Milverton Hall

THE WOODS' WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY DUBLIN, WITH 4,141 ACRES.

JOHN WOODS (1628-1710), of Yorkshire ancestry, went to Ireland on military service at the time of the Revolution.

He married Isabella Bruce, a lady of Scottish origin, and was father of

THOMAS WOODS, of Kilmeage, County Kildare, who wedded Margaret O'Hara; and dying in 1745, left a daughter, Araminta, and a son,

GEORGE WOODS, of Dunshaughlin, County Meath, and of the city of Dublin, who espoused, in 1737, Mary, daughter and co-heiress of John Hogan, of County Dublin (by Isabella his wife, daughter of Cornelius Hamlin), and by her had issue,

JOHN, his successor;
Thomas;
George, RN;
Catherine; Maria Isabella; Hester; Elizabeth; Harriet.

Mr George Woods died in 1781, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN WOODS (1738-1826), of Winter Lodge, County Dublin, who wedded, in 1783, Hannah, eldest surviving daughter and co-heiress of Joshua Warren, of Galtrim, County Meath, and had issue,

GEORGE, his heir;
Maria; Hannah.

Mr Woods was succeeded by his only son,

GEORGE WOODS JP (1786-1876), of Milverton Hall, County Dublin, High Sheriff of County Dublin, 1822, who married, in 1812, Sarah, eldest daughter of Hans Hamilton, of Abbotstown, County Dublin ( MP for that county for thirty years), and had issue,

John (1813-19);
HANS HAMILTON, of whom hereafter;
George (1816-36);
Sarah Jane, m to G A Rochfort-Boyd, of Middleton Park;
Hannah Maria; Frances Sophia; Jane Law.

Mr Woods was succeeded by his only surviving son,

HANS HAMILTON WOODS JP DL (1814-79), of Whitestown House, and Milverton Hall, County Dublin, High Sheriff of County Dublin, 1854, who wedded, in 1840, Louisa Catherine, third daughter of the Hon and Rev Edward Taylor, of Ardgillan Castle, County Dublin, by his wife Marianne, eldest daughter of the Hon Richard St Leger, son of 1st Viscount Doneraile, and had issue,

George John (1842-85);
EDWARD HAMILTON, of whom hereafter;
Warren St Leger;
Hans Charles Maunsell;
Richard Taylor;
Marianne Sarah; Louisa Harriet.

Mr Woods was succeeded by his second son,

EDWARD HAMILTON WOODS JP DL (1847-1910), High Sheriff of County Dublin, 1883, Lieutenant, Royal Meath Militia, who espoused, in 1879, Katherine Margaret, fourth daughter of Captain Richard Everard, of Randlestown, County Meath, by his wife, Mathilde Arabella, daughter of Le Marquis d'Amboise, and had issue,

EDWARD GEORGE, his heir;
Arthur Hans Hamilton (1881-2);
Reginald Everard (1883-96);
Charles John;
Kathleen May Ethel; Violet Amy; Eileen Sylvia.

Mr Woods was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDWARD GEORGE WOODS (1880-1954), of Milverton Hall, Captain, 8th Hussars, who served in the South African War, 1900-02.

MILVERTON HALL, Skerries, County Dublin, was a 19th century house in the Italianate-French Château style, of two storeys over a basement and with a dormer attic in the mansard roof.

The entrance front had three centre bays recessed between one-bay projections; a deep, single-storey, balustraded Doric portico; five-bay side elevation.

Edward George Woods brought forward plans to rebuild the Hall and decided to knock the old house and build a new one on the site.

The new Italianate Milverton Hall was built in two years, to the designs of the architect, Rawson Carroll, and cost over £16,000.

Image: Joe Curtis/ Jim Bennett, Cricket Europe

A very impressive house was built and the Woods family continued to live there until the 1950s.

The Wentges family then came to Milverton through marriage, and they have managed the estate for the past 40 years.

