The Cairnes Baronetcy

The founder of this family,

THOMAS CAIRNES, a scion of Cairns of Orchardton, Kirkcudbrightshire, went over to Ireland with his kinsman, the Earl of Annandale, and settled there.

He married Jane, daughter of John Scott, of Colefadd [sic], in Scotland, of the house of Buccleuch, and was father of

JOHN CAIRNES, of Parsonstown (Knockmany or Cecil), County Tyrone, MP for Augher, 1639-40, who wedded Jane, daughter of Dr James Miller, of Millheugh, Lanarkshire, and had issue,

ALEXANDER, of whom presently;

William;

Henry;

Frances; Mary.

The eldest son,

ALEXANDER CAIRNES (1665-1732), who espoused, in 1697/8, Elizabeth, daughter of John Gould, and sister Sir of Nathaniel Gould, Knight, of Newington, Middlesex, by whom he had issue, an only daughter and heiress,

MARY CAIRNES, married to Cadwallader, 7th Baron Blayney, but dsp.

Alexander Cairnes, MP for Monaghan Borough, 1710-13, County Monaghan, 1713-27, Monaghan Borough, 1727-32, was created a baronet in 1708, designated of Monaghan.

Sir Alexander died at Dublin, 1732, and leaving no son, the title passed under the limitation to his brother,

Sir Henry Cairnes, 2nd Baronet, MP

SIR HENRY CAIRNES, 2nd Baronet (1673-1743), of Monaghan, MP for Monaghan Borough, 1733-43, who wedded, in 1711, Frances, daughter of John Gould, of Hackney, Middlesex, brother of Sir Nathaniel Gould; but died without issue, in 1743, when the baronetcy expired.

First published in April, 2022.

Dromana House

THE VILLIERS-STUARTS WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WATERFORD, WITH 30,882 ACRES

LORD HENRY STUART (1777-1809), third son of John, 1st Marquess of Bute, married, in 1802, the Lady Gertrude Amelia Mason-Villiers, only daughter and heir of George, 2nd Earl Grandison, of Dromana, and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
William;
Charles;
Gertrude Anelia.

Lord Henry was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON HENRY STUART (1803-74), of Dromana, County Waterford, Privy Counsellor, MP for Banbury, 1830-1, Colonel, Waterford Militia, who was alleged to have wedded, in 1826, Theresia Pauline Ott, and had issue, an only child,

HENRY WINDSOR.

Mr Stuart, Lord-Lieutenant of County Waterford, 1831-74, was elevated to the peerage, 1839, in the dignity of BARON STUART DE DECIES, of Dromana, within the Decies, County Waterford.

He added the surname of VILLIERS to his name in 1822.

Without a lawful heir, the peerage expired following Lord Stuart de Decies's decease in 1874.

His only son,

THE HON HENRY WINDSOR VILLIERS-STUART JP DL (1827-95), of Dromana-within-the-Decies, County Waterford, MP for County Waterford, 1873-85, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of County Waterford, 1871-73, High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1889, wedded, in 1865, Mary, second daughter of the Ven. Ambrose Power, Archdeacon of Lismore, fourth son of Sir John Power Bt, and had issue,

HENRY CHARLES WINDSOR, his heir;
Gerald;
Maurice Ambrose;
Horace Gervase;
Patrick;
Mary Therese; Gertrude Gwendoline; May; Winifred Frances.

Mr Villiers-Stuart was the author of Nile Gleanings, Egypt After the War, and other works; and was commissioned by the Government in 1882 to visit Egypt, and report upon the condition of the populace after the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir.

His eldest son,

HENRY CHARLES WINDSOR VILLIERS-STUART JP (1867-1908), of Dromana, High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1898, espoused, in 1895, Grace Frances, only daughter of J A R Newman DL, of Dromore House, County Cork, and had issue,

ION HENRY FITZGERALD, his heir;
Geraldine Mary; Nesta Mona.

Mr Villiers-Stuart was succeeded by his son,

ION HENRY FITZGERALD VILLIERS-STUART (1900-48), of Dromana, who wedded, in 1928, Elspeth Richardson, and was succeeded by his only son,

JAMES HENRY ION VILLIERS-STUART (1928-2004), of Dromana, who married, in 1952, Emily Constance Lanfear, daughter of Major Charles Plenderleath Graham, and had issue,

Caroline Elspeth, b 1955;
Barbara Emily, b 1955.

