The King Baronetcy

The family of KING came originally from Barra, Aberdeenshire. 

JAMES KING, of Corrard, Gola, County Fermanagh, living in 1674 (whose kinsman, the Most Rev Dr William King, an eminent divine and statesman, was Lord Archbishop of Dublin), married Nichola, daughter of ______ Johnston, of County Fermanagh, and had issue, with daughters (of whom Sarah wedded Alderman Somerville of Dublin, ancestor of the Lord Athlumney),

James, dsp 1727;
Robert, MP for Lifford, 1698-9, 1709-11;
JOHN, of whom hereafter;
William;
Charles, of County Donegal;
Thomas;
David.

The third son,

JOHN KING, of Gola, married and had issue,

James, of Gola; m Katherine, dau. of Very Rev Wm Gore, Dean of Down;

CHARLES, of whom presently;

Robert, of Derrybrusk.

The second son,

CHARLES KING, of Dublin and Corrard, County Fermanagh, wedded, in 1731, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev Dr James Cottingham, of Cavan, and had issue,

JAMES KING, of Dublin and Corrard, Captain, Belleisle Yeomanry Cavalry, who espoused, in 1763, Elizabeth, second daughter and in her issue sole heir of Abraham Bradley, of Dublin, King's Stationer in Ireland, and had issue,

James, m Letitia Irvine; High Sheriff of Fermanagh, 1802;
ABRAHAM BRADLEY, of whom we treat;
Hulton Smyth;
Joseph;

Sarah; Elizabeth Caroline; Anne.

Mr King was buried at St Michan's in 1798.

The second son, 

ABRAHAM BRADLEY KING (1774-1838), of Corrard and Dublin,

Was elected Alderman of the City of Dublin in 1805, and chosen Lord Mayor in 1813; and a second time, in 1821, when he had the honour of receiving, in his official capacity, GEORGE IV.

In commemoration of the occasion of that monarch's visiting the metropolis of His Majesty's Irish dominions, the chief magistrate was created a baronet in 1821, designated of Corrard, County Fermanagh. 

Sir Abraham inherited, from his maternal grandfather, the patent office of King's Stationer in Ireland, which he surrendered to the Crown in 1830 and was granted by Parliament a pension of £2,500 (£213,000 in today's money) for life. 

He was also deputy grand master of the Orange Order, and printed revised rules for that body. On the issue of publicly celebrating WILLIAM III's birthday he took the side of the government in 1821 and banned public ceremonies. 

When his prohibition was disobeyed by a dissident group of tailors, he resigned from the Orange Order. As Lord Mayor in 1821, he joined with the catholic Lord Fingall at a public dinner in Morrison’s hotel to demonstrate unity and amity for the royal visit of GEORGE IV. In the following year he resisted the passage of resolutions, in the merchant’s guild of Dublin Corporation, for repeal of the act of union. 

King was popular in municipal circles for the lavishness of his public functions and for his personal defence of the right of Dublin Corporation to present petitions at the bar of the house of commons. In 1829, his mode of conducting business as king’s stationer came under government scrutiny. It became clear that King was in the habit of offering money gifts in lieu of stationery to members of the vice-regal household. 

He was forced to resign his patent in 1830, and refused compensation. In Ireland, even his political opponents believed that he had been treated shabbily and there was much sympathy for him when he was declared a bankrupt in 1831. Daniel O’Connell MP vigorously championed Sir Abraham's case in parliament, and in 1832 secured him a measure of compensation. This was augmented, in 1836, by a life pension of £2,500 per annum, voted by parliament. 

Sir Abraham was an active member of the Dublin Society during 1802-15, and in the latter year was paid £170 12s. 2d. by the Society for stationery supplies. Between 1803-15, he proposed or seconded nine candidates for membership of the Society, including Captain John D’Esterre, killed in a duel with Daniel O’Connell in 1815. 

King’s stationery business was conducted from offices at 36 Dame Street, and he was also a committee member of the Atlas Assurance Company. His Dublin residence was Bloomsbury, and he had a country seat at Corrard, County Fermanagh.

Sir Abraham married, in 1793, Anne, daughter of Plato Oulton, and had issue,

JAMES WALKER, his successor;
Abraham;
Anne, Elizabeth; Mary; Jane; Sarah; Harriett.

His eldest son,

THE REV SIR JAMES WALKER KING, 2nd Baronet (1796-1874), Vicar of Rathmore and Kilteel, County Kildare, Chaplain to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (Lord Anglesey), wedded, in 1834, his first cousin, Anne Sophia Smyth, eldest daughter of Hulton Smyth King, formerly a commissioner of the customs.

His son and heir,

SIR CHARLES SIMEON KING, 3rd Baronet (1840-1921), lived at Corrard (below), Swerford Park, Oxfordshire, and The Highlands House, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.

The baronetcy expired on the death of Sir Charles in 1921, who edited "A great Archbishop of Dublin, William King, DD 1650-1729: His autobiography, family, and a selection from his correspondence." (1906, Longman Green).

Corrard

The King family were certainly in possession of Gola Abbey as far back as the late 17th century.

John King of Gola, took part in the defence of Enniskillen in 1689, and his name also appears in the list of signatories to the address to WILLIAM & MARY written in that town in 1690.

He died between 1720 and 1726 and his son James took possession of the estate.

James King was appointed Sheriff of Fermanagh in 1728 and presented the communion plate to Derryvullan Church.

He died in 1756 and Gola passed to his eldest son also called James, who married Elizabeth Coote of Limerick (a cousin of his) but died childless in London in 1823.

