The Williams-Bulkeley Baronets

THE WILLIAMS-BULKELEY BARONETS OWNED 16,516 ACRES IN THE COUNTY OF ANGLESEY

This eminent family, in common with the Royal House of TUDOR and other distinguished lines derives from EDNYFED FYCHAN (c1170-1246), Chief Minister of Llewelyn the Great. William ap Griffith, of Cochwillan, Caernarvonshire, tenth in descent, assisted HENRY VII at Bosworth. His son, William Williams, of Cochwillan, was the first of the family who assumed the name of WILLIAMS.

William Williams' great-great-grandson,

SIR GRIFFITH WILLIAMS, of Penrhyn, Carnarvonshire (who succeeded to the estates of his uncle, the Rt Hon and Most Rev Dr John Williams, Lord Archbishop of York, 1641-6), was created a baronet in 1661, designated of Penrhyn, Caernarvonshire.

Sir Griffith's great-great-grandson,

SIR ROBERT WILLIAMS, 9th Baronet (1764-1830), married, in 1799, Anne, daughter of the Rev Edward Hughes, and had issue,

RICHARD, his successor;

Robert Griffith;

Arthur Wellesley;

Harriet Georgina; Emma; Anne Susanna; Charlotte Jemima; Eliza Martha; Selina Mary; Amelia Jane.

Sir Robert was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD WILLIAMS-BULKELEY, 10th Baronet (1801-75), who assumed, in 1827, the additional surname of BULKELEY; having inherited, in 1822, the property of Thomas James, 7th Viscount Bulkeley.

He married firstly, in 1828, Charlotte Mary, daughter of William Lewis Hughes, 1st Baron Dinorben, but had no issue; and secondly, in 1832, Maria Frances, daughter of Sir Thomas Stanley-Massey-Stanley Bt, and had issue,

RICHARD LEWIS MOSTYN, his successor;

Robert Stanley;

Thomas James;

Charles William.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD LEWIS MOSTYN WILLIAMS-BULKELEY, 11th Baronet (1833-84), who wedded firstly, in 1857, Mary Emily, daughter of Major Henry Bingham Baring, and had issue,

RICHARD HENRY, his successor.

He espoused secondly, in 1866, Margaret Elizabeth Peers, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Peers Williams, and had further issue,

Bridget Henrietta Frances.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his only son,

SIR RICHARD HENRY WILLIAMS-BULKELEY, 12th Baronet (1862-1942), KCB VD JP, High Sheriff of Anglesey, 1887, Lord-Lieutenant of Anglesey, 1896, who wedded, in 1885, the Lady Magdalen Yorke, daughter of Charles, 5th Earl of Hardwicke, and had issue,

RICHARD GERARD WELLESLEY, his successor;

Generis Alma Windham; Æira Helen; Siriol Penelope Diana Katherine.

Sir Richard's only son,

RICHARD GERARD WELLESLEY WILLIAMS-BULKELEY MC (1887-1918), Major, Welsh Guards, married, in 1909, Victoria Alexandrina Stella, daughter of the Hon Sir Henry Charles Legge, and had issue,

RICHARD HARRY DAVID, his successor;

David;

Victoria Sylvia Jane.

Major Williams-Bulkeley was killed in action, 1918, when the baronetcy devolved upon his elder son,

SIR RICHARD HARRY DAVID WILLIAMS-BULKELEY, 13th Baronet (1911-92), TD JP, Lord-Lieutenant of Anglesey, 1947-73, Gwynedd, 1974-92, who wedded, in 1938, Renée Arundel, daughter of Sir Thomas Lewis Hughes Neave Bt, and had issue,

RICHARD THOMAS, his successor;

Michael.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR RICHARD THOMAS WILLIAMS-BULKELEY, 14th Baronet (1939-), DL, High Sheriff of Gwynedd, 1993, who married, in 1964, Sarah Susan, daughter of Sir Henry Josceline Phillimore, and has issue,

RICHARD HUGH (Major, Welsh Guards), born in 1968;

Harry David, born in 1968;

Victoria Mary, born in 1973.

(Image: 28 Days Later)

BARON HILL, Beaumaris, Anglesey, is mainly a two-storey Georgian mansion.

Its south front rendered with stucco.

The five-bay eastern elevation comprises a central projection with a segmental bowed front, a recessed bay either side of this, and semi-octagonal projections at the corners.

The western front has a central porch with four Tuscan columns, with flanking bays projecting slightly, and two further projecting bays at the ends.

There is a balustraded parapet in the central sections of the eastern and western elevations, and also below some of the first floor windows.

The estate, named after the hill on which it stands, was established in 1618 by Sir Richard Bulkeley, as the seat of the influential Bulkeley family, who were originally from Cheshire, until William Bulkeley was appointed Deputy Constable of Beaumaris Castle.

This William Bulkeley married one of the daughters of Gwilym ap Gruffydd ap Gwylim, and began to accumulate land and public offices, which eventually lead to the Bulkeley family becoming the biggest landowners in Anglesey.

The mansion house was begun in 1618 during the reign of JAMES I, and was re-modelled in the Neo-Palladian style in 1776.

EDWARD VII visited Baron Hill and had tea on the terrace in 1907.

Shortly thereafter, during the 1st World War, death duties caused the family fortune to collapse, and made it practically impossible for the family to continue to maintain the house.

They were subsequently obliged to move into more modest accommodation (Red Hill) nearby.

Baron Hill was consequently used for storage until the beginning of the 2nd World War, when it was converted into a billet for Polish soldiers.

