St Cuthbert's Church, Dunluce

North-east Elevation (Image: Timothy Ferres,  2015)

ST CUTHBERT'S CHURCH, Dunluce, County Antrim, now ruinous and of considerable antiquity, stands across the main road from Dunluce Castle.

The Ecclesiastical Roll of 1306 describes Dunluce parish as distinct and separate from that of Bushmills.

However, under the influence of the MacDonnells, St Cuthbert’s church at Dunluce Castle became more prominent.

By the time of the Regal Visitation of 1633 both parishes had grown into a union entitled Portcaman-cum-Dunluce, served by one vicar.

West Front and Porch (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2015)

Renovations were undertaken in the 1630s to St Cuthbert’s by KATHERINE, DUCHESS OF BUCKINGHAM (c1603-49), wife of Randal, 2nd Earl and 1st Marquess of Antrim (1609-83).

St Cuthbert’s Church was in all probability the only place of worship in the vicinity from 1633 until 1820.

South-east Elevation (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2015)

At a vestry meeting held in October, 1820, it was determined that, due to the expense of carrying out repairs to St Cuthbert’s and its inconvenient location, a new church be built on the ruins of the old church at Portcaman (Bushmills).

St Cuthbert's was originally thatched.

Mural Monument on the Interior North Wall (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2015)

Its ceiling was described in memoirs as being painted white, with the signs of the zodiac.

Wisely enough, the window apertures are all on the south side; the north wall of the church is solid.

The church is surrounded by its graveyard and several prominent graves beside its south wall.

The oldest grave dates from about 1630.

St Cuthbert's served  the parish of Dunluce from ca 1620 until 1820, when the new church of St John the Baptist was built in Bushmills.

First published in July, 2015.

XVllth Anniversary

Lord Belmont in Northern Ireland is seventeen years old.

Here is my very first entry on the 2nd December, 2007.

Cumulative visitor numbers now stand at 3,582,394.

Danesfort House

SAMUEL BARBOUR OWNED 10 ACRES OF LAND IN LOWER MALONE, BELFAST

JOHN BARBOUR (1755-1823), Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Paisley, 1811, married and was father of

WILLIAM BARBOUR JP (1798-1825), of Hilden, Lisburn, County Antrim, who wedded Elizabeth Kennedy, of Grove Green, Lisburn, and was father of

JOHN DOUGHERTY BARBOUR JP DL (1823-1901), of Conway, Dunmurry, County Antrim, Hilden, Leamington, Warwickshire, and Wrentnall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who espoused, in 1864, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of John Milne, of Trinity Grove, Edinburgh.

His brother,

 Photo credit: Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum

SAMUEL BARBOUR (1830-78), above, built Danesfort House, Belfast.

The village of Hilden, near Lisburn, owed its fame to the linen thread works of Messrs Barbour. In 1784, Mr John Barbour, of Paisley, who frequently visited Ulster in connection with linen yarns, decided to take up his residence there.

He established himself at The Plantation, where he erected mills. He instructed the young women of the neighbourhood in the art of linen thread making, and carried on a successful business for many years.

He died in 1823, and was succeeded by his two sons, John and William, who eventually separated, John remaining at The Plantation and William removing to Hilden.

The second John Barbour died in 1831, and his brother William then purchased the whole plant, which he brought to his own works at Hilden, where the business was known as William Barbour & Sons, Ltd.

William Barbour died leaving seven sons and several daughters. The sons who took the most active interest in the linen thread business were: John D, Robert, Samuel and Thomas.

Robert extended the operations of the firm to America, where a most prosperous business has been established.

John D Barbour devoted his energies to the business at Hilden, and became a prominent figure in political and civil life, marrying the daughter of John Milne JP, of Edinburgh, and had three sons: Frank Barbour, John Milne Barbour and Harold Adrian Barbour, all of whom became directors. 

I have written about the Barbour baronetcy here.

DANESFORT HOUSE, Malone Road, Belfast, has been described by Mark Bence-Jones as "one of the finest High-Victorian mansions in Ireland."

Danesfort was built in 1864 for Samuel Barbour to the designs of William J Barre.

The late Sir Charles Brett colourfully described the house as "a sort of a French-Italian-English château."

It is dominated by a lofty and elaborate tower with a mansard roof, resting on an arcade of what Sir Charles called "square cabbagey columns," constituting a porte-cochere.

Danesfort was inherited by Margaret, daughter of Samuel Barbour and wife of Mr Charles Duffin.

Inside there is a fine, arcaded, balustraded stairway in the entrance hall, with some rooms grouped around it.

The Italianate interior is replete with marble fireplaces, elaborate gilt frames to full-height mirrors, arcaded walls, and plasterwork cornices.

One ceiling rose has a radial arrangement of short, stumpy, foliated columns; a trademark, perhaps, of Barre's taste for the High Victorian Gothic.

DANESFORT HOUSE  was built on what had previously been known as "Pleasure-house Hill," seemingly on the site of an old rath or fort.

Pleasure-house Hill ca 1830

During the process of excavating the ground for the building, several funerary urns and some sixteen or so hatchets were found.

They were subsequently mounted and exhibited in cabinets in the library by the first owner of the house.

When Samuel Barbour died in 1878, Danesfort was left to his widow in trust for their daughter.

She married Charles Duffin in 1883 and the property remained in the Duffin name until the 1940s, when it was bought by Gallaher Limited, who subsequently sold it to the Electricity Board for Northern Ireland for use as an administrative centre.

After some years of neglect and subsequent decay, following the building of a large office block near by, a major and timely restoration of Danesfort was undertaken by Northern Ireland Electricity in 1984-87.

Danesfort is now the office of the United States consul-general in Belfast.

First published in December, 2012.

