Belfast Steamship Company

Full steam ahead!

I couldn't resist posting the nostalgic advertisement (below) placed the in the 1974 street directory.

We frequently sailed to Liverpool on these ships.

They were very popular in Northern Ireland.

I seem to recall that it took ages for the ferries to negotiate the series of docks at Liverpool!

Do any readers have memories of their voyages in the MV Ulster Prince or MV Ulster Queen?

I believe there was an MV Ulster Monarch, too.

The Belfast Steamship Company was taken over by P&O in 1975.

First published in May, 2010.

Clandeboye House Guest

Clandeboye House (Image: Katybird)

Celia Lyttelton, in a Daily Telegraph article, spent some time with Lindy, Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, at her country seat, Clandeboye, County Down.  Lady Dufferin died in 2020. 

CLANDEBOYE, County Down, home to the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, is filled with memorabilia collected by the 1st Marquess, a 19th-century diplomat, and provides a dramatic glimpse into his life.

As you pass between the cannons that flank its gates, Clandeboye seems to rise over the mist on the lake like a Chinese watercolour.

This romantic early-Georgian mansion and its 2,000-acre estate in County Down, Northern Ireland, is home to Lindy, the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, and is sustained by a series of enterprises.

'We are free of foundations and trusts,’ Lady Dufferin says proudly.

Helping to keep the estate self-sufficient is its golf course, the Ava art gallery, a banqueting hall used for weddings, a classical music festival and Clandeboye’s own brand of yogurt, courtesy of the estate’s award-winning herd of Holstein and Jersey cows.

The settlement dates from the 17th century, but the building we see today was built in the early 1800s by Robert Woodgate (formerly an engineer to Sir John Soane), who was commissioned by the politician Sir James Blackwood, 2nd Baron Dufferin and Clandeboye.

Incorporating elements of an earlier building, Woodgate created two wings at right angles to each other.

About 50 years later, it became home to Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, the 5th Baron and 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (Lindy was married to the last Marquess, Sheridan; the title is now extinct).

The great-grandson of the playwright Richard Sheridan, Frederick travelled widely as Governor-General of Canada and then Viceroy of India, and put his own stamp on Clandeboye.

Like many of his generation he was a passionate collector, and the interior at Clandeboye (sometimes known by its original name, Bally­leidy) is a reflection of the countries he served.

The breadth of this passion is evident the moment one enters Clandeboye through its Doric portico.

In the outer hall the walls are decorated with symmetrical displays of weaponry: daggers, pistols and cutlasses presented to the 1st Marquess.

In the pistachio-green Long Gallery there are more surprises.

The grand staircase is flanked by a pair of narwhal tusks and on either side lie two ornate daybeds.

These belonged to King Tibor of Burma.

Frederick bought them when the contents of the palace at Mandalay were auctioned off after he annexed Upper Burma. 

Upstairs the names of the bedrooms recall the many places that he served as a diplomat: France, St Petersburg, Canada, Rome.

France is the most exquisite, decorated in neoclassical gilt motifs copied from a Pompeiian fresco.

The mythological Europa and the bull are pictured on the bed head.

The gilt empire furniture complements the theme.

The house was designed to take maximum advantage of the light: the south-facing corner of the L-shaped layout is made up of 16 bay windows.

Frederick also had a mania for glass roofing and skylights.

The Simla corridor on the upper floor – named after the hill station in India where the British went on holiday – illuminated by oculi, small hemispherical skylights.

'Clandeboye needs constant attention,’ Lady Dufferin, a successful artist who works using her maiden name, Lindy Guinness, says.

On the day I visited, the Rev Ian Paisley was scheduled to come and see a portrait she had painted of him.

'The studio is somewhere I feel safe,’ she says.

Several chiaroscuro black-and-white gouaches in the studio, destined for a show in Paris, are studies of light in the rooms at Clandeboye – a subject she returned to often.

Outside is a walled garden with its thousands of saplings.

