Roe Park

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

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

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

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

The eldest son,

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

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

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

The elder son,

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

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

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

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

The eldest son,

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

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

The third son,

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is a large and imposing pedimented stableyard.

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

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

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

Roe Park House (Image: UAHS)

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

He proceeded to plant thousands of trees on his estate.

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

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

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

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

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

Roe Park House (Ebay)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When Mrs Ritter died, the estate was sold again.

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

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

First published in January, 2014.

Galtee Castle

THE BUCKLEYS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TIPPERARY, WITH 13,260 ACRES

NATHANIEL BUCKLEY DL (1821-92) was a landowner, cotton mill owner and Liberal Party politician.

By the 1870s, Buckley was a millionaire and, in 1873, he purchased the Galtee estate, near Mitchelstown in County Cork, from the Earl of Kingston.

Following a revaluation, he issued rent demands to his new tenants of between 50% and 500%.

This led to a great deal of agrarian unrest, evictions and an attempted assassination of Buckley's land agent.

His actions also demonstrated weaknesses in the Irish Land Acts which were consequently amended.

Buckley was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire in 1867.

At the 1874 general election Buckley was defeated and did not return to parliament.

At the time of his death aged 71, in 1892, he had residences at Alderdale Lodge, Lancashire, and Galtee Castle, County Cork.

His nephew,

ABEL BUCKLEY JP (1835-1908) was born at Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, younger son of Abel Buckley and Mary Keehan, of Alderdale Lodge, married, in 1875, Hannah Summers, and had issue, Abel, born in 1876.

The Buckley family owned two cotton mills in Ashton: Ryecroft and Oxford Road, and Abel became involved in the business.

At his death he was described as "one of the old cotton lords of Lancashire".

In 1885, Buckley inherited Ryecroft Hall from his uncle, James Smith Buckley, and was to live there for the rest of his life.

He subsequently inherited Galtee Castle.

The estate had been purchased by his uncle, Nathaniel Buckley DL, MP, in 1873.

In 1885, Abel Buckley was elected Liberal MP for the newly created Prestwich constituency.

In the general election of the following year, however, he was defeated.

Apart from his interests in the cotton industry, Buckley was a director and chairman of the Manchester and Liverpool District Banking Company and a justice of the peace.

He was a collector of fine art, and a racehorse breeder.

He died at Ryecroft Hall in 1908, aged 73.

GALTEE CASTLE, County Tipperary, was situated at the foothills of the Galtee Mountains, not far from Mitchelstown.

The original structure was built as a hunting lodge for the 2nd Earl of Kingston, ca 1780.

The 3rd Earl remodelled it ca 1825.

In the 1850s, the Kingstons were forced to sell off vast amounts of their landed estate due to debts, including the lodge and approximately 20,000 acres surrounding it.

This became a new estate, the majority of which remained leased to tenant farmers.

The building was remodelled and expanded ca 1892, when its new owner, Abel Buckley, inherited the estate from his brother Nathaniel, who had previously purchased sole ownership in

The Irish Land Commission, a government agency, acquired the demesne and house in the late 1930s, after allocating the land between afforestation and farmers.

The house was offered for sale.

An offer was accepted from Father Tobin of Glanworth, County Cork, who wished to use the stone and the slates to build a new church in his parish.

Galtee Castle was thus torn down and dismantled ca 1941.

Today, very little is left on the site of the former mansion: Some of the lower base foundations are all that remain.

Nearby are some estate cottages and two gate houses.

The woods and trails around the site have been developed as a public amenity area, known as Galtee Castle Woods.

First published in May, 2013.

1st Duke of Albemarle

DUKEDOM OF ALBEMARLE

1660-88

The family of LE MOYNE, MONK or MONCK, was of great antiquity in Devon, and in that county they had, from a remote period, possessed the Manor of Potheridge, which lineally descended to

GEORGE MONCK (1608-70), the celebrated general under the usurper, Cromwell, who, for his exertions in restoring the Monarchy, was created, by CHARLES II, in 1670, Baron Monck, of Potheridge, Baron Beauchamp, of Beauchamp, Baron of Teyes, Devon, Earl of Torrington, and DUKE OF ALBEMARLE.

This eminent person was lineally descended from ARTHUR PLANTAGENET, 1st Viscount Lisle, natural son of EDWARD IV.

