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. 

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.

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

Coollattin Park

THE EARLS FITZWILLIAM WERE THE GREATEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WICKLOW, WITH 89,981 ACRES

In 1565, HUGH FITZWILLIAM (c1534-c1576), of Emley, Sprotbrough, and Haddlesey, Yorkshire, collected the records of his family, and from these records the following particulars are partly deduced: SIR WILLIAM FITZ GODRIC, cousin to EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, left a son and heir, SIR WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM, who, being ambassador at the court of WILLIAM, Duke of Normandy, attended that prince in his victorious expedition against England, as marshal of the army, in 1066; and for his valour at the battle of Hastings, THE CONQUEROR presented him with a scarf from his own arm.

This Sir William was father of

SIR WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM, Knight, who wedded Eleanor, daughter and heiress of Sir John Emley, of Emley and Sprotbrough, by which marriage the Fitzwilliams obtained the lordships of Emley and Sprotbrough, which continued with them until the reign of HENRY VIII, when those lordships were carried, by co-heirs, into the families of Suthill and Copley.

Sir William was succeeded by his son,

SIR WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM,

Lord of Emley and Sprotbrough, living in 1117, as appears from a grant made by him of a piece of the wood in Emley to the monks of Byland. To this grant, in a round seal, is represented a man on horseback, completely armed and circumscribed S. Willmi Filij Willmi Dni de Emmalaia; and on the reverse, the arms of FITZWILLIAM, viz. Lozenge. This Sir William, or one of his descendants, caused a cross to be set up in the high street of Sprotbrough; which cross was pulled down in 1520.

From Sir William we pass to his descendant,

SIR JOHN FITZWILLIAM, who founded, in 1372, the Chantry of St Edward in the church of Sprotbrough; and having married Elizabeth, daughter of William de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon, had three sons, the eldest of whom,

SIR WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM, married Maud, daughter of Ralph, 3rd Lord Cromwell, of Tattershall, and co-heir of the Lord Treasurer Cromwell, by whom he had one son and two daughters.

He was succeeded by his son,

SIR JOHN FITZWILLIAM, who wedded Eleanor, daughter of Sir Henry Green, of Drayton, and had six sons.

The youngest son,

JOHN FITZWILLIAM, of Milton Hall and Greens Norton, in Northamptonshire, espoused Eleanor, daughter of William Villiers, of Brooksby, Leicestershire, by whom he had three sons and two daughters, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON SIR WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM (c1460-1534), Knight, of Milton and Gaynes Park, Essex, and also of the city of London, of which he was sheriff in 1506.

Sir William married firstly, Anne, daughter of Sir John Hawes, Knight, of the city of London, and had,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Richard;
Elizabeth; Anne.

He wedded secondly, Mildred, daughter of Richard Sackville, of Withyham, Sussex, and had three sons and two daughters,

Christopher;
Francis;
Thomas;
Eleanor; Mary.

Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM, Knight, who espoused Anne, daughter of Sir Richard Sapcote, of Elton, Huntingdonshire; and was succeeded by his son and heir,

SIR WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM (1526-99), Lord Deputy of Ireland and Lord Justice, who wedded Anne, daughter of Sir William Sydney, and aunt of the 1st Earl of Leicester, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
John;
Mary; Philippa; Margaret.

Sir William was succeeded by his son,

SIR WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM, Knight, of Milton and Gaynes Park Hall, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1620, in the dignity of Baron Fitzwilliam, of Lifford, County Donegal.

His lordship wedded Catherine, daughter of William Hyde, of Denchworth, Berkshire; and dying in 1644, was succeeded by his elder son,

WILLIAM, 2nd Baron (c1609-58), who espoused, in 1638, Jane, daughter and co-heir of Alderman Hugh Perry, of London, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Charles;
Jane, m Sir Christopher Wren, the celebrated architect.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

WILLIAM, 3rd Baron (1643-1719), who was advanced, in 1716, to the dignities of Viscount Milton, County Westmeath, and EARL FITZWILLIAM, of County Tyrone.

