Virginia Park

THE MARQUESSES OF HEADFORT WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY MEATH, WITH 7,544 ACRES

THEY OWNED 14,220 ACRES IN COUNTY CAVAN AND 12,851 ACRES IN WESTMORLAND

THOMAS TAYLOR, of Ringmer, Sussex, died in 1629, and was succeeded by his son,

JOHN TAYLOR, of Battle, Sussex, who died in 1638, leaving an only son,

THOMAS TAYLOR,

Who removed to Ireland, in 1653, in the train of Sir William Petty, in order to undertake the Down Survey, in which kingdom, he purchased lands in 1660, of which the town and townlands of Kells formed a portion, having disposed of his estates in England. 

After the Restoration, he was appointed one of the sub-commissioners of the court of claims. In 1669-70, he was deputy receiver-general under Sir George Carteret, and immediately before his death he officiated as vice-treasurer and treasurer-at-war.

Mr Taylor married, in 1658, Anne, daughter of William Axtell, of Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, and had one surviving son, THOMAS, his heir, and one daughter, Anne, married to Sir Nicholas Acheson Bt.

He died in 1682, and was succeeded by his son,

THE RT HON THOMAS TAYLOR (1662-1736), who was created a baronet, 1704, designated of Kells, County Meath, and sworn of the Privy Council in 1726.

Sir Thomas wedded Anne, daughter of Sir Robert Cotton Bt, of Combermere, and had issue,

THOMAS, his heir;
Robert (Very Rev), Dean of Clonfert;
Henry;
James;
Henrietta; Salisbury; Anne.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON SIR THOMAS TAYLOR (1657-96), 2nd Baronet, MP for Maidstone, 1689-96, Privy Counsellor, who married Mary, daughter of John Graham, of Platten, County Meath, and left, with a daughter, Henrietta, an only son, 

THE RT HON SIR THOMAS TAYLOR, 3rd Baronet (1724-95), KP, MP for Kells, 1747-60, who wedded, in 1754, Jane, eldest daughter of the Rt Hon Hercules Langford Rowley, by Elizabeth, Viscountess Langford, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
Robert, a general in the army;
Clotworthy, created Baron Langford;
Henry Edward, in holy orders;
Henrietta.

Sir Thomas was elevated to the peerage, in 1760, in the dignity of Baron Headfort; and advanced to a viscountcy, in 1762, as Viscount Headfort.

His lordship was further advanced, in 1766, to the dignity of an earldom, as Earl of Bective.

In 1783 he was installed as a Founder Knight of St Patrick (KP), and sworn of the Privy Council of Ireland.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS, 2nd Earl (1757-1829), who espoused, in 1778, Mary, only daughter and heir of George Quin, of Quinsborough, County Clare, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
George;
Mary; Elizabeth Jane.

His lordship was created, in 1800, MARQUESS OF HEADFORT.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS, 2nd Marquess (1787-1870), KP, MP for County Meath, 1812-29, Lord Lieutenant of County Cavan, 1831-70, who wedded firstly, in 1822, Olivia, daughter of Sir John Stevenson, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
Robert;
John Henry;
Olivia; Mary Juliana; Virginia Frances Zerlina.

His lordship espoused secondly, in 1853, Frances, daughter of John Livingstone Martyn.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS, 3rd Marquess, KP PC (1822-94), High Sheriff of County Meath, 1844, Cavan, 1846, who espoused firstly, in 1842, Amelia, only child of William Thompson MP, and had issue,

Thomas;
Evelyn Amelia; Madeline Olivia Susan; Adelaide Louisa Jane; Isabel Frances; Florence Jane.

He married secondly, in 1875, Emily Constantia, daughter of the Hon Eustace John Wilson-Patten, and had further issue,

GEOFFREY THOMAS, his successor;
Beatrix.

His lordship was succeeded by his surviving son,

GEOFFREY THOMAS, 4th Marquess (1878-1943), a Senator of the Irish Free State, 1922-28, who wedded, in 1901, Rose, daughter of Charles Boote, and had issue,

TERENCE GEOFFREY THOMAS, his successor;
William Desmond;
Millicent Olivia Mary.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

TERENCE GEOFFREY THOMAS, 5th Marquess (1902-60),

• Geoffrey Thomas Taylour, 4th Marquess (1878–1943);
• Terence Geoffrey Thomas Taylour, 5th Marquess (1902–60);
• Thomas Geoffrey Charles Michael Taylour, 6th Marquess (1932–2005);
• Thomas Michael Ronald Christopher Taylour, 7th Marquess (b 1959).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, Thomas Rupert Charles Christopher Taylour, styled Earl of Bective (b 1989).

The Taylour family became very much involved in the political life of the locality, and several members of the family served as MPs for Kells and the county of Meath.


They were also a "Patrick Family", the 1st Earl, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Marquesses all having been appointed Knights of St Patrick.

His seat, Headfort House, in County Meath, was the only Adam house in Ireland.

In 1901 the 4th Marquess, an eminent horticulturist, caused a sensation when he converted to Rome to marry a showgirl called Rosie Boote.

A figure of great dignity, she remained the dominant personality in the family during young Michael's youth and early adult life.

Virginia, in the county of Cavan, was named after ELIZABETH I, "the Virgin Queen".

