The Bedford Estate, Bloomsbury

According to Burke's Peerage, early records show familes bearing the name of RUSSELL established as landowners in different parts of Dorset. In 1189 mention is made in Ancient Deed A6708 of the Russells of Mappowder.

In 1436 William Russell, late of Mappowder, was styled Gentleman. About 1210, at Kingston Russell, Dorset, John Russell held Kingston as half a hide by the Serjeanty of being Marshal of The King's Buttery on Christmas Day and at Whitsuntide, a service which had originated in the time of the Conqueror.

His direst male descendants continued to hold Kingston until 1432, when the Russell lands were divided between Isabella and Margaret, daughters and co-heirs of Sir Maurice Russell, of whom Margaret married Sir Gilbert Denys of Gloucestershire.

In 1544 their descendant Maurice Denys sold the Manor of Kingston Russell to the Crown.

In March, 1559-60, the Crown in its turn sold it to Francis (Russell), 2nd Earl of Bedford.

In 1312, at Chilfrome, Dorset, James Russell brought a plea as to tenements there.

There were other Russells associated with the coastal district, particularly Melcombe and Weymouth, who were prominent in local affairs throughout the 14th century.

William Russell represented Melcombe Regis in the Parliament of 1340; Thomas Russell was MP for the same borough thrice between 1384 and 1390.

When Stephen Russell represented the borough of Weymouth in 1394 it was Thomas Russell who had stood surety for him.

THE ancestry of the RUSSELLS, Dukes of Bedford, cannot be strictly proved by documentary evidence beyond Stephen Russell, but from him the succession has always been from father to son or grandson.

Stephen was living in the time of RICHARD II and HENRY IV, and owned property in Dorchester and Weymouth and lands at Maiden Newton.

He was Bailiff of Weymouth in 1388-89.

In 1433 he was chosen, together with his son Henry, as one of the "potentes et valentes" men of Dorset who were to swear the oath to keep the peace in accordance with the decree made by the Parliament of that year.

He married, about 1400, Alice, granddaughter and heir of Cecily de Blynchesfield, who was holding the de Blynchesfield property in Shaftesbury and Stour Provost in 1382; and heir-general of Gregory de Turri, or de la Tour, who was holding the Manor of Berwick in Dorset before 1221.

In July, 1427, at the Dorchester Assizes, Stephen Russell claimed this manor in the name of his wife, Alice, as sole heir to the de la Tour family.

The claim was allowed, and the reversion of the Manor granted to Stephen and Alice, since when it has been held without a break by the head of the Russell family.

He died between June and October, 1438, leaving a son,

HENRY RUSSELL, born ca 1401, who was returned as MP for the Borough of Weymouth to the Parliaments of 1425, 1427, and 1441-2.

Within the county of Dorset he held at different times various important offices.

He wedded Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of John Herring, of Chaldon Herring, Dorset.

Henry Russell died 1463-4, leaving a son,

JOHN RUSSELL, born about 1431, who married, about 1449, Alice or Elizabeth Froxmere, probably of Droitwich, Worcestershire; and died in 1505, leaving an heir,

SIR JAMES RUSSELL, either son or nephew of John, who espoused Alice, daughter of John or Thomas Wyse, of Sydenham Damerel, near Tavistock, and died 1505, leaving a son,

JOHN RUSSELL (c1485-1555), of Berwick-by-Swyre, afterwards 1st Earl of Bedford, who married, 1526, Anne, daughter of Sir Guy Sapcote.

This John, 1st Earl of Bedford, acquired many thousands of acres round Tavistock, Devon, and Thorney, Cambridgeshire; Covent Garden and Long Acre in London; and Chenies in Buckinghamshire.

He was succeeded by his son and heir,

FRANCIS, 2nd Earl (c1527-85), KG, of Chenies, Buckinghamshire, and Bedford House, near Exeter, Devon, who married and had issue.

Bedford House, Strand, London (Image: eBay)

WILLIAM, 5th Earl and 1st Duke of Bedford (1616-1700), KG, wedded, in 1637, Anne (born in the Tower of London, 1615), daughter and sole heiress of Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset, by whom he had issue, seven sons and three daughters, of whom

WILLIAM, styled Lord Russell, married, in 1669, the Lady Rachel Wriothesley, second daughter and eventual heir of Thomas, Earl of Southampton, owner of the lands at Bloomsbury, London.

Lady Rachel was widow of Francis, Lord Vaughan (through this marriage the Duke of Bedford represents the younger branch of the house of Cheyne of Chenies, Buckinghamshire).

Thus the Bloomsbury Estate came though marriage into the Russells, Dukes of Bedford, thereafter becoming known as the Bedford Estate.

It’s thought that the present Duke owns twenty acres in Bloomsbury.

Glenveagh Castle

JOHN GEORGE ADAIR OWNED 16,308 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DONEGAL

The family of ADAIR was settled in Scotland, and later in Ulster, for many generations. 

According to tradition, the family derived its descent from Thomas, 5th Earl of Desmond, who having gone on a hunting expedition, lost his way, and spent the night between Tralee and Newcastle, County Limerick, where he was received and hospitably entertained by William MacCormac, whose daughter he subsequently married. 

At this alliance his family and clan were much offended, and compelled him to flee to France, and resign his title and estates to his younger brother in 1418. He died of grief at Rouen, in 1420, where the two kings of England and France were present. 

The 5th Earl of Desmond had issue, Maurice and John. MAURICE had issue, Maurice and Robert. 

ROBERT returned to Ireland with the hope of regaining his family title and estates. 

This Robert killed Gerald, the White Knight (second son of Gerald, the then Earl of Desmond), in single combat, at Áth Dara (ford of the oaks), County Limerick, but was subsequently defeated and fled to Scotland, where he assumed the name of ADAIRE.