1st Duke of Buccleuch

THE DUKES OF BUCCLEUCH AND QUEENSBURY WERE THE GREATEST LANDOWNERS IN DUMFRIESSHIRE, WITH 254,179 ACRES

SIR RICHARD LE SCOT, the undoubted ancestor of this family, was a person of great distinction in the reign of ALEXANDER III, King of Scots.

He married the daughter and heiress of Murthockstone (Murdostoun), of that ilk, by whom he obtained a considerable estate in Lanarkshire, and, as a feudal lord thereof, swore fealty to EDWARD I, of England, in 1296.

Sir Richard assumed the cognizance of Murdostoun, which was a bend azure, into his armorial bearings, disposing theron the crescents and star, the arms of Scott, as since borne by the Dukes of Buccleuch.

He died in 1320; and from him lineally descended

SIR DAVID SCOTT, of Branxholme, who sat in the Parliament held by JAMES III, at Edinburgh, in 1487, under the designation of "Dominus de Buccleuch," being the first of the family so designated.

The grandson of this Sir David,

SIR WALTER SCOTT (c1495-1552), of Branxholme and Buccleuch, wedded thrice, and was succeeded by his grandson,

WALTER SCOTT (1549-74), who was succeeded by his only son,

SIR WALTER SCOTT (1565-1611), Knight, a powerful chieftain, and a military commander of renown in the Netherlands under the Prince of Orange; who was created, in 1606, Lord Scott of Buccleuch.

His son,

WALTER, 2nd Lord, was, in 1619, advanced to the dignity of Earl of Buccleuch.

His lordship died in 1633, and leaving no male issue, his eldest daughter,

MARY, became Countess of Buccleuch.

Her ladyship married Walter Scott of Harden, but dying childless, the family honours devolved upon her sister,

ANNE (1651-1732), who wedded the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of CHARLES II.

In 1663, Their Graces were created DUKE AND DUCHESS OF BUCCLEUCH, Earl and Countess of Dalkeith, and Baron and Baroness Whitechester and Eskdale, with remainder to their heirs male.

The English honours of the Duke of Monmouth, Earl of Doncaster, and Baron Tindale, as well as his Scottish dukedom of Buccleuch, were forfeited upon the execution of that unhappy nobleman for high treason.

The peerages enjoyed by the Duchess, however, in her own right (Duchess of Buccleuch), were not affected by the attainder.

The offspring of this union were James, Earl of Dalkeith, and Henry, created Earl of Deloraine, Viscount Hermitage, and Baron Scott, in 1706, which titles expired with the 4th Earl in 1807.

The Duchess married secondly, Charles, 3rd Lord Cornwallis, and at Her Grace's demise, in 1732, was succeeded by her grandson,

FRANCIS, 2nd Duke (1695-1751), son of Lord Dalkeith.

His lordship obtained a restoration of the earldom of Doncaster, and barony of Scott, of Tindale, in 1743.

He wedded, in 1720, the Lady Jane, eldest daughter of James, 2nd Duke of Queensbury, by whom he had issue, a son, and three daughters who died unmarried, with Francis, Earl of Dalkeith, who died in the lifetime of his father, but left a son, Henry, and a posthumous daughter by his countess, Caroline, eldest daughter and co-heiress of John, Duke of Argyll.

The Duke of Buccleuch married secondly, Miss Powell; by whom, however, His Grace had no issue.

He died in 1751, and was succeeded by his grandson,

HENRY, 3rd Duke (1746-1812), KG KT;

• Henry Scott, 3rd Duke, (1746–1812), 2nd son of Lord Dalkeith 
• George Scott, Earl of Dalkeith (1768), eldest son of the 3rd Duke, died in infancy 
• Charles William Henry Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke, (1772–1819), 2nd son of the 3rd Duke 
• George Henry Scott, Lord Scott of Whitchester (1798–1808), eldest son of the 4th Duke, died young 
• Walter Francis Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 5th Duke, (1806-84), 2nd son of the 4th Duke 
• William Henry Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 6th Duke, (1831–1914), eldest son of the 5th Duke
• Walter Henry Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Earl of Dalkeith (1861–1886), eldest son of the 6th Duke, died unmarried 
• John Charles Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 7th Duke, (1864–1935), 2nd son of the 6th Duke 
• Walter John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 8th Duke, (1894–1973), eldest son of the 7th Duke 
• Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, 9th Duke, (1923–2007), only son of the 8th Duke 
• Richard Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott, 10th Duke, (b. 1954), eldest son of the 9th Duke
• Heir apparent: Walter John Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, Earl of Dalkeith (b 1984), elder son of the 10th Duke.

Seats ~ Bowhill, Selkirk; Boughton House, Kettering; Drumlanrig Castle, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire.

The Dukes owned a further 17,965 acres of land in Northamptonshire.

DRUMLANRIG CASTLE, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire, was built in the late 1600s by William, 1st Duke of Queensbury, on the site of the former 14th & 15th century Douglas stronghold.

The present Castle was created as a mansion in the 17th century, by which time defensive ramparts had given way to comfortable living and large, airy windows.

An earlier, more defensive castle had been built in the middle of the 14th century by the Douglases.

Drumlanrig is built of local pink sandstone on a hill (Drum) at the end of a long ridge overlooking the Nithsdale Hills and the valley of the river Nith.

It was rebuilt with a central courtyard and was in a good enough state to receive JAMES VI on his visit to Scotland in 1617.

Between 1679-91, William, 3rd Earl of Queensberry (later 1st Duke) built a new, large mansion, following the earlier courtyard layout.

Despite almost bankrupting himself as a result of creating his new home, the Duke spent only one night in the building, decided he didn't like it - and returned to Sanquhar Castle.

His son, however, moved in after inheriting the title and estates. Bonnie Prince Charlie spent a night there on his retreat from Derby.

