Wednesday 6 November 2024

The Rawdon Baronetcy

The illustrious family of RAWDON deduced its pedigree from Paulinus de Rawdon, to whom WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR granted considerable estates by the following deed:-
I, King William, in the third year of my reign, give to Paulinus Rawdon, Hope and Hopetown, with all the boundaries both up and down, from heaven to earth, from earth to hell, for you and your heir to dwell, as truly as this kingdom in mine; for a crossbow and an arrow, when I shall come to hunt on Yarrow; and in token that this thing is true, I bite the white wax with my tooth, before Meg, Maud, and Margery, and my third son, Henry.
This Paulinus, or Paulyn, commanded a band of archers in the Norman invading army, and derived his surname of RAWDON from the lands of that denomination, near Leeds, which constituted a portion of the royal grant.

From this successful soldier lineally sprang (nineteenth in descent), through a line of eminent ancestors,

GEORGE RAWDON (1604-84), only son of Francis Rawdon, of Rawdon, who settled in Ulster, and took an active part, as a military commander, during the Irish rebellion of 1641; and subsequently, until his decease, in 1684, in the general affairs of that Province.

Mr Rawdon was created a baronet in 1665, designated of Moira, County Down.

Sir George married firstly, in 1639, Ursula, daughter of Sir Francis Stafford, of Bradney, Shropshire, and widow of Francis Hill, of Hillhall, by whom he had no surviving issue.

He wedded secondly, in 1654, Dorothy, eldest daughter of Edward, 2nd Viscount Conway, by whom he had,
Edward;
John, a military man; killed in France, 1656;
ARTHUR, his successor;
Dorothy; Brilliana; Mary.
Sir George was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

SIR ARTHUR RAWDON, 2nd Baronet (1662-95), MP for County Down, 1692, who espoused Helena, daughter and heir of Sir James Graham, and granddaughter of William, Earl of Menteith, and had, with a daughter, Isabella, married to Sir Richard Levinge Bt, an only son,

SIR JOHN RAWDON, 3rd Baronet (1690-1724), MP for County Down, 1717-24, who wedded, in 1717, Dorothy, second daughter of Sir Richard Levinge Bt, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, by whom he had, with other children, his successor,

SIR JOHN RAWDON, 4th Baronet (1720-93), High Sheriff of County Down, 1749, was elevated to the peerage, in 1750, in the dignity of Baron Rawdon, of Moira, County Down.

His lordship was further advanced to an earldom, in 1762, as EARL OF MOIRA.

His lordship espoused firstly, in 1741, Helena, youngest daughter of John, Earl of Egmont, by whom he had two daughters, Catherine and Helena.

The 1st Earl married secondly, in 1746, Anne, daughter of Trevor, 1st Viscount Hillsborough, by whom he had no issue; and thirdly, in 1752, the Lady Elizabeth Hastings, eldest daughter Theophilus, 9th Earl of Huntingdon, who inherited the baronies of Hastings etc upon the demise of her brother Francis, 10th Earl of Huntingdon, without issue, 1789.

By this last union his lordship had issue,
FRANCIS, his successor;
John Theophilus;
Selina Frances; Charlotte Adelaide Constantia; Anne Elizabeth.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS EDWARD, 2nd Earl (1754-1826), KG GCB etc, MP for Randalstown, 1781-3, a gallant soldier, an eloquent senator, and a popular statesman, who wedded, in 1804, the Lady Flora Mure-Campbell, suo jure Countess of Loudoun, only daughter of James, 5th Earl of Loudoun, and had issue,
GEORGE AUGUSTUS FRANCIS, his successor;
Flora Elizabeth, Lady of the Bedchamber to HRH The Duchess of Kent;
Sophia Frederica Christina; Selina Constance; Adelaide Augusta Lavinia.
His lordship inherited, upon the demise of his mother, in 1808, the ancient baronies of Hastings, Hungerford, etc; and was created, in 1816, Viscount Loudoun, Earl of Rawdon, and MARQUESS OF HASTINGS.

