The Shrievalty in Northern Ireland

Inaugural meeting of the High Sheriffs' Association of Northern Ireland

The inaugural Annual General Meeting of the High Sheriffs' Association of Northern Ireland was held on the 2nd May, 2023, and hosted generously by the Law Society of Northern Ireland. 

This was followed by a reception to celebrate the new association at The Inn of Court, Royal Courts of Justice, Belfast, and hosted by the Lady Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Dame Siobhan Keegan DBE, and the Judiciary.

Both the AGM and the Reception afterwards were attended by the Chair of the High Sheriffs’ Association of England and Wales, Lieutenant- Colonel Andrew Tuggey, CBE, DL, and their Honorary Secretary, James Williams, Esq, MBE.

Below is an extract of an article recently published in The High Sheriff Magazine which provides a detailed explanation of the role of the Shrievalty in Northern Ireland.

THE ROLL OF THE SHRIEVALTY IN NORTHERN IRELAND, BY PETER T W MACKIE DL, SHERIFF OF COUNTY ANTRIM, 2023

IT is important to understand the Shrievalty in Ireland in a historical context as it provides a background to why the role of Sheriff in Northern Ireland has developed in a different way to England and Wales.

The Shrievalty in Ireland has the same origins as the Shrievalty in England and Wales, with the first recorded Sheriff in Dublin in 1258 and the first recorded Sheriff in County Antrim in 1343.

By the 17th Century, the Sheriffs presided over a form of local government called the ‘Grand Jury,’ of which there were forty in Ireland, initially concerned with the administration of Justice.

The office in all previous and subsequent legislation was described simply as Sheriff, save for one solitary reference, in section VIII of the Sheriffs Act (Ireland), 1725, where the role is described as High Sheriff.

By the 19th Century, the Grand Juries had been assigned a range of other local functions and would have been the only form of local government prior to the Local Authorities of today.

The Grand Jury (Ireland) Act, 1836, further extended their powers until the Local Government (Ireland) Act of 1898 which created County Councils, took over all but the legal powers of the Grand Jury and its control over elections.

Chain of Office of High Sheriff of Belfast

These remaining powers were subsequently transferred to legally qualified Sub-Sheriffs leaving the ‘High Sheriff’ with a mainly ceremonial role.

After the creation of the Irish Republic and subsequently the Republic of Ireland, the office of Sheriff in the Republic of Ireland was abolished by the Court Offices Act 1926. 

In Northern Ireland, the Grand Jury continued to hold their assizes, which was an antecedent to the High Court, and the wording of the Warrant and Declaration of the Sheriff was governed by the Sheriff’s (Ireland) Act 1920 with the role of Under-Sheriff being abolished in 1982.

However, the Northern Ireland Office continued to use the term ‘High Sheriff’ when the names of the Sheriffs for the following year were published in the Belfast Gazette until 1989, when it was brought into line with England and Wales.

In 1969, the Grand Jury was abolished with the role of Sheriff being appointed by the Secretary of State on behalf of the Queen and subsequently, the King.

The incoming Sheriff is officially notified by letter and is sent a warrant of appointment, signed by the Secretary of State and a ‘declaration of Sheriff’, which is sworn before a Commissioner of Oaths; and this process remains the same today with our term being the calendar year.

There are currently eight Sheriffs in Northern Ireland; one for each county, and one for each county borough being the cities of Londonderry and Belfast.

Each outgoing Sheriff nominates a successor except in Belfast where councillors put forward a nominee, who is always a serving member.

Badge of High Sheriff of Londonderry City

The duties today may well resonate with our counterparts in England and Wales, with the three official functions being to attend High Court Judges when they preside over a case in the county, to attend the first arrival of members of the Royal Family in the County on an official visit and lastly, the proclamation of an Accession following the death of the Monarch.

In County Antrim, when the Grand Jury was abolished and the chattels sold, a bursary was created by the representatives of the Grand Jury with the approval of the Minister of Finance, for the promotion and encouragement of legal education in Queen’s University Belfast.

The duties of administering and judging applicants of the bursary would be one of the additional duties carried out by the Sheriff of County Antrim.

High Sheriff's badge

The last time the ceremonial uniform of Court Dress was worn in County Antrim was in 1964 by Sir William Moore Bt, and it was subsequently decided that the wearing of such a distinctive uniform as the Crown Representative of the Judiciary would cease.

In some counties, a badge of office was acquired to wear with business attire.

The role of the Sheriff in Ireland is founded on the same basis as England and Wales but has by necessity evolved in a slightly different way, becoming a meritocratic position which is being increasingly valued for the support it can provide to the Judiciary and the local community.

Bagenal of Newry

JOHN BAGNALL, Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme, wedded Eleanor, daughter of Thomas Whittingham, of Middlewich, Cheshire, and had issue,

NICHOLAS;

Ralph (Sir);

Richard.

Mr Bagnall died in 1558, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON SIR NICHOLAS BAGNALL or BAGENAL (c1510-91), of London, Penrhyn, Newry, and Carlingford, Marshal-General of the Army in Ireland, 1550-3, Privy Counsellor (Ireland), MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, 1555-59, MP for Down, 1585.

Sir Nicholas Bagenal (Image: Newry & Mourne Museum)

He married, ca 1555, Eleanor, daughter and co-heir of  Sir Edward Griffith, of Penrhyn, Caernarvonshire, and had issue, including

HENRY;

Dudley;

Ambrose;

Mary; Frances; Margaret; Isabel; Anne; Mabel.

