Row) has no seating, either; so bring a picnic rug!

In the middle of this small enclosure there is a plaque which tells us that the gardens of the toll gate cottage were close to this location.

The old toll-gate cottage certainly was across the street, at the corner of the present Tollgate House of 1987-88, quite a large prosaic block on Bradbury Place.

The Toll-gate Cottage, looking towards Shaftesbury Square, ca 1910

In the name of Progress the little cottage, built about 1815, was swept away in the autumn of 1961.

Let's be thankful that Malone Place survives.

The Northern Ireland Department for Communities' Historic Buildings Database has written a lot about Malone Place, and has already compiled information from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

Malone Place, May, 2020 (Timothy Ferres)

Malone Place commences at the very end of Sandy Row, where its junction with the Lisburn Road begins.

It terminates at the Malone Place General Practitioners' Maternity Hospital, a block of ca 1925.

Blondin Street runs from here to Gaffikin Street.

In the 1974 Belfast street directory there are fifteen houses, all odd-numbered:-

• 1 ~ 'Scotts, General Dealers.'
• 3-5 ~ Vacant.
• 7 ~ Thompson, WJ & Sons ~ Boot & Shoe Repairers and Retailers.
• 9 ~ Robertson, Miss A.
• 11 ~ Walmsley, Richard B.
• 13 ~ Delaney, William John.
• 15 ~ Turley, James.
• 17 ~ Greer, Mrs Margaret.
• 19 ~ McNamara, John.
• 21 ~ Madill, Miss M.
• 23 ~ Evans, Francis.
• 25 ~ Burgess, W.
• 27 ~ Irwin, Mrs Ellie.
• 29 ~ Watson, Mrs Florence.

Number One, known as Malone Place Apartment, is available for rent.

Number Five (the ground floor) was for sale in May, 2020.

Number Seven seemed to be a private residence from between 1843-49, when it was built, till about 1895, when it became a shop. It remained a shop until about 2004, when it reverted back to being a domestic residence.

Number Nine has always been a residential property. About 1850 a railway clerk lived here, followed by several other clerks, and a reporter in the Belfast Telegraph in 1884.

Number Seventeen, like the rest, was built about 1850. In 1867, one Jane Crosbey was summonsed to appear in court on a charge of having been disorderly in the public street, information having been received by magistrates ‘as to the character of the house she kept’.

The Historic Buildings database, dated 2011, remarks that Number Twenty-three is:

"A two-storey, two-bay Victorian mid-terrace dwelling built ca1860. Forming part of the latter half of the terrace, the exterior of the house has retained its general character, although some historic features of interest have been lost following refurbishment of the terrace in ca2000." 

"The overall intact external appearance of the terrace ensures that it is a good surviving example of housing of this type. Number 23 adds significant value to the group as a whole, makes a positive architectural contribution to the character of the area."

That evaluation applies to many of the others. 

First published in May, 2020.

Rathgael Album: II

Rathgael House ca 1939

John Lowry, a descendant of the Rose-Clelands, of Rathgael House, near Bangor, County Down, has kindly sent me more photographs of Rathgael and its lake.

At Rathgael Lake ca 1940

John's father, Desmond H D Lowry (wearing glasses) is second from the left on the rowing-boat.

Rathgael Lake (Timothy Ferres, 2022)

I visited Rathgael in 1922, and it's now being redeveloped as a very fine housing.

Rathgael Lake (Timothy Ferres, 2022)

The lake is still there, and will be part of this new development.

The castellated twin towers guarded the entrance to the walled yard.

A cannon was strategically sited in the grounds.

First published in May, 2020.

Kilshannig House

THE BARONS FERMOY WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CORK, WITH 15,543 ACRES

The family of DE LA RUPE, or ROCHE, according to the Irish Peerage, and Rudiments of Honour, by Francis Nichols, published in 1727, were materially descended from CHARLEMAGNE; and in the remarkable pedigree of the ancestors of this family, it is shown that they derive their descent from the most illustrious sources, their progenitors being allied, by intermarriages, with the great Counts of Flanders, the Counts of Bavaria, ALFRED, and other Saxon Kings of England; the House of Capet in France, WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, and other Anglo-Norman kings.