GEORGE ADAIR JP DL (1784-1823), of Bellegrove, and Rath, Queen's County (son of John Adair, of Rath), wedded, in 1822, Elizabeth, second daughter of the Very Rev Thomas Trench, Dean of Kildare, and had an only son,

JOHN GEORGE ADAIR (1823-85), of Glenveagh Castle, County Donegal, who married Mrs Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, widow of Montgomery Harrison Ritchie.

 
GLENVEAGH CASTLE, near Churchill, is described by Mark Bence-Jones thus:-

A Victorian-Baronial house of rough-hewn granite at the end of a wooded promontory jutting out into Lough Veagh, surrounded by the bare and desolate hills of a deer-forest, so large as to seem a world apart.

The Castle comprises a keep with battlements, flanked by a lower round tower and other buildings. The entrance is through a walled courtyard.

The formal garden boasts terraces with busts and statuary; with a bathing pool by the side of the lough; an Italian garden; a walled garden with a Gothic orangery; and a splendid variety of rare and exotic trees and shrubs.

Glenveagh National Park lies in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains in the north-west of County Donegal.

It is a remote and hauntingly beautiful wilderness of rugged mountains and pristine lakes.

The park, 40,000 acres in extent, consists of three areas.

The largest of these is the former Glenveagh Estate, including most of the Derryveagh Mountains.

The Glenveagh estate was created in 1857-9 by the purchase of several smaller holdings by John George Adair, a wealthy land speculator originally from County Laois.

Mr Adair was later to incur infamy throughout the county by evicting some 244 tenants in the Derryveagh evictions of 1861.

After marrying his American-born wife Cornelia, Adair began the construction of Glenveagh Castle in 1867, which was completed by 1873.

Adair, however, was never to fulfil his dream of creating a hunting estate in the highlands of Donegal and died suddenly in 1885 on return from a business trip to America.

After her husband’s death, Cornelia Adair took over the running of the estate and introduced deer stalking in the 1890s.

She continually sought to improve the Castle’s comforts and the beauty of its grounds, carrying out major improvements to the estate and laying out the gardens.

Over the next thirty years she was to become a much noted society hostess and continued to spend summers at the castle until 1916.

Following the death of Mrs Adair in London in 1921, Glenveagh fell much into decline and was occupied by both the anti-treaty and Eire army forces during the Irish civil war.

Glenveagh’s next owner was not to be until 1929 when purchased by Professor Arthur Kingsley Porter of Harvard University who came to Ireland to study Irish archaeology and culture.

The Porters mainly entertained Irish literary and artistic figures, including his close friend AE Russell whose paintings still hang in the library of the castle.

Their stay was to be short, however, as Arthur Kingsley Porter mysteriously disappeared from Inishbofin Island in 1933 while visiting the island.

The last private owner was Henry McIlhenny (1910-86), of Philadelphia, USA, who bought the estate in 1937.

Mr McIlhenny was an Irish-American whose grandfather, John, grew up in Milford, a few miles north of Glenveagh.

After buying the estate, McIlhenny devoted much time to restoring the castle and developing its gardens.

Eventually he began to find travelling to and from Ireland too demanding and the upkeep of the estate was also becoming a strain.

In 1975, he agreed the sale of the estate to the Irish government, allowing for the creation of a national park.

In 1983 he donated the castle to the Irish state, along with its gardens and much of the contents.

Glenveagh National Park opened to visitors in 1984, while the Castle itself opened in 1986.

First Published in February, 2012.  Source: GLENVEIGH NATIONAL PARK.

13th Duke at Mount Stewart

I've been reading my 1960 hardback copy of A Silver-plated Spoon, by the 13th Duke of Bedford in 1959.

As a young man, the Duke paid a visit to Mount Stewart, the County Down seat of the Londonderrys.

This visit was most probably in the 1930s.

He sailed over to Ulster on the night-boat and, on arrival, was informed that the family was going yacht-sailing on Strangford Lough.

"I had always regarded Lady Londonderry as a very grand respectable person, and had seen her at Londonderry House at most formal parties." 

"Lord Londonderry used to get up very early in the morning and fly round and round the house at about half-past six in his aeroplane."

"They also had a pipe band patrolling round the house at dawn and round the dinner table at night, where of course the hideous noise stopped all conversation."

"I never did solve the tipping problem. At Woburn my grandfather had left printed notes everywhere telling guests not to tip the servants, but at Mount Stewart there was no such helpful advice, so in the end I left nothing, hoping for the best."

1st Baron Mountjoy

The origin and history of this most ancient and distinguished family has been elaborately investigated by Sir Alexander Croke, of Studley Priory, Oxfordshire, who traces it from the Counts of Guînes, in Picardy, France, a race of nobles descended themselves from the Scandinavian rulers of Denmark.

It gave birth to three distinct races of peers, viz. the Lords of Guînes, in France; the Barons of Ixworth, in Suffolk (which barony ceased with Sir William Blount, Baron of Ixworth, who was slain fighting under the banner of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, at the battle of Lewes, and subsequently attainted, by Parliament, in the reign of HENRY III); and the Barons Mountjoy, of Thurveston, Derbyshire, which barony expired in 1681.

RUDOLPH, 3rd Count of Guînes, had three sons by his wife, Rosetta, daughter of the Count of Saint-Pol, all of whom accompanied the NORMAN in his expedition against England, in 1066; and, contributing to the triumph of their chief, shared amply in the spoils of conquest.

One of the brothers returned to his native country; the other two adopted that which they had so gallantly helped to win, and abided there.

Of these,

SIR ROBERT LE BLOUNT was the first feudal Baron of Ixworth, but of him presently.

SIR WILLIAM LE BLOUNT was a general of foot at Hastings, and had grants of seven Lordships in Lincolnshire.