It owes its origin to the plantation of Ulster in 1609.

The lands eventually passed into the possession of Lucas Plunkett, Earl of Bective, a Roman Catholic, who was later created Earl of Fingall.

It can also be said that Lucas Plunkett, along with his son Christopher, frustrated the plans of the Government to proceed with the development of the town and its incorporation during his tenure.

He was sympathetic to the rebel Irish and sided with them against the planters during the 1641 Rebellion and the Williamite Wars of 1688-91, earning him the label of 'traitor'.

Consequently it fell to Thomas, 1st Marquess of Headfort, and his successors, to fulfil the patent in relation to the development of the town in the second half of the 18th century and 19th century - the patent which was originally granted to Captain Ridgeway in 1612.

Lord Headfort maintained a beautiful park beside Lough Ramor, where he had a hunting lodge (above) in plain, rambling, Picturesque cottage style; a two-storey house with a three-bay centre and single-storey, three-bay wings.

The family often stayed here during the summer or autumn months, between 1750 and 1939.

The former hunting lodge, located on the shore of Lough Ramor, is now a hotel, Virginia Park Lodge.

First published in July, 2011. 

Lecale

EDITED EXTRACTS FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY GAZETTEER OF IRELAND, PUBLISHED IN 1846

LECALE, a barony on the east coast of County Down.

It is bounded, on the north, by the barony of Dufferin, and the foot of Strangford Lough; on the north-east, by the entrance of Strangford Lough, which separates it from Ards; on the east and south, by the Irish Sea; and on the west, by the baronies of Upper Iveagh and Dufferin.

Its length, south by westward, is 9½ miles; its extreme breadth is 8; and its area is 61,592 acres, of which 336 acres are water.

The principal and almost only indentation of the coast is the bay of Killough.

Killough Bay (Image: William Alfred Green)

The only noticeable insular ground is Gun's Island.

The surface has a well cultivated, pleasant, ornate, and occasionally picturesque appearance.

Excepting the Ballynahinch River, with its little estuary, along the north-west, all the streams are of very meagre run and volume.

This barony contains part of the parish of Kilmegan, and the whole of the parishes of Ardglass, Ballee, Ballyculter, Ballykinlar, Bright, Down, Dunsford, Inch, Kilclief, Rathmullan, Saul, and Tyrella.

It was recently divided into two very nearly equal parts or baronial districts, called Lower Lecale and Upper Lecale.

First published in March, 2021.

Ballintemple House

THE BUTLER BARONETS OF CLOGHGRENAN WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CARLOW, WITH 6,455 ACRES

The family of BUTLER is one of the most ancient and illustrious in the British Isles; and for the services which, at different periods, it rendered to the Crown, it obtained titles of honour in each of the kingdoms of the realm.

THOMAS BUTLER, supposed to be lineally descended from Sir Edmund Butler, Knight, second son of James, 9th Earl of Ormond, was created a baronet in 1628, designated of Cloughgrenan, County Carlow.

Sir Thomas, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1612-22, married Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Colclough, Knight, of Tintern Abbey, County Wexford, and widow of Nicholas Bagenal, by whom he had four sons and three daughters.

He died ca 1640, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR EDMUND BUTLER, 2nd Baronet, who wedded Juliana, daughter of Bernard Hyde, of Shinfield, Berkshire, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
James;
Eleanor.

Sir Edmund died ca 1650, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS BUTLER, 3rd Baronet, who espoused firstly, Jane, daughter of the Rt Rev Dr Richard Boyle, Lord Bishop of Leighlin and Ferns; and secondly, in 1700, Jane, daughter of Edward Pottinger.

By his first wife he had two sons, of whom the elder,

SIR PIERCE BUTLER, 4th Baronet (1670-1732), MP for County Carlow, 1703-14, wedded, in 1697, Anne, daughter of Joshua Galliard, of Enfield, Middlesex.

Sir Pierce died without male issue, when the title reverted to his nephew,

SIR RICHARD BUTLER, 5th Baronet (1699-1771), MP for Carlow, 1730-60, who espoused, in 1728, Henrietta, daughter and co-heiress of Henry Percy, by whom he had four sons and six daughters.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS BUTLER, 6th Baronet (1735-72), MP for Carlow, 1761-8, Portarlington, 1771-2, who married Dorothea, only daughter of  the Ven Dr Edward Bayley, of Ardfert, Archdeacon of Dublin, and niece of Sir Nicholas Bayley Bt, by whom he had four sons and as many daughters.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD BUTLER, 7th Baronet (1761-1817), MP for Carlow, 1783-1800, who espoused, in 1782, Sarah Maria, daughter of Thomas Newenham, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
James;
Charles George;
Louisa.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS BUTLER, 8th Baronet (1783-1861), High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1818, who wedded, in 1812, Frances, daughter of John Graham-Clarke, and had issue,

RICHARD PIERCE, his successor;
Thomas;
Henry William Paget;
Arabella Sarah; Louisa Charlotte; Laura Mary; Antoine Sloet.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD PIERCE BUTLER, 9th Baronet (1813-62), High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1836, who married, in 1835, Matilda, daughter of Thomas Cookson, and had issue,

THOMAS PIERCE, his successor;
Richard Pierce;
Walter Selby;
Emma.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS PIERCE BUTLER, 10th Baronet (1836-1909), Vice Lord-Lieutenant of County Carlow, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1866, who wedded, in 1864, Hester Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Alan Edward Bellingham Bt, of Castle Bellingham, and had issue,

RICHARD PIERCE, his successor;
Thomas Edmond;
Walter Alan;
Edith Alice; Maude Isobel; Dorothea Hester; Eleanor Frances. 