He had been previously created a peer of Great Britain, 1783, in the dignity of Baron Rawdon, of Rawdon, Yorkshire.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

GEORGE AUGUSTUS FRANCIS, 2nd Marquess (1808-44), who espoused, in 1831, Barbara, suo jure 20th Baroness Grey de Ruthyn, daughter of Henry, 19th Baron Grey de Ruthyn, and had issue,
PAULYN REGINALD SERLO, his successor;
HENRY WEYSFORD CHARLES PLANTAGENET, 4th Marquess;
Edith Maud; Bertha Lelgarde; Victoria Maria Louisa; Frances Augusta Constance Muir.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

PAULYN REGINALD SERLO, 3rd Marquess (1832-51), who died unmarried, when the family honours devolved upon his brother,

HENRY WEYSFORD CHARLES PLANTAGENET, 4th Marquess (1842-68), who married, in 1864, the Lady Florence Cecilia Paget, daughter of Henry, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey.

His lordship died in 1868 without issue, when the marquessate expired.

Former seats ~ Donington Hall, Leicestershire; Rawdon Hall, Yorkshire; Loudoun Castle, Ayrshire; Moira, County Down; Montalto, County Down.

First published in March, 2011. Rawdon arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Tuesday 5 November 2024

Ballygally Castle

JAMES SHAW established himself in the early 1600s at Greenock, Renfrewshire.

In 1605, his son,

JOHN or JAMES SHAW, and Patrick Montgomery, were appointed attorneys to act on behalf of Hugh Montgomery, in the division of Con O’Neill’s estate.

This John or James is described in The Montgomery Manuscripts as one of Hugh Montgomery’s ‘prime friends’.

In 1606, one of the first members of the family to accompany Sir Hugh Montgomery to Ulster was his wife’s uncle,

PATRICK SHAW, who later became laird of Kelsoland (Greenock).

The Montgomerys and Shaws were closely related through marriage: Sir Hugh married James Shaw’s eldest daughter Elizabeth.

Sir Hugh’s sister, Jean, married Patrick Shaw (second son of John Shaw, of Greenock).

As the Scots settlement in east Ulster expanded, some of the original Montgomery tenants moved to County Antrim.

James Shaw (possibly the John Shaw mentioned above) and his wife, Isabella Brisbane, moved to Ballygally, near Larne, County Antrim.

After Shaw came to Ballygally in 1613, he came into possession of a sub-grant of land, at the low rent of 24 pounds per annum, from the Earl of Antrim.

It was on this land that Ballygally Castle was built, in 1625.

In 1657, the Shaws acquired the Brisbane Estate (James Shaw, son of James Shaw of Ballygally, married his cousin, Elizabeth Brisbane).


BALLYGALLY CASTLE, near Larne, County Antrim, is a four-storey, rectangular tower in Scottish style with a steeply-pitched roof.

There are cone-topped corner bartizans and gable lucernes.

The walls are of a rough-cast render, though some stonework is exposed.

Over the main entrance door, leading to the tower, is a carved stone tablet bearing the date 1625, and the legend God's Providence Is My Inheritance.


It is likely that the original tower-house was more extensive than the current remains of the ancient Castle indicate.

It served as a place of refuge for protestants during the civil wars.

During the rebellion of 1641 the Irish garrison, stationed at Glenarm, tried, on many occasions, to take the castle, though they never succeeded in gaining entry.

Ballygally passed through many troubles and was used again as a fortress in the 18th Century.

Towards the mid-18th Century, considerable additions were made to the castle.

Henry Shaw married a Miss Hamilton, accompanied by her two sisters, all of whom resided at the castle.

In 1799, William Shaw, the last member of the family to live at the castle, succeeded to the estate.


In the early 1800s, the Shaws lost their lands and wealth, and the estate was sold to the Agnews for £15,400.

Anna Shaw, of Ballygally, was married to Patrick Agnew, who died in 1667

At one time it was known as Shaw's Castle.

The castle, for some years, served as a coastguard station; then became the residence of the Rev Classon Porter and his family, who lived there for many years.


It was subsequently acquired by the Moore family who, in turn, sold Ballygally to Mr Cyril Lord in the early 1950s.

Mr Lord refurbished it as a hotel.

The hotelier Sir William Hastings, CBE, purchased Ballygally Castle Hotel from Mr Lord in 1966 for £40,000.

*****

WHEN BALLYGALLY CASTLE was built, it was known that Ulster was unsettled, so the castle was designed as a place of defence as well as one of residence.

This is a 17th century plantation castle, largely unchanged and intact, apart from sash windows.