MARIA LE BLOUNT, sole heiress of her line, marrying, in the next century, SIR STEPHEN LE BLOUNT, united the families of the two brothers.

The elder son,

SIR ROBERT LE BLOUNT, had the command of WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR's ships of war, and was styled "DUX NAVIUM MILITARIUM."

His portion of the Spolia Opima embraced thirteen manors in Suffolk, of which county he was the first feudal baron of Ixworth (the place of his abode), and Lord of Orford Castle.

Sir Robert married Gundreda, youngest daughter of Henry, Earl Ferrers, and had a son and heir,

GILBERT LE BLOUNT, 2nd Baron of Ixworth; from whom we pass to

WILLIAM LE BLOUNT, 6th Baron of Ixworth, who was standard-bearer to Simon de Montfort, and fell at the battle of Lewes, 1264.

He was attainted, and the Barony of Ixworth forfeited.

Sir William left no issue, so that the representation of the family devolved upon his uncle,

SIR STEPHEN LE BLOUNT, who wedded, as stated, MARIA LE BLOUNT, heiress of Saxlingham, and had two sons,

ROBERT, his heir;
JOHN.

The elder son,

SIR ROBERT BLOUNT, espoused Isobel, daughter and co-heir of the feudal Lord of Odinsels, by whom he acquired the Manor of Belton, Rutland, and had issue (with two other sons),

SIR WILLIAM BLOUNT, who married the Lady Isobel de Beauchamp, daughter of William, 1st Earl of Warwick, and had a son,

SIR WALTER LE BLOUNT, of Warwickshire, who wedded Johanna, third sister and co-heir of Sir William de Sodington, and acquired the Estate of Sodington, Worcestershire.

Sir Walter died in 1332, and was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR WILLIAM LE BLOUNT, who wedded Margaret, daughter and co-heir of Theobald, 2nd Baron de Verdon, but dying issueless, left his property to his brother,

SIR JOHN BLOUNT, of Sodington, who espoused Isolda, daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Mountjoy, of Derbyshire, whence the title of MOUNTJOY was afterwards assumed as a barony by a member of the family.

Sir John's third son,

SIR WALTER BLOUNT, was father of

SIR THOMAS BLOUNT (1378-1456), who wedded Margery, daughter of Thomas Gresley, and had issue,

Thomas (Sir), 1414-68;
WALTER, of whom hereafter;
Agnes.

The younger son,

SIR WALTER BLOUNT KG (c1416-74), of Thurveston, Derbyshire, espoused firstly, before 1443, Helena, daughter of Sir John Byron, of Clayton, Lancashire, and had issue,

WILLIAM (1442-71), father of EDWARD, 2nd Baron;
JOHN, 3rd Baron;
James;
Edward;
Anne; Elizabeth.

He married secondly, ca 1467, Anne, widow of Humphrey, 1st Duke of Buckingham.

Sir Walter was elevated to the peerage, in 1465, in the dignity of BARON MOUNTJOY.

His lordship's eldest son, William, was slain at the battle of Barnet, 1471, and he was succeeded by his grandson,

EDWARD, 2nd Baron (1464-75), who dsp, and was succeeded by his uncle,

JOHN, 3rd Baron (c1450-85), who married, ca 1477, Lora, daughter of Edward Berkeley,  and had issue,

WILLIAM, his successor;
Roland;
Lora; Constance.

THE family line passed uninterruptedly until we come to

CHARLES, 8th Baron (1563-1606), KG, LORD DEPUTY OF IRELAND, 1600-3, LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND, 1603-4, who was created, in 1603, EARL OF DEVONSHIRE.

The 1st Earl died without legitimate issue at Savoy House, London, when the titles expired.

MOUNTJOY CASTLE is located near the village of Mountjoy, County Tyrone, on a hill overlooking Lough Neagh.

The castle was built by the 8th Baron Mountjoy in 1602, and partly burned in 1643 by Captain Turlough Gruama O'Quin.

It is a two-storey brick building and the lower storey is stone-faced on the outside.

The castle comprises a central rectangular block with four spear-shaped angle towers with gun loops.

The northwest tower is partly demolished and the west curtain wall destroyed.

The entrance was on the south side of the east curtain wall.

On the first floor there are some wide windows.

Mountjoy Fort

MOUNTJOY FORT, which stood near the castle on the south-western edge of Lough Neagh, was discovered by a team of archeologists in 2018.

First published in July, 2018.

A Group at Dromore Palace

A Group of Dilettanti at the Bishop's Palace, Dromore (Image: The National Trust)

A Group of Dilettanti at the Bishop's Palace, Dromore, County Down, attributed to Thomas Robinson, a pupil of George Romney.

According to the key listing members of the group in the watercolour copy it contains likenesses of Thomas Robinson, Dr Robinson, Rev H E Boyd, Thomas Stott, F Burroughs, Dr Percy, Lord Bishop of Dromore, Sir George Atkinson, Arthur, 3rd Marquess of Downshire, the Hon Edward Ward, Robert, Viscount Castlereagh, Mr Chermside, Rev Archibald Boyd.

The painting was purchased by the National Trust from Edward, 7th Viscount Bangor, in 1967, with a grant from the Ulster Land Fund.

First published in July, 2020.

Wodehouse Gems: I

CARRY ON, JEEVES, BY SIR P G WODEHOUSE, KBE

P G Wodehouse's mastery of the English Language was quite unsurpassed.

Here's Bertie Wooster's description of Lady Malvern in Carry On, Jeeves.

It always brings a smile to my face. Instanter, as Bertie would say:-

Lady Malvern was a hearty, happy, healthy, overpowering sort of female, not so very tall but making up for it by measuring about six feet from the O. P. to the Prompt Side.

