Bellaghy

Armorial bearings of the Vintners' Company

EDITED EXTRACTS FROM THE TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF IRELAND, 1837

BELLAGHY, a village in the parish of Ballyscullion, barony of Loughinsholin, County Londonderry.

This place became the head of a district granted in the reign of JAMES I to the Vintners' Company, of London, who, in 1619, founded the village, and erected a strong and spacious castle, the custody of which they entrusted to Sir Baptist Jones, who had a well armed garrison of 76 men for its defence.

In the war of 1641 the castle was besieged and taken by a party of Irish insurgents ... and in the following year burned to the ground.

It occupied a gentle eminence on the north-west side of the village, but no portion of it is remaining; the very site has been cultivated as gardens, and the only traces are some of the arched cellars beneath the roots of some large trees.

The village is situated on the western shore of Lough Beg, and on the roads leading respectively from Castledawson to Portglenone, and from Kilrea to Toome; it consists of one long street intersected at right angles by two shorter streets; the houses are generally small, but well built; and the environs are remarkably pleasant, and are embellished with gentlemen's seats, of which the principal near the village are Bellaghy Castle [bawn], the residence of J Hill, and Bellaghy House, of H B Hunter.

Historic OS map of Bellaghy ca 1830

A court for the Vintners' manor is held once every month, for the recovery of debts under £2.

Adjoining the village is the parish church of Ballyscullion, a large and handsome building; and at a short distance is a small RC chapel.

Here is also a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists; and a meeting-house for Presbyterians.

The parochial school for boys and girls, a large and handsome building, was erected at the joint expense of the Marquess of Lothian, the Earl of Clancarty, the Earl of Strafford, and Admiral the Hon Sir Thomas Pakenham GCB, proprietors of the estate by purchase from the Vintners' Company, who have also endowed it with £5 per annum, and a like sum is granted by the Rector: and there is a school for girls, supported by subscription, also a school built and supported by the Methodists.

*****

Bellaghy Bawn from the main road (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

I PAID Bellaghy a visit on Sunday, 2nd April, 2023, in order to see Bellaghy Bawn, the best restored example of its type in Northern Ireland.

Bellaghy Bawn, once known as Bellaghy Castle, was constructed ca 1619 by Baptist Jones, agent for the Vintners' Company of London.

The Vintners owned 32,600 acres of land in the county.

Bellaghy Castle ca 1900 (Green Collection, NMNI)

It is situated at the end of Castle Street in the village.

Sir Baptist's daughter Charity (Lady Staples), incidentally, was married to Sir Thomas Staples, 1st Baronet, of Lissan, County Tyrone.

Inner courtyard from the original entrance (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

Sir Baptist died in 1623, when the lease of the property was acquired by Henry Conway, who had wedded Sir Baptist's widow.

The castle and bawn were destroyed in 1641 during the Irish rebellion.

Subsequently the property changed hands a number of times: when, in 1700, a large house was built beside one of the flanker towers (which exists today).

Model of the bawn and Castle Street at the exhibition (click to enlarge)

In 1889 the property was acquired by George Thompson, and his descendants remained there until 1984.

Three years later, in 1987, Bellaghy Bawn was taken into state care, and largely restored.

The bawn as we see it today was opened to visitors in 1996.

I ARRIVED at the bawn at about eleven forty-five, and proceeded to have my packed lunch near an oak tree, the exact location of the former north-western flanker tower.

After lunch I made my way across the courtyard to the "big house," which has a reception desk, exhibitions, a video presentation by the celebrated poet and son of Bellaghy, Seamus Heaney.

The south-eastern flanker tower attached to the big house remains in very good condition.

Ballyscullion Church: Prospect from the Bawn (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

EARLIER that morning I had strolled through the village, encountering the charming Ballyscullion parish church with its lofty spire (doubtless facillitated by Frederick Hervey, Earl of Bristol and Lord Bishop of Derry).

THE Queen's University of Belfast's Centre for Archæological Fieldwork conducted a survey in the immediate vicinity of Bellaghy Bawn in 1998.

Prior to motoring home, I drove a few miles to the shore-line of Lough Beg, passing the estate walls of Ballyscullion Park (purchased by Sir Henry Mulholland, 1st Baronet, in 1938).

