AB Simon

My Nauticalia  replica of Simon

Simon (ca 1947-49) was the ship's cat who served on the Royal Navy frigate HMS Amethyst.

In 1949, during the Yangtze Incident, he received the PDSA's Dickin Medal after surviving injuries from a cannon shell, raising morale, and killing off a rat infestation during his service.

Simon was found wandering the dockyards of Hong Kong in March 1948 by 17-year-old Ordinary Seaman George Hickinbottom, a member of the crew of HMS Amethyst, the Royal Navy frigate stationed in the city in the late 1940s.

At this stage, it is thought Simon was approximately one year old, and was very undernourished and unwell.

Hickinbottom smuggled the cat aboard ship, and Simon soon ingratiated himself with the crew and officers, particularly because he was adept at catching and killing rats on the lower decks.

Simon rapidly gained a reputation for cheekiness, leaving presents of dead rats in sailors' beds, and sleeping in the captain's cap.

The crew viewed Simon as a lucky mascot, and when the ship's commander changed later in 1948, the outgoing Ian Griffiths left the cat for his successor, Lieutenant-Commander Bernard Skinner RN, who took an immediate liking to the friendly animal.

However, Skinner's first mission in command of Amethyst was to travel up the Yangtze River to Nanking to replace the duty ship there, HMS Consort.

Halfway up the river the ship became embroiled in the "Yangtze incident", when Chinese communist gun batteries opened fire on the frigate.

One of the first rounds tore through the captain's cabin, seriously wounding Simon. Skinner died of his wounds soon after the attack.

The badly wounded cat crawled on deck, and was rushed to the medical bay, where the ship's surviving medical staff cleaned his burns, and removed four pieces of shrapnel, but he was not expected to last the night.

He did manage to survive however, and after a period of recovery, he returned to his former duties in spite of the indifference he faced from the new ship's captain, Lieutenant-Commander John Kerans RN.

While anchored in the river, the ship had become overrun with rats, and Simon took on the task of removing them with vigour, as well as raising the morale of the sailors.

Following the ship's escape from the Yangtze, Simon became an instant celebrity, lauded in British and world news, and presented with the "Animal Victoria Cross", the Dickin Medal, as well as a Blue Cross medal, the Amethyst campaign medal, and the fanciful rank of "Able Seacat".

Thousands of letters were written to him, so much that one Lieutenant Stuart Hett RN was appointed "cat officer" to deal with Simon's post.

At every port Amethyst stopped at on its route home, Simon was presented with honour, and a special welcome was made for him at Plymouth in November when the ship returned.

Simon was, however, like all animals entering the UK, subject to quarantine regulations, and was immediately sent to an animal centre in Surrey.

Whilst in quarantine, Simon contracted a virus and, despite the attentions of medical staff and thousands of well-wishers, died on the 28th November, 1949, from a complication of the viral infection caused by his war wounds.

Hundreds, including the entire crew of HMS Amethyst, attended his funeral at the PDSA Ilford Animal Cemetery in East London.

Simon is also commemorated with a bush planted in his honour in the Yangtze Incident Grove at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Curraghmore

THE MARQUESSES OF WATERFORD WERE THE GREATEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WATERFORD, WITH 39,883 ACRES 

The surname of BERESFORD was assumed from Beresford, in the parish of Alstonefield, Staffordshire, of which manor JOHN DE BERESFORD  was possessed in 1087, during the reign of WILLIAM II, and was succeeded therein by his son, HUGH DE BERESFORD, from whom lineally descended

JOHN BERESFORD, Lord of Beresford and Enson, who married Elizabeth, daughter of William Basset, of Blore, Staffordshire, and had, with other issue,

JOHN, his heir;
THOMAS, of whom hereafter.

Mr Beresford died in 1475, and was succeeded at Beresford by his eldest son; while the second,

THOMAS BERESFORD, seated himself at Newton Grange, Derbyshire, where he was resident in the reigns of HENRY VI and EDWARD IV; the former of whom he served in his French wars, and according to tradition, mustered a troop of horse at Chesterfield, consisting alone of his sons, and his own and their attendants.

Mr Beresford wedded Agnes, daughter and heiress of Robert Hassal, of Arclid, Cheshire, by whom he had sixteen sons and five daughters, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Aden; but we pass to the seventh,

HUMPHREY BERESFORD, who eventually became of Newton Grange.

This gentleman espoused Margery, daughter of Edmond Berdesey, or Beresley,  and was succeeded by his second son (the eldest having left a daughter only at his decease),

GEORGE BERESFORD, whose eldest son,

MICHAEL BERESFORD, was an officer in the Court of Wards, and was seated at Oxford, and The Squerries, in Kent.

Mr Beresford, who was living in 1574, married Rose, daughter of John Knevitt, and had seven sons and four daughters; of whom

TRISTRAM BERESFORD (c1574-1666), the third son,

Going into Ulster in the reign of JAMES I, as manager of the Corporation of London, known by the name of the Society of the New Plantation in Ulster, settled at Coleraine, County Londonderry, and was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR TRISTRAM BERESFORD (1595-1673), who was created a baronet in 1665, designated of Coleraine, County Londonderry.

He married firstly, Anne, eldest daughter of John Rowley, of Castleroe, County Londonderry, by whom he had one son, RANDAL, his heir, and two daughters; and secondly, Sarah Sackville, and had three sons and three daughters, viz.

Tristram;
Michael;
Sackville;
Susanna; Sarah; Anne.