In 1815 Gola was purchased by Sir Abraham Bradley King Bt, another cousin.

It passed after his death to his son Sir Charles Simeon King Bt.

Although Sir Charles listed Gola as his address, he moved into the rebuilt house at Corrard nearby.

His new lands included a small island called Inishbeg.

During the 19th century Sir Charles sold Gola Abbey.

The evidence from the King family indicates that they lived in the priory as far back as 1689 and had remained in residence until Sir Charles moved to Corrard.

The Kings were resident in Gola Abbey at the time of the siege of Enniskillen and were still there in the time that Thomas Burke was writing in 1772; the restoration happened in 1660.

It is possible that the house was abandoned for some years, as the Kings had renovated Corrard as early as 1825.

Archdall’s account indicates that there were three friars living there in 1756 but the records indicate clearly that the Kings were firmly in possession of the old priory at that stage. 

First published in November, 2010.

1st Baron Fermoy

THE BARONS FERMOY WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CORK, WITH 15,543 ACRES

The family of DE LA RUPE, or ROCHE, according to the Irish Peerage, and Rudiments of Honour, by Francis Nichols, published in 1727, were materially descended from CHARLEMAGNE; and in the remarkable pedigree of the ancestors of this family, it is shown that they derive their descent from the most illustrious sources, their progenitors being allied, by intermarriages, with the great Counts of Flanders, the Counts of Bavaria, ALFRED, and other Saxon Kings of England; the House of Capet in France, WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, and other Anglo-Norman kings.

The Roches came to Ireland in the reign of HENRY II, along with other Anglo-Norman chiefs in Strongbow's time; and in the reigns of RICHARD I and KING JOHN, they got large grants of lands in County Cork, in the territory of Fermoy, which, from them, was called Roche's Country, and they erected a castle, and founded a Cistercian monastery at Fermoy, and they had seats at Castletown Roche and other places.

RALPH DE LA ROCHE, son of Alexander de Rupe, alias DE LA ROCHE, was the patriarch of the family in Ireland.

He married Elizabeth de Clare, by the Princess Joan of Acre, his wife, daughter of EDWARD I and his Queen, ELEANOR, of Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester.

This Ralph was father of

DAVID DE LA ROCHE, father of

JOHN DE LA ROCHE, Lord of Fermoy, County Cork, whose son,

MAURICE FITZ-JOHN DE LA ROCHE, Lord of Fermoy, was direct ancestor of

DAVID ROCHE, Lord Roche, surnamed The Great, who sat in Parliament as VISCOUNT ROCHE, of Fermoy, in the reigns of EDWARD IV and HENRY VII.

He married Jane, daughter of Walter Burke, called MacWilliam, and had issue,

MAURICE, his successor;
Redmond;
Ulick;
Theobald;
William;
Philip;
Gerald;
Edmond;
Jacob;
Helena.

His lordship died ca 1492, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

MAURICE ROCHE, Viscount Fermoy, who married twice; and by Joanna, his first wife, daughter of James, Earl of Desmond, had a son and successor,

DAVID ROCHE, Viscount Fermoy, father, by Catherine his wife, daughter of MacCarthy Mor, of a son and successor,

MAURICE ROCHE, Viscount Fermoy, who wedded Grania MacCarthy, and had issue,

DAVID, his successor;
William;
John;
Helena; Marcella; Catherine.

The eldest son,

DAVID ROCHE, Viscount Fermoy, who succeeded his father in 1566, espoused Helena, daughter of James, 10th Baron Dunboyne, and had issue,

Maurice, his successor;
William;
EDMOND, of whom we treat;
Gerald;
James.

The third son,

EDMOND ROCHE, died in 1540, leaving (with a daughter, Joan, married, in 1508, to David de Courcy, Baron Kingsale) a son,

MAURICE ROCHE, Mayor of Cork, 1571, received an autograph letter from ELIZABETH I, with a patent and collar of sterling silver, in acknowledgment of his services in suppressing the rebellion of the Earl of Desmond.

He died in 1593, leaving three sons, JOHN, Edward, and Patrick, and was succeeded by the eldest,

JOHN ROCHE, who dsp, and the estates devolve upon his brother,

EDWARD FITZMAURICE FITZEDMOND ROCHE, who died in 1626, leaving three sons,

FRANCIS;
Edward;
Maurice.

The eldest son,

FRANCIS ROCHE (c1610-69), High Sheriff of County Cork, 1641, who entertained Sir Warham St Leger, Lord President of Munster, at his seat, Trabolgan, and assisted him for the King.

Mr Roche married Jane Coppinger, by whom he left at his decease (with a younger son, Edmond, an elder son and heir,

EDWARD ROCHE (1645-96), of Trabolgan, who wedded, in 1672, Catherine, daughter of James Lavallin, of Walterstown, County Cork, and had issue (with four daughters),

FRANCIS, his heir;
Edmond;
Maurice and
James, who both died in France.

The eldest son and heir,

FRANCIS ROCHE (c1673-1755), of Kildinan and Trabolgan, died unmarried, when the former estate descended to his elder nephew, Edmond, before mentioned, and the latter of Trabolgan, to his other nephew,

EDWARD ROCHE, of Trabolgan, who wedded, in 1781, Susanna, elder daughter of Sir George Wombwell Bt, of Wombwell, Yorkshire, by whom he had one son, Edmond Edward, who predeceased him in 1803, a prisoner of war at Lyons.