The scenery here is exceptionally beautiful: the intention is to revisit the district during the summer months for further exploration and a visit to Church Island on Lough Beg.

Donard Lodge

DONARD PARK COMPRISED 783 ACRES OF LAND

The Earls Annesley derive their surname from the manor of Annesley in Nottinghamshire.

They were one of great noble families of County Down.

The vast Annesley estate stretched from Slieve Croob to Slieve Donard (Northern Ireland's highest mountain), including the village of Castlewellan and part of Newcastle.

They owned 25,000 acres of land in County Down, including 783 acres at Donard Park.

Their ancestral seat was Castlewellan Castle (which still, incidentally, looks as well as the day it was built in 1858 by the 4th Earl).

Lord Annesley and his successors also owned a "marine residence" just outside Newcastle in County Down.

Click to Enlarge

This large house, called Donard Lodge, pre-dated Castlewellan Castle by twenty-five years.

DONARD LODGE, on the southern outskirts of Newcastle, County Down, stood close to the location of the present Donard Bridge, at the foot of Thomas's Mountain and Slieve Donard, close to the location of Donard car park.

The prospect from the house towards the harbour and sea must have been spectacular.

Marine residences were popular amongst the nobility during the Victorian era: Murlough House, not far along the coast towards Dundrum, was Lord Downshire's "marine residence."

Returning to Donard Lodge, doubtless it was the finest edifice and address in Newcastle, a distinguished two-storey classical house of granite ashlar, built ca 1830 by the 3rd Earl.

The entrance front had a central, projecting bay with a strikingly projecting three-sided bow at either side; the centre being joined on each side to the projecting ends by a short Doric colonnade.

One of these colonnades served as an entrance portico, the door being in one side of the central projection.

The garden front had curved and three-sided bows and round-headed ground-floor windows.

There was a fine, semi-circular conservatory at one end of the house.

The little girl standing in the foreground to the right of the conservatory provides an indication the the mansion's size.

The ground floor also joined on to stable buildings and yards.

About 500 acres of land above the mansion were planted with trees, and a beautiful garden was created by the Rev John Moore (of Rowallane) and his sister Priscilla, 3rd Countess Annesley.

Eighty acres of the demesne became the pleasure grounds, with winding paths, ornamental trees and shrubs, waterfalls, cascades, an aviary, a hermitage, shell house, spa house, spa well, visitors' dining house, ornamental dining house, and a variety of rustic stone seats and little bridges.

This scheme may well have been inspired by the near by Tollymore Park.

Annesley Estate Office, Newcastle

The Annesley estate office still stands in the town.

Priscilla, Dowager Countess Annesley, continued to reside at Donard Lodge until her death in 1891.

Following Lady Annesley's death, Donard Lodge was leased to a number of tenants, all of whom failed to maintain the mansion to a satisfactory standard.

The Lodge suffered a serious fire in 1941.

Its sad demise continued until 1966, when the noble Donard Lodge was blown up (one year before Castlewellan Castle was sold to the Northern Ireland Government).

First published in April, 2009.

Lady Annesley's Summer House

I paid a visit to Castlewellan Park, County Down, on the 8th March, 2015.

My main purpose was to view progress on the Moorish Tower on the hill-side to the west of the Lake.

However, I also wished to investigate reports I'd heard of a derelict structure elsewhere in the forest park.

I asked one of the rangers on duty about this and he gave me directions.

I eventually encountered it.

Click to Enlarge

This charming little Victorian summer house lies deep in the woods on the periphery of Slievenaslat, at the southern tip of the Long Duck Pond.

This structure, surrounded by overgrown bushes and foliage, may have been built by the 5th Earl Annesley.

Its prospect would indeed have been splendid, overlooking the duck pond.

I have since discovered that it is known locally as Lady Annesley's Tea House.

It appears to be rendered, four-sided, with two windows.

One side contains the fireplace.

The south side has the entrance, comprising a prominent crenellated porch with a window facing the Long Duck Pond and a side doorway.

Is the roof still intact and is it flat?

One striking feature of this noble little building is its crenellation.

It merits restoration - or, at least, remedial works -  before its condition deteriorates any further.

First published in March, 2015.