It is said that Baron Hill was so cold at night that the Poles burnt down part of the building in the hope that they would be transferred to warmer accommodation.

The estate today contains a golf course, and there have been plans to convert Baron Hill into de luxe apartments.

First published in March, 2021.

Farragh House

THE BONDS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LONGFORD, WITH 6,574 ACRES

EPHRAIM BOND, from Yorkshire, settled in the city of Londonderry about 1650, and acquired a considerable property by commercial pursuits there.

He married Miss Dewin, and had two sons,

WILLIAM, his heir;
John, of County Londonderry.

The elder son,  

WILLIAM BOND, of Glenlough, County Londonderry, was father of,

JAMES BOND, of Glenlough, who married Miss Burns, and had five sons, viz,

William;
JAMES;
Oliver;
Thomas;
Saint.

The second son,

THE REV JAMES BOND (-1762), a Presbyterian minister, of Corboy, County Longford, espoused Catherine, daughter of the Rev Thomas Wensley, of Lifford, County Donegal, and had, with four daughters, as many sons, viz.

Wensley (Very Rev), Dean of Ross;
James (Sir), 1st Baronet, of Coolamber;
WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Thomas.

The third son,

WILLIAM BOND (-1811), of Edgeworthstown, County Longford, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1794, married Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander Perry, and had issue,

James Wensley, 1822-43;
Alexander Perry;
Thomas;
WILLOUGHBY, of whom we treat.

The youngest son,

WILLOUGHBY BOND JP DL (1790-1875), of Farragh, County Longford, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1832, wedded, in 1829, Alicia Sidney, daughter of William Gosselin, of Abbey Derg, County Longford, and had issue,

William Wensley, 1834-54;
JAMES WILLOUGHBY, his heir;
Sidney Margaret.

The only surviving son,

JAMES WILLOUGHBY BOND JP DL (1837-1918), of Farragh, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1870, espoused, in 1864, Emma Georgiana Charlotte, daughter of William Hunter Little, DL, of Llanvair Grange, Monmouthshire, and had issue,

WILLOUGHBY JAMES, his heir;
Wensley Hunter, b 1876;
Georgiana Sidney; Henrietta Letitia; Alicia Mabel; Ethel Emma Louisa.

The eldest son,

WILLOUGHBY JAMES BOND JP DL (1867-1942), of Farragh, High Sheriff of County Longford, 1905, married, in 1892, Mary Rosa Kerr, daughter of Captain William Bond, of Newtown Bond, County Longford, and had issue,

BRIAN WILLOUGHBY, of Farragh;
Francis Willoughby, 1901-53;
Mary Hunter; Kathleen Sidney.

FARRAGH, or Farraghroe House, was originally a shooting-box, though considerably enlarged by Willoughby Bond between 1811-33, the architect being Hargrave of Cork.

Additions were also made during the Victorian era.

The entrance front comprises three storeys and five bays; Wyatt windows in the centre above a pillared porch.

The side elevation was of two storeys and three bays framed by huge, plain pilasters.

There was a large, two-storey central hall with a gallery; stained-glass incorporated the Bond family motto, Deus Providebit.

Farragh was sold ca 1960 by Mr Brian Willoughby Bond (1894-1963) and subsequently demolished.

First published in March, 2012.

Wilmont House

THE BRISTOWS OWNED 124 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

WILMONT HOUSE, Dunmurry, is located on Upper Malone Road in south Belfast.

It is a plain two-storey Victorian house, built in 1859, with a three-bay front and a balustraded porch.

There is a lower wing, ending with the wing as high as the main block.

The adjoining front has a central curved bow and one bay on either side; and camber-headed windows in the upper storey of the main block.

North Elevation with Porch; Bow on the West Elevation
(Image: Timothy Ferres)

The roof is eaved on a bracket cornice.

There is a good article here about Wilmont's history.

The estate was formed in the mid-18th century by William Stewart, a member of a family which had come from Scotland, over a century before, to neighbouring Ballydrain.

The Stewarts were prominent farmers.

It is recorded that carrots, on a field scale, were grown at Wilmont in the early 1800s - a novel crop in those days - and that one of the early threshing machines was erected on the Wilmont Farm in 1811. There was a bleach-green on the property until 1815.

Bleach-greens, common features of the Lagan Valley during the 18th and 19th centuries, consisted of grass areas where long strips of brown linen were pegged out to bleach in natural light.

The original house, which stood on the site of the present-day barbecue area, dated back to 1740 and was replaced by the present red-bricked house in 1859.

South Elevation (Image: Timothy Ferres)

This house was designed by Thomas Jackson (1807-90), one of Belfast`s most notable Victorian architects.

Wilmont House is typical of Jackson's domestic designs, sensibly and comfortably planned, undemonstrative in an age when many buildings were excessively ornate, and providing a composition entirely suiting the situation.

One unusual feature of the house is the false window which has been painted on the brickwork above the porch to balance the facade composition.

North Elevation (Image: Timothy Ferres)

In the 19th century, Wilmont was inhabited by the Bristow family, influential bankers who were descendants of the Rev William Bristow, Sovereign (mayor) of Belfast between 1786 and 1798.

A distinctive carved stone roundel adjacent to the entrance bears the initials ‘JB’ for James Bristow.

(Image: Timothy Ferres)

The Bristows sold Wilmont to Robert Henry Sturrock Reade, JP, DL (1837-1913) in 1879.

