Beaulieu House

THE MONTGOMERYS OWNED 1,364 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY LOUTH

SIR HENRY TICHBORNE (1581-1667), Knighted in 1623, fourth son of Sir Benjamin de Tichborne, 1st Baronet, of Tichborne, Hampshire, was engaged against the rebels in Ireland during the reign of JAMES I, and founded a branch of the family there.

The grandson of this gentleman, 

HENRY TICHBORNE, High Sheriff of County Louth, 1706, was created a Baronet and afterwards elevated to the Peerage of Ireland, in 1715, as BARON FERRARD, of Beaulieu, County Louth; but the honours expired with himself in 1731.

The first and last Lord Ferrard's coat-of-arms is displayed above.

His lordship married Arabella, daughter of Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, and had issue, four sons, all of whom predeceased their father, and a surviving daughter,

THE HON SALISBURY TICHBORNE, who wedded, in 1713, William Aston, MP for Dunleer, grandson of Sir William Aston, by whom she had issue,

TICHBORNE ASTON (1716-48);

SOPHIA, of whom we treat.

The daughter,

SOPHIA ASTON (1718-82), married, in 1741, Thomas Tipping, and had issue,

Elizabeth;

Sophia Mabella;

Salisbury Wilhelmina.

The second daughter,

SOPHIA MABELLA TIPPING (1747-99), of Beaulieu and Bellurgan, County Louth, wedded the Rev Robert Montgomery (1753-1825), Rector of Monaghan for thirty years, and had issue,

ALEXANDER, the heir;

Thomas, Captain RN;

Katherine Salisbury.

Memorial to Rev Robert Montgomery in St Brigid's Church, Beaulieu

The Rev Robert Montgomery’s nephew’s son, Major-General Richard Montgomery, was one of the key founders of the American Army.

The elder son,

THE REV ALEXANDER JOHNSTON (1782-1856), of Beaulieu, assumed the name of JOHNSTON in lieu of Montgomery and the Arms of JOHNSTON only, in 1813, having married firstly, in 1809, Margaret, daughter and heir of Andrew Johnston, of Littlemount, County Fermanagh.

She died in 1824, having had issue,

Robert Willoughby (1811-26);

RICHARD THOMAS, of whom presently;

Thomas Tichborne;

Alexander John;

Arthur Andrew;

Rosa; Sophia Mabella; Maria Jane; Sidney Katherine Salisbury.

The Rev Alexander Johnston wedded secondly, 1827, Charlotte Isabella, daughter of John Forster, brother of Sir Thomas Forster Bt. She dsp 1840. 

Multi-quartered Montgomery arms in
St Brigid's Church, Beaulieu

The second son,

RICHARD THOMAS MONTGOMERY JP (1813-90), of Beaulieu, High Sheriff of County Louth, 1855, Lieutenant, 3rd Light Dragoons, married, in 1845, Frances Barbara, daughter of St George Smith, of Greenhills, County Louth, and had issue,

RICHARD JOHNSTON, his heir;

Willoughby Aston;

Tichborne St George Roger;

Emily Hannah; Rose Sophia Mabella; Sydney Wilhelmina Salisbury; Violet Marguerite.

The eldest son,

RICHARD JOHNSTON MONTGOMERY JP (1855-1939), of Beaulieu, High Sheriff of County Louth, 1910, wedded firstly, in 1890, Maud Helena Collingwood (of Rokeby Hall, County Louth), only daughter of Sir John Stephen Robinson Bt, CB, of Rokeby Hall, County Louth, and had issue,

John Gerald Richard Collingwood (died 1892);
Bertram Richard Thomas (died 1896);
Maud Rosa Mabella (died in infancy).

He wedded secondly, in 1913, Mary Patience Collingwood Denny, and had further issue,

SIDNEY.

His surviving daughter,

SIDNEY MONTGOMERY (1913-2005), married Nesbit Waddington (1908-90), Manager of the Aga Khan's Irish stud farms, and had issue,

Gabriel;

Penderell.

Beaulieu is today owned by Cara Konig-Brock, who inherited the property from her mother, Gabriel de Freitas (1941-2013), who, in turn, inherited the house from her mother, Mrs Sidney Waddington.

Beaulieu (Image: Discover Boyne Valley)

BEAULIEU is located at the Boyne estuary, close to the town of Drogheda, County Louth.

Mark Bence-Jones, in Burke's Guide To Country Houses in Ireland (1978), considers it "the finest and best-preserved country house of 2nd half of c17 in Ireland; and one of 1st country houses to be built in Ireland without any fortification ...."

Beaulieu was built from 1660 onwards, and comprises two storeys, with a dormered attic in the lofty eaved roof.

The entrance front is of seven bays, two of the bays protruding forward; and a six-bay side elevation.

The facades are rendered in subtle red brick.

Beaulieu, in the 17th century when good roads were virtually non-existent, was particularly convenient to the Irish Sea for travel to such places as Dublin.

Beaulieu: the Hall (Image: Beaulieu website)

The two-storey hall is resplendent with the antler of an Irish elk, and family portraits; of note is a painting of the town of Drogheda embedded into the upper half of the double-tiered, 17th century stone mantel.