Mr Roche died in 1828, and bequeathed his estates to his nephew (only son of his elder brother, Edmond),

EDWARD ROCHE (1771-1855), of Trabolgan and Kildinan, County Cork, who married in 1805, Margaret Honoria, only child and heiress of William Curtain, and had issue,

EDMOND BURKE, his heir;
Frances Maria.

Mr Roche's only son and heir,

EDMOND BURKE ROCHE (1815-74), Lord-Lieutenant of County Cork, 1856-74, wedded, in 1848, Elizabeth Caroline, daughter of James Brownell Boothby, and had issue,

EDMUND FITZEDMUND BURKE, his successor;
JAMES BOOTHBY BURKE, 3rd Baron;
Alexis Charles Burke;
Ulick de Rupe Burke;
Edmund Burke;
Eleanor Charlotte; Ethel Kathleen; Eliza Caroline.

Mr Roche, MP for County Cork, 1837-55, Marylebone, 1855-69, was elevated to the peerage, in 1865, in the dignity of BARON FERMOY, of County Cork.

His lordship was succeed by his eldest son,

EDMUND FITZEDMUND BURKE, 2nd Baron (1850-1920), JP DL, who espoused, in 1877, Cecila, daughter of Standish, 3rd Viscount Guillamore, and had issue, an only child, ADA SYBIL.

His lordship died without male issue, when the title devolved upon his brother,

JAMES BOOTHBY BURKE, 3rd Baron (1851-1920), MP for East Kerry, 1896-1900, who married, in 1880, Frances Ellen, daughter of Frank M Work, and had issue,

EDMUND MAURICE BURKE, his successor;
Francis George;
Eileen Burke; Cynthia Burke.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

EDMUND MAURICE, 4th Baron (1885-1955), who married, in 1931, Ruth Sylvia, daughter of Colonel William Smith Gill, and had issue,

EDMUND JAMES BURKE, his successor;
Mary Cynthia Burke;
FRANCES RUTH BURKE, COUNTESS SPENCER; mother of DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES;

His lordship was succeeded by his son and heir,

EDMUND JAMES BURKE, 5th Baron (1939-84), who wedded, in 1964, Lavinia Frances Elizabeth, daughter of Major John Pitman, and had issue,

PATRICK MAURICE BURKE, his successor;
Edmund Hugh Burke;
Frances Caroline Burke; Elizabeth.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

PATRICK MAURICE BURKE, 6th Baron (1967-), who married, in 1998, Tessa Fiona, daughter of Major David Pelham Kayle, and has issue,

Arabella Elizabeth Burke, b 1999;
Eliza Lavinia, b 2000.

TRABOLGAN, near Whitegate, County Cork, was a Georgian house comprising two storeys at the front, and three at the rear.

Single storey wings were added during the 19th century, creating a long facade.

The main block comprised two storeys and eight bays, with wings of five bays on either side.

It had a roof parapet and a single-storey Doric portico.

The wings had round-headed windows.

The mansion was approached by an avenue exceeding one mile in length.

Half-way along this avenue there is a triumphal arch; and a tower on the headland between the house and Roche's Point at the entrance to Cork harbour.

The family sold Trabolgan ca 1880 to William Clarke, whose family sold it in 1947.

The mansion house was demolished in 1982.

Trabolgan subsequently became a holiday camp.

Other former seats ~ Kilshannig, County Cork; Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk.

First published in December, 2019.  Fermoy arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

County Down Antiquities

EDITED EXTRACTS FROM THE TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF IRELAND, 1837

There are two remarkable cairns; one on the summit of Slieve Croob, which is 80 yards round at the base and 50 on the top, and is the largest monument of its kind in the county: on this platform several smaller cairns are raised, of various heights and dimensions.

The other is near Annadorn [Annadorn Dolmen], and is more curious, from containing within its circumference, which is about 60 yards, a large square smooth stone supported by several others, so as to form a low chamber, in which were found ashes and some human bones.

A solitary pillar stone stands on the summit of a hill near Saintfield, having about six feet of its length above ground.

Among the more remarkable cromlechs is that near Drumbo, called the Giant's Ring, also one on Slievenagriddle, in Lecale; there is another near Slidderyford, and a third is in the parish of Drumgooland; others less remarkable may be seen near Rathfriland and Comber.

Drumbo round tower (Green Collection/NMNI)

There are two round towers: one stands about 24 feet south-west of the ruins of the church of Drumbo, and the other is close to the ruins of the old church of Maghera: a third, distinguished for the symmetry of its proportions, stood near Down Cathedral, but it was taken down in 1790 to make room for rebuilding part of that edifice.

Round tower at Down Cathedral (Image: Down County Museum)

Of the relics of antiquity entirely composed of earth, every variety is to be met with.

Raths surrounded by a slight single ditch are numerous, and so situated as to be generally within view of each other.

Of the more artificially constructed mounds, some, as at Saintfield, are formed of a single rampart and fosse; others with more than one, as at Downpatrick, which is about 895 yards in circuit at the base, and surrounded by three ramparts; a third kind, as at Dromore, has a circumference of 600 feet, with a perpendicular height of 40 feet; the whole being surrounded by a rampart and battlement, with a trench that has two branches, embracing a square fort, 100 feet in diameter: and there are others very lofty at Donaghadee and Dundonald, with caverns or chambers running entirely round their interior.

A thin plate of gold, shaped like a half moon, was dug out of a bog in Castlereagh; the metal is remarkably pure, and the workmanship good though simple.