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD PIERCE BUTLER, 11th Baronet (1872-1955), OBE DL, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1905, who wedded, in 1906, Alice Dudley, daughter of the Very Rev and Hon James Wentworth Leigh, and had issue,

THOMAS PIERCE, his successor;
Joan; Doreen Frances. 

Sir Richard, Honorary Colonel, the Remount Service, was succeeded by his son,

SIR THOMAS PIERCE BUTLER, 12th Baronet (1910-94), CVO DSO OBE JP, Resident Governor of the Tower of London and Keeper of the Jewel House, 1969-71, who espoused, in 1937, Rosemary Liége Woodgate, daughter of Major James Hamilton Davidson-Houston, and had issue,

RICHARD PIERCE, his successor;
Caroline Rosemary;
Virginia Pamela Liége.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his son,

SIR RICHARD PIERCE BUTLER, 13th Baronet (1940-), of London, a company director, who married, in 1965, Diana, daughter of Colonel Stephen John Borg, and had issue,

THOMAS PIERCE;
Stephen Patrick;
Rupert Dudley;
Anne Virginia. 

Ballin Temple House (Image: Turtle Bunbury)

BALLIN TEMPLE, near Tullow, County Carlow, was a fine three-storey Georgian mansion with a five-bay entrance front.

The centre bay was distinguished by a Venetian window and a pedimented Grecian-Doric porte-cochere.

The centre of the garden front had a colonnaded semi-circular bow. 

The mansion was destroyed by fire accidentally in 1917.

It existed as a shell for a number of years, and has subsequently been demolished apart from its elegant portico.

The following is a section of Turtle Bunbury's article about Ballintemple,  Ancient World, Ancient Fish:

Sir Richard Butler’s successful restoration of his family’s ancestral riverside estate at Ballintemple, County Carlow, has earned his small stretch of the River Slaney a well deserved alphabetical placement between Ashford and Ballynahinch Castles in the highly elite Great Fishing Houses of Ireland.

The project, commenced four years ago in conjunction with Robin Eustace Harvey, involved restoring both river banks, rebuilding the weirs and creating twenty four salmon pools.

Ballintemple started life as a sanctuary for members of the Knights Templar on leave from the Crusades. The estate formed part of William Marshall's vast inheritance through his marriage with Strongbow’s daughter in the late 12th century. 500 years later, the land was granted to Sir Thomas Butler of Cloghrennan, a first cousin of the “Great Duke” of Ormonde.

Sir Richard is the thirteenth generation in descent from Sir Thomas. His forbears generally played a modest role in the affairs of state. Perhaps the most notable family member was Piers Butler, sometime Senator of South Carolina and co-signatory of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

One hundred years ago the Ballintemple estate amounted to some 7,000 acres, upon which Sir Richard’s grandfather developed his passion for breeding Aberdeen Angus and Clydesdale shire-horses. He married Alice Mease, a granddaughter of the American actress Fanny Kemble.

On moving to the ancestral manor house at Ballintemple, the well-travelled Lady Alice described the estate as "one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen … in the spring the woods are literally carpeted with bluebells, the bluest and largest I have ever seen, often having fifteen bells on one stalk".

The burning of Ballintemple House in 1917, attributed to a plumber's blow-lamp and dry-rot filled rafters, was a great loss to Carlow’s architectural legacy. The shell was later demolished and only the 19th century classical portico now remains.

The Butler family then relocated to England where Sir Richard’s father, Sir Tom Butler, served as Resident Governor of the Tower of London. Subsequent confiscation’s and compulsory purchases by the Irish Land Commission whittled the Butler estate down to a few acres when Sir Richard inherited the property.

Sir Richard Butler, a former director with Chase Manhattan and founder of the Pestalozzi Children's Trust, could never shake off his desire to return to his Irish homeland. His family likewise continue to view Ballintemple as an intrinsic part of their heritage. Over the past decade, Sir Richard and his neighbour Robin Eustace Harvey have been steadily resurrecting the estate.

An ancient wood of some 20 hectares running along the riverbanks has been designated a Special Area of Conservation by Duchas. Sir Richard’s eldest son Tom has created an exceedingly nutritious 10-hectare organic farm while Tom’s Canadian wife Pam (aka Kamala Devi) runs a popular yoga retreat at Ballintemple during the summer.


The reopening of the Ballintemple fishing beat in 2003 met with widespread approval by fishermen and conservationists alike. The Slaney is one of Ireland’s longest rivers, wending its way 120 kilometres from the Glen of Imaal in the Wicklow Mountains south through Carlow and Wexford and into the sea at Wexford Harbour. It offers salmon in spring and sea trout in summer.

 First published in February, 2012.

Stackpole Court

THE EARLS CAWDOR WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN CARMARTHENSHIRE, WITH 33,782 ACRES

This is a branch of the ducal house of ARGYLL, springing from the Hon Sir John Campbell, third son of Archibald, 2nd Earl of Argyll.