His lordship married Anne, daughter and sole heir of Edmund Cremor, of West Winch, Norfolk, by whom he had four sons and six daughters.

He was succeeded by his third, but eldest surviving son,

JOHN, 2nd Earl (1681-1728), who wedded Anne, daughter and sole heir of John Stringer, of Sutton-cum-Lound, Nottinghamshire, and left, with three daughters, a son and successor,

WILLIAM, 3rd Earl (1719-56), then a minor, who was, in 1742, enrolled amongst the peers of Great Britain, by GEORGE II, by the style and title of Lord Fitzwilliam, Baron Milton, in Northamptonshire.

His lordship was advanced, in 1746, to the dignities of Viscount Milton and EARL FITZWILLIAM, in the same county.

He espoused, in 1744, the Lady Anne Watson-Wentworth, eldest daughter of Thomas, Marquess of Rockingham, and sister and co-heir of Charles, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, by whom he had issue,

WILLIAM, his successor;
Charlotte; Frances Henrietta.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM, 4th Earl (1748-1833), Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for a very short period, in 1795, who married firstly, in 1770, the Lady Charlotte Ponsonby, second daughter of William, 2nd Earl of Bessborough, by whom he had an only child, CHARLES WILLIAM WENTWORTH, his heir.

Charles William, 5th Earl (1786-1857);
William Charles, Viscount Milton (1812-35);
William Thomas Spencer, 6th Earl (1815-1902);
William, Viscount Milton (1839-77);
William Charles de Meuron, 7th Earl (1872-1943);
(William Henry Lawrence) Peter, 8th Earl (1910-48);
Eric Spencer, 9th Earl (1883-1952);
William Thomas George, 10th Earl (1904-79). 

The titles expired following the decease of the 10th and last Earl.

COOLLATTIN PARK, is near Shillelagh in County Wicklow.

The history of the Wentworth/Fitzwilliam families has been well documented, but what is less well known is the influence they had on the history of the kingdom of Ireland.

As well as the family seat of Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire (where they owned 22,000 acres in 1870), the Earls Fitzwilliam also resided at Malton House (later Coollattin House) in County Wicklow, from where they managed their vast estate.

Coollattin is now a golf club.

The 4th Earl built Coollattin House (it was originally called Malton, one of his grandfather’s titles as Earl of Malton).

The house was designed by the leading architect John Carr, who was also responsible for the grandiose “stable block” at Wentworth Woodhouse as well as the Keppel’s Column and Mausoleum monuments near Wentworth.

The building was started around 1794 but before completion it was burned down in a rebellion in 1798 (along with 160 other houses in the nearby village of Carnew and several Catholic churches).

Work resumed again in 1800 and the house was completed in 1807.

As well as rebuilding their house and the village, the Fitzwilliams contributed to the repairs of the Catholic churches and gave land for other churches (whilst other landlords would not even allow a Catholic church on their estate).

Throughout the family’s time in Ireland they did not take sides in the various Irish struggles through the centuries, and perhaps as a consequence their house was left untouched in the last dash for independence.

As well as undertaking building and agricultural projects, the 4th Earl was also the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for a short time in 1795.

In 2003, The Times newspaper wrote: 

When the 10th and last Earl died in 1979 the remnants of the huge Coollattin estate, for centuries the Irish seat of the Earls Fitzwilliam, was sold by the last Earl’s widow, Lady Juliet De Chairoff, and in the following years, it was broken up and sold on bit by bit.

In 1983, the sprawling Coollattin House, with its vast lands attached, was resold for €128,000. 

When the farm land value was removed, this amounted to just £8,000 for the house itself — which, with its 120-plus rooms, is still among the largest private houses in the country. 

In the same year the average price of a standard new home in Dublin was more than four times that, at £35,000.

In living memory, the once-grand Coollattin estate had spanned 88,000 acres, had 20,000 tenants and comprised one quarter of Co Wicklow. 

There has long been a rumour that the estate harboured a vast tunnel used by inhabitants of the house to escape to the lodge.