Another relic of the same metal, consisting of three thick gold wires intertwined through each other, and conjectured to have formed part of the branch of a golden candlestick, was found near Dromore.

Near the same town have been found a canoe of oak, about 13 feet long, and various other relics; another canoe was found at Loughbrickland, and a third in the bog of Moneyreagh.

An earthen lamp of curious form was dug up near Moira, the figures on which were more remarkable for their indecency than their elegance.

First published in December, 2023.

Lissanoure Castle

THE MACARTNEYS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ANTRIM, WITH 12,532 ACRES 

Of the Auchinleck branch of the ancient Scottish family of Macartney, MacCartney, or MacCarthy, was 

GEORGE MACARTNEY, who married, in 1522, Margaret, daughter of Godfrey MacCullogh, of Gatehouse of Fleet, Kirkcudbright.

His son,

PATRICK MacCARTNEY, married the daughter of John McLellan, and had an eldest son,

BARTHOLOMEW MacCARTNEY, of Auchinleck, Kirkcudbright, who wedded, in 1587, Mary, only daughter of John Stewart, of Auchinleck, and had a son,

BARTHOLOMEW MacCARTNEY, who espoused Catherine, daughter of George Maxwell, and dvp leaving a son,

GEORGE MACARTNEY (1626-91), a Captain of Horse, born at Auchinleck, who removed to Ulster, 1649, and settled in County Antrim, where he acquired a large estate, and represented Belfast in parliament.

Mr Macartney was Sovereign (Mayor) of Belfast, 1662-3.

In 1671 he served as High Sheriff; and in 1688 he proclaimed WILLIAM & MARY at Belfast, for which he was soon after obliged to flee to England, and was attainted by JAMES I's parliament held at Dublin in 1689.

He was restored on the settlement of the Kingdom.

Mr Macartney married firstly Janet, daughter of Quentin Calderwood, and had issue (with three daughters, two of whom died unmarried),

James (1651-1727);
Arthur, father of George, MP for Belfast, 1721;
John;
Bartholomew;
George;
Quentin (died young)..

He married secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Stephen Butler, and had further issue (with a son, Chichester, dsp),

GEORGE MACARTNEY (1671-1757), who married firstly, in 1700, Letitia, daughter and co-heir of Sir Charles Porter, LORD CHANCELLOR OF IRELAND; and secondly, Elizabeth Dobbin.

George Macartney (Image: Ulster Museum)

Mr Macartney, MP for Belfast, 1692-3, 1715-27-57, Limavady, 1703-13, Donegal Borough, 1713-14, was called to the Bar, 1700; High Sheriff, County Antrim; Deputy Governor and Colonel of a regiment of Militia Dragoons.

He left issue by his first wife (with a son, Charles, dsp, and a son, Hugh), a son,

GEORGE MACARTNEY, who married, in 1732, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev John Winder, and had issue,

GEORGE, his heir;
Letitia, m Godfrey Echlin;
Elizabeth, m John Blaquiere.

Mr Macartney's son,

THE RT HON SIR GEORGE MACARTNEY KB (1737-1806), of Lissanoure, County Antrim, Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, and of the most ancient and royal order of the White Eagle of Poland; one of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council; Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the Empress of Russia.

Sir George was elevated to the peerage, in 1770, in the dignity of Baron Macartney; and was advanced, in 1792, to the dignities of Viscount Macartney of Dervock and EARL MACARTNEY.

His lordship married the Lady Jane Stewart, second daughter of John, Earl of Bute.

He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and, having entered the civil service, was sent as an envoy to Russia. Macartney was Chief Secretary of Ireland from 1769-72 and, in 1775, was appointed Governor of Grenada. Lord Macartney was taken prisoner by the French in 1779 in Grenada; Knight Companion (KB) of the Order of the Bath, 1768; Governor of Madras, 1781-5.

1st Earl Macartney KB (Image: Ulster Museum)

In 1772, Lord Macartney headed the first diplomatic mission to China.

After a mission to King Louis XVIII at Verona in 1795-6, he went out as Governor to the Cape, but returned due to ill-health in 1798.

Lord Macartney died without issue in 1806, when the earldom became extinct.

The Glens of Antrim Historical Society has written a history of the Macartneys.

Lord Macartney died without issue in 1800, when his titles became extinct.

His ancestral seat was Lissanoure Castle, County Antrim.

LISSANOURE CASTLE lies roughly between Ballymoney and Ballymena, in the heart of County Antrim, at Loughguile.

It is of great historical importance, as the former seat of the 1st and last Earl Macartney. 

The entry for Lissanoure is given thus:

Macartney held property both in Scotland and Ireland. His principal Irish property was situated at Lisanoure, parish of Loughguile, Co. Antrim. A considerable number of unbound letters dating from 1774 to 1826, relate to Lisanoure Castle and demesne and the neighbouring district.

Although he was not able to visit the place very often, Macartney had much work done in improving its amenities. In addition, he helped the inhabitants of Dervock by giving them long leases, building dwelling houses and a market-house, and establishing a linen market there.

Old Lissanoure Castle is now a ruin in a private estate which contains Guile Lake.

Lissanoure Castle ca 1829,  Click to Enlarge

The Anglo-Norman, Sir Philip Savage, built a castle here in the 14th century; rebuilt by Lord Macartney about 1787 and dismantled in the early 19th century.

The entrance to the courtyard remains, in the form of a Tudor archway.

The Castle extended around four sides of a sizeable, rectangular courtyard.

It was built in various stages from ca 1770 onwards by Lord Macartney.