The Wentges built a modern dwelling in the 1960s.

When Edward Woods died, death duties ensued with a tax bill.

Robert and Rosemary Wentges were faced with difficult times and decisions; and, in the interests of saving the estate, they knocked down the old house in 1961, building the present home on the same site.

From then on the family, including Michael Wentges, have expended considerable effort in maintaining the demesne, planting twelve acres of woodland and forming a new lake for a wildlife habitat.

The planting began in 1961 and has carried on in such idyllic locations as Shady lane Wood, Foxes Hole Wood, Sophie’s Wood, Grange, Rosemary’s Wood, Balcunnin, Hill of Ardla and Hannah’s Wood.

The present family attachment at Milverton spans three centuries, a quite remarkable feat when one considers the likes of the estates at Ardgillan and Newbridge House, as well as Malahide, which have long since been taken over by local councils.

The very nature of the people behind Milverton, however, suggests that their love of the place will never die and their hold on it will always remain in some form.

This estate has been maintained and managed very well by all the owners.

Over the years thousands of trees have been planted.

There are three small lakes on the land, wetlands, wildlife habitats and an equestrian centre.

Part of the farm at Ardla has been given over to the local council and a new graveyard developed there to supplement the ancient Holmpatrick cemetery.

The present demesne comprises some 437 acres, and there has been a planning proposal to develop two golf courses, a golf club house, tennis academy, putting and practice ranges, a hotel comprising 250 bedroom and suites; and 50 houses.

As of today, Milverton demesne retains many of the features of an old demesne landscape: gate lodges at entry points, mature trees as shelter belts, woodland belts within the demesne to act as cover and shelter, a historic core containing ornamental tree species which suggests the remains of ornamental gardens.

In addition, the site included the remains of an early church site and graveyard, which are listed as a recorded monument.

Together with the adjoining Ardgillan Demesne, Milverton and its woodland forms a substantial block of mature trees when viewed from Skerries and the coast.

First published in August, 2012.

1st Earl of Clanwilliam

This family have been for centuries settled in the county and city of Cork, and have been landed proprietors from the earliest mention of the name.

 Charles Smith, in his history of that county, mentions that at Meadstown there was formerly a castle built by the Meades; that they had the patronage of the prebend of Lisleary; and that many of this ancient family were interred at Buttevant Friary.

A descendant of this house was William Miagh, consecrated Lord Bishop of Kildare, 1540, and a privy counsellor to HENRY VIII.

JOHN MIAGH, called in Chancery Bills in Ireland "the great John Miagh," was seised in fee of the fishery weir of Lough Mahon, in the Haven of Cork.

His son,

JOHN MIAGH, was called "the younger," and was succeeded by his son,

WILLIAM MIAGH, who died ante 1488, and was succeeded by his son and heir,

JOHN MIAGH, who was adjudged by a decree or deed of arbitration before Maurice Roche, Mayor of Cork, and others, in 1488, the weir in the Harbour of Cork, as heir of his father and grandfather.

He was succeeded by his son and heir,

WILLIAM MEAGH, who is recorded in a Chancery Bill to have been succeeded by his son and heir,

JOHN MEAGH, MIAGH, OR MEADE, elected MP for Cork City, 1559, and again, 1585.

He was Recorder of Cork, the Queen's Attorney for Munster, and was appointed, 1570, Second Justice of the Province of Munster..

He died about 1589, and was succeeded by his son,

JOHN MEADE, of Ballintubber and of the City of Cork; who, in 1611, made a Deed of Settlement of his estates.

He died in 1629, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM MEADE, of Ballintubber, Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, aged 17 at his father's death.

His wardship was granted, in 1632, to Thomas Maule, of Dublin.

He wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert Travers, Kt, and had, with three daughters, four sons,

JOHN, his heir;
Patrick, Brigadier-General;
Robert;
Dominick;
Jocelyn (Ven), Archdeacon of Cloyne.