His Grace was soon after installed a Knight of the Garter.

To explain His Grace's titles it is necessary to state that Elizabeth Grey, the wife of his ancestor, Arthur Plantagenet, was sister and heir of John Grey, Viscount Lisle, and daughter of Edward Grey, by Elizabeth, daughter and heir of John Talbot, eldest son of John, Earl of Shrewsbury, by his second wife, Margaret, eldest daughter and co-heir of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and Albemarle, by Elizabeth his wife, daughter and heiress of Gerard Warine, Lord Lisle, by Alice, daughter and heiress of Lord Teyes.

The military and naval achievements of MONCK have shone so conspicuously in history that any attempt to depict them in a work of this description could have no other effect than that of dimming their lustre.

He crowned his reputation by the course he adopted after the death of CROMWELL, in restoring the monarchy, and thus healing the wounds of his distracted country.

To the gloomy and jealous mind of the Usurper, General Monck was at times a cause of uneasiness and distrust; and to a letter addressed to the General himself, Cromwell once added the following singular postscript:

"There be that tell me there is a certain cunning fellow in Scotland called George Monck, who is said to lie in wait there to introduce Charles Stuart; I pray you use your diligence to apprehend him, and send him up to me."

From the time of the Restoration to that of his death, the Duke of Albemarle preserved the confidence and esteem of the restored monarch and his brother, the Duke of York; the former always calling him his "political father."

1st Duke of Albemarle KG
(Image: National Galleries of Scotland)

With the populace, Monck always enjoyed the highest degree of popularity, and his death was lamented as a national misfortune.

His funeral was public, and his ashes were deposited in HENRY VII's chapel, Westminster Abbey, with the remains of royalty.

The 1st Duke espoused Anne, daughter of John Clarges, and sister to Sir Thomas Clarges Bt, by whom His Grace had an only son,

CHRISTOPHER, 2nd Duke (1653-88), who was installed a Knight of the Garter, 1671, and sworn of the Privy Council.

His Grace wedded the Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, daughter and co-heir of Henry, Duke of Newcastle, by whom he had an only son, who died immediately after his birth.

2nd Duke of Albemarle KG
(Image: Trinity College, Cambridge)

The 2nd Duke went out as Governor-General to Jamaica, in 1687, accompanied by SIR HANS SLOANE Bt, and died there in the following year, when all his honours became extinct.

Former town residence ~ Clarendon House, Piccadilly, London.

First published in October, 2017.  Albemarle arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Hollymount Demesne

RICHARD PRICE, of Greencastle, County Down, wedded Catherine, daughter of James Hamilton, of Bangor.

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

Richard Price's son and heir,

MAJOR-GENERAL NICHOLAS PRICE (1665-1734), of Hollymount, MP for Downpatrick, 1692-3, County Down, 1695-1714, married Dorcas, fourth daughter of Roger West, of Ballydugan, County Down, and had issue,

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

General Price was born in Greencastle, County Down; served in Lord Mountjoy's Regiment of foot, 1694; fought for WILLIAM III in Ireland; and for QUEEN ANNE in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was Colonel of the 28th Regiment of Foot, 1730-34.

His second son,

CROMWELL PRICE (1696-1776), of Hollymount, MP for Downpatrick, 1727-60, espoused firstly, in 1720, Margaret, daughter of George Anderson, of Belfast, and had issue,

Nicholas Tichborne, died young;

Catherine; Harriet; Dorcas; Elizabeth.

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

CROMWELL, his heir;

Nicholas (c1753-1847);

ANNE, of whom hereafter.

The eldest surviving son,

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

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

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

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

Savage coat-of-arms

Mr Savage's second wife,

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

Following Lady Harriet's death in 1865, Hollymount passed to Francis Savage's nephew,

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

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

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

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

Armorial Bearings of
the Meredyth Baronets

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

HENRY BAYLY;

William Clayton (b 1865).

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

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

*****

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

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

Parking is generally limited to roadside verges. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hollymount House ( Image:Vivian Shepherd)

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

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

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

Hollymount: Porch (Image: Vivian Shepherd)

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

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

Hollymount changed hands many times during its existence.

