1st Baron Cushendun

TORQUIL MacNEILL, born ca 1380, Chief of the Clan Neill, of Taynish and Gigha, Constable of Castle Sween, in Knapdale, Argyllshire, was father of

HECTOR McNEILL, Constable of Castle Sween, 1463-72, whose eldest son, 

NEILL McNEILL, was father of

NEILL McNEILL, of Taynish, who became his heir-in-law to Gigha in 1554.

His eldest son, 

TORQUIL McNEILL, of Taynish and Gigha, had two sons, of whom the elder,

NEILL McNEILL, had, with other issue, a second son,

NEILL OGE McNEILL, of Durlocher, father of

LACHLAN McNEILL, of Terfergus and Losset, Argyllshire, who wedded firstly, Mary McNeill, of Colonsay, and had a large family.

The third son,

NEILL McNEILL, settled in County Antrim, 1676, and married Rose Stuart, of Garry, in the same county, by whom he had issue,

LACHLAN McNEILL, of Cushendun, County Antrim, who wedded Jane Macnaghten, of Benvarden, County Antrim, and had several children.

The eldest son,

NEILL McNEILL, of Cushendun, espoused Christian Hamilton, of Londonderry, and was father of

EDMUND McNEILL, of Cushendun, who married Elizabeth, daughter of John Hamilton, of Londonderry.

Mr McNeill died in 1790, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDMUND ALEXANDER McNEILL JP (c1785-1879), of Cushendun, who was served heir, in 1815, to the entailed estate of Ugadale, in Kintyre; but in an action to recover possession, was defeated by the prescriptive title of the occupier.

He wedded, in 1817, Rose, eldest daughter of Alexander McNeile JP, of Colliers Hall, Ballycastle, and had, with other issue,

EDMUND McNEILL JP DL (1821-1915), of Craigdun and Cushendun, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1879, who married, in 1851, Mary, eldest daughter of Alexander Miller, of Ballycastle, by Jane, his wife, second daughter of Alexander McNeile, of Colliers Hall, and had, with other issue,

RONALD JOHN McNEILL, 1ST BARON CUSHENDUN PC DL.

The Rt Hon Ronald John McNeill (1861-1934), statesman, parliamentarian, was elevated to the peerage, in 1927, in the dignity of BARON CUSHENDUN, of Cushendun, County Antrim.

A barrister by profession, he was elected Member of Parliament for Kent, St. Austine's Division between 1911-27; Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs between 1922-24; Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs between 1924-25; Financial Secretary to the Treasury between 1925-27.

Lord Cushendun was appointed a privy counsellor in 1927, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 1927-29.

Lord Cushendun took his title from the village designed by Clough Williams-Ellis in memory of his Cornish wife, Maud, who died in 1925.

He was acting Foreign Secretary in 1928.

Lord Cushendun retired from office in 1929, and died five years later in Cushendun.

He married Elizabeth Maud Bolitho in 1884, and they had three daughters:

Esther Rose;
Loveday Violet;
Mary Morvenna Bolitho.

Elizabeth, Lady Cushendun, died in 1925.

Lord Cushendun married Catherine Sydney Louisa Margesson as his second wife in 1930. She survived him, dying in 1939.

He died without male issue in 1934, when the title became extinct.

GLENMONA HOUSE, Neo-Georgian in style, was built in 1923 to replace an earlier house which was burnt in 1922.

The National Trust remarks that Glenmona Lodge was built around 1834 and later enlarged by Michael Harrison.

Ronald John McNeill, 1st Baron Cushendun came to live at Glenmona in 1910 and set about transforming the village.

His rebuilding of Glenmona House, however, was forced upon him when the IRA burned the house down in 1922.

He consequently commissioned Clough Williams-Ellis to design a new house, built from the remaining shell of the original. A new wing was added to the side.

The house, along with most of the McNeills' property in the village, was bought by the National Trust in 1954.

For several years the house was leased to the Health and Social Care Board and used as a nursing home.

It has since, however, been taken back by the National Trust. Since then, the local community and key stakeholders have been involved in an ongoing consultation about its future.

The family's main residence became CRAIGDUN CASTLE; while Glenmona was increasingly used as a holiday home.

Glenmona comprises two storeys at the front and three at the rear.

The principal front has two, three-sided bows joined by an arcade on Tuscan columns.

The roof is high with a solid parapet; external shutters to the windows.

Glenmona was originally a residence of General the 3rd Viscount O'Neill (1780-1855).

Former London residence ~ 18 Cadogan Place.

First published in May, 2010.