Patrick of Dunminning

THE PATRICKS OWNED 1,664 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

This family is of Scottish extraction, and descends from a younger branch of the Ayrshire Patricks, which joined the expedition to Ulster (under Hugh Montgomery, of Braidstane, in 1606), where they subsequently settled.

JOHN PATRICK married, in 1770, Elizabeth Boyle, and died in 1773, leaving a son,

DR JOHN PATRICK, who wedded, in 1795, Anne McKean, by whom he had issue,

JOHN, of whom presently;

James Barnett;

Isabella; Anne; Eliza.

Dr Patrick died in 1858, and was succeeded by his son,

JOHN PATRICK JP (1802-79), of Dunminning, Glarryford, County Antrim, who espoused, in 1835, Grace, fourth daughter of William Gihon, of Hillhead, County Antrim, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;

Rose; Isabella; Margaret; Anne.

Mr Patrick was succeeded by his son,

JOHN PATRICK JP (1844-94), of Dunminning, who married, in 1869, Augusta Mary, daughter of John Davison, of Raceview, Broughshane, County Antrim, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;

James Alexander;

Norman Colum;

Malcolm William;

Augusta Mary Grace; Gertrude Emily; Grace Kathleen.

Mr Patrick was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN PATRICK JP DL  (1871-1937), of Dunminning, Lieutenant-Colonel, Army Ordnance Department, Carrickfergus, who wedded, in 1897, Annie Florence, youngest daughter of Joseph Clarke Rutherfoord, of Bray, County Wicklow, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;

Malcolm;

Florence Amy (1900-48).

The eldest son,

JOHN PATRICK (1898-1985), died at Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

Gledheather House (Image: Hamilton Family)

(Image: Hamilton Family)

Garvagh House

THE BARONS GARVAGH WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY, WITH 8,247 ACRES

The name of CANNING is derived from the manor of Bishops Cannings, in Wiltshire, where the family was originally seated and where the senior line continued until it terminated in co-heiresses in the time of HENRY VII.

The first on record is RICHARD DE KANYNGES, who filled the office of Priest at Little Cheverell in 1299; another is John de Canynges, who became Abbot of the Monastery at Abingdon, 1322-28, his elevation being confirmed by EDWARD II; and the next is a younger son,

ROBERT CANYNGES, who settled in Bristol, and who founded a branch which became the most eminent family of that city during the 14th and 15th centuries.

He first appears as an eminent merchant in 1322.

He was father of

WILLIAM CANYNGES, who represented Bristol in several successive parliaments, 1365, 1383, 1384, and 1386; and was no less than six times Mayor of that city.

He married firstly, ante 1369, Agnes, probably the daughter or sister of John Stoke, of Bristol; and secondly post 1375, Agnes, daughter of Nicholas Montfort, and widow of Sir Robert Martin, of Athelhampton, Dorset.

He died in 1396, leaving, with other issue,

JOHN CANYNGES, his son and heir, who was MP for Bristol, and also, in 1392 and 1398, Mayor.

He died in 1405, leaving three sons and three daughters, all then under age; Thomas, his second son, was Lord Mayor of London, 1456-7; William, his third son, was the celebrated Mayor of Bristol in the reign of EDWARD IV.

John Canynges' eldest son,

JOHN CANYNGES, was the father of

THOMAS CANYNGES, who acquired the estate of Foxcote by his marriage with Agnes, the eldest daughter and co-heir of John Salmon, and Eustatia, his wife, daughter and heir of John le Marshall, in whose family Foxcote had been vested from the time of the Conquest.

Richard Canning of Foxcote, the son and heir of Thomas and Agnes, was the grandfather of 

RICHARD CANNING, of Foxcote, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Petty, of Ilmington, and had issue,

RICHARD, ancestor of CANNING of Foxcote Hall;

Edward, ancestor of CANNING of Euston;

Isaac, a turkey merchant;

Paul, Ambassador to the Great Mogul;

William;

GEORGE, of whom hereafter;

Maria; Anne.

The youngest son,

GEORGE CANNING, of Barton, Warwickshire, removed into Ulster in the reign of ELIZABETH I, and obtained a grant of the manor of Garvagh, where he settled.

He wedded Anne, daughter of Gilbert Walker, of Walford, Worcestershire, and died in 1646, having had two sons, Paul, his heir, who built the Church of Agivey, but died soon afterwards, and was succeeded by his brother,

WILLIAM CANNING, a colonel in the Londonderry Militia, who fell in the rebellion of 1641; and left an only son,

GEORGE CANNING, who commanded a company within the walls of Derry during the celebrated siege of that city, and although attainted of his lands by JAMES II, was succeeded at Garvagh by his son,

GEORGE CANNING, who greatly improved his estate; and married, in 1697, Abigail, fourth daughter of Robert Stratford, MP for County Wicklow, 1662, and aunt of John, 1st Earl of Aldborough, and died in 1711, leaving an only son, 

STRATFORD CANNING (1703-75), of Garvagh, who married Letitia, daughter and heiress of Obadiah Newburgh, of Ballyhaise, County Cavan, and had issue, 

GEORGE, of the Middle Temple;
PAUL, succeeded at Garvagh;
Stratford, a merchant at London;
Mary; Jane Elizabeth; Frances; Letitia.

