Greyabbey House

THE MONTGOMERYS OWNED 3,739 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

This is the Braidstane line of the noble house of EGLINTON.

ROBERT MONTGOMERIE, second son of Alexander, Master of Montgomerie, and brother of Alexander, 2nd Lord Montgomerie (ancestor of the Earls of Eglinton), obtained for his patrimony, from his grandfather, Alexander, 1st Lord Montgomerie, the lands of Braidstane, and thus became its laird.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT MONTGOMERIE, 2nd Laird of Braidstane, who dsp and was succeeded by his brother,

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERIE, 3rd Laird, who dsp and was succeeded by his only surviving brother,

ADAM JOHN MONTGOMERIE, 4th Laird, who married the eldest daughter of Sir John Colquhoun, of Luss, and had issue,

ADAM, ancestor of the EARLS OF MOUNT ALEXANDER;
George (Very Rev), Dean of Norwich, afterwards Lord Bishop of Meath;
Patrick, Colonel in the French Army during the reign of HENRY IV;
ROBERT, of whom hereafter.

The youngest son, 

ROBERT MONTGOMERY, was father of 

JOHN MONTGOMERY,

Who settled in Ulster during the early part of the reign of JAMES I with his cousin Hugh, 6th Laird of Braidstane (afterwards 1st Viscount Montgomery), his lordship having brought several of his clan from Scotland, that they might settle upon his new estates, and assist upon the plantation of the country. 

To this John he granted lands at Gransha, in the Ards, where he (John) settled, where he was esteemed a man of opulence, which supposition caused his house to be attacked by robbers, himself, his wife, and all his servants were inhumanely murdered, save one, who escaped with his son,

HUGH MONTGOMERY, of Maghera, County Londonderry, MP for Newtownards, who had been left for dead in attempting to defend his father; but recovering from his wounds, he lived to an old age, on his property at Maghera, to which he removed after the attack on his paternal dwelling.

Mr Montgomery represented the borough of Newtownards in Parliament, 1634-41, and lies buried with his father in the church of Donaghadee.

He left two sons,

HUGH, his heir;
John.

The elder son,

HUGH MONTGOMERY, of Maghera, was an officer in the army and distinguished himself against the insurgents in 1641.

He was captain in Sir John Montgomery's regiment, and afterwards Major under Sir Charles Coote.

Major Montgomery wedded a daughter of Sir Robert McClelland, by whom he had several daughters and an only son, his successor,

WILLIAM MONTGOMERY, of Maghera, who espoused Mary, eldest daughter and co-heir of Captain James Magill, of Kirkistown, County Down, by which marriage he acquired a great accession of property.

He had issue, with one daughter, Lucy (who died unmarried, 1701), an only son, his successor,

WILLIAM MONTGOMERY, who married firstly, in 1719, Catherine, daughter of Edward Hall, of Strangford, and had issue,

Edward, who died in 1726;
WILLIAM, his heir.

He wedded secondly, in 1725, Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Hill, of Buckinghamshire, and had further issue,

Hugh, died unmarried 1765;
James, died unmarried 1796;
Robert, died unmarried 1758;
Samuel, Lieutenant-Colonel.

Captain Montgomery was an officer of Dragoons, who served with reputation in Spain under Charles Mordaunt, the great Earl of Peterborough.

He purchased, ca 1715, the estate of GREY ABBEY from his kinsman, James Montgomery, and rebuilt the mansion house, the former having been burnt accidentally in 1695.

Captain Montgomery died in 1755, and was succeeded by his second son,

WILLIAM MONTGOMERY (1721-99), of Grey Abbey, MP for Hillsborough, 1761-99, who wedded, in 1749, Susanna, daughter and sole heir of John Jelly, of Rathmullan, County Down, and had issue,

William, Major, k/a in America, 1781;
HUGH, his heir;
Edward, RN;
Francis, Captain, 67th Regiment;
Dorcas.

Mr Montgomery was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

THE REV HUGH MONTGOMERY (1754-1815), of Grey Abbey, who married, in 1782, Emilia Ward, youngest daughter of Bernard, 1st Viscount Bangor (by his wife, the Lady Anne Bligh, daughter of John, Earl of Darnley), and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Hugh Bernard, army officer;
Edward (Rev), Rector of Portaferry;
Arthur Hill, of Tyrella;
John Charles, Barrister;
Francis Octavius, army officer;
George Augustus Frederick Sandys, Lieutenant RN;
Anne Catherine; Emilia Georgiana Susanna.

The Rev Hugh Montgomery was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM MONTGOMERY JP DL (-1831), of Grey Abbey, High Sheriff of County Down, 1824, who wedded, in 1817, the Lady Amelia Elizabeth Parker, second daughter of Thomas Parker, 5th Earl of Macclesfield, by which lady he had issue, an only child,

HUGH MONTGOMERY JP DL (1821-94), of Grey Abbey, High Sheriff of County Down, 1845, who married, in 1846, the Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Herbert, second daughter of Edward, 2nd Earl of Powis, KG, and had issue,

WILLIAM EDWARD, his heir;
ROBERT ARTHUR, succeeded his brother;
Percy Hugh Seymour (1856-1902);
FRANCIS HENRY, succeeded his brother;
George Fitzmaurice, father of HUGH EDWARD;
Lucy Florentia; Edith Cecilia; Charlotte Henrietta Emily; Evelyn Mary.

Mr Montgomery was succeeded by his eldest son,

MAJOR-GENERAL WILLIAM EDWARD MONTGOMERY JP DL (1847-1927), of Grey Abbey, High Sheriff of County Down, 1900, who espoused, in 1891, Alberta Victoria, daughter of Major-General the Rt Hon Sir Henry Ponsonby GCB, but had no issue.

General Montgomery was succeeded by his brother,

MAJOR-GENERAL ROBERT ARTHUR MONTGOMERY CB CVO (1848-1931), of Grey Abbey, who married Maria Maud, second daughter of Richard Gosling, by whom he had no issue.

General Montgomery was succeeded by his brother,

FRANCIS HENRY MONTGOMERY (1857-1941), of Grey Abbey, who died unmarried, when the estate devolved upon his nephew,

MAJOR HUGH EDWARD MONTGOMERY JP DL (1906-69), of Grey Abbey (son of George Fitzmaurice Montgomery), High Sheriff of County Down, 1955, who wedded, in 1938, Anne, only daughter of Brigadier Charles Graeme Higgins CMG DSO DL, of Badbury Hill, Faringdon, and had issue,

WILLIAM HOWARD CLIVE MONTGOMERY (1940-), who married, in 1965, Daphne, daughter of Brigadier the Hon Geoffrey John Orlando Bridgeman (son of 1st Viscount Bridgeman), and had issue,

Hugh Geoffrey Clive, b 1966;
Rose Evelyn, b 1968;
Frances Mary, b 1970;
Flora Anne Selina, b 1974.

