Barretstown Castle

THE BORROWES BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KILDARE, WITH 4,818 ACRES

This family derives (as proved by the patent from Sir William Roberts, Ulster King-of-Arms, granting an augmentation to the arms of Sir Erasmus, 1st Baronet) from a scion of the ancient house of DE BURGH, for centuries so eminent, both in England and Ireland, under the names of Burgh, Bourke, Burke, and Borough. 

HENRY BORROWES, who settled in Ireland during the reign of ELIZABETH I, married firstly, Jane, daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Arthur Savage MP, of Rheban, County Kildare; and secondly, in 1585, Catherine Eustace, of Gilltown.

Henry Borrowes was succeeded by his son, 

ERASMUS BORROWES, of Gilltown, MP. 

This gentleman, High Sheriff of County Kildare at the breaking out of the rebellion in 1641, testified, upon oath, that he was unable to resist the Irish by the Posse Comitatus; and that he had lost in goods, corn, and cattle, at his several houses of Grangemellon, Gilltown, and Carbally, £9,396; in debts, £11,932; 

Besides a yearly income of £1,200, or thereabouts; in consideration whereof, and of his goods and rightful services, CHARLES I, in 1646, created him a baronet, designated of Grange Mellon, County Kildare.

Sir Erasmus married Sarah, daughter of Walter Weldon MP, of Woodstock Castle, and granddaughter maternally of the Rt Rev John Ryder, Lord Bishop of Killaloe, by whom he had, with a daughter, two sons, by the survivor of whom he was succeeded, viz.

SIR WALTER BORROWES, 2nd Baronet (c1620-85), who wedded firstly, in 1656 (the ceremony being performed with great pomp, before the Rt Hon Ridgeway Hatfield, Lord Mayor of Dublin), the Lady Eleanor FitzGerald, third daughter of George, 16th Earl of Kildare.

He married secondly, Margaret, fifth daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Adam Loftus MP, of Rathfarnham.

By the former he had, with a daughter, an only son, his successor,

SIR KILDARE BORROWES, 3rd Baronet (c1660-1709), MP for Kildare County, 1703-9, who espoused Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard Dixon, and sister of Robert Dixon, by whom he had two sons and three daughters.

Sir Kildare was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR WALTER DIXON BORROWES, 4th Baronet (1691-1741), MP for Harristown, 1721-7, Athy, 1741, who inherited the estates of his maternal uncle, Robert Dixon, already mentioned, in 1725.

He married, in 1720, Mary, daughter and co-heir of Captain Edward Pottinger, by whom he had three sons; the second and third died unmarried, and the eldest succeeded to the baronetcy, and became, 

SIR KILDARE DIXON BORROWES, 5th Baronet (1722-90), High Sheriff of County Kildare, 1751, for which county he had been some years before (1745) returned to parliament.

He married firstly, in 1759, Elizabeth, only daughter and heiress of John Short, of Grange, Queen's County, by whom he had three sons and one daughter; and secondly, in 1769,  Jane, daughter of Joseph Higginson, of Mount Ophaley, County Kildare, by whom he had four sons and two daughters.

Sir Kildare was succeeded by his eldest son, 

SIR ERASMUS DIXON BORROWES, 6th Baronet (1759-1814), who wedded, in 1783, Harriet, youngest daughter of the Very Rev Arthur Champagné, Dean of Clonmacnoise, and great-granddaughter (maternally) of Arthur, 2nd Earl of Granard, and had issue,

WALTER DIXON, his successor;
Arthur;
Kildare;
ERASMUS, 8th Baronet;
Marianne; Harriet; Elizabeth.

Sir Erasmus was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR WALTER DIXON BORROWES, 7th Baronet (1789-1834), who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his only surviving brother, 

THE REV SIR ERASMUS DIXON BORROWES, 8th Baronet (1799-1866), Rector of Ballyroan, Queen's County, who married, in 1825, Harriet, daughter of Henry Hamilton, and niece of Hans Hamilton, MP for County Dublin, and had issue,

Kildare (1828-37);
ERASMUS;
Walter Joseph;
Henrietta Mary; Adelaide Charlotte Marianne; Eleanor Caroline.

Sir Erasmus was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, 

SIR ERASMUS DIXON BORROWES, 9th Baronet (1831-98), of Barretstown Castle, High Sheriff of County Kildare, 1873, Queen's County, 1880, who espoused firstly, in 1851, Frederica Eaten, daughter of Brigadier-General George Hutcheson, and had issue, a son,

KILDARE, his successor.