It has been planted over the past 25 years by Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland, which has brought Protestant and Catholic communities together to work in tandem.

Deeper in the woods is Helen’s Tower, a turreted folly with views over the rolling parkland, immortalised in Tennyson’s poem of the same name.

Commissioned by Frederick and completed in 1861, it was designed by the Scottish architect William Burn, its name in honour of Dufferin’s mother.

Lady Dufferin and her husband worked tirelessly to restore Clandeboye to its former glory and have created a lasting memorial to Frederick’s unique vision.

It has been a major project, and the work continues.

'This is a real, living estate with no dead hand of institutional discipline,’ she says. 'I look upon Clandeboye as a gift.’

  
First published in November, 2011.

Wilton Castle

THE ALCOCKS OWNED 1,775 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY WEXFORD

Tradition states that the first of this family came to Ireland with HENRY II, from Surrey, and settled at Downpatrick, County Down; there is, however, no knowledge that any persons of this name inhabited that town.

JOHN ALCOCK, of Downpatrick, County Down, had issue (with three daughters), three sons,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Alexander (Very Rev), Dean of Lismore, 1725-47;
Simon, of Dublin.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM ALCOCK, of Wilton, County Wexford, married, in 1670, Jane, daughter of John Bamber, of Bamber Hall, Lancashire, and had issue,

Richard, dsp;
WILLIAM, his heir;
John;
Mary; Elizabeth; Alice; Jane.

The younger son,

WILLIAM ALCOCK (1705-1779), of Wilton, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1740, MP for Fethard, 1764-8, Colonel, Waterford Militia, wedded, in 1734, Mary, eldest daughter of Nicholas, Viscount Loftus, and in her descendants co-heir to her brother Henry, Earl of Ely; and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
William, of Springfield House, County Wexford;
John (Sir), Knight, of Waterford;
Mary; Henrietta.

Colonel Alcock was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY ALCOCK (1735-1812), of Wilton, MP for Waterford City, 1783-97, Fethard, 1797-9, an officer in the 13th Light Dragoons, who espoused firstly, in 1764, Philippa Melosina, daughter of the Rt Rev Richard Chenevix, Lord Bishop of Waterford and Lismore; she died with her infant son, 1765.

He married secondly, in 1766, Elizabeth Catharine, daughter of Beverley Ussher, MP for Waterford for thirty-six years, and had issue,

William Henry, died unmarried;
Ussher, died unmarried;
WILLIAM CONGREVE, died unmarried;
HARRY, succeeded his brother;
Eliza Jane; Mary Anne; Henrietta.

Mr Alcock was succeeded by his third son,

WILLIAM CONGREVE ALCOCK (1771-1812), MP for Waterford, 1801-3, County Wexford, 1807-12, who died unmarried, when Wilton devolved upon his only surviving brother,

HARRY ALCOCK (1792-1840), of Wilton, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1822, who married, in 1818, Margaret Elinor, daughter and heir of James Savage, of Kilgibbon, County Wexford, a descendant of the old Anglo-Norman family of Savage, of Portaferry, County Down, and had issue,

HARRY, his heir;
Ussher William;
Philip Savage, of Park House, Wexford, father of PHILIP CLAYTON ALCOCK;
George Augustus (Rev);
Elinor Catherine; Henrietta; Elizabeth Louisa; Margaret Charlotte; Sarah.

The eldest son,

HARRY ALCOCK JP DL (1821-93), of Wilton, Honorary Colonel, Wexford Militia, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1846, died unmarried, leaving his property to his nephew,

PHILIP CLAYTON ALCOCK JP DL (1861-1949), of Wilton, and Overton Lodge, Ludlow, Shropshire, Captain, Gloucester Regiment, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1900, who wedded, in 1914, Kathleen, daughter of Thomas Robinson, and had issue,

Kathleen Annette; Philippa; Mary Clayton; Margaret Savage.