After being allowed to become derelict in the 18th century, Drumlanrig passed to the Duke of Buccleuch, head of the Scott family, in 1810, following a merger of the Douglas and Scott dynasties.

The castle was restored in 1827 and is still the Dumfriesshire home of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry (though his main residence is at Bowhill House in the Scottish Borders).

It is also home to part of the internationally renowned Buccleuch Art Collection. featuring such treasures as Rembrandt’s The Old Woman Reading as well as many other fine paintings, tapestries and objects d’art.

Grand reception rooms, magnificent staircases and ornate period features sit happily beside cosy parlours and the Stableyard, now housing the Stableyard Studios and Stableyard Cafe.

First published in November, 2013.  

Close of Drumbanagher

RICHARD CLOSE, the first of the family who settled in Ireland, was the younger son of a respectable house in Yorkshire, and held a commission in the Army.

He was sent from England, in the reign of CHARLES I, into that kingdom, where he remained after the termination of the civil wars, and became one of the lords of the soil, as we find him having four townlands in County Monaghan during the time of CHARLES II. 

After the Restoration he fixed himself at Lisnagarvey (Lisburn), County Antrim, where a Protestant colony had been located under the protection of Lord Conway.

There he lived and died, leaving a son and heir,

RICHARD CLOSE, who inherited the County Monaghan estates.

Mr Close married Mary, sister of Samuel Waring, of Waringstown, MP for Hillsborough, 1703-15, and received from that gentleman a grant of lands contiguous to Waringstown, on which he built a good house and resided.

He considerably enlarged the family estate by purchasing a tract of land on the River Bann, between Rathfriland and Castlewellan, County Down, and after the disturbances in 1688, which obliged him to leave his home and join the Protestants, then united at Lisburn, under Lord Conway and Sir Arthur Rawdon.

He returned (subsequently to the battle of the Boyne) having suffered great losses during the harassing conflicts of the times.

Mr Close left at his decease (with three daughters, the eldest married to the Very Rev John Welsh, Dean of Connor) five sons,

RICHARD, his heir;
SAMUEL, of whom presently;
Henry, of Waringstown;
John, an army captain, killed in Gibraltar;
William.

The eldest son,

RICHARD CLOSE, wedded, in 1708, Rose, daughter of Roger Hall, of Narrow Water, County Down, and had issue, now extinct.

The second son,

THE REV SAMUEL CLOSE (1683-1742), Rector of Donaghenry, Stewartstown, County Tyrone, espoused Catherine, daughter of Captain James Butler, of Bramblestown, County Kilkenny, by Margaret, Lady Maxwell, of Elm Park, County Armagh (widow of Sir Robert Maxwell, 1st Baronet, of Orchardtoun, and of Ballycastle, and daughter and heiress of Henry Maxwell, of Elm Park, who was the son of James Maxwell, third son of the Very Rev Robert Maxwell, Dean of Armagh), and had issue,

MAXWELL, his heir;
Margaret; Mary; Catherine; Elizabeth.

Mr Close was succeeded by his son and heir,

MAXWELL CLOSE (c1722-93), High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1780, who succeeded his grandmother, Lady Maxwell (d 1758), in the possession of Elm Park, and the lands settled upon him.

He married, in 1748, Mary, eldest daughter of  Captain Robert Maxwell, of Fellows Hall, County Armagh (brother of John, 1st Baron Farnham), and had issue,

SAMUEL, his heir;
Robert, died unmarried;
Barry (Sir), 1st Baronet, major-general;
Farnham, died in Guadaloupe;
Grace; Catherine; Margaret; Mary; Elizabeth.

Mr Close was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE REV SAMUEL CLOSE (1749-1817), of Elm Park, Rector of Keady, County Armagh, and Drakestown, County Meath, who wedded, in 1782, Deborah, daughter of the Very Rev Arthur Champagné, Dean of Clonmacnoise (son of Major Josias Champagné, by the Lady Jane Forbes his wife, daughter of Arthur, 2nd Earl of Granard), and had issue,

MAXWELL, his heir;
Robert, Major, East India Company;
Henry Samuel, m Jane, daughter of the Rev Holt Waring;
John Forbes (Rev), Rector of Kilkeel;
Mary; Jane; Harriet.

Mr Close was succeeded by his eldest son,

COLONEL MAXWELL CLOSE JP DL (1783-1867), of Drumbanagher, County Armagh, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1818, who married, in 1820, Anna Elizabeth, sister of Charles, 1st Baron Lurgan, and had issue, 

MAXWELL CHARLES, his heir;
Barry, b 1833.

Mr Close was succeeded by his elder son,

MAXWELL CHARLES CLOSE JP DL (1827-1903), of Drumbanagher, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1854, MP for County Armagh, 1857-64 and 1874-85, who married, in 1852, Catherine Deborah Agnes, daughter of Henry Samuel Close, of Newtown Park, County Dublin, and had issue,

MAXWELL ARCHIBALD, his heir;
Henry Samuel (1864-1944);
Edith; Emily Beatrice; Mary Geraldine; Flora Lucy;
Kate Violet; Grace Wilmina; Alice Evelyn.

Mr Close was succeeded by his eldest son,

MAJOR MAXWELL ARCHIBALD CLOSE JP DL (1853-1935), of Drumbanagher, and Drum Manor, County Tyrone, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1908, who wedded, in 1891, the Lady Muriel Albany Stuart-Richardson, daughter of 5th Earl Castle Stewart, and had issue,

MAXWELL STUART, His heir;
Archibald Maxwell, b 1903;
Lilias Augusta Muriel; Agatha Katharine Rose.

The eldest son,

MAXWELL STUART CLOSE (1892-1946), of Drumbanagher, wedded, in 1915, Alexandra, daughter of M W C Cramer-Roberts DL, of Sallymount, County Kildare, and had issue,

MAXWELL WILLIAM;
Rosemary Muriel Victoria; Viola Anne; Hazel.