He married secondly, in 1887, Florence Elizabeth, daughter of William Ruxton, and had further issue,

Walter (1892-1915);
Mary Adelaide Vernon.

Sir Erasmus was succeeded by his son,

SIR KILDARE BORROWES, 10th Baronet (1852-1924), who married, in 1886, Julia, daughter of William Holden, by whom he had no issue.

Sir Kildare was Captain in the 11th Hussars and aide-de-camp to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He retired from the army with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

The baronetcy expired on the death of Sir Eustace Dixon Borrowes, 11th baronet, in 1939.

BARRETSTOWN CASTLE, Ballymore Eustace, Naas, County Kildare, is an old tower-house with a two-storey, Gothic-Victorian addition.

The latter has rectangular, pointed and segmental-pointed plate glass windows.

One side of the front has a four-storey tower with a stepped gable.

The first historical mention of the place is in a 1547 inquisition held after the dissolution of the monasteries, when Barretstown Castle was listed as the property of the Lord Archbishop of Dublin, from whom it was promptly confiscated by the Crown.

Thereafter the Castle was held by the Eustace family on a series of "permanent leases."

In the 17th century, Sir Walter Borrowes married a daughter of the Earl of Kildare and acquired the estate, and the family retained possession for over two centuries.

Members of the family, such as Sir Kildare Borrowes, 5th Baronet, represented Kildare County and Harristown in the former Irish Parliament.

Unlike the Eustace Baronets of the 16th and 17th centuries, the five Borrowes Baronets, who spanned the 19th century, played no part in public life.

Sir Kildare, 10th Baronet (1852–1924), whose father, the Rev Sir Erasmus, 8th Baronet, had significantly modified the residence in a medieval, romantic, asymmetrical style, was the last of the family to live at Barretstown.

In 1918, the Borrowes family left Ireland and Barretstown was purchased by Sir George Sheppard Murray, a Scotsman who converted the estate into a fine stud farm, and planted many of the exotic trees that dominate the landscape.

In 1962, Elizabeth Arden acquired the castle from the Murray family. Over five years, Arden extensively reconstructed, redecorated, and refurnished the castle.

Her influence dominates the look of the house to this day.

The door of the castle is reputed to have been painted red after her famous brand of perfume Red Door, and remains so to this day.

After Arden's death in 1967, the billionaire Garfield Weston took up residence.

Under his ownership the grounds were significantly improved, particularly through the addition of a magnificent lake in front of the castle.

The Weston family, which owns Dublin's famous Brown Thomas department store, presented the estate to the Irish government in 1977, during which time it was used for national and international conferences and seminars, as well as being used as a part of the Irish National Stud.

The Irish government has leased the castle and its grounds to the Barretstown Gang Camp Fund for the next 90 years.

First published in September, 2012.

Castle Ward House

THE VISCOUNTS BANGOR OWNED 9,861 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

The family of WARD is of Norman origin, and was seated at Capesthorne, in Cheshire, which Daniel King, in his book Vale Royal, calls "a great lordship and demesne, giving name to the ancient seat of the Wards."

We find in the roll of Battle Abbey that the family of WARD attended WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR into England, where, after some centuries, it appeared in three respectable branches; of which the Wards of Capesthorne, Cheshire.

For several centuries, having possessed many extensive lordships, descended the family of WARD, of Bangor, in the person of

BERNARD WARD, who married a daughter of the ancient family of Leigh, of High Leigh, in Cheshire, and settled in Ulster about 1570.

This Bernard acquired the lands known as Carrickshannagh from the Earl of Kildare, and renamed it CASTLE WARD.

His son and heir,

NICHOLAS WARD, of Castle Ward, of full age at his father's death, was appointed Clerk, Comptroller and Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, 1599, an office he resigned in 1602. 

Mr Ward, High Sheriff of County Down, 1620 and 1624, married, before 1584, Joan, daughter of Ralph Leycester MP, of Toft Hall, Cheshire, and had issue, with several daughters (one of whom, Eleanor, wedded Thomas Russell, of Lecale), four sons,

BERNARD, his heir;
Robert (Sir), created a baronet;
Charles, Colonel in the Army; killed at the battle of Worcester;
Nicholas.

