Ardnalea House

ARDNALEA HOUSE, Craigavad, County Down, is a two-storey Victorian house of ca 1845 with basement, now divided into four separate dwellings.

The original subdivision took place in the mid-20th century and Number 69 has been a single dwelling since then, comprising the east side of the original house.

Two gate lodges are also marked, as are a "landing place" and "flag staff."

Griffith’s Valuation of the same period describes it as a ‘house, offices and land’ occupied by LADY BATESON and leased from William S Mitchell, a linen merchant and minor landowner who lived at "Olinda" nearby.

The Crawfords, of CRAWFORDSBURN, who lived there subsequently, remarked that the interior decoration was executed by Italian artists in the 1840s, at the time the house was first built.

It would appear that this was a bathing lodge or dower house for Lady Bateson, the widow of Sir Robert Bateson, a conservative politician and significant landowner, who was to die in 1863 at his home in Belvoir Park, Newtownbreda, County Down.

By 1875 the house was occupied by William Crawford, a director of the Belfast Bank in Waring Street, the Bank having been founded by Hugh Crawford in 1808.

Crawford’s alterations to the house give it much of the external appearance it assumes today.

He raised the house by a storey and built additional outbuildings by 1877, shortly after taking over the house.

In 1891, ‘labourers’ houses’ were added to the site.

Crawford died in 1907 leaving a considerable fortune, and the property passed to his son, Robert J Crawford.

The house was supplied with water from a well, with a gas engine pump and lighting from Holywood gas.

There was a 1½ horsepower gas engine for driving the water pump.

At this period Ardnalea had "painted walls."

The accommodation comprised, on the ground floor, a dining-room, reading room, inner hall, two drawing-rooms, an outer hall, cloakroom, WC, WB, pantry, study and lavatory.

On the first floor there were five principal bedrooms, two dressing rooms, bathroom, a sewing-room, four maids’ bedrooms and a lavatory.

In the basement there was a larder, scullery, kitchen, maid’s bathroom, three store rooms, three lumber rooms, boiler house, cellar, dairy and disused kitchen.

Various outbuildings included a boat house, fowl houses, byres and hay barns.

In 1940 the mansion house and three acres of curtilage were requisitioned by the armed forces, Crawford retaining 6½ acres.

Family notes indicate that the house was sold in 1948 and converted into apartments, the conversion possibly being carried out by Henry Lynn, architect, who was working in Belfast between 1930 and 1972 and whose drawings of the outbuildings survive.

The house had been converted into "a house and two flats" by 1949.

In November, 1949, the main house was occupied by Colonel Vinycomb, Flat 3 was let to Air Commodore Allan Robert Churchman CB DFC DL, and Flat 2 was let to Mrs V Grainger.

First published in April, 2019.

Mayoral Robe

Belfast is one of the few cities in the United Kingdom where its Lord Mayor is styled Right Honourable.

This rank and style was conferred upon the Lord Mayor of Belfast by GEORGE V in March, 1923.

The prefix usually indicates that a person is a privy counsellor; though in the case of lord mayors of London, Belfast, Cardiff, York etc it indicates the status of a baron.

Alderman Jim Rodgers OBE (Image: Belfast City Hall)

Alderman Jim Rodgers OBE, 52nd Lord Mayor of Belfast, held office in 2001-2 and 2007-8.

The mayoral robe is probably made of black silk damask, trimmed with gold lace.

The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Lord Chancellor, 2015-16

The Lord Chancellor wears similar attire on ceremonial and state occasions.

A white lace jabot and white lace cuffs can also be worn.

Pictured above is the Rt Hon Sir William George Turner (a privy counsellor), Lord Mayor of Belfast, 1924-28, accompanying HRH Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood.

First published in July, 2016.

Kilclief

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

KILCLIEF, a parish, containing a village of the same name, on the east border of the barony of Lecale, County Down.

The surface lies along the west side of the entrance, or lower part of the channel, of Strangford Lough; and almost everywhere consists of good arable land.

The village stands on the shore, 1½ miles north-west of Killard Point, and two miles south of Strangford.

Adjoining the village stands Kilclief Castle, an Anglo-Irish military keep of the early part of the 14th century, in a state of fine preservation, and of a considerable size and height.

Its general form is nearly a square, with the addition of two quadrangular wings in front, in the one of which is a staircase, and in the other a stack of closets: the first floor is vaulted, and the second has a stone chimneypiece, on which is carved the figure of a bird resembling a hawk.

This castle, and a fine circumjacent demesne of some of the richest land in the barony, were an ancient see house and manor of the Bishops of Down.

Kilclief Castle (Image: Robert John Welch)

John Sely, the last Bishop of Down, previous to the annexation of that see to Connor, lived here in open and infamous sin with a married woman, and seems to have plotted here various "treasons, transgressions, and other crimes," for which he was indicted, outlawed, and pardoned; but he was eventually, though not without difficulty, un-mitred and un-frocked.

The original church of Kilclief is alleged by monastic dreamers to have been the chapel of an abbey of regular canons, founded by St Patrick, and presided over by two of his disciples, who were brothers, and named Eugenius and Neill.

Old writers say also that, in a subsequent age, a hospital was founded here for lepers.

This parish was formerly a perpetual curacy, and part of the corps of the Archdeaconry of Down, but, since 1834, has been a rectory, and a separate benefice, in the diocese of Down.

