Richardson of Lissue

THE REV JOHN RICHARDSON, Rector of Warmington, Warwickshire, married Margaret __________, and had issue,

Joseph, of Mollington;
William;
ZACHARY, of whom presently;
John (Rev), Rector of Loughgall;
Joan; Margery.

Mr Richardson died in 1614.

The third son,

ZACHARY RICHARDSON, of Loughgall, County Armagh, had issue, with a son, William, another son,

JONATHAN RICHARDSON, of Eagralougher, Loughgall, who was father of

WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Samuel.

Mr Richardson died in 1691, and was succeeded by his elder son,

WILLIAM RICHARDSON, who wedded, in 1691, Mary Calvert, and had issue,

JONATHAN, of whom hereafter;
William;
Isabella.

Mr Richardson died in 1716, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JONATHAN RICHARDSON, who espoused Elizabeth Nicholson, and had issue (with a daughter, Alice) a son,

JOHN RICHARDSON (1719-59), of Lisburn, who married Ruth Hogg, and had issue,

James, died unmarried;
JONATHAN, of whom hereafter.

The younger son,

JONATHAN RICHARDSON (1756-), wedded Sarah Nicholson, and had issue,

JAMES NICHOLSON, his heir;
John;
Joseph;
Mary.

The eldest son,

JAMES NICHOLSON RICHARDSON (1782-1847), of Glenmore, Lisburn, County Antrim, espoused A Grubb, and had issue,

Jonathan, his heir;
John Grubb, of Moyallon House;
JAMES NICHOLSON, of whom presently;
Thomas;
William;
Joshua;
Joseph.

The third son,

JAMES NICHOLSON RICHARDSON (1815-99), of Lissue House, Lisburn, County Antrim, married, in 1841, Margaret Maria, daughter of B Haughton, of Banford, Gilford, County Down, and had issue,

JAMES THEODORE, his heir;
Annie, m A Pim.

Mr Richardson was succeeded by his son and heir,

JAMES THEODORE RICHARDSON JP DL (1844-), who wedded, in 1873, Sarah Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Walker, of Springfield Mount, Leeds, and had issue,

James Herbert, b 1874;
Edward Theodore Haughton, b 1885;
Kathleen Marguerite; Mary Cecilia; Dorothy.

LISSUE HOUSE, Ballinderry, Lisburn, County Antrim, was built ca 1807.

Renovations were undertaken during the 19th and early 20th century by Thomas Jackson.

The house is said to have been built by Robert Garrett, “who built the present house about 30 years ago, but from failure was never able to make the designed improvements".

Subsequently, however, Mr Garrett sold or mortgaged the property to a Major McCauley, who in 1830 sold his right of it to Captain Robert Crawford, who proceeded to refurbish and renovate the house and demesne.

The Ordnance Survey Memoirs of that period remarked that

"Lissue, the seat of Captain Crawford, stands about one and a half miles from Lisburn… The house is commodious, stands two storeys high and slated and a handsome fruit and vegetable garden containing about two English acres enclosed partly by a stone and lime wall and partly by a quickset fence. 

The demesne, which consists of about 60 English acres, is chiefly plantations of several kinds of forest trees and the fields of an average size enclosed by quickset fences. 

The house stands on a handsome eminence commanding a most delightful prospect of a wide extent of the counties of Antrim and Down, also of Hillsborough and the improved seats in its vicinity."

Between 1856-64,  Lissue was acquired by James Nicholson Richardson, a son of the founder of J N Richardson, Sons, and Owden Ltd, linen manufacturers.

He and his brothers founded the firm of Richardson Brothers & Co. of Belfast, linen yarn merchants, which in 1840 opened an office in Liverpool for the import of flax, grain and other raw materials and the export of linen yarn and cloth.

They also founded the Inman Line of steamships with the Inman family, though following an altercation, Richardson left Liverpool and settled at Lissue.

John Nicholson Richardson made expansive improvements to the house about 1855, which included extending it to the rear and adding West and East gate lodges, under the direction of the architect Thomas Jackson.

The semi-circular porch, now removed, was also added at this time.

Between 1898 and 1915 a further major scheme of work was undertaken to the house: the semi-circular porch to the front facade was removed and two segmental bows added.

New cottages were also added to the estate.

In 1915 the occupier of Lissue was Joseph Tyney, probably a gentleman farmer.

By 1926 the occupier was John Campbell.

In 1927, Captain Lindsay purchased the house for £4,500 (about £269,000 in 2018) and made numerous improvements.

Accommodation comprised:cellars, dairy, laundry, coals, WC, garages, offices and a 400 gallon petrol tank.

Ground floor: three reception rooms, billiards-room, study, three cloakrooms, three WCs, sun porch, sewing-room, four pantries, scullery, larder, servants’ room.

First floor: five bathrooms, five WCs, twelve bedrooms, sewing-room, four servants’ bedrooms, WC and bath.

There were also two tennis courts and two badminton courts.