The estate began falling apart in 1948 when the last earl, Peter Fitzwilliam, was killed in a plane crash with JFK’s sister, Kathleen (Kick) Kennedy, with whom, it was speculated, he had been having an affair.

His estate tenants genuinely grieved. 

The Fitzwilliams had a history of being among the most liberal landlords in Ireland. 

They had paid tenants more, invested in their education and had worked hard to ensure that the built environment in their towns was above average.

When the Great Famine came, the Fitzwilliam family were at least decent enough to ship their excess tenants to America rather than simply turn them off the land as many landlords did. 

Thousands were sent abroad to start new lives in this manner.

Perhaps this was the reason Coollattin House survived the great burning sprees that erupted through and after the war of independence, when working classes took their revenge on the less benevolent owners of big house.

Former seats ~ Coollattin Park, County Wicklow; Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire; Milton Hall, Cambridgeshire.

Former town residence ~ 4 Grosvenor Square, London.

First published in July, 2011. 

Hillsborough Painting

Photo Credit ~ Historic Royal Palaces

Art UK is a marvellous resource.

I was searching for a painting recently and came across Hillsborough Guard with a Horse.

The artist is unknown.

In the background we can see the spire of the parish church and Hillsborough Fort.

The 210 foot spire of St Malachy's was erected in 1773.

First published in February, 2019.

Edermine House

THE POWER BARONETS, OF EDERMINE, WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WEXFORD, WITH 10,205 ACRES

JAMES POWER, an innkeeper, Proprietor of the New Sun Inn, 109, Thomas Street, Dublin, established a distillery for the production of whiskey at his premises in 1791.

The site selected by Mr Power was in the suburbs of Dublin, just outside the city walls, upon a plot of ground formerly known as the Friary Gardens of St John, adjacent to Wormwood (Ormond) Gate, the principal western entrance to the city, and was the property of the Countess of Charleville, by whom it was leased to James Power, by indenture bearing date 29th September, 1785.

James Power continued to extend the distillery until his death in 1817.

He was buried in St James's churchyard, Dublin.

Mr Power was succeeded by his son,

JOHN POWER JP DL (1771-1855), of Roebuck House, County Dublin, and Sampton, County Wexford, who married, in 1799, Mary, eldest daughter of Thomas Brenann, County Wexford, and had issue,

JAMES, his successor;
Mary; Catherine; Margaret; Elizabeth; Emily; Ellen.

Mr Power was created a baronet in 1841, designated of Edermine, County Wexford.

He was succeeded by his only son,

SIR JAMES POWER, 2nd Baronet, JP DL (1800-77), MP for County Wexford, 1835-47, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1849, Dublin City, 1859, who married, in 1843, Jane Anne Eliza, daughter and co-heiress of John Hyacinth Talbot DL MP, of Castle Talbot, County Wexford, and had issue,

JOHN TALBOT, his successor;
JAMES TALBOT, 5th Baronet;
THOMAS TALBOT, 6th Baronet;
Mary Jane; Gwendoline Anna Eliza; Francis Mary Ursula.

Sir James, Governor of the Bank of Ireland, Chairman, Dublin, Wicklow & Wexford Railway, and, for many years, Commissioner for Charitable Bequests in Ireland, was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN TALBOT POWER, 3rd Baronet, JP DL (1845-1901), of Edermine, County Wexford, MP for County Wexford, 1868-74, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1880, who espoused, in 1876, Frances Emma, daughter of Captain Henry Segrave, of Kiltymon, County Wicklow, and had issue,

JAMES DOUGLAS TALBOT, his successor;
Eileen Maréli.

Sir John was succeeded by his only son,

SIR JAMES DOUGLAS TALBOT POWER, 4th Baronet (1884-1914), of Edermine, Lieutenant, 3rd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his uncle,

SIR JAMES TALBOT POWER, 5th Baronet, DP DL (1851-1916), High Sheriff of County Dublin, 1906, who married, in 1877, Gertrude Frances, only child of Thomas Hayes, of Grenville House, Cork.