It was of two storeys, with a front of five bays between two, three-sided bows.

Inside the two bows were an octagonal drawing-room and dining-room; and between them were two other reception rooms on either side of a hall, behind which was a commodious double staircase in a projection jutting out at the rear into the courtyard.

At right-angles to the front, two long ranges ran back on either side of the courtyard, containing offices and stables; with windows only facing the courtyard, the outer walls battlemented and blank.

The fourth side of the courtyard also had a blank wall, with an archway in its centre.

The ranges facing the courtyard had pointed, Georgian-Gothic windows and dormer-gables.

Following Lord Macartney's death in 1806, Lissanoure was inherited by his great-nephew, George Hume, who assumed the surname of Macartney; and who began rebuilding the house from 1829 onwards.

He pulled down the old castle at one corner; erected a Tudor archway leading into the courtyard, surmounted by an octagonal, battlemented belfry and spire.

He began work on the front of the house in about 1847, having already built himself "an elegant cottage in the later English style, richly embellished" by the side of the lake.

A great ball was scheduled as a “house-warmer” for the night of 5th October, 1847.

At noon on that day it occurred to one of the men organising the move that there was gunpowder in an old vault underneath the castle and it would be a good idea to have a look at it.

When one of the casts was opened, the butler was asked to take the son and heir out of the room for safety, and as he closed the door, the draught blew some gunpowder into the fire and this produced eventually a huge explosion which blew up the castle and killed Mrs Macartney.

From then on the family lived at the cottage and the castle remained in ruins, with only the yard intact.

The estate was sold to the Mackies of Belfast, industrialists, but had already been requisitioned by the Army as a training base for British and American troops in the 2nd World War.

There was also a German prisoner-of-war camp at Lissanoure and the Mackies did not get full possession until the war was over in 1945.

It was used by the Mackies for entertainment of overseas visitors and as a winter shooting lodge; and not regularly inhabited till 1976.

Nowadays the estate is owned and run by Peter and Emily Mackie, with farming and forestry at its core.

They have continued the restoration work at the Castle and gardens; and the estate is now a venue for weddings, corporate functions, conferences, shows and other private events.

The house sits in lawns, with a view of the lake and crannog.

The Castle was the centre of a contemporary landscape park laid out within the undulating site and surrounding Lough Guile.

This was created under the direction of Lord Macartney, and he is remembered in ‘Macartney’s Walks’.

As a widely travelled ambassador, this park was laid out by Macartney with sophistication.

Lough Guile was joined to Five Islands Lough by two canals; considerable drainage schemes were undertaken; the islands were planted up, bridges built and boats were used on the waterways.

Shrubberies graced the Castle; tree-lined gravel paths provided walks.

The parkland had clumps and plantations, much of which survive.

Dramatic shelter-belts run along ridges on the tops of hills.

The walled garden has a restored glasshouse backing on to the garden house.

It is not cultivated.

The centre of the demesne was altered in the late 19th century and is maintained from that stand-point today.

Extensive tree-planting continues and former walks have been re-established.

Of three gate lodges, two remain: one of ca 1830 by J B Keane; and one at the south entrance of ca 1860.

Loughguile Parish Church contains interesting memorials to the Macartney family.

First published in March, 2010.   Macartney arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

XVIIIth Anniversary

Lord Belmont in Northern Ireland is eighteen years old.

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

Cumulative visitor numbers now stand at 3,743,302

Foyle Park

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF GROCERS OWNED 11,638 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY

JAMES DAVIDSON (1809-81), of EGLINTON, County Londonderry, and of Murlingden, Brechin, Angus, married Margaret Jane Walker, daughter of Minchin Lloyd, of Summerhill, Moville, and had issue,

Charles John Lloyd, of Eglinton; his heir;
JAMES WILLIAM, of whom we treat;
Margaret Jane (1863-1948).

The younger son,

JAMES WILLIAM DAVIDSON (1860-93), of Foyle Park, County Londonderry, wedded, in 1893, Phœbe Franklin, and had issue,

JAMES DAVIDSON, of Foyle Park.

Foyle Park House (Image: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society)

FOYLE PARK HOUSE, near Eglinton, is a Georgian residence built ca 1810, comprising two storeys of varying heights.

The house was originally called Grocers’ Hall.

It was built by David Babington, lessee of the Grocers’ Company estate in the county.

The Rev George Vaughan Sampson (1763-1827), remarked at the time:

"The mansion of Grocers’ Hall is worthy of those in honour of whom it has been named. The value and efficacy of resident and patriotic gentry can no where be better exemplified." 

The Worshipful Company of Grocers did not renew the lease and, in 1820, David Babington received £7,000 in compensation (equivalent to about £700,000 today) for Foyle Park, including the house.

The house was subsequently inhabited by the agent of the Grocers’ Company; officers of the Ordnance Survey; Fallowlea Literary School.

Fallowlea Literary School was apparently affiliated with the Templemoyle Agricultural School, located near by, and took school boarders.

Foyle Park House (Image: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society)

George Ross leased Foyle Park from the Grocers’ Company in 1858; and, in the 1860s-80s, the house was inhabited by several occupants.

James Davidson acquired Foyle Park, then a farm comprising 500 acres, and a large house with 26 rooms, in 1858, as the dowry of his wife Margaret.

Foyle Park remained in the Davidson family until 1925, when it was sold to Henry Whiteside.

By 1968 the house was completely derelict when it was bought and restored by Kenneth Davidson.

The Davidsons sold Foyle Park in 2011.

