Ballylough House

THE TRAILLS OWNED 1,402 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

The earliest record of the family of TRAILL refers to THE RT REV WALTER TRAIL, son of the Laird of Blebo, Fife, who was appointed Bishop of St Andrews ca 1385, in the reign of ROBERT III, King of Scotland.

He attended POPE CLEMENT VII at Avignon, 1386, and was preferred to his bishopric by papal authority without election: with Queen Anabella, he managed the affairs of Scotland, rebuilt St Andrews Castle, and died in 1401.

The Bishop's nephew,

JAMES TRAIL, grandson of the first Laird of Blebo, was Constable of Fife, 1443.

His grandson, 

JOHN TRAILL (1502-80), of Blebo, Fife, married Agnes Bruce, daughter of Sir Alexander Bruce, of Earlshall.

This John was, in 1517, one of a jury, composed of 24 of the gentry of Fife, who made an inquisition of all the lands of Fife before the sheriff.

His son and heir,

COLONEL ANDREW TRAILL, younger brother of Alexander Traill, Laird of Blebo, Fife, served the Confederate States of Flanders, as well as HENRY IV of France, with reputation.

On his return, he was appointed Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to Prince Henry, eldest son of JAMES I.

He married Helen, daughter of Thomas Myrton, of Cambo, and was father of

JAMES TRAILL, of Denino, who died in 1635, leaving by his first wife, Matilda, daughter of Melville, of Cambee, three sons, of whom

1.  James (1600-63), Colonel in the Parliamentary Army, settled at Killyleagh, County Down, where he died in 1663. He wedded, in 1647, Mary, daughter of James, Viscount Claneboye, and had issue, four sons and eight daughters, of whom the sixth, Eleanor, married her cousin, William Trail.
2.  ROBERT, of whom presently;
3.  Andrew, died unmarried.

The second son,

THE REV ROBERT TRAILL (1603-76), Minister of Elie, Fife, and afterwards of Grey Friars, Edinburgh, was taken prisoner by CROMWELL; he assisted afterwards at the coronation of CHARLES II, and was banished to Holland for nonconformity; he returned, however, in 1674, and died at Edinburgh in 1676.

He wedded, in 1639, Jane, daughter of Alexander Annan, Laird of Auchterallen, and was father of

THE REV WILLIAM TRAILL (1640-1723), Minister of Borthwick, who married firstly, in 1671, Eupham, second daughter of Provost Sword, of St Andrews, and left an only daughter, Mary.

He espoused secondly, in 1679, his cousin Eleanor, sixth daughter of James Trail, and had further issue,

James (Rev), d 1723;
William (Rev), b 1683;
ROBERT, of whom presently;
Sarah; Jean; Margaret; Eleanor; Elizabeth.

The third son,

THE REV ROBERT TRAILL (1687-1762), Minister of Panbride, Angus, married, in 1718, Jane, eighth daughter of John Haldane, of Myrton, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
John;
William;
James (Rt Rev), Lord Bishop of Down and Connor;
Mary; Margaret.

The Rev Robert Traill was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE REV ROBERT TRAILL (1719-98), Minister of Panbride, who wedded Jane, daughter of the Rev Anthony Dow, of Fettercain, and had issue,

Robert (Rev), Rector of Ballintoy; died unmarried;
ANTHONY, of whom presently;
James (Rev);
John;
Thomas;
David (Rev);
Catherine Jane; Margaret Black.

The Rev Robert Traill was succeeded by his second son,

THE VEN ANTHONY TRAILL (1755-1831), of Ballylough House, Prebendary of St Andrews, Archdeacon of Connor, Rector of Skull, who married, in 1788, Agnes, daughter of William Watts Gayer LL.D, Chief Clerk of the House of Lords in Ireland, and had issue,

James (1789-1810); died unmarried;
WILLIAM, of whom hereafter;
Robert (Rev), Rector of Skull;
Catherine.

The Archdeacon was succeeded by his second son,

WILLIAM TRAILL (1791-), of Ballylough House, who married firstly, in 1824, Louisa Ann, daughter of the Rev Thomas Lloyd, of Castle Lloyd, by Elizabeth FitzGerald his wife, daughter of the Knight of Glin; and had issue, two daughters,

Elizabeth Catherine;
Agnes.

He wedded secondly, in 1836, Louisa Henrietta, daughter of Robert French, of Monivea Castle, County Galway, by Nicola his wife, sister of Sir Edward O'Brien Bt, of Dromoland, and had further issue, 

ANTHONY, his heir;
Robert Gayer, Major in the army; barrister;
William Atcheson; engineer;
Maria Nichola; Agnes Victoria.