The eldest son,

BERNARD WARD, of Castle Ward, born in 1606, High Sheriff of County Down, 1656, wedded Anne, daughter of Richard West, of Ballydugan, County Down, and had, with other issue, an eldest son,

NICHOLAS WARD, of Castle Ward, born in 1630, MP for Downpatrick, 1661-66, High Sheriff of County Down, 1662, who espoused Sarah, daughter and co-heir of Theophilus Buckworth, Bishop of Dromore, by Sarah Ussher his wife, and had, with other issue, an eldest son,

BERNARD WARD (1654-90), of Castle Ward, High Sheriff of County down, 1690, wedded, in 1681, Anne, daughter of Richard Ward (and sister of Michael Ward, Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, and afterwards Lord Bishop of Derry), and had issue, three sons and two daughters.

Mr Ward was killed in a duel, 1690, whilst High Sheriff, by Jocelyn Hamilton, of the Clanbrassil family (who was mortally wounded at the same time), and was succeeded by his second, but eldest surviving son,

MICHAEL WARD (1683-1759), of Castle Ward, MP for County Down, 1715, Judge of the King's Bench in Ireland in 1725.

He espoused, in 1709, Anne Catherine, daughter and co-heir of James Hamilton, of Bangor, County Down, and had issue,

BERNARD, his heir;
Anne; Sophia.

Mr Ward was succeeded by his only son,

BERNARD WARD (1719-81), of Castle Ward, High Sheriff of County Down, 1746, who married, in 1747, the Lady Ann Bligh, daughter of John, 1st Earl of Darnley, and widow of Robert Hawkins Magill, of Gill Hall, County Down, by whom he had issue,

NICHOLAS, his successor;
John, died young;
Edward, father of 3rd Viscount and Henry (Rev), Rector of Killinchy;
Robert (Rt Hon), High Sheriff of Co Down, 1792;
Anne Catharine; Sophia; Amelia; Harriet.

Colonel Ward, MP for County Down, 1745-70, was elevated to the peerage, in 1770, in the dignity Baron Bangor, of Castle Ward, County Down.

Bernard, 1st Viscount Bangor (Image: The National Trust)

His lordship was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1781, as VISCOUNT BANGOR, of Castle Ward, County Down.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

NICHOLAS, 2nd Viscount (1750-1827); who died unmarried in 1827, when the honours reverted to his nephew,

EDWARD SOUTHWELL, 3rd Viscount (1790-1837), High Sheriff of County Down, 1823, who wedded, in 1826, Harriet Margaret, daughter of the Rev Henry Maxwell, afterwards Lord Farnham, and had issue,

EDWARD, his successor;
HENRY WILLIAM CROSBIE, succeeded his brother;
William John;
Bernard Matthew;
two further sons.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDWARD, 4th Viscount (1827-81), who died unmarried, when the family honours devolved upon his brother,

HENRY WILLIAM CROSBIE, 5th Viscount (1828-1911), who married firstly, in 1854, MARY, daughter of the Rev Henry King, and had issue,

Henry Somerset Andrew (1857-60);
Edward William Henry (1863-87);
MAXWELL RICHARD CROSBIE, his successor;
Harriette Mary; Kathleen Annette Norah; Bertha Jane; Mary Henrietta; Emily Georgiana.

He wedded secondly, in 1874, Elizabeth, only daughter of Major Hugh Eccles, without further issue. 

Henry, 5th Viscount Bangor (Image: The National Trust)

His lordship was succeeded by his third son,

MAXWELL RICHARD CROSBIE, 6th Viscount (1868-1950), OBE PC, who wedded, in 1905, Agnes Elizabeth, daughter of Dacre Mervyn Archdale Hamilton, and had issue,

EDWARD HENRY HAROLD, his successor;
Mary Helen Kathleen; Helen Elizabeth; Margaret Bertha.

His lordship was succeeded by his son,

EDWARD HENRY HAROLD, 7th Viscount (1905-93), of London, who married firstly, in 1933, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Balfour; secondly, in 1937, May Kathleen, daughter of William B O Middleton; and thirdly, in 1947, Leila Mary, daughter of David Rimington Heaton, by whom he had issue,

WILLIAM MAXWELL DAVID, his successor.

His lordship wedded fourthly, in 1951, Marjorie Alice, daughter of Peter Banks, and had further issue,

Edward Nicholas, heir presumptive to the titles;

Sarah.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

WILLIAM MAXWELL, 8th Viscount (1948-), of London, who married, in 1976, Sarah Mary Malet (Sarah Bradford), daughter of Brigadier Hilary Anthony Hayes, without issue.