WILTON CASTLE, Enniscorthy, County Wexford, is a magnificent 19th century mansion built to the designs of the architect Daniel Robertson, of Kilkenny.

It was erected on a moated platform surrounded by parapet walls and sham fortifications.

The house is greatly machiolated and castellated.

The main block comprises three storeys, with a two-storey wing.

The Victorian castle is dominated by a lofty square tower at one end, and a tall polygonal tower and turret at the other.

The porch has an oriel over it.

Wilton Castle was burnt to the ground by the IRA in 1923.

Mr Sean Windsor, whose grandfather was land steward of the estate, purchased it in 2004 and proceeded to restore the two-storey wing and tower.

Wilton Castle is now open to guests.

First published in August, 2018.

Knockdrin Castle

THE LEVINGE BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WESTMEATH, WITH 5,017 ACRES

The first of this name on record is LEVINGE or Lyfing, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1013, who crowned CANUTE in 1017, and died in 1020; next is LEVINGE or Lyfing, Bishop of Worcester and Crediton in 1046, whose nephew possessed, at the time of the Domesday survey, six lordships in Derbyshire and two in Nottinghamshire.

From him descended

SIR WALTER LEVINGE, a soldier of the Cross, and companion in arms of the lion-hearted RICHARD I.

This Sir Walter bore the arms the family still use; he was ancestor of

THOMAS LEVINGE, of Baddesley Ensor, Warwickshire, living in 1434, great-grandfather of

RICHARD LEVINGE, of Parwich, Derbyshire, who married, in 1653, Anne, daughter of George Parker, of Park Hill, Staffordshire, aunt of Thomas, Earl of Macclesfield, LORD CHANCELLOR OF ENGLAND, and was father of

THE RT HON SIR RICHARD LEVINGE (1656-1724), Knight, of Parwich, Recorder of, and MP for Chester, 1690-95, who wedded firstly, in 1680, Mary, daughter and co-heir of Sir Gawen Corbyn, Knight, of London, by whom he had three sons and three daughters; and secondly, in 1723, Mary, daughter of the Hon Robert Johnson, one of the Barons of the Exchequer in Ireland, and by her had one son, Richard, of Calverstown, County Kildare.

Sir Richard Levinge, 1st Baronet (Chester Town Hall)

Sir Richard, MP for Blessington, 1692-3, Longford Borough, 1698-9 and 1703-13, Kilkenny, 1713-14, was created a baronet in 1704, designated of High Park, County Westmeath.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD LEVINGE, 2nd Baronet (c1690-1748), of Parwich, and High Park (Knockdrin Castle), MP for County Westmeath, 1723-7, Blessington, 1727-48, who wedded, in 1718, Isabella, daughter of SIR ARTHUR RAWDON Bt, of Moira, County Down; but dying without issue, in 1748, was succeeded by his brother,

SIR CHARLES LEVINGE, 3rd Baronet (1693-1762), who espoused, in 1722, Anne, daughter and co-heir of Major Samuel Greene MP, of Killaghy Castle, County Tipperary, and was succeeded by his only child,

SIR RICHARD LEVINGE, 4th Baronet (c1723-86), High Sheriff of County Westmeath, 1764, who married firstly, in 1748, Dorothea, daughter and co-heir of William Kennedy MP, of County Longford, and had issue,

CHARLES, his successor;
Richard;
Anne; Dorothea; Frances.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR CHARLES LEVINGE, 5th Baronet (1751-96), High Sheriff of County Westmeath, 1791, who wedded, in 1779, Elizabeth Frances, only daughter of Nicholas Reynell, of Reynella, County Westmeath, and had issue,

RICHARD, his successor;
Charles, Lieutenant-Colonel;
Selina; Caroline; Anne; Frances.