During the 2nd World War a section of the house was used by the Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, seemingly as a tuberculosis ward.

In 1946 it had been restored for use as a dwelling; by 1947, however, following Captain Lindsay’s death, it was transferred completely to the hospital.

The ground floor was used for five wards, matron’s office and drawing-room, kitchen apartments and lavatories; and the first floor was the resident nurses’ quarters.

In 1947 there were 35 beds, soon to be increased to 70.

In residence were a matron, sister, eight nurses and two resident maids, with a chauffeur/gardener occupying the gate lodge.

By 1948 all the outbuildings were also in use by the hospital, which vacated the premises in 1988.

In 1996 the house had lain empty for some time, but by 2002 it was occupied by the Livestock and Meat Marketing commission for Northern Ireland.

Lissue House was gutted by fire in 2016, and is currently (2024) for sale. 

First published in September, 2018.

Great Northern Hotel, Rostrevor

Carlingford Lough lies between the Mourne Mountains in County Down, Northern Ireland, and the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Republic of Ireland.

The famed Victorian novelist William Makepeace Thackeray wrote that

"Were such a bay lying upon English shores, it would be a world's wonder; or if on either the Mediterranean or the Baltic, English travellers would flock to it."

Rostrevor, County Down, a small sea-port, and a most beautiful seaside resort, stands at the south base of the Mourne Mountains, on the north shore of the upper part of Carlingford Lough, and on the road from Newry to Kilkeel.

The village is delightfully situated on a gentle acclivity, which rises from a little cove of Carlingford Lough, and commands thrilling views of the woods, mountains and waters of the Lough's basin.

Rostrevor is doubtless one of the most beautiful and picturesque places in Northern Ireland.

The village - or rather in the first instance, the castle - is said to have acquired its name in honour of the marriage of the heiress of Sir Marmaduke Whitechurch to Marcus, 1st Viscount Dungannon, the lady's own name being Rose, and her husband's family name being Trevor; and the castle was, at one time, the seat of the Viscounts Dungannon.

The land was acquired from the Magenises of Iveagh by the Trevors in the early 17th century and was sold to Robert Ross ca 1690.

In the 19th century, Rostrevor became a popular seaside resort.

Messrs Norton & Shaw, who operated a horse-and-carriage transport business from the nearby rail-head at Warrenpoint, commissioned a Newry architect, William James Watson, to design a new hotel on the site formerly occupied by the Old Quay Hotel.

The style was to be 'Domestic Gothic', with a 150 foot frontage to Carlingford Lough.

The centre block was to be one storey higher than the wings.

The foundation stone of the new hotel was laid on the 3rd April, 1875, and the building was completed by Alexander Wheelan of Newry almost exactly one year later, in April, 1876.

Skating Rink Entrance

It opened to the public three months later.

Originally named The Mourne Hotel, it was acquired and re-named by the Great Northern Railway Company.

The Warrenpoint & Rostrevor Tramway company operated a three-foot gauge horsedrawn tramway service between Warrenpoint and Rostrevor from 1877-1915.

There was also a skating-rink attached to the hotel which had been built by the 3rd Earl of Kilmorey.

The rink had a capacity of 2,000.

Skating Rink

During Christmas, 1903, a catastrophic fire broke out at the rink and the adjoining public bar, causing both buildings to be burned down.

Richard Graham informs me about the hotel's more recent history as a UTA (Ulster Transport Authority) hotel in the 50s and 60s:-

"The Great Northern, along with several other former railway hotels (mostly Victorian), such as the Slieve Donard (Newcastle); the Northern Counties (Portrush); the Laharna (Larne); the City Hotel (Londonderry) and the Midland in Belfast were grouped under the new management of the UTA when the original railway companies ceased to exist."

"Although successful commercially (the hotels catered for the tourist market as it was then) UTA had no vested interest in running hotels and put little investment into modernising them for a more demanding market."

"Eventually all the above named six hotels were sold to the Hastings Hotel Group in 1971 for the total price of £440,000 (equivalent to £6.3 million in 2019)!" 

"Billy Hastings was the only bidder with the nerve and ability to raise the cash in what was now one of the most troubled areas in Western Europe." 

"The City Hotel in Derry was the first to be destroyed in 1971, followed by what had now been renamed by Hastings as the Rostrevor Hotel in 1978."

"Hastings had no interest in rebuilding the fire bombed hotels, but held onto the Slieve Donard in Newcastle, even though it threatened to pull the whole group down in the mid 70s when the troubles were at their height." 

"Hastings later sold off the Northern Counties in Portrush (to the Fawcett family) and the Laharna in Larne between 1975 and 1980, ending the historic connection between the Great Northern and the other famous properties that had their origins with the railway expansion of Ireland in the 1880s onward." 

Here is the ignominious end to a once great railway hotel.

(Image: Richard Graham)

The hotel was firebombed and destroyed during the Northern Ireland troubles in 1978.