His son, George Reade, subsequently sold the house to Sir Thomas Dixon Bt.

Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon purchased Wilmont demesne in 1919.

Wilmont was one of three homes belonging to the Dixons, the others being Drumadarragh and Cairndhu, both in County Antrim.

The Dixons were a highly respected and illustrious couple.

Sir Thomas, 2nd Baronet, born in Groomsport, County Down in 1868, was the eldest son of Sir Daniel Dixon, Bt.

Both Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon had distinguished public careers: From 1939-41 they served as first Mayor and Mayoress of Larne, and were great benefactors to the Borough.

In 1935, they donated Dixon Park to Larne Borough Council as a gift, together with £500 for the provision of music in the park.

Cairndhu was donated to the Hospitals Authority, for use as a convalescent home.

In 1957, Lady Dixon presented the Mayoress's chain of office to Larne Borough Council; and in 1964, robes, to be worn by Aldermen, Councillors and Mace Bearer.

In the early 1960s, Lady Dixon donated £10,000 towards the cost of converting and renovating the former technical college into Council Offices.

They are now known as Sir Thomas Dixon Buildings.

Sir Thomas died at Harrowgate in 1950. Lady Dixon, who was appointed DBE after the 1st World War in recognition of her service to HM Forces, died in 1964. 

A year before her death, in 1963, Wilmont demesne was officially handed over to Belfast Corporation.

(Image: Belfast Telegraph)

The house, according to her wishes, was shortly afterwards opened as a home for the elderly; while the grounds, at her behest, were opened to the public.

The present park, named after its benefactors, consists of 134 acres and has been the venue for the City of Belfast International Rose Trials since 1964.

Over the years, it has become one of the most popular parkland areas in the city of Belfast.

Many distinguished visitors have stayed at Wilmont House in the past: Captain Scott, the famous Antarctic explorer, was a guest, during his visit to Belfast in 1904.

In 1934, the house became the temporary residence of His Excellency the Governor of Northern Ireland when Government House, Hillsborough, was damaged by fire on 7th August of that year.

The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Earl of Ulster, was a guest in 1935, during Sir Thomas's period as Lord-Lieutenant. 

During World war II, the house served as the Northern Ireland headquarters of the United States Army.

The property, as already mentioned, was given to Belfast Corporation by Lady Dixon in 1963.

Lady Dixon had given her home and demesne of 140 acres to the City of Belfast "for the greatest good of the citizens of the City."

She continued to live in her home, and when Lady Dixon died, in 1964, Wilmont became a nursing home.

The nursing home closed its doors in 1992; and thereafter it was used for occasional events and as offices for council staff.

Since 2013 Wilmont has lain derelict and forlorn.

***** 

The 134 acres formed part of a demesne founded in the 18th century for a house of 1740, which is now gone.

The grounds retain many features from the gardens for this house and many subsequent developments added by Belfast City Council.

There are fine mature trees in undulating woodland and parkland, with the River Lagan adding interest.

A large part of the park contains the International Rose Trial grounds, set up in 1964 and remodelled from the late 1980s. 

Judging takes place over a long period but the highlight is Rose Week, which has been marked every year in July since 1975.

Camellia trials have taken place since 1981. 

A Japanese Garden was added in 1991.

The walled gardens have been redesigned from their traditional layout and contain interesting plant material.

There are also remains from former times: for example, an ice house; gate lodge; stable block; and a yew walk.

The recreational facilities take the form of picnic benches, children’s playground, lawns, good planting, band concerts, café and shop. 

This is not a park designated for organised sports, though part of the original holding is now a private golf course.

First published August, 2010.

Bushmills Miscellany

The Diamond, Bushmills, pre-1921

Bushmills in County Antrim is one of my favourite villages in Northern Ireland.

It stands on the River Bush, about two miles south of the Giant's Causeway, eight miles north-east of Coleraine, and almost sixty miles north by west of Belfast.

The Macnaghten Baronets, who lived at their seat, DUNDARAVE, were the landlords of Bushmills, and did much to improve the village.

It contains a commodious hotel, viz. the Bushmills Inn; and a large and well-known distillery.

The village used to have a court-house (the building remains); a small factory for spades and shovels, paper and flour mills.

The principal residences are Dundarave House, in its extensive demesne; BENVARDEN; BEARDIVILLE; and SEAPORT LODGE, in Portballintrae.

The following photographs were taken in 2014.

Former premises of Causeway Books

My first port-of-call was the former second-hand and antiquarian bookshop, which, alas, closed down in the autumn of 2013.

I always enjoyed a good browse here and looked forward to my visits.

The erstwhile proprietor had been good enough to suggest two other sources in the vicinity, one of which is in Society Street, Coleraine (almost opposite the parish church on the main street).

The owner's son, James, now owns the Coleraine shop.

The Old Courthouse in 2014

The former courthouse in Main Street, with its distinctive portico, was built in 1834 by the Macnaghten family, of Dundarave, to serve as a petty sessions court and as a symbol of authority in the area.

The building contained a courtroom and cells, with apartments above for the police.

It served as a petty session court well into the first half of the 20th century, when it became a private residence.

*****

The former National School, of 1842, has lain derelict for many years.

Bushmills National School in 2014

This fine old building is yearning for a sympathetic new owner to restore its fabric and historic character.

In March, 2014, the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment (DoE) served an Urgent Works Notice on the agent for the owner.

The old school is a listed building, built as part of a nationwide initiative launched in 1830 by Edwin Stanley, Chief Secretary for Ireland and later Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

It's  a dignified and well proportioned building of two storeys.