It was originally constructed mostly local stone, in the style of a French chateau, with high walls, a steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets.

The walls were about five feet thick, with loopholes for musketry.

The stairs were built of stone, and spiral in construction.

Through the outer hall ran an open stream of water for the use of the inhabitants, in case of siege; and above the dormer windows were carvings, still traceable today.

Outside were originally two courtyards, one surrounded by high walls; the other inside the higher walls.

The inner courtyard was marked by two stone pillar mounted with round stone balls.

Inside the courtyard were stables, coach houses, byres, sheep pens, a brew-house and dovecot.

Outside the courtyard there was a wash-house and a scutching-mill and, in the little glen on the other side of the river, was a corn mill.


Today, Ballygally Castle is much enlarged and modernised with 54 en suite bedrooms.

Nevertheless, the old castle has been preserved and retains many of its original features, including several turreted bedrooms.

First published in October, 2012.

New Fermanagh DL


APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANT 


The Viscount Brookeborough KG, Lord-Lieutenant of County Fermanagh, has been pleased to appoint:
Ms Noelle Mary McAlinden
Enniskillen
County Fermanagh 
To be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County her Commission bearing date the 8th day of October 2024

Lord Lieutenant of the County.

Monday 4 November 2024

Ballinacourty House

THE MASSY-DAWSONS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TIPPERARY, WITH
19,093 ACRES

The first of this noble family that settled in Ireland was
 
GENERAL HUGH MASSY, who had a military command to repress the rebellion of 1641.
The family of Massy derive their name from the town and ancient lordship of Massy, in Normandy, their place of residence at the time Normandy was conquered by Rollo, 1st Duke of Normandy, in the year 876, at which period they were styled lords of Massy.
HAMON DE MASSEY was created one of the eight temporal peers of Chester, by the title of Baron of  Dunham Massey, by Hugh Lupus, earl palatine of that county.
The General married Margaret Percy, and had a son,

HUGH MASSY, of Duntrileague, County Limerick, who wedded Amy, daughter of John Benson, and had issue,
HUGH, his heir;
John;
William;
CHARLES (Very Rev), Dean of Limerick, ancestor of the Massy Baronets;
Margaret; Amy.
The eldest son,

COLONEL HUGH MASSY, of Duntrileague, born in 1685, married Elizabeth, daughter of the Rt Hon George Evans, and had issue,
HUGH, of whom we treat;
George (Ven), Archdeacon of Ardfert;
John, killed in a duel;
Godfrey, in holy orders;
William, m Mary, daughter of Eyre Evans, of Portrane;
EYRE, 1st BARON CLARINA;
Charles;
Mary; Amy; Elizabeth; Catherine.
The eldest son,

HUGH MASSY, born in 1700, having represented County Limerick in several parliaments, was elevated to the peerage, in 1776, in the dignity of BARON MASSY, of Duntrileague, County Limerick.

His lordship espoused firstly, Mary, daughter and heir of James Dawson, of Ballinacourty, County Tipperary, and had issue,
Hugh, his heir;
JAMES, of whom we treat;
John;
Elizabeth.
His lordship's second son,

THE HON JAMES MASSY, born in 1736, assumed the additional surname of DAWSON after that of MASSY.

This gentleman married Mary, daughter of John Leonard, and left a son and two daughters, namely,
JAMES HEWITT, of whom presently;
Elizabeth;
Maria.
Mr Massy-Dawson's only son,

JAMES HEWITT MASSY-DAWSON (1779-1834), of Ballinacourty, MP for Clonmel, 1820-30, married, in 1800, Eliza Jane, daughter of Francis Dennis, and had issue,
JAMES, (1802-37), died unmarried;
FRANCIS DENNIS (1803-70);
John, in holy orders;
Charles, in the army;
GEORGE STAUNTON KING, of whom hereafter;
Mary; Anna; Elizabeth; Isabella; Louisa; Adelaide; Helena.
Mr Massy-Dawson's youngest son,

GEORGE STAUNTON KING MASSY-DAWSON JP DL (1816-97), of Ballinacourty, High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1854, espoused firstly, in 1854, Grace Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Edward Leeson, and had issue,
JAMES, his heir;
GEORGE HENRY EDWARD, succeeded his brother;
Maira; Grace; Louisa.
He married secondly, in 1869, Harriett Sophia, daughter of Walter Steele; and thirdly, in 1893, Eliza, daughter of the Rev James Rynd.

