Tourin House

THE MUSGRAVE BARONETS, OF TOURIN, WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WATERFORD, WITH 8,282 ACRES

This is a junior branch of the ancient family of MUSGRAVE, of Great Musgrave, Westmorland, springing more immediately from

RICHARD MUSGRAVE, of Wortley, Yorkshire, who settled in Ireland, wedded Jane Proctor, and had two sons,

Richard;
CHRISTOPHER, of whom we treat.

The younger son,

CHRISTOPHER MUSGRAVE, settled at Tourin, County Waterford, and marrying Susannah, daughter of James Usher, of Ballintaylor, he died in 1787, having had three sons,

RICHARD, his heir;

John, of Ballylin, dsp 1800;

CHRISTOPHER, succeeded his brother as 2nd Baronet.

The eldest son,

RICHARD MUSGRAVE (1757-1818), was created a baronet in 1782, designated of Tourin, with remainder to the issue male of his father.

Sir Richard wedded, in the same year, Deborah, daughter of Sir Henry Cavendish Bt, by his wife Sarah, Baroness Waterpark, of Doveridge, Derbyshire, by whom he had no issue.

Sir Richard, High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1786, Collector of Excise in the port of Dublin, was known as a political writer, particularly by his history of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

He died in 1818, when the title, according to the limitation, devolved upon his surviving brother,

SIR CHRISTOPHER FREDERICK MUSGRAVE, 2nd Baronet (1738-1826), who espoused, in 1781, Jane, daughter of John Beere, of Ballyboy, County Tipperary, and had issue,

RICHARD, his heir;
John;
Anne.

Sir Christopher wedded secondly, in 1797, Elizabeth, daughter of William Nicholson, of Wilmer, County Tipperary, who died issueless in 1798; and thirdly, in 1801, Catherine, daughter of Pierce Power, of Affane, County Waterford, and had a son,

Christopher Frederick, born in 1802.

Sir Christopher was succeeded by his eldest son, 

SIR RICHARD MUSGRAVE MP, 3rd Baronet (1790-1859), High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1820, who married, in 1815, Frances, daughter of the Most Rev William Newcome, Lord Archbishop of Armagh, and had issue,

RICHARD, his heir;
Christopher;
John;
Robert;
Edward.

His eldest son, 

SIR RICHARD MUSGRAVE, 4th Baronet (1820-74), High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1851, was Lord-Lieutenant of County Waterford from March until July, 1874.

SIR RICHARD JOHN MUSGRAVE, 5th Baronet, JP DL (1850-1930), High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1880, married, in 1891, Jessie Sophia, daughter of Robert Dunsmuir.

Sir Richard died without male issue.

His elder daughter, Joan Moira Maud Jameson (née Musgrave) inherited the Tourin estate and her descendants live at Tourin today.

His cousin,

SIR CHRISTOPHER NORMAN MUSGRAVE, 6th Baronet, OBE (1892-1956), of Norwood Tower, Strandtown, Belfast, Lieutenant-Colonel, Royal Engineers, Chief Commissioner of Scouts, Northern Ireland, wedded, in 1918, Kathleen, daughter of Robert Spencer Chapman, and had issue,

RICHARD JAMES, his successor;
Christopher Michael (1923-44), killed in action;
John Anthony Newcome (1926-29);
Elizabeth Anne.

Sir Christopher inherited Norwood Tower in 1934.

Norwood Tower, Strandtown, Belfast

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR RICHARD JAMES MUSGRAVE, 7th Baronet (1922-2000), Captain, Indian Army, who married, in 1958, Maria, daughter of Colonel Mario Cambanis, of Athens, Greece, and had issue,

CHRISTOPHER JOHN SHANE;
Michael Shane;
Olivia Mirabel; Anastasia Maria; Charlotte Elizabeth; Alexandra Victoria.

His son and heir,

SIR CHRISTOPHER JOHN SHANE MUSGRAVE, 8th and present Baronet, was born in 1959.

The heir presumptive of the baronetcy is Michael Shane Musgrave (b 1968), younger brother of the present Baronet.

The Six Golden Amulets 

From Mucegros, near Écouen, France: This name, so largely represented in England, is repeated further on in its modernized form of Musgrave; and the heralds, ignoring its origin, labour to affiliate it to the German graf.

They declare that, like Land-grave, Burg-grave, Mar-grave, &c, it is "a name of office:" and as Mews in old days meant the cage or place where hawks were kept while mewing (moulting), and in after times came to signify a stable, boldly announce that "Musgrave or Mewsgrave is clearly either the keeper of the King's hawks or the King's equerry."

In support of this etymological vagary, they tell us that once upon a time an Emperor of Germany or Archduke of Austria (we will accept either) had a beautiful daughter who was courted by two valiant nobles.

Each of them had done him such "singular good service that he did not care to prefer one to the other."