Sir Tristram was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RANDAL BERESFORD, 2nd Baronet (c1636-81), MP for Coleraine, 1661-68, who married Catherine, younger daughter of Francis, Viscount Valentia, and niece, maternally, of Philip, 1st Earl of Chesterfield; and dying in 1681, left issue,

TRISTRAM, his heir;
Jane; Catherine.

Sir Randal was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

SIR TRISTRAM BERESFORD, 3rd Baronet (1669-1701), MP for Londonderry County, 1692-99, who commanded a foot regiment against JAMES II, and was attainted by the parliament of that monarch.

Sir Tristram wedded, in 1687, Nichola Sophia, youngest daughter and co-heiress of  Hugh Hamilton, 1st Viscount Glenawly, and had issue,

MARCUS, his heir;
Susanna Catherina; Arabella Maria; Jane; Aramintha.

He was succeeded by his son,

SIR MARCUS BERESFORD, 4th Baronet (1694-1763), MP for Coleraine, 1715-20, who espoused, in 1717, Catherine, BARONESS LE POER, daughter and heiress of James, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, and in consequence of that alliance, was elevated to the peerage, in 1720, in the dignity of Baron Beresford and Viscount Tyrone.

His lordship was further advanced to an earldom, in 1746, as EARL OF TYRONE.

He had surviving issue,

GEORGE DE LA POER, his successor;
John;
William (Most Rev), created BARON DECIES;
Anne; Jane; Catherine; Aramintha; Frances Maria; Elizabeth.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

GEORGE, 2nd Earl (1735-1800), KP, who married, in 1769, Elizabeth, only daughter and heiress of Henry Monck, of Charleville, and the Lady Isabella Bentinck, daughter of Henry, 1st Duke of Portland, and had issue,

GEORGE DE LA POER, his successor;
John George (Most Rev), Lord Archbishop of Armagh;
George Thomas (Rt Hon), Lt-Gen, GCH;
Isabella Anne; Catherine; Anne; Elizabeth Louisa.

He inherited the ancient Barony of de la Poer at the decease of his mother in 1769.

George, 1st Marquess of Waterford KP

His lordship was enrolled amongst the peers of Great Britain, in 1786, as Baron Tyrone; and created, in 1789, MARQUESS OF WATERFORD.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY, 2nd Marquess (1772-1826), who wedded, in 1805, Susanna, only daughter and heiress of George, 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell, and had issue,

HENRY, his successor;
William;
John;
James;
Sarah Elizabeth.

His lordship, who was a Knight of St Patrick, a Privy Counsellor in Ireland, Governor of County Waterford, and Colonel of the Waterford Militia, was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY, 3rd Marquess.

• Henry de La Poer Beresford, 3rd Marquess (1811–59)

• John de La Poer Beresford, 4th Marquess (1814–66)

• John Henry de La Poer Beresford, 5th Marquess (1844–95)

• Henry de La Poer Beresford, 6th Marquess (1875–1911)

• John Charles de La Poer Beresford, 7th Marquess (1901–34)

• John Hubert de La Poer Beresford, 8th Marquess (1933–2015)

• Henry Nicholas de la Poer Beresford, 9th Marquess (b 1958)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, Richard John de la Poer Beresford, styled Earl of Tyrone, a polo professional who is known as Richard Le Poer.

*****

The Waterfords were a Patrick family, four members of whom were Knights of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick.

CURRAGHMORE, near Portlaw, County Waterford, is the ancestral seat of the 9th and present Marquess of Waterford.

Some 2,500 acres of formal gardens, woodland and grazing fields make this one of the largest private demesnes in Ireland and one of the finest places to visit.

A Sitka Spruce planted on the estate in the 1830s is among the tallest tree in Ireland and stands guard over King John's Bridge.

Built in 1205, this stone-arched structure, spanning the Clodagh River, is the oldest bridge in Ireland.

Twelve miles of famine relief boundary wall and four sturdy wrought iron gates surround the estate.

Gnarled pink chestnut trees line the approach to the big house and original castle tower.

St Hubert's stag with crucifix between its antlers - genuine horns on the de la Poer family emblem - gazes across the large Courtyard from atop the old castle.

Today, the formal gardens surrounding Curraghmore House are open for the public to visit on Thursday afternoons from 2pm to 5pm between Easter and mid-October.

Group tours of the main reception rooms of Curraghmore House can be arranged by prior appointment.

This tour takes in some of the finest Neo-Classical rooms in Ireland which feature the magnificent plaster work of James Wyatt and grisaille panels by Peter de Gree.

Curraghmore, near Portlaw, meaning great bog, is the last of four castles built by the de la Poer family after their arrival in Ireland in 1167.

The Castle walls are about 12 feet thick and within one, a tight spiral stairway connects the lower ground floor with the roof above.

Of the many curious and interesting features of Curraghmore, the most striking is the courtyard front of the house, where the original castle is encased in a spectacular Victorian mansion with flanking Georgian ranges.

The combination of architectural features from several periods around the ancient core of the original castle produces a most striking composition; "immediately recognizable and undeniably moving", as it was described by Country Life magazine.

In more than 800 years the property has passed through the female line only once, and that was prior to Catherine de la Poer marrying Sir Marcus Beresford Bt in 1715, when she was a mere teenager.

Together with her husband, it was she who carried out much of the remodelling of the house and grounds and it was Catherine, Lady Beresford, who created the unique Shell-house herself.