The armorial bearings of the Grocers’ Company and Babingtons were thereafter removed from the gate-lodge at Foyle Park and erected on a wall beside the market house in Eglinton.

First published in December, 2021.

County Armagh Rivers

EDITED EXTRACTS FROM THE TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF IRELAND, 1837

THE two principal rivers are the Blackwater and the Bann, which chiefly flow along the north-eastern and north-western boundaries of the county, the former discharging itself into the western side of Lough Neagh, and the latter into the southern part of the same lough, at the Bannfoot ferry.

The Newry River, after flowing through a narrow valley between the counties of Down and Armagh, empties itself into Carlingford Bay, below Newry.

The Callan joins the Blackwater below Charlemont: the Cusher falls into the Bann at its junction with the Newry canal; and the Camlough, flowing from the lake of the same name, discharges itself into the Newry River.

This last named river, during its short course of five miles, supplies numerous bleach-works, and corn, flour, and flax mills: its falls are so rapid that the tail race of the higher mill forms the head water of the next lower.

The Newtownhamilton River is joined by the Tara, and flows into Dundalk Bay, into which also the Flurry, and the Fane, empty themselves.

The total number of main and branch streams is 18, and the combined lengths of all are 165 miles.

The mouths of those which flow into Lough Neagh have a fine kind of salmon trout, frequently 30lb in weight: the common trout is abundant and large, as are also pike, eels, bream, and roach.

AN inland navigation along the border of the counties of Armagh and Down, from Newry to Lough Neagh, by the aid of the Bann and the Newry River, was the first line of canal executed in Ireland.

Commencing at the tideway at Fathom, it proceeds to Newry, and admits vessels drawing 9 or 10 feet of water, having at each end a sea lock.

From Newry to the point where the Bann is navigable, a distance of 15 miles, is a canal for barges of from 40 to 60 tons, chiefly fed from Loughbrickland to Lough Shark, County Down.

The River Bann, from its junction with the canal to Lough Neagh, a distance of 11½ miles, completes the navigation, opening a communication with Belfast by the Lagan canal, and with the Tyrone collieries by the Coalisland or Blackwater canal.

The canal from Lough Erne to Lough Neagh, now in progress, enters this county near Tynan, and passes by Caledon, Blackwatertown, and Charlemont to its junction with the River Blackwater above Verner's Bridge, and finally with Lough Neagh.

First published in December, 2023.

The Corry Baronets

This family is said to have moved from Dumfriesshire and settled at Tullynagardy, near Newtownards, County Down, in the reign of JAMES I.

JOHN CORRY (1638-1708), of Tullynagardy, County Down, Provost of Newtownards during the reign of JAMES I, died in 1708, and was buried at Movilla.

His son,

ROBERT CORRY (1680-1715), of Tullynagardy, who married Mary Porter (1744-1828) and had issue,

JOHN CORRY, of Tullynagardy, who wedded Susan White and had issue,

ROBERT CORRY (1800-69), of Tullynagardy, a timber merchant and quarry owner, who married, in 1825, Jane, daughter of James Porter, of Ballyrussell, County Down, and had issue, three sons and three daughters, of whom the eldest son,

JAMES PORTER CORRY (1826-91), of Dunraven, Belfast, married, in 1849, Margaret, daughter of William Service, of Glasgow, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Margaret.

Mr Corry, MP for Belfast, 1874-85, Mid-Armagh, 1885-91, was created a baronet in 1885, designated of Dunraven, County Antrim.

He died in 1891 at his home, Dunraven, Malone Road, Belfast.

The Cleaver development, off Malone Road, Belfast, began in 1937 following the demolition of the large Victorian residence of Dunraven.

Its extensive grounds were laid out for detached houses, and building work began in 1937 but was halted by the 2nd World War. Work re-commenced during the late 1940s on the construction of the remaining detached houses, finishing around the mid-late 1950s.

SIR WILLIAM CORRY, 2nd Baronet (1859-1926), of 118 Eaton Square, London, who wedded, in 1889, Charlotte Georgina Frances Catherine, daughter of J Collins, and had issue,

JAMES PEROWNE IVO MYLES, his successor;
William Myles Fenton (1893-1958);
Myleta Fenton (1891-1966).

Sir William, a director of the Cunard Steamship Company, was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR JAMES PEROWNE IVO MYLES CORRY, 3rd Baronet (1892-1987), who espoused firstly, in 1921, Molly Irene, daughter of Major Otto Joseph Bell, and had issue,

WILLIAM JAMES, his successor;
Anne; Susan.

He married secondly, in 1946, Cynthia Marjorie Patricia, daughter of Captain Frederick Henry Mahony, and had issue,

Amanda Jane.

Sir James was succeeded  by his only son,

SIR WILLIAM JAMES CORRY, 4th Baronet (1924-2000), who married, in 1945, Diana Pamela Mary, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel James Burne Lapsley, and had issue,

JAMES MICHAEL, his heir;
Timothy William;
Nicholas John;
Simon Myles (Commander RN);
Jane Susanna; Patricia Diana.

Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JAMES MICHAEL CORRY (b 1946), 5th Baronet, who lived in 2003 in Somerset.

Dunraven, Malone Road, Belfast

Robert Corry (1800-69), recognised the commercial potential of the Scrabo stone quarry at Newtownards, and leased part of the hill from Lord Londonderry in 1826.

Dunraven House was the 1st Baronet's residence on the Malone Road in Belfast, a large house of ca 1870 in the Italianate style by the architect, John Corry, for his brother.

