Lissadell House

THE GORE-BOOTH BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 31,774 ACRES

SIR FRANCIS GORE, Knight, of Artarman, County Sligo (fourth son of SIR PAUL GORE, 1st Baronet, of Manor Gore, and brother of Sir Arthur Gore, 1st Baronet, of Newtown, ancestor of the Earls of Arran), married Anne, daughter and heiress of Robert Parke, of Newtown, County Leitrim, died in 1713, leaving by her, with other issue, an eldest son,

SIR ROBERT GORE, Knight, of Newtown, who wedded, in 1678, Frances, eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Newcomen, Knight, of Sutton, County Dublin, had, with seven sons, four daughters.

Sir Robert was succeeded at his decease, in 1705, by his eldest surviving son,

NATHANIEL GORE (1692-1737), of Artarman, and of Newtown Gore, who wedded, in 1711, Lettice, only daughter and heiress of Humphrey Booth, of Dublin, by whom he had two sons and three daughters, of whom the elder son,

SIR BOOTH GORE, 1st Baronet (1712-73), of Lissadell, County Sligo, who was created a baronet in 1760, designated of Artarman, County Sligo.

Sir Booth married, in 1743, Emily, daughter of Brabazon Newcomen, of County Carlow, by whom he had two sons and a daughter.

He was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR BOOTH GORE, 2nd Baronet, of Lissadell, and of Huntercombe House, Buckinghamshire; at whose decease, unmarried, in 1804, the title devolved upon his only brother,

SIR ROBERT NEWCOMEN GORE-BOOTH, 3rd Baronet, who assumed, by sign manual, in 1804, the additional surname and arms of BOOTH.

Sir Robert married, in 1804, Hannah, daughter of Henry Irwin, of Streamstown, County Sligo, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
Henry;
Anne.

He died in 1814, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ROBERT GORE-BOOTH, 4th Baronet (1805-76), of Lissadell, MP and Lord-Lieutenant of County Sligo, who espoused, in 1827, Caroline, second daughter of Robert, 1st Viscount Lorton, by whom he had no issue.

He married secondly, in 1830, Caroline Susan, second daughter of Thomas Goold, of Dublin, a master in Chancery.

• Sir Booth Gore, 2nd Baronet (d 1804);
• Sir Robert Newcomen Gore-Booth, 3rd Baronet (d 1814);
• Sir Robert Gore-Booth, 4th Baronet (1805-76);
• Sir Henry William Gore-Booth, 5th Baronet (1843-1900);
• Sir Josslyn Augustus Richard Gore-Booth, 6th Baronet (1869–1944);

• Sir Michael Savile Gore-Booth, 7th Baronet (1908-87);
• Sir Angus Josslyn Gore-Booth, 8th Baronet (1920-96);
• Sir Josslyn Henry Robert Gore-Booth, 9th Baronet (b 1950); sold Lissadell House.

The Lissadell Papers are deposited at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

LISSADELL HOUSE, near Ballinful, County Sligo, was built in 1836, in the Neo-Classical Greek Revival style.

It stands grey and austere on an eminence overlooking Sligo Bay, and at the foot of the magnificent Ben Bulben.

There are no outbuildings to mar the simple, classical lines, and likewise no attics.

The outbuildings are connected to the house by a service tunnel which runs from a sunken courtyard to the avenue and stable yard, and staff quarters are in the basement.

The limestone was quarried locally at Ballisodare (location of Yeats’ Salley Gardens).

Francis Goodwin was so proud of his design that it featured in his book Domestic Architecture (on display in the Gallery), the only private residence to do so.

The entrance to the house is by the Porte Cochère, through which Ben Bulben is framed.

The house faces Knocknarea, “That cairn heaped grassy hill where passionate Maeve is stony still”, and has magnificent views over Sligo Bay.

Inside, the house is full of light and brightness – in the gallery, the bow-room, on the Great Staircase, and in the drawing-room.

The drawing-room has stunning views of Ben Bulben, Knocknarea and Sligo Bay, and is now home to a remarkable series of AE paintings, and paintings by Paul Henry, Jack B. Yeats, Sir John Lavery, Walter Osborne, John Butler Yeats, Percy French and Humbert Craig.

The bow-room has a wonderful collection of Regency books, reflecting the tastes of Caroline Susan Goold, who married Sir Robert in 1830.

The bow-room, and a small suite of rooms behind, later served as the main living and sleeping rooms of the family of Gore-Booth siblings living in near poverty in the 1960s and 70s, when the remainder of the house was uninhabited.

The gallery, formerly the music-room, has remarkable acoustics.

It is oval in shape, lit by a clerestory and skylights and is 65 feet in length.

It still has its original Gothic Chamber Organ made by Hull of Dublin in 1812, and also a walnut full size 1820 Grand Piano.

The Gallery is famous for two superb suites of Grecian gasoliers by William Collins, a chandelier maker of the Regency period.

The gasoliers were lit by a gasometer on the estate and as late as 1846 Lissadell was the only country mansion in Ireland lighted with gas generated locally at its own purpose built gasometer.

The images on the dining-room pilasters were painted in 1908 by Casimir Markievicz, husband to Constance Gore-Booth.

The ante-room was a favourite room of Constance Gore-Booth, and was known as her ‘den’. Indeed she has engraved her name on one of the windowpanes.

This room is now home to many of her artistic works, including her sketch of the painter Sarah Purser, and her drawings of Molly Malone.

The billiards-room contains the memorabilia collected by Sir Henry, 5th Baronet.

The basement includes the servants’ hall, butler's pantry, kitchen and pantries, the bakery, wine-cellars, china room, butler's bedroom, housekeeper's room, and the maids' sleeping quarters.

In 2003, Lissadell House was put up for sale by the then owner, Sir Josslyn Gore-Booth (a grand-nephew of the original Josslyn Gore-Booth), for €3 million.

Despite celebrities showing an interest in the property, it was hoped that it would be purchased by the Irish state.