Sir Nicholas was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON SIR HENRY BAGNALL or BAGENAL (1556-98), of Newry, County Down, Norley Castle, and Stoke, Staffordshire, MP for Anglesey, 1586, who espoused, in 1577, Eleanor, daughter of Sir John Savage, of Clifton and Rock Savage, Cheshire, by his wife, the Lady Elizabeth Manners, daughter of Thomas, 1st Earl of Rutland, and had issue,

ARTHUR;

Gryffyth;

John;

Roger;

Anne; Anne; Eleanor; Mary; Elizabeth; Jane.

Sir Henry was succeeded by his eldest son,

ARTHUR BAGENAL, of Plâs Newydd and Newry, who married Magdalen, daughter of Sir Richard Trevor, and had issue, an only child,

NICHOLAS BAGENAL or BAGENALL (1629-1712), of Plâs Newydd, Anglesey, and Newry, County Down, MP for Anglesey, 1661, who wedded firstly, in 1671, Sidney (d 1684), daughter of ROGER GROSVENOR, of Eaton Hall, Cheshire; and secondly, in 1686, the Lady Anne Bruce, daughter of Robert, 1st Earl of Ailesbury, and had issue, an only daughter, Elizabeth.

Mr Bagenal bequeathed the family estates to his cousins, Edward Bayly and Robert Needham, ancestors of the Marquess of Anglesey and the EARL OF KILMOREY respectively.

First published in May, 2022.

Lisnavagh House

THE BARONS RATHDONNELL OWNED 4,960 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY CARLOW

This is a branch of an old Argyllshire family, established in Ulster for over four centuries.

ALEXANDER McCLINTOCK, the first of the family who settled in Ulster, purchased the Rathdonnell estates, County Donegal, 1597, and devised them to his only son and heir,

ALEXANDER McCLINTOCK (1622-70), of Trentagh, County Donegal, who wedded, in 1648, Agnes Stenson, daughter of Donald Maclean, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
WILLIAM, ancestor of McClintock of Dunmore.

The elder son,

JOHN McCLINTOCK (1649-1707), of Trentagh, married, in 1687, Janet, fourth daughter of JOHN LOWRY, of Aghenis, County Tyrone (whose nephew, Galbraith Lowry MP, was father of Armar, 1st Earl of Belmore), and had issue,

John, died young;
Alexander, of Drumcar;
JOHN, of whom presently;
Robert.

The third son,

JOHN McCLINTOCK (1698-1765), married Susannah Maria, second daughter of William Chambers, of Rock Hall, County Donegal, and had issue,

William;
James;
JOHN, succeeded his uncle at Drumcar;
ALEXANDER, of Newtown, Co Louth;
Francelina; Rebecca; Catherine; Anne.

The third son,

JOHN McCLINTOCK (1742-99), of Drumcar, County Louth, MP for Enniskillen, 1783-90, Belturbet, 1790-7, espoused, in 1766, Patience, daughter of William Foster MP, of Rosy Park, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
Alexander (Rev);
William Foster;
Henry;
Mary Anne; Elizabeth; Rebecca; Fanny.

The eldest son,

JOHN McCLINTOCK (1770-1855), of Drumcar, 'Bumper Jack' McClintock, MP, commissioned the building of Drumcar House, near Dunleer, in 1777.

His mother was Patience, daughter of William Foster, MP for County Louth and first cousin to John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel.

His paternal grandfather was Alexander McClintock (d 1775).

Mr McClintock married firstly, in 1797, Jane, only daughter of William Bunbury, of Moyle, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
William Bunbury, of Lisnavagh, father of 2nd Baron;
Catherine.

Mr John McClintock wedded, secondly in 1805, the Lady Elizabeth Trench, daughter of William, 1st Earl of Clancarty, and had issue,

Frederick William Pitt;
Charles Alexander;
Robert Le Poer (Rev);
Henry Stanley, of Kilwarlin House, Co Down;
George Augustus Jocelyn;
Anne Florence; Harriette Elizabeth; Emily Selina Frances.

Mr John Clintock was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN McCLINTOCK (1798-1879), High Sheriff of County Louth, 1840, MP for County Louth, 1857-59, Lord-Lieutenant of County Louth, 1867-79.

Mr McClintock was elevated to the peerage, in 1868, in the dignity of BARON RATHDONNELL, of Rathdonnell, County Donegal, with remainder to the male issue of his deceased younger brother, Captain William McClintock-Bunbury.

His lordship married Anne, sister of Sir John Henry Lefroy, and they lived between Drumcar, County Louth.

Their London home was at 80, Chester Square.

The marriage was without issue.

He was succeeded in the barony, according to the special remainder, by his nephew,

THOMAS KANE, 2nd Baron (1848-1929), who wedded, in 1874, Katharine Anne, eldest daughter of the Rt Hon Henry Bruen, of Oak Park, County Carlow, by his wife Mary Margaret Conolly, third daughter of Lt-Col Edward Michael Conolly, of Castletown, County Kildare.

Lieutenant, Scots Greys; Captain, Leicestershire Yeomanry; Honorary Colonel, 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, 1896-1929; High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1876; Lord-Lieutenant of County Carlow; President, Royal Dublin Society 1918-29.

The 2nd Baron was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Carlow, from 1890 until 1922.

His lordship was succeeded by his son,

THOMAS LEOPOLD, 3rd Baron (1881-1937), MBE, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1909, who married, in 1912, Ethel Synge, second daughter of Robert Wilson Jevers CMG, Sheriff of County Carlow, 1909.

His son,

WILLIAM ROBERT, 4th Baron, MC (1914-59), who married and was succeeded by his son,

THOMAS BENJAMIN, 5th and present Baron, born in 1938, married, in 1965, Jessica Harriet, only daughter of George Gilbert Butler, of Scatorish, Bennetsbridge, County Kilkenny.