The eldest son,

GEORGE CANNING (c1730-71), of the Middle Temple, author of a volume of poems, died in 1771 (having incurred the displeasure of his father, and the penalty of disinheritance, by an improvident marriage), leaving an only child, then an infant,

GEORGE CANNING (1770-1827),

Who having passed through Eton and Oxford, with more than ordinary éclat, entered early into public life, and became distinguished as a political writer, and one of the most eloquent parliamentary orators. 

Mr Canning filled, for several years, some of the higher offices in the government, until eventually, sustained by his own transcendent talents, and enlightened views alone, he reached the summit of a statesman's ambition, and became (in 1827) PRIME MINISTER; but scarcely had the hopes of the nation been raised by this most popular appointment, than it pleased Providence to render those hopes delusive - the Right Honourable gentleman's death ensuing a few months after his elevation.

His third son, Charles John Canning, was elevated to the Peerage, in 1859, in the dignity of EARL CANNING.

Mr Stratford Canning's second son,

PAUL CANNING, of Garvagh, espoused Jane, daughter of Conway Spencer, of County Antrim, and was succeeded at his decease, in 1784, by his only son,

GEORGE CANNING (1778-1840), first cousin of the prime minister, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1818, in the dignity of BARON GARVAGH, of Garvagh, County Londonderry.

He married firstly, in 1803, Georgiana, fourth daughter of Robert, 1st Marquess of Londonderry, by whom he had no issue.

His lordship wedded secondly, in 1824, Rosabelle Charlotte Isabella, eldest daughter of Henry Bonham MP, of Titness Park, Berkshire, and had issue,

CHARLES HENRY SPENCER GEORGE, his successor;
Albert Stratford George;
Emeline Rosabelle.

His lordship was Lord-Lieutenant of County Londonderry in 1840.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES HENRY SPENCER GEORGE, 2nd Baron (1826-71), JP DL, who married, in 1851, Cecilia Susannah, daughter of John Ruggles-Brise, and had issue,

CHARLES JOHN SPENCER GEORGE, his successor;

Conway Stratford George.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

CHARLES JOHN SPENCER GEORGE, 3rd Baron (1852-1915), JP DL, who wedded, in 1877, Florence Alice, daughter of Baron Joseph de Bretton, and had issue, an only child,

4th Baron Garvagh (Image: RAF Museum)

LEOPOLD ERNEST STRATFORD GEORGE, 4th Baron (1878-1956), JP DL, Lieutenant, Royal Flying Corps, who espoused firstly, in 1904, Caroline Grace Elizabeth, daughter of Charles Ernest Rube; and secondly, in 1919, Dora, daughter of Bayley Parker, by whom he had issue,

ALEXANDER LEOPOLD IVOR GEORGE, his successor;Victor Stratford de Redcliffe;Dora Valerie Patricia; Daphne Rose.

• Charles Henry Spencer George Canning, 2nd Baron (1826-71);
• Charles John Spencer George Canning, 3rd Baron (1852–1915);
• Leopold Ernest Stratford George Canning, 4th Baron (1878–1956);
• (Alexander Leopold Ivor) George Canning, 5th Baron (1920--2013);
• Spencer George Stratford de Redcliffe Canning, 6th Baron (b 1953).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon Stratford George Edward de Redcliffe Canning (b 1990).

The Barons Garvagh also owned 5,803 acres of land in County Cavan, and 1,176 acres in County Down. 

© Garvagh House, the Sam Henry Collection; courtesy of the Craig Family

GARVAGH HOUSE, County Londonderry, is claimed to have been first built in the early 17th century and enlarged twice thereafter.

The house eventually evolved a late Georgian appearance, with a front of three bays between two, three-sided bows and an eaved roof on a bracket cornice.

There was a long enfilade of reception rooms, one having a modillion cornice and a Georgian bow; another with a broken pediment of a 19th century appearance over its door-case.

When the Canning family sold Garvagh House, it was used as flats for single female teachers, and some classrooms.

The house had fallen into disrepair over the years, suffering from wet and dry rot, and vermin infestation. 

The local education committee decided to demolish Garvagh House and to build a new primary school on its site.

This was duly done and Garvagh Primary School opened in 1965.

The village of Garvagh is unique in that, unlike other villages in the county, it was not developed by the Irish Society, nor was it an ancient settlement.

It is, in fact, a private plantation; that is, a town set up over a period of nearly 300 years and developed by the local Lords of the Manor, the Cannings.