Mr Massy-Dawson was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES MASSY-DAWSON (1857-91), who wedded, in 1886, Alice Matilda Jones, though the marriage was without issue, and he was succeeded by his brother,

GEORGE HENRY EDWARD MASSY-DAWSON JP (1864-1916), of Ballinacourty, who wedded, in 1894, Rosalie Margaretta, daughter of Jean Hunziker, though the marriage was without issue.


Lineage of Dawson

JOHN DAWSON, of Sutterby, Lincolnshire, at the time of the Rebellion, actively employed himself in the service of CHARLES I, and therein raised a troop of horse, under the command of William, Marquess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (afterwards 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne).

This gentleman later followed the fortunes of CHARLES II and eventually retired into Ireland, applying himself to the practice of the Law, wherein he omitted no fit opportunity to advance the interest and restoration of his royal master.

The services of Mr Dawson were not unrewarded:
On the re-establishment of the monarchy, he received from the crown, in 1666, a grant of land in County Tipperary exceeding 2,900 acres, including the castle of Ballinacourty.
In 1703, James Dawson, of Ballinacourty, purchased land in the baronies of Coonagh and Clanwilliam, County Limerick, and Clanwilliam, County Tipperary, part of the confiscated estate of JAMES II.


BALLINACOURTY HOUSE, at the Glen of Aherlow, County Tipperary, originally the home of the Dawson family, passed by marriage to the Massy family, thereby becoming the seat of the Massy-Dawsons in the 18th and 19th centuries.

This was a plain, two-storey, cut-stone house with a polygonal, pyramidal-roofed tower; since demolished.

The Rev John Massy-Dawson occupied Ballinacourty from his father's death until his own death in 1850.

The original house was destroyed during the troubles in 1922, and became ruinous by the mid 20th century.

The old stable block has been converted into a guest-house and restaurant. 

Massy arms courtesy of European Heraldry.    First published in April, 2012.

Sunday 3 November 2024

Belle Isle: Epilogue

Esmond Brown with Lavinia Baird at Belleisle Courtyard, 1972

JULIAN BROWN'S FINAL INSTALLMENT ABOUT LIFE AT BELLE ISLE, AND FOND MEMORIES OF NICHOLAS PORTER AND LAVINIA BAIRD


It was quite by chance, when browsing on the Internet one evening, that I came across your blog and article about Belle Isle.

It was extraordinary that I should stumble upon it at that time, for the article had only just been posted. 

I made contact with your good self and explained I had been brought up in Belle Isle Castle.

I was most surprised by your interest.

I owe you a real debt of gratitude for the encouragement that I should share some of my recollections and you have been very kind in publishing a number of these articles.

I had been meaning for years to put down on paper all that I remembered of what had been an extraordinary upbringing and you have given me the push I needed to do just that.

 I am the only one who remains from that period, with the exception of my brother Gerald who came on the scene from 1959 onwards.

I have decided to make this my last article.

I want to stop before someone asks me to shut up!

I thought it would be appropriate that these last recollections should be about Nicholas Porter, Lavinia Baird and Belle Isle itself.


*****

NICHOLAS HENRY ARCHDALE PORTER

Nicholas Porter had been educated at public school in England.

As a young man, he had worked with horses in Argentina.

When World War One broke out, Nicholas returned and fought alongside his elder brother, John Grey Porter. 

They were posted together with the 9th Lancers.

Nicholas’s brother was second-in-command but was killed in a battle at Cambria.

Nicholas was shot in the same action and lost the use of one of his arms, but survived.

Nicholas also had a younger brother, William Waucoup; and two sisters, Audley Josephine and Coralie, better known as Cosie.

William Waucoup died at Belle Isle when he was aged fifteen, from appendicitis.

Of Nicholas’s sisters, Audley Josephine married James Baird, a Scottish landowner from Fife; and her daughter, Lavinia, became the next heiress to Belle Isle. 

The estate was entailed, Nicholas Porter had no children and, ultimately, Lavinia succeeded him in 1973.

The second sister, Coralie, married twice. Her first husband was Sir Merrick Burrell

There are photographs of the glittering wedding party at Belle Isle around 1920.

