Thursday 10 August 2023

Ballyseedy Castle

THE BLENNERHASSETTS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 34,592 ACRES

This family is of English origin, and has either received its surname from, or conferred it upon, the township of Blennerhasset, Cumberland, where it appears to have been stationary for several centuries. Members of the family represented Carlisle in nearly every parliament from RICHARD II to JAMES I, and later frequently represented either Kerry or Tralee.

The Blennerhassetts maintained the highest rank amongst the gentry of County Kerry, where the first settlers,

THOMAS BLENNERHASSETT, of Flimby, Cumberland, MP for Carlisle, 1584-1604, and his son, ROBERT, settled in County Kerry as an undertaker in the plantations of the province of Munster (then forfeited by the Earl of Desmond), having obtained the grant of a considerable estate there, from ELIZABETH I.

Thomas Blennerhassett received in 1586 from Sir Edward Denny, by virtue of his seigneury of Dennyvale, a grant of lands in Kerry, "to be held for ever, for one red rose to be rendered yearly at the feast of St John the Baptist."

His son,

ROBERT BLENNERHASSETT, of Ballycarty, First Provost of Tralee, MP for Tralee, 1613-15-35-39, married Elizabeth, daughter of Jenkin Conway (who was granted lands in the same county), and had (with a daughter, Elizabeth) three sons,
JOHN, his heir;
Edward, High Sheriff of Kerry, 1642;
Arthur, ancestor of Blennerhassett of Riddlestown.
The eldest son,

JOHN BLENNERHASSETT, of Ballyseedy, Captain of a foot regiment, 1643, MP for Kerry, High Sheriff of Kerry, 1641, who wedded Martha, daughter of George Lynn, of Southwick Hall, Peterborough, and had issue,
John, his heir; ancestor of HILDA BLENNERHASSETT;
ROBERT;
Thomas;
Mary; Alice; Lucy.
The second son,

ROBERT BLENNERHASSETT (c1622-c1689), High Sheriff of County Kerry, MP for Tralee, espoused Avice, daughter and co-heir of Jenkin Conway, of Killorglin, County Kerry, and had issue,
HENRY, his heir;
Edward;
Robert;
John;
Conway;
Thomas;
Anne; Lucy; Catherine; Avice; Alice.
The eldest son,

HENRY BLENNERHASSETT, who married Dorcas, daughter of Francis Crumpe, of Killarney, and had issue,
Arthur, who went to France and became a Doctor of the Sorbonne;
John;
William;
ROBERT, of whom presently;
Samuel;
Edward;
Richard;
Dorcas; Avice; Alice; Lucy.
The fourth son,

ROBERT BLENNERHASSETT, wedded Frances, daughter of Richard Yielding, and had issue,
ROWLAND, his heir;
Henry;
Arthur;
Belinda; Alice; Millicent; Sarah.
The eldest son,

ROWLAND BLENNERHASSETT (1741-1821), of Blennerville, espoused Millicent Agnes, daughter of Richard Yielding, of Belview, County Limerick, and had issue,
ROBERT, his successor;
Richard Francis;
Arthur, of Blennerville;
Rowland;
William;
Catherine.
Mr Blennerhassett was created a baronet, in 1809, designated of Blennerville, County Kerry.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ROBERT BLENNERHASSETT, 2nd Baronet (1769-1831), High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1823, who married, in 1790, Rosanna, daughter of Arthur Blennerhassett, and had issue,
ARTHUR, his successor;
Rowland;
Robert;
Richard;
William;
Catherine.
Sir Robert was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ARTHUR BLENNERHASSETT, 3rd Baronet (1794-1849), High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1820, who wedded, in 1826, Sarah, daughter of John Mahony, and had issue,
ROWLAND, his successor;
Rosanna.
Sir Arthur was succeeded by his only son,

THE RT HON SIR ROWLAND BLENNERHASSETT, 4th Baronet (1839-1909), JP, DL, MP for Galway, 1865-74, Kerry, 1880-85, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1866, Privy Counsellor, who espoused, in 1870, Countess Charlotte Julia von Leyden, and had issue,
ARTHUR CHARLES FRANCIS BERNARD, his successor;
Paul Charles William Marmaduke Rowland;
William Lewis Rowland Paul Sebastian;
Marie Carola Franciska Roselyne.
Sir Rowland was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ARTHUR CHARLES FRANCIS BERNARD BLENNERHASSETT, 5th Baronet (1871-1915), JP, who married, in 1899, Mary Frances, daughter of Ludwig, Baron von Aretin, and had issue, an only child,

SIR MARMADUKE CHARLES HENRY JOSEPH CASIMIR BLENNERHASSETT, 6th Baronet (1902-40), who wedded, in 1938, Gwenfra Mary, daughter of Harrington Morgan, and had issue,
MARMADUKE ADRIAN FRANCIS WILLIAM, his successor.
Sir Marmaduke, Temporary Lieutenant, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, was killed in action during the 2nd World War.

He was succeeded by his only son,

SIR (MARMADUKE) ADRIAN FRANCIS WILLIAM BLENNERHASSETT, 7th Baronet (1940-), who married, in 1972, Carolyn Margaret, daughter of Gilbert Brown, and has issue,
CHARLES HENRY MARMADUKE (b 1975);
Celina Mary Charlotte (b 1973).

BALLYSEEDY CASTLE, Tralee, County Kerry, is a large Georgian mansion of ca 1760.

The entrance front has two curved bows, with a battlemented roof parapet.

On one side of the front there is a low, castellated service wing, with square and circular turrets; and the other side has a "sham" wall containing false windows.


The Gothic features date from 1816.

Miss Hilda Blennerhassett (1884-1965) bequeathed Ballyseedy to her kinsman, Sir Adrian Blennerhassett, 7th Baronet.

Sir Adrian subsequently sold the estate, in 1967, to Arthur and Eileen Sheraton.

Ballyseedy, or Ballyseede as it is now called, is now a hotel.

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