The heir presumptive is Lord Bangor's half-brother, the Hon Edward Nicholas Ward (b 1953).

*****

Between 1972 and 1997 we, as a family, spent most weekends at Castle Ward. We were based at the idyllic caravan site at the extreme eastern end of the estate, nearest to the village of Strangford.

The site warden was Ernest Swail, reputedly Lord Bangor's last boatman (the 6th Viscount enjoyed boating himself).

I have fond memories of the Swails; and Mr Swail kept the caravan park immaculate, clean, tidy and well mown.

During that era the National Trust custodian was Lieutenant-Colonel Terence P Kidd, a gentleman I also recall.

Colonel and Mrs Kidd lived at the top of Castle Ward House. A gleaming brass plaque with his name greeted visitors at the side entrance.

They spent their retirement at Black Causeway House (near the caravan site), and Mrs Kidd continued to volunteer as a guide or assistant in the House when he died.

We invariably spent contented evenings at the LOBSTER POT in the village.

CASTLE WARD, near Downpatrick, County Down, originally called Carrick na Sheannagh, has been in the Ward family since the second half of the 16th century, when it was bought [ca 1570] from the Earls of Kildare by Bernard, father of Sir Robert Ward, Surveyor-General of Ireland.

The most important survival from the days of these early Wards is a 17th century tower house standing in the farmyard of the Castle Ward estate, built in 1610 by Nicholas Ward, who was a government official in Ireland towards the end of the reign of ELIZABETH I.

It is a three-storied stone building almost 50 feet high and built for defence.

The present walled demesne of ca 850 acres dates from the 16th century.

There has been a succession of houses here.

The tower house, Old Castle Ward, ca 1590, survives near the shores of Strangford Lough.

Around 1720, Judge Michael Ward built a new mansion to the north-west.

This was demolished ca 1850, but much associated landscaping and planting survives.

The demesne was partitioned into regular fields, embellished with plantations with an extensive formal garden around Castle Ward House.

There were two canals, one of which survives as the Temple Water.

It was dug ca 1728 and centred on a vista to the neighbouring 15th century tower house, Audley’s Castle.

A smaller canal at right angles is now grassed over, but is denoted by a double line of (replanted 1983) lime trees.

A series of three yew-lined, terraced walks constitute another good surviving feature from the 1720s.

Other features have not survived, notably a duck decoy (pre-1725) and a 'mount', which provided views of the gardens.

Lady Anne Ward's Temple was added to the formal layout ca 1750 on high ground in a position overlooking the Temple Water and Strangford Lough.

This classical building, with its portico and dressings of Bath stone, was sketched in 1762 by Mrs Delany, who also depicted a grotto in the slopes below.

No trace of this survives.

Castle Ward: Entrance Front (Robert John Welch/NMNI)

The present house was built ca 1761-7 by Bernard Ward, 1st Viscount Bangor, in the middle of the pre-existing demesne.

It is notable for its contrasting formal Palladian and Gothic fronts, which give it a schizophrenic character.

A landscape park was laid out for the new house incorporating new plantations, walks, avenues and a small deer-park.

A new stable block (1758-70), was linked to the house by hidden walks and a tunnel.

The park was much admired by contemporary observers.

Castle Ward from Portaferry ca 1790, by Jonathan Fisher (Image: The National Trust)

There are many fine parkland trees, woodland and shelter belts in the undulating terrain.

The walled garden (3.7 acres in extent), built on the north side of the Temple Water, was added ca 1830, while further demesne buildings were added in the mid-19th century.

During the mid-19th century the parkland was greatly enhanced by the judicious improvements of Major Nugent, second husband to Lady Bangor.

The Mountain Wood (ca 1844) and Windmill Plantation (ca.1850) were added and the park extended over the Audleystown peninsula, clearing a village in the process (c.1855).

The 1840s also witnessed the creation of the Windsor Garden, which had four terraces and a rectangular sunken area, the latter being graced by an elaborate parterre of 61 beds.

To the west, a pinetum with a fine collection of spruces, pines, firs and cypresses was established; while a substantial rockery was added to the area during the Edwardian period.

The main gate lodge, Ballyculter Lodge of ca 1850, was extended in 1870, when the position of the gates was altered. The gate screen is listed.

Other entrances no longer used are: Downpatrick Gate Lodge; Strangford Lodge, pre-1859; North Lodge, ca 1880.