The grounds extended to 16 acres.

The house and grounds were purchased by John Cleaver, a partner in Robinson & Cleaver, who died there in 1926.

Dunraven was demolished in 1937 for the "Cleaver" housing development.

J P Corry, Building Suppliers, are still in existence though it is not known whether any members of the Corry family still hold shares or directorships.

Corry Mausoleum (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

The Corry mausoleum, erected in 1860, is located a short distance from the remains of Movilla Abbey.

Other former residence ~ The Old Pound House, 28, Parkside, Wimbledon, SW19.

First published in September, 2010.  Corry arms courtesy of the NLI.

Cork Palace

THE foundation of the bishopric of Cork is placed in the 7th century; that of Ross is unknown: they were united by ELIZABETH I in 1583.

The diocese of Cork has been ascribed to St Barr or Finbarr. 

Both sees are contained in County Cork, and are partly intermixed.

The diocese of Cork is 74 miles long from east to west, and about 16 broad.

The length of the principal part of Ross is 32 miles from east to west; and the breadth 8.

THE PALACE, CORK, is a compact three-storey block over a basement with a fanlighted doorway.

It was built ca 1782 by the Right Rev Isaac Mann, Lord Bishop of Cork and Ross, 1772-88, on the site of an earlier palace.

The palace remains the official residence of the Lord Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross.

The present Bishop is the Right Rev Dr Paul Colton.

First published in October, 2015.

Battle-Axe Guard

Theophilus Norton, Captain of the Battle-Axe Guard, ca 1823 
(Image: Journal of the Society for Historical Army Research, Volume XVII)

THE BATTLE-AXE GUARD, based at Dublin Castle, was established in 1662, and was analogous to the Yeomen Warders or Beefeaters in the Tower of London.

A 19th century description provides an insight of their ceremonial duties:

The Lord Lieutenant [of Ireland] holds a Court at the Castle; where levées are sometimes held; and His Excellency's State and Household is, in every respect, becoming a representative of Majesty.

He is allowed a company of battle-axe men, under the command of a captain, who has the rank of colonel; and two subalterns, who have the rank of captains.

The battle-axe-guards do duty in the public apartments of the Court. 

Besides this guard, the Lord Lieutenant has a bodyguard, consisting of a subaltern's guard of horse, with a captain of infantry, two subalterns, and sixty men.

This guard of honour is lodged in the Castle, and relieved every day by a detachment from the Royal Barracks.

The form of relieving guard at the Castle has always had attractions for the citizens of Dublin, who attend in great numbers every day, to witness this very interesting spectacle.

THE JACKET, or coatee, was scarlet, single-breasted, with a blue collar.

The collar was laced all round with wide gold lace showing only a narrow light of the blue in the centre.

The front edges of the coatee were also laced with this same wide gold lace, and there were loops of the same lace across the breast, the top loop extending to the shoulder, the others gradually narrowing to the waist.

A heavy gold bullion epaulette was worn on each shoulder, the straps embroidered in gold on blue cloth.

No pouch-belt was worn.

PEGGE'S "Curialia" (1791) remarks:-

"They are a body of yeomen like our own, with some peculiarities; although this institution is too modern to involve any history, being no older than the year 1704 [sic], the period now before us."

"According to the military establishment of Ireland of this date, it consists of one company of foot-guards to be armed with battle-axes, and to attend the State, comprising: a Captain, two Lieutenants, two Sergeants, fifty Yeomen."

The clothing of these yeomen is renewed every two years by virtue of the King's letter."

"The Captain bears a baton with a gold head, while the lieutenants have one with a silver head like the officers of the Yeomen of the Guard."

"The dress and appendages of both the officers and men, I am informed, are nearly the same as our yeomen; and all the places in the corps are disposed of in a similar manner, the appointment of the sergeants and private men being in the breast of the Captain."

*****

THE Battle-Axe Guard was disbanded on grounds of cost in 1831.

The official residences of His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland were Dublin Castle, and Viceregal Lodge, Phoenix Park, County Dublin.

First published in July, 2013.

New Fermanagh DL

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANT

The Viscount Brookeborough, KG, Lord-Lieutenant of County Fermanagh, has been pleased to appoint:

Mr Selwyn Johnston BEM
Silverhill
Enniskillen
County Fermanagh

To be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County his Commission bearing date the 22nd day of November 2025.

Lord Lieutenant of the County

County Antrim Rivers

EDITED EXTRACTS FROM THE TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF IRELAND, 1837

THE two largest rivers are the Lagan and the Bann, both of which rise in County Down: at Belfast the Lagan spreads into the wide estuary called the Bay of Belfast, or Belfast Lough, and above it, with the aid of several cuts, has been made navigable to Lisburn, forming part of the navigation [canal] between Belfast and Lough Neagh: the Bann flows through Lough Neagh and Lough Beg, and continues its course to Coleraine, below which it falls into the sea.

Most of the rivers strictly belonging to the county in the mountains on the coast, and owing to the rapidity and shortness of their currents, are unnavigable.

The Bush runs westward from the mountains of Lissanoure to Benvarden, and then northward to the sea at Portballintrae: the Maine [or Main] flows southward into Lough Neagh, and has three copious tributaries, the Ravel, the Braid, and the Glenwherry: the Six Mile Water also falls into Lough Neagh, at Antrim; and the Crumlin and Glenavy rivers at Sandy Bay.

The rapidity of these and the smaller rivers renders their banks peculiarly advantageous sites for bleach greens, cotton mills, and flour and corn mills, of which the last are especially numerous.