Coralie’s second marriage was to Captain Richard Outram Hermon of Necarne Castle in Irvinestown (formally Castle Irvine), who’s own history became closely associated with Belle Isle in later years.

Nicholas had become the heir to Belle Isle upon the death of his elder brother, John Grey, and inherited in the 1930s when his father, John Porter Porter, died. 

By this time the demesne of Belle Isle had reduced to around 450 acres.

Nicholas had been married as a young man but his wife, Amy Gunther, died in the 1930s.

He never remarried.

*****

MY PERSONAL MEMORIES OF NICHOLAS PORTER



Nicholas was every inch the country gentleman, a very courteous and charming man.

He was typically dressed in tweeds and always wore a tie and jacket.

Nicholas sported a moustache and beard, had a sunny disposition, a twinkle in his eyes and was liked throughout the county. 

He always carried a very large, brightly coloured silk handkerchief and was known to produce one with a flourish in St Michael’s Church at Derrybrusk on Sundays and blow his nose loudly, much to the amusement of the assembled congregation!

The Belle Isle Pew was at the front of the church on the left hand side.

As a child I often accompanied Mr Porter to church and sat with him.

Not by choice, I might add, but it was one of the things Mr Porter was particular about. 

With the exception of Nicholas Porter, the Belle Isle household was not a church-going one.

I think he saw me as a young heathen, in need of Christian instruction, and I was marched off to church on a regular basis!

Nicholas's sneezes and nose-blowing used to make me squirm in church because I knew all eyes were looking at our backs.

Nicholas, however, was blissfully unaware of the effect this simple act caused.

He was confident and secure in his position and gave the service his full attention!

Nicholas Porter was easy going and had a tolerant and understanding nature: The matter of attending church was an exception.

He did have one other eccentricity: he would sometimes insist that every young person who happened to be on the Island of Belle Isle salute him if he drove past in his Land Rover or car. 

Other times he did not bother!

On one occasion, walking home from school and self-absorbed, I neglected to salute and received a severe ticking off - not from him directly but from my mother, to whom he had complained.

I did, however, have an affectionate relationship with Nicholas Porter as a boy.

I would tramp round the fields with him when he went on his regular inspections around the place at that time.

He often walked round the fields and took a great interest in everything that was going on. 

He would sometimes take me into Lisbellaw, the village a few miles distant from the castle, in his Land Rover when he drove there to pick up his newspapers.

Almost inevitably he would buy me some sweets in Nawn's

He was always good to me and I spent a lot of time in his company when I was small.

I often went to talk to him in the morning- room at Belle Isle Castle where he had his desk and wireless.

It was his favourite room and the one he used most of all.

*****

LAVINIA ENID MURIEL BAIRD

Nicholas Henry Archdale Porter was without issue.

The estate of Belle Isle had been entailed for three generations.

The third generation and Nicholas’s heiress was his niece, Lavinia Baird.

Lavinia’s father was William James Baird, of Elie, Fife in Scotland.

Her mother was Audley Josephine Porter, Nicholas Porter’s sister, who had been raised at Belle Isle. William and Audley were married in 1918.

William was a member of the Baird shipping family and he inherited the Elie Estate at Fife in Scotland. 

William James and Audley Josephine were divorced after eighteen years in 1936. Lavinia, who had been born in 1923, was fifteen years old when her parents parted.

Audley Josephine relocated to Rutlandshire.

Lavinia was brought up at Elie and subsequently in Rutlandshire.

In her adult life Lavinia became involved with St John’s Ambulance and was the County Superintendent of St John’s Ambulance Brigade between 1955 and 1957.

She was invested as an officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in 1956. 

She was also Staff Officer to the Superintendent in Charge between 1959 and 1960.

She worked closely with Lady Mountbatten.

I recall my mother telling me Lavinia had been Lady Mountbatten’s aide-de-camp and travelled extensively with her all over the world. 

Lavinia apparently had dined at Buckingham Palace and was acquainted with the Queen.

Lavinia also kept a bolt-hole in London at Ashley Gardens.

*****

PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF LAVINIA BAIRD

The first I knew of Lavinia were comments overheard at Belle Isle at the time when her mother, Audley Josephine, died in 1952.

Lavinia was reputed, at that time, to have said “Oh, it is just one of those things!” 