LISNAVAGH HOUSE, near Rathvilly, County Carlow, is a large, rambling, granite ashlar Tudor-Revival mansion, built in 1847 for William McClintock-Bunbury MP, brother of the 1st Baron Rathdonnell.

It's on an irregular plan with porte-cochere, bay windows and gables; designed by Daniel Robertson; truncated and re-ordered about 1953; Stable building and walled garden to rear.

Lisnavagh House was substantially reduced in size about 1953 by the 4th Baron; that section of which contained the principal rooms being demolished; while the service wing was adapted to provide requisite accommodation.

The estate has been a family home for eleven generations and covers hundreds of acres.

The estate includes Lisnavagh House, several cottages, excellent grazing for cattle & tillage land for maize, barley and wheat.

Over 250 acres of mainly hardwood woodland sees Beech, Oak and Ash and other native woodland species thrive allowing a healthy biodiversity of flora and wildlife to exist in its surrounds.

This woodland is now managed and protected and naturally fallen timbers are recycled into the now highly sought after exclusive wooden Bunbury chopping Boards.

Lisnavagh Estate and House are available for private hire for exclusive weddings, yoga sleep retreats, annual community and social events.

Also available to guests are short term rental of 4 self catering cottages on the grounds.

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

Leslie Hill

THE LESLIES OWNED 7,428 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

This family springs from

THE REV PETER LESLIE (1686-1773), born at Westminster, Rector of Ahoghill, County Antrim, who married, in 1718, Jane, daughter of the Rt Rev Anthony Dopping, Lord Bishop of Meath, and had issue,

HENRY (Rev),1719-1803;
EDMUND, of whom hereafter.

The younger son,

THE VEN EDMUND LESLIE (1735-90), appointed Archdeacon of Down, 1782, and also a prebendary of Connor, wedded firstly, Jane, daughter of JOHN MACNAGHTEN, of Benvarden, County Antrim, and had issue,

Peter, died in London;
Bartholomew, died in India;
JAMES, of whom we treat;
Edmund, died in India;
Mary.

He espoused secondly, Eleanor, daughter of George Portis, of London, and issue,

George;
Henry (Very Rev), Dean of Connor;
Samuel, Rear-Admiral, of Donaghadee;
Ellen.

The Archdeacon's eldest surviving son, 

JAMES LESLIE JP DL (1768-1847), of Leslie House, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1799, succeeded to the estates on the demise of his uncle, James Leslie, in 1796.

He wedded, in 1795, Mary, daughter of Adam Cuppage, of Donaghcloney, County Down, and had issue,

JAMES EDMUND;
Henry, JP, of Seaport Lodge, Portballintrae;
Frances Seymour, of the Home Office;
JOHN CHARLES WILLIAM (Rev);
Bartholdus George Albert (1812-15).

The eldest son,

JAMES EDMUND LESLIE JP DL (1800-81), of Leslie Hill and SEAPORT LODGE, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1854, wedded, in 1823, Sarah, youngest daughter of the Rt Rev Dr Daniel Sandford, Bishop of Edinburgh, and had issue,

James Sandford, 1824-29;
Henry Erskine, 1825-29;
EDMUND DOUGLAS, of whom hereafter;
Daniel Sandford, died in infancy;
Seymour Montague, b 1835; father of JAMES GRAHAM;
Francis Macnaghten, b 1837; in the army;
Erskine Douglas, died in infancy;
Frances Mary; Mary Wilhelmina; Sarah Agnes; Jane Elizabeth.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL EDMUND DOUGLAS LESLIE was granted the honorary rank of Colonel in 1877. 

He was succeeded by his third son,

EDMUND DOUGLAS LESLIE JP DL (1828-1904), of Leslie Hill and Seaport Lodge, Lieutenant-Colonel and Honorary Colonel, 4th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, who died unmarried in 1904, and was succeeded by his nephew,

JAMES GRAHAM LESLIE JP DL (1868-1949), of Leslie Hill and Seaport Lodge, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1907, barrister, some time head of a department in the Office of the Crown Agents for the Colonies, who espoused, in 1901, Grace, only daughter of J Lamont Brodie, of Wimbledon, and had issue,

SEYMOUR ARGENT SANDFORD, CMG, his heir;
Grace Margaret Hester, b 1905;
Mary Etheldritha (Audrey), b 1908.

Mr Leslie was succeeded by his son and heir,

SEYMOUR ARGENT SANDFORD LESLIE CMG (1902-53), of Leslie Hill, Financial Secretary, Tanganyika, who married, in 1930, Eleanor Mary Stuart, and had issue,

JAMES FRANCIS LESLIE TD JP DL (1933-2021), Honorary Colonel, D (North Irish Horse) Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry, 1991 (in succession to the Lord O'Neill), married Patricia Jane Elizabeth (née Swales) (d 2023), and had issue,

JAMES SEYMOUR LESLIE (1958-2009), Sheriff of Co Antrim, 2006;

JOHN GRAHAM EDMUND, successor to his late brother;

Jane Elizabeth Rose.

John Leslie apprises me that he inherited the estate on the death of his mother in 2023.

John and Katy, his partner, reside at Leslie Hill (as they have done for the past 15 years).

The estate continues to be run as a farm breeding sheep and working extensively with timber.

John and Katy make films themselves in Ireland, North and South, Europe and America; and the estate is often used as a filming location by many well known production companies including Universal, HBO, and the BBC. It has become a most useful diversification. The open farm has been closed since 2013.