(Image: William Montgomery)

GREY ABBEY HOUSE, Greyabbey, County Down (also known as Rosemount), derives its name from the late adjacent 12th century Cistercian abbey.

The ruins of the abbey can be seen from Grey Abbey House.

The manorial demesne, long known as Rosemount, was established in the early 17th century, and the present house was built in the early 1760s.

Originally the property of the Clandeboye O’Neills, Grey Abbey was granted in 1607 to Sir Hugh Montgomery.

In 1634, his son, Sir James, built a ‘noble house and stately out-offices’.

It was described by William Montgomery in 1683 thus:

a double roofed-house and a baron and fower flankers with bakeing and brewing houses, stable and other needful office houses….built after the forraigne and English manner; with outer and inner courts walled about and surrounded with pleasant gardens, orchards, meadows and pasture inclosures under view of ye said house called Rosemount from which ye manner taketh name. The same was finished by …Sir James AD 1634. 

In 1701, William Montgomery was to add to this account that

"...only some small convenient additions of buildings and orchards were made by ye sd William and improved lately by his sd son James. "

Harris’s County of Down, 1744, related that

Rosemount was the mansion house of Sir James Montgomery …he built here a noble house and stately out-offices (which were afterwards burnt down Ann. 1695) and laid out fine gardens behind it, executed in the form of a regular Fortification, some Bastions of which are yet to be seen.

However the present worthy proprietor [William Montgomery] has built a neat and commodious house with handsome offices on part of the site of the former offices, and laid out his gardens and Out-grounds about it in elegant taste.

This house, too, built in 1717 by William Montgomery (d 1725), was itself later burnt.

In the absence of surviving 17th or 18th century Montgomery estate maps (no doubt burnt in one of those fires or in a fire in a fire in the agent’s house), it is difficult to be certain where exactly these various early buildings stood.

The house, which was accidentally burnt in 1695, may have stood in the vicinity of the present stable yard, and indeed could have the 1717 house, but some believe could have stood on the seaward side of the present mansion.

The ‘fortified’ garden may have occupied what is now the walled garden to the north-west, but there seems to be no physical sign of this today.

It is possible that the present yard, being a complex of 18th and 19th century buildings, could incorporate elements of the ‘handsome offices on part of the site of the former house’, mentioned by Harris in 1744.

The present house, Rosemount, located on a rise in the park, was built from 1762 by William Montgomery, who had succeeded to the property in 1755.

It was still being erected when James Boswell visited the place on 2nd May 1769 and noted the excellent house of Mr Montgomery’s own planning, and not yet finished.

The house is a three-storey block over basement, Palladian in style, with six-bay entrance front, hipped roof and balustraded roof parapet.

(Image: William Montgomery)

There is a three-sided bow in the centre of the garden front (Gothic windows on ground floor, inspired by Castle Ward, are a later addition, possibly ca 1785) and canted projections and diagonally set single-storey side porches on the side elevations, the latter being added in 1845-6 to design of James Sands, commissioned by Hugh Montgomery, who succeeded to the estate from his father, William, in 1831.

The roof-balustraded parapets were also added in the 1840s. A single-storey smoking room extension was added to the north-east in 1895.

The existing naturalistic landscape park with its woodlands, shelter belts, meandering walks and sweeping carriage drives, was laid out as a setting for this house in the 1760s or 1770s. 

The old abbey ruins were made a feature of this park and a sunken drive was created below the garden front of the house.

In the 1840s, a masonry pedestrian humped bridge was built, allowing access to the park across this sunken way.

Near the abbey a well house was built in the 1770s, known as ‘The Nun’s Well’, possibly replacing a medieval well-house mentioned by Harris in 1744.

The stable yard, being a complex of one and two-storey ranges of both 18th and 19th century construction, including a free-standing game larder, are hidden within the park, as is the walled garden lying to the north-west.

The three 19th century gate lodges were added in the 19th century; viz. the old gate lodge ca 1820, known as Rosemount Cottage, made redundant by a re-alignment of the public road; the Abbey entrance of ca 1815-20; and the village West Gate Lodge of ca 1860.

The entrance lodge is in Georgian-Gothic style, as is the pinnacles gate-screen, and appears to have been inspired by the lodges at Mount Stewart, designed by George Dance (the younger), in 1808-09.

In 1843, the garden designer, Ninian Niven, made some alterations to the park layout, notably adding a parterre to the terrace on the north east side of the house. 

This has been grassed over in recent decades. 

The parkland survives today in good order and contains fine mature trees with shelter belts and woodlands down to the lough shore.

Contemporary ornamental planting is maintained to the east and west of the north front; the south entrance front is in lawns, with a sweeping carriage drive.

Part of the walled garden to the northwest of the house is cultivated.

A portion of what was once a much larger orchard is retained.

*****

William Montgomery, who lives with his family at Grey Abbey estate today, is descended from the younger brother of the 1st Earl of Mount Alexander, Sir James Montgomery, who was given the Grey Abbey estates which remain, in part, in the family today.

The family is, therefore, of the same family but not directly descended from him.

In early Victorian times, the family owned land in the Ards Peninsula extending to some 5,000 or more acres, though this figure would have been closer to 100,000 acres in the 16th century.

The Montgomerys also owned the Tyrella estate, near Rathmullan, County Down - it having come into the family through the marriage of William Montgomery to Suzanne Jelly in 1749.

Mrs Daphne Montgomery is the granddaughter of 1st Viscount Bridgeman.

William Montgomery is a Trustee of Weston Park estate in Shropshire.

The Bridgeman family inherited Weston Park itself during the 18th century and today it is run as a trust by the Weston Park Foundation.

First published in May, 2010; revised in 2014.

The Staples Baronetcy

This family settled in Ulster during the reign of JAMES I.

ALEXANDER STAPLES, of Yate Court, Gloucestershire, married firstly, Avis, daughter of Richard Browne, of Marlborough, Wiltshire, and secondly, Elizabeth. He had issue,

George, purchased the Manor of Fovant;

Richard of Boreham;

Alexander, of Nottingham; Mayor of Nottingham, 1629;

Edward;

THOMAS, of whom hereafter;

William.

Mr Staples died in 1590; his fifth son,

THOMAS STAPLES, of Lissan, County Tyrone, and Faughanvale, County Londonderry, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1640, settled in Ulster ca 1610 as part of the plantation of Ulster.

This Thomas settled at Moneymore, County Londonderry (then being constructed as part of the terms of the plantation grant to the Worshipful Company of Drapers, which had been granted large swathes of the new county in 1611). His stone house is marked in a map of 1635 as in the centre of Moneymore, beside the Market Cross.

Mr Staples was created a baronet by CHARLES I in 1628, designated of Lissan, County Tyrone.

About the same date, he purchased several leases, including the lands of the town of Cookstown, and 180 acres at what is now the Lissan demesne.