She fitted into my biggest arm-chair as if it had been built round her by someone who knew they were wearing arm-chairs tight about the hips that season.

She had bright, bulging eyes and a lot of yellow hair, and when she spoke she showed about fifty-seven front teeth. She was one of those women who kind of numb a fellow's faculties.

First published in  July, 2011.

Stuart Hall

THE EARLS CASTLE STEWART WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TYRONE, WITH 32,615 ACRES

This is a branch of the royal house of STEWART, springing from Robert, Duke of Albany and Regent of Scotland, third legitimate son of ROBERT II, King of Scotland.

This cadet (whose elder brother was Andrew, first and last Lord Avandale), was

WALTER STEWART, of Morphie, Aberdeenshire, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Arnot, of Arnot, Fife, and by her had issue, a son,

ALEXANDER STEWART, of Avandale, who had a charter of the lands and barony of Avandale on the resignation of his uncle, Lord Avandale (born 1485-6).

He was one of the lords auditors, 1488, but died before June, 1489, when he was succeeded by his son (by some said to be his brother),

ANDREW STEWART, 1st Lord Avondale, who wedded Margaret, sister of David, 1st Earl of Cassillis, and had issue,

ANDREW, his successor;
Henry, 1st Lord Methven;
James;
Alexander;
William;
Barbara; Agnes; Anne.

His lordship fell at the battle of Flodden, 1513, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

ANDREW (c1505-49) succeeding his uncle as 2nd Lord Avondale, who exchanged the title for that of OCHILTREE.

His lordship married Margaret, natural daughter of James, 1st Earl of Arran, and had issue,

ANDREW, his successor;
Walter;
Isobel.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

ANDREW (c1521-91), 2nd Lord Ochiltree, who married Agnes Cunningham, and had a son and heir, Andrew Stewart, styled Master of Ochiltree, who predeceased him in 1578, and was succeeded by his grandson,

ANDREW, 3rd Lord Ochiltree (c1560-1629), who having sold the feudal barony of OCHILTREE to his cousin, Sir James Stuart, of Killeith, was created, 1619, Baron Castle Stewart, of County Tyrone, where he possessed considerable estates.

He wedded, ca 1587, Margaret, daughter of Sir John Kennedy, of Blairquhan, and had issue,

ANDREW, his successor;
JOHN, 5th Baron;
Robert, ancestor of the Earl Castle Stewart;
Margaret, m George Crawford, of Crawfordsburn;
Maria, m John Kennedy, of Cultra;
Anna.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ANDREW, 2nd Baron (1590-1639), who had been previously created a baronet.

He espoused, ca 1604, the Lady Anne Stewart, fifth daughter and co-heiress of John, 5th Earl of Atholl, by which lady he had issue,

ANDREW, 3rd Baron;
JOSIAS, 4th Baron.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

ANDREW, 3rd Baron (-1650), who married Joyce, daughter and heiress of Sir Arthur Blundell, by whom he had issue, an only child, MARY, who wedded Henry 5th Earl of Suffolk.

His lordship died without male issue, and the honours devolved upon his brother,

JOSIAS, 4th Baron (c1637-62), who espoused Anne, daughter of John Madden, of Enfield, Middlesex, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Charles Waterhouse, of Manor Waterhouse, County Fermanagh.

This marriage was without issue and the titles reverted to his uncle,

JOHN, 5th Baron, after whose decease without issue, the title remained in abeyance until 1774, when it was claimed by, and allowed to

CAPTAIN ROBERT STEWART, de jure 6th Baron, who married Anne, daughter of William Moore, of Garvey, County Tyrone.

He died ca 1685, and was succeeded by his son,

ANDREW, de jure 7th Baron (1672-1715), who wedded Eleanor, daughter of Robert Dallway, of Bellahill, County Antrim, by whom he had issue,

ROBERT, de jure 8th Baron (1700-42), who wedded, in 1722, Margaret, sister and co-heiress of Hugh Edwards, of Castle Gore, County Tyrone, and had issue,

ANDREW THOMAS, 9th Baron (1725-1809), who was created Viscount Castle Stewart in 1793.

His lordship was further advanced to an earldom, in 1800, as EARL CASTLE STEWART.

His lordship wedded, in 1781, Sarah, daughter of the Rt Hon Godfrey Lill, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland, by whom he had issue,

ROBERT, his successor;
Andrew;
Caroline; Sarah.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT, 2nd Earl (1784-1854), who espoused, in 1806, Jemima, only daughter of Colonel Robinson, by whom he had issue,

EDWARD, 3rd Earl;
CHARLES ANDREW KNOX, 4th Earl;
Andrew Godfrey, in holy orders, father of 6th Earl.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDWARD, 3rd Earl (1807-57), who married, in 1830, Emmeline, only surviving daughter and heir of Benjamin Bathurst, in a childless marriage.

His lordship was succeeded by his brother,

CHARLES ANDREW KNOX, 4th Earl (1810-74), who wedded, in 1835, Charlotte Raffles Drury, only daughter of Acheson Quintin Thompson, of County Louth, and had issue,

HENRY JAMES, his successor;
Mary; Ella Sophia; Alice Maude; Margaretta.

His lordship was succeeded by his son,

HENRY JAMES, 5th Earl (1837-1914), High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1870, who espoused, in 1866, Augusta Le Vicomte, daughter of Major William Stewart Richardson-Brady, and had issue, two daughters,

Mary; Muriel Albany.