The family association with the Garvagh area began in 1615 when George Canning, of Foxcote, Warwickshire, was appointed as agent for the Ironmongers' Company of London, a company actively involved in JAMES I's plantation of Ulster. To begin with, the townland of Garvagh was not part of the Ulster Plantation, as it had been granted to Manus O'Cahan, the local Irish chief, as a native freehold.

After the Great Irish Rebellion of 1641 the situation changed, when O'Cahan joined forces with Sir Phelim Roe O'Neill in the insurrection and, as a result, he lost the freehold. In 1649, one of George Canning's sons, Paul Canning, acquired the townland of Garvagh and began to develop it, by first building St Paul's parish church, which initially was intended as a private chapel for him and his family.

The Canning family continued to play an active part in the development of Garvagh until 1920 when they sold the estate and moved to England, exactly three centuries after they had established the first village.

The village of Garvagh lies between Coleraine and Maghera.

There is a museum and heritage centre in the village.

Covering over 550 acres, Garvagh Forest is situated on the Western outskirts of the village, with trees from over 80 years old to those only planted at the turn of the century.

The final unusual habitat in Garvagh Forest is the Garvagh Pyramid, created as a burial chamber for Lord Garvagh in the 19th Century.

Unfortunately the pyramid was never allowed to fulfil the task it was designed for and was sealed shut, with no incumbent, a number of years ago.

I'm grateful to the Craig family and Coleraine Museum for making this possible.

I have written about the House of Canning. 

Seat ~ The Grange, Castlerigg, Keswick, Cumberland.

First published in March, 2011.

Brackenber Prospectus: I

MANY OLD BRACKENBRIANS HOLD BRACKENBER IN HIGH ESTEEM AND WITH DEEP AFFECTION. HERE IS THE 1970 PROSPECTUS.

BRACKENBER MDCCCCXXX - MDCCCCLXXXV

 

Momentote Omentote Vos Superstites Scholæ Brackenbris

Qui Hinc Progressi Disciplina Eius Minime

Dedecorata Famam Bonam Ac Mores Ipsis

Ascivistis.

  Be ever mindful, you who have survived,
Of what, from Brackenber, you have derived,
Who forth have gone, its training undisgraced,
And morals and a goodly name embraced.

Headmaster: John L McC Craig BA

HISTORY

The school was founded in 1930 and moved to 6-10, Cleaver Avenue, Belfast, in 1939.

In 1950 the school was taken over by the parents of the pupils, and a company limited by guarantee was formed to conduct the School without a profit motive and to maintain the good reputation which it had so long enjoyed.

AIM

The aim of the school is not so much to lay stress on scholarship work as to make each boy try his hardest both at work and at games, and to give him a thorough all-round training that he may do well at his Public School; to give a boy the individual instruction and attention that he needs; and to lay great emphasis on manners and general conduct.

CURRICULUM

The regular school course includes Scripture, English subjects, Latin, French, Mathematics and Science .... mainly on the lines of the Common Entrance Examination to the Public Schools.

As far as possible the work is so arranged that each boy is able to develop at his own rate, independent of others, thus ensuring normal and steady progress.

He is neither retarded by duller boys nor forced to try to keep pace with quicker ones.

CLASS HOURS

Morning School: 9.15am to 1pm
Afternoon School (or games): 2.15pm to 3.45pm
Saturday is a whole holiday.

Part 2 shall include Home-Work, Games, Discipline, Special Features and Admission.

First published in February, 2011.

Ross's Auction-House

Ross's: May Street elevation

It's ages since I paid Ross's a visit. I enjoy wandering round their sale-rooms, simply looking for anything that catches my eye.

There always seem to be one or two dealers about.

On one occasion I recognized Peter Maxwell (Lord de Ros).

One of the proprietor's sons was a participant in the BBC series The Apprentice quite a few years ago (a young gentleman with a singularly flamboyant pair of braces).

Ross's premises at 22-26 May Street, Belfast, were built about 1873 for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

This building comprises two storeys over a ground-level basement, and is built of red brick and matching sandstone.

Windows are paired.

The centre bay on the May Street elevation protrudes slightly, with an arcaded balcony, corbels and Venetian-style capitals.

The door is fan-lighted with a rose window.

Montgomery Street Elevation

The pediment at the top of the building has the carved burning bush emblem of Presbyterianism.

At the Montgomery Street side there used to be a four-storey, ecclesiastical-style tower with a pyramidal roof (now the main entrance), though its top has been shorn off.

May Street Elevation

The section of the building at the corner of Montgomery Street and Music Hall Lane is of four storeys, with a large rose window at the top.

It's thought that the premises ceased to be church property post 1905, when the new Church House was constructed at Fisherwick Place.

This building has been occupied by Ross’s Auctioneers and Valuers for several decades.