Ramsfort House

THE RAMS OWNED 1,813 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY WEXFORD

DR FRANCIS RAM (1537-1617), of Windsor, Berkshire, had by Helen his wife a large family.

Dr Ram resided subsequently at Hornchurch, Essex, near London, where a handsome monument was erected in memory of his wife and children.

One of his sons,

THE RT REV DR THOMAS RAM (1564-1634), Lord Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, born at Windsor, Berkshire, educated at Eton College, and at King's College, Cambridge, whence, having taken the degree of Master of Arts, he went to Ireland as Chaplain to Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, in 1599.

The next year he was appointed Dean, first of Cork, and then of Ferns.

Dr Ram was consecrated Lord Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, 1605.

On the plantation of Wexford, 1615, by JAMES I, he obtained a grant of lands, which descended to his children.

He married firstly, Jane Gilford, widow of Mr Thompson, and had issue,

Thomas (Very Rev), Dean of Ferns, dsp;
Grace; Susan; Jane; Anne.

The Bishop wedded secondly, Anne, daughter of Robert Bowen, of Ballyadams, Queen's County, and had further issue,

Robert (Rev);
ABEL, of whom hereafter;
Henry;
Elizabeth; Grace.

His lordship died of apoplexy in Dublin, 1634, at 70 years of age, during the session of a Convocation there, whence his body was conveyed to Gorey, County Wexford, and deposited in a "fair marble tomb in a chapel built by himself."

He also built the bishop's house at Old Leighlin, and other structures at such places where he received any profits, for the benefit of his successors, and recovered the manor of Fethard to the see of Ferns.

His third son,

ABEL RAM, of Ramsfort and Clonattin, succeeded to the estates and espoused Eleanor, daughter of the Rt Rev Dr George Andrews, Lord Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, and had issue,

ABEL, his heir;
Andrew;
Jane; Frideswide; Anne.

Mr Ram died in 1676, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ABEL RAM, of Ramsfort and Clonattin, High Sheriff of Dublin City, 1673, Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1684, who married, in 1667, Eleanor, daughter of Stephen Palmer, of Dublin, and had issue,

ABEL, his heir;
Stephen;
George;
Joshua;
Andrew;
Samuel;
Thomas;
Ellinor; Elizabeth; Rebecca; Cassandra; Anne.

Sir Abel died in 1692. His fifth son,

ANDREW RAM, of Ramsfort, MP for Duleek, 1692-8, married and had issue,

ABEL, his heir;
Humphreys, MP, father of STEPHEN;
Andrew, MP for County Wexford, 1755-60, Duleek, 1761-90;

Mr Ram died in 1698, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

ABEL RAM (1669-1740), of Ramsfort, MP for Gorey, 1692-1740, who dying without issue, bequeathed by his will the Clonattin portion of his estates to his brother, ANDREW, and the Ramsfort portion to his nephew,

STEPHEN RAM (1744-1821), of Ramsfort, MP for Gorey, 1764-90, who married, in 1774, the Lady Charlotte Stopford, sixth daughter of James, 1st Earl of Courtown, and was father of

ABEL RAM (c1775-1832), of Ramsfort, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1829, who wedded, in 1818, Eleanor Sarah, only daughter of Jerome Knapp, of Charlton House, Berkshire, and was father of

STEPHEN RAM DL (1819-99), of Ramsfort, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1842, who espoused, in 1839, Mary Christian, daughter of James Archibald Casamajor, Madras CS, and had issue (with several daughters),

Stephen James, died unmarried;
Edmund Arthur, dsp;
Abel Humphrey, dsp;
ARTHUR ARCHIBALD, of whom we treat.

The youngest son,

ARTHUR ARCHIBALD RAM (1852-1905), married, in 1899, Blanche Mary, eldest daughter of Arthur Loftus Tottenham, of Glenfarne Hall, County Leitrim, and had an only child, MARY CHRISTIANA, born in 1902.

RAMSFORT HOUSE, the magnificent mansion built by Stephen Ram MP to the design of George Semple, was bombarded and burnt during the Irish rebellion of 1798.

It was replaced by an early, two-storey 19th century house with two three-sided bows and an eaved roof.

The second house was erected on a different site.