At last it was agreed that they should ride at the ring for the princess; and whichever succeeded in carrying it off should marry her.

Musgrave triumphantly drove his spear through the ring, became the Emperor's son-in-law, and in memory of his exploit, had the six golden annulets now borne by the Musgraves of Westmorland granted him for his coat-of-arms.

TOURIN HOUSE, near Cappoquin, County Waterford, was owned by the Roche family in the 17th century, passed to a family called Nettles and was purchased by Sir Richard Musgrave, 1st Baronet, MP for Lismore and sheriff of County Waterford, in 1778.

The family lived in a 17th century E-shaped dwelling with gables and tall chimneys, attached to the mediaeval tower of Tourin Castle, until the 3rd Baronet decided to build a new house on a more elevated site above the River Blackwater.

Built in 1840, the new Tourin House is a handsome Italianate villa in what would then have been the very latest style, possibly to the designs of the Waterford architect Abraham Denny.

There are four formal fronts, all rendered and with beautifully crisply cut stone details.

These include an elaborate cornice, which supports the overhanging eaves, and a profusion of quoins and stringcourses.

The five-bay façade has a pair of projecting porches at both ends, both single storey and framed with limestone pilasters, which in turn flank an arcade of three round-headed windows.

The remaining fronts are mainly of four bays, though the ground floor of the rear facade is of five bays, with a delicate, bowed, iron verandah; while the garden front has a more robust single storey central bow.

Internally, Tourin is largely unaltered, with a splendid bifurcating imperial staircase of oak, which arises behind the hall.

The elder daughter of the 5th baronet inherited Tourin.

She married Thomas Jameson, and their granddaughters live in the house today.

THE GARDENS were laid out at the beginning of the 20th century by Richard Musgrave, with the help of his friend, the Cork brewer Richard Beamish.

The fine collection of rhododendrons, camellias, and magnolias are the creation of his grandson and his wife (the present owners' parents); while a number of mature oak and cedar trees, and a champion London plane, remain from the earlier garden and parkland layout.

The walled garden produces fruit, vegetables, herbs and cut flowers, and is home to an important collection of over a hundred bearded irises, which flower in May and June. 

Former residence ~ Headfort Court, Kells, County Meath.

First published in May, 2013.

Glenganagh House

WILLIAM KINGAN, of Silverstream, Greenisland, County Antrim, son of John Kingan, of Drumadoney and Ballymacarn, County Down, had issue, a son, 

SAMUEL KINGAN JP DL (1824-1911), of Glenganagh, County Down, who married, in 1875, Jane, daughter of John Sinclair, of The Grove, Belfast, and had issue,

WILLIAM SINCLAIR, his heir;
Thomas Davison;
Elizabeth Janie Sinclair; Mary Ethel.

Mr Sinclair was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM SINCLAIR KINGAN JP DL (1876-1946), of Glenganagh, High Sheriff of County Down, 1924, Senator, NI Parliament, 1940-46, who wedded, in 1921, Catherine Elizabeth Margaret, daughter of Alfred Edward Brett, and had issue,

THOMAS JOHN ANTHONY;
Catherine Janet.

Senator Kingan was succeeded by his only son,

THOMAS JOHN ANTHONY KINGAN DL, of Glenganagh, High Sheriff of County Down, 1958, who wedded, in 1954, Daphne Marian, daughter of the Rt Hon Sir (Charles) Norman Lockhart Stronge Bt, of Tynan Abbey, County Armagh, and had issue,

JAMES ANTHONY JOHN KINGAN.

*****

Tynan Abbey demesne, comprising several thousand acres, remains in the possession of the family of Sir Norman Stronge's daughter, Daphne Kingan: James and Kate Kingan and their three children, Charlotte, Esme and Edward.

James Kingan was an Ulster Unionist Party candidate in the elections of 1993 and 1997.

Tynan Abbey was demolished in 1998, due to the unstable structure of the ruin (all that remains is the arch of the front door surround).

It is hoped, however, that a new dwelling may be built on the site.

Glenganagh  (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2013)

GLENGANAGH HOUSE is located at Ballyholme Bay, between Bangor and Groomsport, County Down.

This Regency mansion is of two storeys, L-shaped and roughcast.

The front facing the shore has three large triple windows, according to Charles Brett; Georgian-glazed; plain and handsome.

The entrance front, in contrast, has a Tudor-style stone door-case.

There are splendid cast-iron conservatories at each end of the facade, which are joined by a kind of glass-roofed colonnade; all painted green.

Glenganagh appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834 but the historian Sir Charles Brett felt that the house was "probably at least fifteen years earlier, perhaps more".

The house is listed in 1828-40 as the residence of Lady Dufferin.

Dimensions are given for a house, porch, three returns, two passages, three outbuildings and a porter's lodge.