First published in July, 2016.

Earldom of Ulster

Arms of Richard of York
(Image: European Heraldry)

Shortly after the death of Strongbow in 1176, HENRY II granted "Ulidia," the present counties of Antrim and Down, and afterwards called among the Anglo-Irish "Ulster," to

De Courcy arms

SIR JOHN DE COURCY (1150-1219),

Who having distinguished himself during the reign of HENRY II, in that monarch's wars in England and Gascony, was sent into Ireland, in 1177, as an assistant to William FitzAldelm, in the government of that kingdom. 

Sir John having prevailed upon some of the veteran soldiery to accompany him, invaded the province of Ulster with twenty-two knights, fifty esquires, and about three hundred foot soldiers; and after many hard-fought battles, succeeded in attaching that quarter of the kingdom to the crown. 

For which important service Sir John was created, in 1181 (being the first Englishman dignified with an Irish title of honour), EARL OF ULSTER.

His lordship remained in high favour during the remainder of the reign of his royal master, and performed prodigies of valour in Ireland; but upon the accession of KING JOHN, his splendour and rank having excited the envy of Hugh de Lacy, appointed Governor of Ireland by that monarch, Lord Ulster was treacherously seized while performing penance, unarmed and barefooted, in the churchyard of Downpatrick, on Good Friday, 1203, and sent over to England, where the King condemned him to perpetual imprisonment in the Tower, and granted to de Lacy all of Lord Ulster’s possessions in Ireland.

After the Earl of Ulster had been in confinement for about a year, a dispute happening to arise between KING JOHN and PHILIP II of FRANCE concerning the Duchy of Normandy, the decision of which being referred to single combat, KING JOHN, more hasty than advised, appointed the day, against which the King of France provided his champion; but the King of England, less fortunate, could find no one of his subjects willing to take up the gauntlet, until his captive in the Tower, the gallant Earl of Ulster, was prevailed upon to accept the challenge.

But when everything was prepared for the contest, and the champions had entered the lists, in presence of the monarchs of England, France, and Spain, the opponent of Lord Ulster, seized with a sudden panic, put spurs to his horse, and fled the arena; whereupon the victory was adjudged with acclamation to the champion of England.

The French king being informed, however, of Lord Ulster’s powerful strength, and wishing to witness some exhibition of it, Lord Ulster, at the desire of KING JOHN, cleft a massive helmet in two at a single blow.

The King was so well satisfied at this signal performance, that he not only restored Lord Ulster to his estates and effects, but desired him to ask anything within his gift and it should be granted.

To which Ulster replied, that having estates and titles enough, he desired that his successors might have the privilege to remain covered in the presence of His Majesty, and all future Kings of England; which request was immediately conceded.

He married Affreca, daughter of Godred Olafsson, King of Man and the Isles, and by Scandinavian and Irish help managed to maintain his possessions of Ulidia against all the power of the viceroy Hugh de Lacy, whom he defeated in a battle at Down in 1204; however, in May, 1205, KING JOHN bestowed the Earldom on

HUGH DE LACY (c1176-1242), who, according to Matthew Paris, a most famous soldier, obtained the earldom of Ulster from KING JOHN, by betraying and delivering into that monarch's power the celebrated John de Courcy, Earl of Ulster.

De Lacy arms

He subsequently, however, incurred the displeasure of the King, and was himself driven out of Ireland.

His wife was Emmeline, daughter and heir of Walter de Riddlesford, by whom he left at his decease an only daughter and heir, MAUD DE LACY, who wedded

WALTER DE BURGH (c1230-71), Lord of Connaught, and, became in consequence EARL OF ULSTER (second creation), in her right at her father's decease in 1242, and in his own right in 1264.

The issue of this marriage consisted of four sons, namely,

RICHARD, his successor;

Theobald, died at Carrickfergus;

William;

Thomas.

The eldest son,

RICHARD DE BURGH, 2nd Earl (1259-1326),

Usually called the Red Earl, the most powerful subject in Ireland, and general of all the Irish forces in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Gascony, was a great soldier and statesman. He founded the Carmelite monastery at Loughrea, built the castles of Ballymote, Corran, and Sligo, and eventually retired to the monastery of Athassel, where he died in 1326.

This nobleman married Margaret, daughter of John de Burgh.

De Burgh arms

The second son of the marriage,

JOHN DE BURGH, wedded Elizabeth, third daughter of Gilbert, Earl of Gloucester, and died in 1313, having had one son,

WILLIAM DE BURGH, 3rd Earl (1312-33), who succeeded his grandfather in 1326, was knighted at London, 1328, and sat in the parliament in Dublin the following year. 

He was murdered on the 6th June, 1333, by Robert FitzRichard de Mandeville and his servants, near Shankill church, outside Belfast, in going to Carrickfergus. His wife and only daughter retired to England; and so barbarous an affair causing a prodigious outcry, the Lord Justice called a parliament, by whose advice he sailed to Carrickfergus; but, before his arrival, the country people had destroyed the murderers, with their abettors, killing, in one day, three hundred.

