SELECTIVE ACQUISITIONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND
PROPERTY: Portstewart Strand, County Londonderry
DATE: 1981
EXTENT: 225.82 acres
DONOR: Philip McIntyre
First published in January, 2015.
JAMES, his heir;Mr Galbraith was succeeded by his eldest son,
George (Rev);
John Forbes;
Samuel, of Greenmount and Omagh;
Katherine; Mary; Anne.
James, died unmarried;Mr Galbraith died in 1800, and was succeeded by his youngest son,
John, of Greenmount and Roscavey;
George;
SAMUEL, of whom we treat.
JOHN SAMUEL, his heir;Mr Galbraith, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1833, County Longford, 1840, was succeeded by his eldest son,
Robert;
Samuel;
GEORGE (Very Rev), of Clanabogan;
James;
William Arthur;
Jane; Katherine.
SAMUEL HAROLD LYLE, his heir;The Dean was succeeded by his elder son,
James Ponsonby;
Eleanor Georgina Susannah.
‘... a typical gentleman’s estate in mid Victorian Ulster, created by Samuel Galbraith Esquire, with house, family church for a specially created curacy , and a modern rectory ... large, plain double pile house... mid-18th century ... inherited by Samuel Galbraith from his uncle in 1819."The main double-pile block has thick internal wall construction and its proportions are indicative of a mid-18th century date.
Summer Island House |
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Edward Cowdy (1873-1934) |
The Musgraves were very successful businessmen. James became the moving spirit behind a firm of iron-founders and engineers.
This family may be said to have begun their connection with Belfast at the beginning of the Victorian era, the River Lagan being their natal stream.
The Musgrave firm was an off-shoot of the Riddel establishment; whereas the Musgrave family consisted of a dozen children.When Dr Samuel Musgrave died at Lisburn in 1836, the family soon moved to Belfast and lived in Upper Arthur Street.
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Sir James Musgrave Bt. Photo Credit: Belfast Harbour Commissioners |
The Musgrave family were benefactors of the city of Belfast and its institutions: Sir James, when he retired, devoted a large part of his energy and abilities to developing the Port of Belfast, the possibilities of which he foresaw, the great scheme which he devised and which he lived to see completed.In recognition of these services, James Musgrave was created a baronet in 1897, designated of Drumglass, County Antrim.
His name is forever linked with the Musgrave Channel which he did so much to further from the time he was elected chairman of the Harbour Board in 1897 until a year before his death in 1904.
George and his son John George, better known as Jack, built a "state of the art" farmyard at Belgrove in 1851. To justify their investment they ejected their tenants from the best land in Ballyaddan, Rathroinsin, Belgrove, etc., expecting to run the land more efficiently in a larger unit, rather than depending on what they could extract from their tenants.
Jack himself acquired more land in Tipperary, Kildare, and Donegal, and also a large ranch in Texas called the JA Ranch. He died in 1885 on his way home from the States, aged 62 years. Thanks to Dr. Bob Spiegelman of New York we have learned a great deal more about the JA Ranch and Jack's connections with it, as well as Glenveagh in Donegal. When the Irish Land Commission acquired the Estate in 1935 they divided it among some of the Estate employees and enlarged many of the small farms in the area.
The farmyard was divided between four families, and four of the farm buildings were converted into dwellings. Later on three of the families moved elsewhere or changed from farming. As the other families left the Murphy family bought out the rest of the yard. Michael Murphy Sr. was yard-man on the estate when he was a youth and he got a quarter of the farmyard in the 1935 division; he survived to see his family own the whole farmyard eventually.Mr Adair married Cornelia, daughter of General J S Wadsworth, US Army, in 1867, and died without issue.
James, MP for Bridport 1692-5;Captain Macartney wedded secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Stephen Butler, and had further issue (with a son, Chichester, dsp),
Arthur, father of George, MP for Belfast 1721;
John, died young;
Bartholomew, died young;
George, died young;
Quentin, died young.
GEORGE, 1ST EARL MACARTNEY, dsp 1806;His granddaughter,
Letitia, m Godfrey Echlin, and dsp;
Elizabeth, m Major John Blaquiere; mother of ELIZABETH.
GEORGE, who assumed the name and arms of MACARTNEY;The eldest son,
Gustavus Thomas;
John;
Robert (Rev);
Elizabeth; Georgiana; Alicia; Anna.
GEORGE TRAVERS, his heir;This gentleman, whose patronymic was HUME, assumed, by Royal Licence, 1814, the surname and arms of MACARTNEY under the will of his grand-uncle George, 1st Earl Macartney.