It is thought that a dwelling existed on the estate at this time along with an Iron Forge which was used to smelt the iron deposits found across the estate.

Mainly as a result of the existence of the forge, the dwelling house survived the Rebellion of 1641.

Sir Thomas married, ante 1623, Charity, only child of Sir Baptist Jones, of Vintnerstown, and had issue,

BAPTIST, 2nd Baronet;
ALEXANDER, 3rd Baronet;
ROBERT, 4th Baronet.

Sir Thomas died in 1653, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR BAPTIST STAPLES, 2nd Baronet (1625-72), of Lissan and Faughanvale, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR ALEXANDER STAPLES, 3rd Baronet, of Lissan and Faughanvale, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1661, MP for Strabane, 1661-65, who espoused Elizabeth Conyngham, by whom he had no male issue.

Sir Alexander was succeeded by his brother,

SIR ROBERT STAPLES, 4th Baronet (1643-1714), of Lissan, MP for Dungannon, 1692, Clogher, 1695, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1703, who wedded, in 1682, Mary, eldest daughter of the Most Rev John Vesey, Lord Archbishop of Tuam, and had issue,

JOHN, 5th Baronet;
Robert;
Thomlinson;
ALEXANDER, 6th Baronet;
Thomas (Rev), Rector of Derryloran; father of JOHN, MP;
Jane; Ann; Rebecca; Mary.

The present Lissan House substantially owes its existence to Sir Thomas's third son Sir Robert, 4th Baronet.

Having married another heiress in the person of Mary Vesey, he improved the estate, building mills and enlarging the iron forge as well as substantially constructing the present house (incorporating large parts of the pre-existing dwelling) ca 1680.

He also created the walled garden which survives today.

The main feature of his house was the gargantuan oak staircase which still (following a reconstruction due to collapse in 1895) dominates the hall today.

Thomas Ashe, writing his report to the Archbishop of Armagh, from whom the land was originally leased, said, in 1703,

"Robert Staples has built a very good stone house; the rooms are noble, lofty and large. There is a very handsome staircase which leads to chambers above with a large parlour and dining room. The house is well-shingled and stands near a small tenement with four pretty rooms. He has built a handsome stable, large barns and a turf house all well shingled."

Sir Robert died in 1714, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN STAPLES, 5th Baronet (1684-1730), who wedded Mary Goslin, by whom he had no male issue, and was succeeded by his younger brother,

SIR ALEXANDER STAPLES, 6th Baronet (1693-1742), who married, in 1735, Abigail, daughter of Thomas Townley, and had issue, an only child,

SIR ROBERT STAPLES, 7th Baronet (1740-1816), who married firstly, in 1761, Alicia, daughter of Rev Thomas Staples, by whom he had a daughter, Sarah.

He espoused secondly, Mary, daughter of Sir William Barker Bt, and had further issue,

ROBERT, his successor;
Anna Maria.

He married thirdly, in 1776, Jane Vesey, daughter of John, 1st Baron Knapton, and sister of the Viscount de Vesci, and had further issue,

Isabella;
Elizabeth Selina;
Anne;
Catherine.

Sir Robert was succeeded by his only son, 

SIR ROBERT STAPLES, 8th Baronet (1772-1832).

By the time of the 7th and 8th Baronets in the mid-18th century, the main branch of the family had moved to Castle Durrow in County Kilkenny. Lissan House was let to a minor branch of the family under The Rt Hon John Staples KC MP, first cousin of the 8th Baronet.

John Staples was a talented lawyer and was the last speaker in the Irish House of Commons before its dissolution in 1801. He went on two grand tours of Italy and Greece, furnishing Lissan with a fine collection of books, paintings and marbles.

His second wife was Henrietta, younger daughter of the Viscount Molesworth, one of the Duke of Marlborough's generals during the war of the Spanish Succession.

Sir Robert died without legitimate issue, as a result of which the Castle Durrow property was bequeathed to his eldest (illegitimate) son, whilst Lissan passed to the Rt Hon John Staples' eldest son,

SIR THOMAS STAPLES, 9th Baronet (1775-1865), QC, who espoused, in 1813, Catherine, daughter of the Rev John Hawkins, but had no issue.

Sir Thomas was a notable lawyer and was appointed Queen's Advocate in Ireland in 1845.

He married Catherine, another heiress, a partnership which made them one of the wealthiest families in Ireland.

Sir Thomas purchased the largest town house on Merrion Square in Dublin and made several notable additions to Lissan House, most notably the large ballroom (or music room), built to take advantage of views of the water gardens.

As a prosperous Dublin barrister, he was able to indulge himself in making Lissan a more fashionable house than it had ever been before, his most obvious contribution being to add the single-storey ballroom to the right-hand side of the entrance front.

In the main block of the house, he created Regency interiors in what is now the dining-room and the library, although only that in the dining-room survives.

Externally, he built out a porch (with two front columns answered by two pilasters either side of the Tuscan columns in the door-case, and a triglyph frieze), and altered the roof-line with the effect that the roof was disguised behind a parapet.

This latter change provided a loft to the house, and meant that the top windows were no longer overshadowed by the roof. 

No expense was spared on the construction of this addition, which was fitted with an early central heating system, was double glazed and which had sprung floorboards to aid dancing.

The room was decorated in a striking oriental scheme of scarlet and black and was decorated with vastly expensive hand-painted Chinese wallpaper originally purchased by Sir Thomas' sister Grace, Marchioness of Ormonde, for Kilkenny Castle.

Small portions of this wallpaper survive today, touched up by the last owner, Mrs Hazel Dolling.

Sir Thomas died childless in 1865, as a result of which the title and estate were inherited by the Rev John Molesworth Staples' eldest son Nathaniel, 10th Baronet.

However, Sir Thomas left the contents of Lissan House as well as the entire family fortune to his wife Catherine.

Unfortunately Catherine, Lady Staples, disliked Sir Nathaniel to such an extent that on her death both the fortune and furniture were bequeathed to her god-daughter, Mary Banks.

Thus the estate began a process of swift financial decline. 

SIR NATHANIEL ALEXANDER STAPLES, 10th Baronet (1817-99), JP DL, married, in 1844, Elizabeth, daughter of Captain James Head, and had issue,

JOHN MOLESWORTH, 11th Baronet;
James Head (1849-1917);
ROBERT PONSONBY, 12th Baronet;
Cecilia; another daughter.

Sir Nathaniel was a civil servant in India and during his absence on the subcontinent several members of the wider Staples family began to remove the remaining contents of the house.

The Rt Hon John Staples' third youngest daughter Charlotte had married William Lenox-Conyngham of Springhill in 1824.

During the 1860s and 70s, she and her eldest son, Sir William Lenox-Conyngham, systematically removed the entire contents of the Lissan library along with the best paintings in the house, including a portrait of the Rt Hon John Staples by Batoni. All of these can still be found at Springhill today.