The Roches came to Ireland in the reign of HENRY II, along with other Anglo-Norman chiefs in Strongbow's time; and in the reigns of RICHARD I and KING JOHN, they got large grants of lands in County Cork, in the territory of Fermoy, which, from them, was called Roche's Country, and they erected a castle, and founded a Cistercian monastery at Fermoy, and they had seats at Castletown Roche and other places.

RALPH DE LA ROCHE, son of Alexander de Rupe, alias DE LA ROCHE, was patriarch of the family in Ireland.

He married Elizabeth de Clare, by the Princess Joan of Acre, his wife, daughter of EDWARD I and his Queen, ELEANOR, of Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, by the Princess Joan of Acre, his wife, daughter of EDWARD I.

This Ralph had issue, DAVID, father of John de Rupe or la Roche, Baron of Fermoy, who had MAURICE FITZJOHN, Lord De La Roche, of Fermoy, from whom descended,

DAVID ROCHE, Lord Roche, surnamed The Great, who sat in Parliament as VISCOUNT ROCHE, of Fermoy, in the reigns of EDWARD IV and HENRY VII.

He married Jane, daughter of Walter Burke, called MacWilliam, and had issue,

MAURICE, his successor;
Redmond;
Ulick;
Theobald;
William;
Philip;
Gerald;
Edmond;
Jacob;
Helena.

His lordship died ca 1492, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

MAURICE ROCHE, 2nd Viscount, who married twice; and by Joanna, his first wife, daughter of James, Earl of Desmond, had a son and successor,

DAVID ROCHE, 3rd Viscount, father, by Catherine his wife, daughter of MacCarthy Mor, of a son and successor,

MAURICE ROCHE, 4th Viscount, who wedded Grania MacCarthy, and had issue,

DAVID, his successor;
William;
John;
Helena; Marcella; Catherine.

The eldest son,

DAVID ROCHE, 5th Viscount, who succeeded his father in 1566, espoused Helena, daughter of James, 10th Baron Dunboyne, and had issue,

Maurice, his successor;
William;
EDMOND, of whom hereafter;
Gerald;
James.

The third son,

EDMOND DE LA ROCHE, died in 1540, leaving (with a daughter, Joan, married, in 1508, to David de Courcy, Baron Kingsale) a son,

MAURICE ROCHE, who, when Mayor of Cork, in 1571, received a signed letter from ELIZABETH I, with a patent and livery collar, in acknowledgment of his services in suppressing the rebellion of the Earl of Desmond.

He died in 1593, leaving three sons, JOHN, EDWARD, and Patrick, and was succeeded by the eldest,

JOHN ROCHE, who dsp and the estates devolved upon his brother,

EDWARD ROCHE FITZMAURICE FITZEDMUND, who died in 1626, having three sons, FRANCIS, Edward, and Maurice, of whom the eldest,

FRANCIS ROCHE, High Sheriff of County Cork, 1641, entertained Sir Warham St Leger, the Provost-Marshal of Munster, at his seat, Trabolgan, and assisted him for the King.

He wedded Jane Coppinger, by whom he left at his decease, 1669 (with a younger son, Edmund), a son and heir,

EDWARD ROCHE (1645-96), of Trabolgan, who wedded, in 1672, Catherine, daughter of James Lavallin, of Walterstown, County Cork, and died in 1696, having had issue (with four daughters) four sons,

FRANCIS, his heir;
Edmund;
Maurice;
James.

The eldest son and heir,

FRANCIS ROCHE (1673-1755), of Kildinan and Trabolgan, died unmarried, when the former estate descended to his elder nephew, Edmund, before mentioned, and the latter, of Trabolgan, to his other nephew,

EDWARD ROCHE, of Trabolgan, Colonel, Imokilly Horse, who wedded, in 1781, Susanna, elder daughter of Sir George Wombwell Bt, of Yorkshire, by whom he had one son, Edmund Edward, who predeceased him in 1803, a prisoner of war at Lyons, France.

