Lyons of Old Park

THE LYONS' OWNED 1,491 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

This family was originally of Scottish extraction.

DAVID LYONS, of Belfast (son of Thomas Lyons (1624-93), who was buried at Shankill, Belfast), had issue, by Kate his wife,

DAVID, of whom presently;
Anne, m Thomas Foster.

Mr Lyons died in 1717, and was succeeded by his only son,

DAVID LYONS (1701-72), of Old Park, Belfast, who wedded firstly, Mary, daughter of Elias Boyd, and had issue.

By his second wife, Jane, he had issue,

THOMAS, of whom presently;
Henry;
William;
Mary; Anne; Eleanor; Elizabeth; Jane; Sarah.

Mr Lyons was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS LYONS (1747-1806), of Old Park, who espoused, in 1778, Sarah, daughter of Andrew Armstrong, of Clara, King's County, and Dublin, and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
WILLIAM HOLMES, successor to his brother;
Edward Forbes;
Eliza; Juliana.

Mr Lyons was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY LYONS (1779-1839), who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

WILLIAM HOLMES LYONS (1781-1849), of Old Park, who wedded, in 1810, Anne, daughter of the Rev William Bristow, Vicar of Belfast, and Sovereign of Belfast, by Rose, his wife, daughter of George Cary, of Redcastle, County Donegal, and had issue,

WILLIAM THOMAS BRISTOW, his heir;
Sarah (1818-1905).

Mr Lyons was succeeded by his only son,

WILLIAM THOMAS BRISTOW LYONS JP DL (1812-87), of Old Park, Belfast, and Brookhill, Lisburn, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1866, who married, in 1840, Julia Maria, daughter of James Jones, of Mount Edward, County Sligo, and had issue,

WILLIAM HENRY HOLMES, his heir;
Robert Colvill Jones, of Lime Hill house, Tunbridge Wells;
Henry Kenneth Thomas, of Denver, USA;
James Bristow;
Clarence Edward;
Eliza; Julia Maria; Dorinda Anna Henrietta; Edith Arabella Louisa Florence;
Constance Adela Hastings; Julie Marie Louise.

Mr Lyons was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON WILLIAM HENRY HOLMES LYONS JP DL (1843-1924), of Brookhill, Lisburn, Old Park, Belfast, and Richmond Lodge, County Down, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1904, Grand Master, Orange Lodge of Ireland, who espoused, in 1888, Mary Eliza (Lily), eldest daughter of George Evans, of Gortmerron House, County Tyrone, and had issue, 

WILLIAM HOLMES ST JOHN, his heir;
Vera Patricia Mabel; Evyleen Sara Evans; Lily Eileen.

Mr Lyons was succeeded by his only son,

WILLIAM HOLMES ST JOHN LYONS (1888-1918), Lieutenant, Middlesex Regiment, who married, in 1907, Doris Margaret, youngest daughter of George A Walpole FRCS, of Gormanston, Tasmania.

Old Park House (Image: Richard Graham)

OLD PARK HOUSE, Belfast, would appear to have been mid-Georgian.

It was built for David Lyons, who also owned a bleach-yard in the Oldpark area of Belfast in the 1750s.

Old Park features in J A K Dean's Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland, published in 2020.

Lyons Family Plot at Knockbreda Church-yard

David Lyons' wife, Mary, had her name recorded at Shankill graveyard in 1739, presumably before he took over or built the bleach-yard.

George Benn, the celebrated Belfast historian, described Old Park thus in 1877:

A beautiful rural home, with fine gardens and trees, and a convenient distance from the "madding crowd." Now, in our time, the 42 acres of which the demesne consists are advertised to be let in lots for villas or streets, which will doubtless be the case in due time.

Benn remarked that Old Park had been built a century ago, making its erection in the 1770s.

Old Park remained in the Lyons family until about 1868, when Thomas Lyons moved to Brookhill, near Lisburn, the Belfast boundaries having surpassed the old demesne.

Old Park House subsequently became the property of William Robertson, of Hawkins, Robertson & Ferguson, drapers, of the Bank Buildings, Belfast.

A plaque in the ambulatory of Belfast Cathedral, recording that Mr Lyons lived for some time at Brookhill, Lisburn, was placed in his memory by his mother, Anne.

The plaque was originally in St Anne's parish church.

First published in January, 2013.

1st Duke of Roxburghe

THE DUKES OF ROXBURGHE WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN ROXBURGHSHIRE, WITH 50,459 ACRES

This family and the Kerrs, Marquesses of Lothian, descended from two brothers, RALPH and JOHN, originally of Normandy, who passed from England into Scotland sometime in the 13th century, and laid the foundation of those two illustrious houses - Ralph, that of the Kerrs, Marquesses of Lothian; and John, that of the Kers of Cessford; of which the latter family, the eleventh in descent from the founder, SIR ROBERT KER (1570-1650), Knight, of Cessford (elder son of William Ker, of Cessford, warden of the Middle Marches, by Janet, daughter of Sir William Douglas, of Drumlanrig), was elevated to the peerage, in 1600, as Lord Roxburghe; and created, in 1616, Lord Ker of Cessford and Cavertoun, and Earl of Roxburghe.

This nobleman accompanied JAMES VI, King of Scotland, into England, and was Lord Privy Seal in the reign of CHARLES I. His lordship wedded Mary, daughter of Sir William Maitland. Upon the decease of his younger and only surviving son, Lord Roxburghe obtained, in 1646, a new charter, entailing his honours and estates upon his grandson, the Hon Sir William Drummond; and after him, upon the three sons successively of his granddaughter Jane, Countess of John, 3rd Earl of Wigtown.

The 1st Earl's aforesaid grandson,

THE HON SIR WILLIAM DRUMMOND (1622-75), succeeding as 2nd Earl of Roxburghe, assumed the surname of KER, and fulfilling the stipulation in the will by marrying his cousin, the Lady Jean Ker, was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT, 3rd Earl (c1658-82) who was one of the privy council of CHARLES II, accompanying The Duke of York from London to Scotland in HMS Gloucester.