When Sir Nathaniel eventually settled at Lissan during the 1880s, despite his straightened financial circumstances, he added a substantial porte-cochere to the front of the house and purchased the clock tower from the market-house in Magherafelt which he added to the West end of the house.

At the age of 55, Sir Nathaniel evicted Elizabeth, Lady Staples, from the house and lived out his remaining years in the scandalous company of a young clairvoyant, Mary Potter, who was originally from Cookstown.

By the time of his death in 1899, the family were all but financially ruined.

Sir Nathaniel was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN MOLESWORTH STAPLES, 11th Baronet (1847-1933), who was pronounced "insane" and spent the entire duration of his baronetcy in an asylum in England until his death in 1933.

As a result of this, the estate was first occupied by the second eldest son of the family, James Head Staples, who had originally settled at Braemar, Scotland.

He and his wife built a creamery, took in boarders, and Mrs Staples taught cookery and lace-making so that local girls would have some training to enable them to find work in Cookstown.

He also fitted a second-hand water turbine on the Lissan Water in 1902, which supplied the house with its sole source of electricity until 2007 (and which is still in full working order today).

The estate remained, however, in terminal decline.

When James Head Staples died in 1911, the house was left temporarily unoccupied until his eccentric younger brother,

SIR (ROBERT) PONSONBY STAPLES, 12th Baronet (1853-1943), who wedded, in 1883, Ada Louise, daughter of H Stammers, and had issue,

ROBERT GEORGE ALEXANDER, his successor;
Violet Hope; Beatrice Joyce Head; Nora Lettice Mary.

Sir Ponsonby was persuaded to leave London and settle at Lissan in 1912.

Sir Ponsonby was an exceptionally talented artist.

He had gone to the Catholic University of Leuven to study architecture at the age of twelve before moving to Dresden to study fine art.

When he returned to London during the 1880s he quickly became one of the most famous portrait artists of his day.

He exhibited his first picture at the Royal Academy aged 21.

Sir Ponsonby was also an infamous socialite and member of the Café Royal set.

He was a friend and favourite of King Edward VII.

His most famous attribute was his refusal to wear shoes.

He believed that the earth exuded natural electricity which was beneficial to the health and thus shunned the wearing of shoes and listing his principal occupation as "barefoot walking" in the 1926 Who's Who.

Today his paintings are hugely valuable but, whilst existing at the centre of the social scene in fin de siecle London, his work did not make him a wealthy man.

After settling at Lissan, his finances evaporated and he was known to often ask the postman for a loan or to pawn his own paintings in order to raise funds.

A great sale was held during his tenure which lasted two full days and which saw the remaining pictures and fine furnishings sold off, many to the Lenox-Conyngham family at Springhill where they remain today.

By 1943, the estate, stripped of its furnishings and largely sold off, was virtually bankrupt.

Sir Ponsonby was succeeded by his son,

SIR ROBERT GEORGE ALEXANDER STAPLES, 13th Baronet (1894-1970), who married, in 1922, Vera Lilian, daughter of John Jenkins, and had issue, two daughters,

HAZEL MARION;
Elizabeth Hope.

Sir Robert was educated at Campbell College, Belfast, and Trinity College Dublin; fought in the First World War; Lieutenant, Royal Army Service Corps; was a director of Peter Marsh & Sons (Northern Ireland) in 1961.

He discovered that he could no longer afford to live at Lissan.

Sir Robert consequently employed Harry Dolling as estate manager and settled in England, where he could find suitable employment.

Mr Dolling divided Lissan House into apartments and, from 1943 until the late 1960s, the house was home to over a hundred people living in self-contained flats and tenements carved out of the once elegant public rooms and bedrooms.

The remaining contents of value were sent to be stored temporarily at Springhill, where they were mixed with the Lenox-Conynghams' own property and were presented mistakenly to the National Trust along with Springhill in 1957.

Sir Robert feared that he would be the last of the Staples to live at Lissan. He had only two daughters as issue.

The younger, Elizabeth, had settled with her own family in England; whilst the elder, Hazel, (following a spell in the WRNS) had settled into a life on the seas with the Cunard Line as purser on the Queen Mary and Caronia.

Neither had any interest in the now crumbling, run-down and bankrupt estate.

However, the 13th Baronet's death in 1970, the elder daughter Hazel visited Lissan with her mother and met the agent, Mr Dolling.

Within the year the pair were married and both settled at Lissan, returning the house to a single dwelling for the occupation of themselves and Hazel's mother Vera, Lady Staples.

Whilst Hazel inherited the house and estate from her father, the baronetcy passed to Sir Jack Staples and from him to his cousin and, in swift succession, to his two brothers, the present being the 17th Baronet, Sir Richard Staples.

Both inherited the title at advanced ages and neither have any male heirs.

As a result, a search was instigated by Debrett's in the 1990s seeking the next Staples baronet and a ten year genetic research programme started in 2002 which it was hoped would locate the next Baronet.

Three candidates, Garth Staples and Gerald Staples of Nova Scotia, Canada and David Staples of the USA, have been identified as within a sufficient genetic distance according to family tree, all of whom are descended from Matthew Staples.

It is believed that Matthew Staples was in the company of Governor Cornwallis as a military blacksmith at Halifax in 1749 although the link with the Lissan family tree remains elusive and no one candidate has yet proved their claim.

SIR JOHN RICHARD STAPLES, 14th Baronet (1906-89), married, in 1933, Sybel, daughter of Dr Charles Henry Wade.

His cousin,

SIR THOMAS STAPLES, 15th Baronet (1905-97), married, in 1952, Frances Ann Irvine.

He died without issue, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR GERALD JAMES ARLAND STAPLES, 16th Baronet (1909-99), who married, in 1951, Henrietta Owen, daughter of Percival Arland Ussher, and had issue, two daughters,

Emily Ann; Jacqueline Mary.

He was succeeded by his brother,

SIR RICHARD MOLESWORTH STAPLES, 17th Baronet (1914-2013), who married, in 1954, Marjorie Charlotte Jefcoate.

He was educated at St Andrew's College, Dublin; fought in the Second World War, in Burma; was with the Royal Air Force, 1940-52; was with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1952-59.

The title, one of the oldest in the baronetage, expired following the decease of the 17th Baronet.

Hazel Dolling (neé Staples), elder daughter of the 13th Baronet, has written an account of the Staples family history.

Former residence ~ 2, Barkfield, Freshfield Road, Formby, Lancashire.

The Staples Papers are deposited at PRONI.  First published in May, 2011.

Belle Isle: VII

JULIAN BROWN RECALLS VISITS TO NECARNE CASTLE, COUNTY FERMANAGH

I have written earlier about being brought up at Belle Isle Castle and of the occupants of that beautiful place whom I knew as a child.