It was originally built to house the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

When originally constructed the building was owned outright by the Assembly, serving as its headquarters and other Presbyterian organisations and offices.

Ecclesiastical Entrance, with Tower lopped off

In 1877 there were also offices for the Bible & Colportage Society, the Presbyterian Orphan Society and the Sabbath School Society in Ireland.

Offices in the building were also leased out to private businesses and, in 1877, a land and rent agency office operated from the site.

Similar to the construction of Belfast’s Old Town Hall on Victoria Street, the General Assembly found the building on May Street to be too small and inadequate for its needs.

Following the town’s promotion in 1888 to city status, the Assembly sought a new location for their headquarters.

A suitable plot of land was selected on Fisherwick Place (the former site of Fisherwick Presbyterian Church before moving to south Belfast). 

Church House ca 1907, with tower in Montgomery Street

The current Presbyterian Assembly Building was constructed between 1899-1905, during which time the offices on May Street continued to be occupied by the various ecclesiastical organisations.

In 1905 the former headquarters in May Street were vacated.

22-26 May Street remained vacant until 1912, when it was occupied by John Wilson & Son and was renamed Downshire House.

Wilson & Sons were linen, damask, handkerchief, ladies underclothing, gentlemen’s shirt and collar manufacturers.

About 1935, John Wilson & Sons vacated the site.

The current occupants of the former Presbyterian Assembly Building, John Ross and Company, came into possession of the site ca 1937.

22-26 May Street survived the heavy bombardment of Belfast’s city centre during the 1941 Blitz.

In 1956 the ground and first floors were occupied by a Mr (or Mrs) D W Gray, who utilised the space as offices, showrooms and stores for John Ross & Co.

This Victorian building has since been the auction-house of John Ross and Company, of whom Daniel Clarke has been proprietor since 1988.

First published in January, 2013.

Innismore Hall

THE HALLS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY FERMANAGH, WITH 6,540 ACRES

WITH GRATITUDE TO IRWIN BROWN, AUTHOR OF INNISMORE HALL, WHO WAS BORN AT INNISMORE HALL AND LIVED THERE UNTIL 1955. I ALSO WISH TO THANK HENRY SKEATH.

ROBERT HALL, born ca 1771 (said to come from Enniskillen, County Fermanagh), undertook business in the city of Dublin. Mr Hall prospered thereafter and enjoyed an income of £5,000 per annum. In 1828, he purchased an estate in County Tipperary, subsequently called Merton Hall. He also owned land in counties Wicklow and Louth.

Mr Hall was murdered by a farm labourer on his farm at Uskane, in 1841, following a dispute.

Robert Hall was succeeded by his son,

RICHARD HALL JP (1805-), of Innismore Hall, County Fermanagh, and 12 Kensington Gate, London, High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1843, who married Maria, daughter of Major John Devereux, of Killimer Castle.

Mr Hall purchased a farm and buildings at Derrybrusk, County Fermanagh, in 1839 (Derrybrusk House had been damaged by fire).

In the 1840s, he built Innismore Hall, probably to the designs of Sir Richard Morrison. 

He bequeathed his estate to his wife Maria (who died in 1887) and, as her eldest daughter, Mrs Elizabeth Jane Porter, had died, intestate, in 1887, the residue of the estate passed to his other daughter, Marion Gray Hall (as stated in the will). Marion Gray would have become the owner in 1887. 

His younger daughter, Marion, born ca 1849, wedded George Gray, a London artist.

His elder daughter,

ELIZABETH JANE HALL (1845-87), married, in 1863, John Grey Vesey Porter JP DL (1818-1903), of Belle Isle Castle, High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1844.

The marriage was desirable from the financial point of view and because the Belleisle and Innismore estates 'marched'. 

But it was childless and, it would seem, unhappy, partly on account of the disparity in their ages, and partly (it may be conjectured), on account of Porter's cantankerousness. 

In September, 1870, Mrs Porter formed an illicit liaison with one Captain Leonard Poynter of the 16th Regiment, then stationed in Enniskillen. 

Porter found out about this affair in December and, with the aid of his butler and other men-servants, lured Captain Poynter to Belleisle, where (according to Crawford) he was considerably knocked about, had his hair and one side of his luxuriant moustache cut off, and was then severely horse-whipped by Porter personally. 

Captain Poynter brought an action for assault and battery against Porter and claimed damages of £10,000. 

Porter would probably have been well advised to have settled out of court. Instead, a packed Dublin courtroom was regaled for almost a week with salacious details of the doings of Mrs Porter and Captain Poynter at Belleisle. 

In the end, the jury - obviously composed of stern Victorian paterfamiliae - found for Captain Poynter, but awarded him a farthing in damages. Shortly afterwards, Porter successfully sued for divorce. 

His wife and her parents retired to London, where Mrs Porter died, still only in her early forties, in 1887.

In 1871, Mr Porter divorced his wife and she returned to live at Innismore Hall.