His lordship was lost on the coast of Yarmouth, in 1682, leaving issue by his wife, Mary, daughter of John, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale (who survived him and remained a widow 71 years), three sons, of whom the eldest,

ROBERT (c1677-96) succeeded as 4th Earl; at whose decease, unmarried, the honours devolved upon his brother,

JOHN, 5th Earl (c1680-1741); who, having filled the office of Secretary of State in 1704, was installed a Knight of the Garter, and created, in 1707, Viscount Broxmouth, Earl of Kelso, Marquess of Cessford and Bowmont, and DUKE OF ROXBURGHE, with remainder to the heirs who should inherit the earldom of Roxburghe.

His Grace espoused Mary, daughter of Daniel, Earl of Nottingham, and widow of William, Marquess of Halifax; and dying in 1741, was succeeded by his only son,

ROBERT, 2nd Duke, who wedded, in 1739, Essex, eldest daughter of Sir Roger Mostyn Bt; and dying in 1755, was succeeded by his son,

JOHN, 3rd Duke; the celebrated book collector, who was installed a Knight of the Garter and a Knight of the Thistle; but dying unmarried, in 1804, the British honours expired, while the Scottish devolved upon His Grace's kinsman,

WILLIAM, 7th Lord Bellenden, as 4th Duke.

• James Innes-Ker, 5th Duke (1736–1823)
• James Innes-Ker, 6th Duke (1816–79)
• James Innes-Ker, 7th Duke (1839–92)
• Henry Innes-Ker, 8th Duke (1876–1932)
• George Innes-Ker, 9th Duke (1913–74)
• Guy Innes-Ker, 10th Duke (1954-2019)
• Charles Robert George Innes-Ker, 11th Duke of Roxburghe (b 1981).

FLOORS CASTLE, near Kelso, Roxburghshire, was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for the 1st Duke of Roxburghe, possibly incorporating an earlier tower house

In the 19th century it was embellished with turrets and battlements by William Playfair for the 6th Duke.

Floors has the common 18th-century layout of a main block with two symmetrical service wings.

The 5th Earl of Roxburghe commissioned the Scottish architect William Adam (1689–1748), father of Robert Adam, to design a new mansion incorporating the earlier tower house.

It was built between 1721-26, and comprised a plain block, with towers at each corner.

Pavilions on either side housed stables and kitchens.

Ca 1837, the 6th Duke commissioned the fashionable architect William Playfair to remodel and rebuild the plain Georgian mansion house he had inherited.

The present form of the building is the result of Playfair's work.

In 1903, the 8th Duke married the American heiress May Goelet, who brought with her from her Long Island home a set of Gobelins Manufactory tapestries, that were incorporated into the ballroom in the 1930s, and added to the collection several modern pictures by Walter Sickert and Henri Matisse, among others.

The 10th and present Duke and Duchess undertake the huge responsibility of maintaining and protecting the treasures to ensure that they can be enjoyed by future generations.

In 2010, the installation of a biomass boiler providing a source of renewable heat energy marked the next page in the history of Floors Castle.

First published in January, 2014.  Roxburghe arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Barcroft of The Glen

AMBROSE BARCROFT (1574-1648), of The Haigh, near Foulridge, Lancashire, and afterwards of Foulridge Hall, son of THOMAS BARCROFT, of Foulridge Hall, son of HENRY BARCROFT, of Foulridge, younger son of WILLIAM BARCROFT, of Barcroft, Lancashire (who died in 1581), where his family was seated from the earliest times to which records extend, down to the middle of the 17th century.

Barcroft passed by the marriage of one of his daughters and co-heirs of Thomas Barcroft, of Barcroft, last of his line, who died in 1668 (great-grandson of William Barcroft, above mentioned) to the Bradshaws, and afterwards by purchase to the Townleys.

Ambrose Barcroft married Mary, daughter of ________ Hartley, of Wellhead, near Colne, Lancashire, and had issue,

Thomas, of The Haigh;

Ambrose (Ven), Archdeacon of Kilmore; went to Ireland with his brother;

WILLIAM, of whom presently;

John (Rev), Rector of Roughton;

Paul, of York;

Robert. settled in Bedfordshire; ancestor of the BEARCROFT family;

Mary; Janet.

The third son,

WILLIAM BARCROFT (1612-96), went over to Ireland and settled at Ballylaking, King's County, wedded firstly, Grace, daughter of Henry Rycroft, of Moss House, within Foulridge, and by her had five children, who were drowned with their mother when crossing to Ireland to join her husband.

Mr Barcroft espoused secondly, in 1652, Margaret, daughter of Daniel Bernard, of Colne, and had issue,

AMBROSE, of whom presently;

Thomas, dsp;

John, a minister of the Society of Friends;

Ellen.

William Barcroft died at Drumcooley, King's County, and was buried at Rosenallis, Queen's County.

His eldest son,

AMBROSE BARCROFT, of Drumcooley, King's County, born near Thornton, in Yorkshire, married, in 1676, Jane, daughter of William Slade, of Athlone, and had issue,

Ambrose (died unmarried);

WILLIAM, his heir;

Thomas;

Ellen; Alice.

Mr Barcroft died at Drumcooley in 1687, and was succeeded by his second son,

WILLIAM BARCROFT (1681-1709), of Ballybrittan, King's County, who wedded, in 1705, Ellen, daughter of Joseph Inman, and had issue,

Joseph, of Dublin;

AMBROSE, of whom presently;

Elizabeth, died in infancy.

