Oak Park

THE BRUENS WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CARLOW, WITH 16,477 ACRES 

JAMES BRUEN, said to have been of Tarvin, Cheshire, went to Ireland in Cromwell's Army and settled at Abbeyboyle, County Roscommon. He was administrator to his brother, Henry Bruen, of Dublin, in 1700.

James Bruen’s son,

MOSES BRUEN, of Boyle, County Roscommon, purchased land and property in counties Carlow and Wexford from the Beaucamp, Grogan and Whaley families.

Thereafter, the family settled at Oak Park, County Carlow, and Coolbawn, County Wexford.

This Moses, who died in 1757, left issue,

Moses;
HENRY, of Oak Park;
Bridget; Mary; Elinor Catherine; Margaret; Elizabeth.

The second son,

COLONEL HENRY BRUEN (1741-95), of Oak Park, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1785, MP for Jamestown, 1783-90, County Carlow, 1790-95, removed, ca 1775, to estates which he purchased in County Carlow.

He married, in 1787, Harriette Dorothea, daughter of Francis Knox, of Rappa Castle, County Mayo, and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
John, of Coolbawn;
Francis, of Coolbawn;
Maria; Margaret; Harriett.

The son and heir,

COLONEL HENRY BRUEN (1789-1852), of Oak Park, and Coolbawn, County Wexford, married, in 1822, Anne Wandesforde, daughter of Thomas Kavanagh MP, of Borris House, County Carlow, by Lady Elizabeth his wife, daughter of John, 17th Earl of Ormonde, and had issue,

HENRY, of Oak Park;
Elizabeth; Harriet; Anne.

Colonel Bruen was succeeded by his only son,

THE RT HON HENRY BRUEN JP DL (1828-1912), of Oak Park and Coolbawn, MP for Carlow, 1857-80, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1855, Privy Counsellor, who married, in 1854, Mary Margaret, third daughter of Colonel Edward M Conolly MP, of Castletown, County Kildare, and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
Edward Francis, Captain RN;
John Richard;
Arthur Thomas;
Charles;
Katherine Anne; Mary Susan; Elizabeth; Eleanor; Helen; Grace.

Mr Bruen was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY BRUEN (1856-1927), of Oak Park, and Coolbawn, Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1886, Wexford, 1909, who wedded, in 1886, Agnes Mary, youngest daughter of the Rt Hon Arthur M Kavanagh, of Borris, County Carlow, and had issue,

HENRY ARTHUR BRUEN (1887-1954), of Oak Park, Captain, 15th Hussars, who wedded, in 1913, Jane Catherine Gladys, daughter of Arthur George Florence McClintock, and had issue,

GLADYS PATRICIA BREUN (1914-), of Oak Park, who married, in 1939, Mervyn Anthony Arthur Rudyerd Boyse, son of Major Henry Thomas Arthur Shapland Hunt Boyse. They had four sons.

She lived in 1976 at Maryvale, Church Road, Ballybrack, County Dublin.

OAK PARK, near Carlow town, is a large Victorian classical house by W V Morrison.

It has two storeys, the entrance front having a five-bay central block with a pedimented portico of four huge Ionic columns.

The main block is prolonged by wings of the same height, initially set back though returning forwards with Wyatt windows at their ends.

The garden front of thirteen bays is duller in appearance.

The interior has splendid plasterwork in the style of Morrison; while the Hall boasts giant, free-standing Ionic columns.

Part of the former Oak Park estate, once the home of the Bruen Family, from 1775 to 1957, is now the 127 acre Oak Park Forest Park.

The Oak Park demesne was bought by Colonel Henry Bruen in 1775, after making his fortune in the American Army.

He was the grandson of James Bruen, of Tarvin, Cheshire, who came to Ireland with Oliver Cromwell and received land at Abbeyboyle, County Roscommon.

The Bruens intermarried with the County Mayo families, Knox of Rappa and Ruttledge of Bloomfield.

HMS Drake, the wreck of which lies at Church Bay, Rathlin Island, was torpedoed in 1917. One of her Captains was Edward Bruen, son of the MP. He was Captain when the ship was flagship on the Australian station circa 1912/13.