Mr Roche died in 1828, and bequeathed his estates to his nephew (only son of his elder brother, Edmund),

EDWARD ROCHE (1771-1855), of Trabolgan and Kildinan, who espoused, in 1805, Margaret Honoria, only child and heiress of William Curtain, and had issue,

EDMOND BURKE, his heir;
Frances Maria.

Mr Roche was succeeded by his only son,

EDMOND BURKE ROCHE (1815-74), MP for County Cork, 1837-55, who wedded, in 1848, Elizabeth Caroline, daughter of James Brownell Boothby, of Twyford Abbey, and had issue,

EDWARD, his successor;
JAMES BOOTHBY BURKE, succeeded his brother;
Elizabeth Caroline Burke.

Mr Roche was elevated to the peerage, in 1865, in the dignity of BARON FERMOY, of County Cork.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDMUND FITZEDMUND BURKE, 2nd Baron (1850-1920), JP DL, High Sheriff of County Cork, 1873, who espoused, in 1877, Cecilia, daughter of Standish, 3rd Viscount Guillamore, and had issue, an only child,

Ada Sybil (1879-1944).

His lordship died without male issue, when the title devolved upon his brother,

JAMES BOOTHBY BURKE, 3rd Baron (1852-1920), MP for East Kerry, 1896-1900, who married, in 1880, Frances Ellen, daughter of Frank Work, and had issue,

EDMUND MAURICE BURKE, his successor;
Francis George;
Eileen; Cynthia.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

(EDMUND) MAURICE BURKE, 4th Baron (1885-1955),

(Edmund) Maurice Burke Roche, 4th Baron (1885–1955);
Edmund James Burke Roche, 5th Baron (1939–84);
(Patrick) Maurice Burke Roche, 6th Baron (b 1967).

The heir presumptive is the present holder's brother, the Hon Edmund Hugh Burke Roche.

Garden Front

KILSHANNIG HOUSE, Rathcormack, Fermoy, County Cork, was built between 1765 and 1766 for Abraham Devonsher, a wealthy Cork burgher, on the summit of a gentle hill about six miles south of Fermoy.

Mr Devonsher served as High Sheriff of County Cork, 1762, and MP for Rathcormack between 1756 and 1776.

Originally a Quaker, he was expelled from the Quaker community in 1756 for 'conformity to the world' and for his involvement in politics.

His architect was a Sardinian, Davis Ducart, whose Irish career began in the 1760s and continued until his death in about 1785.

Ducart balanced his career as a canal and mining engineer with some of the second half of the 18th century’s most innovative Irish houses.

Entance Front

He was arguably the most accomplished architect working in Ireland between the death of Richard Cassels and arrival of James Gandon.

As a southern European, he remained completely loyal to the Baroque and never ventured into the new neo-Classisical style.

Kilshannig has four formal fronts.

The entrance is of rose red brick while the other fronts are of cut sandstone with limestone dressings.

The brick facade has a mezzanine floor, segmental headed windows, a fine tripartite stone centrepiece with blind occuli and a round-headed niche on the upper floor.

The other fronts have more regular fenestration although they incorporate several unusual details.

This seven-bay block is attached to a pair of square pavilions by straight narrow links, single storied and elaborately arcaded on the garden front.

From the pavilions the wings extend back towards the entrance in an L-shape and reconnect to the main block by curved walls to form a pair of enclosed courtyards.

Saloon Ceiling

Kilshannig contains a splendid series of rich 18th century rooms with perhaps Ireland’s finest decorative plasterwork, executed by the Lafrancini brothers during their second visit.

These have noble proportions, magnificent chimneypieces and joinery, and deeply coved Rococo ceilings.