Townley Patten Hume Macartney Filgate, of Lowther Lodge;
Martha Ellen; Elizabeth Jane; Anne Sophia.
CARTHANACH GEORGE, his heir;Mr Macartney was succeeded by his son,
Helen Henrietta; Mabel Constance; Frances Rose.
Dervock George Auchinleck (1891-1900);George Travers Lucy Macartney was the last member of the Macartneys to live at LISSANOURE CASTLE.
GEORGE TRAVERS LUCY (1896-1943), of Lissanoure.
"But I always knew, growing up, that if things worked out I would come and live here. I also knew that I had to earn a living to be able to afford its upkeep as, unfortunately, the castle isn't surrounded by masses of land. The handover went very smoothly and it is a far nicer place to raise a young family than London, where we used to live."It certainly seems like an idyllic existence for Gawn, his wife Polly and five children Tara, Archie, Jake, Charlie and Willa.
"I am the youngest of my mother's seven children and the house was always full of people. I remember sitting around the dining room table with a very large family having quite intensive discussions and arguments.
Because I was at boarding school, mum would compensate by asking people to stay when I came back for holidays, and she didn't mind if there were 10 or 20 people for lunch.
She was determined that we would have a good time here. And because it was known that I was going to come and live here one day it made it easier on the others."What was it like, living in a castle?
"Up to the age of 14 I wasn't aware of the significance of living in a castle," Gawn says. "You think you're lucky but you just take it for granted. I went to Eton so living in a big house didn't distinguish me at all, but one hopes my children will be comfortable with it.
If they are comfortable with it then they will take little notice of what people think."As Gawn spends half of each week in London as director of a major mergers and acquisitions firm, Polly spends much of her time looking after the castle, its self-catering accommodation in the gatehouses and events it hosts such as outdoor concerts.
"I just love Killyleagh and the sense of community," says Polly. "It's so much nicer than London, the people are wonderful and because the house is right in the village we feel part of everything that's going on."Indeed, the Hamiltons have been part of goings-on for some 400 years since, in 1606, in an event described as the most important in Ulster-Scots history, Gawn's ancestor, James Hamilton, and his fellow Scot, HUGH MONTGOMERY, arrived.
"I grew up with the Montgomerys and it makes me laugh when I think that when the two families first arrived here they fought battles with each other," Gawn says. "I suppose Montgomery felt slightly cheated out of the sweet deal he had concocted with Con O'Neill and probably felt quite bitter.
When he was on his death bed he decreed that no Montgomery must ever marry a Hamilton and to this day I don't think the families have intermarried.
I find that astonishing, actually, given the fact that we have lived beside each other for 400 years."For centuries the castle's first role was protection but in more recent times work was done to make it more comfortable:
"During the famines in the 1850s my great-great-great grandmother redeveloped the house and installed gas," Gawn says. "Because she received no income from the state she decided to spend all her maternal fortune on making the house habitable. "She employed Charles Lanyon, the architect of Queen's University, Belfast, to redesign and open up the castle."This was a challenge for Lanyon, who was used to building on a greenfield site - but the castle was confined to a structure already in place which he couldn't change.
"Lanyon turned the castle from what would have been a dark and uncomfortable interior to a very light and comfortable one," explains Gawn. "And although people might think the castle is cold and draughty, the rooms are actually not as big as you may imagine because the walls are so thick."And with all that colourful history, there must be a ghost or two, surely?
"Yes, I suspect there are ghosts running around with tales to tell," says Gawn. "Although I haven't seen a ghost people say that some rooms are spookier than others. It certainly adds to the character of the castle to think there might be ghosts."There have been explosive events more recently, too, for the castle was targeted during the Troubles in the 1920s:
"I have a cutting from the Belfast Telegraph which tells the story of my great-great uncle being woken at 2am and exchanging gunfire from the battlements, which was terribly exciting," says Gawn.But, despite the family's history of settling on land once owned by Irish men, Gawn says the Hamiltons have never experienced animosity from Roman Catholics:
"Actually, my most famous ancestor was Archibald Hamilton Rowan, who was a United Irishman," he explains. "He was put in prison by the British in Dublin but escaped and went to the Americas before he was pardoned and returned.
There was one occurrence of animosity from loyalists in the 1970s when my father stood for election to Westminster as an Alliance Party candidate.
Although he didn't get in loyalists were angry as they believed he was establishment and was taking some of their votes, and they burned his effigy in one of the village estates. That shows how extreme the politics of that time were."A happier event concerns Prince Andrew, Baron Killyleagh, who regularly visits the village, although he hasn't stayed at the castle during Gawn's tenure.