The quality of the craftsmanship employed on the developments on Curraghmore through the ages, has secured the House's reputation as one of the most important country houses in Ireland.

In the late 18th century, the 2nd Earl, afterwards 1st Marquess of Waterford, secured the famous architect James Wyatt to design the next phase of modernisation of Curraghmore.

Here he created a series of rooms, with decoration considered by many to be among his most successful.

After Wyatt's Georgian developments, work at Curraghmore in the 19th century concentrated on the gardens and the Victorian refacing to the front of the house.

Formal parterre, tiered lawns, lake, arboretum and kitchen gardens were all developed during this time and survive to today.

At this time some of Ireland's most remarkable surviving trees were planted in the estate's arboretum.

Today these trees frame miles of beautiful river walks.

Developments in the gardens are still under-way and a Japanese garden has been laid out by the present Lady Waterford.

The present day Beresfords are country people by tradition.

Farming, hunting, breeding hounds and horses and an active social calendar continues as it did centuries ago.

Weekly game-shooting parties are held every season (November through to January); and in spring, calves, foals and lambs can be seen in abundance on Curraghmore's verdant fields.

Polo is still played on the estate in summer.

Throughout Ireland's turbulent history, this family have never been 'absentee landlords' and they still provide diverse employment for a number of local people.

Change comes slowly to Curraghmore - table linen, cutlery and dishes from the early 19th century are still in use.

Other former seat ~ Ford Castle, Northumberland.

I am grateful to Lord Waterford for the information provided from Curraghmore's website.

First published in July, 2011.  Waterford arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston

Arms of 1st Baron Curzon of Kedleston

This family, of great and undoubted antiquity, came out of Normandy with WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, to whom that prince gave lands and possessions for their valiant services. ROBERT DE COURÇON, Seigneur of Courçon, near Lisieux, Normandy, was granted Fishead, Oxfordshire, West Lockinge, Berkshire, etc by WILLIAM I.

Robert de Courçon's grandson,

RICHARD DE COURÇON, was granted Knights' fees of Croxall, Kedleston, Edinghall and Twyford, in the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

Richard's second son, STEPHEN, held Fauld, Staffordshire.

ROBERT OF COURÇON (also written Curzon), the celebrated English cardinal, was living in the reign of KING JOHN.

Robert of Courçon (Image: The National Trust)

The senior line terminated in Mary, daughter and heir of Sir George Curzon, of Croxall Hall, who married, in 1612, Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset KG, the second line being Curzon of Kedleston, and the third, Curzon of Waterperry.

JOHN CURZON (1598-1686), of Kedleston, MP for Brackley, 1628, Derbyshire, 1640, was created a baronet in 1641, designated of Kedleston, Derbyshire.

Sir John married Patience, daughter of Sir Thomas Crewe, and sister of Baron Crew, of Stene; and dying in 1686, was succeeded by his only surviving son,

SIR NATHANIEL CURZON, 2nd Baronet (c1640-1719), who wedded Sarah, daughter of William Penn, of Buckinghamshire, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN CURZON, 3rd Baronet (c1674-1727), MP for Derbyshire, 1701-7, who died unmarried, when the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR NATHANIEL CURZON, 4th Baronet (c1676-1758), MP, who espoused Mary, daughter and co-heir of Sir Ralph Assheton Bt, by whom he had issue,

NATHANIEL, his successor;
Assheton, created Viscount Curzon, in 1802.

Sir Nathaniel was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR NATHANIEL CURZON, 5th Baronet (1726-1804), MP, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1761, in the dignity of BARON SCARSDALE, of Scarsdale, Derbyshire.

His lordship married, in 1750, Caroline, daughter of Charles, 2nd Earl of Portmore, and had issue,

NATHANIEL, his successor;
Charles William;
John;
David Francis;
Henry;
Caroline; Juliana.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

NATHANIEL, 2nd Baron (1751-1837), who wedded firstly, in 1777, Sophia Susanna, third daughter of Edward, 1st Viscount Wentworth, and had issue,

NATHANIEL, his successor;
Sophia Caroline.

He espoused secondly, in 1798, Felicité Anne Josephe de Wattines, a Flemish lady, and had further issue,

Augustus;
Edward;
William;
Frederick;
Ferdinand;
Alfred, grandfather of the 4th Baron;
Francis James;
Felicité; Mary; Caroline.

his lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

NATHANIEL, 3rd Baron (1781-1856), who died unmarried, when the family honours devolved upon his cousin,

ALFRED NATHANIEL HOLDEN, 4th Baron (1831-1916), JP, who married, in 1856, Blanche, daughter of Joseph Pocklington Stenhouse, and had issue,

GEORGE NATHANIEL, his successor;
Alfred Nathaniel;
Francis Nathaniel;
Assheton Nathaniel;
Sophia; Mary; Blanche; Eveline; Elinor; Geraldine; Margaret.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

GEORGE NATHANIEL, 5th Baron (1859-1925), KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC, who wedded firstly, in 1895, Mary Victoria, daughter of Levi Zeigler Leiter, and had issue,

Mary Irene, Baroness Ravensdale of Kedleston;
Cynthia Blanche; Alexandra Naldera.

His lordship espoused secondly, in 1917, Grace Elvina, daughter of Joseph Monroe Hinds.

1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, KG etc 

His lordship, VICEROY AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA, 1899-1905, was advanced to the dignity of a marquessate, in 1921, as MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTON.

Ancestral seat ~ Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire.

First published in February, 2019. 