The Senior Naval Officer in Australia at the time was Admiral King-Hall (Admiral Sir George Fowler King-Hall KCB CVO) who had a very strong Ulster connection. Captain Edward Bruen RN was married to Olga Ker, one of the Montalto and Portavo family.

Captain Bruen later went on to command HMS Bellerophon at the Battle of Jutland.

The Bruen estate was mainly in the counties of Carlow and Wexford where they had houses at Oakpark in Carlow and at Coolbawn, Enniscorthy.

Francis Bruen was married to Catherine Anne Nugent, daughter of the Earl of Westmeath.

Three townlands in the barony of Athenry were offered for sale in the Landed Estates court in 1866.

All this land gave the Bruen family political power and, in 1790, Henry Bruen was returned to Parliament, winning the seat of a neighbouring family, the Butlers.

However, the Butlers reclaimed their seat five years later with the sudden death of the Colonel in December, 1795.

This allowed his son, also called Henry, to assume control of the estate.

The Bruen estate in County Galway amounted to over 700 acres in the 1870s but was part of an estate of almost 25,000 acres in total.

Manuscripts in the Irish Genealogical Office would suggest that the family held lands at Boyle, County Roscommon, in the 18th century.

These lands seem to have been at the centre of a legal case between the Bruen family and Richard St George.

Henry Bruen attended Harrow School alongside the poet Lord Byron and Robert Peel, with whom he would later serve as a Conservative MP.

Peel was Home Secretary at the time of Catholic Emancipation, a Bill which Henry Bruen supported.

Bruen quickly amassed the land surrounding Oak Park.

In 1841, a survey of every Bruen farm revealed that the family's estates in County Carlow covered 20,089 acres.

In the 1841 election, Henry defeated the Liberal candidate, Daniel O'Connell, Jnr., son of “The Liberator”.

However, the Bruen hold on the seat lapsed with the death of Henry in 1852; but his son, also confusingly called Henry, returned to the House of Commons in 1857 and held his seat until 1880, which marked the end of the family's 90-year history of political involvement over three generations.

The current mansion house at Oak Park is the result of four periods of expansion and remodelling carried out between 1797 and 1902.

Twenty-two years after he arrived, Henry employed Michael Boylan to redecorate the house.

In 1832, the second Henry Bruen commissioned William Morrison to re-model the house and in 1876 Samuel Bolton, a builder, signed a contract for a major extension, which took three years to complete.

However, on 22nd February, 1902, the house was gutted by fire.

After eight hours of fighting the blaze, all that remained was the north wing. Fortunately, a large number of paintings, furniture and books were saved by the workers.

The house was rebuilt under the supervision of William Mitchell.

The last male Bruen, the fifth Henry, died in 1954.

By then, the estate had reduced in size to a relatively small 1,500 acres.

He left nothing to his estranged daughter Gladys, who had several years earlier married Prince Milo of Montenegro.

The remainder of the estate was bequeathed to a cousin in England, minus a weekly income for life of £6 to his daughter, Patricia.

In 1957, the estate was purchased at auction for £50,555 by Brownes Hill Estates, who already owned the nearby estate in which a Norfolk farmer was principal partner.

However, within three years the property was back on the market after fierce protest from smaller farmers in opposition to the purchase by the Norfolk farmer.

The estate was bought by the Irish Land Commission for £68,000, and seven hundred acres were divided up among small holders, while the house and the remaining land were taken over as a research centre for the Irish Agricultural Institute (Teagasc).

The last member of the Bruen family to be buried in the family's private burial ground at the Mausoleum was Gladys, the estranged wife of Henry (d 1969). 

First published in April, 2011.

I am grateful to Henry Woods and Robert Power for most of the information; further reading about the Bruens and Oak Park can be read here.

Baron's Coronet

The coronet of a baron is a circlet of silver-gilt, bordered with ermine, with six balls (known as pearls) set at equal distances.

It has a crimson cap with a a gold-threaded tassel on top.

