Derryquin Castle

THE BLANDS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 25,576 ACRES

SIR CHRISTOPHER BLAND WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE BBC BOARD OF GOVERNORS, 1996-2001

This family was originally seated in Yorkshire. The first who settled in Ireland was THE VERY REV JAMES BLAND, Archdeacon of Limerick and Dean of Ardfert. In a deed of sale registered in Wakefield, 1717, he is described as "of Killarney, County Kerry", and as disposing of his estates in Sedbergh, Yorkshire, to Richard Willen. Dr Bland was the son of John Bland, of Sedbergh, as proved by the records of St John's College, Cambridge, where he was admitted in 1684. He went to Ireland as Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Henry Sydney, Earl of Romney, in 1692.

Dr Bland wedded Lucy, eldest daughter of Sir Francis Brewster, Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1674-5, by whom he had issue, and was father of the Rev Francis Bland (whose great-grandson, THE VEN NATHANIEL BLAND, Archdeacon of Aghadoe, was the head of the family); and of

NATHANIEL BLAND LL.D, Judge of the Prerogative Court of Dublin, Vicar-General of the Diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, who married firstly, Diana, only daughter and heiress of Nicholas Kemeys, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
John.

He wedded secondly, Lucy, daughter of Francis Heaton, and had further issue,

Francis;
Nathaniel;
George;
Lucy; Hester; Dorothea.

Dr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE REV JAMES BLAND, of Derryquin Castle, who espoused firstly, Elizabeth, daughter of Christopher Julian, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER, his heir;
Nathaniel;
James;
Letitia; Diana; Maria; Elizabeth.

He married secondly, Barbara, daughter of _____ Nash.

The Rev James Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER BLAND, of Derryquin Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1806, who wedded, in 1798, Lucinda, daughter of Arthur Bastable Herbert, of Brewstersfield, near Killarney, by his wife Barbara, daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, Knight of Kerry, and had issue,

JAMES FRANKLIN, his heir;
Arthur;
John;
Edward;
Nathaniel;
George;
Francis Christopher;
Elizabeth; Lucy; Frances Diana; Mary Matilda;
Christina Frances; Laetitia; Barbara; Laetitia; Clara Delinda.

Mr Bland died in 1838, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES FRANKLIN BLAND JP (1799-1863), of Derryquin Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1835, who espoused, in 1825, Emma, daughter of Major Joseph Taylor, of Dunkerron Castle, County Kerry, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER, his heir;
James Franklin;
Nathaniel Franklin;
Alice Phillis.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER BLAND JP (1826-94), of Derryquin Castle, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1859, who married, in 1849, Jane, daughter of the Rev Archibald Robert Hamilton, and had issue,

JAMES FRANKLIN, his heir;
Archibald Robert Hamilton;
Francis Christpher Earle;
Richard Townsend Herbert;
Emma Alice; Jane Hamilton; Catherine Cotter;
Alice Phillis; Mary Evelyn.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES FRANKLIN BLAND (1850-1927),  late of Derryquin Castle, and of Drimina House, Sneem, County Kerry, who wedded, in 1873, Agnes Margaret, eldest daughter of Samuel Wilson Block, of 15, Talbot Square, Hyde Park, London, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER CECIL, his heir;
Archibald Franklin Wilson;
Godfrey Hamilton;
Agnes Emma; Evaleen Wilson; Ethel Hamilton.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his eldest son,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER CECIL BLAND (1875-1953), of Drimina House, who married, in 1904, Mary Green, daughter of Henry Albert Uprichard, and had issue,

JAMES FRANKLIN McMAHON;
Henry Archibald Forster.

Mr Bland was succeeded by his elder son,

JAMES FRANKLIN McMAHON BLAND (1905-84), of 14, Tullybrannigan Road, Newcastle, County Down, who married, in 1936, Jess Buchan, daughter of Major Harry Campbell Brodie, and had issue,

FRANCIS CHRISTOPHER BUCHAN;
Godfrey Hamilton.

The elder son,

SIR (FRANCIS) CHRISTOPHER BUCHAN BLAND (1938-2017).

DERRYQUIN CASTLE, Sneem, County Kerry, was a Victorian pile of rough-hewn stone by James Franklin Fuller, built for the Bland family.

The main block was of three storeys, with a four-storey octagonal tower running through its centre.

The entrance door was at one end, flanked by a two-storey, part-curved wing.

There were rectangular, pointed and camber-headed windows; battlements, and machicolations.

The castle was eventually sold by the Blands to the Warden family.

In 1906, it was owned by Colonel Charles W Warden and valued at £70.

The Wardens resided there until it was burnt in 1922.

It was located in the grounds of what is now the Parknasilla Hotel, but the ruins were demolished in 1969.

In 1732, the Rev Dr Nathaniel Bland obtained his grant of the Parknasilla area, the grantors being described as 'Rt Hon Clotworthy, Lord Viscount Massareene, and Philip Doyne, with the consent of James Stopford.'

The link with these three gentlemen is Elizabeth Smyth.

Her father, the Rt Rev Edward Smyth, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor, married secondly, the Hon Mary Skeffington.

She was the daughter of Clothworthy, 3rd Viscount Massareene. Elizabeth married James Stopford in 1726.

In 1762, he was created Viscount Stopford and Earl of Courtown.

His sister, also Elizabeth Stopford, was the third wife of Philip Doyne.