Colonel Meade, who raised a troop of horse for the service of CHARLES II, died in 1666, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN MEADE, Knight (1642-1707), of Ballintubber, Attorney-General to JAMES, DUKE OF YORK, who was created a baronet in 1703, designated of Ballintubber, County Cork.

He espoused Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Pierce, 2nd Viscount Ikerrin, and had issue,

William and
James, both died young;
PIERCE;
RICHARD, successive baronets;
Helen; Catherine; Mary; Jane.

Sir John was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR PIERCE MEADE, 2nd Baronet (1693-1711), who died unmarried and in minority, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR RICHARD MEADE, 3rd Baronet (1697-1744), who married, in 1736, Catherine, second daughter of Henry Prittie, grandfather of Henry, 1st Baron Dunalley, and had an only son,

SIR JOHN MEADE, 4th Baronet (1744-1800), born a few days before his father's death, in 1744, who wedded, in 1765, Theodosia, only daughter and heir of Robert Hawkins Magill, of Gill Hall, County Down, and had issue,

RICHARD, his successor;
Robert, General in the army;
John, Lieutenant-General in the army;
Pierce (Ven), Archdeacon of Dromore;
Edward, killed in Egypt;
Anne; Catherine; Theodosia Sarah Frances; Melicina Adelaide; Rose Maria Arabella Sarah.

Theodosia, Countess of Clanwilliam (Image: Ulster Museum)

Sir John was elevated to the peerage, in 1766, in the dignities of Viscount Clanwilliam (arms at top) and Baron Gillford. 

His lordship was further advanced to an earldom, in 1776, as EARL OF CLANWILLIAM.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD, 2nd Earl (1766-1805), who married firstly, in 1793, Caroline, Countess of Thun, daughter of Maria Wilhelmine von Thun und Hohenstein, and had issue,

RICHARD, his successor;
Caroline; Selina.

He wedded secondly, Margaret Irene, daughter of John Sarney, and widow of John Harcourt, of Ankerwycke, and of Molyneux, 1st Baron Shuldham, and died two months later.

His lordship was succeeded by his son,

RICHARD, 3rd Earl (1795-1879), GCH, who married, in 1830, the Lady Elizabeth Herbert, daughter of George, 11th Earl of Pembroke, and had issue,

RICHARD JAMES, his successor;
Robert Henry;
Sidney;
Herbert George Philip;
Selina Catherine.

3rd Earl of Clanwilliam (Image: the National Trust, Uppark)

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD JAMES, 4th Earl (1832-1907), GCB KCMG, of Gill Hall, County Down, Admiral of the Fleet, who espoused, in 1867, Elizabeth Henrietta, daughter of Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy, and had issue,

Richard Charles, Lord Gillford (1868-1905);
ARTHUR VESEY, 5th Earl;
Herbert, Admiral in the Royal Navy;
Edward Brabazon;
Katharine; Beatrice; Adelaide Jane; Elizabeth Selina Georgiana.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

ARTHUR VESEY, 5th Earl (1873-1953), MC DL, of Montalto, County Down, who married, in 1909, Muriel Mary Temple, daughter of Russell Maule Stephenson, and had issue,

JOHN CHARLES EDMUND CARSON, his successor;
Mary Anne Selina; Elizabeth Louise Margaret.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

JOHN CHARLES EDMUND CARSON, 6th Earl (1914-89), of Montalto, Lord-Lieutenant of County Down, 1975-9.

• Richard Charles Francis Christian Meade, 3rd Earl (1795–1879);

• Richard James Meade, 4th Earl (1832–1907);

• Arthur Vesey Meade, 5th Earl (1873–1953);

• John Charles Edmund Carson Meade, 6th Earl (1914–89);

• John Herbert Meade, 7th Earl (1919–2009);

• Patrick James Meade, 8th Earl (b 1960).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, John Maximilian Meade, styled Lord Gillford.