Family portraits include the Tichbornes, Astons, Tippings, and Montgomerys.

Colourful armorial bearings of the family embellish the mantel, too; and above the inner hall doors.

The late Sidney Waddington was an enthusiastic gardener, and Beaulieu's splendid garden reflects her passion and prowess.

Whitla of Ben Eadan

THE WHITLAS OWNED 545 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

This family was of Scottish origin, the founder of the Ulster branch having settled in County Antrim from Ayrshire during the plantation of Ulster, and settled in the townland of Gobrana, Glenavy, where the family continued to reside until 1860.

WILLIAM WHITLA, of Glenavy, County Antrim, born in 1655, had issue by his wife, Elizabeth, three sons,

GEORGE;
James;
Valentine.

The eldest son,

GEORGE WHITLA (1689-1762), of the townland of Gobrana, Glenavy, married, in 1727, his cousin, Elinor Whitla, by whom he had four sons and three daughters,

William, of Derrychrin (1729-94);
John, of Lisburn;
Francis, of Glendona;
VALENTINE, of whom we treat;
Elizabeth; Eleanor; Jane.

Mr Whitla's youngest son,

VALENTINE WHITLA (1735-1802), of Gobrana, wedded, in 1779, Jane, daughter of John Bashford, by whom he had five sons and a daughter,

GEORGE, of Inver Lodge, Larne, JP;
JAMES, of whom hereafter;
Francis;
William John;
Valentine, of Ben Eadan, JP (1786-1865), dsp;
Jane.

Mr Whitla's second son,

JAMES WHITLA JP (1781-1862), of Gobrana, espoused, in 1806, Catherine, third daughter of Alexander Gunning JP, of Carrickfergus, and had issue,

GEORGE ALEXANDER, his heir;
Valentine (1821-57);
William John, died young;
Francis, died young;
Alicia Jane; Katherine; Anne; Susannah; Frances.

Mr Whitla died at Dunmurry, County Antrim, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

GEORGE ALEXANDER WHITLA JP (1818-67), of Ben Eadan, Captain, Royal Antrim Rifles, who married, in 1858, Isabella Frances, youngest daughter of the Rev John Hammond, of Priston Rectory, Bath, Somerset, and grand-niece of George Hammond, of Portland Place, London, Under Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and First British Minister to America, and had issue,

JAMES ALEXANDER, his heir;
Valentine George, Major, 3rd Hussars;
Mary Isabel Hammond; Ellen Constance; Isabella Frances Alexandra.

Captain Whitla's widow married secondly, in 1869, Sheffield Grace Phillip Fiennes Betham, Cork Herald of Arms (second son of Sir William Betham, Ulster King-of-Arms).

His eldest son,

JAMES ALEXANDER WHITLA (1859-1913), of Ben Eadan, near Belfast, Major, 4th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, wedded, in 1881, Honoria Maria, third daughter of John Handcock Townshend, of Myross Wood, and had issue,

GEORGE TOWNSHEND, b 1882; 4th Battalion, RIR;
Edith Constance; Norah Kathleen; Alice Mildred.

BEN EADAN HOUSE (above) was built in 1849 on the site now occupied by St Clement’s Retreat House, which stands above St Gerard’s Church at 722, Antrim Road, Belfast.

In the 1890s, this house was owned by the Whitla family.

The site was acquired by the Church in 1951.

The rest of the land was acquired by the Belfast Corporation to complete the link between Belfast Castle and Hazlewood.

Some of the original farmyard buildings still survive.

The House was replaced by St Clement's retreat house ca 1960.

First published in June, 2015.

Forthill Park

FORTHILL PARK is a drumlin-top public park in Enniskillen, the county town of County Fermanagh. 

Topped with a tall monument and surrounded by trees, it stands out as a feature from the distance.

Fort Hill has historic interest, both as a 17th century artillery star-fort and as an early public garden, laid out as a promenade by 1846.

The Forthill Promenade and Pleasure Park has always been a space for public use.

In the years following the Plantation of Ulster the park was known as Commons Hill or Cow Hill, where the Enniskilleners, as they were called, were permitted to graze their livestock.

It was also known as Camomile Hill where, in 1689, the Governor of Enniskillen, Gustav Hamilton, ordered a fort of sods to be raised in Enniskillen; hence Forthill.

In 1836, the area was enclosed and planted with trees; it became a promenade and pleasure ground.

Following the Crimean War, a captured Russian gun was brought to the south bastion of the Forthill.

It fired a salute to the first train arriving in the town in 1857 and broke the windows in Belmore Street.

By the 1880s, the park had become overgrown.

Thomas Plunkett, Chairman of the town commissioners, supervised the landscaping of the park.

He felt that the Forthill had become little used and overgrown.

The Forthill Pleasure grounds officially opened on the 7th August, 1891.

It had been transformed: special areas included the Dell, the Fernery, the Fountain, and the Waterfall; all designed by Plunkett.

A new entrance was added and the Forthill steps were built, which saw “The Bower Lane” disappear.