The younger son,

AMBROSE BARCROFT (1707-), of Dublin, espoused, in 1733, Abigail, daughter of Thomas Wilcocks, and had issue,

WILLIAM, of whom presently;

Thomas;

Joseph;

Ambrose;

Elizabeth.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM BARCROFT (1734-72), of Dublin, married, in 1757, Mary, daughter of John Pim, of Lackagh, and had issue,

Joseph;

JOHN, of whom hereafter;

George;

Ambrose.

The second son,

JOHN BARCROFT (1758-1815), of Lisburn, County Antrim, wedded, in 1797, Sarah, daughter of James Hogg, of Lisburn (uncle of Sir James Weir Hogg Bt), and had issue,

JOSEPH, his heir;

William James;

John Pim;

Ruth; Mary.

Mr Barcroft was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOSEPH BARCROFT (1799-1855), of Lisburn, and afterwards of Stangmore Lodge, Dungannon, County Tyrone, who espoused, in 1838, Mary, daughter of John Wandesford Wright, and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;

Elizabeth, m 1864, Sir Samuel Lee Anderson (Principal Crown Solicitor for Ireland);

Sarah, of Stangmore Lodge, m William Barcroft.

Mr Barcroft was succeeded by his son,

HENRY BARCROFT JP DL (1839-1905), of The Glen, County Armagh, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1890, who married, in 1867, Anna (The Glen, Newry), daughter of David Malcomson, of Melview, County Tipperary, and had issue,

JOSEPH, his heir;

David Malcomson;

Sarah Richardson; Mary; Anna Henrietta.

Mr Barcroft was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOSEPH BARCROFT CBE (1872-1947), of The Glen, Newry, County Down, Fellow of the Royal Society, who wedded, in 1903, Mary Agnetta, younger daughter of Sir Robert Stawell Ball, and had issue,

HENRY;

Robert Ball, Lt-Col (1909-88).

The elder son,

HENRY BARCROFT (1904-98), of London, married Bridget Mary, daughter of Arthur Stanley Ramsey, and had issue,

John, b 1936;

Michael Joseph, b 1938;

Roger Henry, b 1947;

Sarah Agnes, b 1942.

The eldest son,

DR JOHN BARCROFT, was a consultant in child psychiatry at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.

THE GLEN, Newry, County Down, formerly called Turner Hill, was once the property of Baron Frederick Lewis von Stieglitz*, who later sold it to Henry Barcroft.

*Baron von Stieglitz (1803-66), a JP for counties Armagh and Down, proceeded, in early life, to Tasmania, where he became possessed of considerable property, and was a member of the Legislative Council of Tasmania during Sir William Denison's Government.

After 1850 he returned to Ireland, and resided at The Glen.

The Baron married firstly, Mrs Ransom; and secondly, in 1859, Hester Anna, daughter of George Blacker, of Carrickblacker. 

Hester Anna accordingly became Baroness von Stieglitz, of Carrickblacker.

Baron von Stieglitz is buried in the family vault at Derryloran, near Cookstown, County Tyrone.

Do any readers possess images of The Glen House?

Athavallie House

THE LYNCH-BLOSSE BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY MAYO, WITH 22,658 ACRES

The family of LYNCH was of great antiquity in the province of Connaught, being amongst the very early settlers, denominated the Tribes of Galway. In an old manuscript in Ulster King-of-Arms' office, William le Petit is stated to be the common progenitor of all the Lynches of Ireland.

The founder of the honours of the family, however, was

HENRY LYNCH, Mayor of, and MP for Galway (eldest of twelve sons of Nicholas Lynch, also Mayor of Galway).

Mr Lynch was created a baronet in 1622, designated of Galway.

This gentleman was the son of Nicholas Lynch fitz Stephen (Mayor 1584–1585) and great-grandson of Mayor Arthur Lynch (died 1539); land agent for Richard, 4th Earl of Clanricarde; mentor to Patrick D'Arcy and Richard Martyn, later senior political figures of Confederate Ireland.

He was stepfather to D'Arcy and married to an aunt of Martyn. He was among the first of his family to become a lawyer, and several of his younger sons followed him into this profession, as did, under his influence, D'Arcy, Martyn, Geoffrey Browne and subsequent generations of The Tribes of Galway.

Sir Henry married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Martin, and widow of James D'Arcy, by whom he had three sons and three daughters.

He died in 1635, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ROBUCK LYNCH, 2nd Baronet, MP for Galway Borough, 1639-42, and was resident counsel for Connaught during the rebellion.

He wedded Ellis, daughter of Sir Peter French, Knight, by whom he had two sons, and was succeeded on his decease, 1667, by the elder, 

SIR HENRY LYNCH, 3rd Baronet, a lawyer of eminence, and one of the barons of the exchequer, in 1689, wedded firstly, Margaret, daughter of Sir Theobald Bourke, 3rd Viscount Mayo, but by that lady had no issue; and secondly, and had (with a younger son) his successor,

SIR ROBERT LYNCH (-c1720), 4th Baronet, who espoused Catherine, daughter of Henry Blake, of County Mayo, by whom he had, with two daughters, a son and heir,

SIR HENRY LYNCH (-1762), 5th Baronet, of Carracastle, who married Mary, daughter of John Moore, of Brees [sic], County Galway, and had one daughter and an only son, his successor,

SIR ROBERT LYNCH-BLOSSE, 6th Baronet, who wedded Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Francis Barker, heir of Tobias Blosse, of Little Belstead, Suffolk.

He assumed the surname of BLOSSE, in addition to, and after, that of LYNCH.

It was a condition of the marriage that Robert would assume the additional surname of BLOSSE and conform to Protestantism.

The issue of this marriage were, HENRY, who succeeded to the title; and Francis, who wedded Hatton, daughter of John Smith, and had issue, Robert, who, succeeding his uncle, became the 8th Baronet.

Sir Robert died in 1775, and was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR HENRY LYNCH-BLOSSE, 7th Baronet (1749-88), MP for Tuam, 1776-83, upon whose demise, without issue, the title reverted to his nephew, 

SIR ROBERT LYNCH-BLOSSE, 8th Baronet (1774-1818), who wedded firstly, Elizabeth, daughter of William Gorman, of Carlow, by whom he had FRANCIS, the next baronet, with several other children.