*****

I recall seeing the 6th Earl, of Montalto, County Down, at a scout conference in the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle, County Down.

Montalto estate had been acquired by the 5th Earl in 1910.

It was sold by the 6th Earl when he retired in 1979 and became part of a business partnership who replanted the demesne in 1986-89.

The house has been in private hands again since 1995.

Clanwilliam arms courtesy of European Heraldry.   First published in February, 2011.

The Murlough Acquisition

SELECTIVE ACQUISITIONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

PROPERTY: Murlough Nature Reserve, near Dundrum, County Down

DATE: 1967

EXTENT: 430.27 acres

DONOR: The Marquess of Downshire

*****

PROPERTY: Murlough House and lands

DATE: 1975

EXTENT: 265.79 acres

DONOR: Royal Bank of Scotland & John Hawkins (Trustee, Downshire Estates)

First published in January, 2015.

Nicholson of Balloo

THE STEELE-NICHOLSONS OWNED 402 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

The family of NICHOLSON originally came from Cumberland. The first who was located in Ulster settled at Ballymagee, near Bangor, County Down, in the reign of JAMES I.

He had (with two daughters), two sons,

William (1587-1665), of Ballymagee;
HUGH, of whom hereafter.

The younger son,

HUGH NICHOLSON, of Ballymagee (now part of Bangor), married Miss Isabel Orr, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
John;
James;
Henry;
Mary.

Mr Nicholson was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM NICHOLSON (1659-1704), of Balloo, County Down, who wedded Miss Eleanor Dunlop, and had two sons, of whom the elder,

HUGH NICHOLSON (1697-1722), of Balloo, died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

WILLIAM NICHOLSON (1699-1740), of Balloo, who espoused Mary, daughter of Hugh Whyte, of Ballyree, and had issue,

Hugh, died in infancy;
WILLIAM, his heir;
ROBERT DONALDSON, succeeded his brther;
Susannah;
MARGARET MAXWELL, mother of WILLIAM NICHOLSON-STEELE.

Mr Nicholson was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

WILLIAM NICHOLSON (1728-98), of Balloo, who married firstly, in 1774, Agnes, daughter of John Cleland, of Whitehorn, in Scotland, and widow of William Rose, an officer in the East India Company's military service.

She died in 1775.

He wedded secondly, Sarah, daughter of George Wells, of Belfast, but had issue by neither.

Mr Nicholson devised his estates, failing issue of his brother, Robert, to his nephew, William Nicholson-Steele, who eventually succeeded.

Mr Nicholson was succeeded by his brother,

ROBERT DONALDSON NICHOLSON, of Balloo, who died unmarried in 1803, and was succeeded by his nephew,

WILLIAM NICHOLSON STEELE-NICHOLSON JP (1772-1840), of Balloo House, who assumed the additional surname of NICHOLSON, in compliance with the testamentary injunction of his uncle William, who espoused, in 1807, Isabella, sixth daughter of Jacob Hancock, of Lisburn, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
John;
William;
James;
Charles;
Elizabeth, m James Rose-Cleland;
Margaret; Mary; Isabella; Emily.

The eldest son,

ROBERT STEELE-NICHOLSON JP (1809-70), of Balloo, Barrister, wedded, in 1841, Elizabeth Jane, youngest daughter of Walter Nangle, of Clonbaron, County Meath, and had issue,

Hugh, b 1842;
Walter;
Edward, b 1845;
Robert;
William Otway;
Gilbert Hamilton.

BALLOO HOUSE, near Bangor, sometimes spelled Ballow, was half a mile to the east of the Bangor-Newtownards Road, about one and a half miles south of Bangor.

It was, indeed, almost a stone's throw from Rathgael House to its west.

Balloo House and mausoleum (historic OS map ca 1830).  Click to enlarge.