Staircase

Most notable are the columnar hall, the double height saloon, which occupies the centre of the garden front, and the superb stone spiral staircase.

Mr. Devonsher was childless and left his estate to his nephew, after whom the house changed hands with monotonous regularity, deteriorating continuously with each passing year.

Trabolgan

Before 1837, Kilshannig was sold to Edward Roche (1771-1855), of Trabolgan House, who used the mansion as a winter residence, as did his son Edmond Burke Roche, raised to the peerage as 1st Baron Fermoy.

Kilshannig had a succession of owners during the 20th century until Commander Douglas Merry and his wife purchased it in 1960.

At that stage Kilshannig was in poor condition: The cupolas had disappeared; one wing was ruinous; and the whole house badly needed attention.

Fortunately Commander Merry possessed a singular combination of engineering skill and aesthetic sensitivity with considerable 'DIY' skills, and it is entirely due to his efforts that the house survived the 20th century.

His son Hugo, a successful bloodstock agent, now lives at Kilshannig with his wife Elaine and their family.

They have continued the good work and have recently given the whole house a new roof, reinstated the cupolas and clad them in copper and a great deal of other work.

This has all been executed to the highest possible standards, to make the house secure for the next hundred years.

Former residence ~ Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk.

Fermoy arms courtesy of European Heraldry.  Select bibliography ~ Irish Historic Houses Association.

Rose-Cleland of Rathgael

THE ROSE-CLELANDS OWNED 599 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

The family of CLELAND (formerly spelt Kneland) was of great antiquity in Scotland. Their coat-of-arms, tradition states, was acquired by their being hereditary foresters to the ancient Earls of Douglas.

JAMES CLELAND, of that Ilk, in Lanarkshire, ancestor of the Clelands of that Ilk and of several other families of the same surname, joined his cousin Sir William Wallace in 1296 for the relief of his country against the English, along with a considerable number of noblemen and gentlemen.

He was present at, and assisted Sir William Wallace in most of his exploits, particularly in capturing Thomas of Longueville, commonly called The Red Rover.

After the death of Sir William Wallace he firmly supported the cause of ROBERT THE BRUCE, and for his loyalty and good services that king gave him several lands in the barony of Calder, West Lothian.

WILLIAM CLELAND, of that Ilk, fifth in descent from the above James Cleland, and in the reign of JAMES III, King of Scotland, about 1462, married Jean Somerville.

His son and successor,

ALEXANDER CLELAND, of that ilk, was killed in 1513 at the battle of Flodden, along with his cousin, William Cleland, of Faskine, fighting valiantly in defence of their Scottish King, JAMES IV.

To a charter of 1498, there was appended a seal of this Alexander, upon which was a hare, leaping, with a hunting horn about his neck.

The lineal descendant of this gentleman,

JOHN CLELAND, of Whithorn, Wigtownshire, was appointed factor to James, 5th Earl of Galloway, and in 1731, wedded Margaret Murdoch, only child of the Provost of Whithorn.

He died in 1747, having had issue,

William, died in infancy;
JAMES, of whom hereafter;
John;
Katharine; AGNES; Margaret.

The second daughter,

AGNES CLELAND (1740-75), espoused firstly, in 1766, Lieutenant Richard Rose, of the East India Company's European Regiment, by whom she had an only child, JAMES DOWSETT ROSE, who afterwards assumed the additional surname of CLELAND.

She married secondly, in 1774, William Nicholson, of Balloo House, though the marriage was without issue.

John Cleland's son and successor,

JAMES CLELAND, of Newtownards, County Down, wedded, in 1770, Sarah, only child of Captain Patrick Baird, though the marriage was without issue.

He died in 1777, when the his estate reverted to his nephew,

JAMES DOWSETT ROSE-CLELAND JP DL (1767-1852), of Rathgill, County Down, High Sheriff of County Down, 1805, who succeeded to his father's property in 1768, and to that of his paternal grandfather, Richard Rose, of Abingdon, Berkshire, in 1784.