He married secondly, Charlotte, daughter of John Richards, of Cardiff.

Sir Robert  was succeeded by his son,

THE REV SIR FRANCIS LYNCH-BLOSSE, 9th Baronet (1801-40), who wedded, in 1824, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Lord Plunket, and had issue,

ROBERT, 10th Baronet;
William Conyngham, b 1826.

*****

Sir Richard Hely Lynch-Blosse (b 1953), 17th and present Baronet, lives in Oxfordshire.

ATHAVALLIE HOUSE, near Castlebar, County Mayo, is a long, low, plain, two-storey residence, its main block of five bays, with an entrance door set in a broad stone arch.

The front is extended by a four-bay range of the same height, though set back.

In 1894, Athavallie House was recorded as the seat of Sir Henry Lynch-Blosse, 11th Baronet (1857-1918), and most likely the last of the family to reside there.

In 1920, the Sisters of St Louis founded a school which catered for girls only.

It was a boarding school-cum-day school until the St Louis Sisters left in 1978 and the school became co-educational under the control of the local community.

Balla Secondary School is based here now.

Athavallie House still stands but is no longer used for educational purposes.

It was used as a military hospital during the 1st World War.

Other former seat ~ Castle Carra, County Mayo.

First published in April, 2013.

1st Baron Cushendun

TORQUIL MacNEILL, born ca 1380, Chief of the Clan Neill, of Taynish and Gigha, Constable of Castle Sween, in Knapdale, Argyllshire, was father of

HECTOR McNEILL, Constable of Castle Sween, 1463-72, whose eldest son, 

NEILL McNEILL, was father of

NEILL McNEILL, of Taynish, who became his heir-in-law to Gigha in 1554.

His eldest son, 

TORQUIL McNEILL, of Taynish and Gigha, had two sons, of whom the elder,

NEILL McNEILL, had, with other issue, a second son,

NEILL OGE McNEILL, of Durlocher, father of

LACHLAN McNEILL, of Terfergus and Losset, Argyllshire, who wedded firstly, Mary McNeill, of Colonsay, and had a large family.

The third son,

NEILL McNEILL, settled in County Antrim, 1676, and married Rose Stuart, of Garry, in the same county, by whom he had issue,

LACHLAN McNEILL, of Cushendun, County Antrim, who wedded Jane Macnaghten, of Benvarden, County Antrim, and had several children.

The eldest son,

NEILL McNEILL, of Cushendun, espoused Christian Hamilton, of Londonderry, and was father of

EDMUND McNEILL, of Cushendun, who married Elizabeth, daughter of John Hamilton, of Londonderry.

Mr McNeill died in 1790, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDMUND ALEXANDER McNEILL JP (c1785-1879), of Cushendun, who was served heir, in 1815, to the entailed estate of Ugadale, in Kintyre; but in an action to recover possession, was defeated by the prescriptive title of the occupier.

He wedded, in 1817, Rose, eldest daughter of Alexander McNeile JP, of Colliers Hall, Ballycastle, and had, with other issue,

EDMUND McNEILL JP DL (1821-1915), of Craigdun and Cushendun, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1879, who married, in 1851, Mary, eldest daughter of Alexander Miller, of Ballycastle, by Jane, his wife, second daughter of Alexander McNeile, of Colliers Hall, and had, with other issue,

RONALD JOHN McNEILL, 1ST BARON CUSHENDUN PC DL.

The Rt Hon Ronald John McNeill (1861-1934), statesman, parliamentarian, was elevated to the peerage, in 1927, in the dignity of BARON CUSHENDUN, of Cushendun, County Antrim.

A barrister by profession, he was elected Member of Parliament for Kent, St. Austine's Division between 1911-27; Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs between 1922-24; Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs between 1924-25; Financial Secretary to the Treasury between 1925-27.

Lord Cushendun was appointed a privy counsellor in 1927, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 1927-29.

Lord Cushendun took his title from the village designed by Clough Williams-Ellis in memory of his Cornish wife, Maud, who died in 1925.

He was acting Foreign Secretary in 1928.

Lord Cushendun retired from office in 1929, and died five years later in Cushendun.

He married Elizabeth Maud Bolitho in 1884, and they had three daughters:

Esther Rose;
Loveday Violet;
Mary Morvenna Bolitho.

Elizabeth, Lady Cushendun, died in 1925.

Lord Cushendun married Catherine Sydney Louisa Margesson as his second wife in 1930. She survived him, dying in 1939.

He died without male issue in 1934, when the title became extinct.

GLENMONA HOUSE, Neo-Georgian in style, was built in 1923 to replace an earlier house which was burnt in 1922.

The National Trust remarks that Glenmona Lodge was built around 1834 and later enlarged by Michael Harrison.

Ronald John McNeill, 1st Baron Cushendun came to live at Glenmona in 1910 and set about transforming the village.

His rebuilding of Glenmona House, however, was forced upon him when the IRA burned the house down in 1922.

He consequently commissioned Clough Williams-Ellis to design a new house, built from the remaining shell of the original. A new wing was added to the side.

The house, along with most of the McNeills' property in the village, was bought by the National Trust in 1954.

For several years the house was leased to the Health and Social Care Board and used as a nursing home.

It has since, however, been taken back by the National Trust. Since then, the local community and key stakeholders have been involved in an ongoing consultation about its future.

The family's main residence became CRAIGDUN CASTLE; while Glenmona was increasingly used as a holiday home.

Glenmona comprises two storeys at the front and three at the rear.

The principal front has two, three-sided bows joined by an arcade on Tuscan columns.

The roof is high with a solid parapet; external shutters to the windows.

Glenmona was originally a residence of General the 3rd Viscount O'Neill (1780-1855).