I have written about Drumbanagher House here.

First published in April, 2012. 

The Nesbitt Estate

CATHERINE DOWNING NESBITT AND COUNT LUSI OWNED 5,638 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY

ALEXANDER NESBITT (of the Nesbitts of Dirleton)  was the first of this branch who went from Scotland to Ulster.

He married his cousin Alice, daughter of the Very Rev Alexander Conyngham, of Tower, County Donegal, Dean of Raphoe, and had three sons,

JAMES, of Woodhill;
Alexander;
Albert.

The eldest son,

JAMES NESBITT, of Woodhill, County Donegal, married Margary, only daughter of the Rt Rev Andrew Knox, Lord Bishop of Raphoe, and had issue,

George, his heir;
JAMES, of whom we treat;
William.

The second son,

JAMES NESBITT, of Tubberdaly, County Offaly, who married and had issue.

This branch became extinct in the male line; the representative in the female line, however,

THOMASINA NESBITT, heiress of Tubberdaly, wedded the Rev Clotworthy Downing, and their son, John Downing, assumed the surname of NESBITT.

This John inherited the farm at Tubberdaly from his uncle, Gifford Nesbitt (son of Albert Nesbitt), in 1773.

When William George Downing Nesbitt died in 1847 (at Leixlip House), he left Tubberdaly to his sister, Catherine Nesbitt.

Miss Nesbitt, as she was known, was very good to her staff and to the local people. She gave large amounts of money to such projects as building a bird house at Dublin Zoo and the building of a branch railway line from Edenderry to Enfield to join up with the main line from the west.

As well as her estate at Tubberdaly, Miss Nesbitt had large tracts of land in counties Roscommon, Londonderry, Antrim and Kildare.

In 1886, Miss Nesbitt left Tubberdaly to her nephew, Edward John Beaumont-Nesbitt, who was High Sheriff of King's County, 1892-93.


THE NESBITT FAMILY originally occupied the tower house in Tubberdaly onto which they built a gazebo from where there was a commanding view of the estate and the surrounding area.

They later built a large house and employed a large staff of people to work on the estate.

They also had a walled garden, which provided a large quantity of fruit and vegetables.

In 1923 the family home of the Nesbitts was burned to the ground.

It was one of eight country mansions burned on that night in County Offaly.

It is thought that the motive was to persuade the new government to divide the land among the local people when the landlords had been driven out.

Also burned on that night was the home of Judge Wakely at Ballyburley and the lovely Greenhill House, the home of The Dames family.

Edward John Beaumont Nesbitt had left Ireland in 1920 following a number of disputes with his staff, including a strike which lasted for three months.

In 1925, the Irish Land Commission took over the estate and paid compensation to Mr Nesbitt for his loss.

The land was eventually divided among local people.

Ernest Frederick Charles Spiridion, Count Lusi (1817-87), was married to Jane Downing Nesbitt.

First published in January, 2012.

Castle Grove

THE GROVES OWNED 2,140 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DONEGAL

THOMAS GROVE, of Castle Shanahan, County Donegal (son of Thomas Grove), living there 1666-77, Commissioner of Assessments for the county, 1655, Collector of Customs in Londonderry, 1643-74, High Sheriff of County Donegal, 1664, married Margaret, only daughter of Peter Benson, of Elagh, Alderman of Londonderry, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Frances; Elizabeth; Helen; Margaret; Ann; Prudentia.

Mr Grove died in 1681, and was succeeded by his only son,

WILLIAM GROVE (1662-97), of Castle Shanahan, who served through the siege of Derry, 1688, and purchased the Manor of Kingston, 1684, from the Kingsmills.

Mr Grove married firstly, in 1684, Constance, daughter of Major John Kingsmill, of Andover, Hampshire.

She died in 1687, aged 22.

He wedded secondly, in 1688, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Sir James Leigh, Knight, of Cullionmore, County Westmeath.

Mr Grove was murdered by rebels in 1697, having had issue,

Thomas, dsp 1724;
WILLIAM, of whom presently;
James, of Grovehall;
Constance.

The second son,

WILLIAM GROVE, of Castle Grove, which he built 1730, High Sheriff of County Donegal, 1727, espoused Susanna, daughter of Philip Barry, of Kilcarra, County Meath, and had issue,

Thomas, b 1719; dsp 1792;
James, b 1725;
William, 1734-93;
Richard, d 1766;
Humphrey;
CHARLES, of whom presently;
Judith; Elizabeth.

Mr Grove died in 1742/3.

His youngest son,

THE REV CHARLES GROVE (1742-1818), Vicar of Kilmacshalgan and Templeboy, County Sligo, married Mary Gilmour, and had issue,

William (Rev), dsp 1857;
Mary Susanna, m 1794 her cousin Thomas Grove (took name of BROOKE);
DOROTHY, of whom presently;
Helen Elizabeth.

The younger daughter,

DOROTHY GROVE, wedded, in 1802, John Wood, of 9th Light Dragoons, son of James Wood, of Woodville, County Sligo, and had issue (with a daughter), a son,

JAMES GROVE WOOD GROVE JP DL (1803-91), of Castle Grove, Barrister, High Sheriff of County Donegal, 1855, who adopted the name of GROVE in 1863 on succeeding to the Castle Grove Estate.

He wedded, in 1843, Frances Judith, daughter of Robert Montgomery, of Convop House, County Donegal, by Maria Frances Stewart his wife, niece of Robert, 1st Marquess of Londonderry, and granddaughter of the 1st Marquess of Drogheda, and had issue,

JOHN MONTGOMERY CHARLES, his heir;
Robert Thomas Wood, Captain RN;
Charles William;
Mary Susanna Frances; Dorothea Alice; Frances Mary Ellen.

