McCalmont of Abbeylands

THE McCALMONTS OWNED 148 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

THOMAS McCALMONT, of The Farm, Cairncastle, County Antrim, had issue,

THOMAS, of whom presently;
James, of Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, USA;
John, of Clarkstown, Co Antrim, afterwards of Delaware, USA;
Robert;
Hugh.

The eldest son,

THOMAS McCALMONT, of The Farm, born ca 1700, drowned near Delaware, USA, leaving (with a daughter, Margaret) an only son,

ROBERT McCALMONT, of Newtownabbey, County Antrim, who married, in 1764, Margaret, daughter of Hugh Mumford, of Drumalis, County Antrim, and had issue,

HUGH, of whom presently;
James, a surgeon.

The eldest son,

HUGH McCALMONT (1765-1838), of Abbeylands, County Antrim, wedded, in 1807, Elizabeth Allen, daughter of Thomas Barklie, of Inver, County Antrim, and had issue,

Robert, of Gatton Park, dsp;
THOMAS (Rev);
Hugh, of Abbeylands (1809-87);
John;
Barklie;
JAMES, of whom hereafter;
Jane; Margaret Jane; Elizabeth; Roseanna.

Mr McCalmont was succeeded by his youngest son,

JAMES McCALMONT JP (1819-49), of Abbeylands and Breen, County Antrim, who espoused, in 1843, Emily Anne, daughter of James Martin JP DL, of Ross, County Galway, and had issue,

HUGH, his heir;
James Martin, of Magheramorne, MP.

The elder son,

Maj-Gen Sir Hugh McCalmont KCB CVO (Image: National Portrait Gallery)

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR HUGH McCALMONT KCB CVO JP (1845-1924), of Abbeylands, Whiteabbey, County Antrim, MP for North Antrim, 1895-9, married, in 1885, Rose Elizabeth Bingham, daughter of John, 4th Baron Clanmorris, and had issue,

DERMOT HUGH BINGHAM McCALMONT (1887-1968).


THE 1st Earl Cairns was baptized Hugh McCalmont Cairns.

Abbeylands House, Whiteabbey, County Antrim, was a two-storey Victorian house, with mullioned windows in the centre of its symmetrical front.

It had shallow, curved bows on either side of the front; a single-storey Ionic porch; narrow pedimented attic storey with three narrow windows in the centre; and a balustraded roof parapet.

Abbeylands was burnt to the ground in 1914 by the Suffragette movement.

First published in November, 2016.