The wife of this nobleman was Maud, third daughter of Henry Plantagenet, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, grandson of HENRY III; and the only issue of this illustrious alliance,

THE LADY ELIZABETH DE BURGH (1332-63), de jure COUNTESS OF ULSTER, espoused, in 1352,

LIONEL, of Antwerp, KG, third son of EDWARD III, who became, in consequence, 4th Earl of Ulster, Lord of Connaught; and created, in 1362, DUKE OF CLARENCE.

This prince went over to Ireland, and was appointed Lord Lieutenant thereof in 1361.

By the great heiress of De Burgh he left, at his decease, one daughter,

PHILIPPA (1355-82), who was given in marriage, at the age of thirteen, by her grandfather, EDWARD III, to

EDMUND MORTIMER, 3rd Earl of March, and, in consequence of his marriage, 5th EARL OF ULSTER.

The issue of this marriage,

ROGER;

Edmund;

Elizabeth; Philippa.

The 5th Earl's elder son,

ROGER DE MORTIMER, 6th Earl of Ulster (1374-98), wedded Allianore, eldest daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, and had issue,

EDMUND, his successor;

Roger;

Anne; Eleanor.

The elder son,

EDMUND, 7th Earl (1391-1425), and 5th Earl of March, died without issue, and the heir to his estates was the son of his sister, the Lady Anne and the Earl of Cambridge,

RICHARD, 3RD DUKE OF YORK (1411-60), as 8th Earl of Ulster, who wedded Cecily Neville.

The eldest surviving son of this marriage,

EDWARD (1442-83), 4TH DUKE OF YORK, 9th Earl of Ulster, ascended the throne as EDWARD IV, when the Earldom of Ulster merged with the crown.

Wodehouse Gems: III

BERTIE AND THE RT HON A B FILMER

Aunt Agatha to Bertie: "I want to have a word with you before you meet Mr Filmer."

"Who?"

"Mr Filmer, the Cabinet Minister. He is staying in the house. Surely even you must have heard of Mr Filmer?"

"Oh, rather," I said, though as a matter of fact the bird was completely unknown to me.

This man Filmer, you must understand, was not one of those men who are lightly kept from the tea-table. 

A hearty trencherman, and particularly fond of his five o'clock couple of cups and bite of muffin, he had until this afternoon always been well up among the leaders in the race for the food-trough. 

If one thing was certain, it was that only the machinations of some enemy could be keeping him from being in the drawing-room now, complete with nose-bag.

First published in March, 2012.

Woburn House

THE DUNBARS OWNED 787 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

JAMES DUNBAR, a cadet of the family of DUNBAR, of Hempriggs, Caithness-shire, had a son,

GEORGE DUNBAR, of Belfast, and afterwards of Dungannon, County Tyrone, who left issue,

JOHN, of whom presently;
A daughter, m Henry Joy;
Eleanor.

The only son,  

JOHN DUNBAR, of Dungannon, County Tyrone, married Wilfrida, daughter of John Gilmore, of Boghead, County Antrim, and had issue,

John Gilmore, of Woburn; m Mary, dau. of J Cunningham; dsp;
George, dsp;
SARAH, of whom we treat;
Eleanor.

Mr Dunbar's elder daughter,

SARAH DUNBAR, wedded Alexander Orr, of Landmore, County Londonderry, and had issue,

James Alexander Orr;
GEORGE DUNBAR, of whom presently;
Elizabeth; Anna.

Mr Dunbar's grandson,

GEORGE DUNBAR DUNBAR DL (1800-75), formerly ORR, of Woburn, County Down, Barrister, MP for Belfast, 1835-41, Mayor of Belfast, 1842-3, married, in 1844, Harriet Susan Isabella, only daughter of Lord George Beresford, and had issue,

John George Henry William (1848-84), of Woburn;
GEORGINA ANNE ELIZABETH, of whom hereafter.

Mr Dunbar assumed, in 1833, the name and arms of DUNBAR in lieu of his patronymic ORR.

Lineage of Buller

JOHN BULLER (1721-86), of East Looe and Bake, Cornwall, MP for East Looe, 1747-86, Lord of the Admiralty,  third son of John Francis Buller MP, of Morval, and Rebecca his wife, daughter and co-heir of the Rt Rev Sir Jonathan Trelawny Bt, Lord Bishop of Winchester, married firstly, in 1760, Mary (d 1767), daughter of Sir John St Aubyn Bt, MP, and had issue,

John, MP; dsp 1807;
Edward (Sir), 1st Baronet.

Mr Buller wedded secondly, in 1768, Elizabeth Caroline (d 1798), daughter of John Hunter, and had further issue,

FREDERICK WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Caroline.