At some later stage in the 1800s a wing was added in Francois Premier style.

Sir George Errington, 1st (and last) Baronet, MP for Longford, 1874-9, purchased Ramsfort thereafter and another extension was added, with stepped curvilinear gables, mullioned windows, an arcade surmounted on piers and columns along the ground floor.

This final addition terminated with a corner turret, spire, and a wooden belvedere.

A small chapel in the Romanesque-Italianate style was built in the grounds at the lake.

Ramsfort operated as a school from the early 1930s until 1983, when it was purchased by the Phelan family.

First published in August, 2018.

O'Hara of O'Harabrook

GEORGE TAIT, who married Catherine, only daughter and heiress of Cormac O'Hara, of Drummully, County Cavan, a descendant of the ancient family of O'HARA OF ANNAGHMORE, was father of 

CHARLES O'HARA JP, of O'HARABROOK, County Antrim, Colonel in General Bragg's Regiment, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1758, who married, in 1752, Helen, daughter of Alexander Duncan, of Lundie, Angus, and had a son,

HENRY O'HARA JP (1759-1823), of O'Harabrook, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1785, Lieutenant-Colonel, Antrim Militia, who wedded firstly, in 1782, Amy Lloyd, by whom he had a son, Richard, Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, who died in Jamaica, 1812, and two daughters, Katherine and Mary.

He espoused secondly, in 1792, Eleanor Dunn, and had issue,

CHARLES, of whom presently;
William, d unm 1827;
Henry Robert, d unm 1854;
JAMES DUNN, succeeded his brother;
Eleanor; Helen Elizabeth; Grace; Anne Martha; Louisa; Maria.

Mr O'Hara married thirdly, 1808, Sophia Thwaites, but had no issue by her.

He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

CHARLES O'HARA JP (1797-1873), of O'Harabrook, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1833, who married, in 1823, Margaret, eldest daughter of Arthur Innes, of Dromantine, County Down, and had issue,

Arthur (1828-66);
William (1830-59);
James (1835-70);
Anne; Ellen Sophia.

Mr O'Hara, leaving no surviving male issue, was succeeded by his brother,

THE REV JAMES DUNN O'HARA (1801-93), of the Castle, Portstewart, and O'Harabrook, County Antrim, Rector of Coleraine, who wedded, in 1842, Caroline Deffel, daughter of William Alves, of Enham Place, Hampshire, and had issue,

HENRY STEWART, his heir;
William James;
Sarah Caroline; Helen Sophia; Caroline Elizabeth.

The eldest son,

THE RT REV HENRY STEWART O'HARA (1843-1923), of the Palace, Waterford, late of O'Harabrook, Lord Bishop of Cashel, Emly, Waterford, amd Lismore, espoused, in 1872, Hatton Thomasina, daughter of Thomas Scott DL, of Willsboro', County Londonderry.

First published in March, 2019.  O'Hara arms courtesy of the NLI.

His Majesty's Wedding Day

TODAY is His Majesty's twentieth Wedding Anniversary.

On the 9th April, 2005, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales married Mrs Camilla Rosemary Parker-Bowles (née Shand) at Windsor Guildhall, Berkshire.

Thereafter Mrs Parker-Bowles became known as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall; and on The King's accession to the throne, Her Majesty The Queen Consort.

The honeymoon was spent at Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate, Aberdeenshire.

Loughgall Manor

THE COPES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ARMAGH, WITH 9,367 ACRES

ANTHONY COPE, of Portadown, County Armagh, younger brother of Walter Cope, of Drumilly, and grandson of Sir Anthony Cope, 1st Baronet, of Hanwell, wedded Jane, daughter of the Rt Rev Thomas Moigne, Lord Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh, by whom he had an only son,

THE VERY REV ANTHONY COPE (1639-1705), Dean of Elphin, who wedded his second cousin, Elizabeth, daughter and eventual heiress of Henry Cope, of Loughgall, and granddaughter of Anthony Cope, of Armagh, who was second son of Sir Anthony Cope, 1st Baronet, of Bramshill.