The Glebe House was built in 1816 by the Board of First Fruits at a cost of £500; and was burnt by IRA in 1916. The rector in 1830 was the Rev Henry Leslie. Electricity was installed in 1954, a gift of Mrs A Johnston, of Tully, in memory of her father, Alfred.

First published in March, 2021.

The Crown Bar

THE CROWN LIQUOR SALOON stands at the end of a terrace on the east side of Great Victoria Street, Belfast.

It is located at 46, Great Victoria Street, on a corner site, with its gabled south side elevation fronting onto Amelia Street.

The Crown comprises three storeys, though the southern elevation extends as a two-storey attic return.

It is directly opposite the Europa Hotel (which is on the site of the former Great Northern railway terminus).

This stucco-fronted building was built ca 1840, and remodelled ca 1898, including a decorative, tiled pub shopfront.

The interior was remodelled about 1885.

The pitched, natural slate roof was reconstructed ca 2005.

A painted fascia reads 'THE CROWN BAR', each corner surmounted by urns.

The elaborately tiled pub shopfront has tiled panels divided into five bays by Corinthian tiled pilasters.

Three central bays are recessed to provide a porch, with a pair of pink and white marble Corinthian columns to full-span gilded glass fascia proclaiming "LIQUOR {THE CROWN} SALOON" and tiled panels to either end, stating "SPIRIT" and "VAULTS".

All are surmounted by a series of scrolls, finials and tiled scallops to either end.

The porch contains a mosaic tiled floor proclaiming "CROWN BAR", with etched and painted fixed-pane windows to three sides and tiled panels below.

THE CROWN BAR was recorded in the 1852 Belfast street directory as the Ulster Railway Hotel and Tavern, the proprietor being Terence O’Hanlon.

In 1859 it was recorded that the Ulster Railway Hotel was let to Mr O’Hanlon by Henry Joy.

The hotel was described as a three-storey, A-class building that measured 19½ by 12 yards.

Mr O’Hanlon continued to occupy the hotel until 1880, when it was taken over by Patrick Flanigan (who later purchased the building in 1885).

Mr Flanigan thereafter purchased numbers 19 and 21 Amelia Street to its rear, and converted the entire premises into a public house.

By 1901, the premises were known as the Crown Bar, comprising ten rooms and a storeroom.

Patrick Flanigan was 45 years of age and lived at the address with his wife and their seven children.

He employed a number of staff including barmaids, shop assistants and domestic servants.

(Image: Richard Gibson)

Mr Flanigan occupied the property until his death in 1902, when his widow, Ellen, came into sole possession.

Mrs Flanigan ran the bar until 1927, when Patrick McGreeny took possession.

He also owned 2, Keyland’s Place, a cul-de-sac at the rear of the pub (now part of Blackstaff Square).

The exterior mosaic facade and stained glazing of the bar was considerably damaged through general wear, but also through numerous attacks during the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland.

Nevertheless, in 1980-81 Robert McKinstry undertook a restoration of the bar's interior and restored the mosaic facade using a plan of the original pattern design which was found at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum in Shropshire.

Further changes to the Crown Bar took place after McKinstry’s restoration, when £250,000 was spent on the eradication of dry rot in the walls during the 1980s.

A restaurant was constructed on the first floor in 1988 by Gifford & Cairns costing £450,000.

Marcus Patton, OBE, remarks that this restaurant was named the Britannic Lounge and incorporated panelling from the Harland & Wolff shipyards originally intended for RMS Britannic (sister ship of the Titanic), which was sunk during the 1st World War in 1916.

The Crown Bar continues to operate as a public house and is a popular tourist destination attracting people visiting Belfast with its beautifully preserved Victorian character.

It was listed in 1977 and is said to be the only bar owned by the National Trust, which acquired the building in 1978.

The bar is today administered on behalf of the National Trust by Nicholson Bars.

First published in February, 2017.

1st Duke of Montrose

THE DUKES OF MONTROSE WERE THE GREATEST LANDOWNERS IN STIRLINGSHIRE, WITH 68,565 ACRES

According to the Scottish historians, this ducal family is as ancient as the restoration of the monarchy of Scotland, by FERGUS II; and by the same authority, it derives its origin from the renowned GRÆME, who governed that kingdom during the minority of FERGUS's grandson, EUGENE II, which monarch's reign commenced in the early part of the 5th century. It is certain, however, that no family of Scotland can boast of greater antiquity.

SIR DAVID GRAHAM, Knight, of Old Montrose, Forfarshire, a personage remarkable for patriotism and valour, was one of the Scottish barons employed to negotiate the ransom of DAVID II, King of Scotland, made prisoner at the battle of Durham in 1346; and Sir David's son,

SIR PATRICK GRAHAM, Lord of Dundaff and Kincardine, became one of the hostages by which the release of the Scottish king was eventually accomplished.

His eldest son,

SIR WILLIAM GRAHAM, of Kincardine, married and was succeeded by his grandson,

PATRICK GRAHAM, of Kincardine, who having been appointed one of the lords of the Regency during the minority of JAMES II of Scotland, was made a lord of parliament about 1445, by the title of Lord Graham.

His lordship died in 1465, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM, 2nd Lord; who had a safe conduct to go into England, or to pass through it into foreign parts, in 1466.