I am now writing all of my recollections of Belle Isle, Necarne, Corrard, and Ireland in those days, and the following is an extract from my memories concerning Necarne.

I have always been fascinated by big houses and stories of people who lived in them.

Perhaps it was growing up at Belle Isle that kindled this interest but it has always been with me.

My first memory of Necarne was gossip overheard in the Belle Isle kitchens. 

Mr Hermon had sold all the furniture! The roof was leaking!

There were hens roosting in the drawing-room at night!

I had no idea what Necarne looked like except that it was a castle and Mr Hermon used to live in it.

Until one day, when I was a small boy, my father had to call at Necarne and took me along in the Land Rover for company.

I will never forget the first time I saw the castle: My father drove through the large gates and entered the grounds; he drove along the avenue and, coming suddenly round a bend and through some trees, it was there. 

I was enthralled.

A long and battlemented building, honey coloured, with a row of gables running along the top; turrets at the ends and round towers rising behind the body of the castle.

I saw tall chimneys, arched windows and massive doors.

The Land Rover kept moving but I was pressed to the window, trying to take it all in. It was wonderful.

I would have loved to get closer to it but Esmond would have none of that. 

He picked up what he came for and we left by the back road, that was all I saw of Necarne for years; but my curiosity was fully aroused.

In the years to come, I learned a great deal about Necarne and spent many memorable times there... 

*****

THE FOLLOWING IS A FURTHER EXTRACT FROM THE LAST PART OF MY NECARNE CHAPTER

Porter of Belle Isle

WHEN Nicholas Henry Archdale Porter died in 1973, Vida Leigh and Tiggy Brunt moved from Belle Isle Castle to Necarne and lived with Captain Richard Outram Hermon.

The place of residence was not Necarne Castle itself but a lovely house beside it known as the Gardener's House, a fine Georgian building, beautifully proportioned and elegant. 

I believe it would originally have been the Dower House.

I was now living in England and it was strange coming back to Ireland knowing that my old friends were no longer at Belle Isle.

When I came home in August 1974, Vida invited my parents, Esmond and Pearl; Paul, an English friend of mine; and me, to dinner one evening at Necarne.

We arrived at the Gardener's House on a warm and sunny summer evening.

This was the first time I had seen the house: It was a solid two storey Georgian structure with a central door to which Richard Hermon had added pillars, for no other reason but to make the house look more imposing. 

There were casement windows, one either side of the front door and three above.

The house had an elegant drawing-room of a good size, a small dining-room and an old-fashioned kitchen.

There was a further back kitchen and another small room downstairs. 

We sat in the drawing-room for drinks and Vida and Tiggy seemed perfectly happy and adjusted to their new home.

Dick Hermon was present and perfectly agreeable, he had always got on with my father and they chatted away about farming.

The drawing-room had two sofas and some chairs set around a marble fireplace.

There were little tables scattered about and a small desk in a recessed side window alcove.

Mahogany shelving had been fitted on the back wall and was filled with books. 

There was a gilt-edged mirror over the fireplace and some of Vida Leigh’s paintings on the walls - two interior views of Belle Isle and a portrait of Nicholas Porter.

Vida very kindly gave me a copy of one of the paintings of the hall at Belle Isle Castle.  

We all crowded into the small dining-room: a circular table surrounded by chairs, a sideboard and a crystal chandelier over the table.

There was a hatch between the dining-room and kitchen and Tiggy pushed the food through and served the meal.

We had braised duck and a selection of vegetables followed by a summer pudding. 

The pudding was made from fresh raspberries and blackcurrants soaked in wine and packed into a brown bread mould and chilled.

It was a lovely meal.

Vida chatted throughout the dinner and explained how she had prepared the dishes.

On the way home in the car later, my mother laughingly told us that Vida had not prepared anything.

She liked to take credit but Tiggy had done the work! 

It was always the same. My mother knew Vida through and through and was familiar with her ways.

Dear Tiggy had smiled demurely and said nothing!

It would be wrong, however, to give the impression that Tiggy was slighted.

The sisters were devoted and Tiggy understood her sister’s need for glory!

The walls of the long and narrow hall in the Gardener's House were covered with row after row of framed 18th and 19th century political cartoons that had been on the walls of the landing above the Tudor Gallery in Belle Isle Castle.

Lavinia Baird had disliked them and gave them all to Vida Leigh in the 1970s.  

While the party was talking after dinner I wandered across to the castle.

It was still light and the sun shone on the beautiful stonework.

It was, on close examination, a sorry sight: the glass was missing from some of the windows and I leaped over one of the sills and entered a large room. 

There was evidence of water damage everywhere, ceilings were hanging down; there was debris and muck on the floors.

Doors were missing and there were signs of vandalism.

Everywhere was desolation and damage.

There were traces of wall coverings, carvings, mouldings and intricate plasterwork.

It had clearly been a beautiful place.

A voice shouted through the window.

It was Tom McKervey, the old butler.

He was retired but still lived nearby.

I knew Tom well from my childhood and he greeted me warmly but added a warning; “don’t go up the stairs, the floors are rotten and it is dangerous.” 

I could not resist a look.

Gingerly I made my way to a landing which was even more depressing.

Tiggy told me, on a later occasion, that around that time some children ran amok in the derelict castle and tossed loose and crumbling stonework from the battlemented towers into the gardens below. 

The castle’s windows were boarded up to preserve what was left.

It was a sorry end to one of Fermanagh’s beautiful buildings.

Later that evening, we sat in the drawing-room and then Vida jumped up and said “come on,” we all followed her and trooped upstairs to her bedroom.

Vida reclined on the bed and we all sat around.

Some more drinks were produced and we chatted for a couple of hours. 

It was like old times at Belle Isle, Vida had always enjoyed holding court in her room.

It was a lovely room, too, but nothing compared to the one she had used at Belle Isle.

We were shown round the upstairs rooms and Vida remarked on a tapestry on the wall in Mr Hermon’s room.

It was old and had been with him at the castle.

I wish I had paid more attention because I cannot remember what she said, but I think it may well have been Gobelins. 

Apparently it was one of the few possessions he had retained from the castle.

Richard Hermon had been in an affable mood all evening and I broached the subject of the castle.

He said that it was not practical after the war to keep it up and it was no good rattling around a place like that on your own. 

I knew better than to pursue the matter but do recall Lavinia Baird saying once that had Mr Hermon spent a couple of thousand pounds when the roof started to leak and, repaired, it would still be sound.

She said it would now cost a fortune to bring it back.

At the end of a most enjoyable evening at Necarne, we made ready to leave.

Again, this is a memory that sticks in my mind: we walked along in front of the gardener's house, passing a small ornate stone wall; there was a donkey on the grass behind it.

It was a clear, silent night and Vida linked arms with my father as we walked back to the car.

Tiggy was chatting to me; we all embraced and said good night. 

