Owenmore House

THE ORMES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 11,771 ACRES

WILLIAM ORME, of Hanch Hall, Longdon, Staffordshire, descended from a family of graziers long settled in Cheshire, married, in 1612, Grace, daughter of Nicholas Hurt, of Castern, Staffordshire.

He died in 1623, leaving a son,

WILLIAM ORME (1614-65), of Hanch Hall, who being a Royalist, suffered heavy fines and imprisonment at the hands of the usurper, CROMWELL.

He lived to witness the Restoration, and had a confirmation of his arms by Sir William Dugdale, Norroy King-of-Arms, 1665.

Mr Orme wedded Anne, daughter of Thomas Brudenell, of Staunton Wivell, Leicestershire, and had issue,

Thomas (c1637-1716), dsp;
William, Colonel in the French Army;
JAMES, of whom presently;
Robert;
Dorothea.

The third son,

JAMES ORME, settled ca 1671 in County Mayo, where he purchased considerable estates.

He espoused Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Barrow, of County Cork, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
William, of Ballintubber.

Mr Orme died in 1707, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT ORME, of Carne, County Mayo, who married, in 1703, Elizabeth, daughter of James Johnston, and had issue,

Thomas, of Carne;
James, of Fairfield;
WILLIAM, of whom hereafter;
Robert (Congressman), settled in Jones County, USA;
Mary; Margaret; Lettice.

The third son,

WILLIAM ORME JP (1810-76), of Owenmore, County Mayo, wedded firstly, in 1837, Janette, daughter of Christopher Carleton L'Estrange, of Market Hill, County Fermanagh; and secondly, in 1858, Margaret Barbara, eldest daughter of the Rev Savage Hall, Rector of Loughgall, County Armagh,

He dsp and was succeeded by his brother, 

ROBERT ORME JP DL (1815-77), of Owenmore, County Mayo, and Enniscrone, County Sligo, who espoused, in 1843, Sidney Frances, daughter of Christopher Carleton L'Estrange, and had issue,

ROBERT WILLIAM, his heir;
CHRISTOPHER GUY, succeeded his brother;
Albert L'Estrange;
Janet Georgina, m 1882, Claude Brownlow, of Killynether.

The eldest son,

ROBERT WILLIAM ORME JP DL (1856-1903), of Owenmore and Enniscrone, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1879, died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

CHRISTOPHER GUY ORME JP DL (1858-1929), of Owenmore and Enniscrone, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1914, who married, in 1907, Mary Kathleen, daughter of the 1st Baron Morris and Killanin, and had issue,

ROBERT WILLIAM MARTIN, b 1908;
Lettice Frances; Cicely Dorothea.

OWENMORE HOUSE, near Crossmolina, County Mayo, built ca 1847, comprises two storeys over a high basement.

It has a five-bay entrance front, with a single-storey Doric portico.

The other side elevation has a two-storey bowed wing of similar style and height to the main block, though set back.

When the estate was decimated by the Land Acts, about 1926, it was sold to the Knox family.

It was sold again in 1950 to Major Marcus McCausland.

First published in July, 2012.

Derrycarne House

THE BARONS HARLECH  WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 21,019 ACRES

This family derives from a common ancestor with the noble house of GORE, Earls of Arran, the Earls of Ross, and the Barons Annaly; though more immediately from the GORE BARONETS of Magherabegg.

WILLIAM GORE (1779-1860), of Woodford, County Leitrim, MP for County Leitrim, 1806-7, married, in 1815, Mary Jane, daughter and heiress of Owen Ormsby, of Willowbrook, County Sligo, and Porkington, Shropshire, whose name he assumed.

Mr Ormsby-Gore was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN RALPH ORMSBY-GORE (1816-76), who wedded, in 1844, Sarah, daughter of Sir John Tyssen Tyrrell Bt, of Boreham House, Essex.

Mr Ormsby-Gore was elevated to the peerage, in 1876, in the dignity of BARON HARLECH, of Harlech, in the County of Merioneth.