Mrs Judena Leslie was Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland, 2015- 21.

*****

THE CREST of this family has traditionally been an angel, though a gryphon is sometimes used by some portions of the family. 

The motto, Grip Fast, has remained unchanged since the time of QUEEN MARGARET of Scotland, by whom it was given to Bartolf (Bartholomew), under the following circumstances:

In crossing a river swollen by floods, the Queen was thrown from her horse, and in danger of being drowned, when the knight, plunging into the stream, seized hold of Her Majesty's girdle; and as he brought her with difficulty towards the bank, she frequently exclaimed grip fast, and afterwards desired that he should retain the words as his motto, in remembrance of the occurrence.

LESLIE HILL, near Ballymoney, County Antrim, was built by James Leslie ca 1750, on the site of an older castle. 

The house originally consisted of a gable-ended main block of three storeys over a high basement, joined to two-storey office wings by single-storey links.

The principal block has a seven-bay front with a three-bay pedimented breakfront; doorway, with two Doric columns and a fanlight under a baseless pediment.

There is a lunette window in the pediment which lights the attic. The former wings were of three bays and the links of two.

There is a flagged hall with screen; principal rooms have modillion cornices and doors with shouldered architraves.

The attic room has a convex-coved ceiling and central roundel containing a portrait which may be of the James Leslie who built the House. 

Alas, the wings and connecting links were demolished in 1955.

The present owner is directly descended from the Rt Rev Henry Leslie (chaplain to CHARLES I, Bishop of Down & Connor, 1635) and the 4th Earl of Rothes, by his marriage to Agnes Somerville. 

Leslie Hill has been occupied continuously by the Leslie family for more than 350 years.

In 1778, while the United States was trying to retain the independence it had declared in 1776, the American frigate "Ranger", under John Paul Jones, opened fire on Carrickfergus Castle and attacked HMS Drake, putting it out of action.

This attack, and the fact that the French had allied themselves to the colonists in the American revolution, caused alarm in Ireland which, at that time, was practically bereft of Crown forces.

This led to a demand for the local volunteers, a citizen's militia, recruited mainly from the protestant middle class and led by the nobility, at their own expense, to defend the Irish coast and guard life and property.

Leslie Hill was used as a bivouac and for drilling purposes.

The estate was of considerable acreage, comprising 7,428 acres, with a progressive farm, but much of the land was sold to the tenants under the Land Act of 1903.

Not all the Leslies in Ulster remained there: in 1718 a James Leslie of the Coleraine area came to New England, USA, to settle with the Scots Presbyterians in Londonderry, New Hampshire.

Later in 1729, another James Leslie and his wife Margaret Sheerar, left Coleraine to settle in Topsfield, Massachusetts, he also is a lineal descendant of the 4th Earl of Rothes and his wife Agnes Somerville. 

There is a book published by the Essex Institute about the members of this family.

It is of significance that another James Leslie and his family left Ballymoney for the long voyage to America.

They left the linen mills of Balnamore, near Leslie Hill to join forces with the large working world of the great Amoskeag Cotton Mills of Manchester, New Hampshire.

James Seymour Leslie (1958-2009) was a NI politician, a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

THE Castle Leslie demesne, adjacent to Ballymoney, lies in a ridge above the Bann Valley. Continuous ownership of the Leslie family adds interest in the property.

The house of ca 1760  has landscaped parkland to the north, with fine trees and a small, artificial, late 19th century lake complete with island and boat-house.

A ha-ha separates the south front lawns from parkland and exposes the fine distant views.

There are stands of mature trees and mixed woodland. A late 19th century, ‘Robinsonian’ garden is no longer distinguishable.

A small enclosed garden to the east of the house has two lily ponds constructed ca 1891 of unusual shape.

These are listed, together with the enclosing walls and a nearby ice house.

Ornamental shrubs and trees, with under-planting of wild flowers, decorate the access route to the walled gardens.

The walled garden has a rectangular western part, which is partially cultivated and under restoration to be attractive and productive for modern usage.

The Melon House has been restored. Remnants of other glasshouses are exposed.

The garden is divided into two by a brick wall and the smaller eastern part is uncultivated.

The outbuildings are notable, fully restored and open to view.

A disused gate lodge at the main entrance is of ca 1911 and replaced a pair removed when the road was realigned in the 1850s.

The house is private and grounds are private.

The family formerly had a marine residence, SEAPORT LODGE, at Portballintrae.

First published in November, 2010.

The Burroughs Baronetcy

This family, and several others in England and Ireland, which now bear the names of De Burgh, Burgh, Bourke, Burke, Buroughs, Burrough, and Burroughs,  derive their origin from Robert de Burgh, who came from Normandy with William the Conqueror.

One branch of the family went to Ireland in the reign of HENRY II, and there gave rise to the noble families of Clanricarde, Mayo, and several other families of distinction in that kingdom.

Another branch, from which the Burroughs Baronetcy was descended, settled in Lincolnshire, and was advanced to the dignity of the peerage by ELIZABETH I, who, on sending Sir Thomas Burgh, KG, to Ireland, as Lord Deputy, created him a peer.

Thomas, Lord Burgh, died in the government, without male issue, when the title became extinct, and his estates in Lincolnshire passed into the Newcastle and Gainsborough families.

He was accompanied to Ireland by a collateral relation of the same name, who acquired a large landed property in County Wicklow, and was the immediate ancestor of Sir William Burroughs, first (and last) Baronet.

THOMAS BURROUGHS, who married Elizabeth Lewis, had a son,

FRANCIS BURROUGHS, who wedded Miss Mushet, niece to the then Lord Bishop of Derry, and had issue,

Thomas;

LEWIS, of whom we treat;

Mary.