Mr Grove was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN MONTGOMERY CHARLES GROVE JP (1847-1920), of Castle Grove, who married, in 1886, Lucy Georgina, daughter of Major-General William Maunsell Gabbett, East India Company's Artillery, and had issue,

JAMES ROBERT WOOD;
Lucy Dorothea Montgomery, 1892-1908.

Mr Grove was succeeded by his son,

MAJOR JAMES ROBERT WOOD GROVE (1888-1969), who married, in 1920, Eileen Beatrice, daughter of George Edmonstone Kirk, and had issue, an only child, Bridget Grove, who was born and died in 1927.

When Major Grove died in 1969, Castle Grove was inherited by Commander Peter Colin Drummond Campbell-Grove (Cdr Peter Campbell LVO OBE DL RN), Equerry to HM The Queen, 1957-60, who married, in 1966, the Lady Moyra Kathleen Hamilton, daughter of James, 4th Duke of Abercorn, and late sister of the present Duke of Abercorn, KG.

CASTLE GROVE, near Letterkenny, County Donegal, is a two-storey, four-bay Georgian country house, built ca 1750, though there may be elements of an earlier dwelling of ca 1695.

It was altered about 1825 by the addition of two-storey wings.

Castle Grove retains much of its early character and form, despite alterations to accommodate new uses.

Its visual appeal and integrity are enhanced by the retention of salient fabric to the main block, including timber sliding sash windows, natural slate roof, and timber panelled door.

The fine pedimented Tuscan entrance porch with sidelights and entablature provides an attractive focus and gives this building a classical architectural character that is typical of its type and date.

The door-case dates from 1750 and was probably moved from another location to the site when the house was altered ca 1825, and the present entrance front was added.

These 1825 alterations and modifications were carried out by Thomas Brooke (née Grove).

This building may contain fabric of an earlier house to site, apparently built ca 1695 by the Grove family.

The Grove family originally settled in the area in 1656.

They originally had a dwelling at nearby Castle Shanahan to the north, which was apparently burnt to the ground in 1689 by Jacobite forces retreating from the siege of Londonderry, a fate suffered by numerous properties in this part of County Donegal.

The Groves decided to rebuild a short distance to the south of their original residence.

The original house was either greatly altered or rebuilt ca 1750.

The present house originally had the Tuscan porch to the main entrance, though it was later moved following the construction of a new block to the front about 1825.

Occupying attractive mature landscape grounds to the north-east of Letterkenny, this building is one of the finest houses in the area, and is an important element of the built heritage of County Donegal.

The now-altered but appealing conservatory to the south-west of the entrance front, and the single- and two-storey wings to site add to the setting and context.

This building forms the centrepiece of a group of related structures along with the complex of outbuildings and former estate manger's residence; walled garden to the south-west; gardener's house; and gate lodge to the west.

Castle Grove is now a country house hotel and was purchased by the current owners, Mary and Raymond Sweeney, from Commander Campbell in 1989.

First published in March, 2016.

Viscount Dungannon (2nd Creation)

This family and the noble house of HILL, Marquesses of Downshire, had a common progenitor in

THE RT HON MICHAEL HILL MP (1672-99), of Hillsborough, County Down, MP for Hillsborough, 1695-9, Privy Counsellor to WILLIAM III, and a member of both the English and Irish parliaments, who wedded, in 1690, Anne, only daughter of Sir John Trevor, Knight, of Brynkinalt, Denbighshire, Speaker of the House of Commons, and subsequently first Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal, by whom he had two sons, Trevor, created Viscount Hillsborough, founder of the house of DOWNSHIRE; and

THE RT HON ARTHUR HILL (1694-1771), of Belvoir Park, Newtownbreda, County Down, MP for Hillsborough, 1715-27, County Down, 1727-66, who inherited the estates of his maternal grandfather, Sir John Trevor, in 1762; upon which occasion he assumed the additional surname of TREVOR, and was created, in 1766, Baron Hill and VISCOUNT DUNGANNON.

His lordship espoused firstly, Anne, third daughter and co-heir of the Rt Hon Joseph Deane, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, by whom he had no issue.

He wedded secondly, in 1737, Anne, daughter and heir of Edmund Francis Stafford, of Brownstown, County Meath, and had issue,

Arthur, MP (1738-70), predeceased his father;

Anne, m 1st Earl of Mornington;

Prudence, m Charles Powell Leslie.

His lordship was succeeded by his grandson, 

ARTHUR, 2nd Viscount (1763-1837), who married, in 1795, Charlotte, eldest surviving daughter of Charles, Baron Southampton, and had issue,

ARTHUR, his successor;
Charles Henry (1801-23).

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son, 

ARTHUR, 3rd Viscount (1798-1862), who wedded, in 1821, Sophia, fourth daughter of George D'Arcy Irvine, of Castle Irvine, County Fermanagh, though the marriage was without issue.

The titles expired on the death of the 3rd Viscount in 1862.

The Dungannon estates, including Brynkinalt, passed to the latter's kinsman, Lord Edwin Hill, third son of the 3rd Marquess of Downshire, who assumed the additional surname of TREVOR and was created Baron Trevor, of Brynkinallt, Denbighshire, in 1890.

Of particular interest is the fact that Lord and Lady Dungannon had one son and two daughters, one of whom, the Hon Anne Hill-Trevor, married Garrett, 1st Earl of Mornington, by whom she had issue Richard, 1st Marquess Wellesley; and Arthur, 1st Duke of Wellington.

Of course this makes Lord Dungannon the grandfather of "The Great Duke" of Wellington; and it can be supposed that the Great Duke would have been familiar with the Belvoir demesne and spent time there during his childhood.