His lordship died without issue, and was succeeded by his brother,

WILLIAM RICHARD, 2nd Baron (1819-1904), MP for County Sligo, 1841-52, County Leitrim, 1858-76, High Sheriff of County Leitrim, 1857, who married, in 1850, Emily Charlotte, daughter of Admiral Sir George Francis Seymour, and had issue,

William Seymour, died in infancy;
GEORGE RALPH CHARLES, his successor;
Henry Arthur;
Seymour Fitzroy;
Mary Georgina; Emily.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

GEORGE RALPH CHARLES, 3rd Baron (1855-1938), KCB TD JP, High Sheriff of County Leitrim, 1885, who espoused, in 1881, the Lady Ethel Margaret Gordon, daughter of Charles, 10th Marquess of Huntly, and had issue, an only child,

WILLIAM GEORGE ARTHUR, 4th Baron (1885-1964),

• William George Arthur Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron (1885–1964);

• (William) David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron (1918–85);

• Francis David Ormsby-Gore, 6th Baron (1954–2016);

• Jasset David Cody Ormsby-Gore, 7th Baron (b 1986).

The 3rd Baron was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Leitrim, from 1904 until 1922.

DERRYCARNE HOUSE, near Dromod, County Leitrim, was built ca 1800 on a promontory in the River Shannon between Lough Boderg and Lough Bofin.

It was of two storeys with a three-bay, bow-ended, late-Georgian front with Wyatt windows and an enclosed Doric porch.

A two-storey, four-bay castellated wing extended back at right-angles.

The house itself had thirty rooms: kitchen, bedrooms, sculleries, library and armoury room ( which later was turned into a hunting room ) and various other rooms.

It was built with three stories at the back with parapets around it, two towers and cellars, which were seven feet under the ground and were used for storing wine and growing mushrooms. 

It also had a two-bay castellated wing extending back at right-angles.

The gardens surrounding the house contained two acres of vegetables and flowers.

The house faced the River Shannon and was in an ideal position to control the river.

The 2nd Lord Harlech purchased Derrycarne in 1858.

Buying Derrycarne was very important to him at that time as he had ceased to be MP for Sligo and was looking for a new political base.

He was known to be a good landlord.

Lord Harlech and his family lived at Willowbrook, County Sligo, before he lived at Annaduff as he had been MP for Sligo from 1841-52.

The family kept their estates in County Leitrim until 1924.

Lord Harlech did not want to sell his lands but increasing pressure at that time from the tenants for land of their own and the fact that many other large estate houses had been burned down led him to believe that he should not keep the land any longer.

Derrycarne changed hands again several times before being acquired by the Irish Land Commission in 1952.

The house was demolished shortly thereafter.

First published in January, 2012.  Harlech arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

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.

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. 

Temple House

THE PERCEVALS OWNED 7,821 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY SLIGO

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

George Perceval married Mary, daughter and heir of William Crofton, of Temple House, County Sligo, and had issue,

PHILIP, his heir;
William, ancestor of PERCEVAL-MAXWELL of Finnebrogue;
Charles;
Catherine.

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

His eldest son and heir,

PHILIP PERCEVAL (1670-1704), of Temple House, wedded, in 1691, Elizabeth, daughter of John D'Aberon, of Wandsworth, Surrey, and left, with other issue, a son and heir,

JOHN PERCEVAL (1700-54), of Temple House, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1728 and 1742, who wedded, in 1722, Anne, daughter of Joshua Cooper, of Markree, County Sligo, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

PHILIP PERCEVAL (1723-87), of Temple House, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1775, who espoused Mary, daughter and co-heir of Guy Carleton, of Rossfad, County Fermanagh, and was succeeded by his son,

GUY CARLETON PERCEVAL, who dsp 1792, and was succeeded by his brother,

THE REV PHILIP PERCEVAL, of Temple House, who married, in 1783, Anne, daughter of Alexander Carroll, of Dublin, and had issue,

Philip, died unmarried;
ALEXANDER, his heir;
Guy, died unmarried;
Anne; Mary.