The six large pearls distinguish the coronet of a baron (the lowest degree in the nobility) from the four other ranks of the peerage.

Like all coronets, it was customarily worn at coronations, though a baron is entitled to bear his coronet of rank on his armorial bearings, above the shield.

A smaller version, shown above, as worn by baronesses, sits on top of the head, rather than around it. 

A baron is a peer of the fifth degree in the peerage, ranking below a viscount.

First published in May, 2010.

The Cushendun Acquisition

SELECTIVE ACQUISITIONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

PROPERTY: Lands of Cushendun, County Antrim

DATE: 1954

EXTENT: 53.95 acres

DONOR: 8th Earl of Antrim

*****

PROPERTY: Milltown, Cushendun

DATE: 1971

EXTENT: 5.14 acres

DONOR: Gilbert McNeill-Moss

*****

PROPERTY: Foreshore of River Glendun, Cushendun

DATE: 1984

EXTENT: 0.43 acres

DONOR: Crown Estate Commissioners

*****

PROPERTY: Milltown Cottage, Cushendun

DATE: 1969

EXTENT: 0.46 acres

DONOR: Margaret Brook

First published in December, 2014.

Donaghadee Manor House

THE DE LACHEROIS FAMILY OWNED 1,356 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

The family of DE LA CHEROIS descends from the younger branch of an ancient and noble house in France, formerly resident at Chéroy, a small town near Sens, in the province of Champagne, whence the family name is derived. The revocation of the edict of Nantes, 1685, compelled the De la Cherois', being French Protestants, to abandon their native country.

In 1641,

CAPTAIN SAMUEL DE LA CHEROIS (ancestor of the branch of the family settled in Ulster), served in the war, undertaken by Cardinal Richelieu, against the House of Austria.

He left three sons,

NICOLAS, of whom presently;
Daniel, Captain, fled to Holland with his brothers, 1685;
Bourjonval, Lieutenant in the Army; killed at Dungannon.

The eldest son,

NICOLAS DE LA CHEROIS (c1649-1702), embraced the military profession and was made a captain of fusiliers by LOUIS XIV, 1677.

In 1685, he fled with his brothers to Holland, where they were received with great kindness by the Stadtholder, into whose service they entered, obtaining commissions in the Dutch army of the same rank as those they had held in that of France.

In 1689, WILLIAM, Prince of Orange, being called to the throne of Great Britain, formed two regiments of French Huguenots, in one of which Nicolas De La Cherois was appointed Major; Daniel, Captain; and Bourjonval, Lieutenant.

They accompanied WILLIAM III to Ireland, 1690, and finally settled there.

Major de la Cherois distinguished himself at the battle of the Boyne, and afterwards performed a very gallant action, making 1,500 men lay down their arms with only a subaltern's guard, for which he was presented by the Government with 1,500 crowns and a Lieutenant-Colonelcy.

He married Mary, sister of Louis Crommelin, of Saint Quentin, Picardy, France, and left a daughter, Madeleine, who wedded Daniel Crommelin, of Lisburn, County Antrim, and an only son,

SAMUEL DE LACHEROIS (1700-84), who espoused, in 1731, Sarah Cornière, and had issue,

DANIEL, his heir;
Nicholas (1737-1829);
Samuel, who assumed the name of CROMMELIN;
Judith.

The eldest son,

DANIEL DE LACHEROIS (1735-90), of Donaghadee, County Down, married, in 1782, Mary, daughter of Alexander Crommelin, and had issue,

DANIEL (1783-1850), dsp;
SAMUEL LOUIS, of whom hereafter;
Nicholas;
Mary.

The second son,

SAMUEL LOUIS DE LACHEROIS JP DL, wedded, in 1820, Mary, daughter of John Roland, and had issue,

Nicholas, of Ballywilliam, dsp 1874;
DANIEL, of whom we treat;
Samuel, of Ballywilliam;
Louis, Lieutenant RN;
Alexander;
Jane.