The Lissadell estate is now the home of Edward Walsh, his wife Constance Cassidy and their seven children.

Writing about Lissadell for the Sunday Times forty years ago the BBC's Anne Robinson ('The Weakest Link') observed that "the garden is overgrown, the greenhouses are shattered and empty, the stables beyond repair, the roof of the main block leaks badly and the paintings show patches of mildew".

After 60 years of neglect an intensive programme of restoration - without any public funding - has taken place in the House, Gardens, Stable Block and grounds since 2004 and Lissadell is once again a place of beauty.

No grants of any kind were made in respect of any part of the restoration, either for the house, the gardens or any part of the grounds.

The new owners' vision was to transform the estate into a flagship for tourism in County Sligo and the north-west of Ireland, whilst providing a secure environment for their children and for visitors.

They have stated that did not wish to exploit Lissadell commercially but to restore the house and gardens to their former glory, make Lissadell self-sustaining and protect this crucible of Ireland's historic and literary heritage.

Other former seats ~ Huntercombe, Buckinghamshire; and Salford, Lancashire.

First published in October, 2013. Select bibliography: LISSADELL HOUSE AND GARDENS WEBSITE.   Gore-Booth arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Saintfield House

THE PERCEVAL-PRICES OWNED 6,807 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

RICHARD PRICE, of Greencastle, County Down, wedded Catherine, daughter of James Hamilton, by whom he had a son,

MAJOR-GENERAL NICHOLAS PRICE (c1665-1734), of Hollymount, MP for Downpatrick, 1692-3, County Down, 1695-1714, who married Dorcas, fourth daughter of Roger West, of The Rock, County Wicklow, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
Cromwell, of Hollymount; MP for Downpatrick, 1727-60;
NICHOLAS, succeeded his brother;
Sophia; Margaret; Anne. 

This distinguished soldier was a senior officer in CHARLES I's army, defended Londonderry ca 1692; changed the place-name from Tawnaghneeve to Saintfield; was half-brother of the Lady Elizabeth Cromwell; and leased Hollymount Demesne, 1695.

His eldest son,

JAMES PRICE, wedded Frances, natural daughter of the 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, and had issue, two daughters,

Catherine, m 1st J Savage, of Portaferry; and 2ndly, Very Rev E Baillie;
Dorcas, m Dr Whittle, of Lisburn.

Mr Price died without male issue, when the family estates devolved upon his brother,

NICHOLAS PRICE (c1700-42), of Saintfield, MP for Lisburn, 1736-42, who married firstly, Mary, daughter of Francis, 1st Baron Conway, of Ragley, Warwickshire, and had issue, a son,

FRANCIS, his heir.

Mr Price espoused secondly, in 1732, Maria, daughter of Colonel the Hon Alexander Mackenzie, second son of 4th Earl of Seaforth, and had further issue.

He was succeeded by his son, 

FRANCIS PRICE (1728-91), of Saintfield, MP for Lisburn, 1759-76, High Sheriff of County Down, 1753, who espoused, in 1752, Charity, daughter of Mathew Forde, of Seaforde, County Down, and had issue,

NICHOLAS, his heir;
Christian Arabella; Harriet Jane; Mary.

Mr Price was succeeded by his son,

NICHOLAS PRICE JP DL (1754-1847), of Saintfield House, who married, in 1779, the Lady Sarah Pratt, daughter of Charles, 1st Earl Camden, and had issue, an only daughter,

MISS ELIZABETH ANNE PRICE (1780-1867), who wedded, in 1804, James Blackwood, of Strangford, County Down (a descendant of BLACKWOOD of Clandeboye), who assumed, 1847, the name and arms of PRICE,  and had issue,

Nicholas, 1805-19;
JAMES CHARLES, of whom presently;
William Robert Arthur;
Richard;
Sarah; Mary Georgiana; Sarah Elizabeth; Elizabeth Catherine.

The grandson of Nicholas Price,

JAMES CHARLES PRICE JP DL (1807-94), of Saintfield House, High Sheriff of County Down, 1859, married, in 1840, Anne Margaret, eldest daughter of Patrick Savage, of Portaferry, and had issue,

Nicholas, 1842-89;
JAMES NUGENT, of whom hereafter;
William Charles, died in infancy;
Francis William;
Harriet Anna; Elizabeth Dorcas; Catherine Anne.

Mr Price was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

JAMES NUGENT BLACKWOOD-PRICE JP DL (1844-1927), of Saintfield House, High Sheriff of County Down, 1902, who wedded, in 1869, Alice Louisa, daughter of William Robert Ward, and had issue,

Conway William, b 1872;
Edward Hyde (Rev), b 1875;
ETHELWYN MARY, of whom hereafter.

Mr Blackwood-Price's only daughter,

MISS ETHELWYN MARY BLACKWOOD-PRICE (1871-1933), married, in 1901, Richard Douglas Perceval, of Downpatrick, and had issue,

Richard John Perceval-Price, b 1902;
Michael Charles Perceval-Price, Lt-Col, MC JP DL (1907-2002); High Sheriff, 1951.

SAINTFIELD HOUSE, near Saintfield, County Down, was built ca 1750 by Francis Price.

It is a double gable-ended house of three storeys over a basement.

It has a five-bay front and a three-bay rear.

The house had single storey three-bay wings which ended in two-storey two-bay pavilions with high pyramidal roofs and central chimneys.

One of these has been demolished.

To the west of the house is a large stable-block.

It has been greatly modified but retains a small bell-cot, with bell, over the gateway.

Beside it is a tall cylindrical brick water-tower which is now in need of repair.

This largely walled demesne in drumlin country, approximately one mile north of Saintfield, dates from 1709, when the property was purchased by Nicholas Price of Hollymount.

The site of the original house has not been established, but it most probably lay close to the present stables & farmyard, parts of which belong to this period.

After Francis Price, MP for Lisburn, succeeded his father to the property in 1742, he built the present mansion, a tall five-bay gable-ended double pile house of three storeys over a basement.