The second son,

ALEXANDER PERCEVAL JP (1787-1858), of Temple House, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1809, MP for County Sligo, 1831-41, wedded, in 1808, Jane Anne, eldest daughter of Colonel Henry Peisley L'Estrange, of Moystown, King's County, and had surviving issue,

PHILIP;
Henry (Rev);
ALEXANDER, of whom hereafter;
Charles George Guy;
Elizabeth Dora; Frances; Sophia; Georgina Sarah; Maria Frances; Emily Jane.

Colonel Perceval's third son,

ALEXANDER PERCEVAL (1821-66), of Temple House, Barrister, espoused, in 1858, Annie, youngest daughter of George de Blois, and had issue,

ALEXANDER, his heir;
Robert Jardine;
Philip Dudley;
Jeannie; Sophie.

Mr Perceval was succeeded by his eldest son,

ALEXANDER PERCEVAL JP DL (1859-87), of Temple House, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1882, who married, in 1881, Charlotte Jane, eldest daughter of Charles William O'Hara, of Annaghmore, County Sligo, and had issue,

ALEXANDER ASCELIN CHARLES PHILIP SPENCER, his heir;
Sibyl Annie (1882-84).

Mr Perceval was succeeded by his son and heir,

ALEXANDER ASCELIN CHARLES PHILIP SPENCER PERCEVAL DL (1885-1967), of Temple House.

TEMPLE HOUSE, Ballymote, County Sligo, takes its name from the Knights Templar, the wealthiest of the three military orders founded during the crusades.

Fierce warriors and able administrators, their power stretched across Europe where they operated as a separate sovereign administration within each independent state.

The knights reached Ireland with the Normans and quickly became established, building a castle at Temple House in County Sligo, their most westerly foundation, shortly after 1200.

In 1312 the Pope suppressed the order, citing their alleged heretical and blasphemous practises in justification.

In France, Templars were burnt at the stake and their land seized by the crown, but other countries adopted a more measured approach, transferring their property to the Knights Hospitallers, known today as the Knights of Malta.

As English influence waned in the remote west of Ireland, Temple House was reoccupied by the O’Haras, the principal sept in that region, who built a new castle in 1360.

In 1565 William Crofton was appointed Auditor and Escheator General, and used his position to amass extensive estates in Counties Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo.

These included Temple House, or Tagh-temple, which passed with his great-granddaughter Mary on her marriage to George Perceval, the younger son of another distinguished Irish administrator, and grandson of Richard Perceval, ‘confidential agent’ to Queen Elizabeth’s minister, Lord Burleigh, who correctly identified preparations for the Spanish Armada and was rewarded with Irish estates.

By the 1760s George and Mary’s descendants had replaced her parent’s thatched dwelling of ca 1630 and their new house was further extended in 1825.

Unfortunately the Irish famine ruined the family and the estate was sold to a Mr Hall-Dare along with the town of Ballymote.

Happily, a younger son, Alexander Perceval, went to seek his fortune in China and amassed vast riches in the development of Hong Kong as Tai-Pan for the great trading house, Jardine Matheson.

He returned to Ireland, repurchased the estate and tripled the size of the house in 1864, cladding it in cut-stone in a strict classical style, with three formal fronts and a porte-cochere, always a convenient feature in the wet West of Ireland.

The result is broadly symmetrical, with the Georgian house still clearly evident in the centre of the east front.

The interior has a superb suite of large, grand rooms, lit by serried ranks of vast plate-glass windows.

There are lofty ceilings, the vestibule rises to some thirty-two feet, and decoration of a very high order, reminiscent of the grander London clubs, while much of the furniture was specially commissioned for the house.

The house reputedly contains more than ninety rooms.

Alexander’s neighbours suggested he might be over-spending but he assured them of his imminent return to make an even larger fortune in Hong Kong.