The second son,

DANIEL DE LACHEROIS JP DL (1825-1905), of the Manor House, Donaghadee, High Sheriff, 1863, Barrister, wedded, in 1854, Ellen, daughter of George Leslie, and had issue,

DANIEL LOUIS, his heir;
Edmund Bourjonval (Dr);
GEORGE LESLIE, succeeded his brother;
Charles Hutcheson;
Elizabeth Mary Angelica; Helen Vaughan; Mary Louise; Edith Madeline.

The eldest son,

DANIEL LOUIS DE LACHEROIS JP (1855-1909), of the Manor House, Major and Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel, 3rd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, died unmarried and was succeeded by his brother,

GEORGE LESLIE DE LACHEROIS JP DL (1865-1948), of the Manor House, who married, in 1918, Catherine Charlotte, daughter of J McCance Blizard, of Comber, County Down, and had issue,

Ellen Lesie Jacqueline, of whom presently;
Georgina Mary (1921-2002), m N N Stone.

The elder daughter,

ELLEN LESLIE JACQUELINE DE LACHEROIS (1919-2007), of the Manor House, wedded Major Frederick Day, and had issue, one son and four daughters.

THE MANOR HOUSE, Donaghadee, County Down, is a plain, two-storey Georgian house with its entrance front behind railings at the corner of High Street and Manor Street.

There is a six bay entrance front with a pillared porch, and a three-sided bow in the side elevation.

The Manor House dates from the early 1600s, when Hugh Montgomery acquired the lands within the Donaghadee area and began promoting the interests of the town as a major port.

Montgomery built himself a large dwelling in the town, reputedly Donaghadee’s first stone house.

This Manor House remained one of the residences of Montgomery’s descendants, the Earls of Mount Alexander.

Thomas, the 5th Earl, died childless in 1757 and his wife, Marie Angélique Madeleine (née de la Cherois), bequeathed the Donaghadee estate to her nephew, Samuel de Lacherois, whose son, Daniel, took possession of the town following Lady Mount Alexander's death in 1771.

During this period the Manor House was likely still substantially the same as the house built by Hugh Montgomery in the early 1600s.

Daniel, however, seems to have fundamentally remodelled and extended the original building not long after 1771.

Daniel may also have built the dower house to the rear at the same time, but the entrance portico and the canted bay were probably added by his son (also called Daniel) in the early 1800s.

The stable extension to the north-west, however, appears to date from the mid 1800s.

The last major alteration to the house occurred in the 1870s, when the two-storey brick extension to the rear was constructed.

The house is surrounded by a garden, which includes glasshouses; the main garden, however, is across the road.

The ornamental section of the garden has been built over since the 1970s, but the walled garden remains productive, complete with box-edged beds, a rare survival.

The garden wall is of stone and has an impressive castellated entrance.

The De Lacherois family vault is under the west aisle of Donaghadee parish church.

The Manor House was for sale at an asking price of £1,150,000 in September, 2022.

First published in January, 2011.

The Molyneux Baronetcy

THE MOLYNEUX BARONETS OWNED 6,009 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ARMAGH

This is a junior branch of the family of MOLYNEUX, Earls of Sefton, springing immediately, it is supposed, from Sir Thomas Molyneux, second son of Sir William Molyneux, of Sefton, Lancashire, a celebrated warrior under the Black Prince; who added to his arms, in a distinction, the fleur-de-lis in the dexter chief still borne by the family.

Sir Thomas commanded the forces of Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, but was defeated and slain by the combined and insurgent lords at Radcot Bridge, near Faringdon, formerly in Berkshire, in 1388. The genealogy, however, and the records of this branch of the Molyneux family, which resided at Calais, France, being destroyed during the sacking of that town by the Duke of Guise in 1588, a chasm, of necessity, occurs in the pedigree.

SIR THOMAS MOLYNEUX (1531-97), who was born at Calais, falling into the hands of the enemy on the capture of that place, above alluded to, was ransomed for 500 crowns.

He came to England in 1568, and was sent to Ireland, 1576, by ELIZABETH I, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he obtained, with extensive grants of land from Her Majesty, a lease for twenty-one years of the exports and imports of the city of Dublin (wines excepted), for the annual rent of £183.