Anna Dorothea, Lady Dufferin, was the daughter of John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel, and the widow of Sir James Blackwood, who inherited the estates of Dufferin and Clandeboye in 1808.

She is thought to have moved into Glenganagh shortly after his death in 1836, and lived there until her death in 1865 at the age of 93.

She was a noted gardener.

In 1858, the house was considerably extended so that a courtyard has been formed to the rear.

In 1871, Glenganagh became the property of Andrew Cowan JP, a barrister and a director of the Belfast Royal Botanic and Horticultural Company.

He had previously lived at Ballylintogh House, near Hillsborough.

In 1880, the house passed to Samuel Kingan.

A gate lodge, by James Hanna, was added in 1882.

Mr Kingan "expended vast sums in ornamenting and beautifying the place, since he became the proprietor of the townlands of Ballyholme and Ballycormick. The vineries, fernery & c are constructed and heated on the most improved principles."

The OS map of 1900-02 shows considerable expansion in the outbuildings to the rear of the property.

Samuel Kingan was a successful businessman who, along with his brothers Thomas and John, had opened a meat-packing plant in Belfast in 1845.

The firm prospered, selling pork products to the Royal Navy and, in 1851 and 1853, they opened plants in Brooklyn, New York and Cincinnati, Ohio respectively.

After both plants burned down, they opened a third in Indianapolis in 1862.

In 1875 the firm merged with another Belfast firm, J & T Sinclair.

The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis carries an 1893 advertisement for Kingan & Co, Pork Packers, showing their factory in that town.

On Mr Kingan's death in 1911 the house passed to his sons William and Thomas.

Sir Charles Brett (a relative of the Kingan family) commented that, 

"Family history relates that the major alterations carried out at this time were instigated by their energetic sister Elsie ... the inner and outer hall and dining-room were panelled in the Edwardian manner, a canted stone bay window in Jacobean style was added to the dining-room, and a large new panelled and top-lit square stairwell and staircase inserted at the centre of the house, with a gallery round the upper level serving the bedrooms."

"These alterations were carried out under the supervision of James Hanna, architect, who had put up the gate lodge a few years before. It is unclear whether the massive cut-stone archway dividing the inner from the outer hall was also his work, or earlier. He seems to have made no material changes to the exterior."

The grounds extended to fourteen acres.

Glenganagh Gate Lodge (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2013)

Glenganagh's gate lodge dates from 1900.

First published in March, 2013.  Kingan arms courtesy of the NLI.

Reade of Carncairn

ALEXANDER READ was father of

JOHN READ, of Downpatrick, County Down, born ca 1720, who had issue,

ROBERT READ, a merchant in Dublin, born in 1744, who married Letitia, daughter of Sir John Doyle, and was father of

DR THOMAS READE (1795-1873), of 7, Wellington Place, Belfast, a distinguished physician, who wedded Helena Harriett, daughter of the Rev James Traill Sturrock, Rector of Seapatrick, County Down, and had issue,

ROBERT HENRY STURROCK, of whom presently;

James Thomas;

Annabella Emily; Isabella Letitia.

Dr Reade was born in Dublin; studied at Trinity College, Dublin; BA, 1818; MB, 1818; MRCSE, 1820; MRCSI, 1825.

He commenced practice in Letterkenny in 1822, afterwards removed to Londonderry, thence to Coleraine in 1831, and finally to Belfast in 1840.

He published, among other papers, a valuable treatise on the Brain.

Dr Reade's eldest son,

ROBERT HENRY STURROCK READE DL (1837-1913), of WILMONT, Dunmurry, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1901, Chairman, York Street Flax Spinning Company Ltd, Belfast, who espoused, in 1875, Dorothea Emily Florence, daughter of the Rev George Robbins, of Florence, Italy, Rector of Courteenhall, Northamptonshire, and had issue,

GEORGE STURROCK, his heir;
Robert Ernest, DSO (1879-1901);
Harriette Ethel Stewart; Emily Mary Sophia.

The elder son,

GEORGE STURROCK READE JP DL (1877-1950), of Carncairn Lodge, Broughshane, County Antrim, formerly of Firgrove, Muckamore, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1915, Vice-President, Royal Ulster Agricultural Society, Director, York Street Flax Spinning Company Ltd, Belfast, married, in 1912, Elise Allen, daughter of Henry Tregellas, of Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and had issue,

ROBERT HENRY, his heir;
Pamela.

The only son,

ROBERT HENRY (Robin) READE MC ERD DL (1919-2002), of Carncairn Lodge, Major, Royal Artillery, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1956, Director, York Street Flax Spinning Company, wedded, in 1948, Kathleen Grace, only daughter of Edgar Reginald Casement, of Coolgreany, Ballycastle, County Antrim, and had issue,

Richard George, DL b 1949; former Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Co Antrim;

David John, b 1955;

Patricia Elise, b 1951.