The Dean left, with other issue, a son and heir,

ROBERT COPE (1679-1753), of Loughgall, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1736, MP for Armagh County, 1713-14 and 1727-53, who espoused firstly, in 1701, Letitia, daughter of Arthur Brownlow, of Lurgan, who dsp; and secondly, in 1707, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Fownes Bt, of Woodstock, by whom he had, with other issue,

Anthony (Very Rev), Dean of Armagh;

ARTHUR, of whom hereafter.

Mr Cope's younger son,

ARTHUR COPE, of Loughgall, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1766, wedded, in 1761, Ellen Osborne, and had issue,

ROBERT CAMDEN, his heir;

Kenrick, lt-colonel, died unmarried 1827; High Sheriff of Co Armagh, 1798;

Emma; Elizabeth;

Mary, m Col R Doolan, and had 2 sons: RWC Doolan (cope); KH Doolan.

The elder son,

ROBERT CAMDEN COPE (c1771-1818), of Loughgall, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1799, MP for County Armagh, 1801-2, Lieutenant-Colonel, Armagh Militia, married Mary, daughter of Samuel Elliott, Governor of Antigua, and had an only son,

ARTHUR COPE (1814-44), of Loughgall; who dsp, and bequeathed his estates to his cousin,

ROBERT WRIGHT (DOOLAN) COPE JP DL (1810-58), of Loughgall Manor, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1846, who assumed the surname and additional arms of COPE in 1844.

The armorial bearings of Doolan-Cope are shown atop.

He espoused, in 1848, Cecilia Philippa, daughter of Captain Shawe Taylor, of County Galway, and had issue,

FRANCIS ROBERT, DL (1853-) his heir;
Albinia Elizabeth; Emma Sophia; Helen Gertrude.

*****

In 1610, the Plantation of Ulster came into effect under the auspices of JAMES I.

The manors of Loughgall and Carrowbrack in County Armagh were granted to Lord Saye and Sele.

In 1611 he sold these lands to Sir Anthony Cope Bt, of which 3,000 acres were represented by the manor of Loughgall.

The manor of Loughgall was divided between two branches of the Cope family, being known as The Manor House and Drummilly.

THE MANOR HOUSE, Loughgall, County Armagh, is a two-storey, mildly Tudor-Revival mansion of ca 1840 with numerous gables, some of which have barge-boards.

The windows have simple wooden mullions; and there are also hood-mouldings over ground-floor windows of the main block.

A lower service wing is at one side, gabled, with pointed windows in the upper storey.

The gabled entrance porch, in Gothic-Revival style, looks like a work of the 1850-70s and may be a later addition.

While the tree-lined avenue leading from the main street of the village was indicated on a map of 1834, the gateway and lodges, and the main house were not; nor was the house referred to by Lewis in 1837.

The main gates were manufactured in 1842, according to their inscription, which accords with that of the manor-house, although there is no architectural similarity between the gateway and lodges and the main house.

The Yew Walk, to the north of the Manor House, also seems to be indicated on a map of 1835.

One branch of the family subsequently lived in Drumilly House, situated to the east of the lough, which was demolished in 1965, while the other lived in the Manor House.

The manor-house was purchased from Field-Marshal Sir Gerald Templer, a relation of the original owners, by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1947.

The Ministry began general farming operations in 1949, and in 1951 established a horticultural centre on the estate.

In 1952, the Northern Ireland Plant Breeding Station, which had been founded by the Northern Ireland Government in 1922, was transferred to Loughgall.

In 1987, the Horticultural Centre and Plant Breeding Station were amalgamated to form the Northern Ireland Horticultural and Plant Breeding Station; and in 1995 the station became part of the NI Department of Agriculture's Applied Plant Science Division.

*****

THE VILLAGE of Loughgall developed slowly under the benign guidance of the Cope family, assuming a distinctly English appearance.

During the 18th and early part of the 19th century, a number of houses were built in the elegant Georgian style of architecture.

The two Cope families, of Loughgall Manor and Drumilly respectively, did not take a very active part in politics; however, as residential landlords, they pursued a policy of agricultural development on their own estates and greatly encouraged the improvement and fertility of their tenants' farms.

Apple-growing over the past two centuries has become a major factor in the economic development of County Armagh, with Loughgall at the heart of this important industry.

To this day there is no public house in Loughgall.