The Rt Rev Richard Pococke, Lord Bishop of Ossory, visited the area in 1758.

He was an avid traveller who published accounts of his visits to the Middle East, Scotland and England.

The Bishop went in search of Dr Bland's house, which was a summer residence located between the Sneem River and the Owreagh River.

He found the house, known as 'The White House', abandoned by its owner, in favour of Parknasilla, a fine Georgian residence a little further east.

Nathaniel Bland's first wife Diana, was the daughter of Nicholas Kerneys or Kemis of County Wexford. They had two sons, John and Rev James.

It was to Rev James that Nathaniel left the bulk of his estate and we shall return to him presently.

John served in the army at Dettingen, Fontenoy and Clifton Moor.

Nathaniel's son Francis, by his second marriage, was a captain in the army and gave it up to become and actor in Thomas Sheridan's company in Dublin.

He fell in love with Grace Phillips, a Welsh actress, and married her in 1758.

They had several children. Grace was the daughter of the Rev Phillips of St. Thomas's Haverfordwest.

Nathaniel  died in 1760 just before the birth of Francis and Grace's child, a daughter, in 1761.

She was christened Dorothea and known as Dorothy, although she referred to herself as Dora and acquired a surfeit of names.

In 1774, Francis decided to leave Grace and his family and marry an heiress.

This time he chose the well-to-do Catherine Mahony from Kerry.

Dora became an actress and was also known by her stage name, Mrs Jordan. She was seduced by her actor manager in Dublin.

Shortly afterwards she became pregnant and fled to England and fell in love with Richard Ford , a handsome lawyer, who was knighted some years later.

She lived with Ford and had three children by him.

When he failed to do the decent thing and marry her, she left him.

She became mistress to William Henry, Duke of Clarence, 3rd son of George III in 1790. He became William IV upon the death of his brother George IV.

They lived together in Busy House in Teddington, near Hampton Court from 1797 until 1811, when he took a new mistress.

Their children, ten in total and all illegitimate, were known as the FitzClarences. The boys were ennobled, the eldest was created Earl of Munster.

The girls married well, viz. two earls, a viscount, the younger son of a duke and a general in the army.

The Duke pensioned Dora off. She was swindled out of money by a son-in-law.

When Nathaniel Bland died in 1760, his son, the Rev James Bland, inherited the estate. Derryquin Castle was probably built during his era.

His son, Francis Christopher Bland, married Lucinda Herbert in 1798.

His son, James Franklin Bland, was born in 1799. Under him the Derryquin estate witnessed its golden years and was self-supporting.

His sister Frances "Fanny" Diana married Thomas Harnett Fuller of Glasnacree and their son James Franklin Fuller was to become the architect of the new Parknasilla hotel in 1897.

James Franklin Bland was succeeded in turn by his son Francis Christopher.

This Francis Christopher joined the Plymouth Brethren.

He neglected his estate and devoted his energy to preaching.

Land agitation was rife in Ireland at this juncture and it was unfortunate that Bland decided to absent himself.

The estate inevitably went into rapid decline.

First published in September, 2012.  Bland arms courtesy of the NLI.

Agnew of Kilwaughter

THE AGNEWS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ANTRIM, WITH 9,770 ACRES

This ancient family held for many generations the office of hereditary sheriff of Wigtownshire, from 1451 until the jurisdiction was abolished in 1747.

PATRICK AGNEW, of Lochnaw, Wigtownshire, said to be a kinsman of the Agnew Baronets, Collector of Rents for the EARL OF ANTRIM, married, in 1622, JANET SHAW, and built a castle at KILWAUGHTER, County Antrim.

Mr Agnew was succeeded by his son,

JOHN AGNEW, who wedded his cousin, Eleanor Shaw, and was succeeded by his son,

PATRICK AGNEW, who married and purchased the remaining lands at Kilwaughter which, until 1660, had been in the possession of the Agnews of Lochnaw:

Sir Patrick Agnew, 1st Baronet, 8th Hereditary Sheriff of Galloway, father of Colonel Alexander Agnew, of Whitehills, who, with Andrew Agnew, his brother, afterwards the 9th Sheriff, was frequently in Ulster.

Mr Agnew, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1669, was succeeded by his son,

PATRICK AGNEW, who married and had issue,

PATRICK, of whom we treat;
Margaret, m James Crawford;
Jean, m Robert Blair, of Blairmount;
Helen, m James Stewart.

Mr Agnew died in 1724, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

PATRICK AGNEW, who espoused Martha Houston (or Houseton) and had issue,

WILLIAM, of whom we treat;
Frances;
John;
James (?);
Patrick (?);
Henry;
Hugh (?).

The eldest son,

WILLIAM "SQUIRE" AGNEW, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1744, married his cousin, Margaret Stewart, of KILLYMOON CASTLE, Cookstown, County Tyrone, and had issue,

James, died unmarried;
William, died unmarried;
MARIA, of whom we treat;
Jane, m Henry Shaw, later of Ballygally.

MARIA AGNEW wedded firstly, James Ross; and secondly, in 1763, VALENTINE JONES, by whom she had issue, one son, Edward; and a daughter, Margaret.

Valentine Jones (1712-1806) was a merchant with West Indian interests and founding member of the Belfast Charitable Society. He was at the Society’s inaugural meeting in August 1752. 