His lordship died without male issue, and the titles reverted to his cousin,

ANDREW JOHN, as 6th Earl (1841-1921); who married, in 1876, Emma Georgiana Diana, daughter of Major-General Arthur Stevens, and had issue,

Andrew John, Viscount Stuart (1880-1915), killed in action;
Robert Sheffield (1886-1914), killed in action;
ARTHUR, of whom presently;
Charles Patrick;
Katherine Frances.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

ARTHUR, 7th Earl (1889-1961), MC, Major, Machine Gun Corps, MP for Harborough, 1929-33, who wedded, in 1920, Eleanor May, daughter of Solomon Robert Guggenheim, and had issue,

David Andrew Noel, Viscount Stuart (1921-42), killed in action;
Robert John Ochiltree, Viscount Stuart (1923-44), died of wounds in action;
ARTHUR PATRICK AVONDALE, of whom hereafter;
Simon Walter Erskine.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

ARTHUR PATRICK AVONDALE, 8th Earl (1928-2023), of Stuart Hall, near Stewartstown, County Tyrone, who married firstly, in 1952, Edna, daughter of William Edward Fowler, and had issue,

ANDREW RICHARD CHARLES, his successor;

Bridget Ann.

His lordship was succeeded by his son,

ANDREW RICHARD CHARLES, 9th Earl (1953-), who wedded, in 1953, Anniw Yvette, daughter of Robert le Poulain, and has issue, a daughter,

Celia Elizabeth, born in 1976.

THE other major event of his long reign as head of the family was the 1st Earl's acquisition, in 1782, of a third manor in County Tyrone, the manor of Orritor, alias Orator.

Orritor was near Stewartstown, and was thus geographically well-situated to round off the existing manors of Castle Stewart and Forward.

However, the Orritor Estate adjoined Drum Manor and was, thus, closer to Cookstown than Stewartstown; or New Mills, around where the Forward estate is situated.

The fourth manor in the Tyrone estate came in by inheritance, not deliberate purchase, and was remote from the other three: the manor of Hastings, alias Castlegore (near Castlederg) formerly the property of the Edwards family of Castlegore.

Robert Stewart of Stuart Hall had married Margaret Edwards of Castlegore back in 1722; and, as a result of failure of heirs male in the Edwards family, Castlegore passed to the Stuarts.

In 1862, the four manors generated an annual income of £7,567.

A further temporary addition to the Tyrone estate was made in 1866, when Lord Stuart, later 5th Earl Castle Stewart, married the heiress of the Richardson Brady family of Oaklands, alias Drum Manor, Cookstown.

On his death in 1914, however, he was succeeded in the earldom and in the Castle Stewart estates by his cousin; but at Drum Manor by one of his daughters, Lady Muriel Close.

STUART HALL, near Stewartstown, County Tyrone, was built about 1760 for Andrew, 1st Earl Castle Stewart.

It was originally a three-storey Georgian block with a pillared porch, joined to an old tower-house by a 19th century Gothic wing.

More recently, the top two storeys of the main block were removed, giving it the appearance of a Georgian bungalow.

Stuart Hall was blown up by the IRA in July, 1972, and subsequently demolished.

A new dwelling was subsequently built on the site in 1987.

The present house is surrounded by lawns and a maintained woodland garden.

There is a ha-ha to grazing, with fine views of the landscape park and woodland beyond.

The stables and farm buildings survive from the 18th century and are listed.

The walled garden has a 1832 date stone and is adorned by a castellated wall and two folly towers backing onto the former stack yard.

Rowan describes it as ‘…castellated, of rubble stone with brick corbelling and a plump round tower at either end.’

A stone inscription on a frieze, though, has an inscription which reads either 1783 or 1785.

The walled garden is not kept up.

There were extensive glasshouses.

The chief attribute of the demesne is the fine stands of mature trees, disposed in the landscape style of the mid-18th century.

There is also forest planting.

A gate lodge of ca 1835 has gone but the gate screen remains.

First published in December, 2009. 

Wodehouse Gems: II

Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves by Sir P G Wodehouse, KBE, published  in 1963

Bertie Wooster's arch-adversary, Roderick Spode, Earl of Sidcup, features heavily in this book.

Spode, as Bertie calls him, is a character we all love to hate.

Here is one of my favourite passages that always makes me laugh:-

'...Spode pivoted round and gave me a penetrating look. He had grown a bit, I noticed, since I had last seen him, being now about nine foot seven. ...I had compared him to a gorilla, and what I had had in mind had been the ordinary run-of-the-mill gorilla, not the large economy size'. 

...'To ease the strain, I asked him if he would have a cucumber sandwich, but with an impassioned gesture he indicated that he was not in the market for cucumber sandwiches..."a muffin?" 


No, not a muffin, either. He seemed to be on a diet.

"Wooster", he said, his jaw muscles moving freely, "I can't make up my mind whether to break your neck or not."

And so on. Wodehouse's command of the English language was supreme. Brilliant.

Wodehouse's character, Spode, is believed to be modelled on the war-time fascist leader, Sir Oswald Mosley Bt.

The Mosleys had a connection with Staffordshire, the county where Spode pottery is made; hence the name.

First published in March, 2009.

Fraser of Gortfoyle

JOHN FRASER (1803-75), a crofter, of Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire, married Margaret Tulloch, and had a son,

JAMES FRASER (1831-1908), of Plevna, Bloomfield, County Mayo, who married, in 1853, Catherine Ann, daughter of Robert Moore, of Donegal, and had issue,

ROBERT MOORE, of whom presently;
John James, d 1880;
Jane, d 1933.

Mr Fraser resided in successive properties in Belfast, including: 81 Springfield Terrace; 10 Cameron Street; Plevna Street; and, in 1902, 33 Cyprus Gardens, where he died in 1908.

The eldest son,

DR ROBERT MOORE FRASER (1865-1952), of Gortfoyle, Ballyhackamore, Belfast, married firstly, in 1899, Margaret Boal, daughter of Adam Boal Ferguson, of Lark Hill, County Antrim; and secondly, in 1907, Alice Josephine, youngest daughter of Dr Alexander Cuthbert, of Londonderry.