In compliance of the testamentary injunction of his cousin, Patrick Cleland, of Ballymagee, he assumed the additional surname and arms of CLELAND (his mother's name).

He espoused firstly, in 1790, Sarah, only child of William Eaton Andrews, of London, and had issue,

William Nicholson, died in infancy;
Elizabeth Hawkins.

Mr Rose-Cleland married secondly, in 1832, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of William Nicholson Steele-Nicholson, of Balloo House, and had issue,

JAMES BLACKWOOD, heir to his father;
RICHARD, successor to his brother;
Edward Allen, b 1840;
Henry Somerville, b 1843;
Agnes Elizabeth; Isabel Hamilton;
Margaret Sabina, m Arthur Wellington Garner, of Garnerville.

Mr Rose-Cleland commanded the Newtownards Yeomen Infantry at the battle of Saintfield, 1798; and three months' later raised the Rathgael Yeomen Infantry, and received repeated thanks from the Government for his services.

He presided at the contested election for County Down between Robert, Viscount Castlereagh (later 2nd Marquess of Londonderry), and Colonel the Hon John Meade, which lasted 21 days.

Mr Rose-Cleland was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES BLACKWOOD ROSE-CLELAND (1835-56), of Rathgael House, who died at Constantinople, and was succeeded by his brother,

RICHARD ROSE-CLELAND (1836-92), of Rathgael House, who married, in 1861, Elizabeth Wilhelmina, daughter of Robert Kennedy, of Lisburn, County Antrim, and had issue,

James Dowsett, b 1862;
Robert Kennedy, b 1863;
Richard, died in infancy;
Charles Arthur, b 1876;
Elizabeth Helen Louisa; Mary Isabella Eveline; Edith Adelaide;
Maude Ethel; Florence May; Alice Gertrude; Catherine Mabel; Harriet Ella.

Rathgael was inherited by the youngest son and the seven youngest daughters.

Rathgael House

Rathgill, or Rathgael House, dating from the 18th century, was originally the nucleus of a farm comprising 88 acres on the northern part of Clandeboye estate.

A reader has kindly sent me a collection of photographs relating to RATHGAEL.

The house was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the Rathgael Training School.

A lake was created by the Cleland family in the late 1800s for fishing, and some of the planting surrounding it dates from that period.

A new housing development, known as Helen's Wood, has been created on land close to the location of Rathgael House.

First published in April, 2016.

1st Marquess Conyngham

THE MARQUESSES CONYNGHAM WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CLARE, WITH 27,613 ACRES

The family of CONYNGHAM was originally of Scottish descent, and of very great antiquity in that part of the United Kingdom.

WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, Bishop of Argyll, a younger son of William, 4th Earl of Glencairn, in 1539, left a son,

WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, of Cunninghamhead, Ayrshire, who had two sons,

WILLIAM, who succeeded at Cuninghamhead, and was created a baronet in 1627, designated of Cunninghamhead, Ayr; and

THE REV ALEXANDER CUNNINGHAM or CONYNGHAM, who, entering into Holy Orders and removing into Ireland, was appointed, in 1611, the first protestant minister of Enver and Killymard, County Donegal.

He was appointed to the deanery of Raphoe, in 1630, on the consecration of Dean Adair as Lord Bishop of Killaloe.

Dean Conyngham settled at Mount Charles, County Donegal, which estate he held, by lease, from the Earl of Annandale, and wedded Marion, daughter of John Murray, of Broughton, by whom he had no less than 27 children, of which four sons and five daughters survived infancy.

The Dean died in 1660, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

SIR ALBERT CUNNINGHAM or CONYNGHAM, Knight,  Colonel, 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, who was appointed, in 1660, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance in Ireland.

Sir Albert fought on the side of WILLIAM III at the Boyne, Limerick etc, and fell in a rencounter with the Rapparees, near Colooney in County Sligo.