The younger son,

THE VEN. LEWIS BURROUGHS DD (1714-86), Archdeacon of Derry, espoused Mary, daughter of Richard Cane, of Laraghbryan, County Kildare, by Anne Lyons, of River Lyons, in the King's County, who was almost allied to the noble families of Drogheda, Mount Cashell, Wellesley, Charleville, Boyne, and Harberton, and by her had issue,

Medlicott;

Newburgh (Ven), Archdeacon of Derry;

WILLIAM, of whom hereafter;

Thomas;

Mary Anne; Frances; Selina Frances.

The third son,

WILLIAM BURROUGHS (c1753-1829), a barrister, MP for Enniskillen, 1802-6, Colchester, 1817-18, Taunton, 1818-19, went to India, and was appointed Advocate-General of Bengal by Lord Cornwallis.

Sir William Burroughs Bt (Image: National Portrait Gallery)

On his return he was created a baronet, in 1804, designated of Castle Bagshaw, County Wicklow.

Sir William married Letitia, daughter of William Newburgh, of Ballyhaise and Drumcarn, County Cavan,  and had issue,

William;

Letitia; Maria Isabella; Louisa.

Sir William's only son,

WILLIAM BURROUGHS (1784-1814), a captain in the Coldstream Guards, died of wounds received at the battle of Bayonne.

Sir William's only son having predeceased him, the baronetcy became extinct.

First published in April, 2022.

Coronation Day

HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY CHARLES THE THIRD, OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, AND OF HIS OTHER REALMS AND TERRITORIES KING, HEAD OF THE COMMONWEALTH, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, Sovereign of the Orders of the Garter, Thistle, St Patrick, Bath, St Michael and St George, Royal Victorian Order, and the British Empire

Today is the first anniversary of Their Majesties The King and Queen at Westminster Abbey.

God save The King and Queen.

1974 Belfast Department Stores

In 1974 Belfast boasted no less than twelve department stores. I remember most of them.

Robinson & Cleaver, at 56 Donegall Place, was "Northern Ireland's most famous Department Store."

One of my favourite ties, a navy blue, polka dot silk tie which I wear to this very day, was purchased at Robinson Cleaver's.

The Bank Buildings, at Castle Place, was a lovely store in its time. It had been taken over by House of Fraser, I seem to recall.

The Belfast Co-operative Society's store was by far the largest of them all. It was vast, in fact.

• Anderson & McAuley, 1-9 Donegall Place, and 2-16 Castle Street
• Arnott, John & Co, of Belfast, 26-32 High Street, and 16 Bridge Street
• Bank Buildings, The, Castle Place
• Belfast Co-operative Society, 12-44 York Street
• Brands Birdcage Walk, 1-8 Brand's Arcade, and 49 Donegall Place
• Brands & Normans, 18-26 Castle Lane
• British Home Stores (BHS), 24-26 Castle Place, 13-25 Castle Lane, and 11-15 and 14-18 Castle Arcade
• Leahy, Kelly & Leahy, 2-6 Castle Place
• Littlewoods Mail Order Stores, 5-17 Ann Street, and 14-30 William Street South
• Marks & Spencer, 48-52 Donegall Place
• Robinson & Cleaver, 56, Donegall Place
• Woolworth, F W, 11-15 High Street, 2-6 Ann Street, 4-10 Cornmarket, and 127-161 North Street

Three of the aforesaid stores survive, viz. Bank Buildings (being re-built after a catastrophic fire); Marks & Spencer (to their credit throughout the Troubles); and the former Woolworth's store (now Dunnes Stores).

In addition there is a House of Fraser store.

Killynether House: I

I first discovered  Killynether Wood in December, 2007.

Such a beautiful spot.

Deep in the woods there is a sea of bluebells in May each year.

Killynether Wood lies on a hill overlooked by Scrabo Tower, that august landmark and memorial to the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry.

The nearest town is Newtownards in County Down; the Woods are roughly between Comber and Newtownards.

I had no idea, until I was told, that there used to be a large country house here, called Killynether House.

Killynether was the second property acquired by the National Trust since it became established in Northern Ireland

The owner in 1937 was Jessie Helen Weir ( b 1856).

She donated her property that year, including 42 acres of mixed woodland and an endowment of £2,000, to the Trust.

I believe that the house was built in 1858.

In 1907 Killynether House was described in the street directory as Killynether Castle, the owner being Arthur James Weir (b 1863); though in a directory of 1886 the occupier was none other than James Brownlow, a local magistrate; and shortly thereafter Brownlow resigned as Lord Londonderry's land agent.

Andrew Cowan, another local magistrate, also occupied Killynether at one stage.

Killynether and the surrounding land formed part of the Londonderry Estates; and we also know that James Brownlow was Lord Londonderry's land agent in 1886; and that there was a Cowan Inheritance in the 17th century.

This was a Victorian, Tudor-Gothic mansion with a mullioned roof and various towers.

This, at least, we can deduce from old photographs.

The house was already being used as a youth hostel in 1937, so the Trust agreed that the YHA tenancy should continue.

At the start of the Second World War, the House and grounds were requisitioned by the Army; and the tenure of the Estate, including those austere but functional Nissen huts, was not actually released by the Ministry of Defence till the 31st May, 1949.

The concrete bases of the huts remained, despite considerable pleas from the Trust to the MoD about this.

The Northern Ireland Committee of the National Trust was concerned that the property should be utilized to its full potential following the army's departure, so an umbrella group representing the YHA, Federation of Boys' Clubs, Civil Service Social Service Society and National Council of YMCAs was formed and the Trust granted them a short lease for their activities.