The front elevation has a central projection which is carried up to a pediment and has a distinctive use of a double chimney as a terminating feature.

Built in random rubble with the quoins, hood mouldings, cornice, chimneys and ornamental details all in dressed stone, the building has a pleasing civic quality and could make a valuable contribution to the town if brought back into use.

First published in June, 2014.

Desmond Castle

THE EARLS OF DEVON WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LIMERICK, WITH 33,026 ACRES

 

The COURTENAYS, one of the most illustrious races amongst the English nobility, deduce their paternal descent from ATHON DE COURTENAY, who sprang himself from PHARAMOND, founder of the French monarchy in 1420, and common patriarch of all the Kings of France. This ATHON having fortified, during the reign of ROBERT the Wise, the town of COURTENAY, in the Île-de-France, thence assumed his surname. 

WILLIAM COURTENAY, de jure 3rd Earl of Devon (1553-1630), High Sheriff of Devon, 1581; who, in 1585, was one of the undertakers to send over settlers for the better planting of Ireland, and thus laid the foundation of the prodigious estate in that kingdom enjoyed by his posterity.

Sir William married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry, 2nd Earl of Rutland, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

FRANCIS, de jure 4th Earl ((1576-1638), of Powderham Castle, Devon, who was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM, de jure 5th Earl (1628-1702).

IN THE late 16th century, the vast estates of the Earl of Desmond were forfeited by the Crown.

The Castle, Newcastle West, County Limerick, and a large amount of surrounding land, was granted to Sir William Courtenay, de jure 3rd Earl of Devon, of Powderham, Devon, in 1591.

The Courtenays, Earls of Devon, still live at Powderham Castle in Kent.

Sir William was a staunch Roman Catholic and suffered persecution for his beliefs.

His son George might even have practised his faith in secret.

Their home was reputed to have had a room in which priests were hidden.

Courtenay was denounced in the House of Commons as a "papist recusant" in 1624.

In December, 1641, disturbances broke out in Newcastle West and the castle was burned down.

It is unlikely that anybody lived in the castle after that time.

The old castle house, which was adjacent to the castle and where the agents for the Courtenays lived, was probably built around 1700.

This house was burnt during the Irish civil war in 1922.

In time the Courtenays were to become the largest landlords in County Limerick, owning up to 85,000 acres in the south-west of the county; the remaining lands of Newcastle West and the surrounding countryside were known as the Devon Estate until the first years of the 20th century.

In 1908, under the 1903 Land Act, practically all the lands of the Devon Estate were sold.

The town of Newcastle West itself was sold in 1910.

The last agents on the Courtenays in Newcastle West were the Curling family.

They were agents from 1848 until the decimation and sale of the Estate.

After the break up of the estate, they bought the castle building and some of the surrounding land from Lord Devon.

The last Curling, Richard, died in 1943.

In 1944 his house house and the castle grounds were sold.

It is believed that the Castle, known as the Desmond Banqueting Hall and Castle, is now state-owned.

First published in May, 2011.

Tynan

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

TYNAN, a parish, partly in the barony of Armagh, but chiefly in that of Tiranny, County Armagh.

The barony of Armagh section contains the village of Killylea; and the Tiranny section contains the villages of Tynan and Middletown.

The parish contains 17,646 statute acres, whereof 80¾ are under water, being the small lakes of Nelligan, Hanslough, and Kiltubbrid, which discharge their superfluous waters into Glaslough, County Monaghan.

The quoad sacra parish of Tynan is exclusive of the perpetual curacy of Killylea.

The surface of the quoad civilia parish extends along the western margin of the county, from the vicinity of Archfield House on the south to a point on the river Blackwater 2¼ miles below Caledon Bridge on the north.

It is traversed, over nearly three-quarters of its length, from the northern extremity southward, along the west, by the Ulster Canal; and, in a general view, it consists of good land, and possesses a very considerable aggregate of demesne ground and pleasant scenery.

The southern part of the eastern district was formerly in a half-waste condition, but is now improved and almost wholly profitable.

The lands on one side of the village of Middletown are low, flat, and marshy; but those on the other side are hilly and tolerably good.

The land around the village of Tynan, and eastward thence towards Armagh, possesses a fertile limestone soil, and presents a comparative profusion of wood and other decoration.

The lands of the parish are divided among several proprietors in fee: ten townlands belong to the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin; eight to the trustees of Bishop Sterne's charities [John Sterne, Bishop of Clogher]; and the remainder to Lord Gosford, Lord Caledon, SIR JAMES STRONGE Bt, and several others.

The circumstance of a great number of resident gentlemen spending their incomes in the improvement of their property and in the diffusion of comfort and useful information throughout the district, has tended much to the prosperity of all classes , the existence of which is apparent in the highly improved culture of the land, the exterior of the farmhouses and cottages, and the general appearance and demeanour of the population.

The most remarkable seats are TYNAN ABBEY, the handsome seat of the Stronge Baronets, ¾ of a mile south-west of the village of Tynan; FELLOWS HALL; Woodpark, of the ST GEORGE family; Mount Irwin, of the Irwins; Bondville; Ashford; Portnelligan; and DARTAN.

The principal antiquities, additional to those at the villages, are the ruins of Ardconnell Castle, on the western border, 1 mile south-west of Middletown; and the ruins of another castle, 4 miles south of Killylea.

The roads from Caledon and Monaghan to Armagh pass across the interior.