Former London residence ~ 18 Cadogan Place.

First published in May, 2010.

Sir James Matheson Bt

SIR JAMES NICOLAS SUTHERLAND MATHESON, BARONET, WAS THE GREATEST LANDOWNER IN ROSS-SHIRE, WITH 406,070 ACRES

Of the Shiness branch of the Mathesons, so named from their having held that place as a mortgage for several centuries, there are several notices in Sir Robert Gordon’s History of the Earldom of Sutherland, who mentions the family as chief of the name, in 1616.

Of this family was Colonel George Matheson, who accompanied Sir Donald Mackay of Farr, afterwards Lord Reay, into the service of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and obtained a grant of the family coat of arms from CHARLES I, in 1639.

In the last century the family was represented by

NIEL MATHESON (1700-75), having had an only son,

DUNCAN MATHESON, who died young, in 1746, from wounds received in a skirmish connected with the rebellion of 1745.

He married Elizabeth Mackay, of Mowdil.

His widow married secondly, Dr Archibald Campbell, with whom she emigrated in 1772 to America, and had a numerous progeny. Her youngest son, George Washington Campbell, was finance minister of the United States in 1813, and in 1818 was appointed ambassador extraordinary to the court of St Petersburg.

Duncan Matheson had an only son,

CAPTAIN DONALD MATHESON (1746-1810), who married Catherine, eldest daughter of the Rev Thomas Mackay, minister of Lairg, by whom he had three sons and six daughters.

His second son,

JAMES NICOLAS SUTHERLAND MATHESON (1796-1878), of Achany and the Lews, married, in 1843, Mary Jane, fourth daughter of M H Perceval, of Quebec.

Mr Matheson was created a baronet in 1851, designated of The Lews, Ross-shire.

Sir James died without issue, in 1878, when the baronetcy expired.

LEWS CASTLE is located west of the town of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland.

It was built ca 1847-57 as a country house for Sir James Matheson, who had bought the whole island for £500,000 (about £54 million today) a few years previously with his fortune from the Chinese Opium trade.

It was designed by the Glasgow architect Charles Wilson.

On Sir James's decease in 1878 the estate fell to his widow, Mary, and subsequently to his nephew Donald and grand-nephew Colonel Duncan Matheson.

For financial reasons the Lewis estate and the Castle were put on the market in 1917.

In 1918, the Lewis estate, including the castle, was bought by industrialist Lord Leverhulme from the Matheson family.

He gifted the castle to the people of Stornoway parish in 1923.

During the 2nd World War the Castle was taken over as accommodation for air and ground crew of 700 Naval Air Squadron, who operated a detachment of six Supermarine Walrus aircraft from a slipway at Cuddy Point in the Grounds. The base was referred to as HMS Mentor.

After the war, the Castle was also used for accommodation for students of Lews Castle College in the 1950s.

Today the building is owned by the local council and is protected as a category A listed building.

Lews Castle was awarded £4.6 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2011, to enable it to be converted into a bilingual museum and cultural centre.

First published in January, 2014.

Stormont House

Entrance Front

SPEAKER'S HOUSE (now Stormont House) is a neo-Georgian two-storey red-brick building of 1926, located within the Stormont Estate to the south-east of Parliament Buildings.

A stepped-stone, paved rear terrace is enclosed to the rear garden by a rough-hewn sandstone wall.

Speaker’s House was the first building to be erected as part of the redevelopment of the Stormont Estate in east Belfast.

Following the Government of Ireland Act (1920) Stormont Castle estate was selected as the home of the newly-formed Northern Ireland Government and Parliament.

The Stormont Estate was acquired by the Commissioners of Public Works and Buildings of HM Government in 1921 at a cost of £20,334 (ca £900,000 in 2015).

However, the Parliament Buildings were not completed and opened until 1932.

The architect chosen to design Speaker’s House was Ralph Knott (1878-1929), a partner in Knott & Collins.

Knott is best known for designing London County Hall opposite Westminster, and was originally selected by the Board of Works to design the Parliament Buildings.

He was, however, replaced as architect by Arnold Thornely.

Despite losing the contract for designing the main block of Parliament Buildings, Knott was still contracted to design a pair of parallel administration blocks that would accommodate the civil service offices.

Garden Front

Knott did, nevertheless, complete Speaker’s House in 1926.

Following the partition of Ireland, architecture in Ulster did not immediately follow modern trends but embraced a neo-Georgian revival.

Hugh Dixon, MBE, states that buildings of this type possessed their own distinct identities, but derived some elements from earlier buildings in Ulster.

Speaker’s House, along with T F O Rippingham’s contemporary series of police stations, possesses features such as a hipped roof, Georgian multi-pane glazing and side chimneys.

Focussing on Rippingham’s police stations, Mr Dixon wrote that neo-Georgian architecture was popular in newly-formed Northern Ireland as the style ‘was an environmental success, blending with the older buildings along the streets of Ulster’s towns, or taking its place quietly in more isolated country situations." 

In the case of Speaker’s House, it was clear that the neo-Georgian style could also be successfully applied to state buildings, remarked Mr Dixon.

Speaker’s House was the official residence of the Speaker of the NI House of Commons until 1945, when the present Lord Dunleath's grandfather, Sir Harry Mulholland Bt MP, retired.

Thereafter, it became the residence of the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Sir Basil Brooke Bt (Sir Harry Mulholland's brother-in-law).

Sir Harry purchased Sir Basil's town residence, Storbrooke, on Massey Avenue, thereby effectively doing a house-swap.

Since the devolution of government, Stormont House is no longer the Speaker's residence.

It was used by the Northern Ireland Office until 2022, when the NIO moved to a new office in Chichester Street, Belfast.

The building was extended in the 1970s when a large two-storey administration complex was added to its eastern side.

First published in October, 2014.  Acknowledgments: The Lord Dunleath and DOENI Historic Buildings Branch.