THE MEDIEVAL CASTLE of Dromana occupied a spectacular site, high above the River Blackwater.From the 13th century onwards this was the seat of the FitzGeralds, Lords of the Decies, a junior branch of the Earls of Desmond.

In the 1670s the FitzGerald heiress, Katherine, the ‘Lady of the Decies’, ward to CHARLES II, married Colonel Villiers, son of Lord Grandison.

Their descendants succeeded as the Earls Grandison until 1800, when the only child of the 2nd Earl (of the second creation) married Lord Henry Stuart, younger son of Lord Bute. 

Their son was subsequently created Lord Stuart de Decies, a title that recalled his long family connection with the region. 

The castle of Dromana was attacked and damaged in the wars of the 1640s and 50s, though its base can still be identified from the river, and indeed is still inhabited. 

About 1700, instead of rebuilding the castle, two new ranges were built at right angles to one another along the courtyard walls. 

Both were simple gable-ended two storey structures, possibly just intended for occasional occupation, their only decoration being a robust, pedimented block-and-start door case in the manner of James Gibbs.

Work on a larger new house commenced in about 1780, directly in front of the longer 1700s range.

The principal façade was of two storey and nine bays, quite plain, with a parapet and a rather curious segmental-headed armorial doorcase.

The river façade contained a shallow double-height bow and was actually an extension of the smaller 1700s range.

Together these three buildings faithfully followed the line of the original bawn or courtyard.

The interior was elaborately fitted out for Lord Stuart in the 1840s, with a suite of very grand reception rooms and a massive imperial staircase but by the 1960s Dromana had become something of a white elephant.

The estate was sold and subdivided, and the house bought by a cousin who demolished the 1780s block and reduced it to more manageable proportions.

Happily, James Villiers-Stuart was able to repurchase the house in the 1980s.

His widow Emily still lives there, along with her daughter and family.

The Dromana demesne extends to 600 acres.

The steeply sloping riverbanks are covered with oak woods and the important mid-eighteenth century garden layout, with its follies, the Rock House and the Bastion, is currently being restored.

To the north of the estate, on a bridge across the River Finisk, is the renowned Hindu-Gothic lodge, originally erected to welcome the owner and his bride on their return from honeymoon in 1826.

They were so taken with this temporary structure in the latest Brighton Pavilion mode, that they had it rebuilt in more durable materials.

The most notable person associated with Dromana was Katherine, Dowager Countess of Desmond.

Born a daughter of the house, she died there in 1604, supposedly from falling out of a cherry tree at the reputed age of 140, having allegedly worn out three natural sets of teeth.

Another remarkable man was Lord Stuart de Decies himself, a Protestant aristocrat and large landowner with radical views.

As a young man he defeated the Waterford establishment in the famous 1826 election to give Daniel O'Connell and the Catholic Emancipation movement their first Member of Parliament.

First published in October, 2011.   SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY: THE DROMANA HOUSE WEBSITE.

Ballyedmond Castle

THE LORD BALLYEDMOND, OBE, AND THREE OTHERS PERISHED IN A HELICOPTER CRASH ON THURSDAY, 13TH MARCH, 2014, CLOSE TO HIS NORFOLK RESIDENCE, GILLINGHAM HALL. 

Ballyedmond Castle, near Rostrevor, is the County Down residence of the Lady Ballyedmond.

The demesne lies within the Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

An earlier house is shown on the site on Taylor and Skinner’s map of 1777.

This house was built by a Mr Pollock and was owned in 1806 by Mrs Hamilton when her niece, Maria Edgeworth, visited it.

It was described in an 1836 Ordnance Survey Memoir as a “good plain two storey house with additions and in good order,” the residence of Alexander Stewart.

Ballyedmond Castle Hotel

It is believed by Major Reside that this house was demolished in 1848 and that Stewart built the current house the following year.

The architect was reputedly Sir Charles Lanyon, although no documentary evidence has been found to substantiate this claim.

However some of the details, e.g. tower, turret, corbel heads and window openings, are very similar to those of the Lanyon building at Queen’s University, Belfast, which is contemporary.

It is shown in its present form (without ballroom wing) on an 1859 map.