This parish is a rectory, a prebend, and a separate benefice, in the diocese of Armagh.

One of the schools, at Enagh, was partly supported by the Rector; one, at Derryane, was partly supported by subscription.

In 1843, a national school at the village of Tynan had on its books 75 boys and 26 girls.

Tynan, 1922 (Image: Belfast Telegraph)

TYNAN is in the parish of Tynan, barony of Tiranny, County Armagh.

"This town, which is situated on an eminence," says Sir Charles Coote, in his Statistical Survey of the County of Armagh, "is inconsiderable as the number or neatness of its houses; but it has an excellent church with a handsome steeple."

"Without the churchyard is a relic of antiquity, an oblong stone of about 18 inches square and 4 feet long, set upon a large block stone, and capped with another, which is square, having its faces concaved, and this covered with a smaller stone."

"I could not discover any characters on this relic."

"The oblong stone is divided into square compartments, and had the vestige of some sculpture - probably a cross had formerly crowned it; it is, however, certain, that it has been mutilated."

"The ruins of an antique castle are situated about 1 mile from this town."

The village contains a Roman Catholic chapel, two schools, a post-office, a dispensary, a small sessions house, and a constabulary barrack.

HERE was formerly an extensive forest, known by the name of the Bondville wood, consisting chiefly of oak, ash, and fir, and extending over several hundred acres; but it was all cut away during a period in which the estate was under litigation.

The Ulster Canal, connecting loughs Neagh and Erne, passes through the parish.

First published in April, 2021.

Hollymount Visit

The Lakeside Inn, with the old mill in the distance (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

During May, 2021, I visited BALLYDUGAN, a delightful place several miles from Downpatrick, County Down.

Ballydugan is one of those unspoiled spots deep in the countryside, where old barns and disused railway lines abound with ivy; wildlife thrives; and the main feature, beautiful Ballydugan Lake, is the centre of attraction.

It is mentioned briefly in the Topographical Dictionary: 

About two miles from the town is the beautiful lake of Ballydugan ; and near it is Ballydugan House, memorable as the residence of Col. White, who was murdered, and the mansion burnt in the war of 1641.

I have visited this place many times, and usually park at a little carpark beside the lake and adjacent to the inn.

Across the road there is the old mill, a large building now transformed into a hotel or guesthouse.

Carpark beside Ballydugan Lake (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

I'd brought a packed lunch with me, intending to park at the lakeside car-park, though it was closed, so instead I managed to tuck my car into a space outside the park.

The LAKESIDE INN was closed.

It was a glorious sunny day, and one of my plans was to seek the historic Hollymount Demesne.

It's not easy to find. In fact, it doesn't even feature in my old OS one-inch map of South Down, though I knew that it was at Hollymount National Nature Reserve.

While I was walking along the country road in the vicinity, a farmer approached in his tractor, so I flagged him down and inquired about it.

Fortunately he was friendly and helpful, and explained how to get to Hollymount.

Hollymount is an old, overgrown, unspoiled 17th or 18th century demesne; bluebells and wild garlic thrive here, with some very old parkland trees.

Ballydugan Medieval Settlement (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

En route I encountered a lady with her two children, picking wild garlic for the open day at Ballydugan Medieval Settlement, a "living history" Viking village beside Ballydugan Lake.

Eventually I emerged at what I assumed were the remains of the old mansion house, though I now know that I'd encountered the farmyard, which stands a bit north of the house.

Hollymount Farmyard (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

These buildings are dilapidated, ruinous, overgrown and barely discernible from a distance; interesting, nevertheless.

I'll return to Hollymount another day to find and explore what's left of the house.

A view of Hollymount in the road to Downpatrick: A sketch by Mrs Delany, 1745

A view of Hollymount in the road to Downpatrick: A sketch by Mrs Delany, 1745

I do wonder why the demesne was abandoned by the Prices in favour of Saintfield Demesne.

Incidentally, Hollymount House features in J A K Dean's Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland.

Hollymount Demesne ca 1830 (Click to Enlarge)

After lunch I wandered off in the other direction, towards Ballydugan Cottages at the opposite side of the lake.

The Edgington Windbreaker (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

What a lovely day it was. during the drive home I stopped off at Quoile Countryside Centre for a short walk to Steamboat Quay.

First published in May, 2021.

Royal Visit NI

The King and Queen this afternoon arrived at Belfast City Airport and were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast (Dame Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle DBE).

Their Majesties drove to the Coronation Garden in Hazelbank Park, Shore Road, Newtownabbey, and were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim (Mr. David McCorkell), the Garden Designer (Mr. Diarmuid Gavin) and the Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey (Alderman Stephen Ross).

The King, escorted by the Mayor, and The Queen, escorted by the Chief Executive of Antrim and Newtownabbey Council (Mrs. Jacqueline Dixon), toured the Garden, meeting the design, construction and gardening teams, and viewing the Coronation Robe Project and the Coronation Microgreens Horticulture Project.

Their Majesties met representatives from the local community and officially opened the Coronation Garden.

The King and Queen afterwards drove to Hillsborough Castle and were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of County Down (Mr. Gawn Rowan-Hamilton) and the Chief Executive of Historic Royal Palaces (Mr. John Barnes).

Their Majesties met Mrs. Catherine Roulston (Principal of Blythefield Primary School) and pupils from the School who contributed to a winning entry of the School Coronation Bench Competition.

The Rt Hon. Christopher Heaton-Harris MP (Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) was received in audience by The King at Hillsborough Castle.