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

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

Hollymount Demesne ca 1830

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

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

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

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

Ionic Columns at Porch (Image: Vivian Shepherd)

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

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

Shooting Party at Hollymount (Image: Vivian Shepherd)

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

Hollymount House (Timothy Ferres, 2021)

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

Hollymount House (Timothy Ferres, 2021)

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

Hollymount House (Timothy Ferres, 2021)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*****

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

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

Price arms courtesy of the NLI.

Hazelwood House

THE WYNNES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 12,982 ACRES

This family claims descent from a distinguished chieftain of the 12th century, Rhirid Flaidd, Lord of Penrhyn, Merionethshire, within the ancient kingdom of Powys, who took the surname of Blaidd, or the wolf, from his maternal ancestor, Blaidd Rhudd, or the Bloody Wolf, Lord of Gest, near Penmorfa, Gwynedd, whose standard bore a wolf passant on an azure ground.

LEWIS GWYNNE AP CADWALLADER AP RYDDERCA AP DAVID, of Bala, wedded Sidney, daughter of Robert Wynne, of Maesmochnant, Denbighshire (of the Gwydir family), and had issue,

OWEN;
Cadwallader;
Catherine; Margaret.

The elder son,

OWEN WYNNE (c1620-70), the first who settled in Ireland, High Sheriff of counties Leitrim and Roscommon, 1659, married Catherine, widow of James Hamilton, son of Sir Frederick Hamilton, and daughter of Claud, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane, by Lady Jane his wife, fourth daughter of George, Marquess of Huntly, and the Lady Henrietta Stewart, daughter of Esmé, Duke of Lennox, by which lady (who married 3rdly, John Bingham, of Castlebar) he had issue,

James, killed at Malplaquet;
LEWIS, of whom hereafter;
Owen (1665-1737), MP, Lieutenant-General in the army;
John;
Catherine; Lucy; Dorothy.

The second son,

LEWIS WYNNE, married Rebecca, daughter of John Bingham, and was father of

OWEN WYNNE (1687-1756), of Hazelwood, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1723, Leitrim, 1724, MP for Sligo Borough, 1713-56, who wedded Catherine, daughter of John ffoliot, and had three sons,

James, m Susanna, daughter of Sir A Shaen Bt;
OWEN, of whom we treat;
John, died unmarried 1778.

The second son,

THE RT HON OWEN WYNNE (1723-89), of Hazelwood, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1745 and 1758, MP for County Sligo, 1749-76, Sligo Borough, 1776-89,  espoused, in 1754, Anne, sister of Robert, Earl of Farnham, and had issue,

OWEN, his heir;
John;
Henry (Rev), ancestor of WYNNE OF AVOCA;
Robert, of Rathmines Castle;
Richard (Rev);
William, barrister, MP;
Catherine.

Mr Wynne was succeeded by his eldest son,

OWEN WYNNE (1755-1841), High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1819 and 1833, MP for County Sligo, 1778-90, Sligo Borough, 1790-1800, who married, in 1790, the Lady Sarah Elizabeth Cole, eldest daughter of William, 1st Earl of Enniskillen, and had issue,

JOHN ARTHUR;
William Willoughby (Rev);
Anne; Sarah Frances; Elizabeth; Florence.

The eldest son,

THE RT HON JOHN ARTHUR WYNNE JP (1801-65), MP for Sligo, 1830-32, 1856-60, Privy Counsellor, Under Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, High Sheriff for counties of Sligo and Leitrim, married, in 1838, the Lady Anne Wandesforde Butler, daughter of James, 1st Marquess of Ormonde KP, and had issue,

OWEN;
James;
Sarah; Grace Florence.

The elder son,

OWEN WYNNE JP DL (1843-1910), of Hazelwood, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1874, Leitrim, 1880, married, in 1870, Stella Fanny, youngest daughter of Sir Robert Gore-Booth Bt, and had issue,

MURIEL CAROLINE LOUISA;
Evelyn Mary; Madeline Mary; Dorothy Adelaide.

Mr Wynne, the last of his family in the direct male line at Hazelwood, was succeeded by his eldest daughter,

MURIEL CAROLINE LOUISA, MRS PERCEVAL, of Hazelwood, who wedded, in 1892, Philip Dudley Perceval, second son of Alexander Perceval, of Temple House, County Sligo, and had issue,

DOROTHY SOPHIE PERCEVAL, born in 1903.