The Valentine Jones dynasty, which had premises at Winecellar Entry off High Street, Belfast, were wine merchants and rum and sugar importers who had established a thriving agency in Barbados where they bought goods from the planters and also sold goods to them.

The only son,

EDWARD JONES (1767-1834), MP for Antrim County, 1792-96, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1803, succeeded his grandfather and assumed the additional surname of AGNEW.

He married Eleanor Galbraith and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Maria, m Dr T C Simon; mother of MARIA AUGUSTA.

Mr Jones Agnew was succeeded by his son and heir,

WILLIAM AGNEW (1824-91), who died unmarried, and was succeeded in the Kilwaughter estate by his niece,

(MARIA) AUGUSTA, COUNTESS BALZANI (1847-95), only child of Thomas Collins Simon and Maria (née Agnew) Simon, who wedded Count Ugo Balzani, and had issue, two daughters,

Gendoluni, Madame Valensin;
Nora.

First published in June, 2016.

The Langham Baronets

 This family is descended from WILLIAM, son of Henry de Langham, who held land in Langham, Rutland, during the reign of EDWARD I.

The fourteenth in lineal descent from him was

ALDERMAN SIR JOHN LANGHAM (1584-1671), Knight, Sheriff of London, 1642, who was created a baronet in 1660, designated of Cottesbrooke, Northamptonshire.

The conferral of a baronetcy was as a recompense for his sufferings in the royal cause (having been twice committed to the Tower, with the Lord Mayor and other aldermen, for refusing to publish an act for the abolition of royalty). Sir John, who acquired a large fortune as a turkey merchant, represented the City of London in parliament in 1654, and the borough of Southwark, 1660.

He married Mary, daughter of James Bunce, and was succeeded at his decease by his eldest son,

SIR JAMES LANGHAM, 2nd Baronet (1621-99), who married thrice, but left one daughter only by his first wife Mary, daughter and co-heir of Sir Edward Alston, Knight; namely Mary, wedded to Henry, Earl of Warrington.

Following his decease the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR WILLIAM LANGHAM, 3rd Baronet (c1625-1700), of Walgrave, Sheriff of Northampton, 1672, MP for Northampton, who married thrice, but had issue by his third marriage only (with Martha, daughter of Herbert Hay), a son, his successor,

SIR JOHN LANGHAM, 4th Baronet (c1670-1747), who espoused firstly, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Samwell Bt, of Upton, Northamptonshire, and had, with other children,

JAMES &
JOHN, successive baronets;
William, father of JAMES, 7th Baronet.

Sir John married secondly, Maria, eldest daughter of Sir Richard Temple KB, and widow of the Rev Dr West, and had several children.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JAMES LANGHAM, 5th Baronet (c1696-1749); who died without issue, when the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR JOHN LANGHAM, 6th Baronet (c1698-1766), who transmitted his memory to posterity by placing £6,000 in new South-Sea annuities, in the hands of the Corporation of London, for the purpose of founding a society for the relief of distressed soldiers and sailors, and their families.

Sir John died without issue, when the title devolved upon (the son of his deceased brother, William) his nephew,

SIR JAMES LANGHAM, 7th Baronet (1736-95), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, 1797, who married firstly, in 1767, Juliana, sister and sole heiress of Thomas Musgrave, of Old Cleve, Somerset, and had, with other issue,

WILLIAM, his successor;

JAMES, 10th Baronet.

Sir James was succeeded by his second son,

SIR WILLIAM LANGHAM, 8th Baronet (1771-1812), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, 1797, who espoused firstly, 1795, Henrietta Elizabeth Frederica, only daughter and heiress of the Hon Charles Vane, of Mount Ida, Norfolk, and had issue,

WILLIAM HENRY, 9th Baronet;

Henrietta; Charlotte.

He wedded secondly, in 1810, Augusta Priscilla, only daughter of the Hon William Henry Irby, and niece of Lord Boston.

Sir William was succeeded by his only son,

SIR WILLIAM HENRY LANGHAM, 9th Baronet (1796-1812), who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his uncle,

SIR JAMES LANGHAM, 10th Baronet (1776-1833), MP for St Germains, High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, 1816, who married, in 1800, Elizabeth, youngest daughter of Francis Burdett, and sister of Sir Francis Burdett Bt, of Foremark, Derbyshire, by whom he had, with other issue,

JAMES HAY, his successor;

Herbert;

Henrietta.

Sir James was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JAMES HAY LANGHAM, 11th Baronet (1802-93), who wedded, in 1828, Margaret Emma, eldest daughter of 2nd Baron Kenyon, and dsp 1893, and was succeeded by his nephew,

SIR HERBERT HAY LANGHAM, 12th Baronet (1840-1909), JP DL, who espoused, in 1868, Anna Maria Frances, second daughter of 3rd Baron Sandys, and had issue,

HERBERT CHARLES ARTHUR, his successor;

*Cecily (Rockfield Cottage, Portaferry, County Down).

He was succeeded by his only son,

SIR HERBERT CHARLES ARTHUR LANGHAM, 13th Baronet (1870-1951), JP DL, of Cottesbrooke, Northamptonshire, High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1930, who wedded, in 1893, Ethel Sarah, eldest daughter of Sir William Emerson-Tennent, 2nd Baronet, of Tempo Manor, County Fermanagh, and had issue,

JOHN CHARLES PATRICK, his successor.