The flanking wings, which incorporated high pyramidal roofs, were added by his son Nicholas, former Black Rod in the Irish Parliament, after he sold the family's Dublin residence ca 1800.

The interior has been altered at various times, with the hall being given a ceiling of Adamesque plasterwork ca 1900.

Little trace of the early and mid-18th century formal landscape survives, though some of the woodland planting doubtless has its origin in this period.

The core of the present informal landscape park was created by Nicholas Price from the 1760s, with most of the work probably taking place in the years after his marriage to the Lady Sarah Pratt in 1779.

This landscape process involved building an extensive demesne wall, closing public roads, putting down new winding carriage drives, building a ha-ha in front of the house and making a small lake with island in a glen to the south.

Once used as a fish-pond, this lake was created by damming a stream where it emerged from a marshy hollow.

New woodland blocks were planted, including perimeter belts and screens, and many of the original stone-faced banks built to protect these survive.

To the south, beyond the glen, an oval hillock was specially adapted for training and racing horses.

The large walled garden, located south of yard, was probably built ca 1760-80, but assumed its present form, being divided into three parts, in the 1840s.

The glasshouses, no longer extant, lay against the south facing north wall (by the yard) and overlooked an ornamental garden with curved southern stone wall (lined with brick on south side).

The two enclosed, walled areas to the south were devoted to kitchen and cold frames (in the south- east corner).

The parkland area immediately around the house had largely assumed its present appearance by the time "insurgents" occupied the place for three days in June, 1798.

After the Union, possibly around 1810, gate lodges were built at the town gate and the west gate, the latter being placed opposite the entrance; both lodges, which have been sold, are in a Regency-Gothic style with hipped roofs, distinctive canted bays and naive, Y-tracery lancet windows; both may be the work of George Dance, the Younger.

In 1847, a new Saintfield-Belfast road was laid down on the east side of the demesne and this work was followed by additional landscaping on the east side of the park.

This included the planting of a large woodland block, laying down a new main avenue approach though this wood and building a highly ornate Tudor-Picturesque-style gate lodge, possibly designed by James Sands, since demolished.

A more modest gate lodge, now sold, was also built facing the new road on the north side of the demesne, giving access to the kennels and yard.

Venerable trees were lost and damage caused to the woods by the Big Wind of January, 1839.

During later Victorian times, exotics were planted in the pleasure grounds to the south of the house and some of these survive.

The demesne woodlands are managed, rhododendron ponticum is being cleared and trees planted.

First published in July, 2010.

Rockingham House

THE KING-HARMANS WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ROSCOMMON, WITH 29,242 ACRES

NICHOLAS HARMAN, of Carlow, settled in Ireland during the reign of JAMES I.

He was one of the first burgesses of Carlow, named in the charter granted to that borough by JAMES I in 1614, and was High Sheriff of County Carlow in 1619.

By Mary his wife he was father of 

HENRY HARMAN, of Dublin, who had by Marie his wife, five sons and as many daughters, viz.

Edward, of Derrymoyle;
Anthony, dsp before 1684;
THOMAS, of whom hereafter;
William;
Henry, ancestor of HARMAN OF PALACE;
Anne; Mary; Jane; Margaret; Mabel.

Mr Harman died before 1649, and was succeeded by his third son, 

SIR THOMAS HARMAN, Knight, of Athy, knighted by the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Thomas, Earl of Ossory, in 1664, Major in the army, 1661, MP for counties Carlow and Kildare.

Sir Thomas obtained a grant of considerable estates in County Longford, under the Act of Settlement, dated 1607.

He married Anne Jones.

Sir Thomas died in 1667, and they were both buried in Christ Church, Dublin, having had issue, with a daughter, Mary, a son,

WENTWORTH HARMAN, of Castle Roe, County Carlow, Captain of the Battleaxe Guards, 1683, who wedded firstly, in 1679, Margaret, daughter of Garrett Wellesley, of Dangan, and had issue, with one daughter, two sons, namely,

Thomas, b 1681, dsp;
WENTWORTH, of whom hereafter.

Mr Harman married secondly, in 1691, Frances, sister and heir of Anthony Sheppard, of Newcastle, County Longford, and had further issue,

ROBERT, successor to his nephew;
Francis, died 1714;
Anthony;
William;
CUTTS (Very Rev), successor to his brother;
ANNE, m Sir Anthony Parsons Bt, of Birr Castle.

Mr Harman died in 1714, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

WENTWORTH HARMAN, of Moyne, County Carlow, who espoused, in 1714, Lucy, daughter of Audley Mervyn, of Trillick, County Tyrone (and sister and heir of Henry Mervyn, of same place), and had issue,

WESLEY, his heir;
Thomas.

Mr Harman died in 1757, when was succeeded by his eldest son,

WESLEY HARMAN, of Moyle, who wedded Mary, daughter of the Rev Dr Nicholas Milley, Prebendary of Ullard, Diocese of Leighlin, by whom he had an only son,

Wentworth, who dsp in his father's lifetime.

Mr Harman died in 1758, and was succeeded by his uncle,

ROBERT HARMAN (1699-1765), of Newcastle, County Longford, and Millicent, County Kildare, MP for County Kildare, 1755, County Longford, 1761, who married Ann, daughter of John Warburton, third son of George Warburton, of Garryhinch, in the King's County.

Mr Harman dsp, and was succeeded by his only surviving brother,

THE VERY REV CUTTS HARMAN (1706-84), of Newcastle, Dean of Waterford, who wedded , in 1751, Bridget, daughter of George Gore,of Tenelick, County Longford, Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland, and sister of John, Lord Annaly, by whom he had no issue.

The Dean presented to his cathedral the very fine organ which it possesses.

He died in 1784, and bequeathed his estates to his nephew, the son of his sister ANNE, who espoused, as above, Sir Lawrence Parsons,

LAWRENCE PARSONS-HARMAN (1749-1807), of Newcastle, MP for County Longford, who assumed the additional surname of HARMAN in 1792, on succeeding to his uncle's estates.