The Copes, at some stage in the past, actively discouraged the sale and consumption of alcohol by buying several public houses in the village and closing them down.

In their place they established a coffee-house and reading-room.

The Cope Baronets are now extinct in the male line.

The last generation of both the Loughgall Manor and Drumilly families had daughters only.

Of the Manor House family, a Miss Cope married a clergyman, the Rev Canon Sowter; while Ralph Cope, of Drumilly, had two daughters, one of whom, Diana, married Robin Cowdy of the local Greenhall linen bleaching family at Summer Island.

Both the Manor House and Drumilly estates were purchased by the Northern Ireland Ministry of Agriculture and now play a prominent part in testing and development in the horticultural field.

Both estates remain intact and have not been developed for housing or industry; they form part of Loughgall Country Park.

With considerable areas of mature woodland interspersed with orchards and cultivated fields, this area must surely be one of the most pleasant stretches of countryside in County Armagh.

First published in August, 2010.

Ballynegall House

THE SMYTHS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WESTMEATH, WITH 9,778 ACRES

This is a branch of SMYTH of Gaybrook, springing more immediately from SMYTH of Drumcree. 

THOMAS HUTCHINSON SMYTH (1765-1830), only son of Thomas Smyth, of Drumcree, by his third wife, Martha (daughter of the Ven Francis Hutchinson, Archdeacon of Down and Connor), served as High Sheriff of County Westmeath, 1792, being then described as of "Smythboro" or Coole.

He married, in 1796, Abigail, daughter of John Hamilton, of Belfast, and had issue,

THOMAS, his heir;
Francis, Captain RN;
John Stewart;
Edward, d 1857;
Arthur (Dr);
Hamilton, barrister (1813-59);
Anna; Emily.

Mr Smyth was succeeded by his eldest son, 

THE REV THOMAS SMYTH (1796-1874), who wedded, in 1832, Mary Anne, daughter of Adam Tate Gibbons, East India Company, and niece of James Gibbons, of Ballynegall, and had issue,

THOMAS JAMES, his heir;
James Gibbons, major in the army;
William Adam, major in the army;
Albert Edward, major in the army;
Elizabeth Abigail Mary Amelia; Mary Anne; Louisa Anna.

The Rev Thomas Smyth was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS JAMES SMYTH JP DL (1833-1912), of Ballynegall, High Sheriff of County Westmeath, 1858, Captain, Westmeath Rifles, who married, in 1864, Bessie, fourth daughter of Edward Anketell Jones, of Adelaide Crescent, Brighton, and had issue,

THOMAS GIBBONS HAWKESWORTH, his heir;
Ellinor Marion Hawkesworth; Maud Emily Abigail Hawkesworth.

Mr Smyth was succeeded by his only son,

THOMAS GIBBONS HAWKESWORTH SMYTH (1865-1953) of Ballynegall, High Sheriff of County Westmeath, 1917, who wedded, in 1895, Constance, younger daughter of Harry Corbyn Levinge, of Knockdrin Castle, Mullingar, and had issue,

THOMAS REGINALD HAWKESWORTH, b 1897;
Marjorie.

BALLYNEGALL HOUSE, near Mullingar, is said to have been one of the greatest architectural losses in the county of Westmeath.

The designs for this elegant and refined Regency house have been traditionally attributed to Francis Johnston, one of the foremost architects of his day and a man with an international reputation.

The quality of the original design is still apparent, despite its derelict and overgrown appearance.

The house was originally constructed for James Gibbons at the enormous cost of £30,000, and was reputedly built using the fabric of an existing castle on site, known as Castle Reynell after the previous owners of the estate.

Ballynagall remained in the Gibbons Family until 1846, when ownership passed on to Mr James W M Berry.

In 1855, ownership later passed on to the Smyth family through marriage.

There is an interesting article here, written by one of the last of the Smyths to live at Ballynegall.

The house was abandoned in the early 1960s and all remaining internal fittings and fixtures were removed at this time.

The original Ionic portico was also removed in the 1960s and now stands at Straffan House, County Kildare.

The remains of a very fine iron conservatory, which has been attributed to Richard Turner (1798-1881), is itself a great loss to the heritage of the county.

Ballynagall House stands in picturesque, mature parkland.