The House and grounds have been National Trust property since 1952.

Former town house ~ 105, Devonshire Mews South, W1.

First published in July, 2010.

Shaftesbury Square

Shaftesbury Square ca 1900

Shaftesbury Square, Belfast, was first recorded in 1887.

It runs from Fulton Street to Dublin Road.

The square was named after the Earl of Shaftesbury.

There was a drinking fountain at the centre of the Square, designed by W J Barre.

Number 1-11 was a three-storey terrace with dormers, known as Shaftesbury Buildings.

Shaftesbury Buildings were built between 1884-87, though they suffered a devastating fire in 1968.

This curved terrace was replaced about 1973 by Carlton House, an office block which housed social security offices and a post office on the ground floor.

Number 12-13, at the corner of Botanic Avenue and Bradbury Place, used to be Oxford Buildings.

A new three-storey, neo-Georgian block was built ca 1961, which opened as the Northern Bank.

14-15, Shaftesbury Square, is located at the beginning of Donegall Road.

This building is now called Shaftesbury House, built about 1845, though re-faced in 1935.

It is of three storeys and has elevations at  1-7 Donegall Road.

The black marble cladding masks the original houses which remain behind it.

In 1974, Number 14 was B S Loughheed, menswear and dress hire.

Number 16-24 is a three-storey Georgian terrace of 1822-35, though the façade now protrudes with shop-fronts.

In 1900, this terrace had small gardens with railings fronting on to the Square.

The original terrace is now barely recognizable, though a few traces remain.

In 1974, occupants included a hairdresser, a bar, a laundry, an off-licence, and a ladies fashion retailer.

We now have a bookmaker's, a restaurant, a football supporters' club; Paul Rankin's Roscoff restaurant was at the end of the terrace.

Lesley House, built in 1986, is located at 25-31 Shaftesbury Square.

This used to be a continuation of numbers 16-24 and in the 20th century was occupied by various businesses, including the Belfast School of Motoring, Christie's Wallpapers, Kayley's carpets, a chiropodist, and another hairdresser.

Number 32-34, built in 1863, was a pair of three-storey stucco houses with tulip-pot chimneys.

Number 34, swept away in 1993, was a manse, presumably for the minister of Great Victoria Street Presbyterian Church.

Shaftesbury Square also had underground municipal toilets, built ca 1935.

I gather that these former conveniences were closed many years ago and could have potential use as a bar or restaurant.

The Ulster Bank premises, technically at 136-142 Great Victoria Street, were built in 1960.

This used to be the Magdalene School House, built in 1853 by Sir Charles Lanyon.

It was formerly a Sunday school and church hall for St Mary Magdelene parish church in Donegall Pass, prior to demolition in 1930.

Magdalene School House (1853-1930)

The old schoolhouse had a square pinnacled tower, a gable looking on to the Square, and a taller tower behind it.

In 1888, it was decided not to carry on with the day school because of the danger to children owing to heavy traffic in the growing area.

The schoolhouse became used solely as a parochial hall.

During 1916-17, it was decided to sell the old schoolhouse and parochial hall.

It was considered unsuitable because of the distance from the church and the increasing volume of traffic.

It was finally sold at the end of 1919 for £5,000 (about £220,000 today), demolished, and replaced by a block of shops.

First published in February, 2014.  See Central Belfast: A Historical Gazetteer, by M Patton OBE, p298.

The Close Baronetcy

RICHARD CLOSE, the first of the family who settled in Ulster, was the younger son of a respectable house in Yorkshire, and held a commission in the Army, sent from England, in the reign of CHARLES I, 1640. Mr Close acquired property in County Monaghan, but after the Restoration fixed himself at Lisnagarvey (Lisburn), County Antrim.

There he lived and died, leaving a son and heir,

RICHARD CLOSE, who inherited the County Monaghan estates, and married Mary, sister of SAMUEL WARING, of Waringstown, MP for Hillsborough.

Mr Close received a grant of lands from Mr Waring, contiguous to Waringstown, on which he built a good house and resided.

Richard Close considerably enlarged the family estate by purchasing a tract of land on the River Bann, between Rathfriland and Castlewellan, County Down, and after the disturbances in 1688, which obliged him to leave his home and join the Protestants, then united at Lisburn, under Lord Conway and Sir Arthur Rawdon, he returned (subsequently to the battle of the Boyne) having suffered great losses during the harassing conflicts of the times. 