Bishopscourt House

THE EARLS OF CLONMELL WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TIPPERARY, WITH 16,187 ACRES

THE BISHOPSCOURT ESTATE, COUNTY KILDARE, COMPRISED 1,906 ACRES

THOMAS SCOTT, a captain in the army of WILLIAM III, fell in the field, charging the enemy at the head of his troops.

He wedded Margaret, daughter and heir of Henry Ormsby, of Tubbervady, County Roscommon, and was father of

MICHAEL SCOTT, who married Miss Purcell, of the ancient family of Purcell, titular Barons of Loughmoe, and had issue,

THE REV THOMAS SCOTT, Vicar of Urlings, Modeshill, and Mohubber, who wedded Rachel, eldest daughter of Mark Prim, of Johnswell, County Kilkenny.

The third son,

JOHN SCOTT (1739-98), MP for Mullingar, 1769-83, Portarlington, 1783-4,

Who, being bred to the bar, arrived at the high legal offices of Solicitor-General, Attorney-General, and Prime Sergeant-at-Law of Ireland, 1774-83. In 1784, he was appointed Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench; and in the same year Mr Scott was elevated to the peerage, in the dignity of Baron Earlsfort, of Lisson Earl, County Tipperary. 

His lordship was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1789, as Viscount Clonmell; and further advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1793, as EARL OF CLONMELL.

He married firstly, in 1768, Catharine Anna Maria, daughter of Thomas Mathew, of Thomastown Castle, County Tipperary, and sister of the 1st Earl of Landaff, by whom he had an only son, who died in infancy.

His lordship wedded secondly, in 1779, Margaret, only daughter and heir of Patrick Lawless, of Dublin (by Mary, sister of 1st Lord Cloncurry), and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
Charlotte, m 3rd Earl Beauchamp.

He was succeeded by his only son,

THOMAS, 2nd Earl (1783-1838), who espoused, in 1805, Henrietta Greville, second daughter of George, 2nd Earl of Warwick, and had issue,

JOHN HENRY, his successor;
Charles Grantham;
Harriett; Louisa Augusta; Charlotte Rachael; Caroline Sophia;
Frances Mary; Sophia Louisa; Augusta Anne; Georgiana Gertrude.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN HENRY, 3rd Earl (1817-66), of Lisson Earl, County Tipperary, who married, in 1838, Anne, daughter of Ulysses, 2nd Baron Downes of Aghanville, and had issue,

JOHN HENRY REGINALD, 4th Earl (1839-91), of Birt House, Naas, County Kildare, who died unmarried, when the family honours devolved upon his brother,

THOMAS CHARLES, 5th Earl (1840-96), who married, in 1875, Agnes Arabella, daughter of Robert Godfrey Day.

His lordship died without issue at Bishop's Court, County Kildare, from typhoid fever, and was succeeded by his first cousin,

BEAUCHAMP HENRY JOHN, 6th Earl (1847-98), eldest son of Colonel the Hon Charles Grantham Scott, second son of the 2nd Earl; on whose decease the titles passed to his son,

RUPERT CHARLES, 7th Earl (1877-1928), who died without male issue, when the titles reverted to his uncle,

DUDLEY ALEXANDER CHARLES, 8th Earl (1853-1935), whose marriage was without issue.

On his death, at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the titles became extinct.

BISHOPSCOURT, Straffan, County Kildare, is a large classical house built ca 1780-90 for the Rt Hon John Ponsonby, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons.

It has a four-bay entrance front with a pedimented portico of four huge Ionic columns.

The outer bays have pedimented ground-floor windows and circular plaques instead of windows in the upper storey.

The side elevation has a recessed centre and three-bay projection at either side, joined by a veranda of slender columns with an iron balcony.

There is a curved bow on either side of the House; and an imperial staircase.

In 1838, Bishopscourt was sold by Frederick Ponsonby to John, 3rd Earl of Clonmell.

In 1914, the house was sold on to Edward Kennedy from Baronrath, at the time the most famous breeder of racehorses in Ireland.

Kennedy’s stallion The Tetrarch, standing at Bishopscourt, is confirmed as the most successful sire in the world in 1919.

In 1938, Bishopscourt passed to Edward’s daughter Patricia (Tiggie) Kennedy and her husband, Dermot McGillycuddy, heir to Senator McGillycuddy of the Reeks, an ancient clan chiefdom from County Kerry.

Edward Kennedy's son, Major D M (John) Kennedy, won a Military Cross at Anzio whilst serving with 1st Battalion Irish Guards and was later killed at Terporten Castle in Germany in February 1945.

Bishopscourt House is now the residence of the Farrell family.

Former seat ~ Eathorpe Hall, Warwickshire.
Former town residence ~ 41 Upper Brook Street, London.

First published in June, 2013.   Clonmell arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

New DL

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANT

Mrs Alison Millar, Lord-Lieutenant of County Londonderry, has been pleased to appoint:-

Mr Ross Logan Wilson BEM
Coleraine
County Londonderry

To be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County his Commission bearing date the 8th day of February, 2023.

Lord Lieutenant of the County.

Temple House

THE PERCEVALS OWNED 7,821 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY SLIGO

GEORGE PERCEVAL (1635-75), youngest son of Sir Philip Perceval, Knight, the distinguished statesman (great-grandfather of John, 1st Earl of Egmont), by Catherine Ussher his wife, daughter of Arthur Ussher and granddaughter of Sir William Ussher, Clerk of the Council, was Registrar of the Prerogative Court, Dublin.