Sir Thomas married Katherine, daughter of Ludovic Stabcort, Governor of Bruges, and and issue,

Samuel, MP for Mallow; died unmarried;
DANIEL, successor to his brother;
Katherine, m Sir R Newcomen Bt and had 21 children;
Margaret.

He was succeeded at his decease by his eldest surviving son,

DANIEL MOLYNEUX (1568-1632), who was appointed, in 1586, Ulster King-of-Arms, and his celebrated collection of Irish family history, now amongst the manuscripts of Trinity College Dublin, prove him to have been an accurate and very learned antiquary.

He wedded Jane, daughter of Sir William Usher, clerk of the privy council (by Isabella, daughter of Lord Chancellor Loftus, Lord Archbishop of Dublin), and had five sons and three daughters.

Mr Molyneux, MP for Strabane, 1613-15, was succeeded by his third, but eldest surviving son,

SAMUEL MOLYNEUX (1616-93), of Castle Dillon, County Armagh, Chief Engineer of Ireland, who espoused Anne, daughter and heir of William Dowdall, of Mounttown, County Meath.

Castle Dillon, County Armagh

My Molyneux was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM MOLYNEUX (1656-98), MP for Trinity College, Dublin, 1692-8, author of the celebrated "Case of Ireland", who married Lucy, daughter of Sir William Domvile Bt, Attorney-General of Ireland, and was succeeded at his decease by his eldest son, 

THE RT HON SAMUEL MOLYNEUX, a Lord of the Admiralty, Secretary to GEORGE II when Prince of Wales, who wedded, in 1717, the Lady Elizabeth Diana Capel, eldest daughter of Algernon, 2nd Earl of Essex; but dying without issue, in 1727, the estates reverted to his uncle,

Sir Thomas Molyneux, 1st Baronet (Image: Armagh County Museum)

THOMAS MOLYNEUX  (1661-1733), Lieutenant-General, Physician-General to the Army in Ireland, who was created a baronet in 1730, designated of Castle Dillon, County Armagh.

Sir Thomas married Catherine, daughter of Ralph Howard, of Shelton, County Wicklow (grandfather of the 1st Viscount Wicklow) and had (with four daughters) two sons,

DANIEL, his heir;
CAPEL, successor to his brother.

He was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR DANIEL MOLYNEUX, 2nd Baronet; at whose decease unmarried, in 1738, the title and estates devolved upon his brother,

THE RT HON SIR CAPEL MOLYNEUX, 3rd Baronet (1717-97), MP for Clogher, 1761-83, Trinity College, Dublin, 1768-76, who wedded firstly, in 1747, Elizabeth, daughter of William East, of Hall Place, Berkshire, and sister of Sir William East Bt, and had issue,

CAPEL, his successor;
George, MP for Granard;
Harriet; Anne.

The Molyneux Family (1758). Image: Armagh County Museum

Sir Capel espoused secondly, in 1766, Elizabeth, only daughter of Lieutenant-General John Aldercron, Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, and had further issue,

THOMAS, succeeded his half-brother;
John, father of the 8th Baronet.

Sir Capel erected a fine obelisk near his park at Castle Dillon, to commemorate the revival of the Constitution of Ireland in 1782.

He was succeeded by his son,

SIR CAPEL MOLYNEUX, 4th Baronet (1750-1832), who married, in 1785, Margaret, eldest daughter of Sir Neil O'Donnel Bt, of Newport, County Mayo; but dsp in 1832, when the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR THOMAS MOLYNEUX, 5th Baronet (1767-1841), Lieutenant-General in the army, who wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Perrin.

Sir Thomas Molyneux, 5th Baronet (Image: Armagh County Museum)

His only legitimate child was

SIR GEORGE KING ALDERCRON MOLYNEUX, 6th Baronet (1813-48), who espoused, in 1837, Emma, daughter of _____ Green, and had issue,

CAPEL, his successor;
Elizabeth; Emily Catherine.