Carncairn Lodge, Broughshane, County Antrim

The Reades resided at Wilmont for forty years, until George Reade sold it, in 1919, to the Dixons.

First published in March, 2015.  Reade arms courtesy of the NLI.

The Caldwell Baronetcy

The founder of this family in Ulster, JOHN CALDWELL (1603-39), a merchant in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, was born at Preston, Ayrshire. By his wife Mary, daughter of Anthony Sweetenham, of Chester, he was father of

JAMES CALDWELL (c1630-1717), a merchant of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, settled at Rossbeg, afterwards named Castle Caldwell, County Fermanagh.

He wedded, about 1655, Catherine, daughter of Sir John Hume, 2nd Baronet, and had issue,

Charles, (Lt-Col), (1702-17);

HENRY, his successor;

Hugh;

John.

He was created a baronet in 1683, being designated of Wellsborough, County Fermanagh.

Sir James, High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1was attainted by the Irish Parliament of JAMES II, 1689.

He was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR HENRY CALDWELL, 2nd Baronet, High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1693, a merchant at Ballyshannon, County Donegal.

Sir Henry died ca 1726, and was succeeded by his son,

SIR JOHN CALDWELL, 3rd Baronet, who wedded, in 1719, Anne, daughter of the Very Rev John Trench, Dean of Raphoe, and had issue,

JAMES, his successor;

Hume;

Henry, father of the 6th Baronet;

Catherine.

The second son, Hume, was a very distinguished officer in the Austrian service, and attained the rank of colonel. He was killed in a sally from the fortress of Schweidnitz, in 1762.

Sir John died in 1744, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON SIR JAMES CALDWELL, 4th Baronet (c1722-84), Deputy Governor of Fermanagh, 1752, High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1756, who being in the service of the Empress Maria Theresa, was created by that princess COUNT OF MILAN, in the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1766, Sir James, in passing through Vienna, having had an audience of leave of the Empress-Queen, Her Imperial Majesty, in a very gracious manner, charged him with a magnificent gold box, to present to the Dowager Lady Caldwell, mother of Colonel Caldwell, as a testimony of Her Majesty's gratitude for the signal services performed by that gallant officer. 

Sir James raised, in 1760, at his own expense, a body of Light Horse (20th Dragoons), comprising 250 men, which he commanded for some years, for the defence of the Kingdom of Ireland. 

This regiment was disbanded in 1763. Sir James is said to have declined a peerage as well as the position of chamberlain to the Empress of Germany.

He espoused, in 1753, Elizabeth, daughter of the Most Rev Dr Josiah Hort, Lord Archbishop of Tuam, by whom he had (with four daughters) three sons,

JOHN, his successor;
Fitzmaurice;
Josiah John.

Sir James was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN CALDWELL, 5th Baronet (1756-1830), of Castle Caldwell, County Fermanagh, Count of Milan, Aide-de-Camp to the Viceroy of India, 1782, Governor of County Fermanagh, 1793; Lieutenant-Colonel, Fermanagh Militia, High Sheriff of County Fermanagh, 1798, Captain, Belleek Infantry, 1802.

He married, in 1789, Harriet, daughter of Hugh Meynell, and had two daughters, the elder of whom, Louisa Georgiana, wedded, in 1823, to Sir J W Hort Bt; and the second, to Sir John Colpoys Bloomfield, of Redwood, County Tipperary.

On his death, in 1830, his Holy Roman Empire Countship expired, and the baronetcy reverted to his cousin,

SIR JOHN CALDWELL, 6th Baronet (1775–1842), born at Quebec, Treasurer-General of Canada, 1810, who espoused, in 1800, Jane, daughter of James Davidson, and had issue,

HENRY JOHN, his successor;
Anne (1805-41).

Sir John was succeeded by his only son,

SIR HENRY JOHN CALDWELL, 7th Baronet (1801-58), who married, in 1839, Sophia Louisa, daughter of David Runwa Paynter, though the marriage was without issue.

The title expired on the 7th Baronet's death in 1858.

CASTLE CALDWELL, near Belleek, County Fermanagh, stands on an isthmus overlooking Lower Lough Erne.

It was built between 1613-19 by Thomas Blennerhassett on the 1,500 acre estate he acquired under the Plantation of Ulster.

The castle was purchased by James Caldwell in 1662.

Castle Caldwell ca 1830 (historic OS map)

First published in July, 2011.

Templemore Abbey

THE CARDEN BARONETS OWNED 7,850 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY TIPPERARY

This family, which is of antiquity, removed from Lincolnshire into Ireland about the middle of the 17th century.

The name is local, being derived from the township of Cawarden, or Carden, which lies about eleven miles south-south-east from Chester, which manor was the original inheritance of the family; but the elder branch terminating in co-heiresses, the manor of Over-Carden was carried by marriage into the family of Felton, about the end of the 16th century.