HAZELWOOD HOUSE, near Sligo, County Sligo, is a large Palladian mansion on a peninsula in Lough Gill.

It was designed by the German architect John Cassels and built in 1722 of cut and polished limestone, in an Italian style, with a four storey facade and two lateral curving wings.

Hazelwood House (image: the Irish Independent)

The hall door is reached by climbing a flight of stone steps leading onto a spacious platform which offers fine scenic views of the mountains of Leitrim and of North County Sligo.

The Wynne family were seated at Hazelwood (or Hazlewood) House for three centuries, during which time all the heads of the Wynne household, with only one exception, bore the name of Owen Wynne.

The first occupant of Hazelwood House was Lieutenant-General Owen Wynne.

Hazelwood was the venue for numerous sporting and leisure events through the years, with yacht racing taking place on Lough Gill throughout the 19th Century.

Polo was another popular sport on the Hazelwood Estate; as was shooting, horse racing and rowing.

Owen Wynne died in 1910 at the age of 67 and with no male heir to take over the estates, so too came the end of the Wynne's occupation of Hazelwood House.

After the death of Owen Wynne in 1910, Owen's daughter Murial and her husband, Philip Dudley Percival, lived in Hazelwood House, selling off the livestock and machinery until they left Hazelwood House in 1923.

They still owned extensive lands, including a large estate centred around Lurganboy Lodge, near Manorhamilton in County Leitrim.

Generations of the Wynne family lived in succession in the house.

From 1923 until 1930, Hazelwood House remained empty, after which a retired tea planter called Berridge lived in the house, carrying out repairs and renovations until the house and lands were sold to the Irish state in 1937.

During the 2nd World War and until 1946, Hazelwood House was occupied by the Irish Army; after which the Irish Land Commission put the house up for sale.

Under the terms of the sale however, the buyer was to demolish the house,level the site and remove all the materials.

Later in the same year (1946), Hazelwood House was sold to St Columba's Mental Hospital, who spent some £4,000 repairing the building, using it for a number of years as a home for mental patients.

In 1969, an Italian company called Snia bought Hazelwood House and built a factory to the rear (South) of the house.

Snia had employed up to 500 people producing nylon yarn.

Like many businesses during the recession of the early 1980s, Snia hit on hard times and the factory closed down in 1983.

Four years later, in 1987, the factory and Hazelwood House were sold to the South Korean company Saehan Media who produced video tapes until 2005, when, due to a downturn in business as a result of the digital revolution, Saehan Media, too, closed down with the loss of over 150 jobs.

Foresthaze Developments purchased the estate in 2006, though fell into receivership in 2013.

In 2015, the estate was purchased by David Raethorne, with plans for a whiskey distillery and visitors' centre on the site.

The Lough Gill Whiskey Distillery opened in December, 2019.

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland holds the Wynne Papers.

First published in August, 2011. 

The Duchess of Edinburgh

THE DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH, GCVO, is 61 today.

Her Royal Highness's full style is as follows,

Her Royal Highness The Princess Edward Antony Richard Louis, Duchess of Edinburgh, Countess of Wessex and Forfar, and Viscountess Severn.

HRH received the Royal Family Order of QUEEN ELIZABETH II in 2004.

She was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 2010.

In 2024 Her Royal Highness received the Royal Family Order of King Charles III.

The badge of the Royal Victorian Order features on The Duchess of Edinburgh's armorial bearings.

1st Viscount Dungannon (1st Creation)

The Trevors are direct descendants of a union which took place in 942 between Tudur Trevor, King of Gloucester, and Angharad, daughter of Howel Dda, King of Wales. However, the family can trace their heritage back to the marriage of Severa, daughter of the Roman Emperor, Maximus, who died in 388 and Gwrtheyrn Gwrtheneu (Vortigen), the 82nd King of Britain.

They are also descendants of Llewellyn the Great, Prince of Wales (1194-1240), and the Kings of Ireland, and the present Prince of Wales inherits his most recent Welsh and Irish blood through the Trevor Family.

The founder of the family fortune during the Middle Ages was Sir Edward Trevor, though the name Trevor became fixed in the time of John Trevor (d 1453). Sir Edward went to Ireland with EDWARD BLAYNEY of Gregynog, Montgomeryshire, as a captain in the expedition sent to Ireland after the battle of the Yellow Ford in 1598. Captain Trevor built on land at Stranmillis and Malone, near Belfast, where he settled some English families.