The only son by the second marriage,

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL FREDERICK WILLIAM BULLER (1773-1855), of Pelynt and Lanreath, Cornwall, MP for East Looe, 1798-1802, espoused, in 1795, Charlotte, daughter of George Tomkyns, and had issue,

Frederick Thomas, Maj-Gen; m Lady Agnes Percy; dsp;
WILLIAM, of whom presently;
George (Sir), GCB, General;
John, Royal Navy;
Charlotte; Caroline; Agnes; Georgiana Amelia.

The second son,

THE REV WILLIAM BULLER (1799-1862), of Pelynt and Lanreath, Rector of Hemington, Somerset, married, in 1835, Leonora Sophia (dsp 1836), daughter of John Bond, of Grange, Dorset; and secondly, 1845, Eleanor, daughter of the Rev William Coney, of Cookham, Berkshire, and had issue,

CHARLES WILLIAM, his heir;
Frederick George (Rev), Rector of Birch, Manchester;
Warwick Augustus;
Ellen Georgina; Alice Lucy; Caroline; Sophia Leonora.

The eldest son,

CHARLES WILLIAM DUNBAR-BULLER JP DL (1847-1924), of Woburn, County Down, and Toft Monks, Norfolk, High Sheriff of County Down, 1894, wedded, in 1890, GEORGIANA ANNE ELIZABETH, only surviving child of George Dunbar DL, of Woburn House, MP for Belfast.

He assumed the additional name and arms of DUNBAR, 1891.

Mr Dunbar-Buller died without issue, and Woburn House passed to his wife's cousin,

Reynell James Pack-Beresford JP DL (1872-1949), of Woburn House, who married, in 1899, Florence, daughter of Frederick William Leith, and had issue,

ARTHUR REYNELL;
Joyce Annette.

Mr Pack-Beresford, Vice-President of the Ulster Agricultural Society, Ulster Farmers Union, a breeder of pedigree livestock, served on the Local Government Board in Ireland till 1922.

He was succeeded by his son and heir,


Arthur Reynell Pack-Beresford (1906-78), of Woburn Lodge,

Solicitor, 1937; fought in 2nd World War, with 4th Regiment, Maritime Royal Artillery; breeder of pedigree livestock; member of various educational and agricultural committees; lived at Woburn Lodge (a house of about 1962 in a late 19th-century arboretum, part of the grounds of Woburn House; features include a bothy and an important rhododendron collection) and formerly at the House which became a borstal in 1976.

Mr Pack-Beresford wedded, in 1957, Catherine Euphemia Cochrane, and had issue, an only child,

SUSAN ELIZABETH PACK-BERESFORD (1959-), of Woburn Cottage, who married, in 1981, Charles MacGregor Maddin, son of Lieutenant-Commander Robert Irwin Maddin Scott RN, and had issue,

Patrick Charles Beresford, b 1985;
Alexandra Elizabeth Clare, b 1987;
Louia Harriet Isabella, b 1990.

WOBURN HOUSE, near Millisle, County Down, is a large and imposing two-storey Italianate mansion. 

The entrance front has a curved bow at one end; a projecting wing at the other; and a central, three-storey tower incorporating a porte-cochére.

There are superimposed Ionic and Corinthian corner-pilasters on the tower above rusticated Doric piers; with entablatures on console brackets over the ground-floor windows.

The roof has a balustraded parapet and an adjoining symmetrical seven-bay garden-front prolonged by a single-storey wing ending in a pedimented pavilion.

The present house was built in ca 1865, to designs by John McCurdy of Dublin, for the then owner of the Woburn estate, George Orr Dunbar.

His uncle, John Gilmore Dunbar, had built a substantial residence on this site (which he named Woburn) for use as a summer residence.

This site had formerly been occupied by two small farm houses.

The original house is shown on a map of 1834 as a long rectangular building with wings to the rear and further structures (probably stables) to the north-west.

Woburn House, Millisle (Photograph: Mark Thompson)

An undated water-colour shows the house with a hipped roof, large end bays, smaller centre bay and castellated parapet.

George Dunbar MP used his fortune to rebuild Woburn House as an Italianate mansion in the 1860s.

Mr Dunbar died in 1875 and upon the death of his daughter, Georgiana Dunbar-Buller, and her husband, Charles, in the early 1920s, Woburn passed to a distant cousin of Georgiana's (through her mother's family), Reynell James Pack-Beresford.

The house remained with the Pack-Beresfords until the 1950s, when the burden of death duties forced Reynell James's son, Arthur Reynell Pack-Beresford, to put the property up for sale.

In 1956, Woburn House was bought by the Northern Ireland Ministry of Finance and converted to a boys' borstal.

In more recent times the property has become a training centre for prison officers.

During both of these recent incarnations the house has been progressively extended, modernized, and adapted to serve its new functions.

The immediate grounds around it have been developed also and they now contain many modern dwellings and other more functional looking structures.

Former seat ~ Trerissome, Flushing, Cornwall.  
Former London residence ~ 15 Upper Grosvenor Street.