The King and Queen later attended an Afternoon Party in the garden of Hillsborough Castle.

THURSDAY, 27TH MAY.

The King this morning visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, and was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of County Armagh (the Earl of Caledon KCVO) and the Dean (the Very Rev Shane Forster).

His Majesty met Church Leaders and representatives of the parish, community and youth work.

The King and Queen afterwards visited the Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre, Market Street, Armagh, for a Celebration of Culture and were received by the Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (Councillor Paul Greenfield) and the Chief Executive of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (Mr. Roger Wilson).

His Majesty met representatives of The Prince's Trust and The Prince's Foundation whilst Her Majesty met members of the Knit and Natter group and the Community Intercultural Programme group, before The King and Queen met local food artisans and viewed a performance on the stage.

Their Majesties this afternoon visited the Coronation Community and Heritage Celebration at Enniskillen Castle and were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of County Fermanagh (the Viscount Brookeborough KG).

The King and Queen posted letters in the Kindness Postbox before visiting the Big Coronation Lunch.

His Majesty subsequently met groups of Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards at the Volunteer and Community Village, before The King and Queen viewed a performance of local Irish and Scottish dancers.

Their Majesties afterwards viewed activities taking place on Lough Erne from Broadmeadow, met members of the local community and viewed a display of Fermanagh's farming heritage.

The Queen this morning visited Armagh Robinson Library, Abbey Street, Armagh.

Drumlease House

 THE WYNNES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LEITRIM, WITH 15,436 ACRES

This family claims descent from a distinguished chieftain of the 12th century, Rhirid Flaidd, Lord of Penrhyn, Merionethshire, within the ancient kingdom of Powys, who took the surname of Blaidd, or the wolf, from his maternal ancestor, Blaidd Rhudd, or the Bloody Wolf, Lord of Gest, near Penmorfa, Gwynedd, whose standard bore a wolf passant on an azure ground.

LEWIS GWYNNE AP CADWALLADER AP RYDDERCA AP DAVID, of Bala, wedded Sidney, daughter of Robert Wynne, of Maesmochnant, Denbighshire (of the Gwydir family), and had issue,

OWEN;
Cadwallader;
Catherine; Margaret.

The elder son,

OWEN WYNNE (c1620-70), the first who settled in Ireland, High Sheriff of counties Leitrim and Roscommon, 1659, married Catherine, widow of James Hamilton, son of Sir Frederick Hamilton, and daughter of Claud, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane, by the Lady Jane Gordon his wife, fourth daughter of George, Marquess of Huntly, and the Lady Henrietta Stewart, daughter of Esmé, Duke of Lennox (which lady married thirdly, John Bingham, of Castlebar), and had issue,

James, killed at Malplaquet;
LEWIS, of whom hereafter;
Owen (1665-1737), MP, Lieutenant-General in the army;
John;
Catherine; Lucy; Dorothy.

The second son,

LEWIS WYNNE, married Rebecca, daughter of John Bingham, and was father of

OWEN WYNNE MP (1686-1755), of Hazelwood, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1723, Leitrim, 1724, who wedded Catherine, daughter of John ffoliot, and had issue,

James, m Susanna, daughter of Sir A Shaen Bt;
OWEN, of whom we treat;
John, died unmarried 1778.

The second son,

THE RT HON OWEN WYNNE MP (1723-89), of Hazelwood, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1745 and 1758, espoused, in 1754, Anne, sister of Robert, Earl of Farnham, and had issue,

OWEN, his heir;
John;
Henry;
Robert, of Rathmines Castle;
Richard (Rev);
William, barrister, MP;
Catherine.

Mr Wynne was succeeded by his eldest son,

OWEN WYNNE MP (1755-1841), High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1819 and 1833, who married, in 1790, the Lady Sarah Elizabeth Cole, eldest daughter of William, 1st Earl of Enniskillen, and had issue,

JOHN ARTHUR;
William Willoughby (Rev);
Anne; Sarah Frances; Elizabeth; Florence.

The eldest son,

THE RT HON JOHN ARTHUR WYNNE JP (1801-65), MP for Sligo, Privy Counsellor, Under-Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, High Sheriff for counties of Sligo and Leitrim, married, in 1838, the Lady Anne Wandesforde Butler, daughter of James, 1st Marquess of Ormonde KP, and had issue,

OWEN;
James;
Sarah; Grace Florence.

The elder son,

OWEN WYNNE JP DL (1843-1910), of Hazelwood, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1875, Leitrim, 1880, married, in 1870, Stella Fanny, youngest daughter of Sir Robert Gore-Booth Bt, and had issue,

MURIEL CAROLINE LOUISA;
Evelyn Mary; Madeline Mary; Dorothy Adelaide.

Mr Wynne, the last of his family in the direct male line at Hazelwood, succeeded his father in 1865.

His eldest daughter,

MURIEL CAROLINE LOUISA, MRS PERCEVAL, of Hazelwood, wedded, in 1892, Philip Dudley Perceval, second son of Alexander Perceval, of Temple House, County Sligo, and had issue,

DOROTHY SOPHIE PERCEVAL, born in 1903.

I have written about the family's other seat in County Sligo here.

DRUMLEASE HOUSE (also known as Lurganboy), Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, is a three-bay, two-storey over basement former glebe house, built in 1834, with a two-bay extension to the north and entrance porch.

The house was built by the original Owen Wynne who acquired land in the area, probably in the later 17th century.