Glyde Court

THE FOSTER BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LOUTH, WITH 3,442 ACRES

JOHN FOSTER (1665-1747), of Dunleer, County Louth, Mayor of Dunleer, married, in 1704, Elizabeth, youngest daughter of William Fortescue, of Newrath, County Louth, and had issue,

Anthony (1705-79), ancestor of Lord Oriel;
THOMAS, of whom presently;
John William, MP, of Dunleer;
Margaret; Alice; Charlotte.

The second son,

THE REV DR THOMAS FOSTER (1709-84), Rector of Dunleer, wedded, in 1740, Dorothy, daughter of William Burgh, of Birt, County Kildare, and had issue, an only child,

JOHN THOMAS FOSTER (1747-96), of Dunleer, MP for Dunleer, 1776-83, who espoused, in 1776, the Lady Elizabeth Hervey, daughter of Frederick, 4th Earl of Bristol and Lord Bishop of Derry, and had issue,

Frederick Thomas, born 1777;
AUGUSTUS JOHN, of whom hereafter;
Elizabeth.

His younger son, 

THE RT HON SIR AUGUSTUS VERE FOSTER GCH (1780-1848), of Stonehouse, County Louth, married, in 1815, Albina Jane, daughter of the Hon George Vere Hobart, and had issue,

FREDERICK GEORGE, his successor;
CAVENDISH HERVEY, 3rd Baronet;
Vere Henry Lewis.

Mr Foster was knighted 1825 for his diplomatic services (which were not particularly distinguished, since his manners were not conciliating).

Sir Augustus was created a baronet in 1831, designated of Glyde Court, County Louth.

The influence of his stepfather William, 5th Duke of Devonshire, was exercised at the instance of his mother, the Duke's second wife.

The 1st Baronet, who committed suicide, was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR FREDERICK GEORGE FOSTER, 2nd Baronet (1816-1857), who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his next brother,

THE REV SIR CAVENDISH HERVEY FOSTER, 3rd Baronet (1817-1890), who married, in 1844, Isabella, daughter of the Rev John Todd, and had issue,

JOHN FREDERICK, his successor;
Hervey;
Jane Vere.

Sir Cavendish was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR AUGUSTUS VERE FOSTER, 4th Baronet (1873-1947), JP DL, Captain, Norfolk Yeomanry, who married, in 1894, Charlotte Philippa Marion, daughter of the Rev Henry Edward Browne ffolkes, and had issue,

ANTHONY VERE (1908-34);
Philippa Eugenie Vere; Dorothy Elizabeth Charlotte Vere.

The baronetcy became extinct in 1947 following the decease of the 4th and last Baronet.

GLYDE COURT, near Tallanstown, County Louth, was a late 18th century house with a long elevation, remodelled in the 19th century in Jacobean style.

The long elevation had curvilinear gables and two curved bows.

The main entrance was at one end of the house, where there was a shorter front with two gabled projections joined by an arcaded cloister.

The last baronet to live at Glyde Court, Sir Augustus, features in a romantic Edwardian family portrait by Sir William Orpen KBE, on display at the National Gallery of Ireland.

First published in April, 2013.

The Shaw-Stewart Baronets

THE SHAW-STEWART BARONETS WERE THE GREATEST LANDOWNERS IN RENFREWSHIRE, WITH 26,376 ACRES

Among the archives of this ancient family, there are preserved three charters by ROBERT III, King of Scotland, to SIR JOHN STEWART his natural son, of the lands of Ardgowan, Blackhall, and Auchindoun, Renfrewshire, dated 1390, 1396, and 1403.

These several lands have lineally descended in an uninterrupted course of male succession, from the said Sir John Stewart, son of ROBERT III, to successive Baronets. JOHN STEWART, of Blackhall and Ardgowan, obtained from JAMES IV, in 1508, a confirmation of the charters granted by King Robert to his ancestor of the aforesaid lands.

JAMES STEWART, of Ardgowan, obtained a charter from JAMES VI in 1576, creating his lands of Ardgowan, Blackhall, and Auchindoun into a barony.

He married Margaret, daughter of William Wallace, of Johnston, and had issue,

JOHN STEWART, who wedded Margaret, daughter of Archibald Stewart, of Castlemilk, father of

THE RT HON SIR ARCHIBALD STEWART, of Blackhall,

MP for Renfrewshire, a person of consummate ability, who being chosen one of the commissioners to parliament for Renfrewshire in the reign of CHARLES I, distinguished himself so greatly that His Majesty selected him to be one of his Privy Council, and advanced him to the dignity of knighthood. He was also of the Privy Council to CHARLES II, when in Scotland, 1660, and a privy counsellor in the reigns of CHARLES I and CHARLES II.

Sir Archibald espoused Margaret, daughter of Bryce Blair of that ilk, and had issue,

John, father of ARCHIBALD;
Archibald;
Walter;
Annabel.

He died in 1658, and was succeeded by his grandson,

ARCHIBALD STEWART (c1635-c1722), of Blackhall, who was created a baronet in 1667, designated of Greenock and Blackhall.

Sir Archibald married firstly, Anne, daughter of Sir John Crawford, of Kilbirnie, by whom he had three sons and one daughter.

He espoused secondly, Dame Agnes Dalmahoy, who died without issue; and thirdly, Mary, daughter of Sir James Douglas, of Killhead, by whom he had two sons and two daughters.

Sir Archibald was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN STEWART, 2nd Baronet, one of the commissioners for Renfrewshire to the union parliament.

Sir John wedded Rebecca, daughter of Dr Michael Wallace, by whom he had two sons and four daughters; and was succeeded at his decease by his second and only surviving son,

SIR MICHAEL STEWART, 3rd Baronet (c1712-96), Member of the Faculty of Advocates, who married Helen, daughter of Sir John Houston of that Ilk (by his wife, Margaret Shaw, only daughter of Sir John Shaw, of Greenock, and of Lady (Eleanor) Nicolson, daughter of Sir Thomas Nicolson, of Carnock), and had issue,

JOHN, his successor;
Houston, father of MICHAEL, 5th Baronet;
Archibald;
Margaret; Eleanora.