Images courtesy of NIPS; first published in February, 2011.

Nicholson of Balloo

THE STEELE-NICHOLSONS OWNED 402 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

The family of NICHOLSON originally came from Cumberland. The first who was located in Ulster settled at Ballymagee, near Bangor, County Down, in the reign of JAMES I.

He had (with two daughters), two sons,

William (1587-1665), of Ballymagee;
HUGH, of whom hereafter.

The younger son,

HUGH NICHOLSON, of Ballymagee (now part of Bangor), married Miss Isabel Orr, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
John;
James;
Henry;
Mary.

Mr Nicholson was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM NICHOLSON (1659-1704), of Balloo, County Down, who wedded Miss Eleanor Dunlop, and had two sons, of whom the elder,

HUGH NICHOLSON (1697-1722), of Balloo, died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

WILLIAM NICHOLSON (1699-1740), of Balloo, who espoused Mary, daughter of Hugh Whyte, of Ballyree, and had issue,

Hugh, died in infancy;
WILLIAM, his heir;
ROBERT DONALDSON, succeeded his brther;
Susannah;
MARGARET MAXWELL, mother of WILLIAM NICHOLSON-STEELE.

Mr Nicholson was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

WILLIAM NICHOLSON (1728-98), of Balloo, who married firstly, in 1774, Agnes, daughter of John Cleland, of Whitehorn, in Scotland, and widow of William Rose, an officer in the East India Company's military service.

She died in 1775.

He wedded secondly, Sarah, daughter of George Wells, of Belfast, but had issue by neither.

Mr Nicholson devised his estates, failing issue of his brother, Robert, to his nephew, William Nicholson-Steele, who eventually succeeded.

Mr Nicholson was succeeded by his brother,

ROBERT DONALDSON NICHOLSON, of Balloo, who died unmarried in 1803, and was succeeded by his nephew,

WILLIAM NICHOLSON STEELE-NICHOLSON JP (1772-1840), of Balloo House, who assumed the additional surname of NICHOLSON, in compliance with the testamentary injunction of his uncle William, who espoused, in 1807, Isabella, sixth daughter of Jacob Hancock, of Lisburn, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
John;
William;
James;
Charles;
Elizabeth, m James Rose-Cleland;
Margaret; Mary; Isabella; Emily.

The eldest son,

ROBERT STEELE-NICHOLSON JP (1809-70), of Balloo, Barrister, wedded, in 1841, Elizabeth Jane, youngest daughter of Walter Nangle, of Clonbaron, County Meath, and had issue,

Hugh, b 1842;
Walter;
Edward, b 1845;
Robert;
William Otway;
Gilbert Hamilton.

BALLOO HOUSE, near Bangor, sometimes spelled Ballow, was half a mile to the east of the Bangor-Newtownards Road, about one and a half miles south of Bangor.

It was, indeed, almost a stone's throw from Rathgael House to its west.

Balloo House and mausoleum (historic OS map ca 1830).  Click to enlarge.

The property had been in the possession of the Nicholson family since 1641, as evidence by a stone inscribed "W N 1641", which was built into a quoin.

The house, however, was of 18th and early 19th century origin.

Balloo House (Image: Alan Steele-Nicholson, 2021)

It was considered of sufficient interest to be described and illustrated (doorway only) in An Archaeological Survey of County Down (1966) and yet, within ten years, when it passed into local government hands, it was burnt by vandals and then demolished.

The Nicholson family is buried in Bangor Abbey under a fine armorial stone.

The family vault was on the eastern edge of the wooded area and was built into a low mound.

Nicholson Vault (Image: Ryan Bradley, Ulster Wildlife Trust, 2021)

It was severely vandalized and the well-cut slab at the entrance was smashed in two.

Nicholson Vault (Image: Ryan Bradley, Ulster Wildlife Trust, 2021)

The vault was built in 1792 by William Nicholson (d 1798), and after his death the property passed to his brother and eventually to his nephew William Steele-Nicholson who was buried there.

Balloo House in 1974 (Image: Alan Steele-Nicholson, 2021)

It was demolished in 1976 to make way for a factory development, at which date the remains were re-interred in the family burial plot in the Abbey church-yard.

Until the early 1970s traces of the old monastic road running from Bangor to Newtownards could be seen about twenty yards to the east of the mausoleum.

Balloo Woodland Nature Reserve is an oasis for wildlife and people in the heart of the Balloo Industrial Estate.

It is full of mature, native (and some exotic) trees and woodland plant life, with a small pond.

Balloo Woodland was previously the grounds of Balloo House.

The house was demolished, though the remains of the family mausoleum, built in 1792 (known locally as "Nicky’s Tomb"), still exist on the eastern edge of the wood.

North Down Borough Council bought the woodland in 1995 to prevent it from being developed.

First published in April, 2012.