It was noted as a lodge belonging to Owen Wynne in 1786.

The Rev Wilby Wynne was occupying Drumlease Glebe, barony of Dromahaire, at the time of the Griffith's Valuation.

The house, sometimes known as Lurganboy Lodge, was damaged by fire in 2002.

Former M-profile roof destroyed with ashlar chimneystacks; Snecked sandstone walls with limestone quoins and limestone string course to basement; tooled limestone block-and-start window surrounds and tooled sills set into segmental-headed blind arches to rear and side elevations; courtyard to north with renovated coach house and outbuilding.

The modest design and regular form of the former glebe is enhanced by the detailing in the stonework and the retention of many original features.

The house is located down a long private driveway and is nestled in a wooded area by the banks of the River Bonet.

Unfortunately the house was extensively damaged in a fire in 2002, although some interior joinery and fireplaces still survive.

First published in August, 2013.

County of Armagh

Armagh, the Orchard County, is an inland county of Ulster, extending from Lough Neagh to the northern boundary of the Irish Republic.

It is bounded, on the north-west, by County Tyrone; on the north, by Lough Neagh; on the east, by County Down; on the south by County Louth in the Irish Republic; and on the west by County Tyrone, and County Monaghan in the Irish Republic.

The boundary line, on the north-west, is the River Blackwater; on the north, is of course the shore of the greatest lake in the British Isles.

From Lough Neagh to Knockbride, a distance of about nine miles, is a series of well-defined enclosures through beautiful and highly improved countryside.

From Knockbride to the head of Carlingford Bay, or along much of the greater part of the east, is the Newry Canal.

Along most of the south is a series of water-sheds, streamlet courses, miserable enclosures and imaginary marches, aggregately ill-defined, and extending across so bleak, wild and barren a district as to afford small inducement for its being accurately ascertained.

Along the north-west and west, over a distance of about 20 miles, is retrogradely the River Fane and one of its tributaries; whereas over the next four miles, a chain of poor fences and naked ditches.

Along the remaining distance down towards Lough Neagh is an affluent of the River Blackwater to Caledon, and the Blackwater itself to Lough Neagh.

Its form is a parallelogram of 24 miles by 11, with a considerable triangular protrusion at the north-east corner, a smaller triangular protrusion at the south-east corner, and a large, curved expansion of 14 miles by 7 on the west side.

Its greatest length, from Maghery on Lough Neagh to the townland of Dromlece [sic], near Foxfield, is 25 miles.

Its greatest breadth is from Scarva on the Newry Canal to the boundary with County Monaghan near the village of Glaslough is upwards of 16 miles.

The county's circumference is about 80 miles; and its area about 300,000 acres.

Slieve Gullion, at a height of 1,880 feet, is the highest mountain.

Select bibliography ~ Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, 1841.

Lake House, Ballydugan

The Lake House in 2014

THE TOWNLAND of Ballydugan lies a few miles south-west of Downpatrick, County Down.

In olden times the county was occasionally referred to as Downshire, and the Hills, Marquesses of Downshire, take their title from this county.

The nearest railway station was at Downpatrick, though the line closed down in 1950.

Downpatrick Racecourse had a halt which operated on race days only.

Ballydugan flour mill, now restored as a guesthouse, was built in 1792.

The beautiful Ballydugan Lake, which stands nearby, was used as a water source for the mill.

BALLYDUGAN HOUSE stands between the Lake and the race-course to the east.

Directly beside the lake is the LAKESIDE INN.

Ballydugan Cottage was associated with the adjacent mill and seems to have been built ca 1830.

This is a 1½ storey house with dormers comprising three bays, overlooking Ballydugan Lake, on Drumcullen Road.

The cottage has a modest garden at the front, bounded to the road by a rendered boundary wall.

A sloped garden rises via stone steps to wooded ground at the north.

There is a larger garden at the opposite, lake side of the road, a well-maintained, sweeping lawn, bounded by Ballydugan Lake to the west.

It truly is a most picturesque landscape, with a fine prospect of the lake and the Mourne Mountains to the west.

Isaac Hardy rented the single-storey cottage and the associated mill from William Wallace, Robert Denvir and Sarah Rentoul, though we do not know whether Mr Hardy resided at the cottage.

By the mid-19th century, Ballydugan Cottage lay vacant whilst the flour mill, less than 70 years after its construction, had been abandoned.

In 1871, the cottage was leased by William Wallace & Partners.

Major Charles C Johnston resided at the cottage, then known as ‘Lake Cottage’ during the 1870s.

Major Johnston continued to reside at Lake Cottage until 1889, when the REV CANON LEWIS ARTHUR POOLER acquired it.

The cottage was subsequently considerably remodelled ca 1890 with the addition of Victorian features, including its dormer windows.

Dr Pooler was a canon of Down Cathedral and also Deputy Master of the County Down Grand Orange Lodge.

He continued to reside at Lake Cottage until the end of the 19th century.

In 1901 Lake Cottage was occupied by a solicitor called George T Harley, who changed its name to Ballydugan Cottage.

Mr Harley was a native of the city of Cork and resided at Ballydugan with his wife, Clara, and their daughter, May.

The 1901 census records that there were a number of staff employed to administer the household including a nurse and two domestic servants.

Ballydugan Cottage comprised 14 rooms at this time.

The Harleys continued to reside at the cottage until 1909, when the property briefly came into the possession of Mr C M Russell, also a solicitor.