The only artificial line of navigation is the Lagan Canal: its construction was powerfully aided by the noble family of Chichester, and the expense amounted to £62,000 [about £10 million in 2023], raised by debentures.

First published in November, 2023.

Donegall House

DONEGALL HOUSE, built in 1785, was located at the corner of Donegall Place (Nos. 55-61) and Donegall Square North (Nos. 4-7), directly opposite the Donegall place elevation of the present Robinson & Cleaver building.

In 1611, the Jacobean Belfast Castle was built upon the site of the original castle, bounded by what's now Castle Place, Cornmarket and Castle Lane. 

It was surrounded with spacious gardens which extended from the river along to Cromac Woods and near Stranmillis. 

It is curious to read of hunting, hawking and other sports in the woods and meadows where now we have long streets of premises. 

The gardens, shady walks, orchards, bowling greens and cherry gardens are all gone, and nothing remains of the fish ponds; the stately town-house, once the centre of hospitality and culture, is now only a memory. 

WILLIAM III was received here in 1690. 

In 1708, Belfast Castle was accidentally burned to the ground. 

Three of Lady Donegall's daughters and two servants perished.

The Castle was never rebuilt, and the Donegalls lived for a time in Donegall House; until Ormeau House was built.

It wasn't until almost 100 years later that the Donegalls returned to live in Belfast.

From ca 1802-20, Donegall House was the residence of the 2nd Marquess and Marchioness of Donegall.

Lord Donegall rented the house from John Brown, a Belfast banker.

This large town house comprised three storeys, was stuccoed, and had a central pediment.

The gable end and a small side garden were enclosed at Donegall Square North.

In the image, taken from the White Linen Hall (predecessor of City Hall) , Donegall House is the first building on the left.

From ca 1820-98, the house became the Royal Hotel, under the auspices of Charles Kerns, Lord Donegall's former butler.

Prior to its demise, the hotel's proprietor was Miss Sarah Doyle.

Donegall House was demolished ca 1967.

Number 4-7, Donegall Square North, today called Donegall House, was erected in 1968 in the former garden of the Royal Hotel.

First published in November, 2013.

Gussie's Predicament

FROM STIFF UPPER LIP, JEEVES, BY SIR P G WODEHOUSE KBE

BERTIE: "But what's happened?"

I faltered, if faltered's the word.

JEEVES: "I regret to inform you, sir, that Miss Bassett has insisted on Mr Fink-Nottle [Gussie] adopting a vegetarian diet. His mood is understandably disgruntled and rebellious."

I tottered.

In my darkest hour I had never anticipated anything as bad as this.

You wouldn't think it to look at him, because he's small and shrimplike and never puts on weight, but Gussie loves food.

Watching him tucking into his rations at the Drones [Club], a tapeworm would raise its hat respectfully, knowing that it was in the presence of a master.

Cut him off, therefore, from the roasts and boileds and particularly from cold steak and kidney pie, a dish of which he is inordinately fond, and you turned him into something fit for treasons, strategems and spoils, as the fellow said.

First published in June, 2013.

Tyrone Antiquities

EDITED EXTRACTS FROM THE TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF IRELAND, 1837

THE remains of antiquity are neither numerous nor particularly interesting.

Raths are scattered over almost every part: near the western border of the mountain called Mary Gray, more than 12 of them may be seen within the compass of a mile: they are generally in pairs; many are now scarcely discernible, in consequence of the farmers having drawn off the mould for manure.

The most perfect has a parapet six feet high, with stepping-stones projecting from the inner sides in an oblique direction to the top, like the winding of a staircase: its diameter is 33 yards.

Newtownstewart Cromlech (Green Collection/NMNI)

A very remarkable Druidical monument, called Cloghtogle, or the "lifted stone," stands on a hill a mile north of Newtownstewart: it consists of three large stones set upright in a triangular position, about seven feet high each, and covered with a broad horizontal flag, 11 feet long, 7 broad, and 15 inches thick.

On an opposite hill, at a distance of about 100 yards, was a similar relic of larger dimensions, now lying on the ground.

There is a large and very beautiful one, also called Cloghtogle, at Tamlaght, near Coagh; and there is another, but less perfect, in the demesne of Loughry, and a very noble one, a quarter of a mile above Castlederg.

At Kilmeillie [Beaghmore?], near Dungannon, are two circles of stones, in the form of the figure 8.

An urn was found in a little sandy hill near Cookstown.

Near Omagh, three small chests containing as many urns was found in 1712, under two heaps of stones.

In the parish of Errigal Keerogue is a flat stone set upright, having one side covered with carvings of a regular design, consisting of waving and circular lines: it had been the cover of a vault formed of flags set edgeways: in the vault were two earthen vessels containing ashes.

Near Dungannon were found several brazen trumpets of an uncommon construction, with a hole in the side, and the smaller end stopped, supposed to have been Danish.

The monastic institutions, od which traces yet remain, are those of Ardboe, Ardstraw, Dromore, Scarvagherin, Pubble, Grange, and Donaghmore.

Those of Clogher, Errigal Keerogue, Corickmore, Ballynasaggart, Dungannon, Omagh, Magheraglass, Strabane, and Trillick exist only in the records of history.

The remains of ancient castles are numerous, but few of them are of much importance: Benburb is the largest: near it are the ruins of one of the residences of Shane O'Neill; those of Newtownstewart, Dungannon, Strabane, and Ballygawley are noticed under their respective parishes.

First published in November, 2023.