In June, 1947, Killynether House was still found to be in reasonably good condition.

About five years later, in 1952, the youth hostel grouping's tenure expired, though the YHA was permitted to remain until November, 1953.

Regrettably, dry rot had begun to take hold of the house; nevertheless some remedial repairs were undertaken.

At this stage the Trust wished to find suitable private tenants for the property though, sadly, during a period when the house was empty, it succumbed to inevitable vandalism.

Eventually a tenant was found in September, 1955.

The perennial problems associated with dry rot persisted and Killynether House became uninhabitable to such an extent that, by 1966, the matter came to a head and the National Trust felt that regrettably they had no option other than to demolish the old house.

First published in May, 2009.

Shelton Abbey

THE EARLS OF WICKLOW WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WICKLOW, WITH 22,103 ACRES

The noble house of WICKLOW derives from the Fersfield branch of the ducal family of Howard.

JOHN HOWARD (1616-43), of Shelton, Nottinghamshire, married, in 1636, Dorothea, daughter and heiress of Robert Hassells.

Following his decease, his widow removed to Ireland, where she wedded her cousin, Robert Hasells, first owner of Shelton, County Wicklow.

The son of John and Dorothea Howard,

RALPH HOWARD (1638-1710), of Shelton, who was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, took a degree in Medicine in 1667, and succeeded Dr Margetson as Regius Professor of Physics at that university.

Being afterwards attainted with many others in JAMES II's parliament, on account of his having returned to England on the breaking out of war in Ireland, with his numerous family of young children, in 1688, his estate containing 600 acres in the barony of Bargy, and County Wexford, and his leasehold interest of the north share of Arklow, and Shelton estates, County Wicklow, held from the 2nd Duke and Duchess of Ormonde, containing 4,000 acres, plantation measure, were seized upon and put in the possession of Mr Hackett, who being appointed sequestrator, resided in Shelton House, and received the rents until the war ended.

After the defeat at the Boyne in 1690, JAMES II stayed at Shelton to refresh himself, en route to Waterford; and says, in his memoirs, that he rested some time at Mr Hackett's.

On the re-establishment of tranquillity under WILLIAM III, Dr Howard recovered his estates.

He married, in 1668, Catherine, eldest daughter of Roger Sotheby, MP for Wicklow, and had issue (with three daughters), three sons, viz.

HUGH, his heir;
ROBERT, of whom hereafter;
William, MP for Dublin City, 1727.

The eldest son,

HUGH HOWARD (1675-1737), of Shelton, was appointed Keeper of the State Papers at Whitehall, 1714, and Paymaster of the Board of Works, 1726.

He died in London, leaving a fine collection of books, drawings, prints, and medals, as well as his estates at Shelton and Seskin, County Wicklow, to his only surviving brother,

THE RT REV DR ROBERT HOWARD (1670-1740), Lord Bishop of Elphin, who inherited, in 1728, the estates of his family at the decease of his elder brother Hugh, of Shelton, County Wicklow.

His lordship married, in 1724, Patience, daughter and sole heiress of Godfrey Boleyne, of Fenner, by Mary his wife, sister of the Rt Hon Henry Singleton, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and had issue,

RALPH, his heir;
Hugh;
Robert;
Mary;
Catherine, m to John, 1st Earl of Erne.

Bishop Howard was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON RALPH HOWARD (1726-89), MP for County Wicklow, 1761-76, Privy Counsellor, who was elevated to the peerage, 1778, in the dignity of Baron Clonmore, of Clonmore Castle, County Carlow.

He was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1785, as Viscount Wicklow.

1st Viscount Wicklow, by Pompeo Batoni

His lordship wedded, in 1755, Alice (who was raised to the peerage, in 1793, as COUNTESS OF WICKLOW), only daughter and heiress of William Forward MP, of Castle Forward, County Donegal, and had issue,

ROBERT and
WILLIAM, successive peers;
Hugh;
Boleyne;
Henry;
Stuarta; Isabella; Katherine; Mary.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT (1757-1815), 2nd Viscount; who, in 1807, became EARL OF WICKLOW at the demise of his mother; but died unmarried, when the honours devolved upon his brother,

WILLIAM (1761-1818), 3rd Earl; who had assumed the surname and arms of FORWARD upon inheriting the estate of his maternal relatives; but resumed his family name of HOWARD on succeeding to the peerage.

His lordship espoused, in 1787, Eleanor, only daughter of the Hon Francis Caulfeild, and granddaughter of James, 3rd Viscount Charlemont, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Francis (Rev); father of WILLIAM;
Robert;
Isabella Mary; Eleanor; Mary; Alicia.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

4th Earl of Wicklow KP (Image: Mutual Art)

WILLIAM, 4th Earl (1788-1869), KP, who wedded, in 1816, the Lady Cecil Frances Hamilton, daughter of John James, 1st Marquess of Abercorn; his lordship, however, had no male issue, and was succeeded by his nephew,

• Charles Francis Arnold Howard, 5th Earl (1839-81);
• Cecil Ralph Howard, 6th Earl (1842-91);
• Ralph Francis Howard, 7th Earl (1877–1946);
• William Cecil James Philip John Paul Howard, 8th Earl (1902-78).

On the death of the 8th Earl, the titles became extinct.

SHELTON ABBEY, near Arklow, County Wicklow, was the magnificent demesne of the Earls of Wicklow.

The mansion, built in 1770, comprises two storeys and eleven bays.

It was remodelled in the Gothic style, in 1819, to the designs of Sir Richard Morrison.