SIR ALEXANDER CAMPBELL OF CAWDOR (c1629-97) wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Lort, 2nd Baronet (c1637-c1673), of Stackpole Court, Pembrokeshire, and sole heiress of Sir Gilbert Lort, 3rd Baronet, by whom he had issue,

JOHN CAMPBELL OF CAWDOR (1695-1777), of Cawdor Castle, Nairnshire, and Stackpole Court (son and heir of Sir Alexander Campbell), married Mary, eldest daughter and co-heir of Lewis Pryse, and had issue,

PRYSE, his heir;
John Hooke, Lord Lyon King of Arms;
Alexander;
Anne.

The eldest son,

PRYSE CAMPBELL (1727-68), of Cawdor Castle, and Stackpole Court, Pembrokeshire, MP for Inverness-shire, 1754-61, Nairnshire, 1761-8, Cardigan Boroughs, 1868, Lord of the Treasury, 1766, wedded Sarah, daughter and co-heir of Sir Edmund Bacon Bt, and was succeeded by his son,

JOHN CAMPBELL (1753-1821), who was elevated to the peerage, in 1796, in the dignity of Baron Cawdor, of Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire.

His lordship had previously represented the town of Cardigan in parliament.

He wedded, in 1789, the Lady Caroline Howard, eldest daughter of Frederick, 5th Earl of Carlisle, and had issue, his eldest son,

JOHN FREDERICK, 2nd Baron (1790-1860), who married, in 1816, the Lady Elizabeth Thynne, eldest daughter of Thomas, 2nd Marquess of Bath.

His lordship was advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1827, as EARL CAWDOR.

• John Frederick Campbell, 1st Earl (1790–1860);
• John Frederick Vaughan Campbell, 2nd Earl (1817–98);
• Frederick Archibald Vaughan Campbell, 3rd Earl (1847–1911);
• Hugh Frederick Vaughan Campbell, 4th Earl (1870–1914);
• John Duncan Vaughan Campbell, 5th Earl (1900–70);
• Hugh John Vaughan Campbell, 6th Earl (1932–93);
• Colin Robert Vaughan Campbell, 7th Earl (b 1962).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son James Chester Campbell, styled Viscount Emlyn (b 1998).

Stackpole Court (Image: the National Trust)

STACKPOLE COURT was a large mansion built ca 1736, and enlarged in the 19th century.

It was erected upon the undercroft of a much earlier house, the original hall of which was later used as a cellar.

The Stackpoles had owned the estate since the early 12th century, and the old castellated house may date from the 13th century or earlier.

There are references to a house here owned by the Stackpools by Gerald of Wales in 1188.

From the mid-16th century the estate was owned by the Lort family, and later passed to the Campbells by marriage in the early 18th century.

The Cawdors were major landowners in Pembrokeshire, with 17,735 acres of land.

The mansion was demolished in 1963, when the Cawdors moved to a new house on the estate.

Much has already been written about the house and outbuildings.

Golden Grove

GOLDEN GROVE, near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, is a large country house, the ancestral home of the Vaughan family, and the centre of a large estate.

The present house was designed in the Tudor or Scottish baronial style by Sir Jeffry Wyatville ca 1825 for the Cawdor family who inherited the estate from the Vaughans.

Building continued until 1834 when the stable block was finished, following the completion of the service wing in 1828, the main block in 1830 and the staircase in 1831.

The clock mechanism and the bells are dated 1830 and sit in a square clock tower.

Seats ~ Cawdor Castle, Nairnshire; Stackpole Court, Pembrokeshire; Golden Grove, Carmarthenshire.

Former town house ~ 74 South Audley Street, London.

First published in February, 2021.  Cawdor arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Leslie of Leslie Hill

THE LESLIES OWNED 7,428 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

This family springs from

THE REV PETER LESLIE (1686-1773), born at Westminster, Rector of Ahoghill, County Antrim, who married, in 1718, Jane, daughter of the Most Rev Anthony Dopping*, Lord Bishop of Meath, and had issue,

HENRY (Rev),1719-1803;
EDMUND, of whom hereafter.

The younger son,

THE VEN EDMUND LESLIE (1735-90), Archdeacon of Down, 1782, and also a prebendary of Connor, wedded firstly, Jane, daughter of John Macnaghten, of Benvarden, County Antrim, and had issue,

Peter, died in London;
Bartholomew, died in India;
JAMES, of whom we treat;
Edmund, died in India;
Mary.

Archdeacon Leslie espoused secondly, Eleanor, daughter of George Portis, of London, and had issue,

George;
Henry (Very Rev), Dean of Connor;
Samuel, Rear-Admiral, of Donaghadee;
Ellen.

The Archdeacon's eldest surviving son, 

JAMES LESLIE JP DL (1768-1847), of Leslie House, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1799, succeeded to the estates on the demise of his uncle, James Leslie, in 1796.

He wedded, in 1795, Mary, daughter of Adam Cuppage, of Donaghcloney, County Down, by whom he had issue,

JAMES EDMUND;
Henry, JP, of Seaport Lodge, Portballintrae;
Frances Seymour, of the Home Office;
JOHN CHARLES WILLIAM (Rev);
Bartholdus George Albert (1812-15).