Forthill Bandstand was erected during Plunkett's own lifetime, in 1895, as a mark of appreciation.

The bastions of the fort remain prominent and are grassed.

The park element still has the feeling of a Victorian civic park, with winding paths, clipped evergreen shrubs and island flower beds.

Mature trees provide a canopy above.

The park was officially opened as Fort Hill Pleasure Grounds in 1891.

There are two memorials of high quality: the Cole Monument, built between 1845-57; and the Bandstand, with clock tower, built in 1895.

The Cole Monument takes the form of a Doric column, topped by a statue of General the Hon Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, GCB, by Farrell.

General Cole, a younger son of the 1st Earl of Enniskillen, died in 1842 at his country seat, Highfield Park, Hampshire, now a hotel.

General Cole: portrait by William Dyce (1834)

108 steps lead to the viewing platform atop the Cole Monument, which affords magnificent views of Enniskillen and the surrounding area.

First published in December, 2012.

Mount Charles Walk

On Sunday, April 23rd, 2023, I parked the car at Upper Crescent and walked a short distance to the adjacent Mount Charles.

Mount Charles, Belfast, runs from 36 University Road to 57 Botanic Avenue.

This street has a distinct air of privacy and seclusion about it: Victorian gate piers adorn each end.

The Belfast street directory of 1974 tells us that Number Four, the second villa to be built, was occupied by the Queen's University and Miss D D Rankin MBE; and Henry W Donaghy resided at Number Six.

Numbers 2-6, Mount Charles, ca 1860 (historic OS map)

These little villas, built about 1842 in the Greek-Revival (or Regency style, according to others) are the finest buildings in Mount Charles, and greatly enhance its undoubted charm.

Mount Charles itself was built or developed by Bernard "Barney" Hughes (1808-78).

Gate pier beside 2, Mount Charles, Belfast (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

The first person to reside at Number Six was, it is believed, James Bruce (1808-61), editor of the Northern Whig newspaper in Belfast.

2-4 Mount Charles in the 1920s (Hogg Collection/Ulster Museum)

William J Shaw resided here briefly, followed by William Grey (1830-1917), district surveyor for the Board of Works in Belfast.

2-4 Mount Charles (Timothy Ferres, 2024)

At the beginning of the 20th century Mount Charles was acquired by Sir John Fagan JP DL, son-in-law of none other than Barney Hughes.

6, Mount Charles (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

Number Six continued to have a number of tenants until at least 1974; since 1990, however, the house has not been, to my knowledge, residential.

The three villas were devastated by terrorist bombing in 1973 and 1974 (Robert McKinstry and Melvyn Brown restored the first two in 1982).

The Queen's University of Belfast appears to own Mount Charles today.

Upper Crescent, Belfast (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

On my way back to Upper Crescent I passed the Crescent Church, which stands on University Road, sandwiched between Upper and Lower Crescent.

Greek inscription at Crescent Church (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

The Greek inscription above the church's porch is doubtless intended to allure Classical students of the Queen's University to its fold on the sabbath.

Comber

EDITED EXTRACTS FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY GAZETTEER OF IRELAND, PUBLISHED IN 1846

COMBER, or Cumber, a post and market town, partly in the barony of Upper, but chiefly in that of Lower Castlereagh, County Down.

It stands at the head of the westerly projection of Strangford Lough, and at the intersection of the Belfast and Killyleagh road with the Donaghadee and Ballynahinch road, 3 miles south-south-west of Newtownards, and 7 east-south-east of Belfast.

It is tolerably well built, and consists principally of a square and three streets.

The tide from Strangford Lough flows to within half a mile of the town, and at a trifling expense might be made very beneficial to it.

Great advantages would also result from the erection of a pier near Comber water foot; vessels of 200 tons might then come in with every tide.

Coal is at present brought up in small lighters, but the principal fuel is peat; there is a very extensive bog, called Moneyreagh, or the Royal Bog, from which great quantities are sent to Belfast and other places.

The Square, Comber (Image: William Alfred Green)

A Cistercian abbey formerly stood at the town, and appears to have been founded in the 12th century, some say by the Whites [Cistercians] who settled in Down under Sir John de Courcy, others say by nobody knows whom.

Archdall, of course, has no difficulty in naming the founder, or even summarily ascribing the original foundation to that pretended originator of countless monasteries, St Patrick.

He says,

St Patrick founded an abbey here, of which we have no further account, but Brian Catha Duin, from whom the O'Neills of Claneboye descended, built one to the honour of the Virgin Mary, and supplied it with monks of the Cistercian Order from the abbey of Alba Landa [Whitland], in Carmarthenshire. The founder fell by the sword of John de Courcy about 1201. John O'Mullegan was the last abbot, and he voluntarily resigned in 1543.

The abbey, with its possessions, was granted by JAMES I to Sir James Hamilton, Lord Claneboye, at the rent of £3 2s 2d [about £1,000 in 2020]; it passed by assignment to the Viscount Montgomery, of the Ards; and its stones were reconstructed into a castle called MOUNT ALEXANDER, which now in its turn is a heap of ruins.