He left at his decease five sons and three daughters.

The eldest son,

Richard Close, wedded, in 1708, Rose, daughter of Roger Hall, of NARROW WATER CASTLE, County Down, and had issue, now extinct.

The second son,

THE REV SAMUEL CLOSE, who was presented to the rectory of Stewartstown, County Tyrone, 1721, married Catherine, daughter of Captain James Butler, of Bramblestown, County Kilkenny, by Margaret, Lady Maxwell, widow of Sir Robert Maxwell Bt, and daughter and heiress of Henry Maxwell, of Elm Park, and had, with four daughters, a son and successor,

MAXWELL CLOSE, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1780, who succeeded his grandmother, Lady Maxwell (who died in 1758), in the possession of Elm Park, County Armagh, and the lands settled upon him.

He married, in 1748, Mary, eldest daughter of  Captain Robert Maxwell, of FELLOWS HALL, County Armagh, brother of John, Lord Farnham, and had issue,

SAMUEL, his heir;
Robert, died unmarried;
BARRY, of whom we treat;
Farnham;
Grace; Catherine; Margaret; Mary; Elizabeth.

The third son,

SIR BARRY CLOSE (1756-1813), born at Elm Park, a very distinguished military officer in the East India Company, attained the rank of major-general.

Sir Barry Close, 1st Baronet (Image: Manchester City Gallery)

General Close was created a baronet in December, 1812, designated of Mysore.

Memorial to Sir Barry Close Bt in St Mary's Church, Madras

Sir Barry died, unmarried, four months afterwards, when the title expired.

First published in January, 2014.  Close arms courtesy of the NLI.

The Carlton, Part II

Richard Graham has sent me further details about Belfast's Carlton Grill and Lounge Bar

"Although The Carlton ceased trading on Wellington Place in the mid 1990s, the name and the business was transferred (for the second time) to first floor premises in the Scottish Provident Building on Donegall Square West."

Moore House, beside the Carlton, Donegall Place,
demolished ca 1935 (Image: the Hogg Collection/NMNI)

"The directors (the Andrews family of the Percy Street Flour Mill ... and of course Titanic designer fame) then decided to change the name of the business to 'Truffles' (under the management of Rita Murphy) but despite having a good reputation for food and drink, it suffered from not having a ground floor presence (it was reached by a narrow staircase) and the footfall required to cover the costs of running a city centre restaurant never materialised."

"The building was then taken over as a new hospitality venue named 'The Apartment' under the directorship of Michael Stewart, formerly of Bob Cratchit's at the Russell Court and The Fly on Lower Crescent."

"As with all the former premises, Michael Stewart soon created in The Apartment one of the coolest venues in the city centre."

"Ownership of The Apartment changed hands and as with most city centre venues it was given several makeovers evolving into 'Hellcat Maggie's', a modern day gastro pub, which is about as far away as you can get from the original ethos of The Carlton in its heyday!"

"On a sidenote, the Andrews family also owned the Ormo Coffee Shops in Donegall Place - one of which was in the department Store of Anderson & McAuley."

"Henry (Harry) Toner, another director of The Carlton on Wellington Place, was also the proprietor of the Windsor Hotel, Knocknagoney, a popular East Belfast wedding venue which competed with the Glenmachan Tower Hotel nearby."

'The Windsor Hotel was originally Knocknagoney House, home of the McCance family of Suffolk, one of the leading linen families in Ulster."

"The building is now owned by the PSNI [Police Service of Northern Ireland], who use it for forensic science purposes."

"The PSNI also own the nearby estate of Garnerville - residence of the Garner family until the mid 20th century ... but I digress!"

"Suffice to say the Carlton name did live on after Wellington Place ... but not for long, as it was felt the name did not reflect modern changes in hospitality at that time."

"Sadly, by then the 'boozy' G&T lunches frequented by the businessmen of the city and which went on until late in the afternoon /early evening had become distinctly unfashionable, and were consigned to the history books in favour of lighter lunches with no brandy or cigars, and where returning to the office after lunch was mandatory!'

Beardiville House

THE LECKYS OWNED 1,492 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

This family is of Scottish extraction, and settled, it is stated, in County Londonderry, in the 17th century.

ALEXANDER LECKIE OF THAT ILK (1599-1643), a laird from Stirlingshire, owing to various troubles of that period, had to take refuge in Ulster where he spent the years 1633-40.