Sir James dsp 1916, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR THOMAS TALBOT POWER, 6th Baronet (1863-1930), who wedded, in 1884, Margaret, daughter of Thomas S Martin, of Beaufield, Stillorgan, County Dublin.

Sir Thomas died without issue, when the title expired.

THE last member of the Board of Power's whiskey with a family connection was Sir Thomas Talbot Power Bt.

Ownership remained in the family until 1966, when Power's joined with the only other remaining distillers in the Irish Republic, the Cork Distillers Company, and their Dublin rivals, John Jameson & Son, to form the Irish Distillers Group.

In 1989, Pernod-Ricard successfully bid for ownership of the Irish Distillers.

Photo credit:  The Rev Canon Patrick Comerford

EDERMINE HOUSE, near Enniscorthy, County Wexford, is a two-storey Italianate house, built about 1839 for the Power family.

It has an eaved roof on a bracket cornice and a three-bay front with a pillared porch.

There is a five-bay side elevation with a central Venetian window, recessed in a huge blind arch.

The interior is Grecian, with fluted Doric columns in the hall; paired Ionic columns and pilasters on the staircase landing.

A Gothic chapel was later built at one side of the house, to designs by Pugin, a family friend.

This chapel was originally free-standing, though was later joined to the house by an extension to the rear which includes a small Italianate campanile.

Photo credit:  The Rev Canon Patrick Comerford

Adjacent to the chapel is a splendid, early Victorian iron conservatory, joined to the chapel by a cast-iron veranda.

First published in February, 2013.

St Patrick's Day

The Princess of Wales presenting shamrock to the Irish Guards on St Patrick's Day, 2012. 

Her Royal Highness visited their barracks to meet officers and soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the regiment.

This tradition was maintained for many years by Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900-2002).

The Princess of Wales is Royal Colonel of the Irish Guards.

The royal tradition dates back to 1901, when Queen Alexandra asked for shamrocks to be presented to the newly-formed regiment.

The badge of the Irish Guards comprises a star, within which is a shamrock with three crowns on its leaves (the historic kingdoms of England, Ireland and Scotland), the shamrock being placed on a cross of St Patrick.

The centre is surrounded by a circle which bears the legend QUIS SEPARABIT - who shall separate - and the date MDCCLXXXIII (1783), the establishment of the MOST ILLUSTRIOUS ORDER OF ST PATRICK (KP).

House of Chichester

The surname of the house of DONEGALL was written Cirencester, and the family appears to have been one of the most eminent in Devon; quartering, according to Sir William Pole, in his manuscript survey of Devon, the arms of the Raleighs; the Beaumonts; the Willingtons; and many other noble families. JOHN CHICHESTER, during the reign of HENRY VI, married Thomasine, daughter and heir of Sir John de Raleigh, and acquired with her the estate of Raleigh, long the residence of the family.

Sixth in descent from Sir John was

EDWARD CHICHESTER (c1496-c1526), who wedded the Lady Elizabeth Bourchier, daughter of John, 1st Earl of Bath, and was father of

SIR JOHN CHICHESTER (c1520-68), of Great Torrington, Youlston and Raleigh, Devon, who, in the reign of ELIZABETH I, represented Barnstaple and Devon in Parliament.

He espoused Gertrude, daughter of Sir William Courtenay, of Powderham, and had issue,

John, ancestor of Sir Arthur Chichester Bt, of Raleigh;

Adrian, died unmarried in France;

John (Sir), Governor of Carrickfergus;

ARTHUR, of whom hereafter;

EDWARD, succeeded to his brother's estates.

The first of the family settled in Ireland was SIR ARTHUR CHICHESTER, Knight, a distinguished military officer.

This gentleman was the second son of Sir John Chichester, Knight, High Sheriff of Devon in 1550, MP for Devon, 1554 and 1563, by Gertrude, daughter of Sir William Courtenay, Knight, of Powderham Castle, Devon. 

In 1595, Sir Arthur commanded two hundred foot-soldiers at Carrickfergus; and at the end of November, in the following year, being garrisoned at that place, laid all the country waste within a circumference of twenty miles. 