His lordship wedded the Lady Anne Douglas, daughter of George, 4th Earl of Angus, and was succeeded at his decease, in 1472, by his elder son,

WILLIAM, 3rd Lord (1464-1513), who was raised to the dignity of Earl of Montrose, 1504-5, in consideration of the gallantry he had displayed at the battle of Saunchyburn, in 1488, wherein his royal master, JAMES III, lost his life.

His lordship fell, with JAMES IV, at Flodden Field, in 1513, and was succeeded by his only son by his first wife, Annabella, daughter of John, Lord Drummond,

WILLIAM, 2nd Earl (1492-1571); one of the peers to whom John, Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland in the minority of JAMES V, committed the tuition of the young prince during his own absence in France, in 1523.

His lordship was succeeded at his decease by his grandson,

JOHN, 3rd Earl (1548-1608), who, on the fall of the Earl of Gowrie, the Lord Treasurer, in 1582, obtained the White Staff, which he soon after surrendered to Sir Thomas Lyon, of Auldbar.

He was appointed Chancellor in 1598-9, and held the seals until 1604, when it was required that the Chancellor should be a lawyer.

His lordship was then constituted viceroy of Scotland, by virtue of which high office he presided in the parliament of Perth, in 1606, when the episcopal government was restored to the Church.

His eldest son,

JOHN, 4th Earl (1573-1626), was appointed President of the Council in Scotland, 1626; and dying in the same year, was succeeded by his only son by his wife, the Lady Margaret Ruthven, eldest daughter of William, 1st Earl of Gowrie,

JAMES, 5th Earl (1612-50), took a distinguished part, in the first instance, on the side of the covenanters, and afterwards, during the civil wars, on that of his ill-fated sovereign, CHARLES I, and became one of the most illustrious heroes of the age.

1st Marquess of Montrose (Image: National Galleries of Scotland)

He was created Marquess of Montrose in 1644, and constituted Captain-General and Commander-in-Chief of all the forces to be raised in Scotland for His Majesty's service.

In 1650, however, during a military attack, he was made prisoner at the house of MacLeod, by whom he was betrayed; whence he was led captive to Edinburgh, and there executed upon a gallows, thirty feet high, in 1650.

His only surviving son,

JAMES, 2nd Marquess (c1631-69), called "The Good", was restored to his estates and honours at the return of CHARLES II.

He married the Lady Isabella Douglas, fifth daughter of William, 7th Earl of Morton, and was succeeded by his son and heir,

JAMES, 3rd Marquess, whose only son,

1st Duke of Montrose KG (Image: Government Art Collection)

JAMES, 4th Marquess (1682-1742), KG,  was installed a Knight of the Garter in 1705; and created, in 1707, DUKE OF MONTROSE.

• James Graham, 1st Duke (1682–1742), only son of 3rd Marquess

Other titles (Lord Graham & 2nd Duke onwards): Earl Graham and Baron Graham (1722)

• • David Graham, Marquess of Graham (1705–1731), 2nd son of 1st Duke, predeceased his father without issue
• William Graham, 2nd Duke (1712-90), 7th son of 1st Duke
• James Graham, 3rd Duke (1755–1836), only son of 2nd Duke
  • James Graham, Earl of Kincardine (1786-87), eldest son of 3rd Duke, died in infancy
• James Graham, 4th Duke (1799–1874), 2nd son of 3rd Duke
  • James Graham, Marquess of Graham (1845-46), eldest son of 4th Duke, died in infancy
  • James Graham, Marquess of Graham (1847-72), 2nd son of 4th Duke, died without issue
• Douglas Graham, 5th Duke (1852–1925), 3rd and youngest son of 4th Duke
• James Graham, 6th Duke (1878–1954);
• James Graham, 7th Duke (1907-92);
• James Graham, 8th Duke (b 1935).

The heir apparent is James Graham, styled Marquess of Graham (b 1973), elder son of the 8th Duke.

BUCHANAN CASTLE, near Drymen, Stirlingshire, was the seat of the Dukes of Montrose.

The estate was in the possession of the Buchanan family from at least 1231, but the family line failed in 1682.

Buchanan was bought by James, 3rd Marquess of Montrose, whose son became the 1st Duke of Montrose in 1707.

The architect William Adam prepared designs for the house and parklands in 1745.

In 1790, William Henry Playfair was commissioned by the 3rd Duke to design alterations to the house.

The 4th Duke and Duchess raised and trained racehorses on the estate in the 19th century.

The old house was destroyed in a fire of 1850, and the 4th Duke commissioned William Burn to replace it.

Burn designed an extravagant manor in the Scottish baronial style, enclosing an L-plan tower in a clutch of turrets, bartizans and stepped gables.

The Dukes of Montrose remained at Buchanan until 1925, when it was sold.

In the 1930s the house opened as a hotel, and the golf course was established in the grounds.

Plans for residential development on the estate were delayed by the outbreak of the 2nd World War, during which period the house was requisitioned.

It was used as a hospital during the war, with patients including Rudolf Hess, who was brought here after his flight to Scotland in 1941.

After the war, the building served briefly as the Army School of Education.

The roof was removed in 1954 and outlying parts of the building were demolished.

A number of residential buildings were subsequently built in the castle gardens and grounds.