George Perceval married Mary, daughter and heir of William Crofton, of Temple House, County Sligo, and had issue,

PHILIP, his heir;
William, ancestor of PERCEVAL-MAXWELL of Finnebrogue;
Charles;
Catherine.

George Perceval was drowned near Holyhead on his voyage to England with the 2nd Earl of Meath and other persons of distinction.

His eldest son and heir,

PHILIP PERCEVAL (1670-1704), of Temple House, wedded, in 1691, Elizabeth, daughter of John D'Aberon, of Wandsworth, Surrey, and left, with other issue, a son and heir,

JOHN PERCEVAL (1700-54), of Temple House, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1728 and 1742, who wedded, in 1722, Anne, daughter of Joshua Cooper, of Markree, County Sligo, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

PHILIP PERCEVAL (1723-87), of Temple House, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1775, who espoused Mary, daughter and co-heir of Guy Carleton, of Rossfad, County Fermanagh, and was succeeded by his son,

GUY CARLETON PERCEVAL, who dsp 1792, and was succeeded by his brother,

THE REV PHILIP PERCEVAL, of Temple House, who married, in 1783, Anne, daughter of Alexander Carroll, of Dublin, and had issue,

Philip, died unmarried;
ALEXANDER, his heir;
Guy, died unmarried;
Anne; Mary.

The second son,

ALEXANDER PERCEVAL JP (1787-1858), of Temple House, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1809, MP for County Sligo, 1831-41, wedded, in 1808, Jane Anne, eldest daughter of Colonel Henry Peisley L'Estrange, of Moystown, King's County, and had surviving issue,

PHILIP;
Henry (Rev);
ALEXANDER, of whom hereafter;
Charles George Guy;
Elizabeth Dora; Frances; Sophia; Georgina Sarah; Maria Frances; Emily Jane.

Colonel Perceval's third son,

ALEXANDER PERCEVAL (1821-66), of Temple House, Barrister, espoused, in 1858, Annie, youngest daughter of George de Blois, and had issue,

ALEXANDER, his heir;
Robert Jardine;
Philip Dudley;
Jeannie; Sophie.

Mr Perceval was succeeded by his eldest son,

ALEXANDER PERCEVAL JP DL (1859-87), of Temple House, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1882, who married, in 1881, Charlotte Jane, eldest daughter of Charles William O'Hara, of Annaghmore, County Sligo, and had issue,

ALEXANDER ASCELIN CHARLES PHILIP SPENCER, his heir;
Sibyl Annie (1882-84).

Mr Perceval was succeeded by his son and heir,

ALEXANDER ASCELIN CHARLES PHILIP SPENCER PERCEVAL DL (1885-1967), of Temple House.

TEMPLE HOUSE, Ballymote, County Sligo, takes its name from the Knights Templar, the wealthiest of the three military orders founded during the crusades.

Fierce warriors and able administrators, their power stretched across Europe where they operated as a separate sovereign administration within each independent state.

The knights reached Ireland with the Normans and quickly became established, building a castle at Temple House in County Sligo, their most westerly foundation, shortly after 1200.

In 1312 the Pope suppressed the order, citing their alleged heretical and blasphemous practises in justification.

In France, Templars were burnt at the stake and their land seized by the crown, but other countries adopted a more measured approach, transferring their property to the Knights Hospitallers, known today as the Knights of Malta.

As English influence waned in the remote west of Ireland, Temple House was reoccupied by the O’Haras, the principal sept in that region, who built a new castle in 1360.

In 1565 William Crofton was appointed Auditor and Escheator General, and used his position to amass extensive estates in Counties Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo.

These included Temple House, or Tagh-temple, which passed with his great-granddaughter Mary on her marriage to George Perceval, the younger son of another distinguished Irish administrator, and grandson of Richard Perceval, ‘confidential agent’ to Queen Elizabeth’s minister, Lord Burleigh, who correctly identified preparations for the Spanish Armada and was rewarded with Irish estates.

By the 1760s George and Mary’s descendants had replaced her parent’s thatched dwelling of ca 1630 and their new house was further extended in 1825.

Unfortunately the Irish famine ruined the family and the estate was sold to a Mr Hall-Dare along with the town of Ballymote.

Happily, a younger son, Alexander Perceval, went to seek his fortune in China and amassed vast riches in the development of Hong Kong as Tai-Pan for the great trading house, Jardine Matheson.

He returned to Ireland, repurchased the estate and tripled the size of the house in 1864, cladding it in cut-stone in a strict classical style, with three formal fronts and a porte-cochere, always a convenient feature in the wet West of Ireland.

The result is broadly symmetrical, with the Georgian house still clearly evident in the centre of the east front.

The interior has a superb suite of large, grand rooms, lit by serried ranks of vast plate-glass windows.

There are lofty ceilings, the vestibule rises to some thirty-two feet, and decoration of a very high order, reminiscent of the grander London clubs, while much of the furniture was specially commissioned for the house.

The house reputedly contains more than ninety rooms.

Alexander’s neighbours suggested he might be over-spending but he assured them of his imminent return to make an even larger fortune in Hong Kong.

Unfortunately, he caught sun-stroke fishing on Temple House Lake and died in 1866, leaving a widow with a large young family and rather less capital than his heirs would have liked to maintain their vast new home.

But they did survive and today the estate comprises 1,200 acres of pasture, woodland, lake and bog, and is home to Alexander’s great-great-great grandson Roderick, along with his wife Helena and their family, the thirteenth and fourteenth generations in almost continuous occupation since the late sixteenth century.