He married, in 1772, the Lady Jane King, daughter of Edward, 1st Earl of Kingston, by which lady he had an only daughter,

FRANCES, of whom hereafter.

Mr Parsons-Harman was elevated to the peerage, in 1792, in the dignity of Baron Oxmantown, County Dublin.

He was advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1806, as EARL OF ROSSE, with special remainder, in default of male issue, to his nephew, Sir Lawrence Parsons, 5th Baronet, of Birr Castle.

His lordship died in 1807, when his peerage passed according to the limitation, and his Harman estates devolved upon his only daughter and heir,

THE LADY FRANCES PARSONS-HARMAN, of Newcastle, who married, in 1799, Robert Edward, 1st Viscount Lorton, and had issue,

ROBERT, 2nd Viscount, succeeded as 6th Earl of Kingston;
LAWRENCE HARMAN, succeeded to the Harman estates;
Jane; Caroline; Frances; Louisa.

Her ladyship died in 1841, when was succeeded in her estates by her second son,

THE HON LAWRENCE KING-HARMAN (1816-75), of Newcastle, and of Rockingham, County Roscommon, who assumed the additional surname of HARMAN.

He wedded, in 1837, Mary Cecilia, seventh daughter of James Raymond Johnstone, of Alloa, Clackmannanshire, and had, with other issue, a second son.

On his death, the property passed to his eldest son,

THE RT HON EDWARD ROBERT KING-HARMAN JP MP (1838-88), of Rockingham, County Roscommon,

Lord-Lieutenant of County Sligo, MP for Sligo, 1877-80, and Dublin, 1883-5, and for the Isle of Thanet, 1885-8, Colonel, 5th Battalion, Connaught Rangers, eldest son the the Hon Lawrence Harman King-Harman, of Rockingham.

Mr King-Harman married, in 1861, Emma Frances, daughter of Sir William Worsley, 1st Baronet, and had issue,

Lawrence William (1863-86), died unmarried;
Frances Agnes, mother of EDWARD CHARLES STAFFORD;
Violet Philadelphia.

Mr King-Harman was succeeded by his grandson,

EDWARD CHARLES STAFFORD-KING-HARMAN (1891-1914), who assumed, in 1900, the additional surnames and arms of KING-HARMAN.

He married, in 1914, Olive Pakenham, daughter of Henry Pakenham Mahon, and had issue,

LETTICE MARY STAFFORD-KING-HARMAN, born in 1915.

Captain Stafford-King-Harman was killed in action.

The family was seated at Rockingham, Boyle, County Roscommon, and Taney House, Dundrum, County Dublin.

ROCKINGHAM HOUSE, near Boyle, County Roscommon, the superb demesne of the King-Harmans, Viscounts Lorton, is bounded on the north by beautiful, island-studded waters of Lough Key; and, on the south, by a long line of lofty wall, overhung from within by a bordering estate along the road from Boyle to Dublin.

This was a large, Classical mansion, designed and built in 1810 by John Nash for General Robert King, 1st Viscount Lorton, a younger son of 2nd Earl of Kingston to whom this part of the King estates had passed.

Rockingham was remarkable due to its dome front and 365 windows.

It accidentally burnt down in 1957, as the result of an electrical fault, after which it was taken over by the Irish Land Commission.

The great mansion was declared as unsafe in 1970 and subsequently demolished.

 

The remnants of the house can be seen in the park to this day, such as its two 'tunnels' (which allowed the staff to unload provisions from boats and bring them to the house unseen).

These tunnels are still accessible to this day.

The demesne was magnificent, with a straight beech avenue three-quarters of a mile in length; and 75 miles of drives within the estate.

Sir Cecil William Francis Stafford-King-Harman, 2nd Baronet (1895-1987), considered rebuilding Rockingham after its catastrophic fire of 1957 with its original two storeys and dome; however, it transpired that the expense was prohibitive, so the estate was sold and the Irish forest service demolished the ruin of the once-great mansion.

The Moylurg Tower which provides a spectacular view of the lake, was built on the original foundations of Rockingham House.

First published in June, 2011.  Stafford-King-Harman armscourtesy of the NLI.

Craigavad House

JOHN MULHOLLAND (1819-95), son of Andrew Mulholland, of BALLYWALTER PARK, County Down, married, in 1851, Frances Louisa, daughter of HUGH LYLE, of Knocktarna House, County Londonderry.

Mr Mulholland, MP for Downpatrick, 1874-85, was elevated to the peerage, in 1892, in the dignity of BARON DUNLEATH, of Ballywalter, County Down.

CRAIGAVAD HOUSE, County Down, in name at least, was in existence as far back as 1783, as the home of the Pottingers, of whom Thomas Pottinger was first sovereign (chief magistrate or mayor) of Belfast.

By 1817, however, the house had been acquired by Arthur Forbes.

Following Forbes' death, the house was acquired by John Mulholland, later 1st Baron Dunleath.

A neo-classical house was built in 1851 to the designs of Thomas Turner, formerly an assistant to Charles Lanyon, but by this time practising on his own account.

The contractors were John Kelly and Robert McCready, of Belfast, and the estimated cost was £3,379 (about £400,000 today).

Mulholland initially leased the property from the representatives of SIR ROBERT KENNEDY, of Cultra Manor.

The accommodation included two gate lodges, billiards-room, laundry, drying loft and kitchen; a farmyard with steward's house, barn, piggery and stable.

The gate lodges were valued at £8 each (ca £1,000 today).

By 1869, Craigavad House was occupied by George Washington Charters who appeared to be renting the house from John Mulholland.

About 1882, Sir Edward Porter Cowan, a whiskey distiller, was residing at Craigavad House.

The house was then let by the Cowan family to A M Kirker JP, a prosperous potato grower.

In 1910, the house was acquired by John Campbell White, Lord Mayor of Belfast, 1919-20.