Proposals were put forward for redevelopment of the house as flats in 2002 and 2004, though both applications were refused planning permission.

The walls of the house remain intact to their full height and are considered to be in good condition.

The ruins are progressively engulfed by trees and plants, and surrounded by a perimeter fence.

First published in January, 2014.

The Ferguson Baronetcy

This family formerly resided in Scotland, but settled in the late 17th century at Burt, a parish in the barony of Inishowen, County Donegal (Burt is six miles from Derry).

THE REV ANDREW FERGUSON (1655-1725), of Burt House, a Presbyterian minister, established himself in Ulster, and left issue by his wife Sarah,

John, his heir;
Victor (Rev);
ANDREW (Rev), of Burt;
Thomas;
Dorcas; Ann; a daughter.

The third son, 

THE REV ANDREW FERGUSON (c1699-1787), married and had issue,

JOHN FERGUSON (1730-95), of Londonderry, who wedded Sarah Harvey and had issue,

Robert;
ANDREW, of whom presently;
Harvey;
David;
Mary; Anne.

It is said that Mr Ferguson was

"a poor Londonderry surgeon or apothecary who, according to a later election squib, "had the shop in the whole of the wal [hole in the wall?] with three shillings worth of medicine."

The second son,

ANDREW FERGUSON (1761-1808), banker, of The Farm, Derry, Mayor of Londonderry, 1796-98, MP for Londonderry City (in the Caledon interest), 1798-1800.

Mr Ferguson was created a baronet in 1801, designated of The Farm, County Londonderry.

The hereditary baronetcy was perhaps in compensation for the loss of his seat (which went briefly to his brother-in-law Henry Alexander) following the Act of Union.

He married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Alexander, of Boom Hall (niece of the 1st Earl of Caledon), and had issue,

John, died young;
ROBERT ALEXANDER, his heir;
Harvey, dsp;
Anne, m Lt-Col Wm Blacker;
Jane, m  John Montgomery, of Benvarden;
Sarah, m Rev W Knox (son of Bishop Knox);
Eliza, m J G Smyly.

Sir Andrew died in an accident caused by his driving ‘with incautious rapidity over a bridge wanting some repairs’ in 1808, when his younger son Harvey (d 1824) survived unharmed.

He was succeeded by his only surviving son,

SIR ROBERT ALEXANDER FERGUSON, 2nd Baronet (1796-1860), of The Farm, and Castlederg, County Tyrone, High Sheriff of County Donegal, 1818, County Tyrone, 1825, MP for Londonderry City, 1831-60, Lord-Lieutenant of County Londonderry, 1840-60.

Sir Robert died unmarried, in 1860, when the title expired.

Statue of 2nd Baronet in Brooke Park, Derry

There is a stained glass window in St Columb's Cathedral in memory of Sir Robert.

The Farm (Image: Boomhall Trust)

THE FARM was located at Culmore Road in Derry, adjacent to Boom Hall.

It was subsequently acquired by the McFarlands prior to demolition for a housing development.

Prospect of The Farm from the Foyle (Image: Boomhall Trust)

J A K Dean, in his indispensable Gate Lodges of Ulster gazetteer, describes it thus: 

For many years the residence of Sir Robert Ferguson, long-standing MP for the city. His large, square Georgian house with noble Grecian portico, and "adjacent Pleasure ground, tout ensemble of the home view" have all been overrun by city sprawl.

The Farm, adjacent to Boom Hall, features in J A K Dean's 2020 publication The Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland. 

I am particularly grateful to Bart of the Boomhall Trust for the receipt of images of The Farm.

First published in 2013.

Greenmount Manor

THE THOMPSONS OWNED 2,853 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM

JOHN THOMPSON (d 1705), of Muckamore, County Antrim, left issue, with three daughters, as many sons,

William, of Muckamore (d 1754);
SAMUEL, of whom presently;
John.

The second son,

SAMUEL THOMPSON, of Muckamore, left issue,

John;
Samuel, b 1709;
THOMAS, of whom presently;
George, b 1718;
Mary, b 1705.

His third son,

THOMAS THOMPSON (1713-1802), of Greenmount, in the parish of Muckamore, married, in 1741, Eleanor Kinnear, of Cromore, County Londonderry, and had issue,

Samuel, of Belfast (d 1794);
John Kinnear, of Copenhagan, Denmark, died before 1799;
Skeffington (Rev), 1742-1810;
ROBERT STEWART, of whom hereafter;
Elizabeth; Margaret; Eleanor; Mary; Anne.

The fourth son,

ROBERT STEWART THOMPSON JP (1755-1822), of Greenmount, had issue by his wife, Anne,

Caroline Beckman; Margaret Beckman.

Mr Thompson's descendant,

SAMUEL THOMPSON (-1838), of Muckamore, County Antrim, had issue by his wife, Mary, daughter of John Olphert, a son, 

SAMUEL THOMPSON JP (1825-), of Muckamore, who married, in 1865, Maria Hannah, second daughter of Robert Smyth, of Gaybrook, County Westmeath, and had issue,

John, 1867-80;
ROBERT, 1869-1952;
Richard, b 1870;
Hugh, 1874-90;
Alexander, b 1879;
Henry, b 1881;
Mary Frances; Henrietta; Bessy; Eleanor.

