Princess Royal at Balmoral Show

The Princess Royal, President, this morning attended the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth's Annual General Meeting, Royal Ulster Agricultural Society Show-ground, Balmoral Park, Maze, Lisburn, and was received by Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast (Mrs Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle CBE).

Her Royal Highness this afternoon visited Royal Ulster Agricultural Society's Balmoral Show.

Belfast DL

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANT

Mrs Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle CBE, Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast,  has been pleased to appoint:-

SELLAR, Very Rev Dr Francis Paul

Belfast

To be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County Borough his Commission bearing date the 30th day of April 2018


Signed : Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle CBE, Lord Lieutenant of the County Borough

New DLs

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANTS

Mr David Lindsay, Lord-Lieutenant of County Down, has been pleased to appoint

• Miss Amanda Fiona C BLACKMORE, Greyabbey;
• Mr Noel LAMB, Downpatrick;
• Mrs Sara Caroline P C McCORKELL, Dromore;

To be Deputy Lieutenants of the County

David Lindsay
Lord Lieutenant of the County

Castle Saunderson Visit

I paid a fleeting visit to Castle Saunderson on the 22nd July, 2013.

It reminded me somehow of Crom Castle in neighbouring
County Fermanagh.

Wasn’t it designed by the same architect?

The mansion is roofless and ruinous, alas; once the nucleus of a great estate in County Cavan.

The Saunderson arms adorn a section of the wall.

First published in July, 2013.

BBC iPlayer Abroad

Regular readers shall be cognizant that I seldom broadcast my opinion via the medium of this blog nowadays.

An issue, however, has caused me some irritation, viz. the ability, or inability, of BBC Licence Fee Payers to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, legitimately.

Of course we have VPNs.

I am well aware of them.

I do think it would be gracious of the Corporation to afford the reception of  their iPlayer abroad to licence fee payers.

They have been telling us for ages that they’re working on it.

Well, Lord Hall, get a ruddy move on!

Joyous News

Today has been one of those special days in the British calendar of events, viz. the safe birth of a healthy new Prince of the United Kingdom; and two new appointments to the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

I am naturally overjoyed for TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; Her Majesty, who has another great-grandson; and the Royal Family as a whole.

Of course I had no idea that Alan, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough, would be appointed to the Garter.

His grandfather, Sir Basil Brooke Bt, the 1st Viscount, was installed as a Knight of that Most Noble Order  in 1965.

Now we have two Knights of the Garter resident in Northern  Ireland, namely James, Duke of Abercorn, and Lord Brookeborough.

I send cordial congratulations to Lord Brookeborough on what is the highest order of chivalry in this kingdom.

The Abercorns and Brookeboroughs have a distinguished and honourable record of dedicated service to sovereigns and the crown.

Ducal Accounts

The Secret Rooms is a factual book written by Catherine Bailey about John, 9th Duke of Rutland.

The 9th Duke's life changed when his elder brother, Lord Haddon, Lord and Lady Granby's eldest son and therefore heir-presumptive to the dukedom, died aged only nine years old, following an accident.

The Dukes of Rutland were one of the wealthiest noble families in the realm.

In 1899, the wage roll of Henry, the 8th Duke, was £900,000, about £98,000,000 at today's values.

At Belvoir Castle, the Duke employed

• Groom of Chambers; 
• House Steward; 
• Usher of the Hall; 
• chef; 
• pastry chef; 
• confectioner; 
• plate butler; 
• clockman; 
• steward's-room boy; 
• housemaids; 
• kitchen maids; 
• scullery maids; 
• footmen; 
• odd-job men; 
• porters.

Outside the Castle, many more staff were in the employ of the Duke, including

• grooms; 
• stable lads; 
• dairy maids; 
• studmen; 
• brewers; 
• rat-catchers; 
• mole-catchers; 
• millers; 
• mechanics; 
• gardeners; 
• groundsmen; 
• gamekeepers; 
• river-keepers; 
• huntsmen; 
• kennelmen; 
• slaughterman; 
• stockmen; 
• horsemen; 
• farm-hands; 
• woodsmen

The Belvoir Estate cost £13,000 per annum to maintain, equivalent to about £2,000,000 in today's values.

First published in July, 2013.  Rutland arms courtesy of European Heraldry.