Mr Russell resided at Ballydugan Cottage with his wife Ann until 1912, when it was bought outright from Colonel the Rt Hon Robert Hugh Wallace CB CBE (1860-1929), of MYRA CASTLE, by one James Kelly.

Mr Kelly occupied the cottage during the 1930s; however, he had vacated it by the 1950s, when, about 1956, his relative, Kathleen Kelly, came into possession.

I visited the Lake House recently and it appears to be undergoing a complete restoration.

The garden in front of the house (beside the lake) has been landscaped and lawn sweeps down to the water.

I intend to revisit Ballydugan during the summer, have a small shandy in the Lakeside Inn, and photograph the Lake House and its garden beside the lake.

The Lake House was used in 2021 as The Black Swan in the detective drama series, Dalgleish (A Taste for Death).

First published in May, 2017.

Copeland Islands

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

COPELAND ISLANDS, a cluster of three isles in the parish of Bangor and barony of Ards, and off the south entrance of Belfast Lough, County Down.

They are called respectively Copeland, Lighthouse, and Mew islands.

They are now the property of Mr Ker of Portavo; but they have their name from a family who settled in Ards, in the 12th century, in the time of John de Courcy, and who were long ago extinct.

The largest is called Copeland or Big Island; it lies 1½ miles north-east of Nout Head Point [Orlock?], 2¼ miles north of Donaghadee, and 4½ north-east of Bangor; and it comprises 230 acres of arable land, and 40 acres of rough ground.

It contains 15 houses.

Click to Enlarge

The sound between it and the mainland, though foul near the latter, is aggregately very safe for navigation, and has a depth of from 7 to 8 fathoms.

The east side of the island is a cliff; but Chapel Bay, on the west side, offers good anchorage in from 2 to 3 fathoms of water, and shelter from all winds except the south-west.

The remains of a church with a burial-ground are near Chapel Bay.

Two coves in this bay were used in their natural state as fishing harbours, and possessed, 10 or 12 years ago [ca 1830], five herring fishing smacks, 7 yawls, and two large lumber boats; but Mr Nimmo recommended to the Fishery Board artificial improvements upon them which he estimated would cost respectively £300 [about £40,000 in 2020] and £273 12s.

The following account of the economy of the island, written almost exactly a century ago [ca 1750], is interesting, and exhibits a very early instance of the exclusive and ruinous dependance upon fuci [seaweed] for manure, which has since become so general over all the Irish seaboard:- 

"It produces plenty of oats, barley, peas, and beans, being fertilized by an inexhaustible fund of alga marina [kelp], which is cast up every tide."

"From this manure, they have three successive crops, one of barley, and two of oats."

"They have no fences on the island; but to preserve their corn from trespasses, they fold their cattle within enclosures raised of sods, and let them out to graze at proper seasons, and watch and herd them, as it is here called."

"The island is likewise remarkable for a very large breed of tame poultry, as geese, turkeys, and hens, and also with sea-fowl, as the gull and pyrmaw [tern?], who build in the rocks, and hatch vast quantities of young ones."

"Nor is it deficient in exceeding good fat beef and mutton; and abounds with springs, and fresh water; and has a tolerable good slate quarry in it."

THE population about ten years ago [1830] was 75.

A long ledge of rocks runs out from the west end of Big Island, bears the name of Kaddy-karne or Ketty-kerne [Carn Point], and is the site of a small stone beacon.

About half-a-mile north-east of the island lie several rocks called the Pladdies, which render the navigation of the sound between Big and Lighthouse islands unsafe for strangers; yet that sound, though swept by a rapid tide, is otherwise thoroughly practicable, and has a depth of between 7 and 24 fathoms.

Click to Enlarge

LIGHTHOUSE or Cross Island lies rather less than a mile north-north-east of Big Island; comprises about 42 acres of arable land; and has a coastline of about a mile in circumference.

This island, two miles off Donaghadee, was acquired by the National Trust in 1967 and is managed by Copeland Bird Observatory. The bird observatory has accommodation for up to 23 overnight visitors.

A lighthouse upon it is a square tower, 7 feet thick in the walls, and 70 feet high to the lantern; its light is distinctly seen at Portpatrick and the Mull of Galloway in Scotland; and the expenditure connected with it, during 1840, amounted to £605 1s 10d. [About £63,000 in 2020].

A perennial spring bursts from a rock on Lighthouse Island, at a point about 60 feet above the level of the sea.

MEW ISLAND lies about 10 perches [55 yards] north-east of Lighthouse Island; contains 7 or 8 acres of low, rocky pasture land, and is deeply peninsulated, or nearly cut into a series of islets of skerries by three sets of small marine indentations.

the narrow passage between it and Lighthouse Island, though only 10 perches long, and though swept by a rapid tide, and dangerously interspersed with rocks, is the frequent retreat, sometimes to the number of 30 yawls at once, of the Donaghadee fishermen, who fish in the sound between Lighthouse and Big islands for cod and pollock.

A great tide, commonly called the tide of Stranygore, and occasioned from a collision of tidal currents from the North Channel and from Belfast Lough, runs off from the eastern extremity of the Copeland Islands, to the north-east and the Mull of Galloway.

Off this island the Enterprise, of Liverpool, a homeward-bound vessel from the coast of Guinea, was totally wrecked in 1801; she is said to have had onboard £40,000 in dollars, which, with all her cargo, lay buried in the sea, till 1833, when Mr Bell, by means of a diving apparatus, succeeded in recovering about $25,000, five brass guns, and other valuable property.

First published in April, 2021.