Ballyedmond House was sold to Mr Kelly Patterson ca 1880, who subsequently sold it to a Mr Douglas.

It was raided in the 1920s by Irish republicans searching for concealed UVF guns.

It is said that the garden terraces were constructed with compensation money the family was awarded for damage incurred to floors during the IRA raid.

The house was occupied during the 2nd World War by the United States Air Force, who constructed a camp (now gone) in the demesne.

In 1966 it was sold to Harris Hotels Ltd and converted into a ten-bedroom hotel at a cost of about £100,000 (£1.6 million in today's money).

The hotel was fire-bombed in a terrorist attack in 1979.

It remained a gutted shell until it was purchased by Dr Edward Haughey in the mid-80s.

Dr Haughey was created a life peer in 2004, as BARON BALLYEDMOND, of Mourne, County Down.

Restoration on the present mansion began about 1987.

In the past (before the construction of the present Killowen Road), the demesne extended further north than it does today and was bounded by the Killowen Old Road.

The original drive still remains between the Killowen Road (opposite the present front gates) and the Killowen Old Road entrance.

No architect was employed in the 1987 refurbishment; the most recent plans were executed by local craftsmen.

The grand staircase from Robinson & Cleaver’s Belfast department store dates from 1886-8 and was built by Robinson & Son of York Street, Belfast, to designs by Young and Mackenzie.

The original house (above) was a ca 1855 Victorian Tudor-Baronial mansion, with pointed gables, mullioned windows; a battlemented tower and conical-roofed turret.

Two gate lodges, since demolished, pre-dated the house and were built for Alexander Stewart.

In the 1870s the demesne extended to 347 acres.

One advertisement boasted of the former hotel as being

"Set amid acres of private parkland and terraced gardens with magnificent views over Carlingford Lough ... is one of the most luxurious in Northern Ireland; beautifully appointed apartments all with private bathroom, telephone, television and radio offer a high standard of comfort to the most discerning guest. Finest cuisine and wines."

The much altered mid-19th century mansion was in a splendid position between the Mourne Mountains and Carlingford Lough.

An even earlier house, Fort Hamilton, was visited and commented on by Maria Edgeworth in 1806.

According to the report in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1836, the garden was "neat."

The surrounding 200 acre demesne had mature deciduous shelter and parkland trees and later conifer additions, included when the park was extended to the west.

The site is exposed to winds coming across the lough but otherwise the climate is mild.

The gardens today have undergone extensive landscaping since 1988, on a 19th century framework.

Terraces on the south side of the house are linked by steps that lead to features at a lower level, where the lay-out is arranged in compartments on a circular theme.

The Lord and Lady Ballyedmond at Ballyedmond Castle

The north side of the present residence has balustrading at the carriage drive and ornamental planting since the 1980s.

The three-sided walled garden is cultivated, with a glasshouse.

The two aforesaid pre-1834 gate lodges, which belonged to the earlier house, have gone.

First published in July, 2011.

The Ireland Lake

Pomeroy Demesne: Historic OS map of 1838-62

I recently visited the marvellous Pomeroy forest park. 

The villagers of Pomeroy are indeed fortunate to have it, especially since the local council is developing the existing trails, particularly the Renardine Trail, which is being transformed into a "children’s magical storybook adventure trail with iconic sculptures, interactive fun/art pieces and natural inclusive play areas."

A handsome new visitor centre has been built on the site of the 1960s forestry school and, before that, Pomeroy House.

Pomeroy House, by the way, was a mere eighty feet from the extant stable-yard; very regrettably the big house was demolished about 1970, like so many others in Northern Ireland that the forestry service discarded.

I spent four hours exploring the forest park, examining various locations, including the outbuildings, former sheep-wash, kennels, farm-yard, and the Alexander Vault.

I searched in vain, however, for a lake or pond in the shape of Ireland.

The Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, dated 1837, remarks:-

"In the demesne, which consists of 556 acres, is a small lake, the borders of which resemble in shape the coast of Ireland, on a scale of about one foot to a mile."

Whereas the present Register of Parks, Gardens and Demesne of Special Historic Interest in Northern Ireland states:-

"In the south-west section of the park, flanking the west avenue, were a series of three inter-linked artificial lakes, which was fed from water from the north-east. According to Samuel Lewis in 1837 the main lake was made in the shape of Ireland at a scale of 1- inch to 1-mile and stated by him to lie adjacent to 'an abundant' spring; this lake remains as a shallow boggy area enclosed in what is now coniferous woodland."