The property had been in the possession of the Nicholson family since 1641, as evidence by a stone inscribed "W N 1641", which was built into a quoin.

The house, however, was of 18th and early 19th century origin.

Balloo House (Image: Alan Steele-Nicholson, 2021)

It was considered of sufficient interest to be described and illustrated (doorway only) in An Archaeological Survey of County Down (1966) and yet, within ten years, when it passed into local government hands, it was burnt by vandals and then demolished.

The Nicholson family is buried in Bangor Abbey under a fine armorial stone.

The family vault was on the eastern edge of the wooded area and was built into a low mound.

Nicholson Vault (Image: Ryan Bradley, Ulster Wildlife Trust, 2021)

It was severely vandalized and the well-cut slab at the entrance was smashed in two.

Nicholson Vault (Image: Ryan Bradley, Ulster Wildlife Trust, 2021)

The vault was built in 1792 by William Nicholson (d 1798), and after his death the property passed to his brother and eventually to his nephew William Steele-Nicholson who was buried there.

Balloo House in 1974 (Image: Alan Steele-Nicholson, 2021)

It was demolished in 1976 to make way for a factory development, at which date the remains were re-interred in the family burial plot in the Abbey church-yard.

Until the early 1970s traces of the old monastic road running from Bangor to Newtownards could be seen about twenty yards to the east of the mausoleum.

Balloo Woodland Nature Reserve is an oasis for wildlife and people in the heart of the Balloo Industrial Estate.

It is full of mature, native (and some exotic) trees and woodland plant life, with a small pond.

Balloo Woodland was previously the grounds of Balloo House.

The house was demolished, though the remains of the family mausoleum, built in 1792 (known locally as "Nicky’s Tomb"), still exist on the eastern edge of the wood.

North Down Borough Council bought the woodland in 1995 to prevent it from being developed.

First published in April, 2012.   Nicholson arms courtesy of the NLI.

Cootehill: II

Cootehill Railway Station Entrance Front (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2020)

After breakfast on Saturday morning I wandered from Bridge Street, in Cootehill, County Cavan, to the wide main street (Market Street).

I passed the Methodist and Presbyterian churches on Bridge Street, before turning left at Market Street.

The old manse between two churches (Image: postcard)

The old photograph above, taken from a postcard of about 1900, shows the Methodist church to the left; the old manse in the middle; and the present Presbyterian church to the right.

I happened to be peering in through the window of the former White Horse Hotel, in Market Street, when somebody from across the road hailed me.

I couldn't quite hear him, so crossed the road to the post office, where he was awaiting a bulky item, to have a word with him.

Kevin, it transpired, was as interested in heritage as myself, and we chatted for awhile about this and that.

He explained that he was a local man, though had lived in Michigan, USA, for a number of years; and that was where he had met his wife (he was collecting a parcel for their daughter).

Concrete shed on the former railway track (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2020)

Kevin invited me to get into his car, and took me to see the old railway station outside the town, now a livestock market (there's a long livestock shed where the railway line used to be, outside the station).

The former Cootehill Railway Station is less than a mile from the town.

It would have been convenient for Bellamont Forest and Dartrey.

The railway line must have passed through land belonging to Lords Bellamont and Dartrey.

Platform Front ca 1900 (Image: postcard)

The station, operated by the Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway (later amalgamated with the Great Northern Railway), opened in 1860.

Cootehill railway station was on a spur off the Enniskillen-to-Dundalk line, from near Ballybay through Rockcorry and terminating at Cootehill.

It closed down less than a century later, in 1947.

This handsome little railway station remains in good order, having been restored to some extent by its present owner.

It was built in the Early English Gothic-Revival style, and comprises five bays and two storeys.

The entrance and platform fronts differ slightly in design.

Unfortunately I was unable to take a photograph of the platform front because it’s obscured by a concrete shed (not to say private).