He was succeeded by his only son,

SIR JOHN CHARLES PATRICK LANGHAM, 14th Baronet (1894-1972), JP DL, of Tempo Manor, who married, in 1930, Rosamond Christabel, younger daughter of Arthur Rashleigh, of Holy Well House, Malvern Wells, Worcestershire, and had issue,

JAMES MICHAEL, his successor.

Sir John was succeeded by his only son,

SIR JAMES MICHAEL LANGHAM, 15th Baronet (1932-2002), TD, of Tempo Manor, Captain, North Irish Horse, who married, in 1959, Marion Ellen Audrey Barratt, daughter of Oswald Horner Barratt, and had issue,

JOHN STEPHEN, his successor;

Rupert William;

Lucinda Jane.

Sir James was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN STEPHEN LANGHAM, 16th Baronet (1960-), of Tempo Manor, who married, in 1991, Sarah Jane, daughter of John Denis Greene, and has issue,

TYRONE DENIS JAMES, his successor;

Phœbe Tara; Isabella Hay.

*****

SIR CHARLES LANGHAM, 13th Baronet, sold the ancestral seat, Cottesbrooke Park, in 1911.

He married Ethel Tennent in 1893 and they lived at TEMPO MANOR, which his wife had inherited.

The Langhams acquired the Cottesbrooke estate in around 1635-40. They progressed from very humble beginnings in Guilsborough to becoming Lord Mayor of London, accumulating huge wealth trading with Turkey and the Middle East. In 1660, John Langham was sent to Breda in Holland to petition King Charles II to return to England – he was rewarded with a baronetcy.

Langham Place, London, as the short stretch of new road linking Upper Regent Street with Portland Place was known, took its name from Sir James Langham, 10th Baronet, whom Nash secured in 1813 as client for the biggest house to be erected on the surplus Foley House plots that he had set aside for building on.

Former seats ~ Cottesbrooke Hall, Northamptonshire; Glyndebourne, East Sussex; Southend, Essex.

Former London residence ~ Langham House, Portland Place.

First published in April, 2014.

Derrymore House

WALTER GARUTH CORRY, of Dumfriesshire, born in 1620, settled in Ulster about the time of the Plantation.

His son,

WALTER CORRY (c1635-99), a cornet in the dragoons of the usurper Cromwell's army, was granted the Rockcorry estate in County Monaghan by CHARLES II in 1667.

Mr Corry, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1672, built the town and castle of Newtoncorry (later renamed Rockcorry).

His son,

ISAAC CORRY, born ca 1655 at Rockcorry, High Sheriff of County Monaghan, had a son,

ISAAC CORRY (c1691-1752), of Abbey Yard, Newry, County Down, merchant, who married Cæzarea Smyth, widow, daughter of Edward Smyth, of Newry, and previously of Liverpool, and by her had issue,

EDWARD, his heir;

Isaac, of Abbey Yard, Newry;

Trevor;

Martha; Rebecca; Mary.

The third and youngest son, SIR TREVOR CORRY, was born at Newry in 1724.

Corry memorial in St Mary's Parish Church, Newry
(by West Marshall - Own work)

The eldest son,

EDWARD CORRY (1723-92), MP for Newry, 1774-76, wedded Catherine, daughter of Captain Charles Bristow, of Crebilly, County Antrim, and had issue,

ISAAC, of whom hereafter;

Edward;

Catherine; Martha; Fanny.

The elder son,

THE RT HON ISAAC CORRY (1752-1813), MP for Newry, 1776-1800, CHANCELLOR OF THE IRISH EXCHEQUER, born at Newry, County Down, was unmarried, though had an intimate friendship with Jane Symms, who bore him three sons and three daughters.

DERRYMORE HOUSE, near Bessbrook, County Armagh, is a single-storey thatched cottage ornée of Palladian form.

It comprises a bow-fronted centre block and two flanking wings, joined to the main block by small canted links.

The central bow of the main block is three-sided and glazed to the ground, with astragals and mullions; flanked by two quatrefoil windows, under hood mouldings.

Each wing has a mullioned window.

Derrymore was built at some time prior to 1787 by the Rt Hon Isaac Corry, MP for Newry and Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer.

In 1810, Isaac Corry conveyed the property to William Young, son of the Rev John Young, of Eden, County Armagh.

Young, a lieutenant-colonel in the East India Company, was created a baronet in 1821.

Sir William added an entrance hall on the north side of the U-shaped courtyard, thus enclosing it entirely.

About 1828, the Youngs moved from Derrymore to Bailieborough, County Cavan.

Derrymore was sold to Edward Smyth, of Newry, whose family retained the estate until 1859.

The demesne, which hosted 140,000 trees, was then bought by a wealthy merchant, Robert Glenny, of Trevor Hill, Newry, who in turn sold it onto the linen manufacturer John Grubb Richardson who lived in the adjoining estate, The Woodhouse.

Richardson was responsible for establishing the village of Bessbrook, and building Bessbrook Friends' Meeting House, which sits in the Derrymore demesne.

In 1952, John Stephens Wakefield Richardson donated Derrymore to the National Trust, and it was opened officially in 1957 by the Lady Wakehurst, wife of the Governor of Northern Ireland.

The National Trust subsequently undertook to repair Derrymore and to demolish Sir William Young's entrance hall and later accretions, thus restoring the house to its 18th century character.