The remains of the house form the centrepiece of one of the best collections of demesne-related structures in County Westmeath, along with the stable block to the north-west and the gate lodge and St Mary's church to the south-east.

First published in February, 2013.

Boyd of Ballycastle

THE BOYDS OWNED 5,304 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

THE REV WILLIAM BOYD (1650-1720), Vicar of Ramoan, 1679-81, married Rose, great-granddaughter of Hugh McNeil, and had issue,

HUGH;

William (Rev);

Charles (Rev);

Alexander.

Hugh McNeil, who was appointed First Constable of Dunynie by Randal MacDonnell, 1st Earl of Antrim, was granted lands which formed the basis of the Ballycastle Estate.

The Vicar's eldest son,

HUGH BOYD (1690-1765), born at Drumawillan House, Glentaise, inherited his father's estate in 1711; Lieutenant-Colonel, County Antrim Militia, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1734, who married Anne, daughter of Randal McAllister, of Kinbane Castle, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his heir;

Hugh;
Margaret; Leonora; Anne.

His eldest son,

COLONEL WILLIAM BOYD, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1740, espoused Mary, daughter of Ezekiel Davys Wilson, and issue,

Alexander;

Hugh;

EZEKIEL DAVYS;

Daniel

William;
Adam;
James (Rev);
Mary; Margaret.

Colonel Boyd's younger son,

EZEKIEL DAVYS BOYD (1740-1801), High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1776, married Ann, daughter of John Frisby, and had issue,

HUGH;

William;

Francis;

Ezekiel Davys;

Sarah Catherine.

The eldest son,

HUGH BOYD (1765-95), of Ballycastle, County Antrim, MP for County Antrim, 1792, married twice, and by his second wife, Rosetta, and issue,

ALEXANDER;

Hugh;

Amy; Harriet, m, 1818, Sir John Boyd Bt; Anna Maria.

His second son,

ALEXANDER BOYD (1791-1868), Lord of the Manor of Ballycastle, was father of

HUGH BOYD, of Ballycastle (1826-91), who married Marianne, elder daughter of James McKinley, of Carneatly.

The eldest son,

ALEXANDER BOYD JP (1865-1952), of Ballycastle, married, in 1903, Letitia, fifth daughter of John Nicholl, of The Orchard, Ballycastle.

His eldest son,

HUGH ALEXANDER BOYD, of Islandview, Ballycastle, married and had issue, his eldest son,

ALEXANDER JOHN BOYD, born in 1940.

THE MANSION, Ballycastle, County Antrim, is a mid-18th century building.

The Manor House, Ballycastle (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

It had an archway above which was set a statue of an Indian river god, presumably supplied by Major-General Hugh Boyd, of the Bengal Army, at the time of the mutiny,

Boyd - Major-General Hugh - Bengal Army - died 24th December 1876. Ensign Hugh Boyd, 62nd Native Infantry) served at Bhurtpore 1826 (medal and bar).

Memorial at Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland - In memory of Major General Hugh Boyd. Who died 24th December 1876 aged 76 years. General Boyd (of the Late Bengal Army) served with his regiment and on the General Staff throughout India for a uninterrupted term of 32 years from January 1824, a period of India's history as eventful in military successes and glory as any preceding it, returning to India after a short furlough in 1856.

He closed his military career commanding a brigade throughout the memorable Sepoy Mutiny of 1857-58.

There is a stable block with cut-stone window surrounds.

The Manor House became a Barnardo boys' home.

(Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

Little remains of the original house.

(Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

First published in April, 2013.

Chapel of Ease, Belfast

The Corporation Church, High Street, Belfast (sketch by Thomas Phillips, 1685)

There has been a place of worship on the site of the present St George's parish church, High Street, Belfast, since at least 1306, when a church was mentioned in the taxation roll of POPE NICHOLAS IV.

This Chapel of the Ford, as it was known, was a chapel of ease, one of six chapelries subordinate to the ancient mother church at Shankill outside the town.

Thomas Phillips's chart has a likeness of this church in 1685, adjacent to a ford which crossed the river Lagan, greatly extended with a lofty tower, chancel, and transepts.

Most of the buildings across the river Farset (marked Belfast River), to the north of the church (at the bottom of the image), were on the site of the present Merchant Hotel. 