First published in May, 2020. Select bibliography: Irish Historic Houses Association.

Mount Talbot House

THE TALBOTS OWNED 5,916 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ROSCOMMON

RICHARD TALBOT (c1520-77), of Templeogue, County Dublin, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in Ireland, eldest son of William Talbot, the youngest son of Thomas Talbot, Lord of Malahide, married Alice, daughter of John Burnell, of Balgriffin, was father of

JOHN TALBOT, of Templeogue, whose will was proved in 1584; father of

ROBERT TALBOT, of Templeogue, who wedded Eleanor, daughter of Sir Henry Colley, of Castle Carbury, and had two sons,

John, of Templeogue, dsp 1627;
HENRY, his successor.

Mr Talbot died in 1616, and was succeeded by his younger son,

SIR HENRY TALBOT, Knight, of Templeogue, who espoused Margaret, daughter of Sir William Talbot Bt, of Carton, County Kildare, and sister of Richard, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, and had issue,

JAMES;
WILLIAM, succeeded his brother;
Elizabeth; Bridget; Mary; Alice; Ellen; Barbara.

The elder son,

JAMES TALBOT, of Templeogue, and Mount Talbot, County Roscommon, Colonel in JAMES II's army, was killed at the battle of Aughrim, 1691.

He married Bridget, daughter of Francis, 17th Baron Athenry, and had two daughters,

Mary, m John, 9th Earl of Clanricarde;
Bridget, m Valentine Browne (ancestor of the Marquess of Sligo).

Mr Talbot died without male issue, and was succeeded by his brother,

WILLIAM TALBOT (-1692), of Mount Talbot, who wedded Lucy, widow of George Holmes, daughter and co-heir of William Hamilton, of Liscloony, King's County, by whom he had a son,

HENRY TALBOT (-1729), of Mount Talbot, High Sheriff of County Roscommon, 1713, who married Isabella Forward, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
John (Rev).

The elder son,

WILLIAM TALBOT (-1787), of Mount Talbot, High Sheriff of County Roscommon, 1753, wedded, in 1739, Sarah, widow of John Southwell, and daughter of the Rt Hon Henry Rose MP, and had issue,

Henry Rose, dvp 1759;
WILLIAM JOHN, succeeded his brother;
Bridget; Jane.

The younger son,

WILLIAM JOHN TALBOT (-1787), of Mount Talbot, wedded firstly, in 1765, Elizabeth Margaret, daughter of George Rose, of Moyvane, County Limerick, and had a daughter,

Jane, m in 1786 Sir Edmund Stanley.

He espoused secondly, in 1775, the Lady Jane Crosbie, daughter of William, 1st Earl of Glandore, and had further issue,

William, dsp 1851;
JOHN, of whom presently;
Charles;
Theodosia.

The second son,

THE REV JOHN TALBOT, assumed, in 1816, the name and arms of CROSBIE in pursuance of the will of his uncle, John, last Earl of Glandore.

He married, in 1811, Jane, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Lloyd, of Beechmount, County Limerick, and had issue,

WILLIAM (TALBOT-CROSBIE), of Ardfert Abbey;
JOHN, of Mount Talbot;
Anne; Diana.

The Rev John Talbot-Crosbie died in 1818, and was succeeded by his second son,

JOHN TALBOT JP DL (1818-95), of Mount Talbot, High Sheriff of County Roscommon, 1857, formerly of the 35th Regiment, who assumed, in 1851, the name and arms of TALBOT instead of CROSBIE.

He espoused firstly, in 1845, Marianne, eldest daughter of Marcus McCausland, of Fruit Hill (otherwise Drenagh), County Londonderry, and had an only daughter,

Marianne Jane Theodosia.

Mr Talbot married secondly, in 1858, Gertrude Caroline, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Bayly, of Ballyarthur, County Wicklow, by whom he had a son,

CAPTAIN WILLIAM JOHN TALBOT JP DL (1859-1923), of Mount Talbot, High Sheriff of County Roscommon, 1886, Armagh, 1903, who wedded, in 1897, Julia Elizabeth Mary, only child of Sir Capel Molyneux Bt DL, of Castle Dillon, County Armagh, though the marriage was without male issue.

Captain Talbot was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Roscommon, from 1917 until 1922.

MOUNT TALBOT HOUSE, near Athleague, County Roscommon, today lies in ruins.

It was built ca 1750 in the Palladian style, with wings constructed at an angle to the main block, joined by curved arcades.

The arcades, which were open, were embellished with urn finials on the parapets.

The central block was changed, about 1820, into a castellated Gothic, Tudor-Revival edifice.

The main block now had a huge square tower at one end with a pair of pinnacles or miniature turrets; and a third castlellated turret at the other end.

Whereas the garden front boasted a three-bay projection with pointed windows and Gothic pinnacles.

A grand Triumphal kind of arch with rusticated piers still remains at the former main entrance to the demesne.

The Talbot family's great ancestral home was maliciously burnt in 1922.

William John Talbot and his wife probably never returned.

Mr Talbot, the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Roscommon, died in London one year later.

Mount Talbot Church

THE charming little church at Mount Talbot, which contains the family mausoleum, was erected by the Talbots in 1766.

It has been described as "a plain, neat, Gothic building, erected in 1766 at an expense of £415, a gift from the Board of First Fruits."

Its last service took place in 1965, it is thought.