He espoused Mary, daughter of the Rt Rev Robert Leslie, Lord Bishop of Raphoe, and was succeeded, on his decease, 1691, by his only surviving son,

MAJOR-GENERAL HENRY CONYNGHAM, of Slane Castle, MP for Killybegs, 1692-3, County Donegal, 1695-1706, who served during the reign of JAMES II as captain in Mountjoy's Regiment.

When JAMES II desired his army to shift for itself, Conyngham prevailed upon 500 of his regiment to remain united, and with them offered his services to WILLIAM III.

He became subsequently Major-General, and fell, 1706, at St Estevan's, in Spain.

General Conyngham wedded Mary, daughter of Sir John Williams Bt, of Minster Court, Kent, and widow of Charles, Lord Shelburne, by whom he got a very considerable property, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his successor;
Henry;
Mary.

He was succeeded by his elder son,

WILLIAM CONYNGHAM, of Slane (an estate forfeited, in 1641, by Lord Slane), who was succeeded at his decease by his brother,

THE RT HON HENRY CONYNGHAM (1705-81), captain of horse on the Irish establishment, MP for Killybegs, 1727-53, when he was elevated to the peerage, in 1753, in the dignity of Baron Conyngham, of Mount Charles, County Donegal.

His lordship was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1756, as Viscount Conyngham; and further advanced, in 1781, as Earl Conyngham, the barony to descend, in case of failure of issue, to Francis Pierpoint Burton, the eldest son of his sister Mary, by Francis Burton.

His lordship married, in 1774, Ellen, only daughter and heir of Solomon Merret; but dying without an heir, in 1781, all his honours became extinct, except the barony of Conyngham, which devolved, according to the limitation, upon the above-mentioned

FRANCIS PIERPOINT BURTON as 2nd Baron (c1725-87), who wedded, in 1750, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the Rt Hon Nathaniel Clements, and sister of Robert, Earl of Leitrim, and had issue,

HENRY, his successor;
Francis Nathaniel (Sir), GCH;
Catherine; Ellena; Henrietta.

His lordship, on inheriting the title and estates of his uncle, assumed the surname and arms of CONYNGHAM.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY, 3rd Baron (1766-1832), who, in 1787, was created Viscount Conyngham, of Slane, County Meath; Viscount Mount Charles, of Mount Charles, County Donegal; and, in 1797, Earl Conyngham.

In 1801, Lord Conyngham was appointed a Knight of St Patrick. In 1803, he was appointed Governor of County Donegal, a post he held until 1831, and Custos Rotulorum of County Clare in 1808, which he remained until his death.

His lordship was created, in 1816, Viscount Slane, Earl of Mount Charles, and MARQUESS CONYNGHAM.

In 1821, he was created Baron Minster, of Minster Abbey, Kent, sworn of the Privy Council, and appointed Lord Steward, a post he retained until 1830.

From 1829 until his death, in 1832, he served as Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle.

• Henry Conyngham, 1st Marquess (1766–1832);
  • Henry F Conyngham, Earl of Mount Charles (1795–1824);
• Francis Nathaniel Conyngham, 2nd Marquess (1797–1876);
• George Henry Conyngham, 3rd Marquess (1825–82);
• Henry Francis Conyngham, 4th Marquess (1857–97);
• Victor George Henry Francis Conyngham, 5th Marquess (1883–1918);
• Frederick William Burton Conyngham, 6th Marquess (1890–1974);
• Frederick William Henry Francis Conyngham, 7th Marquess (1924–2009);
• Henry Vivien Pierpont Conyngham, 8th Marquess (b 1951).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Alexander Burton Conyngham, styled Earl of Mount Charles.

The heir apparent's heir apparent is his son Rory Nicholas Burton Conyngham, styled Viscount Slane.

The Marquesses Conyngham were seated at The Hall, Mount Charles, County Donegal, now thought to be unoccupied.

The Hall is an early to mid-18th century double, gable-ended house of three storeys and five bays.

It has a pedimented door-case, bold quoins and a solid parapet concealing the roof and end gables.