I had intended walking back to the town from the railway station, though Kevin offered me a lift back, and took me past the location of the old Church of Ireland parish church in Church Street, which was abandoned about 1818 for the present church, All Saints, in Market Street).

First published in August, 2020).

Cootehill: I

The Dawson Monument (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2020)

The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland describes Cootehill, County Cavan, thus:-

A post and market town in the parish of Drumgoon, barony of Tullaghgarvey. It stands on the River Dromore, and the country around it, including part of County Monaghan, is very beautiful; and within a radius of three miles, contains, among other mansions, those of Bellamont Forest and Dartrey.

The Gazetteer goes on to remark that the town is comparatively well built and respectably inhabited; and is not equalled in appearance by any place between it and Dublin except Navan.

A local historian and friend had arranged for us to see Dartrey, which is near Cootehill, so I based my self in the town for a few days.

Cootehill has a wide main street, which terminates at All Saints parish church (the Rector being the aptly-named Rev David Moses).

The White Horse Hotel, market-house, courthouse, and the provincial bank were also at this end of the town; and the church was within the grounds of Bellamont Forest.

The Dawson Monument, on the Cootehill to Monaghan Road, County Monaghan, is a Roman-Tuscan column, sixty feet in height, designed by the renowned architect, James Wyatt, and erected in memory of Richard Dawson MP (1762-1807).

This column used to be within the Dartrey Estate, though the realignment of the present road caused it to be separated from the demesne.

It was built ca 1810 with cut and carved limestone, in the form of a Doric column on a lofty plinth, topped with a funerary urn, carved with lions' heads, set on an abacus.

The Doric column has a stepped base and plinth, with three steps leading to the base.

Dartrey Heritage Association undertook restoration work on the column quite recently.

Dawson Coat-of-arms (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2020)

The Dawson family shield with laurel leaves adorns the plinth.

The Dawson Monument would undoubtedly have dominated the surrounding landscape when it was erected, and despite the forestry surrounding it today, it remains a major feature in the area.

Dartrey Church (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2020)

From Dawson's Column I made my way to the main church which served the once-great Dartrey Estate.

The Dawsons, Earls of Dartrey, owned almost 18,000 acres of land in County Monaghan.

Their former seat, Dartrey House (or Castle) was demolished in 1946; though more about that later.

Over two decades ago, about 1996, the Rev Canon James Merry, Rector of Ematris (Dartrey Church and Rockcorry Church), wrote a brief history of his Parish.

Dartrey Church, within the demesne boundary, was built by Richard Dawson (c1693-1766), MP, banker, Alderman of the City of Dublin, of Dawson Grove (now called Dartrey).

It was consecrated in 1729 as the Church of St John the Evangelist.

In 1769 the north gallery was erected, with a fireplace, for the use of the Dawson family.

The West Tower was built in 1840; and thirty years later, in 1870, the sanctuary apse was completed.

The Dawsons were closely involved with the running of the parish from Alderman Dawson's time until the last member of the family to reside in the estate, the Lady Edith Windham (née Dawson).

Lord Dartrey had, for many years, the right to present his nominee to the Bishop for appointment as Rector of Ematris.

Several members of the Dawson family are buried in the graveyard which surrounds the church, though one figure's gravestone caught my eye: Brigadier Eric Dorman-O'Gowan MC.

He was removed from his military posting by Winston Churchill, with whom he then continued a long legal battle over the issue.

The acting Major-General, a life-long Catholic, then proceeded to change his name from Smith to O’Gowan and retired to the family home at Bellamont Forest, where he eagerly embraced Irish Republicanism.

He is said to have sold lead from the roof of Bellamont for the cause, and to have allowed the IRA to train on the estate.

First published in August, 2020.

New Belfast DL

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANT

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

Professor Gillian Alexandra Armstrong MBE
Belfast

To be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County Borough her Commission bearing date the 21st day of September 2026


Signed: Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle DBE DStJ LLD

Lord Lieutenant of the County Borough