Royal Belfast Golf Club bought Craigavad House and surrounding grounds in 1925 for £6,000 (about £302,000 in 2024) from White's widow and had a course designed by the eminent English course architect, H C Colt, who also laid out Royal Portrush Golf Club.

A major refurbishment costing £40,000 was undertaken in 1958; and in 1978 a grand central hall, rising through the centre of the building, was incorporated.

An extension was added to the clubhouse in 2000, designed by Barrie Todd Architects, which replaced an earlier extension of the 1960s.

This added a new informal bar and glazed entrance to the club.

First published in March, 2014.

Tallaght Castle

THE first mention we find of the ecclesiastical Province of Dublin is in the 7th century.

In 1152 it was made an archbishopric.

In 1214 the bishopric of Glendalough, which had been founded in the 6th century, was incorporated with Dublin.

It is 64 miles in length from north to south and 46 in the greatest breadth; containing the entire county of Dublin, most of County Wicklow, and part of two others.

The Archbishops had a Dublin residence at 16 St Stephen's Green.

Tallaght Castle, painted for Archbishop Cleaver (1745-1819)

TALLAGHT CASTLE, according to the Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, was originally a castellated edifice of considerable strength, and eventually a modernized and plain mansion.

Alexander de Bicknor, Archbishop of Dublin, 1317-49, established Tallaght Castle in 1324; though it was erected as a means of protection for the town rather than an archiepiscopal residence.

In the mid 1400s, improvements were made by Archbishop Tregury, leading to an increase in usage by subsequent Archbishops.

Archbishop Hoadly built a palace on the remains of the original castle from 1727-29.

The grounds had a brewery, granary and stables.

The structure itself was a spacious but long and narrow building, made of grey stone, and remarkably austere.

The interior contained many apartments of ample proportions, though none were highly embellished.

The hall, entered by a flight of stone steps, measured 21 feet square, and was lit by two tiers of windows.

The dining-room was 25 feet long by 21 feet in width, and was adorned was the archiepiscopal coat-of-arms, "impaled with a shield quarterly, charged in the first quarter with a pigeon".

These arms bore the date 1729, and above was the crest, a "hawk perched on a round ball".

Underneath the armorial bearings was the inscription "JOHANNES HOADLY, HANC DOMUM REFECIT."

The great drawing-room or saloon, measuring 33 feet by 21, contained the only portrait in the palace - a full length of Archbishop Hoadly, who was translated the the See of Dublin in 1729.

The library was a small room with a large window, from which, as with all the windows of the reception rooms, very fine views were afforded of Montpelier Hill, County Dublin, and the adjacent tract of beautiful scenery.

The gardens were designed with "unpleasing formality"; though the historian would have derived some gratification from finding the remains of a tower, an integral part of the original palace.

By 1760 some of the buildings were said to have become dilapidated.

Archbishop Fowler, translated to Dublin in 1778, surrounded the demesne with a wall and made other improvements; though it was judged that the situation of Tallaght was unfavourable as a residence for the Archbishops; and the palace was, eventually, forsaken.

Tallaght, in the 18th century, was said to be "rendered ... undesirable by the depredations of outlaws and robbers, who have peculiarly infested this neighbourhood."

In 1803, the anglican Archbishops of Dublin ceased to reside at Tallaght.

An Act of Parliament was passed in 1821 which declared that the palace was unfit for habitation.

In 1822, it was sold to Major Palmer, Inspector-General of Prisons, who pulled most of the palace down and used the materials to build his mansion, "Tallaght House", as well as a schoolhouse and several cottages.

A tower from the original castle was left untouched and later was incorporated in the current priory building.

When the Dominican friars took a lease out on the property in the 1840s one of the buildings was converted into a chapel.

This was replaced by a purpose-built church in 1883.

Part of the house burned down in the first decade of the 1900s.

First published in January, 2018.

The Belvoir Shoot

Belvoir House: eastern elevation

I haven't paid Belvoir forest park a visit for awhile.

This is the nearest forest park to the city of Belfast.

In fact it used to have a touring caravan site adjacent to the stable block, though the forestry service closed that down several decades ago.

Belvoir was once a superb demesne, originally the seat of the 1ST VISCOUNT DUNGANNON (second creation) though Lord Dungannon sold it to Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet, less than a century later.

I have a large, A4-sized paperback book entitled A Treasured Landscape: the Heritage of Belvoir Park, edited by Ben Simon.

If you are are interested in Belvoir park, seek it out.

Shortly after Sir Thomas Bateson, 2nd Baronet (later 1st Baron Deramore) died in 1890, the family decided to lease the estate, which in those days comprised no less than 6,348 acres in County Down.

Sir Thomas owned a further 7,762 in County Londonderry, 284 in County Antrim, and 2,927 in County Limerick (the Derry portion included estates shared with Lords Strafford and Londonderry, and Lady Louisa Trench). 

The Former Demesne with the Motte in the Background

The first lessee was Walter Wilson, a director of the Belfast shipbuilders Harland & Wolff, who lived there with his family from 1900 till about 1918.

Sir James Johnson, Lord Mayor of Belfast, was the final resident of Belvoir House.

He and his family lived there from 1919 until 1925.

I have already written about the ultimate fate of the great mansion and its disastrous demolition in 1961.

The house had been considered as the official residence for the new Governor of Northern Ireland.

Hillsborough Castle was chosen instead.

The estate was also a contender as the seat of the new Parliament of Northern Ireland, though Stormont was selected.

Belvoir House from the east with parkland

BELVOIR was a renowned shooting estate in its day: A shooting party stayed there for the weekend in 1904, and it is recorded that 431 pheasants, 32 hares, 2 rabbits, 2 woodcocks, and 17 ducks were bagged.

There was a pheasantry at the Big Meadow near the river Lagan.

Three years prior to this, the household comprised seventeen members of staff, including a governess, a housekeeper, under-butler, 1st footman, 2nd footman, page, lady's maid, cook, children's maid, stillroom maid, four housemaids, kitchen maid, scullery maid, and dairy maid.

In those days the estate comprised over 6,000 acres; today that acreage has shrunk to 185.