He wedded Grizel, daughter of Sir John Murray of Polmais; and dying in 1643, he was succeeded by his younger son, 

CAPTAIN ALEXANDER LECKY (c1631-c1717), who, like his father, removed to Ulster and settled at Derry.

He was High Sheriff of Londonderry, 1677, and Mayor, 1691 and 1695.

Captain Lecky took a considerable part in the siege of Derry, being captain of one of the six companies raised for the protection of the city; but on his refusal to accept the Test Act of 1704, he had to relinquish his office of alderman of the city and all his other offices.

His younger son, 

HENRY LECKY (1689-1761), of Agivey, County Londonderry, married, in 1715, Mary, daughter of Randal McColIum, of Lemnalary, Glenarm, County Antrim, and had a son,

HUGH LECKY, of Agivey, who married, in 1765, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev John Gage, of Rathlin, County Antrim, and had issue,

JOHN GAGE, his heir;
Hugh, father of HUGH;
Mary; Anne.

Mr Lecky died in 1796, and was succeeded by his elder son,

JOHN GAGE LECKY (1773-1819), of Agivey and Bushmills, who wedded, in 1818, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev Oliver McCausland; though died without issue, when he was succeeded by his nephew,

HUGH LECKY (1804-81), of Beardiville, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1835, who espoused, in 1837, Matilda, daughter of George Hutchinson, of Ballymoney, County Antrim, and had issue,

HUGH, his heir;
George;
John Gage;
Harry;
Elizabeth.

Mr Lecky was succeeded by his eldest son, 

HUGH LECKY JP (1845-1918), of Beardiville, who married, in 1876, Rebecca Mary, daughter of Robert Crookshank, of Glenmanus House, Portrush, and had issue,

HUGH, his heir;
Robert;
Randall and
James, twins;
Olivia.

Mr Lecky was succeeded by his eldest son,

CAPTAIN HUGH LECKY DL (1880-1962), High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1930, who wedded, in 1905, Annie Margaret, daughter of Anthony Traill, though the marriage was without issue.

BEARDIVILLE HOUSE is situated at Cloyfin, between Coleraine and Bushmills, County Antrim.

This is a mid-18th century house originally inhabited by the Macnaghtens of Dundarave.

It comprises two storeys over a basement, with five bays.

The central bay breaks forward.

There is a porch with Tuscan-style columns, which were added afterwards.

The drawing-room was in the single-storey 19th century wing.

There is a simple pedimented archway at the demesne's entrance, flanked by single-storey lodges. Diocletian windows are partly blocked up.

The demesne was established in the 17th century and the present house dates from around 1710-12.

The property had been leased by Francis Macnaghten from the Earl of Antrim in 1709 and the house, with its steep, hipped roof (which once had dormers), has an armorial plaque over the main door bearing the date 1715.

An earlier survey by Thomas Roe of the demesne in 1712 shows ‘house, orchard, garding, stead and meadow or moss’.

There is part of a shelter belt of trees on the west side, which is most necessary in this area of the county, but a continuation along the road to the south has gone.

Two clumps of trees in parkland to the south of the house, and other trees near the house, remain from late 18th or early 19th century planting.

There is a walled garden, set out as an ornamental garden for a dwelling that is occupied.

The building may have originally been an apple store.

The area south of the walled garden was formally an orchard.

There is a pond fed from a spring, mature shrubs, herbaceous border, lawns, a tennis court and wall plants in the walled garden.

It appears that improvements in landscaping took place in the early 19th century, as a winding avenue through parkland was emphasised through the addition of a new gate lodge on the south side.

This is maintained as a folly.

It was built ca 1810 in basalt rubble, with two rooms and a joining arch, possibly by Richard Elsam.

Another matching pair of lodges, ca 1790 at the north entrance, probably flanked the original entrance and are now derelict.

The property passed hands in 1845 to Hugh Lecky, whose son, also Hugh, went to live in the Apple House in the walled garden just before the start of the 2nd World War.

Beardiville House remained empty until sold in 1965.

It has subsequently been restored.
 
First published in August, 2011.  Lecky arms courtesy of the NLI.

Convamore House

THE EARLS OF LISTOWEL WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 30,000 ACRES.

This ancient family claims descent from the house of HARCOURT, in Lorraine, who were Counts in Normandy. In 1461,

JOHN HARE, son of Thomas Hare, by Joyce, his wife, daughter of John Hyde, of Norbury, resided at Homersfield, in Suffolk and was father of

NICHOLAS HARE, father of

JOHN HARE, who, by Elizabeth Fortescue, his wife, had two sons, viz.