By 1873, the family had moved to London and resided at 9 Norfolk Street, Park Lane.

Marion Grey sold to the estate to John J West.

In 1913, the property was bought by Albert Ovens Brown, who sold it in 1966.

INNISMORE HALL, near Derrybrusk, County Fermanagh, was a two-storey, seven-bay house of ca 1840.

One side elevation had a curved, one-bay bow.

It had an imposing entrance front comprising a tripartite bowed portico of four large Corinthian columns.

Steps led to the front porch.

The house was cement-rendered, the outer walls being two feet thick.

The reception rooms had marble fireplaces.

Upstairs, there were three principal bedrooms, two of which had dressing-rooms attached.

The gate lodge, now demolished, was single-storey, three-bay front; hipped roof; pedimented portico over a doorway supported on two Doric columns.

Innismore Hall was demolished in the 1950s.

Its great Corinthian columns, however, survive at the entrance to Portora Royal School, Enniskillen.

Irwin Brown has published Innismore Hall.

First published in November, 2012.

The Bates Baronets

Baronet's Badge

JOHN BATES (1803-55), a solicitor, Town Clerk of Belfast, 1842-55, was father of

RICHARD DAWSON BATES, of Brandon Towers, Strandtown, Belfast, Solicitor and Clerk of the Crown, who married, in 1920, Mary, daughter of Professor Robert Foster Dill, MD, and had issue,

John, died 1874;
RICHARD DAWSON, of whom we treat.

Mr Bates died in 1881, and was succeeded by his only surviving son,

RICHARD DAWSON BATES (1876-1949), who married, in 1920, Jessie Muriel, daughter of Sir Charles Cleland, of Glasgow.

Mr Bates received the honour of knighthood in 1921.

Sir Richard Dawson Bates Bt OBE (Image: NPG)

 

Sir Dawson was created a baronet in 1937, designated of Magherabuoy.

He was MP for East Belfast, 1929-45; NI Minister of Home Affairs, 1921-43.

• Privy Counsellor
• OBE, 1919
• Knight Bachelor, 1921
• Baronet, 1937

In his retirement, strained financial circumstances and security (he constantly required a police escort) led him to rent Butleigh House, near Glastonbury, Somerset.

Magherabuoy House (Image: Magherabuoy House Hotel)

It was here that he died in 1949.

Sir Dawson's body was flown back to Northern Ireland for burial at Ballywillan parish church.

Sir Dawson lived at Magherabuoy House, Portrush, County Antrim (above), from 1934-47.

Although Portrush is in County Antrim, the townland of Magherabuoy presumably straddles the bordering county of Londonderry.

Sir Dawson was succeeded by his only son,

SIR JOHN DAWSON BATES, 2nd Baronet (1921-98), MC, of Butleigh House, Somerset, who wedded, in 1953, Mary Murray, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Murray Hoult, and had issue,

RICHARD DAWSON HOULT, his successor;
Charles Joseph Dill;
Drusilla Mary Cynthia.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD DAWSON HOULT BATES, 3rd Baronet (1956-), who married, in 2001, Harriet Domenique, daughter of Domenico Scaramella, and has issue,

Isobel Jessie Mary, born in 2002.

In 2003, the 3rd Baronet lived in the Isle of Man.

Brandon Towers, Connsbrook Avenue, Belfast (Image: Rev J McC Auld)

Brandon Towers appeared to be a Victorian semi-detached villa, located between Connsbrook Avenue and the river Connswater in east Belfast.

Former residence ~ Pitchpenny House, Fonthill Bishop, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

First published in May, 2010.

43-47 University Road, Belfast

43-47, University Road, Belfast (Image: InsideOut NI)

43-47, UNIVERSITY ROAD, Belfast, an elegant and neat terrace, very possibly the oldest property in the city's University Quarter.

Trevor Carleton MA, my former geography master writing in the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society's Historic Buildings in the Vicinity of the Queen's University of Belfast (revised edition, 1980), dates this terrace to circa 1830; whereas other sources suggest 1840; so between 1830 and 1840 seems plausible.

Rear of terrace at Claremont Mews (Timothy Ferres, 2025)

This charming little terrace, opposite University Street, consists of two storeys in lovely cinnamon-coloured brick, with double-pitched mansard roof and recessed dormers.

Mansard roof at 43-47 University Road (Timothy Ferres, 2025)

Claremont Mews is to the rear of the terrace; running from 2 Claremont Street to Camden Street.

A historic map of about 1830 shows the terrace prior to the development of University Square and Queen's University itself.

Incidentally, do any readers have knowledge of the brewery which stood at the Lisburn Road?

Historic OS map of ca 1830

The terrace suffered some bomb damage in the 1970s or 80s, following which most of the glazing bars were removed.

More recently, however, the terrace has been admirably and faithfully restored by InsideOut NI.