First published in February, 2016.

Castlewellan: Moorish Tower

During my visit to CASTLEWELLAN Park, County Down in 2014 I came upon the ruins of the Annesleys' charming little Moorish Tower.

Keyhole entrance (Timothy Ferres, 2014)

This ruinous gazebo is located at the west, or north-west, end of the lake, on the edge of a steep slope.

The Annesley crest, incidentally, features a Moor's head; and William Armytage-Moore (1806-83), coincidentally, was brother of Priscilla Cecilia, Countess Annesley (wife of the 3rd Earl) and land agent to the 3rd and 4th Earls.

The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (UAHS) wrote about the tower in its 1976 gazetteer of historic buildings in the Mourne area of south County Down.

Fireplace (Timothy Ferres, 2014)

In 2014 the tower was obscured by forestry, its superb prospect obscured by fir and pine trees.

It was built in 1884 by Hugh, 5th Earl Annesley.

LORD ANNESLEY was the third largest landowner in County Down, with about 25,000 acres, extending from Slieve Croob to Slieve Donard.

Basement entrance (Timothy Ferres, 2014)

The UAHS described the Moorish Tower in 1976 as being in ruins, built on the edge of a steep slope.

About twenty feet in diameter inside and hexagonal in shape, the rusticated basement of great random granodiorite blocks, battered, with a doorway facing east.

The first floor made of smooth Victorian brick, a little porch on the opposite side from the door in the basement, a fireplace in the side to the left, no window in the side to the right.

Interior (Timothy Ferres, 2014)

The other three sides have Moorish, key-hole-shaped windows.

Both inside and outside, the brick walls had wooden strips for battening or plastering or, outside, slate or log-hanging.

The roof was slated (the gazebo is now roofless).

The gazebo was originally clad outside in vertical split logs, dentils under the gutter, the porch doorway under a shallow gabled roof with barge-boards.

photo credit: Follies Trust

It stood under mature trees in an idyllic position.

photo credit: Follies Trust

The prospect overlooking the lake was also idyllic (and still is), though this little gem became a neglected, ruinous, roofless shell, shut in by forestry.

THE GREAT NEWS, however, was that the Follies' Trust received a grant from the  NGO Challenge Fund, sponsored by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Forest Service, to undertake initial conservation work to the Tower.

When surrounding trees were cleared as part of the conservation process, the tower’s prospect of the demesne lake, Irish Sea and Mourne mountains was restored.

Work commenced during the summer, 2014.

(Timothy Ferres, March, 2015)

First published in February, 2014.  

1st Baron Lecale

REAR-ADMIRAL THE RT HON LORD CHARLES JAMES FITZGERALD MP (1756-1810), third son of JAMES, 1ST DUKE OF LEINSTER, and brother of William, 2nd Duke of Leinster, was elevated to the peerage, in 1800, in the dignity of BARON LECALE, of Ardglass, County Down.

Lord Charles had natural issue by an unknown lady,

HENRY, died in 1803;
Anna Maria.

His lordship wedded, in 1808, Julia, widow of Thomas Carton, of Monkstown, County Dublin, though the marriage was without further issue.

The 1st Baron's sister-in-law, Lady Henry FitzGerald, became de jure 21ST BARONESS DE ROS.

Lord Charles was raised amidst the splendour of CARTON HOUSE, near Maynooth, County Kildare, ancestral seat of the Dukes of Leinster, premier dukes, marquesses and earls of Ireland.

Leinster House was the family's Dublin residence.

In 1790, Lord Charles bought Ardglass Castle (also known as The Newark), County Down, and transformed it into a residence.

Early in his life, he joined the Royal Navy and quickly distinguished himself as an able captain.

He faced action on many occasions and eventually attained the rank of Rear-Admiral of the Red.

After his career in the Navy, Lord Charles, a privy counsellor, sat as MP for County Kildare, 1776-90, Cavan Borough, 1790-7, and Ardfert, 1798-1800.

Ardglass Castle (Robert J Welch/NMNI)

He inherited the Ardglass estate in 1790 and eradicated half of the 'New Works' to make his manorial home, perhaps to the designs of Charles Lilly.

When Lord Lecale became ill, and later died, William Ogilvie, who had married the Duchess of Leinster, bought the former estate for £28,000 and began to create the modern-day village of Ardglass.

Lord Lecale was married and had a son and daughter.

His only son, Henry, drowned at sea while serving with the Navy, in 1803, in the West Indies (Civita Vecchia), and soon afterwards his wife died also. 

Lord Lecale is buried at Bright parish church, County Down, where there is an elegant monument to his memory.

The barony became extinct in 1810.

Ardglass Castle is now better known as the club-house of Ardglass golf club.

First published in 2009.   Lecale arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Thomastown Park

THE BENNETTS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN THE KING'S COUNTY, WITH 5,480 ACRES

NICHOLAS BENNETT married Mabel O’Kelly, of County Roscommon, and had issue,

Nicholas, died unmarried;
FRANCIS, his heir;
Mabel, m to John Ball;
Anne, died unmarried.

The eldest surviving son, 

FRANCIS BENNETT, of Thomastown, wedded Elizabeth Laffin, of County Kilkenny, and had issue,

Thomas, died unmarried;
VALENTINE;
Mary Catherine, m to Lt-Col L'Estrange;
Elizabeth Emily, m to John Farrell.

The younger son,

VALENTINE BENNETT JP DL, of Thomastown, High Sheriff of King's County (Offaly), 1830, married, in 1894, Elizabeth Helen, daughter of George Ryan, of Inch House, County Tipperary, and had issue,

FRANCIS VALENTINE, his heir;
George Henry;
Thomas Joseph;
Henry Grey;
Valentine;
FREDERICK PHILIP, succeeded his brother;
Albert;
Elizabeth Marian.