The parish church, which occupies the site of the abbey, is in the later style of English architecture, and contains some neat marble monuments, particularly those to the memory of the Rev Robert Mortimer, Captain Chetwynd, Lieutenant Unite, and Ensign Spark, of the York Fencible Infantry, who fell in the battle of Saintfield during the disturbances of 1798.

Main Street, Comber (W A Green/NMNI)

The weaving of linen gives employment to a large number of the inhabitants; and the work of two distilleries and a large bleaching-green gives employment to others.

The trade of the town would probably be much improved by the erection of a pier at the Water-foot.

Fairs are held on the first Thursday of January, and on April 5, June 28, and October 19.

Messrs Andrews and Sons have an extensive bleach-green here, where 20,000 pieces of linen are finished annually, principally for the London market; they have also large flour-mills and corn stores.

There are two distilleries: one of them, which is the property of Messrs Millar & Co, is among the oldest in the north of Ireland, having been erected in 1765.

There are several gentlemen's seats, the principal of which are Ballybeen, the residence of J Birch; Ballyalloly, at present unoccupied; KILLYNETHER HOUSE; and MAXWELL COURT.

In 1838, the public conveyances were a car to Killyleagh, two caravans to Belfast, and a mail-car in transit between Belfast and Downpatrick.

Area of the town, 95 acres.

First published in April, 2021.

1st Earl of Caledon

THE EARLS OF CALEDON WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TYRONE, WITH 29,236 ACRES

2,827 IN COUNTY ARMAGH, AND 1,947 IN HERTFORDSHIRE

The elder branch of this family was ennobled, in 1663, by the title of EARL OF STIRLING, in the person of WILLIAM ALEXANDER, of Menstrie, Clackmannanshire.  The name of ALEXANDER was assumed from the Christian name of its founder, Alexander Macdonald, of Menstrie.

This branch, on removing into Ulster, adopted into the family shield the Canton charged with the Harp of Ireland, and settled at Limavady, County Londonderry.

JOHN ALEXANDER, of Eridy, County Donegal, 1610, had issue,

ANDREW, his heir;
John;
Archibald;
William;
Robert.

The eldest son,

THE REV DR ANDREW ALEXANDER, of Eridy, a Presbyterian Minister, married Dorothea, daughter of the Rev James Caulfeild, and had issue,

CAPTAIN ANDREW ALEXANDER, of Gannochy, in Errigal, County Londonderry,  who wedded firstly, Miss Philips, daughter of Sir Thomas Philips, and had issue, JACOB, ancestor of ALEXANDER OF ROE PARK.

Captain Alexander had grant of the lands of Ballyclose, near Limavady, in 1666, from Sir Thomas Philips, Governor of Culmore Fort.

He was attainted in the Parliament held by JAMES II in Dublin in 1689.

Captain Alexander espoused secondly, Miss Hillhouse, and by her had a son,

JOHN ALEXANDER (c1670-1747), of Ballyclose, County Londonderry, in 1717, who purchased the lands of  Gunsland, County Donegal, who married Anne, daughter of John White, of Cady Hill, County  Londonderry, and had issue,

John, of Ballyclose;
NATHANIEL, of whom hereafter;
William, ancestor of ALEXANDER, Baronet, of Dublin;
Martha.

The second son,

NATHANIEL ALEXANDER (1689-1761), of Gunsland, Alderman of Londonderry, 1755, married Elizabeth, daughter of William McClintock, of DUNMORE, County Donegal, and had issue,

William, of London; barrister; d 1774;
John, died young;
Nathaniel, died young;
Robert (1722-90), of BOOM HALL;
JAMES, of whom hereafter;
Mary Jane; Rebecca; Elizabeth; Ann; Jane.

The youngest son,

JAMES ALEXANDER (1730-1802), MP for Londonderry, 1775-90, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1801, having filled several important offices in India, was elevated to the peerage, in 1790, in the dignity of Baron Caledon, of Caledon, County Tyrone.

James Alexander entered into the East India service, abroad, early in life, and returned to England with a plentiful fortune in 1764, and was chosen and reappointed by the directors to the rank of Sixth Member of the Bengal Council in 1766, where he discharged the offices of Governor of Patna, Governor of Consinbugar, resident at the nabob of Bengal's court at Murshidabad, and second in the government of Bengal. 

On his return in 1772, he purchased the extensive manor, castle, and estate of Caledon, from which his lordship took his title.

His lordship was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1797, as Viscount Caledon; and further advanced, in 1800, to the dignity of an earldom, as EARL OF CALEDON.