This Captain Trevor married secondly Rose, daughter of the MOST REV DR JAMES USSHER, Lord Archbishop of Armagh, and acquired an estate in County Down, which he called Rostrevor (a variation of Rose Trevor).

In 1619, he built the present mansion of Brynkinalt in Denbighshire, later enlarged by the 2nd Viscount Dungannon.

Sir Edward died in Ireland in 1642 and was succeeded by his eldest son, John Trevor, who died about 1643.

Sir Marcus Trevor (1618-70), one of Sir Edward's sons by his second marriage, was later created VISCOUNT DUNGANNON and Baron Trevor, of Rostrevor, County Down, in 1662, by CHARLES II, as a reward of his good services in the Battle of Marston Moor, in which battle he encountered Oliver Cromwell and wounded him with his sword.

Lord Dungannon died in 1670 with no heirs, and the title became extinct.

Arms of Arthur Hill, 1st Viscount Dungannon
(2nd Creation)

JOHN TREVOR'S SON, Sir John (1638-1717), became Speaker of the House of Commons and Master of the Rolls.

Following the death of his son in 1762, the male line came to an end and the estates passed to his daughter Anne, the sole heiress, who married Michael Hill, of Hillsborough, County Down.

The estates then passed to their second son, Arthur Hill (d 1771) who, on succeeding to the lands in 1763, assumed the surname of Trevor.

Arthur Hill was created VISCOUNT DUNGANNON (second creation) in 1765.

He was MP for Hillsborough, 1715-27, MP for County Down, 1727-65, Sheriff of County Down, 1736, Privy Counsellor, 1750; Chancellor of the Exchequer [Ireland], 1754-55, Commissioner of Revenue [Ireland], 1755-71.

In 1759, his surname was legally changed to Hill-Trevor by Act of Parliament.

Arthur, 1st Viscount, was succeeded by his grandson,

ARTHUR, 2nd Viscount (1763-1837), whose son,

ARTHUR, 3rd Viscount (1798-1862), was the last of the male line and, on his death, the Brynkinalt and other estates devolved upon his kinsman,

LORD ARTHUR EDWIN HILL (1819-94), 1ST BARON TREVOR of Brynkinalt, third son of Arthur, 3rd Marquess of Downshire, and great-grandson of Ann Trevor's elder son, Trevor Hill, 1st Viscount Hillsborough, the viscountcy of Dungannon having expired in 1862.

The estate and title then descended in the male to Charles Edwin Hill-Trevor (b 1928), 4th Baron Trevor.

The County Down seat of the Viscounts Dungannon was BELVOIR PARK at Newtownbreda, near Belfast.

First published in December, 2011. Dungannon arms (1st creation) courtesy of European Heraldry; Dungannon arms (2nd creation) courtesy of the NLI.

Seaforde House

THE FORDES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY DOWN, WITH 20,106 ACRES

The family of FORDE or FFORDE, of Seaforde, County Down, originally from Wales, were for several generations seated at Coolgreany, County Wexford.

NICHOLAS FORDE, of Coolgreany, who died in 1605, married Catherine White, and had five sons, viz.

Clement, dsp 1617;
MATHEW, of whom presently;
Christopher;
Francis;
Lucas.

The second son,

MATHEW FORDE (c1590-1652), of counties Dublin and Meath, wedded, in 1621, Eleanor Macartan, and had issue,

Henry;
NICHOLAS;
Ann; Catherine.

Mr Forde succeeded to the estates and obtained a grant of Kinelarty, alias Macartan's Country, County Down, from THOMAS, 1ST VISCOUNT LECALE, dated 1637.

The second son,

NICHOLAS FORDE, of Killyleagh, County Down, a barrister, his heir and successor at Coolgreany, married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Adam Loftus, Knight, of Rathfarnham, and was succeeded by his only son,

MATHEW FORDE (c1647-1709), of Coolgreany and Loughinisland, MP for County Wexford, 1695-9 and 1703-9, High Sheriff of County Down, 1706, who wedded Margaret, daughter of Sir George Hamilton Bt (fourth son of James, 1st Earl of Abercorn), by Mary Butler his wife, daughter of Thomas, Lord Thurles, and sister of James, 1st Duke of Ormonde.