Unfortunately, he caught sun-stroke fishing on Temple House Lake and died in 1866, leaving a widow with a large young family and rather less capital than his heirs would have liked to maintain their vast new home.

But they did survive and today the estate comprises 1,200 acres of pasture, woodland, lake and bog, and is home to Alexander’s great-great-great grandson Roderick, along with his wife Helena and their family, the thirteenth and fourteenth generations in almost continuous occupation since the late sixteenth century.

First published in May, 2020. Select bibliography: Irish Historic Houses Association.

Annaghmore House

THE O'HARAS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 21,070 ACRES

CORMAC O'HARA (c1546-1612), of Collooney, County Sligo, married Una, daughter of _____ Gallagher, of County Galway, and had issue,

TEIGE, of whom hereafter;
Cormac, of Mollane;
Catherine; Annabella.

Mr O'Hara was succeeded by his eldest son,

TEIGE 'BOY' O'HARA (c1576-c1636), of Leiny, County Sligo, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1608, who wedded Sheela, daughter of _____ O'Rourke.

Mr O'Hara had issue, two sons, of whom the elder, Teige, of Collooney, born in 1612, died unmarried in 1634.

The younger son,

KEAN O'HARA (c1606-75), of Collooney and Annaghmore, County Sligo, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1665, succeeding his brother Teige in the family possessions, espoused firstly, Anne, daughter of Sir Adam Loftus, Knight, and widow of Richard, son and heir of Sir Lawrence Parsons, Knight, of Birr, and had issue,

ADAM, of Annaghmore;
CHARLES, died unmarried.

Mr O'Hara wedded secondly Rose, widow of William Crofton, daughter and heir of John Newman, of Dublin, by whom he had a son,

KEAN O'HARA, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1703, who succeeded to the family estates on the death of his two elder brothers without male issue.

He married Eleanor, daughter of Theobald Mathew, and sister of George Mathew, of Thomastown, County Tipperary.

Mr Kean O'Hara made a settlement to himself, for life, with remainder to his son and sons in tail male of the said estates.

By his said wife he had issue,

CHARLES, of whom presently;
Kean, of Kinsally, Co Dublin;
Adam.

The eldest son,

CHARLES O'HARA (1715-76), of Annaghmore, MP for Ballynakill, 1761-8, Armagh Borough, 1769-76, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1740, wedded, ca 1740, the Lady Mary Carmichael, eldest daughter of James, 2nd Earl of Hyndford, and sister of the Most Rev Dr William Carmichael, Lord Archbishop of Dublin.

By his wife he had issue two sons, the younger of whom, Captain William O'Hara RN, died unmarried.

The elder son,

CHARLES O'HARA (1746-1822), of Nymphsfield and Annaghmore, MP for Dungannon, 1776-83, County Sligo, 1783-1800, and one of the Governors of that county, wedded Margaret, daughter and heir of Dr John Cookson, of Yorkshire, and had issue,

CHARLES KING O'HARA;
Mary;
JANE FRANCES, of whom presently;
Charlotte.

The only son,

CHARLES KING O'HARA, of Annaghmore, born in 1785, who, by his will, devised his estates to his nephew, Charles Cooper, on condition that he should take the surname and quarter the arms of O'HARA.

Mr Charles O'Hara's second daughter,

MISS JANE FRANCES O'HARA, espoused, in 1810, Arthur Brooke Cooper, of Cooper's Hill, County Sligo, son of Arthur Cooper, of Cooper's Hill, by Sarah his wife, daughter of Guy Carleton, of Rossfad, County Fermanagh, and grandson, by Jane Cunningham his wife, of William Cooper, of Cooper's Hill, who was descendant of the same family as Cooper of Markree.

Mrs Cooper died in 1874, aged 94, leaving issue, two sons and four daughters,

Arthur Brooke, dvp;
CHARLES WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Margaret Sarah; Mary Jane Caroline; Jane Henrietta; Charlotte Anne.

Mr Cooper died in 1854.