I have studied several historic maps of Pomeroy Demesne.

I could not see any lake or pond in the map of 1829-35; in the next version, however, dated 1838-62, there are what could have been a few lakes at one time, including a larger one that vaguely resembles the coast of Ireland.

It's a boggy area, and by 1900 these ponds or lakes had vanished from the map, though the location is marked Lake Wood and Town Bog.

I am convinced that, if there was ever an Ireland-shaped lake, the boggy area to the south-west of the mansion house contained it; especially given that it is marked as Lake Wood on a map.

Cabin Hill

CABIN HILL COMPRISED 39 ACRES OF LAND DURING THE VICTORIAN ERA

CABIN HILL, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, is a fairly large and considerably extended two-to-four storey house, built around a sandstone Tudor-Revival gentleman’s residence of ca 1860, itself extended in similar style ca 1903-5.

A large, modern, flat-roofed, four-storey, rendered block was added to the rear by the school in 1946 with an adjacent, equally large and equally modern, brick wing of about 1980.

When it was built, Cabin Hill was originally closer to the village of Dundonald - or, indeed, Knock - than the city of Belfast.

This small farm in the townland of Ballycloghan was adjacent to the Belmont estate and the Clelands' Stormont estate.

The name Cabin Hill refers to a farmhouse built in 1786-7 by Samuel McTier and his wife, Martha (née Drennan), on a small parcel of land they had acquired for £50 (about £6,700 today).

The house itself, as the name implies, was a single storey, thatched farmhouse; however, a painting of 1847 shows that, by the standards of the day, it had a fairly prosperous appearance, being relatively large and prosperous looking ~ not the "cabin" one might have expected.

After Samuel McTier's death in 1795, Martha continued to use Cabin Hill as a country retreat, being joined on frequent occasions by her brother, the Belfast radical and founder of the United Irishmen, Dr William Drennan.

Historic map of Cabin Hill ca 1830

Drennan died in 1820 and Martha in 1837; however, the property appears to have been disposed of some time before the latter date, for in the 1833 valuation it is recorded as the home of a Mr Tomb.

David Tomb was connected with the Batesons in Belfast, and acquired considerable property in the neighbourhood. His sons were Henry Joy Tomb (d 1840), a Belfast merchant, and George Tomb QC. 

Benn believes that the Tombs were amongst the oldest families in Belfast. Henry Joy Tomb was a brother to the first wife of the Rev Dr Drummond.

By 1852, it had been acquired by John Dinnen, a Belfast solicitor.

Dinnen appears to have retained the original house for some years, though, by 1861, a new, much larger building appears to have been built.

This new dwelling, a two-storey gentleman's villa in the Tudor-Revival style, remained in possession of Dinnen's descendants until 1903, when it was acquired by Robert James McMordie QC, Lord Mayor of Belfast.

About 1903-5, McMordie greatly extended the house by adding the large section to the eastern side and the new entrance conservatory, all to designs by Hugh Brown.

Mr McMordie died at Cabin Hill in 1914.

Between 1920 and 1922, his widow leased the property to Sir James Craig Bt (afterwards 1st Viscount Craigavon), the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.

Several cabinet meetings were held at the house.

In 1924-25, McMordie's widow sold Cabin Hill to Campbell College, which converted it for use as their preparatory school.

Ca 1935, the school added a porter's lodge to the main gateway and, in 1946, the large four storey modern style wing was added to the rear of the main building itself.

Further separate classrooms were built to the north east side of the building in 1973, with a further modernist extension added to the main school later.

These books give no indication of major building work at Cabin Hill between 1864 and the McMordie extension of ca 1903-5, suggesting that the original section of the Tudor Revival house is pre 1864.

Cabin Hill was for sale in April, 2021.

It is currently (2026) being redeveloped into a new residential community featuring private detached homes and two and three-bedroom apartments.

First published in May, 2014.

1st Earl Landaff

The family of MATHEW originated from Wales, where at Radyr, Glamorganshire, they long resided; and possessed the town of Llandaff in that county. SIR DAVID MATHEW (1400-84), Knight, was Standard-Bearer of EDWARD IV, whose monument is still to be seen in Llandaff Cathedral, Glamorganshire.