The eldest son,

JAMES EDMUND LESLIE JP DL (1800-81), of Leslie Hill and Seaport Lodge, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1854, wedded, in 1823, Sarah, youngest daughter of the Rt Rev Dr Daniel Sandford, Bishop of Edinburgh, and by her had issue,

James Sandford, 1824-29;
Henry Erskine, 1825-29;
EDMUND DOUGLAS, of whom hereafter;
Daniel Sandford, died in infancy;
Seymour Montague, b 1835; father of JAMES GRAHAM;
Francis Macnaghten, b 1837; in the army;
Erskine Douglas, died in infancy;
Frances Mary; Mary Wilhelmina; Sarah Agnes; Jane Elizabeth.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL EDMUND DOUGLAS LESLIE was granted the honorary rank of Colonel in 1877. 

He was succeeded by his third son,

EDMUND DOUGLAS LESLIE JP DL (1828-1904), of Leslie Hill and Seaport Lodge, Lieutenant-Colonel and Honorary Colonel, 4th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his nephew,

JAMES GRAHAM LESLIE JP DL (1868-1949), of Leslie Hill and Seaport Lodge, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1907, Barrister, some time head of a department in the Office of the Crown Agents for the Colonies, who espoused, in 1901, Grace, only daughter of J Lamont Brodie, of Wimbledon, and had issue,

SEYMOUR ARGENT SANDFORD, his heir;
Grace Margaret Hester, b 1905;
Mary Etheldritha (Audrey), b 1908.

Mr Leslie was succeeded by his son and heir,

SEYMOUR ARGENT SANDFORD LESLIE CMG (1902-53), of Leslie Hill, Financial Secretary, Tanganyika, who married, in 1930, Eleanor Mary Stuart, and had issue,

JAMES FRANCIS LESLIE TD JP DL (1933-2021), Honorary Colonel, D (North Irish Horse) Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry, 1991, (in succession to Colonel the Lord O'Neill) married Patricia Jane Elizabeth (née Swales) (d 2023), and had issue,

JAMES SEYMOUR LESLIE (1958-2009), High Sheriff of Co Antrim, 2006;

JOHN GRAHAM EDMUND, successor to his brother;

Jane Elizabeth Rose.

John Leslie apprises me that he inherited the estate on the death of his mother in 2023.

John and Katy, his partner, reside at Leslie Hill (as they have done for the past 15 years).

The estate continues to be run as a farm breeding sheep and working extensively with timber.

John and Katy make films themselves in Ireland, North and South, Europe and America; and the estate is often used as a filming location by many well known production companies including Universal, HBO, and the BBC. It has become a most useful diversification. The open farm has been closed since 2013.

Mrs Judena Leslie was Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland, 2015- 21.

*Bishops of Meath are traditionally styled Most Reverend, ranking next after Archbishops of the Church of Ireland.

*****

THE CREST of this family has traditionally been an angel, though a gryphon is sometimes used by some portions of the family. 

The motto, Grip Fast, has remained unchanged since the time of QUEEN MARGARET of Scotland, by whom it was given to Bartolf (Bartholomew), under the following circumstances:

In crossing a river swollen by floods, the Queen was thrown from her horse, and in danger of being drowned, when the knight, plunging into the stream, seized hold of Her Majesty's girdle; and as he brought her with difficulty towards the bank, she frequently exclaimed grip fast, and afterwards desired that he should retain the words as his motto, in remembrance of the occurrence.

LESLIE HILL, near Ballymoney, County Antrim, was built by James Leslie ca 1750, on the site of an older castle.

The house originally consisted of a gable-ended main block of three storeys over a high basement, joined to two-storey office wings by single-storey links.

The principal block has a seven-bay front with a three-bay pedimented breakfront; doorway, with two Doric columns and a fanlight under a baseless pediment.

There is a lunette window in the pediment which lights the attic. The former wings were of three bays and the links of two.

There is a flagged hall with screen; principal rooms have modillion cornices and doors with shouldered architraves.

The attic room has a convex-coved ceiling and central roundel containing a portrait which may be of the James Leslie who built the House. 

Alas, the wings and connecting links were demolished in 1955.

The present owner is directly descended from the Rt Rev Henry Leslie (chaplain to CHARLES I, Bishop of Down & Connor, 1635) and the 4th Earl of Rothes, by his marriage to Agnes Somerville. 

Leslie Hill has been occupied continuously by the Leslie family for more than 350 years.

In 1778, while the United States was trying to retain the independence it had declared in 1776, the American frigate "Ranger," under John Paul Jones, opened fire on Carrickfergus Castle and attacked HMS Drake, putting it out of action.

This attack, and the fact that the French had allied themselves to the colonists in the American revolution, caused alarm in Ireland which, at that time, was practically bereft of Crown forces.

This led to a demand for the local volunteers, a citizen's militia, recruited mainly from the protestant middle class and led by the nobility, at their own expense, to defend the Irish coast and guard life and property.

Leslie Hill was used as a bivouac and for drilling purposes.

The estate was of considerable acreage, comprising 7,428 acres, with a progressive farm, but much of the land was sold to the tenants under the Land Act of 1903.