Mr Forde left at his decease (with two daughters, the eldest of whom, Lucy, wedded, in 1695, Sir Laurence Esmonde Bt, of Ballynester; and the younger, Jane, John Walsh, of Shanganagh), an only son and heir,

MATHEW FORDE MP (1675-1729), of Seaforde, MP for Downpatrick, 1703-14, who removed from Wexford to his estates in County Down.

Mr Forde built the mansion house and village of Seaforde, where his descendants have since uninterruptedly resided.

He served in parliament from 1703 until 1713, for the borough of Downpatrick.

Mr Forde espoused, in 1698, Anne, daughter of William Brownlow, of Lurgan, and had issue,

MATHEW, his heir;
Francis, of Johnstown;
Arthur (Rev), Rector of Lurgan;
Jane; Letitia; Margaret.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

MATHEW FORDE (1699-1780), of Seaforde and Coolgreany, MP for Bangor, 1751-60, High Sheriff of County Down, 1729, who married firstly, in 1724, Christine, daughter of John Graham, of Platten, County Meath, and had issue,

MATHEW, his successor;
John, a major in the army;
William;
Edward, settled in Liverpool;
Arthur, a military officer;
Pierce, barrister;
Charity; Anne; Elizabeth.

Mr Forde wedded secondly, Jane, widow of Sir Timothy Allen, and died in 1780, when he was succeeded by his eldest son,

MATHEW FORDE (1726-95), of Seaforde and Coolgreany, MP for Downpatrick, 1761-76, High Sheriff of County Down, 1752, who espoused, in 1750, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Knox, of Dungannon, and sister of Thomas, 1st Viscount Northland, and had issue,

MATHEW, his heir;
Anne; Elizabeth; Jane; Charity.

Mr Forde was succeeded by his only son,

MATHEW FORDE (1753-1812), of Seaforde and Coolgreany, who rebuilt the mansion at Seaforde, High Sheriff of County Down, 1803, who married firstly, in 1782, Catherine, eldest daughter of the Rt Hon William Brownlow MP, of Lurgan, MP for County Armagh, and had issue,

MATHEW, his heir;
WILLIAM BROWNLOW, succeeded his brother;
Thomas Arthur;
Arthur;
Francis Charles;
Anne; Isabella Jane Octavia.

Mr Forde wedded secondly, in 1811, Sophia, daughter of the Very Rev Stewart Blacker, Dean of Leighlin, but had no further issue.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

MATHEW FORDE JP DL (1785-1837), of Seaforde and Coolgreany, High Sheriff of County Down, 1820, MP for County Down, 1821-6, who espoused firstly, in 1814, Mary Anne, only child of Francis Savage, of HOLLYMOUNT and Ardkeen, County Down; and secondly, in 1829, the Lady Harriet Savage, third daughter of Henry, 2nd Earl of Carrick, and widow of Francis Savage.

Colonel Forde was colonel of the Royal North Down Militia, a magistrate, and deputy lieutenant of County Down, which county he represented in parliament, 1821-26, and was High Sheriff, 1820.

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

THE REV WILLIAM BROWNLOW FORDE JP DL (1786-1856), of Seaforde and Coolgreany, Rector of Annahilt, County Down, who married, in 1812, Theodosia Helen, daughter of Thomas Douglass, and had issue,

Matthew Thomas (1816-47), High Sheriff of Co Down, 1840;
WILLIAM BROWNLOW, of whom hereafter;
Francis Savage;
Charles Arthur;
Thomas Douglass, father of WILLIAM GEORGE;
Selina Charity; Elizabeth Theodosia Catherine; Harriette Anna.

Mr Forde was succeeded by his second son,

THE RT HON WILLIAM BROWNLOW FORDE JP DL (1823-1902), of Seaforde, MP for County Down, 1857-74, High Sheriff of County Down, 1853, who espoused, in 1855, Adelaide, daughter of General the Hon Robert Meade, second son of the 1st Earl of Clanwilliam; though died without issue, and was succeeded by his nephew,

WILLIAM GEORGE FORDE (1868-1922), of Seaforde, Major, Royal Irish Rifles, High Sheriff of County Down, 1909, who married, in 1898, Sylvia Dorothea, daughter of Major Alexander Frederick Stewart, and had issue,

THOMAS WILLIAM, his heir;
DESMOND CHARLES, succeeded his brother;
Sylvia; Cynthia Dorothea.