Below is the 1st Viscount's memorial:-


First published in February, 2010.  Dungannon arms (2nd Creation) courtesy of European Heraldry.

Cleland of Stormont Castle

THE CLELANDS OWNED 4,385 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

This is a County Down family, claiming descent from James Cleland of that ilk, Lanarkshire.

THE REV JOHN CLELAND (1755-1834), sometime Prebendary of Armagh, Rector of Newtownards, 1789-1809, became tutor to the young Lord Castlereagh and subsequently acted as agent for the Londonderry estates.

John Cleland was a student at the Rev William Neilson's Classical Academy in Rademon, County Down. A murder attempt occurred against him in 1796; he passed on information against the United Irishmen in 1797; agent for Marquess of Londonderry, 1824; bought land in Killeen & Ballymiscaw, 1830.

He married, in 1805, Esther, daughter and co-heiress of Samuel Jackson, of Stormont, by his wife Margaret Vateau, only child and heiress of Paul Peter Isaac Vateau, the descendant of a French Huguenot family, and had issue,

SAMUEL JACKSON, his heir;

Robert Stewart;

Sarah Frances.

Mr Cleland was succeeded by his eldest son,

SAMUEL JACKSON CLELAND (1808-42), who wedded, in 1834, Eliza, daughter of James Joyce, of Thornhill, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
James Vance;
Robert Stewart;
Samuel Frederick Stewart;
Margaret.

Mr Cleland was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN CLELAND JP DL (1836-93), of Stormont Castle, Dundonald, County Down, High Sheriff of County Down, 1866, who wedded, in 1859, Therese Maria, only daughter of Captain Thomas Leyland, of Haggerston Castle, Northumberland, and Hyde Park House, London, and had issue,

ARTHUR CHARLES STEWART, his heir;

Andrew Leyland Hillyar, b 1868;

Florence Rachel Therese Laura, b 1894.

Mr Cleland was succeeded by his eldest son, 

ARTHUR CHARLES STEWART CLELAND (1865-1924), of Stormont Castle, Lieutenant, 3rd Battalion, Prince of Wales Leinster Regiment, who married, in 1890, Mabel Sophia, only daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel H T D'Aguilar, Grenadier Guards.

Mr Cleland died at Field Green, Hawkhurst, Kent.

STORMONT CASTLE, Dundonald, County Down, is a Scottish-Baronial mansion of 1858, built by the Belfast architect Thomas Turner. 

This mansion replaced the original castle.

The entrance front is three storeys high and eight bays wide, with a two-storey canted bay window.

Remaining windows have square-topped sashes, with bartizan turrets at either end.

There is a tall tower at the eastern end, with a large door surround and balustrade on top, turrets on tower corners, crow-stepped castellation, and three rounded arch windows at top.

Gryphons brandish shields at either side of the main staircase

Cleland arms

The Castle's lofty tower is reminiscent of The Prince Consort's Tower at Balmoral Castle.

John Cleland's grandson began extending the Georgian house after 1842, though work did not begin on the new Castle (above) till 1858.

It was at "Storm Mount" that, ca 1830, Cleland created what was described as "a plain house": A mid or late Georgian house of a traditional type, it was in the form of a plain rectangle with a central projection to the south, presumably for the entrance. 

Associated plantings were very modest; there was a small fringed meadow at the front and an orchard on the hillside to the north west.  

A directory entry of 1837 referred (probably inaccurately) to the house as 'Storemont'; and, by 1864, the "Parliament Gazetteer" still did not rank it amongst the principal residences of the area. 

In those days the most substantial such residence was Rose Park, a name still in use in the residential area (and indeed in Rosepark House, a Government building occupied by the Exchequer and Audit Department and by part of the Department of Finance and Personnel).

It was in the course of removing Rose Park, in the process of consolidating Cleland's holdings, that his son Samuel Jackson Cleland was killed by the collapse of a wall in 1842.

In 1858, the Cleland family commissioned the local architect Thomas Turner to convert the existing plain dwelling into a flamboyant baronial castle.

To what extent the original house survives is not clear. Conventional wisdom, supported by some map evidence, is that the symmetrical five-bay block facing south is the "baronialised" shell of the Georgian dwelling.

To this, Turner added the entrance tower to the east.

The whole image and particularly the outline of the building was given a baronial character with turrets, battlements, bartizans with conical caps, iron cresting and weather vanes. 

The Cleland monogram was used on the shields held by the snarling stone gryphons which still guard the main entrance to the Castle.

The 1850s also saw extensive development of the demesne which was extended to the main Upper Newtownards Road, with the old lodge for Rose Park becoming the lodge for the remodelled baronial Stormont.

The Clelands finally left in 1893, preferring to live elsewhere, and the demesne was let out. 

At some stage Stormont Castle was rented by Charles E Allen JP, a director of the shipbuilding firm of Workman and Clark Limited. 

On his departure from Belfast, the Castle became vacant and, in April, 1921, both it and the surrounding land were offered at auction, but withdrawn when no bid higher than £15,000 was obtained.

Later in 1921, however, it was acquired, with 235 acres of land, as a site for the Parliament Buildings of the new Northern Ireland state. 

On September 20th, that Parliament resolved that 

Stormont Castle demesne shall be the place where the new Parliament House and Ministerial Buildings shall be erected, and as the place to be determined as the seat of the Government of Northern Ireland as and when suitable provision has been made therefore. 

While there was initial uncertainty about the use to be made of Stormont Castle itself, it was later decided that it should become the official residence of the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. 

Sir James Craig (later 1st Viscount Craigavon) lived there until 1940, when he moved out to make more room for officials engaged in War work.

Lord Craigavon was succeeded in office by Mr J Andrews and thereafter by Sir Basil Brooke Bt (later 1st Viscount Brookeborough).