A branch of the family had been settled in Kent, where it appears that it had been for several generations possessed of the manor of Hodford; but that estate was alienated during the reign of ELIZABETH I, by John Carden, to the family of Cobbe, when there is reason to believe that the Cardens of Kent removed into Lincolnshire, and that from them diverged the Irish branch, springing from

JOHN CARDEN (c1623-1728), who settled at Templemore, County Tipperary, about 1650, who married Priscilla, daughter of John Kent, of County Kilkenny, by whom he had issue,

Jonathan, ancestor of CARDEN OF BARNANE;
JOHN, of whom we treat;
William;
Margery; Anne; Abigail; Margaret; two other daughters.

Mr Carden died at the extraordinary age of 105. His second son,

JOHN CARDEN, of Templemore, wedded, in 1717, Rebecca, daughter of Humphrey Minchin, of Ballynakill, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
Minchin;
Paul.

The eldest son,

JOHN CARDEN (1720-74), of Templemore, espoused, in 1747, Elizabeth, daughter and heir of the Rev Robert Craven, and had (with other issue),

JOHN CRAVEN, his heir;
Christiana.

The eldest son,

JOHN CRAVEN CARDEN (c1758-1820), of Templemore, married firstly, in 1776, Mary, daughter of Arthur, 1st Viscount Harberton, and had issue,

John (1777-1811);
ARTHUR, his heir;
another son.

He wedded secondly, in 1781, Sarah, daughter of John Moore, and had issue,

Annesley;
Gertrude;
another daughter.

Mr Carden espoused thirdly, in 1788, Mary Frances, daughter of Henry Westenra, and sister of Warner William, 2nd Baron Rossmore, and had further issue,

HENRY ROBERT, 2nd Baronet;
Harriet Amelia; Frances.

He married fourthly, Anne, widow of the Viscount Monck.

Mr Carden was created a baronet in 1787, designated of Templemore, County Tipperary.

He raised and commanded the 30th Regiment of Light Dragoons, which, with many other regiments, was reduced at the peace of Amiens.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ARTHUR CARDEN, 2nd Baronet (1778-1822), High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1820, who wedded Mary, daughter of Thomas Kemmis, of Shaen, Queen's County; but dying without issue, the title devolved upon his half-brother,

SIR HENRY ROBERT CARDEN (1789-1847), of Templemore, High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1824, who espoused, in 1818, Louisa, daughter of Frederick Thompson, of Dublin, and had issue,

JOHN CRAVEN, his successor;
Frederick;
Henry Daniel;
Arthur (Rev);
Elizabeth Caroline; Sarah Sophia; Frances Mary.

Sir Henry was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN CRAVEN CARDEN, 4th Baronet (1819-79), DL, High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1849, who married firstly, in 1844, Caroline Elizabeth Mary, daughter of Sir William Mordaunt Sturt Milner Bt, and had issue,

Beatrice Georgina; three other daughters.

He wedded secondly, in 1852, Julia Isabella, daughter of Admiral Charles Gepp Robinson, and had further issue,

JOHN CRAVEN, his successor;
Henry Charles;
Frederick Richard;
Coldstream James;
Derrick Alfred, ancestor of the 8th Baronet;
Julia Ellen Beatrice; Norah Irene; Eileen Olive.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN CRAVEN CARDEN, 5th Baronet (1854-1931), JP DL, High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1882, who espoused, in 1891, Sybil Martha, daughter of General Valentine Baker, and had issue,

JOHN VALENTINE, his successor;
Audrey.

Sir John, the last of the family to live at Templemore Abbey, was succeeded by his son and heir,

SIR JOHN VALENTINE CARDEN, 6th Baronet (1892-1935), MBE, Captain, Royal Army Service Corps, who married firstly, in 1915, Vera Madeleine, daughter of William Henry Hervet-d'Egville; and secondly, in 1925, Dorothy Mary, daughter of Charles Luckraft McKinnon, by whom he had issue, an only child,

SIR JOHN CRAVEN CARDEN, 7th Baronet (1926-2008), of Jersey, Channel Islands, who wedded, in 1947, Isabel Georgette, daughter de Hart, and had issue, an only child, ISABEL MARY.

Sir John died without male issue, when the title passed to his kinsman,

SIR JOHN CRAVEN CARDEN, 8th and present Baronet.

Sir John Craven Carden, 5th Baronet (1854–1931);

Sir John Valentine Carden, 6th Baronet (1892–1935)

Sir John Craven Carden, 7th Baronet (1926–2008);

Sir John Craven Carden, 8th Baronet (born 1953).

Templemore Abbey (Image: Robert French)

TEMPLEMORE ABBEY, County Tipperary, replaced an earlier castle which was destroyed by a fire in the mid-18th century.