Major Forde was succeeded by his elder son,

THOMAS WILLIAM FORDE DL (1899-1949), of Seaforde, Major, Coldstream Guards, High Sheriff of County Down, 1934, who died unmarried and was succeeded by his brother,

DESMOND CHARLES FORDE DL (1906-61) of Seaforde, Lieutenant-Colonel, Coldstream Guards, High Sheriff of County Down, 1950, who married, in 1938, Margaret Bertha Meriel, youngest daughter of the 6th Viscount Bangor OBE PC.

Colonel Forde divorced in 1947 and married secondly, in 1948, Kate Alexandra York, widow of Lieutenant-Colonel George William Panter MBE, of Enniskeen, Newcastle, County Down.

His only son,

PATRICK MATHEW DESMOND FORDE JP DL (1940-2010), married the Lady Anthea Lowry-Corry, eldest daughter of the 7th Earl of Belmore and the present Earl's sister.

Patrick and Lady Anthea's daughter, Emily Louise, married Peter Mackie in 1995.

They have three sons: Mathew, Charles and Finnian.

SEAFORDE demesne, beside the village of Seaforde in County Down, is an exceptionally beautiful 18th century designed landscape, incorporating two lakes and fine views of the Mourne Mountains.

The estate comprises just over 1,000 acres today.

It is largely walled and has its origin in the late 17th century, when it was called Castle Navan.

The house remained in its original form until about 1890, when Colonel William Brownlow Forde replaced the curving Ionic portico with the more austere enclosed porch, and removed the Georgian glazing throughout the house and inserted plate glass.

The original glazing was reintroduced in the late 20th century.

The present house, of 1816-20, is a rather austere but impressive neo-classical, east-facing block of seven bays and three storeys over a basement, the top storey being treated as an attic above a dentil cornice.

There is a five-bay entrance front.

The fan-lighted entrance door was originally under a gracefully curving single-storey portico with coupled Ionic columns; however this gave way to a large, enclosed, pilastered porch with plate-glass windows in the late 18th century.

The mansion is faced in sandstone ashlar, and was built for Mathew Forde (1785-1837), possibly to designs of the English architect Peter Frederick Robinson.

Inside, the hall is deep and commodious with fireplaces.

The principal staircase has handsome brass balusters in a separate hall at the side.

The saloon is bow-fronted and flanked by the dining-room and library, a room of singular beauty.

The present mansion replaced an earlier house, burnt in 1816, which lay just north of the present stable-yard.

In the early 18th century this house was the focus of a formal demesne, with straight avenues aligned on the house running due south and east.

A straight, tree-lined embankment with footpath flanked the east side of the lake (the Upper Lake), depicted in a watercolour by Mrs Delany, dated 1740.

Her illustration shows the surrounding banks of this lake to have been well planted with trees, but it is evident that most of Seaforde’s magnificent naturalised landscaping belongs largely to the later 18th century and was probably the work of the great landscape gardener, John Sutherland.

Its creation involved putting down extensive woodlands, especially to the north; planting clumps, belts and screens; and laying down a network of long, winding drives, including the present entrance drive.

A bog was drained close to the main avenue and a lake [the Lower Lake] was dug in its place.

The large walled garden, lying north-east of the house, seems earlier than the landscape park and is probably of mid-18th century date.

The main entrance into the demesne, on axis with the village street, was built in 1833; but in the period 1795-1805, designs for gates and screen in this position had been commissioned by Mathew Forde’s father, also called Mathew (d. 1812) from both Samuel Wooley and Charles Lilly, but these had never been executed.

Circa 1825, Peter Frederick Robinson produced at least six different entrance design proposals.

The design eventually selected was a Greek-Revival sandstone composition, comprising a central carriage arch, surmounted by a pediment and flanked by flat arch pedestrian gates and quadrant wings.

He also designed the chaste Grecian gate lodge to the rere; this is also of sandstone, symmetrical in design and original in form.

At this time Forde employed Robinson to rebuild parts of the village (once called Naghan), apparently including the well- known almshouses.

Robinson may have been involved in building the tunnel and re- modelling part of the stable-yard offices of ca.1720 to the south-east of the house.