In 1774 his lordship married Anne, second daughter of James Crawford, of CRAWFORDSBURN, County Down, and had issue,

DUPRÉ, his successor;
Mabella, m to 11th Lord Blayney;
Elizabeth.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

DUPRÉ, 2nd Earl (1777-1839), KP, MP for Newtownards, 1800, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1801, who espoused, in 1811, Catherine, second daughter of Philip, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke, and had issue, an only child,

JAMES DUPRÉ, 3rd Earl (1812-55), High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1836, MP for County Tyrone, 1837-9, who married, in 1845, the Lady Jane Frederica Harriet Mary Grimston, daughter of James, 1st Earl of Verulam, and had issue,

JAMES, his successor;
Walter Philip;
Charles;
Jane Charlotte Elizabeth.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES, 4th Earl (1846-98), KP DL, who wedded, in 1884, the Lady Elizabeth Graham-Toler, daughter of Hector, 3rd Earl of Norbury, and had issue,

ERIC JAMES DESMOND, his successor;
Herbrand Charles, father of the 6th Earl;
Harold Rupert Leofric George, cr EARL ALEXANDER OF TUNIS;
William Sigismund Patrick.

1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (Image: Imperial War Museum) 

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

ERIC JAMES DESMOND, 5th Earl (1885-1968), who died unmarried, when the family honours reverted to his cousin,

DENIS JAMES, 6th Earl (1920-1980), Major, Irish Guards, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, Ulster Defence Regiment, 1970-78, who wedded firstly, in 1943, Ghislaine, daughter of Cornelius William Dresselhuys, and had issue, a daughter,

Tana Marie.

He married secondly, in 1952, Baroness Anne Louise de Graevenitz, daughter of Baron Nicholas Verner Alexander de Graevenitz, and had further issue,

NICHOLAS JAMES ALEXANDER, his successor;

(Elizabeth) Jane.

His lordship wedded thirdly, in 1964, Marie Elizabeth Burton, daughter of Major Richard Burton Allen.

He was succeeded by his son,

NICHOLAS JAMES, 7th Earl (1955-), of Caledon Castle, KCVO, JP, Lord-Lieutenant of County Armagh since 1989, who married firstly, in 1979, Wendy Catherine, daughter of Spiro Nicholas Coumantaros; and secondly, in 1989, Henrietta Mary Alison, daughter of John Francis Newman, by whom he has issue,

FREDERICK JAMES, styled Viscount Alexander;

Leonora Anne.

The 7th Earl espoused thirdly, in 2008, Mrs Amanda Cosbie Sara Cayzer (née Squire), daughter of Christopher John Squire.

Lord Caledon's Dress Chariot, 19th Century (Image: Science Museum Postcard)

Nathaniel Alexander arrived at Fort St George, Madras, in 1752, at the age of twenty-three, and became a factor there.

He rose rapidly in power and influence and in 1762 became the Eleventh in Council at Fort St George, Civil and Military Paymaster, and Military Storekeeper.

He returned to the British Isles in 1763.

In 1766 he returned to India, this time having been appointed to a very senior civic position at Fort William, Calcutta.

A commentator at the time said: 

"you have given him every kind of curry that ever was invented at Madras. He deserves it; he deserves a great fortune, for he has a noble spirit. ...". 

In 1772 Alexander left India again.

James Alexander, one of relatively few Ulstermen in the Bengal civil service, believed that he was worth about £150,000 when he left Bengal in 1772.

He acquired nearly 9,000 acres in Ulster, from which he hoped to derive an annual income of some £7,000.

In 1776, Alexander purchased the CALEDON ESTATE in Counties Tyrone and Armagh for £96,400 from the 7th Earl of Cork and Orrery, whose father had acquired it by marriage into the Hamilton family of Caledon in 1738.

He had already acquired property nearer his native Londonderry: the house and demesne of Boom Hall, outside Londonderry; the Church-land estate of Moville, County Donegal; and a fee simple estate near Ballycastle, County Antrim.

The Caledon estate was extended by piecemeal purchases of adjoining townlands and by the leasing of other adjoining townlands belonging to the Archbishop of Armagh.

Another extensive but more remote property at Castlederg, County Tyrone, known as the Derg estate, was purchased in 1861 by the guardians of the 4th Earl of Caledon from a kinsman of the Alexanders, Sir Robert Ferguson, through the Landed Estates Court.

Lord Caledon inherited Tyttenhanger Park in Hertfordshire, which had belonged to Lord Hardwicke's mother, the sister and heiress of Sir Henry Pope Blount Bt.

Two Earls were Knights of St Patrick.

It is quite plausible that, had the Order of St Patrick been extant at the time, Field Marshal the Earl Alexander of Tunis would have been installed as a Knight.

First published in December, 2009.

Annaghmore House

THE O'HARAS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY SLIGO, WITH 21,070 ACRES

CORMAC O'HARA (c1546-1612), of Collooney, County Sligo, married Una, daughter of _____ Gallagher, of County Galway, and had issue,

TEIGE, of whom hereafter;
Cormac, of Mollane;
Catherine; Annabella.

Mr O'Hara was succeeded by his eldest son,

TEIGE 'BOY' O'HARA (c1576-c1636), of Leiny, County Sligo, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1608, who wedded Sheela, daughter of _____ O'Rourke.

Mr O'Hara had issue, two sons, of whom the elder, Teige, of Collooney, born in 1612, died unmarried in 1634.