"My father was hosting an event one day which the Duke of York was attending," he says. "A wedding had been booked for that afternoon and, because the first event was running longer than expected, my father eventually had to tell [HRH] that he had to go as the wedding party would soon be arriving.
Of course, on their way out Prince Andrew and his entourage bumped right into the wedding - but he jumped out of his car and went over to the wedding party and had his photo taken with them, which was very good of him."Says Gawn: "To have such a long history of the family here is wonderful and that sense of continuity reinforces the feeling I have about the house."
This family is descended from Thomas, youngest son of Sir John Hamilton of Cadzow, from which Thomas many families in Ulster descended; namely, those of Killyleagh, Hallcraig or Neillsbrook, Tollymore, Carnesure, Bangor, Ballygally, and Gransha; founded by the six sons of Hans Hamilton of Dunlop.THE REV HANS HAMILTON (c1535-1608), Vicar of Dunlop, Ayrshire, wedded Margaret Denholm, daughter of the Laird of Weshiels, and had, with other issue,
James, Viscount Claneboye, ancestor of the EARLS OF CLANBRASSIL;The younger son,
ARCHIBALD, of whom we treat.
JOHN;
James;
Gawn;
William;
Hugh.
ARCHIBALD;
Mary; Rose.
William;
GAWN;
Susanna; Jane; Mary.
ARCHIBALD;Mr Hamilton was succeeded by his son and heir,
Sidney.
"in the hope that he should become a learned, honest, sober man; live unbribed and unpensioned; zealous for the rights of his country; loyal to his King; and a true protestant without bigotry to any sect."He married, in 1781, Sarah Anne, daughter of Walter Dawson, of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, and had issue,
Archibald, father of SIR WILLIAM ROWAN-HAMILTON;Mr Rowan-Hamilton's second son,
GAWN WILLIAM ROWAN;
Sydney;
Frederick;
Dawson;
Jane; Elizabeth; Mildred; Harriet; Francesca.
ARCHIBALD ROWAN, his heir;Captain Rowan-Hamilton was succeeded by his elder son,
George Rowan;
Melita Anne.
GAWN WILLIAM, his heir;Mr Rowan-Hamilton died in 1818, and was succeeded by his eldest son,
George;
Sidney Augustus Rowan;
Frederick Temple Rowan, father of GAWN BASIL GUY ROWAN-HAMILTON;
Mary Catherine; Helen Gwendoline; Harriet Georgina.
ARCHIBALD JAMES;Colonel Rowan-Hamilton was succeeded by his son and heir,
Orfla Melita.
Angus David;The second son,
DENYS ARCHIBALD;
Gawn Leslie.
GAWN WILLIAM, of Killyleagh Castle; b 1968;Colonel Rowan-Hamilton fought in the 2nd World War; Member, Royal Victorian Order, 1947; Aide-de-Camp, Governor of Southern Rhodesia, 1947; Major, 29th Britiish Infantry Brigade, Korea; Military Secretary to West Africa; 2nd in command of the 1st Black Watch, 1957-59; commander, 45th Black Watch, 1960-63; Defence Attache to the British Embassy, Damascus and Beirut, 1964-67; retired from the Army, 1967.
Constance Orfla; Louisa Anne.
Archibald James, born in 1997;
Jake Douglas, born in 1999;
Tara Emily, born in 1996;
Willa Melitta Dorothy, born in 2003.
Mr Rowan-Hamilton has been appointed Lord-Lieutenant of County Down from the 25th September, 2021.
First published in August, 2013.JOHN, of Finaghy House (1784-1844), died unmarried;
MATTHEW, of Finaghy House;
WILLIAM, of Seymour Hill.
JOHN, of Seymour Hill;
WILLIAM, succeeded his brother;
Edward, of Conway House;
Mary; Anne Jane; Eliza; Isabella; Emily.
William, 1857-1904;
EDWARD JOHNSON, of Seymour Hill;
John George Stewart, 1863-86;
Thomas Henry FitzWilliam, 1866-85;
Arthur Frederick, of Mossvale, b 1870;
Harold Richard;
Ellen Frances Isabella; Elizabeth Mary Florence; Emily Constance Jane; Wilhelmina M Isabel.
WILLIAM, his heir;Mr Hogg died in 1716, and was succeeded by his eldest son,
James;
Jacob.
William;Mr Hogg died in 1726, and was succeeded by his youngest son,
James;
EDWARD, his successor;
Ruth.