Sir Michael was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN SHAW-STEWART, 4th Baronet (1739-1812), MP for Renfrewshire, 1780-96, who wedded, in 1786, Eleanor, relict of Sir John Maxwell Bt, of Pollock; but dying without issue, he was succeeded by his nephew,

SIR MICHAEL SHAW-STEWART, 5th Baronet (1766-1825), who married and was succeeded by his son,

SIR MICHAEL SHAW-STEWART, 6th Baronet (1788-1836), MP for Lanarkshire, 1827-30, Renfrewshire, 1830-36, who wedded twice and was succeeded by his son,

SIR MICHAEL ROBERT SHAW-STEWART, 7th Baronet.

• Sir Michael Robert Shaw-Stewart, 7th Baronet (1826-1903); 
• Sir Michael Hugh Shaw Stewart, 8th Baronet (1854-1942);
• Sir Walter Guy Shaw Stewart, 9th Baronet (1892-1976);
• Sir Euan Guy Shaw Stewart, 10th Baronet (1928-80);
• Sir Houston Mark Shaw Stewart, 11th Baronet (1931-2004);
• Sir Ludovic Houston Shaw Stewart, 12th Baronet (b 1986).

ARDGOWAN HOUSE, near Inverkip, Renfrewshire, has been the seat of the Shaw-Stewart Baronets for over six centuries.

The house is set in the middle of 400 acres of parkland on the south shores of the Firth of Clyde and is home to Lucinda, Lady Shaw-Stewart and her son Sir Ludovic, 12th Baronet.

In 2004, a newspaper reported that the 11th Baronet had bequeathed his £18 million estate to Lady Shaw-Stewart.

The lands of Ardgowan were given to John Stewart by his natural father ROBERT III of Scotland in 1403.

ROBERT III was Robert the Bruce’s great-grandson and the estate has been passed down from father to son or uncle to nephew to the present day.

There was a castle at Ardgowan in the 11th Century but the present one dates from the 15th Century.

Its predecessor was much fought round in the Wars of Independence, and Robert the Bruce was present at battles here in 1303 and 1314.

Helenor Houston was Sir John Shaw’s granddaughter and her marriage to Sir Michael Stewart in 1736 greatly enriched the family and led to the building of Ardgowan House.

The name Shaw-Stewart was born and the estate increased in size as they inherited the western half of Greenock.

Ardgowan House was built between 1798 and 1801 by Sir John Shaw Stewart, 4th Baronet.

The house was designed by Hugh Cairncross, who was Robert Adam’s assistant when he designed and built Culzean Castle in Ayrshire.

The completed interior was furnished by the firm of Gillows of Lancaster and the walls were hung with paintings collected on successive Grand Tours.

To these were added a series of family portraits by Sir Henry Raeburn in 1816 and the portrait of Emperor Napoleon by Lefevre which hangs on the main staircase.

This was given to Sir Michael, 6th Baronet, by Napoleon’s mother Madame Mere, whom he had met in Elba.

Sir Michael also brought back to Ardgowan the hat which had been worn by Napoleon during the campaign of 1807.

Later generations altered the house.

William Burn was commissioned to alter the interior, especially the entrance and the staircase in 1835, returning to work here again in 1852.

The chapel, designed by Henderson, was added in 1854; and, in 1904, Sir Robert Lorimer restored the house and added the conservatory.

Ardgowan was used as a military hospital during the 1st and 2nd World Wars.

Over the years farming and forestry have been the traditional enterprises of the estate. However as times have changed the family has diversified into other businesses.

Lady Shaw-Stewart has developed Ardgowan Antiques, corporate entertaining and residential study tours in Ardgowan House.

The home farm at Bankfoot has been developed as Ardgowan Livery offering horse livery services.

Former London residence ~ 11 Grosvenor Place.

First published in January, 2014.

Ardagh House

THE FETHERSTON BARONETS, OF ARDAGH, WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LONGFORD, WITH 8,711 ACRES

The founder of this family, CUTHBERT FETHERSTON, of the ancient stock of the Fetherstons of Heathery Cleugh, County Durham, settled in Ireland after the battle of Worcester, in which Sir Thomas Fetherstonhaugh was made prisoner, and afterwards beheaded at Chester.

The eldest son of this Cuthbert, 

CUTHBERT FETHERSTON, had three sons,

Cuthbert, ancestor of Fetherston of Bracklyn;
THOMAS, of whom hereafter;
Francis.

The second son,

THOMAS FETHERSTON, settled at Ardagh, County Longford, and marrying Miss Sherlock, had four sons,

John (Very Rev), Dean of Raphoe;
William, of Carrick;
Francis;
RALPH, of whom we treat.

The youngest son,

RALPH FETHERSTON (c1731-80), of Ardagh, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1756, MP for Longford County, 1765-6, was created a baronet in 1776, designated of Ardagh, County Longford.

He wedded firstly, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Samuel Achmuty, of Brianstown, County Longford, by whom he had an only daughter, Elizabeth; and secondly, Sarah, daughter of Godfrey Wills, of Will's Grove, County Roscommon, by whom he had issue,

THOMAS, his heir;
Godfrey, killed in the East Indies;
John;
Francis;
Sarah; Maria; Letitia; Elizabeth.

Sir Ralph was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS FETHERSTON, 2nd Baronet (1759-1819),  High Sheriff of County Longford, 1781, MP for County Longford, 1783-1800, who married Catherine, daughter of George Boleyn Whitney, of New Pass, County Westmeath, and had issue,

GEORGE RALPH, his successor;
John;
THOMAS, succeeded his brother;
Elizabeth; Catherine; Isabella; Sarah; Octavia.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR GEORGE RALPH FETHERSTON, 3rd Baronet (1784-1853), High Sheriff of County Longford, 1834, MP for County Longford, 1819-30, who espoused, in 1821, Frances Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Richard Solly, of York Place, Portman Square, London, though the marriage was without issue.