The younger son,

KEAN O'HARA (c1606-75), of Collooney and Annaghmore, County Sligo, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1665, succeeding his brother Teige in the family possessions, espoused firstly, Anne, daughter of Sir Adam Loftus, Knight, and widow of Richard, son and heir of Sir Lawrence Parsons, Knight, of Birr, and had issue,

ADAM, of Annaghmore;
CHARLES, died unmarried.

Mr O'Hara wedded secondly Rose, widow of William Crofton, daughter and heir of John Newman, of Dublin, by whom he had a son,

KEAN O'HARA, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1703, who succeeded to the family estates on the death of his two elder brothers without male issue.

He married Eleanor, daughter of Theobald Mathew, and sister of George Mathew, of Thomastown, County Tipperary.

Mr Kean O'Hara made a settlement to himself, for life, with remainder to his son and sons in tail male of the said estates.

By his said wife he had issue,

CHARLES, of whom presently;
Kean, of Kinsally, Co Dublin;
Adam.

The eldest son,

CHARLES O'HARA (1715-76), of Annaghmore, MP for Ballynakill, 1761-8, Armagh Borough, 1769-76, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1740, wedded, ca 1740, the Lady Mary Carmichael, eldest daughter of James, 2nd Earl of Hyndford, and sister of the Most Rev Dr William Carmichael, Lord Archbishop of Dublin.

By his wife he had issue two sons, the younger of whom, Captain William O'Hara RN, died unmarried.

The elder son,

CHARLES O'HARA (1746-1822), of Nymphsfield and Annaghmore, MP for Dungannon, 1776-83, County Sligo, 1783-1800, and one of the Governors of that county, wedded Margaret, daughter and heir of Dr John Cookson, of Yorkshire, and had issue,

CHARLES KING O'HARA;
Mary;
JANE FRANCES, of whom presently;
Charlotte.

The only son,

CHARLES KING O'HARA, of Annaghmore, born in 1785, who, by his will, devised his estates to his nephew, Charles Cooper, on condition that he should take the surname and quarter the arms of O'HARA.

Mr Charles O'Hara's second daughter,

MISS JANE FRANCES O'HARA, espoused, in 1810, Arthur Brooke Cooper, of Cooper's Hill, County Sligo, son of Arthur Cooper, of Cooper's Hill, by Sarah his wife, daughter of Guy Carleton, of Rossfad, County Fermanagh, and grandson, by Jane Cunningham his wife, of William Cooper, of Cooper's Hill, who was descendant of the same family as Cooper of Markree.

Mrs Cooper died in 1874, aged 94, leaving issue, two sons and four daughters,

Arthur Brooke, dvp;
CHARLES WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Margaret Sarah; Mary Jane Caroline; Jane Henrietta; Charlotte Anne.

Mr Cooper died in 1854.

The second son,

CHARLES WILLIAM O'HARA JP DL (1817-98), of Annaghmore and Cooper's Hill, MP for Sligo County, 1859-65, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1849, married, in 1858, Annie Charlotte, eldest daughter of Richard Shuttleworth Streatfeild, of The Rocks, Uckfield, Sussex, and had issue,

CHARLES KEAN, his heir;
Arthur Cooper, of Cooper's Hill;
Richard Edward;
William Henry;
Henry Streatfeild;
Alexander Perceval;
FREDERICK WILLIAM;
Errill Robert;
Charlotte Jane; Mary; Annie Frances; Emily Margaret; Jane Marian; Kathleen.

Mr O'Hara, whose patronymic was COOPER, assumed by royal licence, in 1860, the surname of O'HARA, in compliance with the testamentary injunction of his uncle, Charles King O'Hara, of Annaghmore.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES KEAN O'HARA OBE (1860-1947), of Annaghmore, High Sheriff of County Sligo, 1886, Major, 3rd York and Lancaster Regiment.

Major O'Hara was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Sligo, from 1902 until 1922.

He was succeeded by his younger brother, Frederick William O’Hara (1875-1949), who in turn was succeeded by his son Donal Frederick O'Hara (1904-77).

Donal Frederick O'Hara passed on the estate to his eldest son, Dermot Charles O'Hara.

Durcan and Nicola O'Hara now live at Annaghmore.

Annaghmore House, Collooney, County Sligo, has been the principal seat of the O'Haras since medieval times.

An earlier house on the site had been demolished by 1684.

Its successor was replaced by the present house of ca 1820, known in the 18th and early 19th centuries as Nymphsfield.

Annaghmore comprises a two-storey, three-bay centre, and an Ionic portico with single-storey, two-bay wings.

It was considerably enlarged about 1860-70 by Charles William O'Hara in the same late-Georgian style.

The wings were raised by a storey and extended to the rear, thus giving the mansion a side elevation as high as the front, and as long or longer.

Annaghmore remains the home of the O'Hara family today.

The former schoolhouse has been restored by the Irish Georgian Society and can be rented.

First published in December, 2017.  Cooper-O'Hara arms courtesy of the NLI.

1st Baron Gardner

THEOPHILUS GARDNER, of Coleraine, County Londonderry, by Margaret, daughter of _______ White, left issue,

WILLIAM GARDNER, of Coleraine, who commanded a company within the walls of Derry under WILLIAM III during the celebrated siege of that city.