I never saw Vida again.

In the next year she developed a swelling on one of her legs, she was taken into hospital in Omagh, County Tyrone; she died shortly afterwards.

The period that followed was interesting, because Richard Hermon had always admired Vida but had tended to be a little distant from Tiggy.

Now they were left alone together they got on remarkably well. 

I saw them out driving on a couple of occasions together.

Richard Hermon died in June 1976 and left the Necarne Estate to Tiggy’s nephew, Pierce Brunt.

Vida and Tiggy had a brother, Nigel, who never came to live in Ireland but had visited occasionally. Pierce was his son. 

 

Richard Hermon had arranged that Tiggy (right) was to be able to remain in the Gardener's House for the rest of her life.

Tiggy remained at Necarne for some years.

I always went to see her when I was in Ireland and we kept up a correspondence.

She was always cheerful and amusing but it must have been lonely for her though she never said so. 

She took on a lease of life for a while after Richard Hermon’s death and would take herself into Enniskillen and have her hair done!

Soon she settled into a quiet existence with her little dog.

She only had one now: Penny, a brown and white Jack Russell terrier.

There were still people around Irvinestown and Necarne who had worked for Richard Hermon, and they were good to Tiggy. 

I saw Tiggy a few more times, once my sister Audrey and two of her young children came with me, Helen and James.

Helen sat close to her mother and James played with the dog.

We were in the kitchen of the Gardener's House.

It was an old-fashioned room with a range, a flagstone floor and large cream-coloured glass-fronted cupboards full of blue and white china.

On one wall behind a sheet of glass were a series of impressionist watercolours. 

They had been in the summer-house at Mullaghmore originally and belonged to Vida.

I remember Vida telling me they were French.

I recall them distinctly: they were all of a young fair-haired man standing among flowers and shrubs in an idyllic landscape. 

I have a feeling they will turn up on an antiques programme one day and be worth a fortune!

Tiggy was delighted to see Audrey; they had always been friends.

Tiggy laughed and said “You were always slimming Audrey when you were growing up, look at you now, seven children later and still slim!”

Audrey laughed and responded, “Oh no!” Tiggy smiled and said “There’s not a scrap on you!”

They chatted on in this vein quite happily and I took some pictures.

The last time I saw Tiggy we spent several hours together in her kitchen, she brought out a box of old photographs and there were some fascinating glimpses of the past, including a series of pictures of the interiors of Alton Castle in the 1920s; and one picture of Nicholas Porter as a young man standing in front of Belle Isle wearing a cape, standing with his arms outstretched and bowing slightly.

He looked very whimsical, perfectly capturing the spirit of the ‘bright young things’ of the 1920s.

I wish I had asked for a copy, it was so striking.

Tiggy made some tea and produced cakes, and then we went for a short walk by the castle with the little dog.

Tiggy was so sympathetic for everyone else: “Poor Vida, how difficult it was for her, in her last days;” and “Dear Richard, he did miss Vida so.”

Never any complaint about her own situation.

We said good-bye at last and I promised to call again soon, but it was not to be. 

Tiggy died within the year and I never went back to the gardener's house.

I hope someone at Necarne looked after little Penny, but I feel sure they did.

First published in April, 2010.

Classiebawn Castle

THE VISCOUNTS PALMERSTON WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 12,436 ACRES

The TEMPLES, from whom this family paternally, and the ducal house of Buckingham and Chandos maternally, descend, are said to have been of Saxon origin, and to have sprung immediately from the son and heir of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia,

EDWYN, who was deprived of the earldom by WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, and killed in defending himself against the Normans in 1071.

This Edywn left a son,

EDWYN, styled Earl of Leicester and Coventry, who is said to have assumed the surname of TEMPLE from the manor of Temple, in the hundred of Sparkenhoe, Wellsborough,

"Which manor was given by the ancient Earls of Leicester to the Knights Templar, who usually give the name of TEMPLE to their lands, and they granted it to one whose family was called Temple, of great account and livelihood in those parts."

Be this, however, as it may,

HENRY DE TEMPLE was Lord of Temple and Little Shepey in the reign of the CONQUEROR, and from him descended

THOMAS TEMPLE, of Whitney, Oxfordshire, whose great-grandson,

PETER TEMPLE, received a grant of the manor of Butlers Marston, in Warwickshire, and purchased, in 1560, the right which Laurence Denet had therein.

This Peter being likewise lord of the manor of Stowe, Buckinghamshire, his descendants fixed their residence there.

He married Millicent, daughter of William Jekyl, of Newington, Middlesex, and had two sons,

John, the elder, ancestor maternally, of the noble house of BUCKINGHAM and CHANDOS; and

ANTHONY TEMPLE, who was father of

SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE (1555-1627), a learned and eminent person in the reign of ELIZABETH I, secretary to Sir Philip Sydney, and after his decease, to the unfortunate Earl of Essex; upon whose tragic end Sir William removed into Ireland, and was appointed provost of Trinity College, Dublin, which university he represented in parliament in 1613.

He received the honour of Knighthood, in 1622, from the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Oliver St John, and was appointed one of the Masters in Chancery.

Sir William espoused Martha, daughter of Robert Harrison, of Derbyshire, by whom he had two sons, and was succeeded in 1627 by the elder,

THE RT HON SIR JOHN TEMPLE (1600-77), Knight, was constituted Master of the Rolls in Ireland, and sworn of the Privy Council there.

He filled, for a series of years, high and confidential places in the government of Ireland; and was appointed, in 1648, Joint Commissioner of the Great Seal with Sir William Parsons.

Sir John joined, however, the standard of CROMWELL, but was nevertheless retained as Master of the Rolls after the Restoration, when he was constituted Vice-Treasurer of Ireland.

He wedded Mary, daughter of Dr John Hammond, of Chertsey, in Surrey, and had two surviving sons, viz.

WILLIAM;
JOHN.

Sir John's younger son,

SIR JOHN TEMPLE (1632-1705), Knight, Solicitor-General, Attorney-General, and Speaker of the House of Commons in Ireland, married Jane, daughter of Sir Abraham Yarner, Knight, of Dublin, and had issue, among others,

HENRY, his successor;
John.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY TEMPLE (c1673-1757), who was elevated to the peerage, in 1722, in the dignities of Baron Temple and VISCOUNT PALMERSTON, of Palmerston, County Dublin.

His lordship wedded firstly, in 1703, Anne, daughter of Abraham Houblon, and had issue,

HENRY, father of HENRY; d 1740;
Richard, d 1749.

He espoused secondly, in 1738, Isabella, daughter of Sir Francis Gerard Bt, and widow of Sir John Fryer Bt, but had no other issue.

His lordship was succeeded by his grandson,

HENRY, 2nd Viscount (1739-1802), who married, in 1767, Frances, only daughter of Sir Francis Poole Bt, of Poole Hall, Cheshire, but by her had no issue.