Sir Charles was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD LEVINGE, 6th Baronet (1785-1848), of Knockdrin Castle, High Sheriff of County Westmeath, 1808, who espoused, in 1810, Elizabeth Anne, eldest daughter of Thomas, 1st Baron Rancliffe, and had issue,

RICHARD GEORGE AUGUSTUS, his successor;
George Charles Rawdon;
Reginald Thomas John;
Augustus Frederick;
Charles Vere;
Vere Henry;
William James, father of the 9th Baronet;
Edward Parkyns;
Harry Corbyn, High Sheriff of Co Westmeath, 1886;
Elizabeth Anne; Georgiana Frances Caroline.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD GEORGE AUGUSTUS LEVINGE, 7th Baronet (1811-84), of Knockdrin Castle, High Sheriff of County Westmeath, 1851, MP for County Westmeath, 1857-65, Lieutenant-Colonel, Westmeath Rifles, who married firstly, in 1849, Caroline Jane, daughter of Colonel Lancelot Rolleston; and secondly, in 1870, Margaret Charlotte, daughter of Sir George Campbell; the marriages, however, were without issue, when the baronetcy devolved upon his brother,

SIR VERE HENRY LEVINGE, 8th Baronet (1819-85), of the Madras Civil Service, who died unmarried, when the title reverted to his cousin,

SIR WILLIAM HENRY LEVINGE, 9th Baronet (1849-1900), who wedded, in 1876, Emily Judith, daughter of Sir Richard Sutton Bt, and had issue,

RICHARD WILLIAM, his successor;

Thomas Vere;

Reginald Augustus;

Charles Horace;

Bernard George;

Gerald Henry;

Dorothy Mary Gertrude; Beatrice Maud Cecil.

Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD WILLIAM LEVINGE, 10th Baronet (1878-1914), DL, High Sheriff of County Westmeath, 1908, who espoused, in 1910, Irene Marguerite, daughter of J H C Pix, and had issue,

RICHARD VERE HENRY, his successor.

Sir Richard, an army officer killed in action during the First World War, was succeeded by his only child,

SIR RICHARD VERE HENRY LEVINGE, 11th Baronet (1911-84), MBE, of Knockdrin Castle, who espoused firstly, in 1935, Barbara Mary, daughter of George Jardine Kidston, and had issue,

RICHARD GEORGE ROBIN, his successor;

Michael James;

Elizabeth Anne; Patricia Mary; Susan Maureen; Mary Irene.

He married secondly, in 1976, Jane Rosemary, daughter of John Thomas Stacy, without further issue.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD GEORGE ROBIN LEVINGE, 12th Baronet (1946-), who married firstly, in 1969, Hilary Jane, daughter of Dr Derek Mark, and has issue,

RICHARD MARK, born in 1970.

Sir Richard wedded secondly, in 1978, Maria Isabella, daughter of daughter of Prince Ferdinando d'Ardia Caracciolo dei Principi di Cursi, and has further issue,

Robin Edward;

Melissa Louise.

KNOCKDRIN CASTLE, near Mullingar, County Westmeath, is an impressive Gothic-Revival mansion of about 1830 by James Shiel.

It was built for Sir Richard Levinge, 6th Baronet, 

The main block comprises two square turrets, joined to a gate-tower by a lower range.

There is an arcaded Gothic central hall; oak carvings; and an Elizabethan-style staircase.

During the 2nd World War the castle was requisitioned for troop accommodation and was occupied by a company of the 6th (Dublin) Infantry of the Irish Army.

The army left in 1945 and handed the castle back to the Levinges.

Sir Richard William Levinge, 10th Baronet, was High Sheriff of County Westmeath, 1908.

The Levinge family owned Knockdrin until 1946, although the 11th Baronet (later a Director of Guinness Ltd) had not been resident there for some time.

In that year the estate was sold to Paddy Dunne-Cullinan, who remained at Knockdrin until 1961, when he in turn sold the estate to Hans and Irene Freiherr von Prondzynski from Germany.

The arable land is now leased out, but the family continues to live in the castle.

Other former seat ~ Parwich Hall, Derbyshire.