In 1974 this terrace comprised three flats.

Nicholson of Crannagael

THE NICHOLSONS OWNED ABOUT 1,112 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ARMAGH

THE REV WILLIAM NICHOLSON, of Tallbridge, County Armagh, Rector of Derrybrochus, settled in Ulster, and was murdered in the Irish rebellion of 1641.

He married Elizabeth Percy, and had a son,

JOHN NICHOLSON, of Cranagill, County Armagh, who purchased the lands of Breaheaville and Derry, County Tyrone, 1632, and was murdered with his father at Cranagill, leaving a son,

WILLIAM NICHOLSON (1632-1715), of Cranagill, who joined the Society of Friends.

He wedded Isabella Gilbert, and had issue,

JOHN, of whom presently;
Thomas and
James, both killed at the siege of Derry, 1688-9;
Abraham, died young;
Jacob;
Prudentia; Sarah; Elizabeth; Jane.

The eldest son,

JOHN NICHOLSON, of Derrycaw, where he built his house in 1698, espoused Margery Brownlow, and dvp 1704, having had issue,

William, of Derrycaw;
James;
JOHN, of whom hereafter;
Isaac;
Benjamin;
Thomas;
Isabel; Elizabeth.

The third son,

JOHN NICHOLSON (1691-), of Hall's Mill, near Lawrencetown, County Down, married, in 1710, Mary Walker, of Lurgan, and had issue,

John;
Jonathan;
Benjamin;
Thomas;
William;
JAMES, of whom presently;
Sarah; Mary.

The youngest son,

JAMES NICHOLSON (1734-79), of Dublin, who purchased, in 1760, the Hill portion of Crannagael from John Nicholson, of Tallbridge, wedded firstly, in 1755, Ruth Morton, of Grange; and secondly, 1777, Sarah ______, and had issue by his first wife,

JOSEPH, of whom presently;
Samuel;
James;
Sarah; Ruth.

The eldest son,

JOSEPH NICHOLSON (1758-1817), of Dublin, and afterwards of Bernagh, Grange, County Tyrone, Bessbrook and Crannagael, County Armagh, espoused, in 1782, Abigail, daughter of James Hogg, of Lisburn, and had issue,

James, died in infancy;
James, of Keady, died unmarried;
JOSEPH, of whom presently;
Thomas, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, USA;
John, died in New York, USA;
Mary; Ruth.

The third son,

JOSEPH NICHOLSON JP (1786-1805), of Crannagael, County Armagh, married, in 1810, Elizabeth, daughter of George Roe, of Mount Roe, County Armagh, and had issue,

Joseph (1811-30);
George Roe, died young;
Charles James;
HENRY JOSEPH, of whom hereafter;
Elizabeth; Charlotte Matilda; Frances Elizabeth.

The fourth son,

HENRY JOSEPH NICHOLSON JP (1832-1907), of Crannagael, County Armagh, wedded, in 1865, Emma, daughter of Andrew MacCallum, of Nottingham, and had issue,

HENRY PERCY, his heir;
George Edward Roe, b 1873;
Thomas MacCallum, Indian Army;
Mary Frances Josephine, m R R Atkinson, of Summer Island, of Loughgall.

Henry Joseph Nicholson (Image: BBC News website)

Mr Nicholson was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY PERCY NICHOLSON (1866-), of Crannagael.

CRANNAGAEL HOUSE, near Portadown, County Armagh, is a mid-18th century Georgian house, owned and occupied by Jane and John Nicholson.

The exact date of building is uncertain.

The present house, however, appears to be largely a rebuilding or remodelling of ca 1842 of an older property which has traditionally been dated to the 1760s.

The original house has been variously described as of 1760-3 and 1769, and built for James Nicholson.

It was called 'Cranagill' on maps of 1834-5.

Previously there were two gate lodges associated with the property, both now demolished.

The property is surrounded by gardens, parkland and mature woodland, and the accommodation overlooks an apple orchard.

A self-contained apartment on the East Wing comprises three bedrooms, one double, one twin and one single bedroom.

First published in December, 2016.

1st Marquess of Linlithgow

THE MARQUESSES OF LINLITHGOW WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN LINLITHGOWSHIRE, WITH 11,870 ACRES

The Surname of HOPE is one of great antiquity in Scotland; and the ancestor of the present family, JOHN DE HOPE, is said to have come from France in the retinue of Madeleine, Queen Consort of JAMES V, King of Scots, in 1537, and settling in Scotland, left a son, EDWARD HOPE, who was one of the most considerable inhabitants of Edinburgh in the reign of QUEEN MARY; and being a great promoter of the Reformation, was chosen one of the commissioners for the metropolis to the parliament in 1560.