The second son,

CHARLES WILLIAM O'HARA JP DL (1817-98), of Annaghmore and Cooper's Hill, MP for Sligo County, 1859-65, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1849, married, in 1858, Annie Charlotte, eldest daughter of Richard Shuttleworth Streatfeild, of The Rocks, Uckfield, Sussex, and had issue,

CHARLES KEAN, his heir;
Arthur Cooper, of Cooper's Hill;
Richard Edward;
William Henry;
Henry Streatfeild;
Alexander Perceval;
FREDERICK WILLIAM;
Errill Robert;
Charlotte Jane; Mary; Annie Frances; Emily Margaret; Jane Marian; Kathleen.

Mr O'Hara, whose patronymic was COOPER, assumed by royal licence, in 1860, the surname of O'HARA, in compliance with the testamentary injunction of his uncle, Charles King O'Hara, of Annaghmore.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES KEAN O'HARA OBE (1860-1947), of Annaghmore, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1886, Major, 3rd York and Lancaster Regiment.

Major O'Hara was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Sligo, from 1902 until 1922.

He was succeeded by his younger brother, Frederick William O’Hara (1875-1949), who in turn was succeeded by his son Donal Frederick O'Hara (1904-77).

Donal Frederick O'Hara passed on the estate to his eldest son, Dermot Charles O'Hara.

Durcan and Nicola O'Hara now live at Annaghmore.

Annaghmore House, Collooney, County Sligo, has been the principal seat of the O'Haras since medieval times.

An earlier house on the site had been demolished by 1684.

Its successor was replaced by the present house of ca 1820, known in the 18th and early 19th centuries as Nymphsfield.

Annaghmore comprises a two-storey, three-bay centre, and an Ionic portico with single-storey, two-bay wings.

It was considerably enlarged about 1860-70 by Charles William O'Hara in the same late-Georgian style.

The wings were raised by a storey and extended to the rear, thus giving the mansion a side elevation as high as the front, and as long or longer.

Annaghmore remains the home of the O'Hara family today.

The former schoolhouse has been restored by the Irish Georgian Society and can be rented.

First published in December, 2017.  Cooper-O'Hara arms courtesy of the NLI.

Markree Castle

THE COOPERS WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 34,120 ACRES

EDWARD COOPER (c1616-76), a cornet in Richard, Lord Collooney's regiment of dragoons, settling in Ireland, became possessed of a great estate in that kingdom.

Cornet Cooper was serving under Cromwell when his army defeated the mighty O’Brien Clan. O’Brien himself lost his life in this battle and Edward married his widow, Máire Rua (Red Mary). With her and her two sons he went to live at Luimneach Castle in Limerick, which is now a ruin. She had her two sons take the name of Cooper as protection from the English invaders.

Cromwell’s army marched on, further northwards in spite of the fact that he did not have the means to pay his officers. Instead, he gave them large pieces of land. Thus, he gave Markree Castle, near Collooney in County Sligo, and the surrounding grounds to Edward Cooper.

By Margaret his wife, daughter of Nicholas Mahon, of Ballinamulty, County Roscommon, he had issue,

Edward, dsp;
ARTHUR, his heir;
Richard;
Mary; Margaret.

The second son,

ARTHUR COOPER (1667-93), of Markree, County Sligo, heir to his brother Edward, married, ca 1693, Mary, daughter of Sir Joshua Allen, Knight, father of John, 1st Viscount Allen, and had issue,

JOSHUA, his heir;
Richard, dsp;
Mary; Elizabeth; Anne; Eleanor; Margaret.

The eldest son,

JOSHUA COOPER (c1696-1757), of Markree, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1718, MP for County Sligo, 1719-57, wedded, ca 1729, Mary, daughter of Richard Bingham, of Newbrook, County Mayo, and left two sons; the younger, Richard, of Bath; and the elder,

THE RT HON JOSHUA COOPER (1732-1800), of Markree, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1763, MP for Castlebar, 1761-8, County Sligo, 1768-83,  Privy Counsellor, who married Alicia, only daughter and heir of the Rt Rev Dr Edward Synge, Lord Bishop of Elphin, and had issue,

JOSHUA EDWARD, dsp;
Edward Synge, father of EDWARD JOSHUA;
Richard, dsp;
Jane, died unmarried.

