Woodstock Park

THE TIGHES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KILKENNY, WITH 11,960 ACRES

The name of TIGH, TEIGH, or, as now written, TIGHE, was assumed from a village in the county of Rutland, the earliest abode of the family, whence, however, it departed at a remote period and settled at Carlby, in Lincolnshire, where Lister Tigh, the last of the English line, resided during the reign of CHARLES II.

In the previous reign, and before the rebellion of 1641,

RICHARD TIGHE  (son of William Tighe) went over to Ireland and settled there.

Alderman Tighe, High Sheriff of Dublin, 1649, Colonel, Dublin Militia, Mayor of Dublin, 1651-55, and Member of the same city in Cromwell's Union Parliament, 1656, acquired considerable estates in counties Carlow, Dublin and Westmeath, during the time of the two CHARLESES.

He married Mary, daughter of Thomas Rooke, of London, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Anne; Rebecca; Mary.

Alderman Tighe died in 1673, and was succeeded by his son,

WILLIAM TIGHE (1657-79), who wedded Anne, daughter of Christopher Lovat, and had issue,

RICHARD, his heir;
Mary.

Mr Tighe was succeeded by his only son,

THE RT HON RICHARD TIGHE (1678-1736), MP for Belturbet, 1703, Newtownards, 1715, Augher, 1727, who was sworn of the Privy Council during the reign of GEORGE I,

He espoused Barbara, daughter co-heir of Christian Borr, of Drinagh, County Wexford, by his wife, an heiress of the family of Hore in the same county, and had, besides daughters, a son and heir,

WILLIAM TIGHE (1710-66), of Rossana, County Wicklow, Keeper of the Records in Bermingham Tower, MP for Clonmiles, 1733, Wicklow, 1761, who married firstly, in 1736, the Lady Mary Bligh, eldest daughter of John, 1st Earl of Darnley, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Edward;
Richard William;
Theodosia.

He wedded secondly, Margaret, eldest daughter and co-heir of Thomas Theaker MP, by whom he had a son, Thomas.

Mr Tighe was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM TIGHE (1738-82), of Rossana, MP for Rathboy, 1761, who married, in 1765, Sarah, only child of the Rt Hon Sir William Fownes Bt, of Woodstock, County Kilkenny, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Henry;
John Edward;
Elizabeth; Marianne Caroline.

Mr Tighe was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM TIGHE (1766-1816), of Woodstock, MP for County Wicklow, 1806-16, who wedded, in 1793, Marianne, daughter and co-heiress of Daniel Gahan MP, of Coolquill, County Tipperary, and eventually co-heiress of her uncle, Matthew Bunbury, of Kilfeacle, County Tipperary, and had issue,

WILLIAM FREDERICK FOWNES, his heir;
Daniel, of Rossana;
Hannah.

Mr Tighe was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON WILLIAM FREDERICK FOWNES TIGHE JP DL (1794-1878), of Woodstock, who married, in 1825, the Lady Louisa Lennox, fifth daughter of Charles, 4th Duke of Richmond, and had an only daughter, Charlotte Frances, who died an infant in 1827.

Mr Tighe was succeeded by his nephew,

FREDERICK EDWARD BUNBURY-TIGHE JP (1826-91), of Woodstock, Lieutenant-Colonel commanding, Kilkenny Militia, who espoused, in 1858, the Lady Kathleen Louisa Georgina Ponsonby, daughter of John William, 4th Earl of Bessborough, and had issue,

William Frederick (1860-87);
EDWARD KENDRICK, his heir.

Colonel Tighe was succeeded by his only surviving son,

EDWARD KENRICK BUNBURY-TIGHE JP DL (1862-1917), of Woodstock, High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, 1895, Westmeath, 1903, Lieutenant, Grenadier Guards, who wedded, in 1894, Viola, only daughter of Edward Skeffington Randal Smyth, of Mount Henry, Queen's County, and had issue,

Frederick Edward Fownes (1904-11);

BRIAN FREDERICK KENRICK, of whom hereafter;
Kathleen Augusta Louisa; Oonagh Frances Geraldine; Moira Gertrude Florence.

The second son,

BRIAN (or Bryan) FREDERICK KENRICK BUNBURY-TIGHE (1913-40), was killed in action at the battle of Dunkirk.

*****

Rear-Admiral Wilfred Geoffrey Stuart Tighe CB was a member of this family.

The Tighe Papers are deposited at PRONI.

WOODSTOCK HOUSE, Inistioge, County Kilkenny, was built in 1745-47 for Sir William Fownes by the architect Francis Bindon.

It has a rusticated front façade and is unusual in being built around a small central court. 

The decorative emphasis of the house was focused upon the front façade.

In 1804-06 flanking wings were added to designs by William Robertson. 

The service yards either side were added at the same time.

Both the main house and the wings were built of stone with brick lining inside.

The basement vaulting was, unusually, also of brick.

Only parts of the east and west walls of the centre block and parts of the wings had no internal brick lining. 

Like many early 18th century Irish country houses, the decorative emphasis of the building was focused upon the front façade.

The five bay garden frontage (below) is much plainer though a very decorative iron staircase was added in the 1850s by Richard Turner.

The main house was maliciously burnt on the 2nd July, 1922.

The east wing apparently remained unscathed, and was occupied for some years subsequently. 

The house is now in an unstable condition, having been in a ruinous state for approximately eighty years.

Due to its constant exposure to weathering there has been considerable decay of the fabric and undermining of the structural stability of parts of the building.

The central bay of the front façade collapsed in March 2001 during a storm which has left the building now even more unstable and extremely dangerous.

Works are now under way to protect the building from further deterioration. 

The Victorian gardens, which contain elements of international importance, were laid out with the house as a central focus.

The restoration of the gardens which is being carried out by Kilkenny County Council, has highlighted, both the significance of the house in relation to the gardens and the precarious condition which the structure is currently in.

With public access to the restored gardens, the area around the house has been fenced off for safety.

It is proposed that the conservation works to Woodstock House, to be carried out on a phased basis, will provide for its stabilisation and preservation as a ruin.

Ultimately it is recommended that there should be public access to the interior of the building to enable a full appreciation of the gardens.

This access may be limited and controlled, depending upon the extent of conservation/restoration works carried out.

In principle, the phases of conservation building works are as follows:

Phase One: Emergency works to make structure safe to work on. This involves:

1. Digital/photographic survey of front and garden façades to provide dimensional photographic record and measured elevations. This will be carried out prior to any dismantling works.

2. Careful dismantling of loose fabric of the front (collapsed ) façade to a level where the remaining wall is stable and safe.

3. The removed fabric will be stored on pallets in the grounds and where safely possible, dressed stones will be numbered prior to removal. Loose material already on the ground will be retrieved, labelled and stored on pallets.

4. Wall tops to be weathered with a hydraulic lime mortar flaunching.

Phase Two: Removal of loose rubble at ground/basement internal level, to provide safe ground for erecting scaffold.

Carrying out consolidation and stabilisation works to masonry walls including rebuilding of certain sections to include removed wall and reinstatement of cross walls etc.

Also removal of vegetation and making good brickwork/stonework around; brickwork repairs including re-pointing, mortar repairs and replacement where necessary.

Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum are open to the public.

Former town residence ~ 25 Norfolk Street, Park Lane, London.

First published in June, 2012.