The architect, John Lynn, was commissioned to build the Ballynahinch or North gate lodge and screen in the late 1820s, a small three-bay single-storey Classical house with hipped roof and arch-headed openings.

In 1839, the ‘Big Wind’ caused considerable damage to the demesne woods, with a reported loss of 60,000 trees.

Two years earlier, the Rev William Brownlow Forde (1786-1856) had succeeded to the property on his brother’s death.

He decided that the Lecale Hunt, founded at Seaforde in 1768, should cease being run as a private family pack and become subscription based.

However, he allowed the hunt to continue housing its harriers at Seaforde and for this purpose the Mr Forde, in 1841, built a huntsman’s house and a hexagonal kennel block with hipped roof, one of the most remarkable buildings of its kind in Ulster.

The Lecale Hunt was disbanded in 1887 owing to a lack of hares, but the kennels continued to be used by the East Down Hunt.

The nearby ‘Pheasantry’ gate lodge, a picturesque 1½-storey dwelling, was built a few years later and served as a gamekeeper’s house.

From the late 1850s, Colonel William Brownlow Forde embarked on major improvements to the demesne.

He added the east range to the stable yard ca 1865; and also built an imposing farm-yard complex, known as the Lower Farm Yard, on a new site at the west edge of the park in 1858-59, together with a nearby gate lodge which replaced an earlier lodge across the road.

The latter is a single-storey, three-bay house, possibly the work of the Belfast architect, William Moore.

An identical lodge, again replacing an earlier lodge on the opposite side of the road, was built at the eastern, or Downpatrick, gate of the demesne on the Newcastle Road in about 1861-2, though its large carriage piers date to ca 1800.

During the 1860s a small farm field on the south of the demesne were swept away to allow the park to expand up to the road.

Nearby, a whole terrace of village houses was demolished, so that the grounds of the agent’s residence, ‘The Lodge’, which historically was part of the demesne, could expand to the main street.

This residence, a late Georgian villa of one storey over a basement, was also remodelled and enlarged ca 1860.

There was further demesne ‘rationalisation’ in the 1860s to the north-west, where the hazel bank farm was brought into the demesne and its fields removed.

Late Victorian and Edwardian garden improvements at Seaforde include the creation of a rock garden ca 1902, near the sluice of the Lower Lake; in recent decades this area in woodland has been cut back, replanted and redesigned, notably with an attractive iron bridge added.

The late Victorian period witnessed a remodelling and enlargement of the imposing glass- house on the south-facing dividing wall to the garden.

The northern section of this garden, whose northern wall is curved, was historically always devoted to kitchen provisions; but the lower, southern section became a fully ornamental garden by late Victorian times and boasted a large formal ornamental layout with lawns, urns and formal beds.

There had been a south-facing glass-house here from at least the 1830s, but this was re- modelled substantially some time later, perhaps in the 1860s, and given a large central section, which itself was enlarged in the late 19th century.

The garden and its glass-houses had become derelict by the 1960s, but in the 1970s the present owners embarked on a major clearance, removing the glass-house ruins, and creating a new garden in which Irish yew and urns from a former generation are incorporated.

There is now a large hornbeam maze with an arbour and statue of Diana in the centre; while a Mogul-style tower (built 1992), a Gothic arbour, a small herb garden and a colony of Echium pininana now occupy the glass-house site.

Flanking floral borders contain the National Collection of Eucryphias.

The northern section of the garden contains a commercial nursery, established after the Fordes acquired the remaining stock of the famous Slieve Donard Nursery.

The Butterfly House here, built in 1988, houses a good collection of tree ferns and tropical plants. Outside the walled garden, on the south side, there is ‘The Pheasantry’, a verdant and secluded undulating grassy area that began life as a pleasure ground in late Victorian times.

It now incorporates a pond, high exotic trees and shrubs, including recent introductions collected in the wild by the late Patrick Forde.

Among the plants here are an enormous Rhododendron arboretum, a superb Crimean pine (Pinus nigra caramanica) and a good collection of azaleas.

The walled garden, butterfly house and ‘pheasantry’ grounds are open to the public at specified times; the rest of the demesne and the house are private.

Town residence of William B Forde ~  8, Charles Street, Berkeley Square, London.

 First published in June, 2010.