Mr Cooper was succeeded by his grandson,

JOSHUA EDWARD COOPER (1762-1837), of Markree, MP for County Sligo, 1790-1800, who married twice, without male issue, and was succeeded by his nephew,

EDWARD JOSHUA COOPER (1798-1863), of Markree Castle, MP for County Sligo, 1830-41 and 1857-59, who married firstly, Sophia, third daughter of Henry P L'Estrange, of Moyestown, King's County, which lady dsp.

He married, secondly, Sarah Frances, daughter of Owen Wynne, of Haslewood, County Sligo, and had issue,

Laura Frances; Charlotte Sophie; Emma Marie; Selina Elizabeth; Cicely Florence.

Mr Cooper was succeeded by his nephew,

THE RT HON EDWARD HENRY COOPER JP DL (1827-1902), of Markree Castle, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1871, Lieutenant-Colonel, Grenadier Guards, who wedded, in 1858, Charlotte Maria, only child of Edward W Mills, of Hampshire, and had issue,

Francis Edward, father of BRYAN RICCO;
Richard Joshua, CVO;
Arthur Charles;
Kathleen Emily; Florence Lucy; Venetia Helen.

Colonel Cooper was succeeded by his grandson,

BRYAN RICCO COOPER TD JP DL (1884-1930), of Markree Castle, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1908, Dublin County, 1910, who espoused, in 1910, Marion Dorothy, elder daughter of Edward Stanley Handcock, of Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, and had issue, his eldest son,

EDWARD FRANCIS PATRICK COOPER, of Markree Castle (1912-), Lieutenant-Commander RN, who married, in 1937, Elizabeth Mary, daughter of the Ven Charles Philip Stuart Clarke; educated at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth; fought in 2nd World War; retired from the Navy in 1945.

His youngest son,

CHARLES PHILIP COOPER, of Markree Castle (b 1948), educated at St. Columba's College, Dublin, lived in 1976 at Newport, County Mayo; formerly in hotel management.

MARKREE CASTLE, Collooney, County Sligo, originally a 17th century house, was rebuilt a century later; and, in 1802, Joshua Cooper commissioned Francis Johnston to enlarge this house and transform it into a castellated mansion.

The Castle was completely transformed and greatly extended with a new garden front and tower.

In 1866, the Castle was further enlarged again by Lt-Col E H Cooper MP, who added a massive, battlemented tower, increasing the size of the dining-room. A Gothic chapel was built.

The interior has a straight flight of stone stairs which lead up to the main floor under the porte-cochere, beneath a vaulted ceiling.

Beyond is a vast, Victorian double-staircase of oak, lit by a heraldic stained-glass window illustrating the Cooper family tree, with ancestors and Monarchs.

The large drawing-room was re-decorated in the mid-1800s in an ornate Louis Quatorze style, with abundant gilding and portly putti in high-relief supporting cartouches and trailing swags of fruit and flowers.

Brief Family History

Times remained turbulent and during an attempt by JAMES I to regain the throne, Markree Castle was occupied by the Catholic army and the Coopers had to flee.

After the battle of the Boyne in 1690, they returned and have been resident here ever since, except for a brief period during the Irish Civil War in the 1920s when Markree was again occupied, this time by the Irish Free State army.

The family was always politically involved and several ancestors represented the county at Westminster.

They did not always follow party policy (maybe because they were descended from the O’Briens) and opposed the Act of Union, which sought to dissolve the parliament in Dublin and centralise power in London, in 1802.

The Coopers’ opposition to the Act of Union cost them the peerage that they had been promised and it is for this reason that Markree is one of the very few castles in Ireland that is not owned by a titled family.