Mr Bennett died in 1839, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS VALENTINE BENNETT JP DL (1826-90), of Thomastown Park, High Sheriff of King's County, 1854, who died without issue, and was succeeded by his brother,

FREDERICK PHILIP BENNETT JP DL (1830-1905), High Sheriff of King's County, 1895, who died at Monaco.

Mr Bennett left his estate to Mr Valentine Ryan, on condition that he adopt the name of BENNETT.

THOMASTOWN PARK HOUSE, Frankford, near Birr, County Offaly, was built in the mid-18th century.

There is said to be an old castle within the demesne.

The house, built during the mid-18th century for the Leggat family, and in the ownership of the Bennett family during the 19th century, was once a large and important demesne within County Offaly.

The house even had a private chapel.

Though the country house itself is no longer extant, the associated structures of the demesne remain.

(Image: Country Life/Nicholas Kingsley)

Notable elements include the large walls which surround what once was a deer park; the finely tooled limestone entrance gates; the walled garden; and the outbuilding with ashlar bellcote.

The walled garden, outbuilding, deer park and former entrance gates and lodge to former Thomastown Park House, built ca 1750.

Main entrance gates (above) with square-profile, ashlar limestone gate piers with frieze and capping stones with wrought-iron gates flanked by pedestrian entrances with tooled limestone surrounds flanked by quadrant walls; large, walled deer park to north of former demesne with random coursed stone walls.

Walled garden to west of former house site with random coursed stone walls and red brick internal wall to north.

Outbuilding to farmyard complex with rough-cast rendered walls, corrugated roof and ashlar limestone bell-cote to south-east elevation.

Segmental and square-headed carriage arch openings with corrugated doors.

The estate was sold by Group Captain Richard Stephen Ryan CBE RAF in 1951.

There are more images of the house here.

First published in January, 2013.

Finnebrogue House

THE PERCEVAL-MAXWELLS OWNED 8,469 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

GEORGE PERCEVAL (1635-75) was the youngest son of Sir Philip Perceval, Knight, the distinguished statesman (great-grandfather of John, 1st Earl of Egmont), by Catherine Usher his wife, daughter of Arthur Usher and granddaughter of Sir William Usher, Clerk of the Council and Registrar of the Prerogative Court, Dublin.

He married Mary, daughter and heir of William Crofton, of Temple House, County Sligo, and by her had issue,

Philip, of Temple House, his heir;
WILLIAM, of whom we treat;
Charles;
Catherine.

Mr Perceval was drowned near Holyhead, on his voyage to England, with the 2nd Earl of Meath and other persons of distinction.

His second son,

THE VERY REV WILLIAM PERCEVAL (1671-1734), Archdeacon of Cashel and Dean of Emly, wedded, in 1708, Catherine, daughter of Henry Prittie, of Silvermines, County Tipperary, and had issue,

Kene (Rev), Vicar of Powerscourt & Castle Knock;
WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Charles (Rev), Rector of Mitchelstown;
Catherine.

The second son,

WILLIAM PERCEVAL (1711-84), Barrister, wedded firstly, in 1838, Elizabeth, daughter of John Croker, of Dublin (she dsp 1739).

He married secondly, in 1748, Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Ward, of Lisbane, County Down, and had issue,

Charles (Rev);
William;
ROBERT, of whom we treat.

The youngest son,

ROBERT PERCEVAL (1756-1839), Physician-General to HM Forces in Ireland during Lord Talbot's viceroyalty, Professor of Chemistry, Trinity College, Dublin, espoused, in 1785, Anne, eldest daughter of John Brereton, of Rathgilbert, and had issue, an only child,

THE REV WILLIAM PERCEVAL (1787-1880), of Kilmore Hill, County Waterford, and Annefield, County Dublin, who wedded, in 1809, Anne, eldest daughter of John Waring Maxwell, of Finnebrogue, County Down (descended from a younger son of the Very Rev Robert Maxwell, Dean of Armagh, from whose eldest son, Robert, springs the noble house of FARNHAM), and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
John Maxwell, CB (1814-1900), of Dillon House, Downpatrick; General in the army;
Richard, of Kilmore Hill, Waterford;
Spencer;
William;
Charles Frederick;
Anne Sarah; Maria Dorothea; Caroline; Madelina.

Mr Perceval's eldest son,

ROBERT PERCEVAL-MAXWELL JP DL (1813-1905), of Finnebrogue and Groomsport House, and Moore Hill, County Waterford, wedded, in 1839, Helena Anne, daughter of William Moore, of Moore Hall, County Waterford, son of the Hon William Moore, second brother of the 1st Earl Mount Cashell, and had issue,

JOHN WILLIAM, his heir;
William John, of Moore Hill, Tallow;
Robert;
Stephen Richard Nassau;
Henry Spencer;
Mary Elizabeth; Madelina Dorothea;
Helena Anne; Harriette Louisa; Alicia Catherine;
ISABELLA MARIA, of Groomsport House;
ANNA CAROLINE, of Groomsport House.

Mr Perceval-Maxwell, High Sheriff of County Down, 1841, was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN WILLIAM PERCEVAL-MAXWELL (1840-75), of Tyrella House, County Down, High Sheriff of County Down, 1873, who married, in 1868, Selina Frances Imogene, eldest daughter of David Stewart Ker, of Montalto, County Down, and had issue,

ROBERT DAVID, his successor;
Anna Violet Madelina (1875-1902).

Mr Robert Perceval-Maxwell dvp in 1875, and was succeeded at his decease by his grandson,

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL THE RT HON ROBERT DAVID PERCEVAL-MAXWELL DSO JP DL (1870-1932), of Finnebrogue and Groomsport House, High Sheriff of County Down, 1911, who espoused, in 1895, Edith Grace, daughter of Dr Henry Haswell Head, and had issue,

JOHN ROBERT, his heir;
Richard Henry;
Patrick Edward;
Brian Stephen David.