MUCKAMORE, a grange, in the barony of Lower Massereene, is one mile from the town of Antrim.

This place, anciently Mach-airi-mor, or the "Great Field of Adoration," is situated on the river Sixmilewater.

The lands occupied by Greenmount once formed part of Muckamore Abbey, a monastery founded by St Colmán Elo.

The monastery or abbey flourished until the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of HENRY VIII.

During the reign of JAMES I, the place was granted to Sir Roger Langford, from whom it descended to the Earls of Massereene.

The family of Thompson, of Scots-Presbyterian extraction, has been associated with Muckamore since about 1650.

Their descendants lived at Greenmount Manor from the mid-18th century.

The Thompsons were an influential family in the Antrim area, who prospered through their successful textile and bleaching businesses.

The manor house was built ca 1820 by Robert Thompson, to the design of Charles Robert Cockerell, with the balcony added by 1835.

It was described as “a sandstone house, presenting a portico and balcony supported by great Ionic columns”.

Greenmount was acquired in 1835 by the Venerable and Hon James Agar (1781-1866), Archdeacon of Kilmore, through his wife Louisa, youngest daughter of Samuel Thompson, of Greenmount.

On Louisa’s death in 1885, Greenmount passed to Richard Dyott MP, whose mother was a Thompson descendant.

In 1902, Greenmount was purchased by William Taylor Malcolm, a tenant farmer from Stirlingshire.

He delegated the management of the farm to his son John.

In 1910, Mr Malcolm sold Greenmount to the Government for £4,400 (£463,000 in today's money).

After some structural alterations to the house, the first term opened in 1912, with 11 students.

The current sandstone house consists of a portico and balcony supported by six great ionic columns.

The present house replaced a previous villa within the demesne.

Extensions were added after Greenmount changed from being a gentleman’s demesne to being an agricultural college in 1912.

The basalt part of the building was added along with the Principal's House (now the lodge) in 1925.

Another extension was added in the 1950s around the time the main student residences were being constructed.

The demesne records show that in 1809 Greenmount was a fine gentleman’s demesne.

There was a landscape in the style of Capability Brown.

A piece then written in 1838 sizes the Greenmount demesne as “about 160 acres, 39 of which were laid out in ornamental grounds and plantings.”

The following extract from Sketch of a Ramble to Antrim, which was published in the Belfast Monthly Magazine of July, 1809, paints a lovely picture of Greenmount in its heyday,

We crossed the fields to Greenmount, the elegant seat of Robert Thompson Esquire, about one mile from Antrim. This beautiful villa stands on rising ground and is completely furnished in the modern taste.

The demesne is planted with a great number of trees and shrubs laid out into some very pleasing walks. At the rear of the building are two small lakes, well stocked with fish. On them also some swans.

On the verge of one of the fore-mentioned lakes, in a shrubbery is a hermitage build with romantic simplicity and opposite is a small island joined to the mainland by a stonework arch.

Indeed I believe few places in this country surpass in beauty the charming villa at Greenmount.

The stone arch situated at the top end of the Arch Pond, which is about 200 years old, is cleverly constructed from selected stones that press together, holding the arch in place.

This unusual landscape feature once connected an island to the shore in what was then a pond the size of the adjacent car park.

The summer-house, now ruinous, was built about 200 years ago.

This summer-house would have looked out over Lough Neigh and the Antrim Town area and the meandering river Six Mile Water.

The Ice house (above) at Greenmount was built around 1820 by the Thompson family and the family crest can be seen above the entrance. 

The Walled Garden at Greenmount College was built in 1801 and has remained in horticultural use until the present day.

Changes in use over the years, and the presence of obsolete or inappropriate features, had by 1996 left a layout which did not do justice to the Walled Garden’s heritage or its potential.

At this stage proposals were put forward to redevelop the site as a resource which would make the best use of the garden’s unique history and aesthetic.

The dramatic formal garden you see today is a result of that vision.

The old farmyard appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1837.

It is built in basalt as a square building enclosing a square courtyard.

Today it houses the main farm office.

The surrounding farmyard has substantially outgrown the courtyard.

In the centre of the building on the roof is an old bell tower.

A branch of the Thompsons lived at Muckamore House. I'm interested in obtaining images.

First published in August, 2011.

Bryansford

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

BRYANSFORD, a village in the parish of Kilcoo, barony of Upper Iveagh, County Down.

It stands two miles south of Castlewellan, and about the same distance west of Newcastle.

Though small, it is a pretty village; and it stands amidst compositions of beauty, romance, and grandeur in landscape, inferior to few in Ireland.

In its vicinity are the noble and brilliant demesne of Tollymore, the surprising coast scenes adjacent to Newcastle, and many of the most interesting features of the mountains of Mourne.

Bryansford (Image: Robert John Welch (1859-1936)

The Guide through Ireland informs us that "the traveller, anxious to know this beautiful part of the country, will find comfortable accommodation at the inns of Bryansford, Newcastle, or Dundrum, which are about three miles from each other."

The Bryansford rivulet tumbles, leaps, and makes grand falls along a channel of rocks and precipices, and leads out to a magnificent view of the coast and sea.

The village gives name to a Roman Catholic parish.

Fairs are held on Ascension Day and June 3rd.

Population in 1831, 185.

First published in March, 2021.