In 1922, the grandfather of the current owner, Charles Cooper, was one of the two members of the Westminster Parliament who were also elected as a TD to the first Irish Parliament after independence.

After the 2nd World War, Markree Castle fell on hard times and it stood empty and derelict for many years.

In the early 1980s it appeared on the front cover of a book entitled Vanishing Houses of Ireland, a testament to the sad state of decay in which many of Ireland’s great houses found themselves.

In 1989, Charles Cooper, having worked in the hotel business all his life, came back to Markree to renovate the castle and run it as a hotel.

Each generation left its mark on the estate, but the castle, as we can see it today, dates from 1802 with some changes made, mainly to the interior, in 1896.

Walking around the outside of the Castle you can see dates of completion carved in stone on the walls.

The stained glass window in the hall traces the Cooper family tree from Victorian times back to the time of King John.

The restaurant is an architectural masterpiece designed by Francis Johnston and executed by Italian craftsmen.

A conservation area, the estate holds an array of wild life from red squirrels, to otters, to kingfishers. It has proved inspirational and the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful was written here in the 1800s.

At the heart of Yeats’ Country, the poet W.B. Yeats was a guest here when the Castle was still a private residence.

More recently, the singer-songwriter Johnny Cash and the golfer Tom Watson have stayed there.

In June, 2015, the 300-acre Markree Castle estate was acquired by the Corscadden family for an undisclosed sum.

The property underwent a €5 million restoration prior to re-opening in the spring of 2016.

First published in June, 2011.

Classiebawn Castle

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

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

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

This Edywn left a son,

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

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

Be this, however, as it may,

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

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

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

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

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

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

ANTHONY TEMPLE, who was father of

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WILLIAM;
JOHN.

Sir John's younger son,

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

HENRY, his successor;
John.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

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

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

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

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

His lordship was succeeded by his grandson,

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

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

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

He was succeeded by his elder son,

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

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

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

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

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

The Castle was designed by Rawson Carroll.

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

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

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

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

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

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

First published in April, 2012.

Lisheen House

THE PHIBBSES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 10,507 ACRES

The earliest record of this family is found in a list of names of subscribers to a loan raised in 1589, during the reign of ELIZABETH I, to defray expenses incurred during the arming of the country at the time of the threatened Spanish Armada.

The name there appears as PHILLIPS, as it also does in the official list of High Sheriffs for County Sligo, as late as 1716, where Matthew Phibbs, of Templevaney, is styled Matthew Phillips. 

Of this family two brothers came over to Ireland as soldiers about 1590. From records now existing in Trinity College, Dublin, they are found on half-pay, in 1616 and 1619, under the name of PHIPPS, a name that some of the younger branches of the family resumed about 1765. Of these two, William settled in County Cork, in the south-west of which county the name existed as ffibbs.

The elder of the two,

RICHARD PHIPPS, who served under Sir Tobias Caulfeild, and was pensioned as a maimed soldier in 1619, settled at Kilmainham, Dublin, where he died in 1629, and was buried at St James's Church.

He had issue,

RICHARD, of whom presently;
John, living in County Sligo, 1663;
Edward;
Hester; Jane; Sarah; Rebecca.

The eldest son,

RICHARD PHIBBS or FFIBS, of Coote's Horse, who was granted land in County Sligo, 1659, and served in Captain Francis King's troop of horse in Lord Collooney's regiment.

He died in 1670, and was interred in St John's Church, Dublin, having had issue,

MATTHEW, of Templevaney;
William, of Grange.

The elder son,

MATTHEW PHIBBS (1660-1738), of Templevaney, and afterwards of Rockbrook, County Sligo, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1716, had issue, four sons and two daughters,

WILLIAM, of Rathbrook and Rathmullen;
Richard;
Robert;
Matthew;
Anne; Margaret.