Colonel Perceval-Maxwell was succeeded by his eldest son,

MAJOR JOHN ROBERT PERCEVAL-MAXWELL DL (1896-1963), of Finnebrogue, High Sheriff of County Down, 1937, who married, Phœbe Laura, daughter of Sir Benjamin Lennard Cherry, and had issue,

Robin;

Andrew John;
GAVIN RICHARD;

Peter;

Michael (1933-2022);
Selina Imogen Elizabeth Loraine. 

Major Perceval-Maxwell was a breeder of Shorthorn and Hereford cows, an active figure in the political and cultural life of Northern Ireland; a member of both the NI House of Commons and Senate; from 1945-49, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce; a founder member of the NI Regional Committee of the National Trust in 1936 and for a time the NI Government nominee on the Council of the NT in London.

Major Perceval-Maxwell's younger son,

GAVIN RICHARD PERCEVAL-MAXWELL (1924-2009), High Sheriff of County Down, 1968, married Patricia Margaret Angley, and had issue,

JOHN WILLIAM (Bill) RICHARD PERCEVAL-MAXWELL (1963-), who married Loveday Manners Price, and has issue,

Thomas Alexander William, born in 2006;
Cecily Florence Loveday, born in 2006.

W J R Perceval-Maxwell in 2019 at Home near Lorgues, France

The Perceval-Maxwell Papers are held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

The Perceval-Maxwell Papers are held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

FINNEBROGUE HOUSE, near Downpatrick, County Down, dates from at least the early 17th century and occupies a beautiful situation in undulating drumlin country by the meandering shores of Strangford Lough.

It was known to be in the possession of the Maxwell family in 1635, though the present house, an H-plan block, is basically late-17th century in date, with a central, winged range projecting at the front and back.

Entrance Front. Photo Credit: Finnebrogue House

The house is of two storeys over a basement, with an attic storey in the side and rear elevations.

The entrance front is of five bays, with two additional bays at the end of each wing.

The upper storey of the central range is treated as a piano nobile, with higher windows than those below.

Following a fire in 1795, this house was subject to a comprehensive restoration by Dorothea Maxwell.

The original high-pitched roof was replaced by a roof that was lower, though still high by late 18th century standards; late-Georgian sash windows were inserted. Some of the internal partition walls are of peat or turf.

The surrounding parkland was the focus of an extensive late 17th century and early 18th century geometric designed landscape.

Photo Credit: Finnebrogue House

Typically, this layout was focused upon the house, which stands on an elevated position, with a north-south axis view to Down Cathedral and Inch Parish Church.

A series of symmetrical enclosures, comprising courts, gardens and orchards, would have surrounded the building, including an entrance court on the north side.

Straight tree-lined avenues were aligned on the house while the demesne included regularly disposed 'fair plantations', mentioned in 1744 by Walter Harris in The Ancient and Present State of County Down.

Relics of these early formal features include the ‘Fairy Gates’ (ca 1680), which may not be in situ, and presently lie on the south side of the demesne.

The formal geometric layout was replaced by the present ‘naturalistic’ landscape park in the late 18th century by Colonel John Maxwell, of Falkland, and John Waring Maxwell.

The landscape designer has not yet been established.

New surrounding shelter belts and screens were planted, the woodlands considerably extended, an expansive 27 acre lake was dug and carefully disposed clumps and isolated tree specimens were added to the open meadows.

Main Gate Lodge

The old, straight, tree-lined avenues were swept away and, in their place, a new sinuous drive was laid down to approach the house from the south-east; its gate lodge was built in the 1880s by Fennell.

Additional plantings were added to the parkland in early Victorian times while, at this time, the demesne was also lavishly developed as a model farm.

The parkland has traditionally had tree cover on the north and west sides to protect it from the prevailing winds.

The ornamental and productive gardens lie to the north of the house, while the Pleasure Garden immediately behind the house had lawns, a summer house and some exotic planting.

The gardens fell into disrepair in the latter part of the 20th century.

By then, most of the land beyond the gardens was in separate ownership.

The walled garden has a date stone, ‘John Waring Maxwell, Esq, 20 February 1802’; it is not cultivated and the glasshouses have gone.

A gardener’s house, bothy and offices remain.

An outer walled garden had modern glass-houses.

Finnebrogue remains a private house; however it is available for selected corporate & charity events by prior arrangement.

Its period architecture also makes it suitable as a location for film and television.

The old mansion is reputed to be the oldest inhabited house in Northern Ireland.

The estate, bordered by the Quoile river and Strangford Lough, also included the ruins of the 12th-century Cistercian Abbey of Inch.

It was let in perpetuity to Henry Maxwell by Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Ardglass, in 1628.

But this must have been in recognition of an assignment to Maxwell of an earlier 'deed of feoffment' [sic] forever granted in 1606 by Lord Ardglass's father, Edward Lord Cromwell, to a Londoner who at some point between 1606 and 1628 had transferred his interest to Maxwell.

It is uncertain whether there was a house on the site at this time, or when the original house was built; but the Maxwells do not seem to have taken up residence there until the late 17th century.

The Maxwell estates in County Down at the time of Maxwell's death in 1869 comprised, according to Catharine Wilson, 8,469 statute acres, including the Groomsport or barony of Ards estate, consisting of Ballycroghan, Ballygrainey, Balloo, Ballyholme, Ballymaconnell, Ballymagee, Gransha and Groomsport, with some urban property in nearby Bangor.

Finnebrogue, Catharine Wilson states, was, at this time,

... surrounded by 1300 acres of wooded demesne ... . Groomsport House in the coastal village of Groomsport ... [had been] built as a jointure house for Mrs Waring Maxwell, but was largely used as a summer home by the Maxwells [after her death in 1842]. ...

Henry Maxwell's great-grandson, John Waring Maxwell of Finnebrogue, built Groomsport House, a Tudor-Revival finialed and turreted stone villa, at a cost of about £6,000 in 1849.

Groomsport House

Maxwell was MP for Downpatrick. He also built the parish church in Groomsport in 1842, which was designed by the famous Belfast architect, Charles Lanyon. 

In 1869 the Maxwell income from their estates was £13,881, or £1.2 million in today's money.

First published in July, 2010.