Thatching with Norfolk reed had not been a success and in 1963 a native appearance using wheat straw and omitting the block ridge was restored.

During the period of unrest in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles, the house was bombed on five separate occasions between 1972-79.

The custodian, Edmund Baillie, carried out some of the bombs to the garden.

When interviewed in February, 2000, Mr Baillie confirmed that, due to the damage suffered by the structure, most if not all of the timbers had been replaced and that some changes had been made to the interior.

A re-thatching scheme using water reed with wheat straw for the block ridge was completed in 2003.

*****

DERRYMORE'S parkland is attributed to John Sutherland, the leading designer of the day.

Thin belts of mature, mostly deciduous trees and woodland to the north-west of the house are the only reminders of the original planting.

The elms have died out, though replanting has taken place.

The parkland to the south and east of the house was used for Nissen huts during the 2nd World War.

The parkland trees were felled and concrete bases remain in what was always poor soil.

A pond was made in the quarry where stone was used for local building.

There is a small but charming ornamental garden at the house, which has a Victorian appearance.

The walled garden is part cultivated.

It was latterly an orchard used for The Woodhouse.

The head gardener’s house is called Hortus Lodge.

There are four gate lodges, described by Dean as, ‘...disappointingly nondescript’:

One, built pre-1834, two pre-1861 and one pre-1906.

First published in April, 2014.

Galgorm Castle

THE YOUNGS OWNED 1,649 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

DR WILLIAM YOUNG MD (1792-1854), of Galgorm Castle, County Antrim, son of William Young by his wife, Jane Hunter, married thrice.

By his first wife Anne (whom he wedded in 1823), daughter of William Gihon, he had issue,

JOHN;
William Alexander (1829-94);
Jane (1831-45).

Dr Young was succeeded by his elder son,

THE RT HON JOHN YOUNG JP DL (1826-1915), of Galgorm Castle, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1863, Privy Counsellor, Doctor of Law, who married firstly, in 1855, Grace, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Savage, and had issue,

Henry George, of Skeffington Lodge;
WILLIAM ROBERT, of whom we treat;
Patrick Savage;
John Robert;
Henry George;
John William Alexander;
George Charles Gillespie;
Anne Charlotte Maria; Maria; Grace Cottenham; Charlotte Elizabeth Rose;
Rose Maud; Janet Henrietta; Ethel Margaret.

The eldest son,

Brigadier-General Henry George Young CIE DSO (1870-1956), of Skeffington Lodge, Indian Army, was Sergeant-at-Arms, Parliament of Northern Ireland, 1921-51.

John Young's second son, 

THE RT HON WILLIAM ROBERT YOUNG DL (1856-1933), of Galgorm Castle, married, in 1893, Mary Alice, daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Francis Macnaghten Bt, and had issue,

HILDA GRACE YOUNG (1896-1980), of Galgorm Castle, who espoused, in 1924, Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur O'Neill Cubitt Chichester OBE MC, and had issue,

ROSEMARY HILDA;
Deirdre Willa;
Finola Margaret.

The eldest daughter,

ROSEMARY HILDA, VISCOUNTESS BROOKEBOROUGH (1926-2007), married, in 1949, John, 2nd Viscount Brookeborough, of Colebrooke, County Fermanagh, and had issue,

Alan Henry, 3rd and present Viscount Brookeborough;
CHRISTOPHER ARTHUR, of Galgorm Castle;
Rosalind Juliana; Melinda Charlotte; Susanna Cynthia.

GALGORM CASTLE, near Ballymena, County Antrim, is a three-storey 17th century house in a fortified enclosure - or bawn - built ca 1645 by the Rev Alexander Colville.

The early oak stair with turned balusters and large round heads on the newels still survives.

The estate passed by inheritance to the Earls Mount Cashell, the 3rd Earl of whom altered and modernized the Castle ca 1830. More work done subsequently.

These alterations gave the Castle regular fenestration, with sash windows in brick surrounds; and a roof-line of curved battlements, with a curvilinear "Dutch" gable as the central feature of the five-bay entrance front.

The gable surmounting the entrance front was repeated on a projecting porch, which was given a Renaissance door-case by Sir Charles Lanyon, who also designed the door-cases inside the Castle and the dining-room fire-place.

Lord Mount Cashell sold the estate ca 1843, through the Encumbered Estates Court, to Dr William Young.

The present site, comprising 220 acres, includes remnants of the ancient Irish fort of the McQuillan clan.

Building of the original Castle was started in 1618 by Sir Faithful Fortescue and it is recognised as one of the finest examples of early Jacobean architecture in Ulster.

The private chapel close to the Castle, also dating from the time, was used by the family until it was burnt down by the United Irishmen in 1798.

After this, services, including baptisms, were held in the Castle's kitchen.

As well as the architecturally important Castle and Courtyard, the estate includes two further listed buildings: a small roundhouse, formerly the home to a labourer and his four children and a beautiful cottage on the Sourhill Road.

The demesne bustled with life, employing over thirty people in the house, garden, stables and farm.

The Youngs, who bought the estate from Lord Mount Cashell in 1843, also owned the Braidwater Mill.

They were forward-thinking pioneers who ensured the prosperity of the estate by adopting innovative new farming methods such as building flax dams, a water wheel and tank.

At the time Galgorm was one of the premier agricultural estates in the Province.

Coinciding with the industrial revolution and mechanisation of the farming ca 1900, the estate’s fortunes began to decline.