NICHOLAS;
JOHN. 

The younger son,

JOHN HARE, having eventually inherited the estates of his brother, Sir Nicholas, became of Stow Bardolph.

He had a numerous family, seven sons and three daughters. Of the former,

RICHARD, the eldest, was ancestor of the HARES of Stow Bardolph, raised to the degree of Baronet in 1641; and

JOHN HARE, the youngest, a bencher of the Middle Temple, wedded Margaret, daughter of John Crouch, of Cornbury, Hertfordshire, and had a son,

HUGH HARE, a faithful adherent of CHARLES I, by whom he was created, in 1625, BARON COLERAINE,  of County Londonderry.

His lordship married and was father of

HENRY, descended the Barons Coleraine; and from a younger son, HUGH, sprang the HARES of Listowel, the representative of which branch, 

RICHARD HARE, of Ennismore (third son of John Hare, of Cork, a native of Norfolk), the immediate founder of this family, married Catherine Maylor, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his successor;
John, died unmarried, 1774;
Mary; Margaret Anne.

The elder son and successor,

WILLIAM HARE (1751-1837), represented Cork and Athy in the Irish parliament from 1796 until the final dissolution of that assembly.

Mr Hare was elevated to the peerage, in 1800, in the dignity of Baron Ennismore; and advanced to a viscounty, in 1816, as Viscount Ennismore and Listowel.

His lordship was further advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1822, as EARL OF LISTOWEL.

He married firstly, in 1772, Mary, only daughter of Henry Wrixon, of Ballygiblin, County Cork, and aunt of Sir William Wrixon-Becher Bt, and had issue,

RICHARD, father of WILLIAM, 2ND EARL;
William Henry;
Margaret Anne; Mary; Louisa; Catharine.

He espoused secondly, in 1812, Anne, second daughter of John Latham, of Meldrum, County Tipperary.

His lordship was succeeded by his grandson,

WILLIAM (1801-56), 2nd Earl.

• William Hare, 2nd Earl (1801–56);
• William Hare, 3rd Earl (1833–1924);
• Richard Granville Hare, 4th Earl (1866–1931);
• William Francis Hare, 5th Earl (1906–97);
• Francis Michael Hare, 6th Earl (b 1964).

The heir presumptive is the present holder's brother, the Hon Timothy Patrick Hare (b 1966).

*****

THE PRINCIPAL family seat was Convamore, County Cork, though they were also seated at Ennismore Park, County Kerry, which was sold by the Bailey family to the Hares in the late 18th century.

William, 1st Earl of Listowel, built a new house beside the River Blackwater in the early 19th century.

He was residing at Convamore in 1814.

It remained the family seat in 1894.

The house was burned in 1921 and is now a ruin.

The family's town residence was Kingston House, Knightsbridge, London. The 3rd Earl, the then owner of the Kingston House estate, was admitted as copyholder and secured the ground's enfranchisement from manorial control.

In 1855, the substantial portion of the estate built up with houses and stables in the 1840s and early 1950s was sold by the 2nd Earl, but the greater part, including Kingston House itself, remained in the possession of the Hare family until shortly before the Second World War.

With the death of the 4th Earl in 1931, the estate passed not to his eldest son, the socialist 5th Earl, but on trust to a younger son, the Hon John Hare, later 1st Viscount Blakenham. 


The 3rd Earl died at Kingston House in 1924, and the last occupant was his widow, who in turn died there in 1936. In March, 1937, the contents were sold and that autumn the house itself was demolished for the building of flats.

CONVAMORE HOUSE was a large and plain two-storey early 19th century mansion, situated above a fine stretch of the River Blackwater in County Cork.

The entrance front had a single storey Doric portico; while the block with the main rooms was faced with Victorian stucco and plate-glass windows.

The walls of the old Roche castle are said to be stained with tar from a beacon that was lit when EDWARD VII paid a visit as Prince of Wales.

The castle belonged lately to a Major Hirtch, whose father built a gabled fishing lodge beside it.

These decorative cast-iron entrance gates and finely carved piers of solid limestone blocks exhibit high levels of craftsmanship.

The gateway to Convamore House was erected for a visit by the Prince of Wales in 1886.

Listowel arms courtesy of European Heraldry.   First published in February, 2012.