At one end of the house there is a conservatory porch with astrigals and round-headed windows.

A salt works (also in the grounds of the former Conyngham estate) provided employment to local people during the 18th century.

8th Marquess Conyngham

The present Lord and Lady Conyngham continue to live at the ancestral seat, Slane Castle, County Meath.

Buncraggy House

BUNCRAGGY HOUSE, one of several notable houses on the Conyngham Estate, was home of the Burton family for most of the 18th century.

The house remained in the possession of the O'Gorman family until the end of the 19th century, when it became the property of the Caher family.

The house is still occupied and the yard buildings are the centre of a farming enterprise.

Other properties included Islandmagrath, Burtonhill House, Summerhill and Meelick House.

First published in November, 2011.  Conyngham arms courtesy of European Heraldry. 

Chambré of Hawthorn Hill

THE CHAMBRÉS OWNED 1,281 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ARMAGH

This family descends from JOHN DE LA CHAMBRÉ, who settled in Denbighshire, under Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln, in 1275. He is stated (in a very ancient pedigree in Norman French) to have been descended from Johan de la Chaumbré, "a nobelle Normanne, who entered England in ye traine of King William ye Conqueraure." 

This John de la Chambré married Mawith, daughter of Blethyn Vaughan, and had a son,

HENRY CHAMBRÉ, of Lleweni, living in 1236, who wedded Katherine, daughter of Edmond Charlton, and was father of

JOSHUA CHAMBRÉ, of Lleweni.

The lineal descendent of this gentleman,

RICHARD CHAMBRÉ, Lord of the Manor of Petton, Shropshire, espoused Mary, daughter of John Hill, of Ludlow, Shropshire, and died in 1563, leaving a second son,

GEORGE CHAMBRÉ, of Petton, who married Judith, daughter and co-heir of Walter Calcott, of Williamscote, Oxfordshire, and had issue, with a daughter, three sons, all named Calcott,

Calcott, dsp;
Calcott, MP, of Carnew and Shillelagh;
CALCOTT, of whom hereafter;
Hester.

The youngest son,

CALCOTT CHAMBRÉ, of Coolatrindle, County Wexford, born in 1602, left issue, two sons, viz.

Calcott;
CALCOTT, of whom hereafter.

The younger son,

CAPTAIN CALCOTT CHAMBRÉ (-1753), of Wexford, married Mary, daughter of Oliver Walsh, of Dollardstown, County Kildare, and Ballykilcavan, Queen's County, by Edith his wife, sister of Raphael Hunt and had issue,

HUNT CALCOTT, his heir;
Chaworth Calcott, in holy orders;
Olivia.

The elder son,

HUNT CALCOTT CHAMBRÉ (-1782), of Carnew Castle, County Wicklow, wedded, in 1735, Anna Maria, eldest daughter and co-heir of William Meredith, and had, with other children (who died unmarried),

MEREDITH CALCOTT, his heir;
Ellinor; Anne; Henrietta.

The eldest surviving son,

MEREDITH CALCOTT CHAMBRÉ (1742-1812), of Hawthorn Hill, County Armagh, married, in 1785, Margaret, daughter and co-heir of George Faulkner, of County Dublin, and had issue,

HUNT WALSH, his heir;
William, Major-General;
Maria, m Rev R Henry, Rector of Jonesborough.

Mr Chambré was succeeded by his eldest son,

HUNT WALSH CHAMBRÉ JP (1787-1848), of Hawthorn Hill, Captain, Mullaglass Yeomanry, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1829, who wedded, in 1813, Rebecca, only daughter of William Upton, of Ballinabarney, County Limerick, and had issue,

Meredith, 1814-79;
William;
HUNT WALSH, of whom hereafter;
John, of Hawthorn Hill;
Catherine; Anna Maria; Rebecca; Margaret Elizabeth;
Olivia Henrietta Elizabeth; Mary Frances; Jane Hunt.