WILLIAM, his successor;Mr Hogg was succeeded by his elder son,
James;
Abigail; Mary.
JAMES WEIR, his successor;
Charles;
Mary; Clara; Rosina; Lily Anne Maria.
JAMES DOUGLAS, 2nd Baron;Sir James was elevated to the peerage, in 1887, in the dignity of BARON MAGHERAMORNE, of Magheramorne, County Antrim.
DUDLEY STUART, 3rd Baron;
RONALD TRACEY, 4th Baron;
Archibald Campbell;
Gerald Francis;
Edith Mary.
Matthew, died unmarried;The eldest surviving son,
JOHN, of whom hereafter;
Hill, died unmarried;
Jane, died unmarried.
John, of Finaghy House (1784-1844), dsp;
Matthew, of Finaghy House and Woodbourne;
WILLIAM, of whom we treat.
JOHN, of Seymour Hill;The eldest son,
WILLIAM, succeeded his brother;
Edward, of Conway House;
Mary; Anne Jane; Eliza; Isabella; Emily.
William, 1857-1904;The fifth son,
EDWARD JOHNSON, of Seymour Hill;
John George Stewart, 1863-86;
Thomas Henry FitzWilliam, 1866-85;
ARTHUR FREDERICK, of whom hereafter;
Harold Richard;
Ellen Frances Isabella; Elizabeth Mary Florence;
Emily Constance Jane; Wilhelmina Maud Isabel.
On the highest level of The Pleasure Grounds, there used to stand a little "summer house". Here on a warm sunny day ideally without wind and wrinkled only by the wings of birds and insects, on such a day at Florence Court, the Cole family would adjourn to drink their tea and enjoy the tonic view of the valley and the mountain.On Thursday, the 14th August, 2014, this charming little thatched gazebo was burnt to the ground.
CHRISTOPHER, his heir;The eldest son,
William;
Michael;
John (Rev);
Ellen; Elizabeth.
FRANCIS, his heir;The elder son,
Christopher.
CHRISTOPHER (Sir);Mr Wandesford died in 1559, and was succeeded by his elder son,
John;
Jane.
CHRISTOPHER, his successor;Sir George espoused secondly, Mary, daughter of Robert Pamplin, and had a daughter, Margaret, and a son, WILLIAM WANDESFORDE, Citizen of London, to whom, and his heirs, his eldest brother, in 1637, gave £20 per annum, issuing out of the manor of Castlecomer, and payable upon Strongbow's tomb in Christ Church, Dublin.
John;
Michael (Very Rev);
Anne.
GEORGE, his heir;Mr Wandesford was succeeded by his eldest son,
CHRISTOPHER, successor to his brother;
John;
Catherine; Alice.
CHRISTOPHER, his heir;Sir Christopher, MP for Ripon, was succeeded by his eldest son,
George;
Charles;
Mary; Eleanor; Catherine; Elizabeth; Alice; Frances; Christiana.
CHRISTOPHER, 2nd Viscount;His lordship died in London, and was succeeded by his eldest son,
GEORGE, 4th Viscount;
John;
Richard;
Henrietta.
The 1st EARL OF WANDESFORD died in 1784, and his son having predeceased him, all his honours, including the baronetcy, became extinct, and his estates upon his only daughter,
- Christopher Wandesford, 2nd Viscount (1684–1719)
- Christopher Wandesford, 3rd Viscount (1717–36)
- George Wandesford, 4th Viscount (1687–1751)
- John Wandesford, 5th Viscount (1725–84) (created Earl Wandesford in 1758).
John, dspvp;The Hon Charles Harward Butler C S Wandesforde was succeeded by his grandson,
HENRY BUTLER-CLARKE-SOUTHWELL-WANDESFORDE, died unmarried;
Walter, father of CHARLES;
SARAH, of Castlecomer and Kirklington.
Charles Butler, father of RICHARD HENRY PRIOR-WANDESFORDE;Mrs Prior-Wandesforde succeeded to the Castlecomer and Kirklington estates on the death of her nephew, 1881, and in accordance with the provisions contained in her father's will, assumed, in 1882, for herself and her issue the additional surname and arms of WANDESFORDE.
Henry Wallis;
Sarah Butler; Sophia Elizabeth.
CHRISTOPHER BUTLER, b 1896;
Ferdinand Charles Richard, b 1897;
Richard Cambridge, b 1902;
Vera; Florence Doreen.
Established in 2007 by Timothy William Ferres: writing about a variety of topics including the Monarchy, Nobility, Gentry, Heraldry, Pageantry, Heritage of the British Isles, Country Houses, Conservation, Travel.