EDWARD MATHEW, of Radyr, was possessed, in 1600, of the town of Llandaff, and other estates, which his ancestors enjoyed for time immemorial.

At his decease he left an only son,

GEORGE MATHEW, the first of the family in Ireland, who became seated at Thurles, County Tipperary, and married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Poyntz MP, of Iron Acton, Gloucestershire, and widow of Thomas Butler, Viscount Thurles (who died before his father Walter, 11th Earl of Ormond).

Mr Mathew died in 1636, leaving two sons and a daughter, and was succeeded by the elder son,

THEOBOLD MATHEW, of Thurles, who married Margaret, eldest daughter of Sir Valentine Browne Bt, and was succeeded by his elder son,

GEORGE MATHEW, of Thurles, who wedded Eleanor, second daughter of Edmond, 3rd/13th Baron Dunboyne, and was succeeded by his son,

GEORGE MATHEW, who erected a splendid mansion upon his estate at Thurles, containing forty bedrooms, and ample corresponding accommodation for as many guests.

This gentleman distinguished himself by hospitality upon an unprecedented and almost boundless scale. He fitted up his sumptuous residence as a guest house of the first magnitude, and his guests were informed upon their arrival, that as such they were to regard it, and to consider themselves, in every sense of the word, quite at home. 

They might either live in their own suite of rooms, or at the table d'hôte, as they pleased. There was a coffee-room, tavern, billiards-room, etc, and Mr Mathew himself appeared only as one of the guests. 

This highly accomplished and celebrated person had the degree of LL.D conferred upon him, 1677, by his half-brother James, 1st Duke of Ormond, Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

Mr Mathew wedded firstly, Catherine, third daughter of Sir John Shelley, 3rd Baronet, by Mary, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Gage Bt, of Firle, East Sussex, and had issue, an only child,

GEORGE, his heir.

He espoused secondly, in 1716, Ann, widow of James, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, by whom he no issue, and at his decease, the estates devolved upon his brother-in-law,

GEORGE MATHEW, married his cousin, Mary Anne Mathew, and had issue,

George (1733-8);
Elizabeth.

On the failure of male issue in this branch, the estates devolved to

GEORGE MATHEW, of Thomastown, who wedded firstly, Margaret, fourth daughter of Thomas Butler (grandson of the Lord Richard Butler, younger son of James, 1st Duke of Ormond, by the Lady Margaret Burke, eldest daughter of William, 7th Earl of Clanricarde, and widow of Bryan Magennis, Viscount Iveagh, and had issue, a daughter.

Mr Mathew espoused secondly, Isabella, fourth daughter of William Brownlow, of Lurgan, County Armagh (by the Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, eldest daughter of James, 6th Earl of Abercorn), and had issue, a son, who died in infancy, when the estate devolved upon a junior branch of the family,

THOMAS MATHEW, of Thurles, and subsequently of Thomastown, who married, in 1736, Miss Mary Mathews, of Dublin, and had issue,

FRANCIS, his heir;
Catherine Ann Maria.

The only son and heir,

FRANCIS MATHEW (1738-1806), wedded firstly, in 1764, Ellis, second daughter of James Smyth (son of the Rt Rev Edward Smyth, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor), and had issue,

FRANCIS JAMES, his heir;
Montague James, Lieutenant-General in the Army;
George Toby Skeffington;
Elizabeth.

He espoused secondly, in 1784, the Lady Catherine Skeffington; and thirdly, in 1799, ______ Coghlan, second daughter of Jeremiah Coghlan.

Mr Mathew, MP for Tipperary, 1768-83, High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1769, was elevated to the peerage, in 1783, in the dignity of Baron Landaff, of Thomastown, County Tipperary.

He was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1793, as Viscount Landaff, of Thomastown, County Tipperary.

His lordship was further advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1797, as EARL LANDAFF.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS JAMES, 2nd Earl (1768-1833), KP, MP for County Tipperary, 1801-6, Knight of St Patrick, 1831, who married, in 1797, Gertrude Cecilia, daughter of John La Touche, of Harristown, County Kildare, though the marriage was without issue.

His lordship died of syncope in Dublin, on 12 March 1833, aged 65, when the titles expired.