Corick House

THE STORYS OWNED 2,065 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY TYRONE 

JOHN STORY (1648-1725), of Bingfield Hall, Hexham, Northumberland, settled in Ulster about 1697. Mr Story was established on church land at Corick, County Tyrone, by the Rt Rev St George Ashe (1658-1718), Lord Bishop of Clogher.  He was the elder brother of the Rt Rev Joseph Story, Lord Bishop of Kilmore.

Mr Story sold his estate at Bingfield Hall and removed to Ulster under the auspices of Bishop Ashe. He and his son, Thomas, acquired an estate within the See of Clogher, where they built their first residence.

Mr Story died at Corick in 1725, leaving issue,

THOMAS, of whom presently;
Joseph, ancestor of STORY of Bingfield;
John, b 1681;
Samuel, b 1683.

The eldest son,

THOMAS STORY (1678-1768), of Corick, wedded, in 1707, Rebecca ______, and had five sons and two daughters, of whom,

JOHN, of whom presently;
Joseph (Rev), rector of Monaghan (1711-84);
Thomas, 1715-44;
Benjamin, father of JOHN BENJAMIN, s his uncle.

The eldest son,

JOHN STORY (1708-80), died unmarried, and was succeeded by his nephew,

THE REV JOHN BENJAMIN STORY (1764-1844), of Corick, Canon Chancellor of Clogher, who married, in 1790, Jane, daughter of Alexander Young, of Coolkeeragh, County Londonderry, by Catherine his wife, daughter of Richard Hassard, of Gardenhill, County Fermanagh, and had issue,

JOHN BENJAMIN, his heir;
Alexander, died unmarried;
Anne; Kate; Elizabeth; Jane; Letitia; Frances Thomasina; Maria.

The eldest son,

JOHN BENJAMIN STORY, of Corick, wedded, in 1840, Catherine, daughter of Captain Valentine Munbee, of Horringer, Suffolk; though dsp in 1862, and was succeeded by his only surviving brother,

THE REV WILLIAM STORY, of Corick, Rector of Aghabog, who espoused Sarah, daughter of John Black, and had issue,

JOHN BENJAMIN, his heir;
William George Theaker, b 1863;
Marion Letitia; Alice Gertrude; Emma Mary Geraldine.

He died in 1888, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN BENJAMIN STORY, MB, M.Ch, FRCSI, (1850-1926), of Corick and 6 Merrion Square North, Dublin, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1911, who married, in 1892, Blanche Christabel, daughter of the Rev J W Hallowell, and had issue,

Eleanor Constance, OBE;
Joan Blanche.

Dr Story was educated at Winchester; and Trinity College Dublin; Surgeon Oculist to GEORGE V in Ireland; President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; and of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom, 1918-19,

The King has appointed Mr John Benjamin Story, MB, FRCSI, to be Honorary Surgeon Oculist to His Majesty in Ireland, in room of Mr Charles Edward Fitzgerald, MD, deceased.

CORICK HOUSE, near Clogher, County Tyrone, was originally built at the end of the 17th century, as a double gable-ended block of two storeys over a basement, with five bays.

In 1863, on the instructions of William Story, the house was enlarged and altered to the design of the Belfast firm of Sir Charles Lanyon.

A new garden front with a large canted bay in its centre and a three-storey tower with Italianate hipped slate roof were added. The original dining room remained unaltered.

The house sits on an elevated site above the River Blackwater, and is approached from the north by a straight avenue, laid down in the 1690s, lined with mature beech trees.

The enclosing parkland, some of whose trees were considered very fine as early as 1835, was developed in the later 18th century.

It is bordered to the south by the river Blackwater, and contains mature trees in set, undulating ground, including a planted rath.

The area around the house is enhanced by a maintained, ornamental garden.

The walled garden is partly cultivated, with a glasshouse.

There are three gate lodges, all of which pre-date the 1850s.

The last member of the Story family, a granddaughter of Dr John Benjamin Story, sold Corick to Mrs Jean Beacom; and the surrounding farmland to local farmers.

Corick House is now a country house hotel.

First published in January, 2013.

1st Baron Dunleath

THE BARONS DUNLEATH WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY DOWN, WITH 13,506 ACRES

The family of MULHOLLAND claims to be a branch of the ancient sept of MacLellan, Argyllshire, and was first established in Ulster, in County Antrim, whence they spread into counties Londonderry, Carlow, Kilkenny and Monaghan. In the last-named county, Captain John Mulholland held the estate of Conaghy by grant from the Crown, and his lineal descendant, John Mulholland, served as High Sheriff, 1766.

THOMAS MULHOLLAND (1756-1820), of Belfast, wedded, in 1784, Anne Doe, and had numerous issue (reputedly eleven children), including

ANDREW, his heir;
Sinclair Kelburn, of EGLANTINE, Hillsborough, County Down.

The celebrated Belfast historian, George Benn, remarked that Thomas Mulholland ran a very small business in 1804, and likely a number of years prior to this. His wife, Anne, died in 1858 at the advanced age of 92.

They had numerous offspring: two of whom, Thomas and William, are interred at the New Burying Ground (Clifton Street Cemetery); their two other sons, Andrew and Sinclair Kelburn, "have no doubt been interred near the country houses which they owned at the time of their decease." 