Not all the Leslies in Ulster remained there: in 1718 a James Leslie of the Coleraine area came to New England, USA, to settle with the Scots Presbyterians in Londonderry, New Hampshire.

Later in 1729, another James Leslie and his wife Margaret Sheerar, left Coleraine to settle in Topsfield, Massachusetts, he also is a lineal descendant of the 4th Earl of Rothes and his wife Agnes Somerville. 

There is a book published by the Essex Institute about the members of this family.

It is of significance that another James Leslie and his family left Ballymoney for the long voyage to America.

They left the linen mills of Balnamore, near Leslie Hill to join forces with the large working world of the great Amoskeag Cotton Mills of Manchester, New Hampshire.

James Seymour Leslie (1958-2009) was a Northern Ireland politician, a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

His father owns Leslie Hill estate at Ballymoney. He was married with a daughter.

The Castle Leslie demesne, adjacent to Ballymoney, lies in a ridge above the Bann Valley. Continuous ownership of the Leslie family adds interest in the property.

The house of ca 1760 – now minus two wings – has landscaped parkland to the north, with fine trees and a small, artificial, late 19th century lake complete with island and boat-house.

A ha-ha separates the south front lawns from parkland and exposes the fine distant views.

There are stands of mature trees and mixed woodland. A late 19th century, ‘Robinsonian’ garden is no longer distinguishable.

A small enclosed garden to the east of the house has two lily ponds constructed ca 1891 of unusual shape.

These are listed, together with the enclosing walls and a nearby ice house.

Ornamental shrubs and trees, with under-planting of wild flowers, decorate the access route to the walled gardens.

The walled garden has a rectangular western part, which is partially cultivated and under restoration to be attractive and productive for modern usage.

The Melon House has been restored. Remnants of other glasshouses are exposed.

The garden is divided into two by a brick wall and the smaller eastern part is uncultivated.

The outbuildings are notable, fully restored and open to view.

A disused gate lodge at the main entrance is of ca 1911 and replaced a pair removed when the road was realigned in the 1850s.

The house is private and grounds are private.

The family formerly had a marine residence, Seaport Lodge, at Portballintrae.

First published in January, 2012.

Custom House Pediment

Custom House Pediment. Click to enlarge (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

THE CUSTOM HOUSE in Belfast is located at Custom House Square, which runs from 4, Queen's Square, to Albert Square.

This large Italianate block, completed in 1857, is notably one of the city's finest buildings.

Perhaps its greatest feature is its pediment, which faces the river Lagan.

Marcus Patton OBE, in his Central Belfast gazetteer, describes it thus:-

Dentilled pediment containing three figures carved in whiter stone: Neptune on the left reclining with an anchor and a dolphin, Mercury on the right relaxing before delivering the sheaf of corn at his feet to the ends of the earth, and in the middle Britannia with her trident and royal shield, flanked by a lion and a unicorn; 

Below the pediment the spandrels of tall arched windows are filled by winged figures representing Manufacture, Peace, Commerce, and Industry.

CUSTOM HOUSE LANE was an old entry which ran from High Street to Waring Street.

Thomas Phillips' map of Belfast in 1685. Click to enlarge.

It was near High Street Court, an entry which exists today (and seems to be a cul-de-sac).

Thomas Phillips' map of Belfast in 1685 shows a two-storey double-gabled building on Waring Street with a flag.

It has been suggested that this property belonged to the Warings, though another historian (Merrick) has remarked that it might have been a warehouse or early custom-house.

Custom House Lane and Bluebell Entry were swept away in 1846 for the creation of Victoria Street.

Roxborough Gates

I spent a most agreeable day in 2010 at The Argory (former home of the MacGeough-Bonds) and Loughgall Manor (the Copes), County Armagh.

I picnicked in the grounds of The Argory, then went for a walk along the River Blackwater.

This river divides the counties of Tyrone and Armagh.

Later on I enjoyed a delightful tour of the House at 2pm with a charming and informative guide.

She alluded to the wooden Jamaican carvings, and Tommy MacGeough-Bond's fondness for Jamaica.

I wonder if he was acquainted with Ian Fleming.

The MacGeough-Bonds would doubtless have been well acquainted with other landed families in County Armagh, including the Stronges, Verners and Copes.

Roxborough Gates

Later in the afternoon I motored on to the village of Moy, where the Charlemonts had their impressive country seat, Roxborough Castle.

All that's left to remind us of its greatness are the equally impressive gates (above and top).

An earl's coronet and crest adorn them.

The mansion house itself was maliciously burnt ca 1922.

Loughgall Manor

At Loughgall, I wandered up the steep incline to the manor-house, erstwhile seat of the Cope family.

Its gates, too, are impressive.

Loughgall Manor Gates

First published in August, 2010.

Forthill Park

FORTHILL PARK is a drumlin-top public park in Enniskillen, the county town of County Fermanagh.

Topped with a tall monument and surrounded by trees, it stands out as a feature from the distance.

Fort Hill has historic interest, both as a 17th century artillery star-fort and as an early public garden, laid out as a promenade by 1846.

The Forthill Promenade and Pleasure Park has always been a space for public use.

In the years following the Plantation of Ulster the park was known as Commons Hill or Cow Hill, where the Enniskilleners, as they were called, were permitted to graze their livestock.