The intention was to represent an ecclesiastical structure of the 14th century, transmuted into a baronial residence.

The building is finished with lined render and granite dressings.

The decorative panelled front door has a blind fanlight and is set within a pointed-arched opening.

This is recessed within a projecting triple arched flat-roofed porch.

The front is lavishly embellished with reducing buttresses with tall pinnacles.

To the north and rear large two-storey wings were later added.

The mainly pitched roof is finished with natural slate and has cast-iron rainwater goods.

The building is set within a large wooded demesne. Internally the elaborate plasterwork is still intact.

This remains an important early 19th century country house which has been very well preserved.

During the Victorian era, the 'Abbey style' was considered appropriate to secluded settings such as this.

It has been converted to institutional use with no loss of character.

The town residence of Lord Wicklow used to be 56 Upper Brook Street, London (now part of the US Embassy).

In 1947, the 8th Earl opened Shelton as an hotel in a vain attempt to meet the cost of upkeep; but he was obliged to sell it in 1951, owing to taxation.

Shelton Abbey operated as a school for a period.

The mansion has, since the early 1970s, been used as an open prison for males aged 19 years and over who are regarded as requiring lower levels of security.

Former Dublin residence~ 5, Upper Leeson Street.

First published in January, 2012.

Favour Royal

THE MOUTRAYS OWNED 6,554 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY TYRONE 

ROBERT MOUTRAY, of Roscobie, Fife, 9th Laird of Seafield (descended from Robert Multrare, who had a Royal Charter, 1443, confirming to him the lands of Seafield and Markinch), married Anne, only daughter of Sir James Erskine, of Favour Royal, County Tyrone (to whom that estate was granted by JAMES I), grandson of John Erskine, Earl of Mar, and had a son,

JOHN MOUTRAY, of Aghamoyles, alias Favour Royal, County Tyrone, who wedded his cousin Anne, daughter of the Rev Archibald Erskine (son of Sir James Erskine), through whom the Moutray family acquired Favour Royal, and had a son,

JAMES MOUTRAY (c1661-1719), of Favour Royal, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1682, MP for Augher, 1692-3, 1703-13, who espoused Deborah, daughter of Henry Mervyn MP, of Trillick, son of Sir Audley Mervyn MP, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
Anketell;
Anne, m George Gledstanes, of Daisy Hill;
Sarah, m Charles Stewart, of Baillieborough.

Mr Moutray was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES MOUTRAY, of Favour Royal, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1695, who married, in 1698, Rebecca, eldest daughter of Colonel James Corry, of Castle Coole, County Fermanagh (ancestor of the Earls of Belmore), and was father of

JOHN MOUTRAY (1701-79), of Favour Royal, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1721, who married, in 1720, Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander Montgomery, of Ballyleck, County Monaghan, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;
ANKETELL, succeeded his brother;
Leslie, of Killibrick;
John;
Mary; Rebecca; Catherine; Sarah; Elizabeth.

The eldest son,

JAMES MOUTRAY (1722-77), of Favour Royal and Killibrick, MP for Augher, 1761-76, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1762, married Hester, daughter of Thomas Knox, MP for Dungannon, and sister to Thomas, 1st Viscount Northland, but had no issue.

His younger brother,

THE REV ANKETELL MOUTRAY (1730-1801), of Favour Royal, married, in 1768, Catherine, eldest daughter of Thomas Singleton, of Fort Singleton, County Monaghan, by his first wife, daughter of Oliver Anketell, of Anketell's Grove.

He died ca 1801, having had one son, JOHN CORRY, and six daughters, all of whom died unmarried, except the third, Isabella, who espoused Whitney Upton Gledstanes, of Fardross.

The only son and heir,

JOHN CORRY MOUTRAY JP DL (1771-1859), of Favour Royal, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1794, married, in 1793, Mary Anne Catherine, second daughter of Major Ambrose Upton, of Hermitage, County Dublin, by his wife Margaret, sister and co-heir of Thomas Gledstanes, of Fardross, and had issue,

ANKETELL, his heir;
JOHN JAMES, of Favour Royal;
WHITNEY, of Fort Singleton;
Thomas (Rev), 1806-43;
William (Rev), 1811-82;
Henry, of Killymoon Castle;
Catherine; Margaret; Sophia; Cecilia; Marion; Mary.

Mr Moutray was succeeded by his eldest son,

ANKETELL MOUTRAY (1797-1869), of Favour Royal, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1855, who dsp and was succeeded by his brother,

THE REV JOHN JAMES MOUTRAY (1802-86), of Favour Royal, Rector of Errigal-Keerogue, who married, in 1836, Maria Dorothea, second daughter of the Rev William Perceval, of Kilmore Hill, County Waterford, and had issue,

JOHN MAXWELL, his heir;
Robert Perceval, Captain RN (1840-96);
William Henry, b 1842;
ANKETELL, of Favour Royal;
Charles Frederick, b 1846;
Anna Maria Sophia; Mary Elizabeth; Caroline Helena.

This clergyman's eldest son,

THE REV JOHN MAXWELL MOUTRAY, Rector of Ballinasaggart, did not, however, succeed to the family estates, which, under the will of his uncle, Anketell Moutray, of Favour Royal, passed to his younger brother,

ANKETELL MOUTRAY JP DL (1844-1927), of Favour Royal, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1877, County Monaghan, 1903, who married, in 1877, Gertrude Madelina, third surviving daughter of Matthew John Anketell, of Anketell Grove, County Monaghan (by his wife Catherine Anne Frances, daughter of D Ker, of Montalto, County Down), and had issue,

John Corry (1878-79);
ANKETELL GERALD, JP, of Favour Royal, High Sheriff of Co Tyrone, 1934 (1882-1952?);
Anne Gwendoline Stella Eliza (1875-1902).