Charlemont Beneficence

A reader has sent me an interesting account of his grandmother's time in the service of the 7th Viscount Charlemont:-

"My maternal grandmother Laura Foxford worked on the domestic staff of the 7th Viscount at Drumcairne, Stewartstown, County Tyrone.”

"When he died [in 1913] he left enough money to each of his staff to emigrate if that was their wish.”

"My grandmother, who had been born in Plymouth and whose father an ex-Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer (who, on retirement, worked in the pre-partition Irish Coastguard service), opted to move to New York.”

"My grandfather Robert Russell, whose family farm abutted Drumcairne, followed her.”

"They were married in America and my mother, who celebrated her 100th birthday in February of this year, was born there in 1916.”

"They returned to Ireland around 1920.”

"I have a delightful little lady's fob watch in silver which Lord Charlemont gave my grandmother in 1911, according to the engraved inscription."

First published in May, 2016.

Kenmare House

THE EARLS OF KENMARE WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KERRY, WITH 91,080 ACRES 

This family deduces its descent from SIR VALENTINE BROWNE, Knight, of Croft, Lincolnshire, treasurer of the town of Berwick, auditor of the exchequer in England; and constituted Auditor-General of Ireland in the reigns of EDWARD VI and QUEEN MARY.

Sir Valentine died in 1568, leaving a son,

THE RT HON SIR VALENTINE BROWNE (d 1589), his heir,

Who, in 1583, received instruction, jointly with Sir Henry Wallop, for the survey of several escheated lands in Ireland. He was subsequently sworn of the Privy Council, and represented County Sligo in parliament in 1585. In the same year, Sir Valentine purchased from Donald, Earl of Clancare, all the lands, manors, etc in counties Kerry and Cork, which had been in the possession of Teige Dermot MacCormac and Rorie Donoghoemore.

Sir Valentine married firstly, Alice or Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Alexander, of London, and had issue, a son.

He wedded secondly, Thomasine, sister of the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Sir Nicholas Bacon, and had further issue (with a daughter), two sons.

Sir Valentine's eldest surviving son,

SIR NICHOLAS BROWNE, Knight, of Ross, County Kerry, who wedded Sicheley Sheela, daughter of O'Sullivan Beake, and had issue,

VALENTINE, his heir;
Anne.

Sir Nicholas died in 1616, and was succeeded by his son,

VALENTINE BROWNE, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1623, who was created a baronet in 1622, designated of Molahiffe, County Kerry.

Sir Valentine, after his father's decease, presented a petition to JAMES I, praying an abatement of the yearly rent reserved on the estate which he held from the Crown, as an undertaker, at the annual sum of £113 6s 8d, in regard of the small profit he made of it, being set out in the most barren and remote part of County Kerry; which request was complied with, and he received a confirmation, by patent, of all his lands at a reduced rent.

He married Elizabeth, fifth daughter of Gerald, Earl of Kildare, and was succeeded by his grandson,

THE RT HON SIR VALENTINE BROWNE, 3rd Baronet (1638-94); who was sworn of the Privy Council of JAMES II, and created by that monarch, subsequently to his abdication, in 1689, Baron Castlerosse and Viscount Kenmare.

His lordship, who was Colonel of Infantry in the army of JAMES II, forfeited his estates by his inviolable fidelity to that unfortunate monarch.

He wedded Jane, only daughter and heir of Sir Nicholas Plunket, and niece of Lucas, Earl of Fingall, and had five sons and four daughters.

The 1st Viscount was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR NICHOLAS BROWNE, 4th Baronet (called 2nd Viscount); an officer of rank in the service of JAMES II, and attainted in consequence, who espoused, in 1664, Helen, eldest daughter and co-heir of Thomas Brown, by whom he obtained a very considerable fortune, but which, with his own estates, became forfeited for his life.

The crown, however, allowed his lady a rent-charge of £400 per year for the maintenance of herself and her children.

Sir Nicholas died in 1720, leaving four daughters and his son and successor,

SIR VALENTINE BROWNE, 5th Baronet (called 3rd Viscount) (1695-1736), who continued outlawed by the attainder of his father and grandfather.

He married, in 1720, Honora, second daughter of Colonel Thomas Butler, and great-grandniece of James, Duke of Ormonde, by whom he had issue, Thomas, his successor, and two daughters.

Sir Valentine espoused secondly, in 1735, Mary, Dowager Countess of Fingall, by whom he left a posthumous daughter, Mary Frances.

He was succeeded by his only son,

SIR THOMAS BROWNE, 6th Baronet (called 4th Viscount) (1726-95), who wedded, in 1750, Anne, only daughter of Thomas Cooke, of Painstown, County Carlow, by whom he had a son and a daughter, Catherine, married to Count de Durfort-Civrac.

He was succeeded by his son,

SIR VALENTINE BROWNE, 7th Baronet (called 5th Viscount) (1754-1812), who was created (the viscountcy of JAMES II never having been acknowledged in law), in 1798, Baron Castlerosse and Viscount Kenmare.

His lordship was further advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1800, as EARL OF KENMARE.

