JOHN THOMPSON (d 1705), of Muckamore, County Antrim, left issue, with three daughters, as many sons,
William, of Muckamore (d 1754);The second son,
SAMUEL, of whom presently;
John.
SAMUEL THOMPSON, of Muckamore, left issue,
John;His third son,
Samuel, b 1709;
THOMAS, of whom presently;
George, b 1718;
Mary, b 1705.
THOMAS THOMPSON (1713-1802), of Greenmount, in the parish of Muckamore, married, in 1741, Eleanor Kinnear, of Cromore, County Londonderry, and had issue,
Samuel, of Belfast (d 1794);The fourth son,
John Kinnear, of Copenhagan, Denmark, died before 1799;
Skeffington (Rev), 1742-1810;
ROBERT STEWART, of whom hereafter;
Elizabeth; Margaret; Eleanor; Mary; Anne.
ROBERT STEWART THOMPSON JP (1755-1822), of Greenmount, had issue by his wife, Anne,
Caroline Beckman; Margaret Beckman.Mr Thompson's descendant,
SAMUEL THOMPSON (-1838), of Muckamore, County Antrim, had issue by his wife, Mary, daughter of John Olphert, a son,
SAMUEL THOMPSON JP (1825-), of Muckamore, who married, in 1865, Maria Hannah, second daughter of Robert Smyth, of Gaybrook, County Westmeath, and had issue,
John, 1867-80;
ROBERT, 1869-1952;
Richard, b 1870;
Hugh, 1874-90;
Alexander, b 1879;
Henry, b 1881;
Mary Frances; Henrietta; Bessy; Eleanor.
MUCKAMORE, a grange, in the barony of Lower Massereene, is one mile from the town of Antrim.
This place, anciently Mach-airi-mor, or the "Great Field of Adoration," is situated on the river Sixmilewater.
The lands occupied by Greenmount once formed part of Muckamore Abbey, a monastery founded by St Colmán Elo.
The monastery or abbey flourished until the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of HENRY VIII.
During the reign of JAMES I, the place was granted to Sir Roger Langford, from whom it descended to the Earls of Massereene.
The family of Thompson, of Scots-Presbyterian extraction, has been associated with Muckamore since about 1650.
Their descendants lived at Greenmount Manor from the mid-18th century.
The Thompsons were an influential family in the Antrim area, who prospered through their successful textile and bleaching businesses.
The manor house was built ca 1820 by Robert Thompson, to the design of Charles Robert Cockerell, with the balcony added by 1835.
It was described as “a sandstone house, presenting a portico and balcony supported by great Ionic columns”.
Greenmount was acquired in 1835 by the Venerable and Hon James Agar (1781-1866), Archdeacon of Kilmore, through his wife Louisa, youngest daughter of Samuel Thompson, of Greenmount.
On Louisa’s death in 1885, Greenmount passed to Richard Dyott MP, whose mother was a Thompson descendant.
In 1902, Greenmount was purchased by William Taylor Malcolm, a tenant farmer from Stirlingshire.
He delegated the management of the farm to his son John.
In 1910, Mr Malcolm sold Greenmount to the Government for £4,400 (£463,000 in today's money).
After some structural alterations to the house, the first term opened in 1912, with 11 students.
The current sandstone house consists of a portico and balcony supported by six great ionic columns.
The present house replaced a previous villa within the demesne.
Extensions were added after Greenmount changed from being a gentleman’s demesne to being an agricultural college in 1912.
The basalt part of the building was added along with the Principal's House (now the lodge) in 1925.
Another extension was added in the 1950s around the time the main student residences were being constructed.
The demesne records show that in 1809 Greenmount was a fine gentleman’s demesne.
There was a landscape in the style of Capability Brown.
A piece then written in 1838 sizes the Greenmount demesne as “about 160 acres, 39 of which were laid out in ornamental grounds and plantings.”
The following extract from Sketch of a Ramble to Antrim, which was published in the Belfast Monthly Magazine of July, 1809, paints a lovely picture of Greenmount in its heyday,
We crossed the fields to Greenmount, the elegant seat of Robert Thompson Esquire, about one mile from Antrim. This beautiful villa stands on rising ground and is completely furnished in the modern taste.The stone arch situated at the top end of the Arch Pond, which is about 200 years old, is cleverly constructed from selected stones that press together, holding the arch in place.
The demesne is planted with a great number of trees and shrubs laid out into some very pleasing walks. At the rear of the building are two small lakes, well stocked with fish. On them also some swans.
On the verge of one of the fore-mentioned lakes, in a shrubbery is a hermitage build with romantic simplicity and opposite is a small island joined to the mainland by a stonework arch.