While both had offices in the Castle, no Prime Minister resided there with any regularity between 1940 to 1969.

On the arrival in office of Captain Terence O'Neill in 1963, substantial reinstatement and improvement works were carried out.

These included the removal of an ugly glass entrance canopy and the restoration of the old ballroom as an improved Cabinet Room.

In those days the Prime Minister occupied what became the Secretary of State's office, with the Secretary of the Cabinet using the other major front room on the ground floor.

Captain O'Neill (afterwards Baron O'Neill of the Maine), Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, resided, when in Belfast, at nearby Stormont House, originally built as a residence for the Speakers of the NI House of Commons.

His successor, Major James Chichester-Clark (later Baron Moyola), had premises on the first floor converted into a self-contained flat and regularly stayed there.

Since 1974, when Northern Ireland reverted to direct rule from Westminster, the Castle became the administrative headquarters for successive Secretaries of State.

Today, Stormont Castle serves as the Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers.

Although Stormont Castle is a house of the 1850s, the grounds date from the time of a former house of 1830. There are a few mature trees from that era.

There is a fine restored glasshouse with 'bothies' on the back (ca 1857).

Formal bedding in the vicinity of the glasshouse and immediately to the west of the Castle was recorded, in its original form, in R Welch’s photographs of 1894 but have now gone. 

The demesne was purchased over the period 1921-78 for the Parliament Buildings and now amounts to about 400 acres.

First published in April, 2012.

1st Earl of Lauderdale

THE EARLS OF LAUDERDALE WERE THE GREATEST LANDOWNERS IN BERWICKSHIRE, WITH 24,681 ACRES

The earliest recorded ancestor of this eminent family is SIR RICHARD MAITLAND, regarded as one of the national heroes of Scotland, who acquired Thirlestane, still the seat of the family, by marriage with Avicia, daughter and heiress of Thomas de Thirlestane, and was succeeded by his son,

WILLIAM MAITLAND, of Thirlestane, living ca 1258, who was succeeded by his son,

SIR ROBERT MAITLAND, of Thirlestane, who succeeded ante 1293, and fell at the battle of Neville's Cross, 1346, leaving by his wife, a sister of Sir Robert Keith, Marischal of Scotland, a son,

JOHN MAITLAND, of Thirlestane, who married Agnes Dunbar, sister of George, Earl of March, and left a son,

SIR ROBERT MAITLAND, of Thirlestane, born ca 1369, who wedded Marion Abernethy, and had with other issue a son,

WILLIAM MAITLAND, of Lethington, who espoused Margaret Wardlaw, and died ante 1471, having had a son,

JOHN MAITLAND, apparent of Thirlestane, 1464, but it is not known whether he survived his father.

His wife appears to have been a daughter of the Laird of Dundas, and he left a son, successor to his grandfather,

SIR WILLIAM MAITLAND, of Lethington and Thirlestane, who wedded Martha, daughter of 4th Lord Seton,  by whom he had, with other issue, a son,

SIR RICHARD MAITLAND (1496-1586), of Lethington and Thirlestane, who wedded Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Cranston, and had, with other issue,

William, of Lethington;

JOHN, 1st Baron Maitland.

The second son,

SIR JOHN MAITLAND, was created Lord Maitland of Thirlestane in 1590.

His lordship died five years afterwards, and was succeeded by his only son,

JOHN, 2nd Lord, who was created, in 1616, Viscount Lauderdale; and, in 1624, advanced to the dignities of Viscount Maitland and EARL OF LAUDERDALE.

His lordship wedded Isabella, daughter of Alexander, Earl of Dunfermline, and had issue, two sons and a daughter.

He died in 1645, and was succeeded by his son,

JOHN, 2nd Earl, KG,

1st Duke of Lauderdale KG, by Jacob Huysmans 

Who, having distinguished himself by his zealous and active exertions in the royal cause during the civil wars, was, after the Restoration, installed a Knight of the Garter, and appointed High Commissioner of Scotland. His lordship was created, in 1672, Marquess of March and DUKE OF LAUDERDALE; and enrolled amongst the peers of England, 1674, as Baron Petersham, and Earl of Guildford, in Surrey. His Grace dying, however, without male issue, in 1682, those honours expired, but his hereditary titles devolved upon his brother,

CHARLES, 3rd Earl, who married Elizabeth, daughter and sole heiress of Richard Lauder, of Hutton, by whom he had issue Richard, John, and Charles, successive Earls of Lauderdale, besides three other sons and two daughters.

His lordship died in 1691, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD, 4th Earl, PC, privy counsellor, General of The Mint, and Lord Justice General, 1681-84.

His lordship was outlawed in 1694, for his adhesion to the fortunes of JAMES II; and dying in Paris, without issue, in 1695, the peerage devolved upon his brother,

JOHN, 5th Earl, one of the Lords of Session, under the title of Lord Ravelrig, who wedded the Lady Margaret Cunningham, only child of Alexander, 10th Earl of Glencairn, and heir of line of that ancient family, and had issue, the eldest surviving son,

CHARLES, 6th Earl, who married the Lady Elizabeth Ogilvy, daughter of James, Earl of Findlater and Seafield, Lord Chancellor of Scotland, by whom he had, with other issue, his eldest son,

JAMES (1718-89), 7th Earl, Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, who married, in 1749, Mary, daughter and co-heir of Sir Thomas Lombe, alderman of the city of London, and had issue,

JAMES (1759-1839), 8th Earl, KT.