In its place another house was erected, though it, too, was demolished in the early 1800s and a new residence was constructed on an elevated location some distance from the original building.

Templemore Priory (Image: Henry Brocas; R Smith)

It was called Templemore Priory, though its name was changed subsequently to Templemore Abbey.

(Image: Robert French)

This residence was relatively modest, similar to a single-storey Gothic cottage; it was, however, considerably increased in size by the architect William Vitruvius Morrison in the Tudor-Gothic style.

This was said to have cost £36,000 (£4.3 million in today's money).

The completed mansion afforded a two-storey entrance front, with finials, oriels, gables, and a castellated parapet.

There was also a long, irregular side elevation.

The Abbey was burnt to the ground in 1921 by the IRA.

Former residence ~ Nassau, Bahamas.

First published in August, 2019.

Lisburn Manor House

THE STANNUSES OWNED 22 ACRES OF LAND IN LISBURN, COUNTY ANTRIM

The first mention of the family in Ireland is found in a patent of naturalization (consequent upon the plantation of Ulster by JAMES I), dated 1618, and granted to WILLIAM STANEHOUSE, of Carbolzie [sic], in Scotland, whereby all the rights and privileges of an English subject were fully secured to him and other persons of consideration.

The son of this William was

JAMES STANNUS, of Carlingford, the principal part of which town and manor he was seised of, including several townlands.

His interment in the church of Knock, County Down, previous to 1683, is recorded in a very interesting family document.

His son,

WILLIAM STANNUS (d 1717), also styled of Carlingford, was High Sheriff of County Louth, 1704.

It is to be remarked that, on the Sheriff's roll, the name is spelled Stanehouse.

Mr Stannus married Mabella, sister of Ephraim Dawson, of Dawson's Court, MP for the Queen's County, 1715-46 (whose grandson was created Earl of Portarlington), and had issue,

James, (1686-1721); MP for Carlingford 1713-21;
William, (1695-1732); MP for Carlingford, 1721-27, Portarlington, 1730;
Ephraim, b 1697; died in Gambia;
TREVOR, of whom we treat;
Mabella; Anne; Sophia.

The youngest son, 

TREVOR STANNUS (1700-71), denominated of Portarlington, succeeded to part of the Carlingford estates, and wedded, in 1728, Jane, daughter of Robert Sibthorp, MP for Louth, and had issue,

THOMAS, his heir;
William, 1730-58;
James, 1738-1808;
Ephraim;
Jane.

Mr Stannus, High Sheriff of County Louth, 1744, was buried in The French Church (St Paul's) at Portarlington.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS STANNUS (1736-1813), MP for Portarlington, 1789-99, who served during the American War of Independence, where he was severely wounded.

He espoused, in 1784, Caroline, sister of Hans Hamilton MP, of Abbotstown, County Dublin, and had issue,

Thomas, his heir;
JAMES, of whom we treat;
Trevor;
Caroline; Charlotte; Sophia; Jane; Harriette.

The second son,

THE VERY REV JAMES STANNUS (1788-1876), Dean of Ross, Rector of Lisburn, married, in 1816, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Erasmus Dixon Borrowes Bt, and had issue,

BEAUCHAMP WALTER (Rev);
Henry James, a general in the army;
Thomas Robert;
WALTER TREVOR, of whom we treat;
Harriet Jane; Elizabeth Emily Sophia.

The Dean's youngest son,

WALTER TREVOR STANNUS JP DL (1827-95), of Lisburn, County Antrim, and Moneymore, County Londonderry, married, in 1856, Catherine Geraldine, daughter of the Very Rev Henry Vesey-Fitzgerald, 3rd Baron Fitzgerald and Vesey, Dean of Kilmore, and had issue,

HENRY VESEY FITZGERALD, died young;
Gerald Walter James Fitzgerald;
Louisa Mabel Georgina, of The Manor House, Lisburn;
Geraldine Maude.

*****

Walter Trevor Stannus was Agent for the Worshipful Company of Drapers and his official residence was The Manor House, Moneymore.

The Manor House, Lisburn (Image: ILC&LM\Denis Agnew Collection)

THE MANOR HOUSE, Lisburn, County Antrim, was built ca 1860 for Walter Trevor Stannus.

In his Gate Lodges of Ulster, JAK Dean describes it thus:

A rather plain Regency villa of about 1860 for the Stannus family, whose splendid crest (a talbot's head catching a dove) and motto ET VI ET VIRTUTE decorate the hall gable.

The grounds extended to a relatively modest twenty-one acres.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

The gate lodge of the former main entrance survives at Manor Drive, Lisburn.

The Manor House, Moneymore

THE MANOR HOUSE, Moneymore, County Londonderry, was built by the Worshipful Company of Drapers in 1835 and designed by W J Booth.