Sir George and Lady Fetherston landscaped the demesne grounds and the village of Ardagh. The conversion of the old house into the mansion within its demesne may have been completed at this time, and involved the re-siting of the village street or road. The village clock-tower and surrounding buildings were erected in 1863 in remembrance of Sir George and of his life-long devotion to the moral and social improvement of his tenantry, and the site whereon they stand purchased by Frances Elizabeth, his widow. A memorial stone in the old church records his death on 12th July 1853, and that his wife died in London twelve years later and was buried in Walthamstow. 

Sir George was succeeded by his youngest brother,

THE REV SIR THOMAS FRANCIS FETHERSTON, 4th Baronet (1800-53), who married firstly, in 1823, Adeline Godley; and secondly, Anne L'Estrange, of Moystown, County Offaly, and had issue,

George Ralph, died in infancy;
THOMAS JOHN, his successor;
Edmund Whitney;
John Henry;
Albert William Boleyn;
Boleyn Henry Francis;
Henry Ernest Wiliam;
Rosa Elizabeth; Catherine.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

SIR THOMAS JOHN FETHERSTON, 5th Baronet (1824-69), High Sheriff of County Longford, 1858, who espoused, in 1848, Sarah, daughter of Henry Alcock, and had issue,

GEORGE RALPH, his successor;
Adeline Margaret; Caroline Louisa.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his only son,

THE REV SIR GEORGE RALPH FETHERSTON (1852-1923), 6th and last Baronet, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1897,  who died unmarried, when the baronetcy expired.

Sir George was born in Dublin and educated at Brighton College.

In his mid-twenties he entered Salisbury Theological College to prepare for ordination into the ministry of the Church of England.  

He served as curate in Tenby and Worcester City, and for six years as Rector or Vicar of the Parish of Pydeltrenthide in Dorset.

He served also as an honorary chaplain to Millbank Military Hospital, London, during the 1914-18 War.

He was one of the first two men in Holy Orders to serve as Sheriff in their Counties until the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland clerics of the Anglican Communion were not permitted to hold such Office.

Being Sheriff in 1897 he received the Diamond Jubilee Medal and preached his Jubilee Sermon in St. Patrick's Church, Ardagh.

Sir George was a man of many interests and hobbies — music, travel, cycling, fishing, photography, collecting ancient china and stamps, bird-watching and study of insects.

He travelled widely in Europe, Africa, North and South America.

This must have absorbed some of the Ardagh estate income.

He was Fellow and Vice-President of the Guild of Church Musicians and of the Victoria College of Music London. 

Who's Who credited him with the composition of 150 alternative tunes for Hymns Ancient & Modern, various chants, songs and other music, but none of these are to be found in current chant and Hymn books.

His publications have been listed as The Malvern Hills, Through Corsica with a Pencil. The Mystery of Maple Street, A Poem: The Rose of England. An Incident in the Siege of Antwerp, A Legend of Corpus Christi College, and four books of Sermons and Addresses.

These may have been published privately for limited sale or distribution.

Sir George may not have had much interest in the ownership and management of the estate.

He entered into voluntary agreements with over 300 tenants to sell to them the freehold of their farms, under the Irish Land Act 1903. 

The Ardagh estate was not acquired or purchased by the Irish Land Commission, which, however, advanced the money required by the tenants and others, and the holdings were vested in them by the Commission in 1922-23.

An area of 427 acres of bog land was vested in trustees for the use of purchasing new freeholders.

Sir George retained Ardagh House and demesne acres until his death in a Worcester City Nursing Home, and burial in Tenby, South Wales, in 1923. 


An attempt to destroy the house by fire in 1922 may have been a local expression of dissatisfaction with allocation of estate land or an effort to hasten sale of the last remnants of the estate.

Manuscripts written in Irish were salvaged from the 1922 flames of Ardagh House.

ARDAGH HOUSE is an eight-bay, two-storey (originally three-storey) over-basement house, originally built ca 1730 and altered ca 1826 and ca 1863. 

A Three-bay, two-storey block (formerly the ballroom) was attached to the south-east end, having hipped slate roof with overhanging bracketed eaves.

A single-bay porch with tetra-style porch to the centre of the front façade (south), adjoined to the east by a four-bay single-storey additional conservatory with pilasters and lean-to roof. 

(Image: Longford Tourism)

Ardagh House was acquired as training college by the Sisters of Mercy ca 1927, with multiple extensions to the east and the north-east.

It retains much of its early character despite a fire in 1948 that resulted in it being reduced to two storeys in height.

Much interesting fabric remains, such as some timber sliding sash windows, and console brackets to the porch. 

Although probably early-to-mid 18th century in date, this structure now has a predominantly early-to-mid 19th century appearance.

The elegant porch and conservatory, and the former ballroom/block to the east, were also added at this time. 

It also retains some of its early fabric to the interior, despite the fire in 1948, including plasterwork and fireplaces.

THE POET and novelist Oliver Goldsmith (1728-74), when a young man, once loitered on his way between Ballymahon and Edgeworthstown, strayed from the direct road, and found himself benighted on the street  of Ardagh.

Wishing to find an inn, but inquiring "for the best house in the place", he was wilfully misunderstood by a wag and directed to the large, old-fashioned residence of Sir Ralph Fetherston, 1st Baronet.

Sir Ralph, whom the poet found seated by a good fire in the parlour, immediately perceived the young man's mistake; and being humorous and well-acquainted with Goldsmith's family, he for some time encouraged the deception.

The incidents of the occasion form the groundwork of Goldsmith's well-known comedy "Mistakes of a Night."

First published in December, 2011.