Andrew and Sinclair K were educated at the Belfast Academy in Academy Street. Benn notes that the Christian names, Sinclair Kelburn, affirm the Presbyterianism of the family at the time of his birth. 

Thomas Mulholland worshipped at Rosemary Street Presbyrterian Church. (probably the third church, given that the Rev Sinclair Kelburn was Minister).

The elder son,

ANDREW MULHOLLAND JP DL (1792-1866), of Springvale House, Ballywalter, County Down, Mayor of Belfast, 1845, High Sheriff of County Down, 1855, County Antrim, 1858-9, married, in 1818, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas McDonnell, of Belfast.

Andrew Mulholland. Photo Credit: Irish Linen Museum

Mr Mulholland had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
Thomas (1832-52);
Annie; Sarah Jane; Mary; Elizabeth; Andrina.

Mr Mulholland was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN MULHOLLAND JP DL (1819-95), of Springvale (renamed Ballywalter Park), High Sheriff of County Down, 1868, MP for Downpatrick, 1874-85, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1878, who wedded, in 1851, Frances Louisa, daughter of Hugh Lyle, of KNOCKTARNA, County Londonderry, and had issue,

Andrew Walter (1852-77);
HENRY LYLE, his successor;
Alfred John;
Helen Mary; Alice Elizabeth; Louisa Frances.

Mr Mulholland was elevated to the peerage, in 1892, in the dignity of BARON DUNLEATH, of Ballywalter, County Down.

His lordship was succeeded by his second son,

HENRY LYLE, 2nd Baron (1854-1931), JP DL, of Ballywalter Park, High Sheriff of County Down, 1883, Major, 5th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, who espoused, in 1881, Norah Louisa Fanny, daughter of the Hon Somerset Ward, and had issue,

Andrew Edward Somerset, killed in action at Ypres);

CHARLES HENRY GEORGE, his successor;

Henry George Hill, created a baronet; father of the 5th Baron;

Godfrey John Arthur Murray Lyle;

Eva Norah Helen.

His lordship was succeeded by his second son,

CHARLES HENRY GEORGE, 3rd Baron (1886-1956), CBE DSO JP DL, of Ballywalter Park, High Sheriff of County Down, 1931, who married firstly, in 1920, Sylvia Henrietta, daughter of Sir Arthur Douglas Brooke, 4th Baronet; and secondly, in 1932, Henrietta Grace, daughter of the Most Rev Charles Frederick D'Arcy, Archbishop of Armagh, by whom he had issue, an only child,

CHARLES EDWARD HENRY JOHN, 4th Baron (1933-93), TD DL, of Ballywalter Park, Lieutenant-Colonel, North Irish Horse (TA), who wedded, in 1959, Dorinda Margery, daughter of Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival CB DSO OBE MC DL, though the marriage was without issue, and the barony reverted to his cousin,

SIR MICHAEL HENRY MULHOLLAND, 2nd Baronet and 5th Baron (1915-97), Major, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, who espoused firstly, in 1942, Rosemary, daughter of Major David Alfred William Ker; and secondly, in 1949, Elizabeth, daughter of Laurence B Hyde, by whom he had an only child,

BRIAN HENRY, 6th Baron, DL, born in 1950, of Ballywalter Park, who married firstly, in 1976, Mary Joan, daughter of Major Robert John Fuller Whistler, and had issue,

Tara Miranda, b 1980;

ANDREW HENRY, b 1981;

William alexander, b 1986.

The 6th Baron (third Mulholland Baronet) wedded secondly, in 2006, Vibeke (Vibse) Lunn.

*****

IN 1803, Thomas Mulholland, described as a dealer, bought two houses in Upper Church Lane, Belfast, signing the contract with a simple cross (X), an indication of illiteracy and, presumably, of fairly modest origins.

About 1815, the family entered the flourishing cotton industry by purchasing a mill.

Thomas Mulholland & Co. operated a calico-weaving business with his sons at Winetavern Street in Belfast.

Thomas died in 1820, and the business flourished: in 1822 his sons built a very large spinning mill in the Point Field, near York Street.

One Sunday morning in June, 1828, however, disaster struck when this mill was almost totally destroyed by fire. Yet in fact time was to prove this a most fortuitous disaster for the Mulhollands. The brothers, Thomas, Andrew and Sinclair, with the support of their partner John Hind, decided to rebuild the mill, but for the spinning of flax not of cotton.

In addition to their business interests, the Mulhollands also took an active part in civic affairs: Sinclair was a JP for County Down and High Sheriff of County Louth and in 1865 he donated money for the erection of a new wing at what was to become the Royal Victoria Hospital.

His elder brother, Andrew, had married Elizabeth McDonnell in 1818 and had one son and four daughters.

He was elected Mayor of Belfast for the year 1845.

He built Ballywalter Park, to which he moved in 1846; and he is perhaps best remembered in Belfast today for having provided the Ulster Hall with its fine Grand Organ in 1862.

Andrew Mulholland bought the Ballywalter estate from the Matthews family in 1846 for the sum of £23,000 (£2 million in 2010).

Andrew's eldest and only son John (1819-95) was educated at the Royal Academy in Belfast and eventually assumed control of the family interests, which aside from the mills included a substantial amount of land: 13,500 acres in County Down and over 1,000 acres near Cookstown in County Tyrone.