The existing layout was perfectly suited to traditional methods, but totally inappropriate for the new mechanised approach.

The Courtyard, part of which dates back to the early 17th century, suffered the indignity of an attempted conversion/update using the Victorian approach which involved unsympathetic demolition of walls.

Galgorm is on the site of a pre-1600 castle, the demesne dating from the early 17th century.

The fine Jacobean house remains, having been altered and modernised in 1830 and 1850.

There are mature trees in clumps in the parkland between the rivers Main and Braid and in wooded areas near the house.

The shelter belts to the west, along the River Maine, are post-1858.

226 acres of the parkland is a golf course.

The walled garden is disused.

There is a small enclosed cultivated garden in the area of the bawn, which retains its Victorian formal bedding.

This layout succeeded an earlier garden.

A wide grass-lined approach leads to the house.

The offices and stables are listed with the house and have been converted to commercial units.

The gate screen, bawn and walled garden are included in the listing.

The gate lodge was added in 1852.

THE YOUNGS had in fact been prosperous merchants in Ballymena in the early 19th century and had bought Galgorm only in 1850 from the 3rd Earl Mount Cashell.

But clearly they had no difficulty in integrating into gentry circles.

Mary's father-in-law was a privy counsellor, deputy lieutenant and justice of the peace.

The family was on good terms with many of the other landed families in County Antrim and there was much coming and going between Galgorm and other county houses, especially among the younger people for parties and outings.

Most of the Youngs' land was sold to the tenants under the terms of the 1903 Wyndham Act, but the family retained the castle and about 300 acres of gardens, woods and farmland.

This did not have much immediate effect on life in the castle.

Until the 1st World War, there were never fewer than six domestic servants.

Labourers, coachmen, gardeners and gamekeepers on the estate usually numbered around fifteen.

A governess came daily from Belfast to teach the Youngs' only child, Hilda Grace, born in 1896.

For Mary Young, life at Galgorm must have been quite busy.

Her husband's stepmother had died shortly before she and her husband moved to the castle and she took over supervision of the household.

Besides her husband, daughter and father-in-law, her husband's five brothers and seven sisters frequently stayed at the castle.

When the war came she occupied herself organising comforts for the troops, and it seems to have been this which caused her to give up her photography, through lack of spare time.

She died in 1946.

Galgorm passed eventually to the widow of Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur O'Neill Cubitt Chichester OBE MC (1889-1972), Mrs Hilda Grace Chichester (nee Young).

As a matter of record, Chichester was awarded the Military Cross,

"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty while in command of his battalion. He was on his way back, wounded, when he saw a party of men almost isolated. He returned and rallied them against the attacking enemy".

Galgorm Castle and estate was sold in 2024 by the Hon Christopher Brooke, Lord Brookeborough's brother, to Galgorm Collection.

First published in December, 2010.

The Johnston Baronetcy

SIR WILLIAM JOHNSTON, Knight, of Gilford, County Down, High Sheriff of County Down, 1717, County Armagh, 1721, married Nichola, daughter of SIR NICHOLAS ACHESON Bt (ancestor of the Earls of Gosford), by whom he had four sons and a daughter.

In 1700, he inherited the Gilford estates of his uncle, Sir John Magill Bt, the estate having been founded by Captain John Magill in the 1660s, when he was given leases for the creation of a small village beside an important ford in the River Bann.

Sir William died in 1722, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD JOHNSTON (1710-58), High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1733, County Down, 1735, County Monaghan, 1738, who wedded, in 1737, Catherine, daughter of the Rev John Gill, and had issue,

Robert;
RICHARD, of whom we treat;
Nicolina; Catherine.

The younger son,

RICHARD JOHNSTON (1743-95), of Gilford, High Sheriff of County Down, 1765, County Armagh, 1771, MP for Kilbeggan, 1776, Blessington, 1783-95, espoused, in 1764, Anne, daughter of William Alexander, and had issue,

WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Mary Anne, m J Henry Burges, of Woodpark, Co Armagh;
Catherine, m Joseph Mason Ormsby.

Mr Johnston was created a baronet in 1772, designated of Gilford, County Down.

Johnston coat-of-arms

He was succeeded by his son,

SIR WILLIAM JOHNSTON, 2nd Baronet (1765-1841), High Sheriff of County Down, 1788, who died unmarried.

Sir William died at 32 Bryanston Square, London, and was buried at St Marylebone Church, London.

On his death, the baronetcy became extinct.

GILFORD CASTLE, Gilford, County Down, is a two-storey, Scottish-Baronial country house of ca 1870.

The entrance front has tall bay windows with balustrades; while the north front has a projecting gable wing with a side turret.

A slimmer projecting gable with window projection is on the ground floor.

An open stone porch with ball finials with balcony is over the doorway.

The brick outbuildings on the east front form part of a courtyard behind which there is a stone-faced, three-storey tower and stone arch into a courtyard.

The main house has five bedrooms, two bathrooms and four reception rooms, a large hallway and two kitchens.

The north wing has a further five bedrooms, two bathrooms and two reception rooms; while a smaller wing has two bedrooms, one bathroom and two reception rooms.

The house was built for Benjamin Dickson, a partner in the local linen thread company of Dunbar McMaster.

It replaced a much earlier castle built by a descendant of Gilford’s earliest proprietor.