The third son,

HUNT WALSH CHAMBRÉ JP (1831-1914), of Dungannon House, County Tyrone, espoused, in 1860, Mary Anne Brunette, daughter of John Brett Johnston, of Ballykilbeg, County Down, and had issue,

Hunt Walsh Alan, b 1861, his heir;
John Brett Johnstone Meredith;
William Thomas Meredith;
CHARLES BARCLAY MACPHERSON, of whom we treat;
John;
William Henry;
Thomasina; Rebecca Mary Brunette; Olivia Isabella Kathleen;
Jane Henry Wray Young Mabel; Kathleen Georgaina Evelyn.

The fourth son,

CHARLES BARCLAY MacPHERSON CHAMBRÉ JP (1870-1950), of Hawthorn Hill, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1929, married, in 1906, Nina Lisa Francis Ochiltree, daughter of the Rev Alexander Stuart, and had issue, a son,

ALAN STUART HUNT CHAMBRÉ JP DL (1908-89), of Ringdarriff, Annahilt, County Down, who wedded, in 1933, Violet Aileen, daughter of Wickham Hercules Bradshaw Moorhead, and had issue,

JOHN ALAN, his heir;
Jean Mary, b 1938;
Rosaleen Aileen, b 1946.

His only son,

JOHN ALAN CHAMBRÉ (1939-), married, in 1968, Elizabeth Mildred, daughter of John Horace Willcox, and had issue,

WILLIAM WICKHAM MEREDITH, b 1969;
Thomas John Charles, b 1976;
Sophia Gabrielle, b 1971;
Kate Mabel Elizabeth, b 1978.

Hawthorn Hill pre-1922 (JAK Dean, Plight of the Big House)

HAWTHORN HILL was located at the foot of Slieve Gullion Mountain between Forkhill, County Armagh, and Newry, County Down.

It was built ca 1820 by Hunt Walsh Chambré.

The family is buried in Killeavy churchyard.

The house was burnt by the IRA on the 22nd May, 1922, as a consequence of which one third of the block was demolished (compare the two images).

Judging by the number of chimneys, at least seven rooms were abandoned.

The front door with its former semi-circular fanlight and Doric columns stands to the right in the image.

Hawthorn Hill (Image: Stately Homes)

The Chambré family continued to live at Hawthorn Hill, the last owner being Charles Barclay MacPherson Chambré, whose son, Alan Stuart Hunt Chambré, sold the land to the Department of Agriculture in 1951.

The sale of the house followed in 1968, though a member of the family continued to live in it until the early 1970s when it was abandoned due to bomb threats from the IRA.

In 1968, the Chambré family sold the remainder of the estate to the Northern Ireland Forestry Commission.

Hawthorn House was therafter used as its headquarters.

The demesne lies on the east-facing slopes of Slieve Gullion.

There are mature trees from the early 19th century, later exotics, and forest planting from the 1950s.

Modern landscaping and ornamental planting now form part of the walled garden and outbuildings, which now house the visitor centre for Slieve Gullion Forest Park.

The gate lodge of ca 1834 is opposite the entrance and replaced a lodge that was contemporary with the house.

SLIEVE GULLION COURYARD, Killeavy, County Down, remains and is used commercially for weddings and other functions.

It is located at the foot of Slieve Gullion with a walled garden to its north-west and Hawthorn House to its South.

There are two gate lodges: a modified back lodge to the north; and a restored gate lodge to the east, opposite the entrance gates to the park.

The early 19th century rectangular courtyard is enclosed to all sides by former stables and related farm buildings, now all refurbished as offices, apartments, conference centre and restaurant or service block by the Forest Service.

All buildings are constructed in coursed granite rubble with natural slate roofs.

The eastern side of the courtyard assumed its present form between 1861 and 1907.

It was sold to the Forestry Commission in 1968.

The present buildings were developed to provide resources for the local community and tourists and opened to the public in 1995.

The complex was taken over in 1999 by Clanrye Employment and Training Services, Newry.

I am seeking photographs of Hawthorn Hill

First published in March, 2016.