His lordship wedded secondly, in 1783, Mary, daughter of Benjamin Mee, and had issue,

HENRY JOHN, his successor;
William;
Frances; Elizabeth.

He was succeeded by his elder son,

HENRY JOHN, 3rd Viscount (1784-1865), KG GCB PC, twice PRIME MINISTER, who espoused, in 1839, Emily Mary, daughter of Peniston, 1st Viscount Melbourne, though the marriage was without issue.

The title expired following the decease of the 3rd Viscount.

Classiebawn Castle (Kent Wang - https://www.flickr.com/photos/kentwang)

CLASSIEBAWN CASTLE, near Mullaghmore, County Sligo, is a Victorian-Baronial mansion, splendidly located in a commanding position on a bare headland overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

It was built in the early 1860s, near the end of his life, by the statesman, Lord Palmerston.

The Castle was designed by Rawson Carroll.

It is of a yellow-brown sandstone, comprising a plain, gabled range and a central tower with a conical roofed turret.

The entrance front boasts a carved coat-of-arms; principal rooms are raised on a considerably high basement.

Classiebawn was bequeathed by Lord Palmerston to his wife's grandson, the Rt Hon Evelyn Ashley MP, grandfather of Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma; thus becoming the Irish seat of her husband LOUIS, 1ST EARL MOUNTBATTEN OF BURMA.

Lady Mountbatten made a number of improvements to Classiebawn, including the installation of electricity and mains water.

Hugh Tunney (1928-2011) bought the castle and 3,000 acres of surrounding estate in 1991, after having leased it for many years.

It is now the home of Mr Tunney's long-term partner, Caroline Devine.

First published in April, 2012.

1st Baron Baltimore

DEDICATED TO MY AMERICAN COUSINS: THE LATE REAR-ADMIRAL CHARLES McDOWELL, MIMI AND THOMAS VAN POOLE

It is claimed that this noble family was originally Flemish. From Flanders they transported themselves into the north of England.

LEONARD CALVERT (1550-1611), of Danby Wiske, Yorkshire, son of John George Calvert, married Alicia, daughter of John Crossland, of Crossland, in the same county, by whom he had issue, a son,

THE RT HON GEORGE CALVERT (1579-1632), of St Martin's Lane, Westminster, and Kiplin Hall, Catterick, Yorkshire, MP for Bossiney, 1609, Yorkshire, 1621, Oxford University, 1624, who having served as secretary to Sir Robert Cecil, when Secretary of State, and afterwards as Clerk to the Privy Council, received the honour of knighthood, 1617, and was thereafter appointed Secretary of State to the King, who employed him in the most important affairs.

The King granted him large tracts of land in Ireland, and elevated him to the peerage of that kingdom in 1624, in the dignity of BARON BALTIMORE, of Baltimore Manor, County Longford.

Whilst Secretary of State his lordship obtained a grant of the province of Avalon, in Newfoundland, with the most expensive privileges, and expended £25,000 in the settlement thereof.

This place he visited thrice in the reign of JAMES I, but after contending with great spirit against the French encroachments, he was obliged to abandon it altogether. 

Whereupon he obtained from CHARLES I a patent of Maryland to him and his heirs forever, with the same title and royalties as in Avalon, to hold in common socage as of the manor of Windsor, paying yearly, as an acknowledgement to the Crown, to Indian arrows at Windsor Castle, upon Easter Tuesday, and the fifth part of the gold and silver ore.

His lordship did not live, however, to see the grant pass the Great Seal.

He married firstly, in 1604, Anne, daughter of George Mynne, of Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire, and had issue,

CECIL, his successor;
Leonard, 1st Governor of Maryland;
Francis;
George;
Henry;
John;
Philip, 5th Governor of Maryland;
Anne; Mary; Dorothy; Elizabeth; Grace; Helen.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

CECIL, 2nd Baron (1605-75), Governor of Newfoundland, Proprietor of Maryland Colony.

The province of Maryland was so named by CHARLES I in the honour of his Queen, HENRIETTA MARIA.

His lordship wedded, in 1627/8, Anne, daughter of the 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour, and had issue, nine children, of whom

CHARLES, 3rd Baron (1637-1715), 8th Governor of Maryland, present at JAMES II's Irish parliament in 1689, was outlawed for high treason in Ireland, although he had never been in that kingdom; but WILLIAM III, upon his lordship's representation, caused the outlawry to be reversed in 1691.

3rd Baron Baltimore (Image: Enoch Pratt Free Library)

He espoused firstly, Mary, daughter of Ralph Darnall; and secondly, ca 1666, Jane, daughter of Vincent Lowe, by whom he had issue,

Cecil (1667/8-81);
BENEDICT LEONARD, his successor.

His lordship married thirdly, Mary Bankes; and fourthly, in 1712, Margaret, daughter of Thomas Charleton.

He was succeeded by his son and heir,

BENEDICT LEONARD, 4th Baron (1679-1715), 10th Governor of Maryland, who had conformed to the established church in 1713, MP for Harwich, 1714-15, who wedded the Lady Charlotte Lee, daughter of Edward, 1st Earl of Lichfield, and had issue,

Benedict Leonard;
Edward Henry;
CHARLES, of whom hereafter;
Cecil;
Charlotte; Jane.

He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

CHARLES, 5th Baron (1699-1751), 17th Governor of Maryland, MP for St Germains, 1734-41, Surrey, 1741-51, who espoused, in 1730, Mary, daughter of Sir Theodore Janssen Bt, and had issue,

FREDERICK, his successor;
Caroline; Louisa.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

FREDERICK, 6th Baron (1731-71), who died without legitimate issue at Naples, Italy, in 1771, when the title became EXTINCT (his lordship had sold his estates before going abroad to Mr John Trotter, of Soho, London).

*****

The City of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, is named after Cecil, 2nd Baron Baltimore, proprietor of the colony of Maryland.

The Maryland state flag is the un-differenced Arms of Calvert quartering Crossland, a strikingly attractive flag.

The history of the Barons Baltimore is detailed and extensive.

A fuller account can be found here.

 First published in April, 2012.

Dromantine House

THE INNESES OWNED 2,822 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN 

This family claims descent from that of INNES of Leuchars, a younger branch of the ancient house of INNES, proprietors of the lands of that name in the year 1160; when by a crown charter of MALCOLM IV of Scotland, BEROWALD, styled of Flanders, became first feudal baron or lord of Innes.

His lineal descendant,  JAMES, 16th feudal Baron of Innes, held the appointment of Esquire to JAMES III, King of Scotland; and among the family papers is still preserved a charter of some lands granted to him by that monarch, "for faithful service to us of our beloved Esquire, James Innes of that Ilk."