However, the current house was seldom inhabited until the ancestors of the present owners acquired the property in the early 20th century.

"Gilford Castle" is first shown, captioned, on a map of 1901-2, situated at the heart of extensive, partially wooded grounds, captioned Gilford Castle Demesne.

Earlier maps show a much smaller building, "Gilford Castle", at the edge of the demesne where it adjoined the town at Castle Street.

The first castle at Gilford is thought to have been built by Captain William Johnston, of the Royal Irish Dragoons, who inherited part of the Gilford estates from the grandson of Captain John Magill, a soldier in Cromwell’s army who was the early proprietor of Gilford and from whom the name of the town derives.

The first castle was probably built in the early 1700s by Sir William.

After his death in 1722 the castle and estates passed to his son Richard, and his grandson, also Richard, but following the death of Richard Johnston’s son William in 1841, the baronetcy became extinct.

The original castle and demesne were sold by William’s younger sister Catherine to Benjamin Dickson, who built the present house.

The old castle fell into decay and was demolished in the 1860s prior to the completion of the new building.

The old castle stood on the south side of the present Castle Street, close to the road and on the edge of the demesne.

The present Gilford Castle, in the Scottish-Baronial style, was begun in the mid-1860s and completed ca 1870.

The designer is said to have been William Spence, a Scottish architect from Glasgow who also designed a house, Elmfield, for Dickson’s brother James.

Benjamin and James Dickson were partners in the Dunbar McMaster linen thread company on which the growth and prosperity of Gilford town was largely founded.

The new castle was considerably more centrally placed within the demesne and surrounding countryside and afforded a grand drive entrance.

Benjamin Dickson, however, does not appear to have ever inhabited Gilford Castle.

The castle was vacant until 1887, when it became the home of Percy Jocelyn McMaster, the younger brother of Hugh Dunbar McMaster, proprietor of Gilford Mill, who was resident at nearby Dunbarton House.

The house was let from Benjamin Dickson.

Nevertheless, McMaster’s tenancy was brief and by 1891 the house was again vacant.

A tenant named Purcell inhabited the castle for some time around 1896.

The 1901 census records the only occupant as being the gardener/caretaker, James Emerson, who occupied three rooms with his wife and six children, his 14-year-old daughter working as a seamstress.

In 1904 the house and demesne was purchased by Katherine Carleton for £15,000 (about £1.6 million today), the valuer noting that the cost of the building to Benjamin Dickson had been about £42,000 (circa £4.5 million today) and that the price paid by Carleton was ‘the value of the land alone, the castle being given for nothing’.

In Katherine Carleton, the castle found a long-term resident for the first time since it had been built.

The 1911 census indicated that the 54-year-old spinster inhabited the castle with a female companion and two domestic servants, a cook and a parlourmaid.

In 1914, the house was purchased by James F Wright, whose descendants continue to live in the castle today.

In 1934 the accommodation comprised two reception rooms, a billiards room, library, study, two kitchens, two pantries, a scullery, larder and dairy.

On the first floor were six bedrooms, two dressing rooms, two bathrooms, a nursery, a sewing room and three maids’ rooms.

The second floor comprised two attic rooms.

During the 2nd World War most of Northern Ireland was a training ground for allied troops and there was a large concentration of army personnel based in Gilford, which with its woods, lakes and rivers and proximity to major transport routes was ideally suited to military training purposes.

The army made use of Nissen Huts erected for the purpose in Gilford Castle demesne, and in 1943 the demesne housed a squadron of US troops together with their medical detachment who built a temporary hospital to the rear of the castle.

Documents show that 35 acres of land were requisitioned by the War Department in October, 1940, and a further 1 rood and 15 perches in July, 1941.

The castle is currently a family home, and the owner, Christine Wright, is a well-known local artist.

Gilford Castle has been home to the Wright family since it was bought in 1914 by James F Wright, the grandfather of Christine's late husband, Michael.

The property was purchased in 2019 by Adrienne and Robert Moffett, who have restored it and transformed the house into a prestigious hotel.

First published in January, 2011. The coat-of-arms is that of JOHNSTON OF KILMORE.

Menlough Castle

THE BLAKE BARONETS OWNED 2,030 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY GALWAY

The founder of this family in Ireland, Richard Blake, alias Caddell, is said to have accompanied Prince (afterwards King) JOHN into that kingdom, 1185, and obtained for his military services large grants of land in the counties of Galway, Mayo, Clare, and in the town of Galway.

THOMAS BLAKE, Mayor of Galway in 1545 and in 1562, was the third son of Valentine Blake, who died in 1499.

He died in 1574, seised of the castle and lands of Ballimacroe, now Carnmore, near Galway, which had been granted to Richard Caddle, called Niger, his ancestor.

His eldest son,

WALTER BLAKE, dvp 1573, leaving by his wife, Juliana, daughter of James Browne (FitzStephen), three sons,

VALENTINE;

James;

Robert, Mayor of Galway, 1624.

The eldest son,

VALENTINE BLAKE (1560-1635), married firstly, Margaret, daughter of Robert French, and had, with other issue,

THOMAS, his heir;
Margaret.

He wedded secondly, Annabel, daughter of James Lynch, without further issue.

Mr Blake, Mayor of Galway, MP for Galway, was created a baronet in 1622, designated of Menlough, County Galway.