Dying intestate, his estates went to his sister, the Lady Elizabeth Mathew, who died in 1842, leaving the estates to a cousin, the Vicomte de Chabot, the son of her mother's sister, Elizabeth Smyth.

THOMASTOWN CASTLE, Golden, County Tipperary, was built by George Matthew and dated from ca 1670.

It comprised a long, two-storey house of pink brick.

The house in its present form was enlarged in the Gothic style by Francis, 2nd Earl Landaff, in 1812.

(Sir) Richard Morrison designed the house incorporating a veneer of Gothic openings, including the ornate polygonal and square towers to the front elevation.

The office wing to the right was also enlarged in the Gothic style.

From ca 1872 the great mansion fell into disrepair to become the impressive and spectacular ruin it is today.

Father Theobald Mathew, the famous temperance reformer whose father was a cousin of the 1st Earl, grew up at the Castle.

The 2nd Earl's sister, Lady Elizabeth Mathew, bequeathed Thomastown to her maternal cousin, the Vicomte de Rohan-Chabot, son of the Comte de Jarnac.

The estate later passed to the Daly family.

The ruinous building was purchased in 1938 by the Rt Rev David Mathew, the historian, who wished it to be kept in the family and saved from destruction.

This expectation proved to have been in vain.

The arched gate lodge to the east reflects the architecture of the main house and retains many fine details, such as the cross loops and hood mouldings.

The walled gardens provide an example of the many demesne-related activities thereby contributing context to the site.

First published in September, 2018.  Landaff arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Kilmore House

JOHN MacDONALD, second son of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles, by his wife, the Princess Margaret, daughter of ROBERT II, King of Scots, was founder, about 1380, of the clan "Ian Vore," or Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, whose chiefs were also styled Lords of Dunnyveg, Islay, Kintyre, and the Glens of Antrim.

ALEXANDER MacDONALD (c1480-1538) 5th of Dunnyveg, who invaded Ulster with 8,000 men in 1532, had by his wife, a daughter of the Lord of Ardnamurchan, five sons, of whom

JAMES, 6th Chief, married the Lady Agnes Campbell, daughter of Colin, 3rd Earl of Argyll, and was slain in 1565, leaving issue, a son, Angus, Lord of Kintyre.

James MacDonnell transferred, however, his Irish possessions to his brother, Sorley Boy MacDonnell, father to the 1st Earl of Antrim.

COLLA MacDONNELL, brother of James, 6th Chief, wedded Evelyn MacQuillan, Lord of Dunluce, and was father to GILLASPICK, Chief of Iona and Colonsay, whose son, by his wife, a daughter of O'Cahan (O'Kane) of Loughlynch,

COLL MacDONALD (1570-1647), was besieged in the castle of Dunnyveg and put to death by Archibald, Marquess of Argyll, in 1647.

He married Mary MacDonald, of Sanda, and was father of

SIR ALEXANDER MacDONALD (c1610-47), Montrose's celebrated Lieutenant-General, who having survived the royal cause in Scotland, was killed in Ireland whilst second in command of the royal forces at Knocknanuss, County Cork, 1647.

He wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Hector MacAlister, and had issue,

COLL, his heir;
Archibald.

The elder son,

COLL McDONNELL, married Anne Magee, of Murlough Bay, County Antrim, and was succeeded by his son,

ALEXANDER McDONNELL, of Kilmore, living in 1738, who married firstly, a daughter of McDonnell, of Knappin, and had issue (with another son, Alexander, who died unmarried),

Randal, died unmarried;
Michael;
JOHN, of whom we treat.

The youngest son,

JOHN McDONNELL, of Kilmore, who succeeded by family arrangement to the possession of Kilmore, married Rose, daughter of George Savage, of County Down, and dying in 1803, was succeeded by his son,

RANDAL McDONNELL, of Kilmore and Brackney, who wedded Mary, daughter of Archibald MacElheran, of Glassmullan, County Antrim, granddaughter of Alexander McDonnell, of Glassmullan, and had, with four daughters,

ALEXANDER, his heir;
JOHN, succeeded his brother.

Mr McDonnell was succeeded by his son,

ALEXANDER McDONNELL, of Kilmore and Dublin, who espoused, in 1851, Margaret, daughter of Alexander McMullin, of Cabra House, County Down.