He left a son,

HENRY HOPE (c1533-91), a very eminent merchant, who wedded a French lady, Jacqueline de Tott, and had two sons; the elder of whom,

SIR THOMAS HOPE (1573-1646), being bred to the Scottish bar, first attained eminence in 1606, by his defence of the six ministers (clergymen) tried for high treason, for denying that the King possessed authority in matters ecclesiastical; and acquired, eventually, the largest fortune ever accumulated by a member of the legal profession in Scotland.

He was subsequently appointed King's Advocate, and created a baronet, in 1628, designated of Craighall.

Sir Thomas left a very large family; from the eldest son of which descend the Hopes of Craighall.

The fourth son,

SIR JAMES HOPE (1614-61), of Hopetoun, a member of the Scottish bar, marrying Anne, only daughter and heir of Robert Foulis, of Leadhills, Lanarkshire, acquired the valuable mines there, and applying himself to mineralogy, brought the art of mining to the highest perfection ever known before in Scotland.

Sir John was appointed, in 1641, Governor of the Mint, and constituted a Lord of Session in 1649.

His eldest surviving son,

JOHN HOPE (1650-82), of Hopetoun, took up his residence at Niddry Castle, the barony of which he purchased from Lord Winton; and he also purchased, about the same time (1678) the barony of Abercorn, with the office of Heritable Sheriff of the County of Linlithgow, from Sir Walter Seton.

Mr Hope, who represented Linlithgowshire in Parliament, 1684, married Margaret, eldest daughter of John, 4th Earl of Haddington, by whom he had a son and a daughter.

Mr Hope having embarked with the Duke of York, and several other persons of distinction, in HMS Gloucester, 1682, was lost in the wreck of that vessel, a few days after going abroad, aged 32.

His son,

CHARLES HOPE (1681-1742), who was born in the previous year, succeeded to the family estates, and was elevated to the peerage, in 1703, in the dignities of Baron Hope, Viscount Aithrie, and EARL OF HOPETOUN.

His lordship was installed as a Knight of the Thistle at Holyrood House in 1738.

He espoused, in 1699, Henrietta, only daughter of William, 1st Marquess of Annandale, and had thirteen children, of whom the eldest son,

JOHN (1704-81), 2nd Earl wedded thrice; and was father of

JAMES (1741-1816), 3rd Earl, who, at the demise of his great-uncle, George, Marquess of Annandale, in 1792, inherited the large estates of that nobleman, and the earldoms of Annandale and Hartfell, neither of which dignities, however, did he assume, but simply added the family name of the deceased lord, JOHNSTONE, to that of HOPE.

His lordship was nominated Lord-Lieutenant and Hereditary Sheriff of Lochmaben Castle.

He wedded, in 1766, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of George, 6th Earl of Northesk, by whom he had five daughters, though no male issue.

The honours, therefore, devolved upon his half-brother,

SIR JOHN HOPE (1765-1823), 4th Earl, KB, PC, then Lord Niddry, General in the army, Colonel, 42nd Regiment of Foot, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, who, for his gallant achievements in the Peninsular War, had been elevated to the UK peerage, in 1814, as Baron Niddry.

His lordship married twice: firstly, in 1798, Elizabeth, youngest daughter of the Hon Charles Hope Weir, of Craigiehall, by whom he had no issue; and secondly, in 1803, Louisa Dorothea, third daughter of Sir John Wedderburn Bt, by whom he had issue,

JOHN, his successor;
James;
Charles;
George;
Henry;
William;
Lewis;
Thomas;
Adrian;
Alicia; Jane.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN, 5th Earl (1803-43), who espoused, in 1826, Louisa, eldest daughter of Godfrey, 3rd Lord Macdonald, and had issue,

JOHN ALEXANDER, 6th Earl (1831-73), who wedded, in 1860, Etheldred Anne, eldest daughter of Charles Thomas Samuel Birch-Reynoldson, of Holywell Hall, Lincolnshire, and had issue,

JOHN ADRIAN LOUIS, his successor;
Charles Archibald;
Estrella; Dorothea Louisa.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN ADRIAN LOUIS, 7th Earl (1860-1908), KT GCMG GCVO PC, who wedded, in 1886, Hersey Alice, third daughter of the 4th Baron Ventry.

His lordship was advanced to the dignity of a marquessate, in 1902, as MARQUESS OF LINLITHGOW.

John Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess (1860–1908);
Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess (1887–1952);
Charles William Frederick Hope, 3rd Marquess(1912-87);
Adrian John Charles Hope, 4th Marquess (b 1946).

The heir apparent is the present holder's eldest son, Andrew Christopher Victor Arthur Charles Hope, styled Earl of Hopetoun (b 1969).

The heir apparent's heir apparent is his elder son, Charles Adrian Bristow William Hope, styled Viscount Aithrie (b 2001).

Lord Aithrie served as one of the Queen's Pages of Honour at the 2014 State Opening of Parliament.

HOPETOUN HOUSE, Linlithgowshire, is the ancestral seat of the Marquesses of Linlithgow.