Mr Phibbs died in 1738, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM PHIBBS (1696-1775), of Rockbrook and Rathmullen, married, in 1717, Mary, only daughter of John Harlow, of Rathmullen, by whom he had twenty-one children, including

Harlow;
Matthew;
WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Mary; Anne; Joanna; Rebecca; Eleanor.

The second surviving son,

WILLIAM PHIBBS (1738-1801), of Hollybrook, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1781, wedded, in 1768, Jane, daughter of Owen Lloyd, of Rockville, County Roscommon, by whom he had ten children, of whom

William, 1771-2;
William, 1773-97;
OWEN, of whom presently;
Susan; Mary.

Mr Phibbs was succeeded by his only surviving son,

OWEN PHIBBS (1776-1829), of Merrion Square, Dublin, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1804, who espoused, in 1798, Anne, daughter of Thomas Ormsby, of Ballimamore, County Mayo, and had issue,

WILLIAM, of Seafield;
Ormsby;
Owen;
Elizabeth; Jane; Maria.

Mr Phibbs was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM PHIBBS (1803-81), of Seafield, County Sligo, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1833, 11th Light Dragoons, who married, in 1840, Catherine, daughter of George Meares Maunsell, of Ballywilliam, County Limerick, and had issue,

OWEN, his heir;
George;
William;
Catherine; Anne; Edythe Frances.

Mr Phibbs was succeeded by his eldest son,

OWEN PHIBBS JP DL (1842-1914), of Lisheen (name changed in 1904), High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1884, Lieutenant, 6th Dragoon Guards, who wedded, in 1866, Susan, daughter of William Talbot-Crosbie, of Ardfert Abbey, County Kerry, and had issue,

BASIL, his heir;
William Talbot;
Owen;
Darnley.

Mr Phibbs was succeeded by his eldest son,

BASIL PHIBBS, (1867-1938), of Corradoo, Boyle, and Lisheen, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1905, who married, in 1899, Rebekah Wilbraham, youngest daughter of Herbert Wilbraham Taylor, of Hadley Bourne, Hertfordshire, and had issue,

GEOFFREY BASIL;
Denis William;
Richard Owen Neil;
Catherine Meave.

Mr Phibbs was succeeded by his eldest son,

GEOFFREY BASIL PHIBBS (1900-56), of Lisheen,

Born in Norfolk; Irish Guards; worked variously as demonstrator in College of Science; librarian; factory-worker in London and school-teacher in Cairo;worked with Nancy Nicholson at the Poulk (Hogarth) Press.

Mr Phibbs married Norah McGuinness in London.

He subsequently changed his name to TAYLOR, following his father’s refusal to "allow his wife over the threshold".

He lived in a Georgian house in Tallaght, County Dublin.

Denis William Phibbs inherited the house and some of the lands, which he sold to Isaac Beckett of Ballina for £1,400 ~ less than one third of the original construction price.

Beckett later sold the house to a builder, John Sisk.

In 1944, the Becketts sold the lands they owned to George Lindsay.

Other lands on the Phibbs estate were bought by the Lindsay and McDermott families.

LISHEEN HOUSE (formerly Seafield), near Ballysadare, County Sligo, although now in a ruinous state, casts an impressive presence on the landscape.

Many clues as to its original state survive, including some fine stonework to the facades, chimneys, and openings.

This was clearly a house rich in history and skilfully designed.

The Sligo architect John Benson, who designed the house, was knighted for designing the building at the Dublin Exhibition of 1853.

Lisheen is a two-storey rendered house, built ca 1842, now ruinous.

Symmetrical main elevations, extensive vegetation growth internally and externally; roof collapsed; remains of chimney-stacks survive; section of moulded eaves cornice survives.
 

Painted smooth-rendered walling, horizontal banding between floors, plain pilasters to corners, moulded dado, ashlar limestone plinth.

Square-headed full-height window openings, moulded architraves, entablatures supported on console brackets, all evidence of timber windows missing.

No evidence of entrance doors survive; all internal finishes and features removed; remote location in fields.

First published in November, 2012.