Skipper Street at that time, incidentally, appeared to have a long row or terrace of single-storey dwellings along one side, and the other side (where the hotel’s main entrance now is) comprised two or three gardens.

The crossing at this ford in ancient times could be hazardous at high tides or in poor weather, and many travellers worshipped at the chapel of ease prior to that ordeal.

The dimensions of this church in the 18th century were approximately 160 feet in length and 100 feet in breadth at the central section of the transepts.

We can only imagine the height of the great tower, which must have dominated the skyline of the town in the late 17th and 18th centuries.

By comparison today, St Peter's Catholic cathedral in Belfast measures 180 feet in length and 70 feet in width.

The frontage of the church was 250 feet along High Street, and it was bounded by High Street, Church Lane, Ann Street, and the ground where Victoria Street now exists.

There were originally no buildings between the church and the river Lagan.

It didn't lie parallel to High Street, unlike the present St George's Church: the east end faced the river Lagan, and the west end overlooked Ann Street.

The entrance to the church was from Ann Street.

The smaller river Farset flowed along the present High Street, directly past the church (it is said that choir-boys used to fish from the front of the church).

The church or chapel was surrounded by an extensive graveyard, which extended back to Ann Street; so the buildings on the site today - for instance, the Bullitt Hotel - stand on what was once hallowed ground.

This old graveyard was an attraction for citizens in its time: many, if not most of Belfast's prominent merchants having been buried there.

I gather that prior to re-development the graves were removed to Clifton Street cemetery.

In 1613, by charter of JAMES I, the Belfast Corporation was established.

The chapel was subsequently used by the sovereign (or mayor) and burgesses for worship and ceremonial occasions.

As a consequence of this, the Chapel of the Ford came gradually to be known as the Corporation Church.

Twelve burgesses, wearing their official black robes, processed with the sovereign, distinguished from them by his red robe, to church.

Thomas Waring was sovereign in 1652, 1656, and 1664; George Macartney, 1662, 1667, 1672, and 1675. The sovereign in 1685 was Thomas Knox.

The Corporation Church was desecrated and utilized for military purposes between 1649 and 1656 by Cromwell's troops.

Due to the parlous state which Cromwell's soldiers had left the church in, it was either demolished or rebuilt in 1656-7, or restored to such an extent as to be, to all intents and purposes, a new building.

The old communion vessels were, however, transferred to the new St Anne's parish church in Donegall Street.

The years passed and, by 1771-2, the old Corporation Church had become unfit for purpose and dilapidated.

It was therefore decided that the church should be demolished and a new church erected at a site in Donegall Street instead.

An advertisement was displayed in the local press: The principal inhabitants of the town of Belfast who desire to offer their opinion relative to the situation of a new church in the town, are requested to meet the Rev William Bristow at the market-house on Saturday next...

The last services were held in the Corporation Church, High Street, Belfast, on Sunday, May 1st, 1774, with the Rev William Bristow, Vicar of Belfast, in the pulpit.

Within a week of the final sermon the old church was pulled down, and almost immediately after this the foundation stone of the new church, St Anne's, was laid in Donegall Street.

St George's Church, High Street, Belfast, ca 1900

The present St George's Church was built in 1816 on the site of the old Corporation Church in High Street.

The Old Church Yard in High Street

The old churchyard, High Street, Belfast, was bounded by the said street, Church Lane (or Schoolhouse Lane), Ann Street, and Forest Lane or Cow Lane (now Victoria Street).

It was used by prominent Belfast families for burials.

This graveyard was closed to burials, by an act of Parliament, on August 1, 1800.

Thirteen years later, in 1813, when the Rev Edward May was Vicar, an advertisement appeared: Old Churchyard to be sold by public auction on the Premises, at two o'clock in the afternoon, on Friday the 7th of May next, that piece of ground at the extremity of the church yard, in the rear of Ann Street ...

EARLY VICARS OF BELFAST

1. Robert Morley
2. Simon Chichester
3. Ludovicus Downes
4. Roger Jones
5. Claudius Gilbert
6. James Echlin
7. William Tisdall
8. Richard Stewart
9. James Saurin
10. William Bristow

First published in February, 2021.