Dundrum House

THE VISCOUNTS HAWARDEN WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TIPPERARY, WITH 15,272 ACRES

The family of MAUDE deduces its descent from EUSTACE DE MONTE ALTO (c1045-1112), styled The Norman Hunter, who came to the assistance of Hugh Lupus, 1st Earl of Chester, at the period of the Conquest; and having participated in the glory of that great event, shared in the spoil, and obtained, amongst other considerable grants, the castle, lordship, and manor of Hawarden, Flintshire.

This Eustace was succeeded by his eldest son,

HUGH DE MONTE ALTO, the second baron under Hugh Lupus, who gave a large portion of his possessions to the monks.

He was succeeded by his brother,

ROGER DE MONTE ALTO, 3rd Baron, to whom succeeded his son,

RALPH DE MONTALT, 4th Baron, sewer to Ranulf, 6th Earl of Chester, who had two sons and a daughter, viz.

ROBERT, his heir;
Simon;
Beatrix.

The elder son,

ROBERT DE MONTALT, first Baron by tenure, erected, during the reign of HENRY II, Mold Castle, in Flintshire.

This Robert, who was Steward of the Palatine of Chester, espoused Emma, daughter of Sir Robert Delaval, and had issue,

ROBERT, 2nd Baron by tenure;
Ralph;
John;
Matthew;
Simon;
William, in holy orders;
Roger;
ANDOMAR.

The lineal descendant of this gentleman,

CHRISTOPHER MAUDE, of Holling Hall and Woodhouse, patron of Ilkley, 1554, had issue,

THOMAS, his heir;
John, of Stainland;
Isabel.

The elder son,

THOMAS MAUDE, of West Riddlesden, died in 1633.

His grandson,

ROBERT MAUDE, of West Riddlesden and Ripon, Yorkshire, patron of Ilkley, 1640, disposed of his English estates, and purchased others in counties Kilkenny and Tipperary, whither he removed.

He died in 1685, and was succeeded by his only son,

ANTHONY MAUDE (1638-1702), of Dundrum, High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1686, MP for Cashel, 1695-9, who was succeeded by his only son and successor,

ROBERT MAUDE (1677-1750), MP for Gowran, 1703-13, St Canice, 1713-14, Bangor, 1727-50, who was created a baronet in 1705, designated of Dundrum, County Tipperary.

Sir Robert wedded Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Francis Cornwallis, of Abermarles, Carmarthenshire, by whom he had several children.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON SIR THOMAS MAUDE, 2nd Baronet (1727-77), MP for Tipperary, 1761-76, High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1765, Privy Counsellor, 1768, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1776, in the dignity of BARON DE MONTALT, of Hawarden; but dying without issue, the barony ceased, while the baronetcy devolved upon his brother,

SIR CORNWALLIS MAUDE (1729-1803), who represented the borough of Roscommon in parliament, and was elevated to the peerage, in 1793, in the dignity of VISCOUNT HAWARDEN.

His lordship married firstly, in 1756, Letitia, daughter of Thomas Vernon, of Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire, by whom he had one daughter, Elizabeth Letitia; and secondly, in 1766, Mary, daughter of Philip Allen, and niece of Ralph Allen, of Prior Park, Somerset, by whom he had further issue,

THOMAS RALPH, his successor;
Sophia Maria; Emma.

His lordship wedded thirdly, Anne Isabella, daughter of Thomas Monck, barrister, and niece of the Viscount Monck, by whom he had further issue,

CORNWALLIS, of whom hereafter;
Robert William Henry, Dean of Clogher, Archdeacon of Dublin;
James Ashley (Sir), Captain RN; KCH, CB;
John Charles, in holy orders;
Francis, Commander RN; CB;
Isabella Elizabeth; Georgiana; Alicia; Charlotte; Mary Anne; Emily; Catherine.