The general opinion was that she must be a cold fish indeed! However, because Miss Baird was the heir to Belle Isle, she could not be ignored.

Large wooden crates started to arrive at Belle Isle in the 1950s.

These were deposited in the empty seventeenth century wing.

They contained items from the properties that Lavinia had sold in Scotland and Rutland and that she intended to relocate to Belle Isle.

My father was charged with unpacking some of them.

It was a delicate task for they contained, among other things, complete dinner services of enormous proportions and porcelain objects d’art.

I remember that in many instances they were lovely.

What I would not have appreciated at that time was that they were probably worth a fortune!

Lavinia had started to come and stay at Belle Isle regularly and these visits increased as the years went on.

She was installed in the blue bedroom overlooking the Lough and I was kept out of the way when I was little.

I remember hearing her voice which was very posh!

The most clipped and refined tones of the Queens English; a lazy, well-modulated drawl!

I eventually met Lavinia and she turned out to be very nice indeed.

She had a ready laugh, a terrific sense of humour and was as sharp as a needle!

She was genuinely interested in everything and everyone. 

She took a shine to my mother and my father had a great respect for her.

Lavinia became involved in Belle Isle many years before Nicholas Porter died and spent a lot of money on the fabric of Belle Isle even before she inherited it. 

Her involvement in the local farming community in Fermanagh is well documented, so I will not repeat those details here.

Instead here are some amusing anecdotes extracted from a chapter I have written about Lavinia Baird.

My mother, Pearl, and Miss Baird got on very well; Lavinia would follow my mother around as she worked, chatting away to her.

I wished I had taken more notice of the tales my mother told me at the time.

Lavinia could be heard from quite a distance, “what should we do with this Purll?” or “I rather like that, Purll, do you think it might do?” 

My mother’s name Pearl translated by Lavinia’s dulcet tones into Purll and sounded very grand!

My mother would invariably agree, “I think that is just right, Madam,” or something along those lines. 

It would be wrong to say my mother always agreed: she would give her opinion freely, but often she would go with the flow; she had learnt that ‘madam’ would do as she wanted anyway.

It was amusing to watch Lavinia and my mother together, for my mother would be trying to get on, or reach a point where she could nip out for a cigarette; however madam tended to follow her around...

Huge changes were made in the castle by Miss Baird: The old kitchen was replaced by a new one which was now located in what had been the old servants hall.

The logic behind this was that it was nearer the Gallery and Miss Baird wanted to make the gallery into her dining-room. 

The old dining-room became her drawing-room. Furniture was relocated on a grand scale and everything was moved.

The doors to the rooms in the front hall, and on the upstairs landings, were stripped down to bare wood.

Miss Baird was always talking about the ongoing renovations and asked me once what I thought of the stripped doors.

I was honest and said I did not think they suited the place. Madam was sniffy!

My mother said later that I should just have agreed that they were lovely; madam was going to do what she wanted anyway!

And finally an amusing story told by Miss Baird: on the occasion in question Miss Baird, my mother and I were standing in front of the old dining-room drinks' cupboard.

My mother had been doing some work in the dining-room and I was with her; Miss Baird had made an appearance and, after some general chit-chat, told us a tale concerning her grandmother Josephine Porter at Belle Isle in the past:- 

In the 1920s a house maid at Belle Isle was cause for concern, she appeared to be ‘slightly under the influence’ sometimes, but never bad enough for Mrs Josephine Porter, Nicholas Porter’s mother, or the Housekeeper, who at that time was Daisy McDougal, Dougie’s aunt, to be sure. 

She did her job well enough and could not be faulted but seemed to slur her words occasionally and miss the odd step!

And she smelt of onions!

The story was not exceptional but the telling was hilarious because the very aristocratic and well spoken Miss Baird adopted a slight stagger and started to slur her words, “I never did, madam. I don’t know what you can be thinking, I ain’t done nothing wrong.” 

The upshot of the story was that the maid had been taking the odd ‘nip’ and replacing the spirit with water.

As the need increased so did the watering! 

To the horror of Mrs Porter having dispensed drinks to guests on a social occasion in the 1920s the ruse came to light: "Did you put some water in my Gin, Josephine; I really think it is a bit orf!” 

Mrs Porter was mortified that she was serving watered drinks!

Needless to say the maid was dismissed and the spirit cupboard was locked from then on!