Mr Traill was succeeded by his eldest son,

DR ANTHONY TRAILL JP DL (1838-1914), of Ballylough House, Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, who married, in 1867, Catherine Elizabeth, second daughter of James Stewart-Moore DL, of Ballydivity, County Antrim, a Waterloo Veteran, by Fanny his wife, daughter of the Rev Thomas Richardson, of Somerset, County Londonderry, and had issue,

WILLIAM STEWART, his heir;
James Anthony;
Robert Thomas;
Henry Edward O'Brien;
Edmund Francis Tarleton;
Alexander Frederick;
Frances Catherine; Harriet Agnes; Annie Margaret.

Dr Traill was succeeded by his eldest son, 

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILLIAM STEWART TRAILL DSO JP DL (1868-1959), of Ballylough House, who married, in 1896, Selina Margaret, daughter of Charles Frizell, of Castle Kevin, County Wicklow, and had issue,

ANTHONY O'BRIEN, his heir;
William Walter Alan;
Henry Austin.

Colonel Traill was succeeded by his eldest son, 

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ANTHONY O'BRIEN TRAILL OBE JP DL (1897-), of Ballylough House, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1938, who wedded, in 1925, Marjorie, daughter of Percy Severn Anderson, and had issue,

William Anthony, b 1927; emigrated;
RICHARD SEVERN, of whom presently.

The younger son, 

RICHARD SEVERN TRAILL (1931-2016), of Ballylough House, married, in 1957, Pamela, daughter of J Peacock, and had issue,

David Severn (1958-), of Ballylough House, High Sheriff of Co Antrim, 2011;
James Anthony, b 1960;
Timothy Peter, b 1962;
Camilla Jane; Christina Mary.

Ballylough House (Timothy Ferres, 2012)

BALLYLOUGH HOUSE, near Bushmills, County Antrim, originally belonged to Archibald Stewart, of Ballintoy.

It was purchased by the Traills in 1789.

The house consists of two storeys over a basement, with a five-bay front.

The front was later given Wyatt windows.

There are battlemented, segmental, flanking walls with niches were added in 1815; and a wing was attached in the 19th century.

The 17th century demesne, which contains the ruins of MacQuillan castle (a stronghold of the MacQuillans and MacDonnells), has been in the ownership of the Traills since 1789.

The present house is from that date, with additions of 1815 and alterations of 1930.

(Timothy Ferres, 2012)

The fine beech avenue, noted in 1846, was felled in 1942, though mature shelter belt trees and much of the ‘plantations’, quoted at the same time, remain.

There is a maintained ornamental garden to the south-east of the house, sheltered by the curving walls that screen either side of the north facing house front.

The walled garden (Timothy Ferres, 2012)

A continuation of the east of walls, backing a building, forms the north wall of the walled gardens, a substantial portion of which is fully maintained, with box edged beds and espalier fruit trees.

An uncultivated portion, the former orchard, is mown. The garden house is not in use.

Generations of good gardening make this an attractive garden with all year round interest and it is kept to a high standard.

There are two gate lodges: the unusual circular West Lodge of ca 1800, now known as The Drum; and the East Lodge of ca 1840, which is still occupied and has its own charming cottage garden.

The West Lodge, now known as The Drum, was built at the end of a long avenue of beech trees at the western edge of the Ballylough Estate in 1800 by Archdeacon Traill, two years after he bought the estate.

No records are yet available for the occupants of The Drum before 1898, when one Lizzie Taggart and her husband came to live there.

Both of the Taggarts were employed on the estate, he as a farm labourer, and she as the 'hen girl' looking after the geese, ducks and hens.

The Taggart family lived there until 1962, after which it remained vacant.

The original lodge was tiny, with two rooms linked by a stone staircase.

It had no running water, and was always inhabited by estate workers, but there are no records of the occupants prior to 1898.

The MacQuillan castle is in ruins; a crannog is in the Decoy Plantation.

The house is private but the gardens are often open for charity functions.

Several distinctive tablet memorial stones are found within the walls of Billy Parish Church.

One of the largest memorials is dedicated to Archdeacon Traill.

There is also a mural tablet in memory of Dr Anthony Traill, Provost of Trinity College Dublin; his wife Elizabth; and his son, James Anthony.

A number of other memorials are to individual members of the Traill family who served in the army.

William Acheson Traill was a pioneer of hydro-electric power and  designed the Causeway Tram system which ran between Portrush and the Giant's Causeway in 1883.

First published in September, 2012.