John was noted for his business and financial acumen which carried him well beyond the linen industry.

He was, for instance, involved in 1860 in advising HM Government during negotiations with the French over an important commercial treaty regulating trade between the two countries – and, among various other provisions, lowering French duties on flax and linen.

He also played a prominent part in organising the finances of the Church of Ireland after it was disestablished in 1869.

He was a JP and High Sheriff for both counties Down and Tyrone.

In 1868 he stood as a Conservative candidate, with Sir Charles Lanyon, the architect of Ballywalter, for the seat of Belfast. Both, however, were defeated, with John coming bottom of the poll. Yet John persevered and in 1874 he was returned unopposed for Downpatrick, a seat he retained until 1885 [and where his influence, as ground landlord of most of the town, was very strong].

Although he held no political office, he spoke frequently on Irish questions and was a strong supporter of Tory policies.

Mr Mulholland was created BARON DUNLEATH in 1892, on the recommendation of the outgoing Conservative Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury.

Following his decease in 1895, the 1st Baron's estate was valued at almost £600,000, the equivalent of almost £71 million today.

In 1878 he owned 13,506 acres of land in County Down, and 1,182 in County Tyrone.

The 4th Baron was instrumental in the restoration of the grand Mulholland organ in Belfast's Ulster Hall.

The present 6th Baron Dunleath is also the 3rd Mulholland Baronet.

The 6th Baron's father, the 5th Baron, was better known as Sir Michael Mulholland Bt, and lived formerly at Storbrooke House in Massey Avenue, Belfast.

When Sir Michael succeeded to the titles the barony it merged with the baronetcy.

The Dunleath Papers are held at PRONI.

BALLYWALTER PARK, one of the finest stately homes in Northern Ireland, is on the Ards Peninsula in County Down.

The estate today comprises about 1,000 acres of beautiful parkland, woodland and forest.

The present Lord Dunleath formerly managed the Duke of Abercorn's Belle Isle estate in County Fermanagh until he succeeded his father as 6th Baron.

Lord Dunleath has three children: his eldest son and heir, the Hon Andrew Mulholland; the Hon Tara Mulholland; and the Hon William Mulholland.

First published in June, 2010.

Fenagh House

THE PACK-BERESFORDS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CARLOW, WITH 7,679 ACRES

SIR CHRISTOPHER PACKE (c1593-1682), Lord Mayor of London, son of Thomas Packe, of Northamptonshire, married thrice; and by his second wife, Anne, daughter of Simon Edmonds, he had issue,

Christopher;

SIMON, of whom hereafter;

Anne; Mary; Susanna.

The younger son,

SIMON PACK (1653-1701), was father of

THOMAS PACK (c1680-1758), of Ballynakill, Queen's County, married a daughter of ______ Kelly, of Ballynakill, and had issue, three sons, of whom the eldest,

THE VERY REV THOMAS PACK (1719-95), Dean of Ossory, married Catherine, daughter of Denis Sullivan, and had issue,

Thomas, died young;
DENIS, of whom hereafter;
Catherine; Anne.

The surviving son,

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR DENIS PACK KCB (1775-1823), wedded, in 1816, the Lady Elizabeth Louisa Beresford, daughter of George de la Poer, 1st Marquess of Waterford, and had issue,

Arthur John (Lt-Col);
DENIS WILLIAM, of whom we treat;
Elizabeth Catherine; Anne Elizabeth.

The younger son,

DENIS WILLIAM PACK-BERESFORD JP DL MP (1818-81), Captain, Royal Artillery, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1858, MP for County Carlow, espoused, in 1863, Annette Caroline, daughter of Robert Clayton Browne, and had issue,

DENIS ROBERT, his heir;
Arthur William;
Charles George, Major (1869-1914), killed in action;
Henry John, father of DENIS JOHN PACK-BERESFORD;
Reynell James;
Hugh de la Poer;
Algernon Dunbar;
Elizabeth Harriet; Annette Louisa.

In 1854 Captain Pack inherited the Irish estates from his uncle, General the Rt Hon William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford.

He assumed the additional surname and arms of BERESFORD, in compliance with the will of Lord Beresford.

The eldest son,

DENIS ROBERT PACK-BERESFORD JP DL (1864-1942), of Fenagh House, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1890, married, in 1891, Alice Harriet, only daughter of the James Acheson Lyle, of Portstewart House, though the marriage was without issue.

Mr Pack-Beresford was succeeded by his nephew,

DENIS JOHN PACK-BERESFORD (1905-86), of Fenagh House, Commander RN, who married firstly, in 1928, Basante Hoskins, in 1928; and secondly, in 1933, Daphne, daughter of Lieutenant Horace Robert Martineau VC, and had issue,

DENIS RAYMOND;
Elizabeth Ann.

Commander Pack-Beresford was Founder and President of the Irish Pedigree Pig Breeders Association, sometime representative to the Council of Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society of Scotland; Vice-President of the Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association; and member of the Council of the Royal Dublin Society.

FENAGH HOUSE, Bagenalstown, County Carlow, is a plain and austere stone dwelling, built ca 1829.

Fenagh House ca 1903

It is irregular in plan and extensive, though it has a symmetrical entrance front of three bays, the centre bay of which is recessed with a pillared porch.

First published in November, 2011.