JAMES INNES, laird of Innes, who, in 1490, had the honour of entertaining JAMES IV of Scotland, and many distinguished personages of his court, at his mansion of Innes, married Lady Janet Gordon, daughter of Alexander, 1st Earl of Huntly, and had two sons,

Alexander, whose line subsequently failed;
ROBERT, of Cromy & Rathmackenzie, m daughter of W Meldrum, Baron of Fyvie.

This Robert was succeeded by his younger son,

ALEXANDER INNES, of Blackhills, ancestor of the family of INNES of Leuchars, Fife. His grandson,

ALEXANDER INNES, of Cotts, and afterwards on the death of his half-brother, in 1619, of Leuchars, and Baillie of the Regality and Constable of the Castle of Spynie, known in the family by the quaint sobriquet of Craig-in-Peril, married his cousin, Marjory, eldest daughter of William Gordon, Baron of Gight, great-great-grandson of George, 2nd Earl of Huntly, and his Countess, the Princess Annabella Stewart, youngest daughter of JAMES I of Scotland.

Mr Innes died in 1634, leaving with other issue, his eldest son,

JOHN INNES, of Leuchars, Baillie of the Regality and Constable of the Castle of Spynie (offices confirmed to him by Act of Parliament, 1641).

In 1625, he joined the Scots Guards in the service of the King of France.

Mr Innes married, in 1622, Elizabeth, only daughter of Archibald Douglas, of Pittendreich, and had issue,

JOHN, of Leuchars, imprisoned by the Covenanters; his estate sequestered till the Restoration;
Robert, killed by the Covenanters at Leuchars;
ALEXANDER.

He died in 1645, and was succeeded by his son,

ALEXANDER INNES, called by some the second, and by others the fifth son of John Innes.

He is said to have gone to Ulster at the Restoration, and from him is traced that branch of the family.

He married the daughter of the Rev Edward Brice, Minister of Ballycarry, County Antrim, and had issue,

Brice, of Drumalig;
John, of Dublin;
Robert, Captain in Lord Charlemont's Regiment;
WILLIAM.

The youngest son,

WILLIAM INNES, of Belfast and of Dublin, married his cousin Jane, daughter of Robert Brice, of Castle Chichester, County Antrim, and had, with two daughters, five sons,

Joseph, merchant and shipowner at Belfast;
John;
Alexander;
WILLIAM;
Robert.

The fourth son,

THE REV WILLIAM INNES, born in Dublin, 1691, wedded Isabella, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel James Simpson, and died in 1735, having had, having had, with five daughters, three sons,

WILLIAM, of whom presently;
John;
James.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM INNES, of Glen Manor, now Dromantine, County Down, married, in 1744, Dorothea, daughter of Charles Brice, of Castle Chichester, County Antrim.

He died in 1785, having had issue,

CHARLES, his heir;
Edward;
ARTHUR, succeeded his brother;
Dorothea; Rose.

The eldest son,

CHARLES BRICE INNES, of Dromantine, High Sheriff of County Down, 1775, died unmarried in 1804 and was succeeded by his brother,

ARTHUR INNES (1755-1820), of Dromantine, Captain, Dragoon Guards, High Sheriff of County Down, 1814, who married, in 1796, Anne, daughter of Major Edward Crow, of Tullamore, King's County, and had issue,

Charles, died in infancy 1799;
ARTHUR, his heir;
William George;
Margaret; Dorothea Elizabeth.

The son and heir,

ARTHUR INNES JP DL (1805-35), of Dromantine, High Sheriff of County Down, 1832, Lieutenant, 3rd Dragoon Guards, married, in 1829, Mary Jervis, daughter and heir of William Wolseley, Admiral of the Red, and had issue,

ARTHUR CHARLES, his heir;
Mary Catherine; Anne Northesk.

The only son and heir,

ARTHUR CHARLES INNES-CROSS JP DL (1834-1902), of Dromantine, MP for Newry, 1865-68, espoused firstly, in 1858, Louisa Letitia Henrietta, second daughter of James Brabazon, of Mornington House, County Meath, and had issue, a daughter,

Edith Clara Brabazon, died young in 1866.

He wedded secondly, in 1887, Jane Beauchamp Cross, of Dartan, was daughter of Colonel Cross DL, of Dartan, County Armagh (whose name he assumed by Royal Licence), and had further issue,

ARTHUR CHARLES WOLSELEY INNES, his heir;
Sydney Maxwell;
Marian Dorothea.

His widow married secondly, in 1907, Herbert Martin Cooke, eldest son of Mason Cooke, of Ely, who assumed, in 1908, the name and arms of CROSS.

Mr Innes-Cross died in 1902, and was succeeded by his son,

ARTHUR CHARLES WOLSELEY INNES-CROSS MC (1888-1940), of Dromantine, Captain, 4th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers, who married, in 1915, Etta, daughter of William Bradshaw, of Wilbraham Place, London.

DROMANTINE HOUSE, near Newry, County Down, was described as new in 1834, replacing a former dwelling of 1741; and was re-modelled from 1860-64, to the designs of McCurdy.

In the 1860s, Arthur Charles Innes-Cross extended the original house, making it even more stately and imposing.

In the early 20th century, the fortunes of the Innes family waned and they decided to sell Dromantine estate.

THE SOCIETY of African Missions (SMA), based in County Cork, was looking for a suitable property in which to prepare their students for missionary work in Africa.

They bought Dromantine House and the 320 acre estate in 1926.

Paying special attention to a harmonious blend with the original architecture, work on St Patrick's wing on the east side commenced in 1931.

St Brendan's wing on the west side was built in 1935 and a new Chapel, which was added to the end of this wing, was consecrated by Bishop Mulhern in 1937.

St Colman's wing, with 62 study-bedrooms for students, and a new assembly/lecture hall, was opened in 1959.

In 1996, major renovation work was completed.

In 2004, the original 19th century courtyard building was sensitively and completely renovated to provide additional conference rooms and facilities.

The 320 acre, part-walled demesne is in a beautiful situation, in undulating drumlin country, and is well maintained.

In 1806 Arthur Innes built the original part of the existing house in Neo-classical style.

When he died in 1820 he left a magnificent house within a beautifully landscaped demesne complete with a newly formed lake.

Parkland and stands of trees occupy most of the ground, which is laid out in the style of a landscape park, possibly designed for the present house.

There is a good deal of woodland. One area, known as Racecourse Wood, possibly used as such, has now gone.

Terracing at the house is now in lawns but a decorative fountain remains.

There is a modest, late 19th century arboretum to the northeast of the house.

The gardens are mentioned in the Garden Annual & Almanac of 1908.

The walled garden is some distance from the house, to the southwest.

It is no longer cultivated and ruinous glasshouse can be seen.

The head gardener’s house has been modernised.

The site has been a missionary college since 1928.

There were two gate lodges, of which one remains. One was built pre-1834; the other, late Victorian.

First published in October, 2012.