FAVOUR ROYAL, near Augher, County Tyrone, was built in 1825. 

This is quite an austere, Tudor-Gothic mansion consisting of two storeys with an attic of low-pitched gables in front and three storeys at the rear.

The front of the house has big rectangular windows with elaborate Gothic tracery and hood mouldings over them.

*****

JAMES I granted Sir Thomas Ridgeway 740 acres of land in 1613.

Sir James Erskine later purchased the Augher estates from Sir Thomas.

CHARLES II confirmed the Manor of Portclare (under the name of Favor Royal) to the Erskine family in 1665.

Eventually his estate was divided between his two granddaughters: one half became Spur Royal (Augher Castle); and the other, Favor Royal.

One of Erskine's granddaughters married John Moutray, and they built the first house, creating the demesne in 1670.

This house continued as the family home until it was destroyed by accidental fire in 1823.

Captain John Corry Moutray, the occupant at the time, commissioned the architect John Hargrave to design the new house, built in 1824-5, with an 1825 date-stone on its left elevation.

The earlier 1670 date-stone, also built into the left elevation, is presumably from the first house that was burnt down.

The fireproof vaulted brick floor construction to upper floor landings and the stone staircases are possibly precautionary, to ensure that the new house was not also destroyed by fire.

The painted transom in the book-room of a cavalry officer with white charger may be a depiction of Captain John Corry Moutray.

Captain Moutray also built the parish church of St Mary’s Portclare in 1830 as a private chapel.

It cost £1,000 and its designer may be John Hargrave who had died in a yachting accident only the previous year.

An 1834 map shows the demesne and most of its features as they are today; however, the drive to the north of the main house, its bridge over the river Blackwater, and the later (1856) elements of the outer farmyard are not shown.

The map shows the north drive and the Blackwater Bridge.

A 1903 map shows a boathouse (now gone) on the north side of the lake.

Favour Royal was occupied in 1858 by Whitney Moutray; in 1870 by the Rev John James Moutray; and during the first half of the 20th century by Major Anketell Gerald Moutray.

Anketell Moutray (1844-1927) had the misfortune of being attacked and kidnapped at Favour Royal during the troubles of 1922.

His son, Anketell Gerald Moutray, died ca 1952, but his widow continued to reside in the house until her death at the beginning of 1975.

The house, outbuildings, walled garden and park all survived remarkably intact; the park renowned for its deciduous woodland and parkland trees.

In 1976 the house and grounds were sold, with the Department of Agriculture (Forestry Service) acquiring most of the land, and Mr Herbert Craig acquiring the house and a smaller area of ground.

The house was put up for sale again in 1994, but has remained vacant and was damaged in a malicious fire in April, 2011.

Much of the demesne was heavily planted by DAERA (Forest Service) with forest trees.

It has been said that the Moutrays were the largest landowners in the valley and held the rental of 36 townlands, with a staff of no fewer than 80 at one time.

Sundials (marked on a 1977 map), one to the front and one to the right of the house, and a large collection of medieval carved stones in the rockery (opposite the front porch) were for sale with the house contents in September, 1976, and were presumably sold and removed at that time.

Following the sale of the contents, the house remained occupied until the early 1990s.

Although not consulted in detail, the Moutray family papers in PRONI are a wide and interesting range of documents from land leases to personal diaries.

*****

Stephen Paskin has taken 182 photographs of Favour Royal, including notable pictures of its interior features.

The demesne dates from the 17th century. 

It lies in a valley, with the River Blackwater flowing on the north-eastern side. 

Though no longer a fully functioning demesne, disused stabling and farm buildings remain.

There was a deer park and woodland with, ‘… a few fine old trees’ (Young, 1909). 

At the present time there is a small area of lawn at the house and one or two mature notable trees.

The walled garden has a date stone on the entrance gate of 1720.

It is not maintained but was once a fine garden. 

Most of the area is heavily planted with forest trees.

The gate lodge of ca 1825, gardener’s cottage and bridges are listed.

There is a man-made ornamental lake with an island.

Planning permission had been obtained to turn Favour Royal into a hotel and golf resort.

Arsonists badly damaged the house in April, 2011.

The estate was for sale in May, 2014.

*****

SIR THOMAS RIDGEWAY, Earl of Londonderry, was one of hundreds of English and Scottish noblemen who were granted land during the plantation of Ulster.

In Ridgeway's case, he was treasurer of wars in Ireland.

In 1610, JAMES I granted him 4,300 acres in the Clogher valley area of County Tyrone. 

In 1613, he built a castle in Augher and then sold his entire estate to Sir James Erskine in 1622. 

In 1630, a defect was discovered in the original grant of lands to Ridgeway and CHARLES I made a re-grant of the lands to Erskine.

This royal favour was acknowledged by naming the estate Favour Royal. 

Sir James Erskine's son, Archibald, was the only member of the family to carry on the family name having two daughters, Mary and Ann, between whom the estate was divided. 

Mary married William Richardson and took up living in Augher castle.

Later, as Sir William Richardson, he gained notoriety as the magistrate who kept a supply of Shillelaghs for the settlements of legal disputes. 

The other daughter, Ann, married John Moutray and moved into the house at Favour Royal in 1670.

*****

The Moutray family continued to live there until the death of Mrs Anketell Moutray on New Year's Day, 1975.

The house and what remained of the demesne was sold in 1976.

A major part of the estate was acquired by the Forest service.

The total area is ca 1,200 acres.

First published in October, 2010.