In 1603, he was sworn of the privy council; and, in 1605, appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland. Sir Arthur, in consideration of his eminent services, military and civil, obtained considerable grants of land in the province of Ulster, and was elevated to the peerage, in 1612, in the dignity of Baron Chichester, of Belfast. 

His lordship continued in the government of Ireland for ten years successively, and was re-appointed in July, 1613; in which year the harp of Ireland was first marshalled with the arms of England; and thereafter continued to be impressed upon the coin of the realm. In 1615, he retired from his high office, and was appointed, in 1616, Lord High Treasurer of Ireland. 

His lordship chiefly resided at Carrickfergus, where he erected, in 1618, a magnificent mansion called Joymount. In 1622, he went as ambassador to the Palatinate, and thence to treat of a peace with the emperor. 

His lordship married Letitia, daughter of Sir John Perrott, sometime Lord Deputy of Ireland, and died in London in 1625, when leaving no issue, the barony expired, while his large estates devolved upon his brother,

SIR EDWARD CHICHESTER (1568-1648), in whose favour the dignity was revived, in 1625, with the additional honour of Viscount Chichester, of Carrickfergus.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son, 

ARTHUR, 2nd Viscount (1606-75), MP for County Antrim in 1630, who, in consideration of his eminent services against the rebels, when Colonel Chichester, and at the express solicitation of the Marquess of Ormonde, had been elevated to the peerage as EARL OF DONEGALL.

His lordship was one of the four hostages sent by Lord Ormonde, in 1647, to the English parliament, as surety for the delivery of Dublin to their commissioners.

After the Restoration, he was Governor of Carrickfergus.

Having had no issue from his marriages, the 1st Earl died in 1675, when his honours devolved upon his nephew,  

ARTHUR, 2nd Earl, who married Jane, daughter of John Itchingham, of Dunbrody, County Wexford, and was succeeded upon his death, in 1678, by his eldest son,

ARTHUR, 3rd Earl (1666-1706), who, having distinguished himself in the military service of his own country, was appointed, by the Prince of Hesse, in 1704, major-general of the Spanish forces; and fell, in 1706, at Fort Montjuich.

His lordship's second wife was the Lady Catherine Forbes; and by this lady he had two sons and six daughters; three of the latter, Jane, Frances and Henrietta, were unfortunately burnt to death in Belfast Castle, consumed by the carelessness of a servant.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

ARTHUR, 4th Earl (1695-1757); upon whose demise without issue, the honours devolved upon his nephew,

ARTHUR, 5th Earl (1739-99), who was created, in 1790, Baron Fisherwick, of Staffordshire.

His lordship was advanced, in 1791, to the dignities of Earl of Belfast and MARQUESS OF DONEGALL.

• Arthur Chichester, 1st Marquess (1739–99);
• George Augustus Chichester, 2nd Marquess (1769–1844);
• George Hamilton Chichester, 3rd Marquess (1797–1883);
• Edward Chichester, 4th Marquess (1799–1889);
• George Augustus Hamilton Chichester, 5th Marquess (1822–1904);
• Edward Arthur Donald St George Hamilton Chichester, 6th Marquess (1903-75);
• Dermot Richard Claud Chichester, 7th Marquess (1916–2007);
• Arthur Patrick Chichester, 8th Marquess (b 1952).

The heir apparent is the present holder's only son James Arthur Chichester, styled Earl of Belfast (b 1990).

The seats of the 2nd Marquess were Ormeau and Hay Park, County Down, and Fisherwick Lodge, County Antrim.

First published in January, 2012.

New Vice Lord-Lieutenant

APPOINTMENT OF VICE LORD-LIEUTENANT

Mr Ian Crowe MBE, Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Londonderry, with the approval of His Majesty The King, has been pleased to appoint:-

Mr Alan John Lindsay Moore OBE TD DL
Londonderry
County Londonderry

Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the said County Borough, his Commission bearing date the 7th day of March, 2023

Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough

Belvedere House

THE EARLS OF BELVEDERE WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WESTMEATH, WITH 9,059 ACRES

The ancient and noble family of ROCHFORT, in old deed and writings styled De Rupe Forti, is stated to have been established in Ireland since its first conquest by the English. Sir Richard de Rochfort was Lord of Crom and Adare, 1243.