• James Maitland, 8th Earl (1759–1839)
• James Maitland, 9th Earl (1784–1860)
• Anthony Maitland, 10th Earl (1785–1863)
• Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl (1803–78)
  • Thomas Mordaunt Maitland (1838–1844)
• Charles Barclay-Maitland, 12th Earl (1822–84)
• Frederick Henry Maitland, 13th Earl (1840–1924)
• Frederick Colin Maitland, 14th Earl (1868–1931)
• Ian Colin Maitland, 15th Earl (1891–1953)
  • Ivor Colin James Maitland, Viscount Maitland (1915–1943)
• Alfred Sydney Frederick Maitland, 16th Earl (1904–68)
• Patrick Francis Maitland, 17th Earl (1911–2008)
• Ian Maitland, 18th Earl (b 1937).

THIRLESTANE CASTLE sits in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland.

The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground.

However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Water.

The land has been in the ownership of the Maitland family since 1587, and Thirlestane has served as the seat of the Earls of Lauderdale.

John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale (1616-82), one of the most important Scottish figures of the late 17th century, was appointed Secretary of State for Scotland in 1660, a position carrying unrivalled power and influence.

He employed the architect Sir William Bruce to transform the castle into a residence suitable for conducting the affairs of state.

Between 1670-76, the substantial alterations included the addition of the two front towers and the grand staircase, in addition to extensive internal modifications creating lavish staterooms with magnificent plasterwork ceilings.

Captain Gerald Maitland-Carew inherited the castle in 1972 from his maternal grandmother, Ethel, Countess of Lauderdale, wife of the 15th Earl.

At this time, the castle was in a serious state of disrepair, requiring extensive renovation.

In 1984, the castle was gifted to a charitable trust established to ensure its preservation, and major repairs were carried out, assisted by financial grants awarded by the Historic Buildings Council and the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

In addition to the grounds, the castle itself and its interiors, Thirlestane is noted for fine collections of paintings, furniture, porcelain and an historic toy collection.

The castle is normally open to visitors from April until September, however was not open during the 2013 season due to another outbreak of dry rot which is being treated.

First published in November, 2013. 

Old Court Chapel

Photo Credit: Colin Boyle

BALLYCULTER, a parish in the barony of LECALE, County Down, is situated on Strangford Lough.

It is a rectory in the diocese of Down and Dromore.

There is a little chapel standing within the grounds of OLD COURT, the seat of LORD DE ROS, of which the Rector is chaplain.

This chapel of ease was built in 1629 by Valentine Payne (or Paine), agent to the 16th Earl of Kildare.

The chapel and adjacent stables can now be hired for wedding receptions and functions.

Seemingly it has been considerably altered down the years, as successive Barons de Ros have deemed it their duty to "make their mark".

It is thought that this little chapel, which can accommodate 110 worshippers, has remained open for worship during its 380-year history.

Photo Credit: Colin Boyle

In the 1830s, and since the chapel was outside the jurisdiction of the Lord Bishop of Down, the chaplain received a salary of £20 per annum (ca £2,400 today) from Lord de Ros.

The clerk received five pounds annually.

There was an attendance of one hundred worshippers, the congregation being separate from Ballyculter Parish Church.

The bell's whereabouts remain unknown to this very day, though it may have been destroyed when the original Old Court House was burnt in 1922.

Photo Credit: Colin Boyle

There was a period when the little chapel was attended by all denominations, since it was the only place of worship in the vicinity, Ballyculter and Kilclief both being ruinous.

THE PRESENT Old Court chapel is believed to have been constructed around a considerably smaller plainer structure, built in 1629 by Valentine Payne, the agent of George, 16th Earl of Kildare, the then owner of Strangford.

Little is known about the early history of the building, the next notable date being 1740-44, when Walter Harris remarked that it was "repaired and beautified" by Robert, the 19th Earl; and in 1814, when Lord Henry FitzGerald was said to have repaired the roof and paving.

The chapel is shown as a small rectangular structure on a map of 1833-34 and described as "a very small church of the plainest construction" with a congregation of "generally 100".

The memoir also describes a church bell which was inscribed

Valentine Payne Esquire, who hath to wife Elizabeth L.F. [shape of the cross], who builded this chapel and gave this bell in anno domini 1629.

Underneath there is a drawing representing a coat of arms, viz. three scallop shells, three crosses, and a half-moon; three beasts and three birds below; a kind of cup with a half-moon therein.

In 1835, the chapel was repaired throughout by Henry, 22nd Baron de Ros.

His successor William, 23rd Baron, appears to have taken considerable interest in the building.

Repairs to the walls and roof were undertaken in 1840; general repairs to the roof and interior in 1847; raising the walls; replacing the roof; adding the tower and chimney in 1848; and replacing the pews in 1849.

In 1855, Lord de Ros altered the pulpit, adding the chancel; and the west window was enlarged in 1857.

The 23rd Baron's final significant alterations were executed in 1866, when a cornice and bracket were added to the chancel and further work carried out to the tower.

In 1874, the present reading desk and lectern were installed and the transept was built.

New seating was installed in 1882; the east window enlarged in 1891; the pulpit removed and choir seats added in 1894.

In 1908, the chapel took on the its current form when the north aisle was constructed, the interior lined with dressed stone and stained glass added to the transept and east windows.

All of these new alterations were dedicated in 1909 by the Lord Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore, the Rt Rev John Crozier.

Apart from the addition of some memorial panels, no major changes have taken place since then.

However, in 1940 many of the older headstones within the surrounding graveyard were placed against the boundary wall.

The graveyard, which lies to the south side of the church, is rarely used now and in 1940 almost all the stones were arranged round the sides.

These gravestones have been numbered consecutively, clockwise, from the east end of the church.

There are six stones still left in the body of the graveyard and one standing alone on the north of the church (de Ros).

All the gravestones have been copied, including three built into the west end of the church.

Modern memorial tablets in the church have not been copied.

The oldest stone dates from 1714 and almost all are in good condition.

Old Court Chapel features in Death In Holy Orders in the 2024 detective series, Dalgliesh, starring Bertie Carvel.

First published in December, 2012.