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| Irene Countess of Enniskillen (Image: the National Trust) |
In the outbuildings of Florence Court House, one of the National Trust's - and, indeed, County Fermanagh's - great properties, there is a little secondhand book-shop called Nelly Woolly's.
It was originally two separate rooms, established about 1830, and used by the estate workers.
One room was used by a herdsman, possibly a place where they slept while looking after the cattle and pigs.
The other room might have been used for eating.
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| Lady Ann Cole, Lady Enniskillen, Nelly Woolly (Image in the tea-room) |
Irene Frances Miller-Mundy came from Shipley Hall, Derbyshire, and was the first wife of the 5th Earl of Enniskillen (portrait at top by Sir William Llewellyn).
Lady Enniskillen died in 1937.
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| Lady Enniskillen with Nelly Woolly (Image at Florence Court Tea-room) |
Nelly Woolly was the beloved pet of Lady Enniskillen: a small terrier of some sort, it is thought; and Nelly died, according to the grave-stone, in 1923 when she was almost 14 years of age.
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| Nelly Woolly's grave (Timothy Ferres, 2024) |
Nelly Woolly's grave is tucked away in a corner of the Pleasure Grounds at Florence Court.
My grandfather lived in Mapperley Village in Derbyshire, which was owned by the Mundys. Godfrey Miller-Mundy was the last squire before they left. Shipley Hall had a greenhouse with exotic orchids. The house suffered from mining subsidence and was demolished. There is a pet cemetery at Shipley Park, so this was obviously a family tradition. My great great aunt Polly Boam said they were good landlords.
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