Indeed I believe few places in this country surpass in beauty the charming villa at Greenmount.
This unusual landscape feature once connected an island to the shore in what was then a pond the size of the adjacent car park.
The summer-house, now ruinous, was built about 200 years ago.
This summer-house would have looked out over Lough Neigh and the Antrim Town area and the meandering river Six Mile Water.
The Ice house (above) at Greenmount was built around 1820 by the Thompson family and the family crest can be seen above the entrance.
The Walled Garden at Greenmount College was built in 1801 and has remained in horticultural use until the present day.
Changes in use over the years, and the presence of obsolete or inappropriate features, had by 1996 left a layout which did not do justice to the Walled Garden’s heritage or its potential.
At this stage proposals were put forward to redevelop the site as a resource which would make the best use of the garden’s unique history and aesthetic.
The dramatic formal garden you see today is a result of that vision.
The old farmyard appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1837.
It is built in basalt as a square building enclosing a square courtyard.
Today it houses the main farm office.
The surrounding farmyard has substantially outgrown the courtyard.
In the centre of the building on the roof is an old bell tower.
A branch of the Thompsons lived at Muckamore House. I'm interested in obtaining images.
First published in August, 2011.
11 comments :
If you are interested, I can provide information on the son of Samuel Thompson of Muckamore: John Thompson 1710-1771 who was a 4th great grandfather of mine. He was ordained a deacon in the Church of England in London in 1734 and thereafter emigrated, first to Maryland in North America, where in 1739 he was a minister "in the Presbyterian way". He then moved to Virginia where in 1740 be became the rector of the Little Fork Anglican Church near Culpeper VA. In 1742 he married the Butler Brayne, the widow of Alexander Spotswood. They had built the estate manor "Salubria" that still stands.
My husband is also a fourth great grand son of Reverend John Thompson of Culpepper Virginia.
We have a copy of his will when he died in 1772. We have never been able to determine exactly who his father was in Muckamore, Ireland but we knew he was born there. We went to Antrim three years ago and visited Greenmount and toured the grounds. Would love to know if anyone has any actual records connecting John in Virginia with Samuel as his father or his brothers.
I did do a days research at PRONI when we were in Belfast but could not find anything specific because not many records were kept that far back.
I have been doing my research and have discovered that john Thompson is my 8th great grand father. I am one of the last In my line named thompson I can find in Whiteville N.C.
. I am so excited.I wnt to know more about the Thompson family.
My name is Theodosia Carlene Thompson Adkins .
I am a direct descendent of the Robert Stewart Thompson, the last Thompson to own and occupy Greenmount. I have a portrait drawn of him and identified at his death by his son, Robert Beekman, my Great great Grandfather. I also have the orignial will written over several decades, identifying Greenmount and his and the family's plantations in St. Croix, USVI. I will be visiting Northern Ireland in June and can bring copies of letters, the will and the portrait if requested. I am also looking for a suitable candidate for the original will so it can be restored and preserved.
Dear "Unknown" , As one of the descendants of the Thompson's of Muckamore (Rev. John Thompson of Culpeper VA), I would dearly love to know more about what you know about this family, especially about the members of the family who remained in Ireland and about the place Muckamore and the Greenmount Estate. Would it be possible to get in touch? Thank you. My email address is: smith2008@mac.com
I am related to the Thompson family which lived at Muckamore House, I do have some info on the family and I have family who are in contact with the current head of the Thompson family which were at Muckamore House.
Alex, Any information on the Thompsons of Muckamore would be very interesting to myself and other descendants of Rev. John Thompson b. 1710 Muckamore, Co. Antrim d. 1771 Culpeper, Virginia (my 4th ggrandfather). My email address is smith2008@mac.com Would you be able to contact me regarding this? Thank you! Jim
Does anyone know anything more about a Samuel Thompson and his involvement with the Rosalie estate on the island of Dominica? I have found an interesting similarity with some of my DNA relatives.
Near as I can figure out the John Thompson (d.1705) father of William, of muckamore (d.1754) is my 7th great-grandfather, William being my 6th great grandfather. I cant seem to find any information about John's wife or parents though. Does anyone know anything or where to look? please let me know... tthompson2016@yahoo.com
Very interesting!
Hello,
Rosemary Farrant (neé Thompson), was born at Muckamore in 1945 and I believe was one of the last to live there before 1949. She lived there with her brother, Richard (Rick) Thompson. She married David Farrant, an Officer on the Light Infantry and lived all over before settling in Tavistock, Devon for 28 years. They have moved to Marden, Kent this year. They have 5 children (2 from David's first marriage, 3 of the Thompson line) and 12 Grandchildren (of which I am one!).
Post a Comment