It was also known as Camomile Hill where, in 1689, the Governor of Enniskillen, Gustav Hamilton, ordered a fort of sods to be raised in Enniskillen; hence Forthill.

In 1836, the area was enclosed and planted with trees; it became a promenade and pleasure ground.

Following the Crimean War, a captured Russian gun was brought to the south bastion of the Forthill.

It fired a salute to the first train arriving in the town in 1857 and broke the windows in Belmore Street.

By the 1880s, the park had become overgrown.

Thomas Plunkett, Chairman of the town commissioners, supervised the landscaping of the park.

He felt that the Forthill had become little used and overgrown.

The Forthill Pleasure grounds officially opened on the 7th August, 1891.

It had been transformed: special areas included the Dell, the Fernery, the Fountain, and the Waterfall; all designed by Plunkett.

A new entrance was added and the Forthill steps were built, which saw “The Bower Lane” disappear.

Forthill Bandstand was erected during Plunkett's own lifetime, in 1895, as a mark of appreciation.

The bastions of the fort remain prominent and are grassed.

The park element still has the feeling of a Victorian civic park, with winding paths, clipped evergreen shrubs and island flower beds.

Mature trees provide a canopy above.

The park was officially opened as Fort Hill Pleasure Grounds in 1891.

There are two memorials of high quality: the Cole Monument, built between 1845-57; and the Bandstand, with clock tower, built in 1895.

The Cole Monument takes the form of a Doric column, topped by a statue of General the Hon Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, GCB, by Farrell.

General Cole, a younger son of the 1st Earl of Enniskillen, died in 1842 at his country seat, Highfield Park, Hampshire, now a hotel.

108 steps lead to the viewing platform atop the Cole Monument, which affords magnificent views of Enniskillen and the surrounding area.

First published in December, 2012.

New Vice Lord-Lieutenant

APPOINTMENT OF VICE LORD-LIEUTENANT

Dame Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle DBE, Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast, with the approval of His Majesty The King, has been pleased to appoint:-

Dr Robert Alan Logan DL
Belfast

Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the said County Borough, his Commission bearing date the 19th day of March 2023


Signed: Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle DBE DStJ LLD (Hon QUB)

Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast

1st Earl of Lisburne

THE EARLS OF LISBURNE WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN CARDIGANSHIRE, WITH 42,720 ACRES

This noble family stands in the first rank of ancient Cambrian houses, and is almost without parallel for prolonged undisturbed possession of the original seat and estate.

The manor and mansion of Trawscoed came into the Vaughan family by the marriage of Adda Fychan with Tudo, daughter and heiress of Ifan Goch of Trawscoed, ‘Evan the Red', in 1200, and have never since been alienated, nor, it is believed, ceased to be occupied by the possessors.

The pedigree is deduced by well ascertained steps of descent from Collwyn ap Tangno, Lord of Eifionydd, founder of the very noble tribe of North Wales.

Of this ancient family, which has flourished at Trawscoed (Crosswood), Cardiganshire, for more than fifteen generations, in a direct line, was

Sir John Vaughan

SIR JOHN VAUGHAN (1603-74), Knight, of Trawscoed, Llanafan, Cardiganshire, and Inner Court, London, an eminent lawyer, constituted Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, 1668.

He married Jane, daughter of John Stedman, and was father of

EDWARD VAUGHAN (c1635-84), of Trawscoed, and Great Russell Street, London, MP for Cardiganshire, 1669-81, and for a short time one of the Lords of the Admiralty, who wedded, in 1665, Letitia, daughter of Sir William Hooker, grocer, of Crown Court, Gracechurch Street, London.

Mr Vaughan was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN VAUGHAN (1667-1721), of Trawscoed, MP for Cardiganshire, 1694-8, who espoused, in 1692, the Lady Malet Wilmot, third daughter of John, 2nd Earl of Rochester, and had issue,

JOHN, his successor;

WILMOT, succeeded his brother;

Henry;

Anne; Elizabeth; Letitia.

Mr Vaughan was elevated to the Irish peerage, in 1695, in the dignities of Baron Fethard, of Fethard, County Tipperary, and Viscount Lisburne, of County Antrim.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN, 2nd Viscount (1695-1741);

Who, claiming his seat in the Irish House of Lords, was refused admission, in consequence of the deceased 1st Viscount having omitted the enrolment of his patent according to the act of parliament; whereupon he presented a petition to the House, stating the reasons of the omission, and praying that his case might be taken into consideration; but Parliament being soon afterwards prorogued, no proceedings ensued.

His lordship married twice, and had one daughter; though having no male issue, the honour devolved upon his brother,

WILMOT, 3rd Viscount; who espoused, in 1727, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Thomas Watson, and had issue,

WILMOT, his successor;

John;

Malet;

Elizabeth.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILMOT, 4th Viscount (1730-1800), who married firstly, in 1754, Elizabeth Gascoigne, daughter of Joseph Gascoigne Nightingale, of Mamhead, Devon, and eventually heir to her brother, Washington Nightingale, by whom he had an only son, 

WILMOT, his successor.

He wedded secondly, in 1763, Dorothy, daughter of John Shafto, of Whitworth, County Durham, and had further issue,

JOHN, succeeded his brother as 3rd Earl;

Dorothy Elizabeth; Mallet; Theodosia Charlotte.