Dr Fraser practiced in his surgery at 211, Albertbridge Road, Belfast.

His residence was Gortfoyle, a villa at 364 Upper Newtownards Road, Ballyhackamore; and, after 1939, 10 Winston Gardens, Belfast.

Following Dr Fraser's death his widow, Margaret, moved to 20 Cloverhill Park, Belfast.

His son,

Sir Ian Fraser, by Carol Graham (Image: the Queen's University of Belfast)

 

BRIGADIER SIR IAN FRASER DSO OBE DL MD (1901-99), wedded, in 1931, Eleanor Margaret, daughter of Marcus Adolphus Mitchell, of Quarry House, Strandtown, Belfast, and had issue, 

IAN MARCUS, b 1939;
Mary Alice, b 1938.

Do any readers have photographs of Gortfoyle, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast?

First published in April, 2014.

Mitchelstown Castle

THE EARLS OF KINGSTON WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CORK, WITH 24,421 ACRES

The family of KING was originally of Feathercock Hall, near Northallerton, Yorkshire.

The first of its members we find upon record in Ireland is

SIR JOHN KING, Knight (c1560-1637), who obtained, from ELIZABETH I, in requital of his military services, a lease of Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon; and, from JAMES I, numerous valuable territorial grants, and several of the highest and most lucrative political employments.

He married Catherine, daughter of Robert Drury, and grand-niece of the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir William Drury, and had, with other issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
John;
Edward;
Dorothy; Mary.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ROBERT KING, Knight, of Boyle Abbey, Muster Master-general of Ireland, who wedded firstly, Frances, daughter of Sir Henry Folliott, 1st Baron Folliott, of Ballyshannon, and had, with other children,

JOHN (Sir), 1st Baron Kingston;
ROBERT, created a Baronet.

Sir Robert died in 1657, and was succeeded by his youngest son,

THE RT HON ROBERT KING (c1625-1707), of Rockingham, County Roscommon, MP for Ballyshannon, 1661-6, County Roscommon, 1692-9, and for Boyle, 1703-7.

Mr King was created a baronet, 1682, designated of Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon.

He wedded Frances, daughter and co-heiress of Colonel Henry Gore, and died in 1707, leaving issue, his eldest surviving son,

SIR JOHN KING, 2nd Baronet (1673-1720), MP for Boyle, 1695, 1703, and 1713, and for County Roscommon, 1715-20, who espoused Elizabeth, daughter of John Sankey, of Tennalick, County Longford,  and dsp 1720, when the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR HENRY KING, 3rd Baronet (1680-1739), PC, MP for Boyle, 1707-27, and for County Roscommon, 1727-40, who married, in 1722, Isabella, who was 13th in descent from EDWARD III, and sister of 1st Viscount Powerscourt, by whom he had issue,

ROBERT, created Baron Kingsborough;

EDWARD, 1st Earl of Kingston;

Isabella; Anne.

The eldest son,

SIR ROBERT KING, 4th Baronet (1724-55), was raised to the Peerage, in 1748, in the dignity of BARON KINGSBOROUGH, but died unmarried in 1755, when that dignity expired, while the baronetcy devolved upon his brother,

SIR EDWARD KING, 5th Baronet (1726-97), created Baron Kingston, 1764, Viscount Kingsborough, 1766, and EARL OF KINGSTON, 1768.

He wedded, in 1752, Jane, daughter of Thomas Caulfeild, of Donamon, County Roscommon, and had, with other issue,

ROBERT, his successor;

Jane.

• Robert King, 2nd Earl (1754–99);
• George King, 3rd Earl (1771–1839);
  • Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough (1795–1837);
• Robert Henry King, 4th Earl (1796–1867);
• James King, 5th Earl (1800–69);
• Robert King, 6th Earl (1804–69);
• Robert Edward King, 7th Earl (1831–71);
• Henry Ernest Newcomen King-Tenison, 8th Earl (1848–96);
  • Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough (1873–73);
• Henry Edwyn King-Tenison, 9th Earl (1874–1946);
• Robert Henry Ethelbert King-Tenison, 10th Earl (1897–1948);
• Barclay Robert Edwin King-Tenison, 11th Earl (1943–2002);
• Robert Charles Henry King-Tenison, 12th Earl (b 1969).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Charles Avery Edward King-Tenison, styled Viscount Kingsborough (b 2000).

MITCHELSTOWN CASTLE was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Kingston.

It was one of the largest Gothic-Revival houses in Ireland, a noble and sumptuous structure of hewn stone, in the castellated style, erected after a design by Mr Pain, of Cork, at an expense of more than £100,000.

Mitchelstown is about thirty miles north of the city of Cork.

The buildings occupied three sides of a quadrangle, the fourth being occupied by a terrace, under which are various offices.

The principal entrance, on the eastern range, was flanked by two lofty square towers rising to the height of 106 feet, one of which was called the White Knight's tower, from its being built on the site of the tower of that name which formed part of the old mansion.

At the northern extremity of the same range were two octagonal towers of lofty elevation.

The entrance hall opened into a stately hall or gallery, eighty feet in length, with an elaborately groined roof, richly ornamented with fine tracery, and furnished with elegant stoves of bronze, and with figures of warriors armed cap-a-pie; at the further extremity was the grand staircase.

Gallery

Parallel with the gallery, and forming the south front and principal range, were the dining and drawing-rooms, both noble apartments superbly fitted up and opening into the library, which was between them.

Entrance Hall

The whole pile had a character of stately baronial magnificence, and from its great extent and elevation formed a conspicuous feature in the surrounding scenery.

Near the Castle was a large fish-pond, and from a small tower on its margin, water was conveyed to the baths and to the upper apartments of the castle, and across the demesne to the gardens, by machinery of superior construction.