Mr Gardner died young, and left a son,

WILLIAM GARDNER (1691-1762), Lieutenant-Colonel of the 11th Regiment of Dragoons, who married, in 1729, Elizabeth, eldest daughter and co-heir of Dr Valentine ffarington, physician, of Preston, Lancashire, and had issue,

William;

Valentine (b 1739), Major; father of WILLIAM LINNÆUS GARDNER;
Henry;
ALAN, of whom we treat;

Henry Farrington;

Anne; Agnes; Elizabeth; Mildred; Sarah; Margaretta; Dorothy.

Colonel Gardner died at Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.

His fourth son,

ALAN GARDNER (1742-1809), entered the Royal Navy in 1755, and rose to become Rear-Admiral in 1793; in the same year he was elected to Parliament for the borough of Plymouth, and was constituted one of the Lords of the Admiralty.

For his part in the memorable actions of the 29th May and 1st June, the Glorious First of June, under the Earl Howe, he was created a Baronet in 1794, designated of the Navy.

In 1796, he was returned to Parliament for Westminster, and in 1799 advanced to the rank of Admiral of the Blue.

1st Baron Gardner (William Beechey/Royal Museums Greenwich)

Sir Alan Gardner, 1st Baronet, was elevated to the peerage of Ireland, in 1800, as Baron Gardner of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.

His lordship was re-elected for Westminster in 1802, and created a peer of the United Kingdom, in 1806, by the title of BARON GARDNER, of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.

His lordship wedded, in 1769, Susannah Hyde, widow Samuel Turner, and daughter and sole heir of Francis Gale, of Liguania, Jamaica, by Susannah his wife, daughter of James Hall, of Hyde Hall, and had with other issue,

ALAN HYDE, his successor;

Francis ffarington, Rear-Admiral;

William Henry, General in the Army, Royal Artillery;

Herbert;

Susannah Hall.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

ALAN HYDE, 2nd Baron (1770-1815), KCB, Admiral, Royal Navy, who espoused firstly, in 1796, Maria Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Addlerly, of Innishannon, County Cork (who was divorced in 1805); and secondly, in 1809, Charlotte Elizabeth, third daughter of 1st Baron Carrington, and had issue,

ALAN LEGGE, his successor;

Charlotte Susannah.

On the 30th September, 1815, the Gazette announced the intended elevation of his lordship to a viscountcy; but he died before the patent passed.

The armorial bearings at the top show the coronet of a Viscount.

2nd Baron Gardner KCB (National Trust, Clandon Park

He was succeeded by his son, 

ALAN LEGGE, 3rd Baron (1810-83), of Court Garden, Buckinghamshire, and 46, Dover Street, London, who married firstly, in 1835, Frances Margaret, daughter of 1st Baron Dinorben, which lady dsp 1847; and secondly, in 1848, Julia Sarah Hayfield (who died in 1899), daughter of Edward Fortescue, by whom he had two daughters,

Florence Coulston, m 1875, 4th Earl of Onslow;

Evelyn Coulston, m 1881, Wm Fuller Maitland, of Stansted Hall, Essex.

He had two sons, Alan Coulson Gardner, and Herbert Coulson Gardner, both born out of wedlock.

His lordship died, 1883, without legitimate male issue.

Since the death of the 3rd Baron, the right to the baronies of Gardner has not been established and, as a consequence, it remains dormant.

Julian James Gardner, of Kasganj, India, claims to be a descendant of William Linnæus Gardner.

First published in June, 2023.

Ballinderry

DEDICATED TO JOHN HENNING, OBE

EDITED EXTRACTS FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY GAZETTEER OF IRELAND, PUBLISHED IN 1846

BALLINDERRY, a parish, containing a village of the same name, in the barony of Upper Massereene, County Antrim.

The surface is low ground along the east side of LOUGH NEAGH; and consists in general of good arable land.

In the north-east and south-west parts of the parish are some valuable bogs.

The weaving of linen and cotton affords employment to a considerable number of persons, but the greater number of the inhabitants are engaged in agriculture.

The Lagan Canal from Lough Neagh, on the north-west, to Belfast passes within a mile.

The parish is within the jurisdiction of the manorial court of Killultagh, held at Lisburn.

Amid flat ground on the west border, about half within the parochial boundary, and not far from the lip of Lough Neagh, are the lakeland ruinous castle of Portmore, redolent of associations connected with the name of Jeremy Taylor.

At Portmore, an extensive castle was erected by Lord Conway, in 1664, on the site of a more ancient fortress: it contained accommodation for two troops of horse, and orange of stabling 140 feet in length, 35 feet in breadth, and 40 feet in height; the remains consist only of the ancient garden wall, part of the stables, and the ruins of one of the bastions.

During the Protectorate, the learned Jeremy Taylor retired to this place, and remained at the seat of Lord Conway till the Restoration when he was promoted to the bishopric of Down and Connor.

On a small island in the lough are still some remains of a summer-house, in which he is said to have written some of the most important of his works, and in the neighbourhood his name is still held in great respect.