Sir George was succeeded by his son and heir,

SIR CAPEL MOLYNEUX, 7th Baronet (1841-79), DL, of Castle Dillon, who married, in 1863, Mary Emily Frances, daughter of Sir Peter George FitzGerald Bt, and had issue, an only daughter, JULIA ELIZABETH MARY MOLYNEUX.

Sir Capel Molyneux, 7th Baronet (Image: Armagh County Museum)

On Sir Capel's decease without male issue, the title reverted to his cousin,

THE REV SIR JOHN WILLIAM HENRY MOLYNEUX, 8th Baronet (1819-79), grandson of the 3rd Baronet, Vicar of Sudbury, who wedded, in 1842, Louisa Dorothy, daughter of Deemster John Christian, and had issue,

JOHN CHARLES, his successor;
Howard William;
Henry Stuart;
Capel Forbes;
Isabella Louisa.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE REV SIR JOHN CHARLES MOLYNEUX, 9th Baronet (1843-1928), of Castle Dillon, Vicar of Portesham, who espoused firstly, in 1873, Fanny, daughter of Edward Jackson, and had issue,

EDWARD CHARLES (1876-1922);
William Arthur (1877-1928);
John Howard (1878-1923);
Mary Gertrude Fanny; Emily Jane; Ethel Stuart.

Sir John wedded secondly, in 1895, Ada Isabel, daughter of the Rev A F Wynter.

Following Sir John's decease without surviving male issue, the title reverted to his cousin,

SIR ERNEST MOLYNEUX, 10th Baronet (1865-1940), great-grandson of the 3rd Baronet, who espoused, in 1934, Evelyn Margaret, daughter of the Rev Arthur Ellison Molineux, though the marriage was without issue.

The title expired on the decease of the 10th Baronet in 1940.

First published in February, 2011. Molyneux coat-of-arms image: Gerard Molyneux APC.

Powerscourt House

THE VISCOUNTS POWERSCOURT WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WICKLOW, WITH 40,986 ACRES

The surname of Wingfield is derived from the manor of Wingfield, Suffolk, where the progenitors of this family are stated to have been located before the Conquest; and the place of their abode was denominated Wingfield Castle.

It has been said that this manor gave both a name and seat to a large family in those parts, famous for their knighthood and ancient gentility, which brought forth an abundance of renowned knights, and among them two celebrated companions of the Order of the Garter under the reign of HENRY VIII.

SIR ROBERT WINGFIELD (c1403-54), Knight, of Letheringham, Suffolk, was MP for Suffolk.

SIR RICHARD WINGFIELD (1550-1634), lineally descended from the Wingfields of Letheringham, Suffolk, a person of high military reputation, began his career under his uncle, Sir William Fitzwilliam, Lord Deputy of Ireland, in the civil wars in Ireland.

He was afterwards engaged upon the Continent; and returning to Ireland, was appointed by ELIZABETH I, in 1600, Marshal of Ireland; and by JAMES I, for his subsequent achievements, twice joined in the government of Ireland.

At the same time he was called to His Majesty's privy council.

Sir Richard was elevated to the peerage, in 1618, in the dignity of VISCOUNT POWERSCOURT, but died without issue, in 1634, when the dignity expired; while the estates devolved upon his cousin,

SIR EDWARD WINGFIELD, a distinguished soldier under the Earl of Essex, and a person of great influence and power in Ireland.

Sir Edward married Anne, daughter of Edward, 3rd Baron Cromwell, and had issue,

Lewis;

RICHARD;

Francis.

Sir Edward died in 1638, was succeeded by his second son,

RICHARD WINGFIELD, who wedded, in 1640, Elizabeth, daughter of Henry, 1st Baron Folliott, and had issue, an only child,

FOLLIOTT WINGFIELD (1642-1717), in whose favour the viscountcy of POWERSCOURT (second creation) was revived in 1665.

His lordship wedded the Lady Elizabeth Boyle, eldest daughter of his guardian, the Earl of Orrery; but dying without issue, the peerage again expired, while the estates passed to his cousin,

EDWARD WINGFIELD (1659-1727), barrister-at-law (son of Lewis Wingfield), MP for County Sligo, 1692-3, 1695-9, 1703-13, who espoused firstly, Eleanor, second daughter of Sir Arthur Gore, of Newton Gore, County Mayo; and secondly, Miss Lloyd, daughter of William, Lord Bishop of Killala; by the former of whom he had one son and two daughters, viz.