The gardens were spacious and tastefully laid out, the conservatory 100 feet in length and ornamented with a range of beautiful Ionic pilasters.

The parkland, which comprised 1,300 acres, was embellished with luxuriant plantations, and included a farming establishment on an extensive scale, with buildings and offices of a superior description, on the erection of which more than £40,000 was expended.

It was estimated that the castle, with the conservatories, farm, and the general improvement of the demesne, cost its noble proprietor little less, if not more, than £200,000 (£8.3 million today).

"Big George", the 3rd Earl, was renowned for his extravagant hospitality.

The 4th Earl continued to entertain his visitors regally at Mitchelstown.

One of the under-cooks  was a young man called Claridge.

Lord Kingston suffered a financial downfall: His lordship - and house guests - locked the doors against the bailiffs and were besieged therein for a fortnight, until finally the Castle was possessed, creditors satisfied and much of the estate was sold.

What remained of the estate was inherited by the 5th Earl's widow. Thereafter, Economy reigned.

The house was looted and burned in 1922 by the IRA, which had occupied it for the previous six weeks.

The order to burn the building, to prevent the newly established Irish Free State army from having use of it, was made by a local Republican commandant, Patrick Luddy, with the approval of General Liam Lynch.

It is clear that one of the motivations for the burning was to try to cover up the looting of the castle's contents, including large amounts of furniture, a grand piano, paintings by Conrad, Beechy and Gainsborough.

Many of these objects have come up for sale in recent years and some, such as the piano, are still kept locally.

The Castle was severely damaged by the fire.

However, it is clear from documents in the National Archives of Ireland that, for example, in places where the fire had not reached, 'mantelpieces had been forcibly wrenched from the walls and carted.'

As this episode took place at the height of the Irish Civil War, there was no appetite afterwards to prosecute anyone for their role in the looting and burning.

The ashlar limestone of the castle was later removed to build the new Cistercian abbey at Mount Melleray, County Water.

The site of the building is now occupied by a milk powder processing plant and the surrounding 1,214 acre demesne (private park) of the castle has been destroyed.

Lord Kingston's town residence between 1826-32 was 3 Whitehall Place, London, now part of the Department of Energy & Climate Change.

 First published in February, 2012.

The Hart Baronetcy

The family of HART is said to descend from Captain Van Hardt, who came from Holland with Prince William of Orange to the battle of the Boyne. The said captain was granted Kilmoriarty, an estate near Portadown, County Armagh, for services rendered.  

Stanley Bell has written about the Hart family.

HENRY HART (1806-75), of Portadown, County Armagh, married Anne, daughter of John Edgar, of Portadown, and was father of

SIR ROBERT HART, BARONET, GCMG (1835-1911), of Kilmoriarty, County Armagh, and Peking, China, Inspector-General, Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs and Posts, who wedded, in 1866, Hester Jane, eldest daughter of the Dr Alexander Bredon, of Portadown, County Armagh, and had issue,

EDGAR BRUCE, his successor;
Evelyn; Mabel.

Sir Robert, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG), was created a baronet in 1893, designated of Kilmoriarty, County Armagh.

Sir Robert's son and heir,

SIR (EDGAR) BRUCE HART, 2nd Baronet (1873-1963), married, in 1894, Caroline, only daughter of William Moore Gillson, of Barsby Lodge, Ryde, Isle of Wight, and had issue, an only child, ROBERT.

Sir Bruce, Commissioner in England of Chinese Customs, Blue Button (3rd rank), and Order of the Double Dragon of China, was succeeded by his son,

SIR ROBERT HART, 3rd Baronet (1918-70), educated at Eton, and University College, Oxford, who died unmarried.

Sir Robert Hart, 3rd Baronet (Image: the Queen's University of Belfast)

The baronetcy expired following the 3rd Baronet's decease in 1970. 

Former London residences ~ 30 Hyde Park Place, W2; 35 Draycott Place, SW3.

First published in August, 2012.

Bovagh House

Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Hezlet KBE CB DSC
(Image: Walter Bird, National Portrait Gallery)

THE HEZLETS OWNED 675 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY

The family of HEZLET appears to have had a long connection with County Londonderry. Some sources claim that the Hezlets derived from Haesluyt in Holland, a place name which means 'the hazel-lot.' They are first recorded in Ulster during the early 17th century: Thomas Heslett [sic], of Artidillon, appeared in the Coleraine rent roll of 1620-41.

The Rev Robert Hezlet (d 1821) was Mayor of Coleraine in 1781, and Rector of Killowen for forty years.

Maj-Gen Robert Knox Hezlet CB CBE DSO DL

Major-General Robert Knox Hezlet CB CBE DSO DL (1879-1963), of Bovagh House, High Sheriff of County Londonderry, 1947, was father of

VICE-ADMIRAL SIR ARTHUR RICHARD HEZLET KBE CB DSC (1914-2007), of Bovagh House, Legion of Merit (United States), High Sheriff of County Londonderry, 1968.

Sir Arthur's honours included:- 

• Knight Commander (Military Division) of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
• Companion (Military Division) of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath
• Companion of the Distinguished Service Order and Bar
• Distinguished Service Cross

He became the Royal Navy's youngest captain, aged 36, and its youngest admiral, aged 45.

Sir Arthur died at Bovagh in 2007, aged 93.

In my youth, I once stood beside Sir Arthur, then Area President of the Royal British Legion in Northern Ireland. My late father supervised the lighting in a voluntary capacity at the annual RBL Festival of Remembrance in Belfast.

In the 1960s, 70s and 80s, the festival was held in the Ulster Hall, one week before the national Festival at the Royal Albert Hall.