The chief residences are Portmore, Killultagh, Crew, Oatland, and Mount Prospect.

The village of Ballinderry stands on the road from Newry to Antrim, 4½ miles north of Moira, and five north-east of Lurgan.

This living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Connor, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Hertford, in whom the rectory is impropriate.

The vicar is non-resident.

The parish church was built in 1824, through the exertions of Dean Stannus; it is a handsome edifice, in the later style of English architecture, with a tower and spire 128 feet in height, and is beautifully situated on rising ground near the small village of Upper Ballinderry.

There is a glebe of 8 acres, though no glebe house.

Ballinderry Middle Church (WA Green/NMNI)

The old parish church, which was built after the Restoration of CHARLES II, still remains; and on the eastern side is a burial-place, called Templecormack, in the centre of which foundations of a small building may be traced.

The Middle Church has remained virtually the same as it was more than three centuries ago. Lych gate, pews, and mullioned windows still feature. A ballad from the locality commences:-

"Oh, 'tis pretty to be in Ballinderry,

'Tis pretty to be in Aghalee;

But prettier far in little Ram's Island

Sitting in under the ivy tree."

Ruins of Old Church, Portmore, 1893 (WA Green/ NMNI)

There are also some remains of an ancient church close to Portmore Lough.

The manor of Killultagh gives the title of Baron Conway of Killultagh to the Seymour family.

A Presbyterian meeting-house is attended by 200, and a Moravian meeting-house by 40; a Roman Catholic chapel, attended by 200-300, which is united to the chapel of Aghagallon.

College Square, Belfast

College Square ca 1835 (historic OS map)

COLLEGE SQUARE, an area of wasteland near central Belfast in 1806, was laid out under the auspices of the town's landlord, the Marquess of Donegall.

Royal Belfast Academical Institution post-1831 (artist unknown)

The surrounding fields were once utilized as grazing pasture for cattle; indeed prior to building work a watchman was "empowered to impound all cattle found trespassing on the Institution grounds.”

Click to Enlarge (Timothy Ferres)

The campus of Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI), often known simply as "Inst," comprised eight acres.

Royal Belfast Academical Institution (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

RBAI, the original and oldest building at College Square, was intended to form the nucleus of a town square, with terraced houses to the north, south, east, and west; this vision was spoiled, however, by the erection of the College of Technology inside the square at the corners of College Square East and College Square North.

RBAI, 1833 (Dublin Penny Journal: Views in Belfast)

This handsome cuckoo in the nest was completed about 1907 in the Baroque Revival style.

11-15 College Square East (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

COLLEGE SQUARE EAST, running from 38 College Street to Fisherwick Place, faces Belfast city centre, with a vista along Wellington Place towards City Hall.

College Square East ca 1920 (W A Green/ NMNI)

A statue of the Rev Henry Cooke, erected in 1876, is situated outside the gates of RBAI. 

The first statue on this site was of Frederick Richard, Earl of Belfast (1827-53), now located inside City Hall.

The oldest block still standing at College Square East is a terrace of four-storey houses, now shops and offices, at the corner of the square and Wellington Place, built about 1830.

Six surgeons resided at 11-15 College Square East in 1890.

William Thomson, elevated to the peerage in 1892 as Baron Kelvin, was born at 17 College Square East in 1824.

Murray Street (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

COLLEGE SQUARE SOUTH was intended to run from the present Murray Street to Durham Street; the ground at Murray Street, however, was leased to Sir James Murray in 1825, and became a short cul-de-sac instead.

It was once known as Murray's Terrace.

College Square North (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

COLLEGE SQUARE NORTH runs from 1, College Square East, to Durham Street.

This side of the square suffered greatly during the "Troubles" in the 1970s, with frequent bombing.

Part of the original terrace, nevertheless, survives, from numbers 5-12. 

Wilton House (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

This terrace, which includes Wilton House and the Old Museum, was built about 1830.

COLLEGE SQUARE WEST, like its southern neighbour, never materialized. 

Christ Church, 40 College Square North (Timothy Ferres, 2023)

It would have run from Christ Church (erected in 1833) to a spot some yards to the north of the present Athol Street.

Christ Church, 1833 (Dublin Penny Journal: Views in Belfast)

IT being found that a church was much wanted for the poorer classes of Protestants, the present edifice was erected. The sum of £2,000 was granted by the Board of First Fruits; and £3,000 were raised by subscription to complete it.

It is a plain edifice, with a cut-stone front and colonnade of the Ionic order, surmounted with an entablature; the other parts are of brick, with windows in recesses, ornamented with circular architraves.

The interior is laid out to give as much accommodation as possible: there are seats for one thousand persons on the ground floor; and there is a handsome gallery, which holds upwards of six hundred persons - it has been lately inclosed with an ornamental iron railing. It was opened in July, 1833.

Near the church a most commodious schoolhouse has been erected, which was also completed out of the liberal subscriptions of the inhabitants.

£5,000 in 1833 was equivalent to about £476,000 in 2021.

Christ Church held its last service for worshippers in 1993.