He died in 1862, leaving a daughter,

RACHEL MARY JOSEPHINE McDONNELL (c1855-1908), heir of her mother's estate in County Down, who married, in 1882, Henry Thomas Silvertop, of Minster Acres, Northumberland, and had issue,

FRANCIS SOMERLED JOSEPH (1883-1917), killed in action;
WILLIAM ALEXANDER SILVERTOP;
Charles Ransall;
Margaret.

Mr Alexander McDonnell was succeeded in his own estate by his brother,

COLONEL JOHN McDONNELL JP DL (1823-1905), of Kilmore, Glenariff, County Antrim, Knight of St Gregory, who wedded, in 1870, Madeleine, daughter of Thomas, 1st Baron O'Hagan, KP.

She dsp 1875.

Colonel McDonnell was succeeded by his nephew,

WILLIAM ALEXANDER SILVERTOP MC (1884-1917), of Kilmore, second son of Henry Thomas Silvertop, of Minster Acres, Northumberland, by Rachel Mary Josephine, only child of Alexander McDonnell, of Kilmore.

Captain Silvertop, 20th Hussars, was killed in action at France.

KILMORE HOUSE, Glenariff, County Antrim, comprises a large two-and-a-half-storey Edwardian block with earlier Georgian wings to its southern elevation.

The house was constructed in stages, and parts of the building may date from as early as the 18th century.

The current façade of the house, however, was built in 1907-8.

The first recorded occupant of the site was Coll McDonnell, a gentleman who leased 10 acres of land in Kilmore from his kinsman, Lord Antrim, and established a dwelling there in 1706.

The site passed to Coll’s son Alexander in 1742; and then to his grandson, John, in 1803 before being occupied by his great-grandson Randal in 1815.

The McDonnells initially resided in an early-Georgian house which had been constructed in the townland ca 1706.

The two-storey, four-bay farmhouse (at the south side of the two-and-a-half-storey Edwardian block) had been constructed by 1832.

A thatched building (which predated the rest of the farmhouse) was presumably the McDonnell family’s previous dwelling on the site, however it cannot be confirmed with certainty whether any trace of this structure survives at the site.

The farmhouse at Kilmore was originally known as Ballinlig.

By the mid-19th century Ballinlig had passed to Randal McDonnell’s eldest son Alexander; following whose decease, in 1862, Ballinlig was occupied by his younger brother, Colonel John McDonnell, who remained at the site until his own death in 1905.

McDonnell’s residence became known as "Kilmore House" by at least the turn of the 20th century.

Following the death of Colonel McDonnell in 1905, Kilmore House passed to his nephew, Captain William Alexander Silvertop.

The Silvertop family extended the house in 1907-8.

The Edwardian extension was designed by Nicholas Fitzsimmons (1869-c1940), a Belfast-based architect who entered into partnership with Robert Graeme Watt and Frederick Tulloch in 1909.

Fitzsimons’s original plans show that the extension consisted of the two-and-a-half-storey Edwardian block to the north side of the Georgian farmhouse.

The plans of Kilmore House record that the interior floor-plan of the original farmhouse was altered to incorporate the kitchen, dining-room, a study and private chapel; whilst the new block consisted of a drawing-room and billiards-room (at ground floor), bedrooms and bathrooms (at first floor) and servants quarters (in the attic storey).

Captain Silvertop served in France during the 1st World War, but following his death, in 1917, the house was sold and passed out of the McDonnell family.

Kilmore House had lain vacant from 1910 until 1919, when it was purchased by Joseph Maguire, a senator in the Northern Ireland Parliament at Stormont.

The De La Salle Order purchased Kilmore in 1958, when it was occupied by the Most Rev Dr  D Mageean, RC Bishop of Down and Connor (1882-1962).

The Bishop resided at Kilmore House until ca 1960, when the building was converted into a holiday home for visitors to the North Coast, administered by the Trustees of Kilmore Holiday House.

Kilmore House was listed in 1980 and is now a country house venue most suitable for weddings and functions.

Today the house is set in thirteen acres.

It has fourteen bedrooms.

A stained-glass window at the landing still has the McDonnell and Silvertop armorial bearings.

First published in April, 2016. Select bibliography: Northern Ireland Department for Communities Historic Buildings survey.