About 1979, Sir Arthur - as Area President - recited "As We Grow Old" on the stage; and a young teenage army cadet, Timothy Collins (Colonel Timothy Collins OBE), also recited a poem.

What struck me was how Sir Arthur always made a point of going over to these young people, encouraging them and saying a few words, like "very well done".

BOVAGH HOUSE, near Aghadowey, County Londonderry, was formerly a land agent's house of the Beresfords, Marquesses of Waterford. It was built ca 1740.

The Beresfords were major landowners in the county and were seated at Bovaugh Castle in the vicinity. 

Theobald Jones MP (1790-1868), of Bovagh House, and of 54 Curzon Street, London, was a second cousin of the 3rd Marquess of Waterford.

The house has a small, high quality parkland with mature trees set on the southern banks of the Agivey river, having replaced an earlier house.

The main avenue, which meets the road near Bovagh Bridge to the west, contains the remains of a collection of exotics.

The walled garden, which lies to the south of the house, is not planted up.

There is a very pretty Victorian glasshouse immediately to the west of the house, with a small box parterre in front.

An area in the stable yard is kept up as a modern ornamental garden.

The gate lodge has been demolished.

The property is approached by a sweeping, tree-lined, pebbled driveway.

To the rear of the property there is also a walled courtyard with various outbuildings and garaging with large stone barns and former stables.

There is also an ancient woodland and an old orchard dotted with bluebells and wild flowers.

The grounds today extend to approximately 44 acres.

The lands which surround the house are laid out in three fields.

First published in August, 2012.

Higginson of Carnalea

THE HIGGINSONS OWNED 81 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

The first recorded representatives of the family in Ulster were the brothers Nathaniel and Nicholas, sons of the Rev John Higginson (1546-1624), Vicar of Claybrooke, Leicestershire. Nathaniel was despoiled of his property, Knockballymore Castle, County Fermanagh, and Nicholas of his estate at Belturbet, County Cavan, in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

EDWARD HIGGINSON (c1636-c1713), of Lisburn (grandson of the Rev John Higginson, of Leicester), a colonel in Lord Conway's Regiment (Rawdon's Troop of Horse), settled at Ballinderry, County Antrim, where he built Mosslands House.

He married Mary, daughter of Robert Savage, and had issue,

PHILIP;
THOMAS, of whom hereafter. 

The elder son,

CAPTAIN PHILIP HIGGINSON (1685-1783), of Mosslands, Ballinderry, married Eleanor Talbot, and was father of

PHILIP TALBOT HIGGINSON (-1819), Lieutenant, 73rd Regiment, who wedded, in 1764, Margaret, daughter of Richard Taylor, by whom he had an only child, JANE, who espoused her cousin, the Rev Thomas Edward Higginson.

Colonel Higginson's younger son,

THOMAS HIGGINSON (-1756), of Mosslands, Ballinderry, settled in County Wexford, and married Mary Colley, and was father of

THE REV DR THOMAS HIGGINSON (1722-89), Rector of Lisburn, Vicar of Ballinderry, who wedded Ann Moore, of Boley, County Wexford, and had issue,

THOMAS EDWARD, his heir;
Eliza, m H Marmion, of Lambeg;
Maria, m J Johnston, of Dublin;
Letitia, m Captain Greydon, HM Dragoons.

Dr Higginson's son and heir,

THE REV THOMAS EDWARD HIGGINSON (1767-1819), Incumbent of Lambeg, espoused, in 1788, his cousin Jane (maternal first cousin of the Earl of Shrewsbury), daughter of Philip Talbot Higginson, Lieutenant, 73rd Regiment, Usher in Court of Exchequer, and had issue,

Thomas Edward, b 1789, lawyer, East India Co; m F Clay; dsp;
Philip Talbot, Capt. Royal Irish Fusiliers; dsp;
HENRY THEOPHILUS, of whom we treat;
Margaret, m Rev Edward Leslie, Rector of Annahilt.

The third son, 

HENRY THEOPHILUS HIGGINSON JP (1798-1869), of Carnalea House, Crawfordsburn, County Down, Captain, Derriaghy Yeomanry, High Sheriff of Carrickfergus, 1849, married, in 1825, Charlotte, only surviving daughter and heiress of John McConnell, of Belfast (son of James McConnell, by Elizabeth his wife, only daughter of Dr Andrew Bogle, of Strabane (one of the claimants of the dormant Earldom of Menteith), by Charlotte his wife, daughter of James Potter, of Mount Potter, County Down), and had issue,

JOHN McCONNELL, of Carnalea;
Thomas Edward (1828-50);
Charles Henry, of New York and Norfolk, Virginia, USA (1830-69);
Theophilus, CB, Colonel, Indian Army (1839-1903);
Henry Talbot (Dr);
Charlotte Potter; Jane; Dorothea Josepha.

Mr Higginson was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN McCONNELL HIGGINSON JP (1826-91), of Carnalea House, and Tudor Hall, Holywood, Registrar of the Diocese of Down, Connor & Dromore, who wedded, in 1850, Susan Arabella Gertrude, only daughter of Robert Conry, of Clonahee, County Roscommon, and Lisbrack, County Longford, Captain, 90th Regiment, and had issue,

HENRY HARTLAND, his heir;
Charles William Shaw;
Thomas Edward;
Robert Conry;
Gertrude Arabella; Charlotte Augusta.

The eldest son,

HENRY HARTLAND HIGGINSON (1855-1908), of Carnalea House, Major, 2nd Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment, wedded, in 1886, Elizabeth Mary, youngest daughter of Andrew Armstrong, of Kylemore, County Galway, and St Andrew's, County Dublin, and had issue,

HENRY CLIVE HIGGINSON (1887-), of Carnalea House, County Down.

I am keen to acquire images of Carnalea House, Crawfordsburn, County Down.

First published in July, 2012.