It is located near South Queensferry to the west of Edinburgh.

Hopetoun was built in 1699-1701 and designed by Sir William Bruce.

The mansion was then hugely extended from 1721 by William Adam until his death in 1748, being one of his most notable projects.

The interior was completed by his sons, John and Robert Adam.

The grand entrance hall dates from 1752.

The parklands in which it lies were laid out in 1725, also by William Adam.

The east front centres on the distant isle of Inchgarvie and North Berwick Law.

The walled garden dates from the late 18th century.

In the grounds an 18th-century mound was excavated in 1963 to reveal the remains of the earlier manor house, Abercorn Castle, dating from the 15th century.

The Hope family acquired the land in the 17th century.

Other former seats ~ Raehills, Dumfriesshire; Ormiston Hall, Haddingtonshire.

First published in February, 2014.

The Reid Baronetcy

ALEXANDER REID, of Ballymacashen, near Killinchy, County Down, died in 1884 and was father of

JOSEPH REID JP (1836-1928), of 22 Elmwood Avenue, Belfast (built ca 1870 and now The Hub), Managing Director, Forster Green and Company, who married and had an only son,

22 Elmwood Avenue (Timothy Ferres, 2021)

DAVID DOUGLAS REID JP (1872-1939), of Rademon, County Down, a barrister, MP for East Down, 1918-22, County Down, 1922-39, High Sheriff of County Down, 1936.

22 Elmwood Avenue (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

Mr Reid was created a baronet in 1936, designated of Rademon, County Down.

He died at Brown's Hotel, Mayfair, London, in 1939, where he had been unwell for a fortnight.

Lady Reid was with him when he died.

Sir David is buried at Kilmore parish church.

When he died the title became extinct.

Rademon House today

RADEMON HOUSE, near Crossgar, County Down, was originally a five-bay house of ca 1667, comprising three storeys over a basement, with single-storey wings.

It was built by the Johnston family, whose heiress married James Crawford, of Crawfordsburn, later in the 18th century.

Arthur Johnston (1721-1814) was MP for Killyleagh, 1769-76.

Rademon was enlarged and embellished in the mid-19th century.

The house was gutted by fire in the 1950s, though was rebuilt successfully to designs of the Hon Claud (later 4th Baron) Phillimore, who lowered the centre block by one storey and added a storey to the wings, thus creating a two-storey, nine-bay front.

The Victorian Rademon House features in J A K Dean's Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland, page 93.

The demesne comprised 544 acres.

There are fine mature trees in undulating parkland and on the north side of the avenue.

Mature woodland is managed.

Rademon House is on sloping ground and has been terraced.

Lawns descend to ornamental planting and a pond.

There is a part-walled garden, which lies in a sheltered spot.

It is partly cultivated with a glass-house.

Photo Credit:@ShortcrossDavid

A SANDSTONE obelisk monument of ca 1864 was erected as a memorial to William Sharman-Crawford MP  "by a grateful and attached tenantry."

The monument is set on a rise within the Rademon Estate.

It is in ashlar sandstone and consists of a tall obelisk and plinth set on top of a broad, stepped sunken base surrounded by a ha-ha-like ditch.

The obelisk is tapered and has a pyramidal top and a short base with rope moulding.

William Sharman-Crawford MP (Image: Ulster Museum)

The plinth has a corbelled cornice course with pediments, a stepped and chamfered base course, and is topped with urns to the corners.

There are square panels to each face of the plinth.

The north panel contains a bronze relief plaque with two classical style female figures flanking a draped oval containing profile portrait of Sharman-Crawford.

The plaque is inscribed "S[amuel] F[erres] Lynn" and dated 1864.

The panel to the east side of the plinth contains an inscription referring to the subscription for the monument raised by the tenantry.

To the south side is Crawford's coat-of-arms; and to the west is a further inscription containing some information of his life and career.

The large base to the monument is topped with a shallow chamfer with which merges into steps and squat, pyramidal headed corner piers.

Beyond this, the base is grass covered and gently slopes down to granite coped edging, around which is the ditch or ha-ha.

William Sharman-Crawford(1781-1861) was the local landlord and owner of the Rademon House estate on which the monument stands, an estate which, through marriage, passed to his family in 1814. Sharman (who added his wife's surname Crawford to his own, in 1805, and also held lands in north County Down and County Cork) was a radical MP for Dundalk, 1835-37, and for Rochdale, 1841-52. He retired from public life in 1852 after defeat in the County Down election.

The original farm buildings remain, as does an old bridge.

There is a fine corn mill, house and outbuildings.

The gate lodge of ca 1820 is gone.

Rademon estate was eventually purchased by Lieutenant-Commander James Osborne King DSC DL RN, whose family lived there until ca 1999.

Shortcross Gin is distilled at the Rademon Estate by David and Fiona Boyd-Armstrong. 

First published in May, 2010.