*****

THANK YOU for reading my little articles.

I hope they have provided some flavour of a time that has gone forever and trust that I have not disturbed the peace of those who have gone before. 

First published in April, 2010.

Saturday 2 November 2024

Hillsborough: A Victorian View

A SELECTIVE EXTRACT FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY GAZETTEER OF IRELAND, VOLUME II, 1844-5

THE mansion, garden and lawn of the MARQUESS OF DOWNSHIRE are situated on the west side of Hillsborough, County Down, and the demesne on the east.

The mansion, though a plain-looking structure, has a fine Grecian portico; the garden and lawn are extensive and well-kept; and the demesne comprises nearly 800 acres, and is embellished with artificial lakes, and agreeable plantations.

Hillsborough Fort (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2020)

Hillsborough Fort was built in the reign of CHARLES I by Sir Arthur Hill, the ancestor of the Marquesses of Downshire; it was afterwards constituted a royal fort, the hereditary constableship of which is held by Lord Downshire.

Hillsborough Fort (Image: William Alfred Green)

In 1690 it was occupied by WILLIAM III, while his army lay encamped on a neighbouring piece of ground called Blaris Moor.

The improvements of Lord Downshire are not only conspicuous in the village and the demesne, but extend across his large possessions in the vicinity, and in other parts of Ireland.

(Image: William Alfred Green)

Criticism has remarked that the whole Downshire property, or at least that part of it which concentrates at Hillsborough, has been disposed with a view rather to the profitable results of a good estate, rather than to the fine decorations of a picturesque landscape, and, in particular, that the beauty of the village would have been greater if the church, with its lofty spire, had been more highly elevated above the general level of the country, and the mansion, with its picturesque home-view, had been removed a little farther from the public road.

Yet whatever may be said about the demesne, the village acquires an almost aristocratic air from the proximity of the mansion, and seems as if caressed between the lawn and the park; and it enjoys the exquisite additional luxury of commanding a view of a great extent of rich and beautiful country, away even to the town and bay of Belfast.

First published in October, 2018.

Friday 1 November 2024

Dawson of Castledawson

The family of DAWSON was established in Ulster in 1611 by

CHRISTOPHER DAWSON, of Acorn Bank, Westmorland, who was father of the Rt Rev Robert Dawson (1589-1643), Lord Bishop of Clonfert, and

THOMAS DAWSON, of Temple Sowerby, Westmorland, who purchased the lands at Castle Dawson, County Londonderry, during the reign of of CHARLES I, 1633, from George and Dudley Philips, and was father of

THOMAS DAWSON (c1630-83), Commissary of the Musters of the Army in Ireland, who had issue,
John;
THOMAS, his heir;
Richard;
JOSHUA, succeeded his brother;
Anne.
The second son,

THOMAS DAWSON (c1654-1732), of Castle Dawson, MP for Antrim, 1695-9, married Arabella Upton, of Castle Upton, and had issue, a son, THOMAS, who died in 1704 at the siege of Gibraltar.

He was succeeded by his brother,

JOSHUA DAWSON (1660-1725), of Castle Dawson, MP for Wicklow, 1705-14, who wedded, ca 1695, Anne, daughter of Thomas Carr, and had issue,
William;
Charles;
ARTHUR, his heir;
Joseph (Rev);
Mary; Anne Elizabeth; Eleanor; Arabella.
Mr Dawson was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM DAWSON (-1779), of Castle Dawson, Surveyor-General of Munster, Collector of Dublin, who wedded, ca 1739, Sarah Mary, daughter of Thomas Newcomen, and had issue,
ARTHUR, his heir;
Sarah Elizabeth.
The son and heir,

ARTHUR DAWSON (1745-1822), of Castle Dawson, MP for Newtownards, 1775-6, Carlow, 1776-83, Middleton, 1783-97, Banagher, 1798-1800, espoused, in 1775, Catherine, daughter of George Paul Monck by his wife, the Lady Aramintha Beresford, and had issue,
GEORGE ROBERT, his heir;
Henry Richard (Very Rev), Dean of St Patrick's;
Aramintha; Maria; Louisa; Isabella.
Mr Dawson was succeeded by his son,