His lordship died in 1803, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS RALPH, 2nd Viscount (1767-1807), who espoused the Lady Frances Anne Agar, only daughter of His Grace Charles, Earl of Normanton, Lord Archbishop of Dublin; but dying without issue, the honours devolved upon his half-brother,

CORNWALLIS, 3rd Viscount (1780-1856).

*****

CORNWALLIS [MAUDE] (1817-1905), 4th Viscount,

Captain, 2nd Life Guards, 1849-53; a Representative Peer for Ireland (Conservative), 1862-1905; Lord in Waiting, 1866-68, 1874-80 and 1885-86; Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, 1882; Lord-Lieutenant of Tipperary, 1885-1905.

His lordship was advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1886, as EARL DE MONTALT.

Lord de Montalt was the last of the family to live at Dundrum House.

On Lord de Montalt's death, the earldom became extinct.

The other titles, however, devolved upon his cousin, Robert Henry [Maude], 5th Viscount.

The 9th and present Viscount lives in Kent.

DUNDRUM HOUSE, near Cashel, County Tipperary, was built about 1730, the nucleus of a fine estate once owned by the the O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh.

The O'Dwyer estate was subsequently confiscated and Robert Maude was given all of the O'Dwyer land, including the O'Dwyer manor and castle of Dundrum.

This is a Palladian mansion, comprising a centre block of two storeys over a high basement, joined by short links to flanking pavilions.

The entrance front has seven bays, with a three-bay, pedimented breakfront.

There is an impressive, double-pedimented stable block at right-angles to the entrance front.

An additional storey, treated as an attic above the cornice, was added to the main block about 1890 by the 4th Viscount Hawarden (later 1st and last Earl de Montalt).

In 1909, when Dundrum House demesne was for sale, it was acquired by a religious order, who later established a Domestic Science College.

Until recently the mansion house was used as a retreat.

Having been acquired by Austin and Mary Crowe in 1978, with extensive renovation and restoration, Dundrum House was opened as a hotel in 1981.

First published in November, 2012.

Antrim DLs

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANTS

Mr David McCorkell, Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, has been pleased to appoint:-

Colonel Samuel James McCAMMOND UD VR
Ballymena

County Antrim

Mr Peter Thomas Watts MACKIE
Lissanoure Castle

County Antrim

To be Deputy Lieutenants of the County, his Commission bearing date, the 7th day of February, 2022.

Lord Lieutenant of the County

Brackenber Dinner 2022

How marvellous to be able to attend the annual BRACKENBER HOUSE SCHOOL dinner again.

Our last winter dinner at the Ulster Reform Club occurred on the 7th February, 2020.

We were unable to have our winter dinner in 2021 due to the "Covid" pandemic.

Accordingly I donned the glad rags, spruced myself up, and motored into town, specifically to North Street at its junction with Rosemary Street, where I found a parking space.

On entering the threshold I was greeted by the doorman, who advised me to proceed to the top floor, where the old billiards-room is located.

In 2020 there were 55 of us; whereas this year the complement was closer to 35, I gather.

Several dozen old boys had sent apologies.

Gordon has been endeavouring to get me to speak at the dinner, though so far I've been reluctant to do it.

I've never given a speech in my life!

Still, last night Jeff Dudgeon spoke to us all with great aplomb and fascinated us with reminiscences of his schooldays and career.

The Ulster Reform Club chef worked wonders, once again, by cooking the three-course meal comprising a starter of Red Tail Prawns, baked in a roast garlic and Cheddar cream, with crusty bread.

We were then served char-grilled, eight-ounce sirloin steak with Bordelaise sauce, mashed potato, carrot, and bowls of French-fried potatoes.

Pudding was apple crumble and vanilla custard.

My table was beside the lectern; to my left, Gordon Harvey, Paul, now the Lord Bew, and Jeff Dudgeon.

To my right: Dermot and the Pierce brothers (I was at school with Michael).

A thousand thanks, as ever, to Gordon Harvey and Don Bannister for organizing the event.