First published in December, 2017.

Mount Stewart: Cottage Orné

Artist's illustration , Photo Credit: Ulster Archæological Society

The Ulster Archæological Society has published a comprehensive study of the ruinous cottage orné at Mount Stewart estate, County Down.

The survey report was compiled in 2015 by Janna McDonald and June Welch.

I have selected extracts from the Survey hereafter:-

“THE COTTAGE RUINS are on an elongated, oval mound, which is located in a small river valley between two small drumlins, known as Bell’s Hill and Cumming’s Hill to the north and south respectively.”

“A stream, known as the Glen Burn, makes its way from the north of the demesne to flow into Strangford Lough to the south.”

“The stream valley in this area is known as The Glen.”

“The stream loops around the south of the mound and a defined path runs alongside the stream.”

“There are many tall, beech trees on both sides of this path.”

“The trees are mature, possibly 200-300 years old.”

“There is an estate wall located beyond the stream.”

“This is a continuation of the estate wall on the south-east side of the stream, which is also a continuation of the wall from the Templecrone Church site.”

“At the top of this slope stand the ruins of the cottage orné, like a small castle on a hill, surrounded by a stream, which in turn leads along a path to the Templecrone Church site to the north-east.”

“This former church site has also been surveyed by the Ulster Archaeological Society (Scott and Stevenson, 2015).”

“At the centre of the mound and to the north and west of the cottage ruins, a quarry is located.”

“Several quarries can be found throughout the Mount Stewart estate.”

“These quarries are marked on the demesne maps of 1834, but by 1858 all of them were disused.”

“One quarry is remarkably and conveniently close to the cottage site.”

“It is difficult to be precise about the dating of this particular site, but the Estate maps and the Ordnance Survey maps do provide some useful clues.”

“There is no indication of the cottage on the Geddes Estate map of 1779.”

“By 1834 the Ordnance Survey map indicates a building, which appears to be only half-roofed.”

“At first, this seemed to suggest a structure, which was built in two phases.”

“By 1858 the map indicated a building with its roof now complete.”

“By 1900 and thereafter, the Ordnance Survey maps indicated an unroofed building, which clearly suggests that the cottage had ceased to be used by the family.”

“It seemed that its lifespan of 60+ years had finally ended.”

“Today, only a romantic ruin survives, in this remote, rural landscape within the Mount Stewart demesne.”

“The cottage orné at Mount Stewart is rectangular and aligned approximately east-west.”

“It measures 29 feet from east to west, and 26 feet from north to south, with the remains of a bay window at the west end.”

“The exterior wall thickness varies slightly between 21" and 22", while the interior wall thickness is less, measuring just 18".”

“Fragments of roofing slates, some with surviving nail-holes are present across the site, suggesting that the building was roofed with slates.”

North Wall, 2015, Photo Credit: Ulster Archæological Society

“The north wall is largely intact and stands to a height of 8¾ feet.”

“It has two openings.”

“One is 7½ feet in height and 5 feet in width and is probably a door opening.”

“The other is 6½ feet in height and 4¼ feet in width and recesses in the lower part of the opening suggest this was the location of a wooden sill, confirming its use as a window.”

“Both openings are splayed to the interior to enhance natural lighting.”

“Approximately half-way along the interior surface, the remains of an internal stone wall are present.”

South Wall, 2015, Photo Credit: Ulster Archæological Society

“The south wall is substantially complete, but a 5 feet section to the western end has collapsed, leaving 24 feet in situ.”

“There is no evidence for windows or doors on this side of the building.”

“The height of the wall, where it exists, measures 9 feet from ground level to a layer of flat slates along the top of the wall, which may have acted as a damp-resistant layer.”

East Wall, 2015, Photo Credit: Ulster Archæological Society

“The east wall has evidence on the ground that it once had two windows and one doorway.”

“Only one window remains and its missing sill is clearly indicated in the photograph below.”

“It is possible that later the doorway became a third window.”

Photo Credit: Ulster Archæological Society

“Most of the west wall has collapsed, but surviving foundations and sections of masonry in the area suggest that this was once an elaborate bay window, with three windows supported on stone piers.”

“This expansive bay window would have afforded excellent views from the cottage towards The Glen below.”

“It is uncertain whether this was an original feature of the cottage or a later addition.”

“There is evidence for one internal room within the structure.”

“It is located at the southeast corner and makes use of one of the windows on the east wall.”

“The internal room measures 12 feet in length and 6½ feet in width.”

“There is evidence for a doorway to the north, measuring approximately one metre in width.”

“Wall plaster was used on the internal walls of this room and some of this plaster remains visible.”

“The 1834 Ordnance Survey map shows the cottage with the eastern half of the roof shaded, suggesting that the western part was unroofed.”

“This leads to speculation that the cottage was initially built in two phases, but there is no evidence for this in the existing stonework.”

“Similarly, it was thought that the bay window was possibly a later addition, but the use of similar stone and brickwork as in the remainder of the building makes this less likely.”

“It would also appear that an earlier stone partition wall was partially demolished to allow greater circulation in the cottage, as the broken ends were faced with decorative brickwork.

“It seems likely that the internal room was a later addition, as the north wall was not integral with the existing stone walls.”

“It is clear from the survey that this feature is not a folly, but rather a cottage orné.”

“It is set in a remote part of the estate and would have been a welcome stopping-off point for the gentry, as they toured their estate.”

“It would have had exceptional views down the Glen River valley, enhanced by the provision of a large bay window.”

