Fenagh House

THE PACK-BERESFORDS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CARLOW, WITH 7,679 ACRES

SIR CHRISTOPHER PACKE (c1593-1682), Lord Mayor of London, son of Thomas Packe, of Northamptonshire, married thrice; and by his second wife, Anne, daughter of Simon Edmonds, he had issue,

Christopher;

SIMON, of whom hereafter;

Anne; Mary; Susanna.

The younger son,

SIMON PACK (1653-1701), was father of

THOMAS PACK (c1680-1758), of Ballynakill, Queen's County, married a daughter of ______ Kelly, of Ballynakill, and had issue, three sons, of whom the eldest,

THE VERY REV THOMAS PACK (1719-95), Dean of Ossory, married Catherine, daughter of Denis Sullivan, and had issue,

Thomas, died young;
DENIS, of whom hereafter;
Catherine; Anne.

The surviving son,

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR DENIS PACK KCB (1775-1823), wedded, in 1816, the Lady Elizabeth Louisa Beresford, daughter of George de la Poer, 1st Marquess of Waterford, and had issue,

Arthur John (Lt-Col);
DENIS WILLIAM, of whom we treat;
Elizabeth Catherine; Anne Elizabeth.

The younger son,

DENIS WILLIAM PACK-BERESFORD JP DL MP (1818-81), Captain, Royal Artillery, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1858, MP for County Carlow, espoused, in 1863, Annette Caroline, daughter of Robert Clayton Browne, and had issue,

DENIS ROBERT, his heir;
Arthur William;
Charles George, Major (1869-1914), killed in action;
Henry John, father of DENIS JOHN PACK-BERESFORD;
Reynell James;
Hugh de la Poer;
Algernon Dunbar;
Elizabeth Harriet; Annette Louisa.

In 1854 Captain Pack inherited the Irish estates from his uncle, General the Rt Hon William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford.

He assumed the additional surname and arms of BERESFORD, in compliance with the will of Lord Beresford.

The eldest son,

DENIS ROBERT PACK-BERESFORD JP DL (1864-1942), of Fenagh House, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1890, married, in 1891, Alice Harriet, only daughter of the James Acheson Lyle, of Portstewart House, though the marriage was without issue.

Mr Pack-Beresford was succeeded by his nephew,

DENIS JOHN PACK-BERESFORD (1905-86), of Fenagh House, Commander RN, who married firstly, in 1928, Basante Hoskins, in 1928; and secondly, in 1933, Daphne, daughter of Lieutenant Horace Robert Martineau VC, and had issue,

DENIS RAYMOND;
Elizabeth Ann.

Commander Pack-Beresford was Founder and President of the Irish Pedigree Pig Breeders Association, sometime representative to the Council of Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society of Scotland; Vice-President of the Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association; and member of the Council of the Royal Dublin Society.

FENAGH HOUSE, Bagenalstown, County Carlow, is a plain and austere stone dwelling, built ca 1829.

Fenagh House ca 1903

It is irregular in plan and extensive, though it has a symmetrical entrance front of three bays, the centre bay of which is recessed with a pillared porch.

First published in November, 2011.