Sir Maurice Rochfort was Lord Justice of Ireland, 1302. His son, Sir William, was father of Edmund Rochfort, whose son, Sir John, lord of Tristledelan, 1384, was father of John, who became settled at Kilbride, County Meath, in 1415, and was father of Thomas, whose son, Robert of Kilbride, 1464 and 1472, was father of Christopher of Kilbride, lord of Castledelan, who was succeeded by his son Robert, who was living at Kilbride in 1569.

This Robert Rochfort's second son, Walter, was seated at Brennanstown, and died in 1630.

Walter Rochfort's second son, James Rochfort, of Aughrim, County Wicklow, had a second son,

JAMES ROCHFORT, named Prime-iron, Lieutenant-Colonel in CROMWELL's army, youngest son of James Rochfort, of Agherry, County Wicklow (ninth in descent from Sir William Rochford, Lord of the Manor of Killadoon at the beginning of the 14th century), was executed, under a court-martial, for killing Major Turner in a duel in 1652.

By Thomasine his wife, daughter of Colonel Sir Robert Piggott, he left three daughters and two sons, of whom the youngest,

ROBERT ROCHFORT (1652-1727),  MP for Westmeath, 1692-1707, chosen Speaker of the Irish house of commons, 1695, Chief Baron of the Exchequer, 1707, wedded Hannah, daughter of William Handcock MP, of Twyford, County Westmeath, and left two sons, the elder of whom,

THE RT HON GEORGE ROCHFORT, MP for Westmeath, 1707-13, Chief Chamberlain of the Court of Exchequer, wedded, in 1704, the Lady Elizabeth Moore, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Drogheda, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
Arthur, MP for Westmeath, 1738;
George;
John;
William;
Mary; Hannah; Elizabeth; Alice; Thomasina; Anne.

The eldest son,

ROBERT ROCHFORT (1708-74), MP for Westmeath, 1731, married, in 1736, Mary, eldest daughter of Richard, 3rd Viscount Molesworth, and had issue,

GEORGE, his heir;
Richard;
Robert, MP;
Jane.

Mr Rochfort was elevated to the peerage, in 1737, in the dignity of Baron Bellfield; and advanced to a viscountcy, in 1751, as Viscount Bellfield.

His lordship was further advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1756, as EARL OF BELVEDERE.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

GEORGE, 2nd Earl (1738-1814), MP for Westmeath, 1761-8, who married firstly, in 1775, Dorothea, second daughter of John Bloomfield, of Redwood; and secondly, in 1803,  Jane, daughter of the Rev James Mackay.

The 2nd Earl died without issue, in 1814, when the titles became extinct.

BELVEDERE HOUSE, near Mullingar, County Westmeath, is an exquisite villa of about 1740, by Richard Castle, on the shores of Lough Ennell.

It was built for Robert Rochfort, 1st Earl of Belvedere, whose original seat was Gaulston, about five miles away.

The house comprises two storeys over a basement; a long frontage; and curved end bows.

The front has a three-bay recessed centre between projecting end bays.

Belvedere itself has only a few rooms, though they are well-proportioned, with rococo ceilings on the ground floor of exceptional quality, including cherubim gazing down from the clouds.

Belvedere House passed, by inheritance, to the Marlay family; thence to Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury DSO JP DL, leader of the 1921 Mount Everest expedition.

In the period following the 2nd World War, Colonel Howard-Bury restored the house and gardens.

He never married and, on his death in 1963, the estate was inherited by Rex Beaumont, who had been Howard-Bury's friend and companion for 30 years.

Mr Beaumont sold the estate to Westmeath County Council in 1982.

Following a multi-million pound restoration the house and gardens have been opened to visitors.

Belvedere also hosts weekend music festivals and intimate garden theatre performances.

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