He married firstly, in 1777, Charlotte, daughter of Henry, 11th Viscount Dillon, and had an only daughter, Charlotte.

His lordship wedded secondly, in 1785, Mary, eldest daughter of Michael Aylmer, of Lyons, County Kildare, and had issue,

VALENTINE, his successor;
Thomas;
William;
Michael;
Marianne; Frances.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

VALENTINE, 2nd Earl (1788-1853), PC, who espoused, in 1816, Augusta, daughter of Sir Robert Wilmot, 2nd Baronet, though the marriage was without issue, when the family honours devolved upon his brother,

THOMAS, 3rd Earl (1789-1871), who married, in 1822, Catherine, daughter of Edmond O'Callaghan, and had issue,

VALENTINE AUGUSTUS, his successor;
Ellen Maria; Mary Caroline.

His lordship was succeeded by his son,

VALENTINE AUGUSTUS, 4th Earl (1825-1905), KP PC JP, High Sheriff of County Kerry, 1851, Knight of St Patrick, 1872, who wedded, in 1858, Gertrude Harriet, daughter of the Rev Lord Charles Thynne, and had issue,

VALENTINE CHARLES, his successor;
Cecil Augustine;
Margaret Theodora May Catherine.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

VALENTINE CHARLES, 5th Earl (1860-1941), CVO, last Lord-Lieutenant of County Kerry, 1905-22, who espoused, in 1887, Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Charles Baring, and had issue,

VALENTINE EDWARD CHARLES, his successor;
Maurice Henry Dermot (1894-1915);
GERALD RALPH DESMOND, 7th Earl;
Dorothy Margaret; Cecilia Kathleen.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

VALENTINE EDWARD CHARLES, 6th Earl (1891-1943), Captain, Irish Guards, who married twice, without issue, when the titles devolved upon his brother,

GERALD RALPH DESMOND, 7th Earl (1896-1952), OBE, Major, 1st Dragoons, who died unmarried, when the titles expired.

The original Kenmare House (above) was built in 1726, after the estates were recovered by Sir Valentine Browne, 5th Baronet and 3rd Viscount Kenmare in the Jacobite peerage.

It was a grandiose structure with the characteristics of a French château, perhaps influenced by the Brownes' time spent exiled in France with JAMES II.

Lord Kenmare designed the house himself: It was two stories high and had dormered attics and steep, slated roofs.

There were thirteen bays in front of the house, with three bays on each side of the centre breaking forward. A servant’s wing was added around 1775.

In 1861 Valentine, Lord Castlerosse, played host to Queen Victoria at Killarney.

During the visit of the Queen to Kenmare House, Her Majesty chose the site of Killarney House, a vast Victorian-Tudor mansion, which was the successor to Kenmare House.

The 4th Earl of Kenmare decided to build a new mansion (above), on a hillside with spectacular views of Lough Leane in 1872.

The old house was demolished and an Elizabethan-Revival manor house erected on a more elevated site at a cost exceeding £100,000.

This house was supposed to have been instigated by Lady Kenmare (Gertrude Thynne, granddaughter of Thomas, 2nd Marquess of Bath, and inspired by Lord Bath's genuinely Elizabethan seat, Longleat in Wiltshire (which is not red-brick).

It was not unusual for the descendants of Elizabethan or Jacobean settlers in Ireland to assert their comparative antiquity in this period by building "Jacobethan" houses.

The house, which in addition to its other defects apparently did not sit happily in the landscape as it had many gables and oriels.

The interior was panelled and hung with Spanish leather.

It was considered to be one of the finest mansions in Ireland.

Kenmare House was burnt twice: once, in 1879, just after its completion; and again, and finally, in November, 1913.

It was never rebuilt.

The stable block of the older Kenmare House, however, was converted for family use.

Killarney House and the Browne estate in Kerry were donated by Mrs Grosvenor (niece of 7th Earl) to form Killarney National Park.

The Victorian mansion was demolished in 1872 by the 4th Earl, when it was accidentally destroyed by fire in 1913 and never rebuilt; instead, the stable block was converted into the present Kenmare House.

In 1866, King Leopold II of Belgium visited the Kenmares at Killarney.

Sir Edwin Lutyens (the architect for Lady Kenmare's brother, the 3rd Baron Revelstoke, at Lambay Castle on Lambay Island, County Dublin, advised Lord Kenmare to build the new Kenmare House.

This Kenmare House was later abandoned and sold when a new Kenmare House was built.

This new manor was confusingly constructed on the site of the former Killarney House by Mrs Beatrice Grosvenor in 1956.

Less than twenty years later, in 1974, the house was replaced.

This last Kenmare House was built on the Killorglin Road, beside the Killarney golf course and the Castlerosse Hotel.

The sale of Kenmare House in 1985 to Denis P Kelleher effectively marked the end of the Kenmare family's proprietary connection with Killarney, after 450 years.

First published in August, 2011.