It was described thus:

a handsome end spacious mansion, three storey, with a lesser wing at each end. It is built of cut sandstone and has a portico supported by massive stone columns.

The lesser wings were originally two storeys high.

The cut sandstone was probably similar to that of the market house of 1839.

In 1875, alterations were carried out: The wings gained additional floors; the centre block received a cornice and balustrading parapet, and lost its stone facing which was not plastered over.

The Deputation visited Moneymore in the same year, where the renovated Manor House was ready for reception, but "the plaster was not dry ... the Agent was complimented on having the building ready on time".

Featherstone of Belfast was the architect, being appointed in 1873.

Walter Trevor Stannus succeeded Rowley Miller as Agent.

The Company disposed of the Manor House ca 1900.

In 1882, Sir William Fitzwilliam Lenox-Conynghan, of Springhill, was appointed Agent.

Later, the Manor House became a hotel and restaurant.

In recent renovations the building has lost its former substantial projecting porch.

First published in March, 2013.

Templer of Loughgall

ROBERT BARON TEMPLER (1830-86), of Cloveneden, Loughgall, County Armagh, a barrister at Middle Temple, Land Agent for the Cope Estate, married, in 1860, Geraldine, youngest daughter of Captain Francis Manley Shawe, leaving issue, his second son,

WALTER FRANCIS TEMPLER CBE DL (1865-1942), of the Manor House, Loughgall, Lieutenant-Colonel, Royal Irish Fusiliers, Army Pay Department, 1888-1921, who wedded, in 1895, Mabel Eileen (Little Castle Dillon, near Armagh), third daughter of Major Robert Johnston, Highland Light Infantry, and Army Pay Department, and had issue, 

Little Castle Dillon (Buildings of County Armagh)

FIELD-MARSHAL SIR GERALD WALTER ROBERT TEMPLER KG GCB GCMG KBE DSO, of Little Castle Dillon, County Armagh, and 12 Wilton Street, London.

Sir Gerald is pictured, above, wearing the robe of a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB).

In his right hand he holds his field-marshal's baton.

Loughgall Manor

The Northern Ireland Horticulture & Plant Breeding station is set in the former Cope Estate, surrounded by mature woodlands and overlooking the Lough Gall.

The estate was established in the late 17th century by Sir Anthony Cope, of Hanwell, Oxfordshire, and became the Cope family home for 350 years.

Templer crest (Image: College of Arms)

In 1947 the estate was purchased from Sir Gerald Templer, a descendant of the original owner, by the (then) Ministry of Agriculture.

First published in February, 2013.

The Ely Letter

I have unearthed an old letter I received from the Ely Lodge Estate in County Fermanagh 33 years ago. It is dated February 8th, 1977; hence my interest in country houses from an early age.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

The letter is from the Estate Office at Ely Farms on the estate. Charles Plunket was the Agent at the time.

It explains that the 5th Duke of Westminster inherited the family seat at Eaton Hall in 1967; and still retained Ely Lodge as his private home; that the 5th Duke retired to Ely in 1977 and his son, Lord Grosvenor (now the 6th and present Duke) was living at Eaton Hall.

In 1977, the Ely Estate amounted to 1,000 acres in County Fermanagh and 1,500 acres in County Tyrone.

Plight of the Big House

An unexpected visitor arrived on the 18th December, 2020, viz. J A K Dean, the distinguished author of several illustrated books about Ulster heritage.

I have two of his books, the Gate Lodges of Ulster, and The Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland.

The latter of the two has only just been published by the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society.

Dixie called with me this morning and, to my absolute delight and surprise, presented me with a copy of The Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland.

I intend to write more about it when I've perused it.

I immediately recognized the mansion featured on the front cover: Norwood Tower, former residence of the Hendersons, erstwhile proprietors of the Belfast Newsletter newspaper, and directors of Ulster Television.

I am extremely grateful to Dixie and, like his indispensable Gate Lodges of Ulster, I am in no doubt that this latest book shall prove to be as authoritative a publication. 

First published in December, 2020.

Vice-Admirals of Ulster

4th Earl of Kilmorey OBE

Vice-Admirals of Ulster

• Arthur, 1st Baron Chichester; in office 1602-25
• Edward, 1st Viscount Chichester, 1625-39
• Charles, 1st Earl of Mountrath, 1647
• Sir William Stewart Bt, 1647
• John Davis (?), 1661
• Gorges (?), 1666
• Gustavus, 1st Viscount Boyne, 1691-1709, 1716-23  
• The Hon Frederick Hamilton, 1710-15
• Henry, 1st Baron Conyngham, 1748-79
• William Burton Conyngham, 1779-96
• Charles, 1st Earl O'Neill, 1822-1841
• Archibald, 2nd Earl of Gosford, 1841-49
• Francis, 2nd Marquess Conyngham, 1849-76
• George Henry, 3rd Marquess Conyngham, -1882
• Archibald, 4th Earl of Gosford, -1922
• Frederick, 3rd Marquess of Dufferin & Ava, 1923-30
• Francis Charles, 4th Earl of Kilmorey, 1937-61
• Basil, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, 1961-73

The various Vice-Admirals of the Coast were not responsible for defence.