“This remains a most attractive feature within the Mount Stewart estate, especially in springtime, when the bluebells and other wild flowers carpet the landscape.”

“The National Trust may wish to consolidate and conserve the remaining structure in order to make it available to visitors in the future.”

First published in October, 2018.

Leap Castle

THE DARBYS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN THE KING'S COUNTY, WITH 4,637 ACRES

JOHN DARBY, son of Edmund Darby, of Gaddesby, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, was a captain of horse in the Earl of Sussex's army, at the siege of the O'Carroll stronghold of Leim O'Bannon (the Leap of O'Bannon). 

John Darby died in 1608, and was succeeded by his grandson, 

JONATHAN DARBY, of Leap, King's County, High Sheriff of King's County, 1674, who left issue by Deborah his wife,

JONATHAN, his heir;
George;
John;
William;
Mary.

His eldest son,

JONATHAN DARBY, of Leap, living in 1708, left issue, one son and two daughters, viz.

JONATHAN;
Sarah; Mary.

The only son, 

JONATHAN DARBY JP, of Leap, espoused Anna Marie, daughter of Benjamin Frend, of Boskell, County Limerick, and had issue,

JONATHAN, his heir;
George, Vice-Admiral;
Damer, of Dublin;
Japhet;
Anne; Anne; Lucy.

The eldest son,

JONATHAN DARBY (1713-76), of Leap, wedded Susanna, daughter of Jonathan Lovett, of Dromoyle, King's County, and had issue,

JONATHAN;
Robert, 1747-64;
Henry D'Esterre (Sir), KCB, Admiral, of Leap Castle;
JOHN, of whom presently;
William Lovett;
Verney;
Christopher, a general in the army;
Edward Hawke;
Sarah.

The fourth son, 

JOHN DARBY (1751-1834), of Marklye, Sussex, and afterwards of Leap Castle, married, in 1784, Anne, daughter of Samuel Vaughan, and had issue,

Jonathan, b 1784, died unmarried;
WILLIAM HENRY, his heir;
Christopher Lovett (Rev);
George, MP for E Sussex;
Horatio D'Esterre;
John Nelson;
Susannah; Sarah; Letitia Lovett.

The eldest surviving son,

WILLIAM HENRY DARBY (1790-1880), of Leap Castle, married firstly, Laura Charlotte, daughter of Edward Jeremiah Curteis, of Windmill Hill, Sussex, and had issue,

JONATHAN, father of JONATHAN CHARLES;
Mary Charlotte.

He wedded secondly, in 1848, Elizabeth, daughter of W Drought, and had further issue,

William Henry;
John Nelson;
Elizabeth Henrietta; Wilhelmina Katharine Anne; Laura Susan Eleanor;
Theodora Lovett; Laura Caroline; Monica Gertrude; Maude Mary; Anne Vaughan.

Mr Darby was succeeded by his grandson, 

JONATHAN CHARLES DARBY JP DL, of Leap Castle, High Sheriff of King's County, 1883, who wedded, in 1889, Mildred Henrietta Gordon, younger daughter of Dr Richard Dill, of Burgess Hill, and Brighton, both in Sussex, and had issue,

Jonathan, died in infancy, 1892;
HORATION GORDON, his heir;
Augusta; Cicily Mildred O'Carroll; Florence Patricia O'Carroll.

Mr Darby died in 1943, and was succeeded by his only surviving son,

HORATIO GORDON O'CARROLL DARBY (1898-1971), of Shannon Vale, Dromineer, Nenagh, County Tipperary, wedded, in 1926, Celia Margaret, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Burton Henry Capel Philips, and had issue,

HORATIO ANTHONY FIONN O'CARROLL;
Jonathan Brian O'Carroll;
Christopher Henry D'Esterre O'Carroll.

The eldest son,

HORATIO ANTHONY FIONN O'CARROLL DARBY MBE (1927-), Controller of Electricity, Monserrat, lived, in 1973, in Australia.

LEAP CASTLE, near Rosscrea, County Offaly, passed to the Darby family through marriage.

It is a 16th century, three-storey tower house, with remains of a Jacobean house constructed to the north.

Leap Castle was altered and enlarged by the Darby Family ca 1760, to include flanking Neo-Gothic two-storey castellated blocks and door surround.

There are roughcast, rendered walls to the tower house with a castellated parapet with bartizans and machicolations.

The castle has a variety of window openings, including limestone pointed-arched twin lights to the tower house and pointed-arched window openings with sandstone sills to the 18th century flanking bays.

A pointed-arched door opening with flanking pointed-arched sidelights to front elevation has a "Batty Langley" style door surround comprising sandstone clustered colonnades and hood mouldings.

The tower-house and flanking bay to the south are in use as a private dwelling; whereas the two and three-storey castellated bays to the north of the tower-house are derelict.

The Darby Family remained at Leap Castle until 1922, when the castle was destroyed and the family moved from the estate.

The Castle lay in ruins until it was bought in the 1980s and it being restored at present.

To study the developments and phases on construction at Leap Castle and associated structures, including the gate lodge and stables, is to study the architectural history of Ireland.

It has been the site of practically continued occupancy since the 16th century with alterations and additions to the Castle during each century.

Leap Castle is a landmark building in the area and, in the past, played an important social and historic role in the region.

The tower-house contributes an archaeological significance to the site; while the striking door surround is of artistic interest.

Leap Castle and associated structures are important features in the architectural heritage of County Offaly.

First published in April, 2013.