The 4th Viscount, politician and parliamentarian in the House of Commons, was elevated to an earldom in the Irish peerage, in 1776, in the dignity of EARL OF LISBURNE.

Irish peers were not entitled to sit in the House of Lords at Westminster; they were, however, entitled to sit as MPs in the House of Commons.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

WILMOT, 2nd Earl (1755-1820), who died unmarried, when the honours devolved upon his half-brother,

JOHN, 3rd Earl (1769-1831).

• John Vaughan, 3rd Earl (1769–1831)
• Ernest Augustus Mallet Vaughan, 4th Earl (1800–1873)
• Ernest Augustus Malet Vaughan, 5th Earl
• George Henry Arthur Vaughan, 6th Earl (1862–1899)
• Ernest Edmund Henry Malet Vaughan, 7th Earl (1892–1963)
• John David Malet Vaughan, 8th Earl (1918–2014)
• David John Francis Malet Vaughan, 9th Earl (born 1945)

The heir presumptive is the current holder's brother, the Hon Michael John Wilmot Vaughan (b 1948).

The heir presumptive's heir apparent is his son Edward Wilmot Malet Vaughan (b 1998).

Crosswood House (Image: Business Live)

CROSSWOOD, or Trawscoed, is a large masion house, thought to be the principal country house in Cardiganshire.The house retains many significant architectural features from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, of particularly the library which dates from about 1840.

The Trawscoed Estate has been in the continuous ownership of the Vaughans, Earls of Lisburne, since the 14th century.

In 1947 the house was sold to the Ministry of Works, but was re-acquired by the Vaughan family in 1996; and the Victorian wing was subsequently converted into apartments.

Trawscoed House suffered damage during the Civil Wars, though it was largely rebuilt by Sir John Vaughan in the 1660s.

Sir John Vaughan’s grandson, John, was created Viscount Lisburne in 1695.

The 2nd Viscount, however, incurred substantial debts and the fortunes of the estate suffered under his tenure.

The 1st Earl was a great collector of books, and his son constructed the notable library at Trawscoed, although the ornate decorations of marbled Corinthian columns and richly painted ceilings are probably Victorian in date.

In 1795 the 3rd Earl extensively remodelled the eastern wing in Regency style, incorporating 17th century portions of the building, now resurfaced, including a new entrance through a portico, with columns and balusters topped with the family coat-of-arms.

Trawscoed became known by its English name, Crosswood, in 1800.

Improvements to the house continued throughout the 19th century.

Trawscoed (Image: the DiCamillo Companion)

In the 1870s, the addition of a billiards-room with an extra floor above was planned, but by 1891 further renovation was required, and the massive west wing dates from that year, designed by T W Aldwinckle and erected at a cost of £13,973 (about £1.8 million in 2019).

In 1947, the mansion was sold by the 7th Earl, and became the Welsh headquarters of the National Agricultural Assistance Service.

In 1996, the Vaughan family re-purchased the mansion, having retained the right of first refusal, and in the same year the Victorian wing was converted into five apartments.

It has since passed to other private owners.

In the latter part of the 20th century, despite partial renovations and conservation efforts from multiple owners, the structure suffered substantially from dry rot and deteriorated markedly.

First published in February, 2021.  Lisburne arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Old Market House, Belfast

High Street and the Old Market House, Belfast, 1786 (Image: J W Carey). CLICK TO ENLARGE

AN ARTICLE BY ALISON MITCHELSON, FORMER ART UK PAINTINGS PROJECT COORDINATOR

"ONE of Belfast’s most prized art collections – the famous Carey paintings – a collection of thirteen large canvases dealing with the history and mythology of the Belfast region, originally located in the area above the Ulster Hall balcony, are now on permanent display for everyone to enjoy."

"When Belfast Corporation, now Belfast City Council, took over the Ulster Hall in 1903, a full refurbishment and redecoration began."

"The architect, Robert M Young, commissioned the artists Joseph W Carey and Richard Thomson to produce the paintings between 1903 and 1908."

"Fondly known as ‘Joe,’ Joseph W Carey (1859–1937) had a lengthy career as a popular water-colourist."

"He was the son of a Moravian minister of Kilwarlin, County Down, the Rev J W Carey, and older brother of the painter and illustrator John Carey (1861–1943)."

"Also an illustrator, Joseph Carey trained with the firm of Marcus Ward and Co., Belfast."

High Street, Belfast, in 2021 (Image: Timothy Ferres)

"The paintings were part of the decorative scheme and not that easy to see in their original position, nor were they intended to be viewed close up or as works of art."

"They are not accurate representations of the time, but more a nostalgic view of a time when Belfast was a rural town rather than the booming industrial city it was at the beginning of the 20th century."

"This was the most prestigious commission of Carey’s career and included the paintings Origin of Shipbuilding, Ritchie's Dock; White Linen Hall, 1896; Old Turnpike with Dublin Coach, Lisburn Road and Blockade of Belfast by François Thurot, 1760."

"The paintings sadly suffered a lot of damage over the years, by leaks and the effect of bombs, but also by misguided attempts to restore them."

"With the aid of a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant in 2009, Belfast City Council was able to conserve the paintings and relocate them to their current display, with very low light levels, in order that they will survive into the future."

First published in March, 2021.