The office of Lord High Admiral had two separate strands: one concerned with legal jurisdiction (as head of the High Court of Admiralty, from which the office derived by far the greater part of its emoluments and its power); and the other concerned with executive command of the Navy.

The Vice-Admirals of the Coast were appointed in regard to the former, not the latter.  

Vice-Admiralty Courts ceased to function in 1864.

In 1891 the Admiralty Court itself was merged into the High Courts of Justice under the Judicature Act of that year.  

All appointments as Vice-Admirals of the Coast, already essentially nugatory, automatically lapsed.

There were various claims to the honorary dignity of the title from families which had held it in succession over a number of generations (although it was never hereditary) or by various mayors (although any rights in this respect were extinguished by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1895).

The Marquesses Conyngham, for instance, owned 150,000 acres of land in Ireland, the vast majority of which was in County Donegal.

Even when still functioning, the office of Vice-Admiral of Ulster was more limited than the title might suggest, as a charter issued by CHARLES II to the Honourable the Irish Society gave jurisdiction over the larger part of the coast of Ulster to them, excepting only the coasts of counties Down and Antrim.

In 1961, when the question of reviving the office of Vice-Admiral of Ulster arose (there having been none since 1937), the Head of the Historical Section (Admiralty) was consulted, and provided a summary of the historical background before giving his personal opinion on the matter:

Subject to a clear acceptance of the fact that any such appointment today carries only a legal connotation, is defunct, and does not entitle the holder to claim any military rank or duty, Head of H.S. sees no real objection to the proposed appointment beyond the obvious stupidity of appointing gentlemen to moribund offices. All these Vice-Admiralty titles are quite meaningless today.

In 1964, after the office of Lord High Admiral was resumed by the Crown, the Royal Navy ceased to have authority to issue warrants for such offices.

First published in January, 2012.

Field-Marshal Sir John Dill

DAVID DILL, son of John Dill, of Tullynadall, County Donegal, born in 1640, married, in 1665, Catherine Sheridan, and had issue,

Joseph;
FRANCIS, of whom hereafter;
Samuel;
David.

The second son,

FRANCIS DILL, of Aughadreena, County Donegal, born in 1675, wedded, in 1720, Rebecca Anderson, and had issue (with three daughters),

JOHN, of whom hereafter;
Marcus.

The elder son,

JOHN DILL (1726-1804), of Springfield, County Donegal, espoused, in 1764, Susan, daughter of Richard McClure, of Convoy, and had issue,

Francis;
Richard (Rev); 
Samuel (Rev); grandfather of SIR SAMUEL DILL;
JOHN, of whom we treat;
Moses;
Marcus;
Margery; Mary.

The fourth son,

JOHN DILL, of Oak Bank, Ramelton, County Donegal, born in 1774, married Anna Scott, and had issue,

Alexander;
JOHN, of whom we treat;
Anna; Susanna.

The younger son,

THE REV JOHN DILL (1802-41), Presbyterian Minister of Carnmoney, County Antrim, wedded, in 1828, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of his uncle, the Rev Samuel Dill, and had issue,

John Alexander Scott;
Samuel Richard;
JOHN, of whom hereafter;
Hessy Nesbitt.

The Rev J Dill's third son,

JOHN DILL (1841-94), of 6, College Gardens, Belfast, a Manager in the Ulster Bank, married, in 1876, Jane, daughter of John Waite Greer, and had issue,

JOHN GREER;
Nicholina Frances.

4-7, College Gardens, Belfast, 1896 (Image: Northern Ireland Historical Photographical Society)

6, College Gardens was demolished in the 1970s and the Queen's University Common Room (now Deane's at Queen's restaurant) now occupies the site.

College Gardens, Belfast, 2021 (Image: Timothy Ferres)

Mr John Dill's only son,

FIELD-MARSHAL SIR JOHN GREER DILL GCB CMG DSO (1881-1944), Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 1940-41, wedded firstly, in 1907, Ada Maude, daughter of Colonel William Albert Le Mottée, and had issue, an only child,

JOHN de GUERIN.

He married secondly, in 1941, Nancy Isabelle Cecil, daughter of Henry Charrington.

Sir John's only son,

COLONEL JOHN de GUERIN DILL MBE (1916-71), Royal Horse Artillery, wedded, in 1942, Heather Avice Fenton, daughter of Harold Arthur Falkner, and had issue,

John Peregrine, b 1946;
Felicia Rosanne; Priscilla Avice Bettina.

First published in February, 2017.