Sir Valentine was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS BLAKE, 2nd Baronet, MP for Galway Borough, 1645-5, Mayor of Galway, 1637, who espoused Julianne, daughter of Geoffrey Browne, and was father of

SIR VALENTINE BLAKE, 3rd Baronet, of Menlough Castle, MP for County Galway, 1634-5, Galway Borough, 1639-42, Mayor of Galway, 1643, who wedded Eleanor, daughter of Sir Henry Lynch Bt, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
Francis;
John;
Henry;
Julianne; Elizabeth; Annabel.

Sir Valentine died in 1652, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS BLAKE, 4th Baronet, who married firstly, in 1649, Mary, daughter of Richard Martin; and secondly, in 1656, Maria, daughter of Robert French, by whom he had issue,

VALENTINE, 5th Baronet;
WALTER, 6th Baronet.

Sir Thomas died ca 1670, and was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR VALENTINE BLAKE, 5th Baronet (1664-86), who fell in a duel, and leaving no issue, the title devolved upon his only brother,

SIR WALTER BLAKE, 6th Baronet, who was the first Catholic gentleman of distinction who joined the standard of the Prince of Orange, and obtained a commission from His Royal Highness to raise a regiment, which he maintained and clothed at his own expense.

Sir Walter, MP for Galway, 1689, wedded firstly, in 1687, Anne, daughter of Sir John Kirwan, and had, with other issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
Mary.

He espoused secondly, in 1706, Agnes, daughter of John Blake, and had further issue, a daughter, Catherine.

Sir Walter died in 1748, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS BLAKE, 7th Baronet, of Somerville, County Galway, who married, in 1716, Elizabeth, daughter of Ulick Burke, and had issue,

ULICK, his successor;
Anne.

Sir Thomas died in 1749, and was succeeded by his son,

SIR ULICK BLAKE, 8th Baronet, who wedded Mary, daughter of Richard Blake, though the marriage was without issue.

Sir Ulick died in 1766, when the title passed to his cousin,

SIR THOMAS BLAKE, 9th Baronet, who espoused, in 1730, Eleanor Lynch, though the marriage was without issue, and the title passed to his brother,

SIR WALTER BLAKE, 10th Baronet, who wedded, in 1751, Barbara, daughter of Myles Burke, and had issue,

JOHN, his successor;
Dominick Joseph;
Stephen;
Thomas;
Walter (Brigadier).

Sir Walter died in 1802, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN BLAKE, 11th Baronet (1753-1834), who married firstly, in 1779, Eleanor, daughter of Edward Lynch, and had issue,

VALENTINE, his successor;
Barbara.

He espoused secondly, in 1800, Rose, daughter of Edward Brice, of Kilroot, County Antrim, by his wife Theodora, daughter of Thomas , 1st Baron Ventry, and had further issue,

John Brice;
Eliza; Jane Margaret; Arabella.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR VALENTINE BLAKE, 12th Baronet (1780-1847), MP for Galway, 1813-20 and 1841-7, who wedded firstly, in 1803, Eliza, daughter of Joseph Donellan, and had issue,

THOMAS EDWARD, his successor;
John Francis;
Elly; Eleanor; Eliza.

He married secondly, in 1843, Julia Sophia, daughter of Robert MacDonnell, and had further issue, a son,

Valentine Charles.

Sir Valentine was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS EDWARD BLAKE, 13th Baronet (1805-75), who espoused, in 1830, Lætitia Maria, daughter of Ulick O'Brien, and had issue,

VALENTINE, his successor;
Louisa; Eliza Maria.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his son,

SIR VALENTINE BLAKE, 14th Baronet (1836-1912), JP, High Sheriff of County Galway, 1872, Honorary Major, Galway Militia, who wedded, in 1864, Camilla Eugenia, daughter of Harvey Combe, and had issue,

THOMAS PATRICK ULICK JOHN HARVEY, his successor;
Valentine Joseph;
James Herbert;
Florence Anne; Maude Julia.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS PATRICK ULICK JOHN HARVEY BLAKE, 15th Baronet (1870-1925), JP, Captain, Royal Garrison Artillery, who espoused, in 1903, Evelyn winifred, daughter of Lewes Arthur Stewart, and had issue, an only child,

SIR ULICK TEMPLE BLAKE, 16th Baronet (1904-63), Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, who married, in 1940, Betty, daughter of Arthur Gordon, and had issue, an only child,

THOMAS RICHARD VALENTINE, his successor.

Sir Ulick was found dead in his car after inheriting Menlough Castle.

He was succeeded by his son,

SIR THOMAS RICHARD VALENTINE BLAKE, 17th Baronet (1942-2008).

Sir Anthony Teilo Bruce Blake, 18th Baronet (1951–2014), great-great-great-great grandson of the 10th Baronet through his 2nd son, Dominck Joseph Blake (1754–1843);
Sir Charles Valentine Bruce Blake, 19th baronet (b 1994).

MENLOUGH CASTLE, County Galway, was originally a gabled 17th century tower-house on the bank of the river Corrib, two miles from Galway City.

The building had several additions and extensions during the 19th century, in including battlements, curvilinear gables, Georgian sashes etc.

In July, 1910, the castle was gutted by a catastrophic fire, in which a daughter of the 14th Baronet perished.

Menlough Castle was thereafter abandoned and has remained a ruin since then.

Other residence ~ Saltergill, Yarm, Yorkshire.

First published in September, 2018.