Waring of Waringstown

THE WARINGS OWNED 2,438 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

This branch of the ancient family of WARING of Lancashire, whose patriarch, MILES DE GUARIN, came to England with WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, was established in Ulster during the reign of Queen MARY, when its ancestor fled to that province to avoid the persecution of the Lollards. 

In the reign of JAMES II, the Warings of WARINGSTOWN suffered outlawry, and their home was taken possession of by the Irish at the period of the revolution, and most of their family records destroyed.

JOHN WARING settled within the civil parish of Toome, County Antrim, and married Mary, daughter of the Rev Thomas Pierse [sic], Vicar of Derriaghy, County Antrim, by whom he had three sons and several daughters.

One of Mr Waring's sons, Thomas, carried on the family tradition of tanning, having settled in Belfast about 1640. Since he was English and not Presbyterian, he had no difficulty in dealing with the Cromwellian regime.

Having become one of its most prosperous citizens, Thomas Waring, of Waring Street, was Sovereign (mayor) of Belfast between 1652-56.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM WARING (1619-1703), of Waringstown, County Down, became possessed (by purchase from the soldiers of Lord Deputy Fleetwood's horse regiment), in 1656, of the district of Clanconnel (of which the Waringstown estate is a part), and shortly after built the present mansion and the adjoining church.

Mr Waring, High Sheriff of County Down, 1669, married firstly, in 1656, Elizabeth, daughter of William Gardiner, of Londonderry, and had issue,

SAMUEL, his heir;
Mary, m Richard Close.

He espoused secondly, Jane, daughter of John Close, and had further issue, with six daughters, seven sons, of whom THOMAS was High Sheriff of County Down, 1724, and JOHN, ancestor of Samuel James Waring, created Baron Waring.

SAMUEL WARING (1660-1739), of Waringstown, High Sheriff of County Down, 1734, MP for Hillsborough, 1703-15, married Grace, daughter of the Rev Samuel Holt, of County Meath, and had issue,

SAMUEL, his heir;
Richard, died unmarried;
Holt;
Jane; Sarah; Frances; Alice.

Mr Waring was succeeded by his eldest son,

SAMUEL WARING, of Waringstown, High Sheriff of County Down, 1734, who died unmarried, 1793, and was succeeded by his nephew,

THE VERY REV HOLT WARING (1766-1830), of Waringstown, Dean of Dromore, who wedded, in 1793, Elizabeth Mary, daughter of the Rev Averell Daniel, Rector of Lifford, County Tyrone, and had issue, five daughters,

Eliza Jane;
Anne;
Louisa;
Frances Grace;
Jane.

The Dean's cousin and son-in-law,

HENRY WARING JP (1795-1866), of Waringstown, Major in the army, who married, in 1824, Frances Grace, fourth daughter of the Very Rev Holt Waring, and had issue (with three other sons who died in infancy),

THOMAS, of whom presently;
Holt;
Henry;
Mary Louisa; Elizabeth Mary; Frances Jane; Anne; Susan; Selina Grace.

Mr Waring was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS WARING JP (1828-98), of Waringstown, Barrister, MP for North Down, 1885-98, Honorary Colonel, 5th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, High Sheriff of County Down, 1868-9, who married thrice: firstly, to Esther Smyth, of Ardmore, County Londonderry; secondly, in 1874, to Fanny Tucker, of Trematon Castle, Cornwall; and thirdly, to Geraldine Stewart, of Ballyedmond, Rostrevor, County Down.

By his second wife he had issue,

HOLT WARING JP DL (1877-1918 k/a), Major, Royal Irish Rifles, who married, in 1914, Margaret Alicia (1887–1968), youngest daughter of Joseph Charlton Parr, of Grappenhall Heyes, Warrington, Cheshire, banker, industrialist, and landowner.

The marriage was without issue.

MARGARET ALICIA WARING CBE JP (1887-1968), when her husband was killed in action at Kemmel Hill, France, chose to remain at the Waring family's 17th century home, WARINGSTOWN HOUSE, and became active within the local community.

Mrs Waring took a keen interest in Orangeism, serving as deputy grand mistress of Ireland, county grand mistress of Down, and district mistress of Down lodge no. 4 in the Association of Loyal Orangewomen of Ireland in 1929.

In 1929, she was elected to the Northern Ireland parliament as the official Unionist candidate for the single-seat constituency of Iveagh in County Down.

She was one of only two women standing for election and, as the only one to be elected, became the third female member of the Northern Ireland parliament (her two predecessors being Dehra Parker and Julia McMordie).

In 1933, she was appointed CBE for political, philanthropic, and public services.

Following her retirement from parliament, Mrs Waring continued to participate in public affairs.

From the mid-1930s, she was a member of the Northern Ireland war pensions committee, and in 1934 became a member of the Northern Ireland unemployment assistance board.

A longstanding enthusiast for cricket, in 1923 she was the first woman elected onto the committee of the Northern [Ireland] Cricket Union, and in 1954 became its president.

Failing health in later life having caused her to withdraw from wider public activities.

Mrs Waring died at Waringstown House, Waringstown, County Down, on the 9th May, 1968.

The Waringstown estate was inherited by her nephew, Michael Harnett, his wife Anne, and their children, Jane and William.

First published in November, 2013.