THE RT HON GEORGE ROBERT DAWSON (1790-1856), of Castle Dawson, who married, in 1816, Mary, daughter of Sir Robert Peel Bt, of Drayton Manor, Staffordshire, and had issue,
ROBERT PEEL, his heir;
George Beresford;
Henry;
Francis Alexander;
Frederick.
Mr Dawson was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT PEEL DAWSON JP MP (1818-77), of Moyola Park, High Sheriff of County Londonderry, 1850, MP for County Londonderry, 1859-74, who wedded Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Charles, 1st Baron Lurgan, and had issue, a daughter,

MARY DAWSON, who married, in 1872, Lord Adolphus John Spencer Churchill Chichester, younger son of Edward, 4th Marquess of Donegall, and had issue,
ROBERT PEEL DAWSON SPENCER, his heir;
Edward Brownlow Dawson;
Augustus John Bruce MacDonald Dawson.
The eldest son,

ROBERT PEEL DAWSON SPENCER CHICHESTER JP DL (1873-1921), of Moyola Park, married, in 1901, Dehra, daughter of James Ker-Fisher, and had issue,
Robert James Spencer (1902-20);
MARION CAROLINE DEHRA, of whom presently.
Mr Chichester's only daughter,

MARION CAROLINE DEHRA CHICHESTER (1904-76), of Moyola Park, espoused firstly, in 1922, Captain James Lenox-Conyngham Chichester-Clark, and had issue,
JAMES DAWSON, Baron Moyola;
Robert (Robin) (Sir);
Penelope.
She married secondly, in 1938, Charles Edward Brackenbury.


MOYOLA PARK, Castledawson, County Londonderry, is a noble, two-storey, 18th century house of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings.

It has a five-bay entrance front and a three-bay pedimented breakfront.

There is a three-sided bow in the side elevation; a solid roof parapet; flush quoins.

This is a well designed and attractively situated demesne parkland, through which the River Moyola flows.

There are good stands of mature trees in shelter belts and woodland.

Although extensively remodelled in the mid-19th century, the demesne has early 17th century origins.


The property was acquired by Thomas Dawson from Sir Thomas Phillips in 1622, and at some time afterwards a house was built close to the present chapel of Ease.

By 1835, little remained of this building 'but foundations of the walls and terraces'.

A second house, built by Joshua Dawson in 1694 and possibly remodelled in 1713, was located some distance to the north-east.
This had an associated formal landscape, including a straight lime avenue approach (still present) and avenues of Scotch firs; a Pinus sylvestris Scotia mentioned in Elwes & Henry, Trees of Great Britain and Ireland Vol. III (1908), as being 80ft high and 11ft in girth in 1906 may be part of the early 18th century landscape.
There are four of these original trees remaining.


South-east of the 1694 house there was also 'an ancient avenue three miles in length opening to a magnificence view of Lough Neagh to which it extends'.

The adjacent town seems to have been created in its present form from 1710-14; it was in 1710 that Joshua Dawson built the Mansion House in Dublin's Dawson Street.


The present house at Moyola, known originally as The Lodge, was built in 1768 for Arthur Dawson (1698-1774) on a new site north-west of the 1694 house.

The informal parkland was subsequently created as a setting for this house.

Planting by Arthur Dawson's nephew, Arthur Dawson (1745-1822), is referred to in the Register of Trees in County Londonderry 1768-1911, supplementing the exisiting ancient oak woodlands.

Paired yews on the riverside walk may belong to this period.

However, it was Arthur's son, the Rt Hon George Robert Dawson (1790-1856), brother-in-law to Sir Robert Peel, who remodelled both the house and the parkland and renamed it Moyola Park.

This work was largely undertaken during the 1840s and early 1850s.

Most of the parkland planting to the south and south east of the house belongs to this era, as does the suspension bridge and village gate lodge.

Exotic planting from this time includes a cryptomeria known to have been planted in 1851.

Additional gate lodges at the Hillhead entrance and at the Drumlamph entrance were added in the 1870s by Colonel Robert Dawson, from whom the property passed to the Chichester family through marriage.

In the 20th century, woodland areas and a disused quarry were cleared for ornamental gardens created from the 1960s to the north of the house.

These are fully maintained and often open to the public for charity.

A football playing field and an associated building occupies an area west of the lime avenue; while part of the southern portion of the park is now a golf course linked to the Gravend golf course west of the river.

First published in April, 2012.