RICHARD, his heir;
Isabella; Sidney.

The only son,

THE RT HON RICHARD WINGFIELD (1697-1751), of Powerscourt, MP for Boyle, 1727-44, was elevated to peerage, in 1743, in the dignities of Baron Wingfield and VISCOUNT POWERSCOURT (third creation).

His lordship married firstly, in 1721, Anne, daughter of Christopher Usher, of Usher's Quay, Dublin, but by her had no issue.

He wedded secondly, Dorothy, daughter of Hercules Rowley, of Summerhill, County Meath, and had issue,

EDWARD, 2nd Viscount;
RICHARD, 3rd Viscount;
Frances; Isabella.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

EDWARD, 2nd Viscount (1729-64); at whose demise, unmarried, the honours devolved upon his only brother,

RICHARD, 3rd Viscount (1730-88), who espoused Amelia, daughter of John, Earl of Aldborough, and had issue,

RICHARD, his successor;
John;
Edward;
Martha; Emilia; Harriot.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD, 4th Viscount (1762-1809), who married firstly, in 1789, Catherine, second daughter of John, 1st Earl of Clanwilliam, by whom he had three sons,

RICHARD, his successor;
John;
Edward, father of RICHARD.

He wedded secondly, in 1796, Isabella, second daughter of the Rt Hon William Brownlow, and had further issue,

William;
Catherine; Emily.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD, 5th Viscount (1790-1823), who espoused, in 1813, Frances Theodosia, eldest daughter of Robert, 2nd Earl of Roden, and had issue,

RICHARD, his successor;
Catherine Anne.

His lordship married secondly, in 1822, Theodosia, daughter of the Hon Hugh Howard, and niece of the Earl of Wicklow, but had no further issue.

He was succeeded by his only son,

RICHARD, 6th Viscount (1815-44), who married, in 1836, his cousin, the Lady Elizabeth Frances Charlotte Jocelyn, daughter of Robert, 3rd Earl of Roden, and had issue,

MERVYN EDWARD, his successor;
Maurice Richard;
another son.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

MERVYN EDWARD, 7th Viscount (1836-1904), KP, a Privy Counsellor, who wedded, in 1864, the Lady Julia Coke, daughter of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Leicester, and had issue.

• Richard Wingfield, 6th Viscount (1815–44);

• Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount (1836–1904);

• Mervyn Richard Wingfield, 8th Viscount KP (1880–1947);

• Mervyn Patrick Wingfield, 9th Viscount (1905–73);

• Mervyn Niall Wingfield, 10th Viscount (1935-2015);

• Mervyn Anthony Wingfield, 11th Viscount (b 1963)

The 8th Viscount was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Wicklow, from 1910 until 1922.

POWERSCOURT, near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, is one of the most beautiful country estates in Ireland.

Situated in the mountains of Wicklow, it was originally an important strategic site for the Anglo-Normans, who came to Ireland in the 12th century.

By the year 1300 a castle had been built here and was in the possession of the le Poer (Power) family from which it takes its name.

The succeeding centuries saw the castle held for different periods by powerful families such as the O'Tooles and the FitzGeralds, Earls of Kildare.

In 1603 Powerscourt Castle and lands were granted to a new English arrival in the area: Richard Wingfield.

Following a successful military career in Ireland, Flanders, France and Portugal, Wingfield was knighted and in 1600 was appointed as Marshal of Ireland.

His descendants were to remain at Powerscourt for over 350 years.

Powerscourt was much altered in the 18th century when famous German-born architect, Richard Castle, remodelled the castles and grounds.

The work was commissioned by Richard Wingfield (1697-1751) and involved the creation of a magnificent mansion around the shell of the earlier castle.

Entrance front

The central courtyard was converted into an entrance hall beneath the remarkably beautiful ballroom.

The north front was adapted to present a grand entrance in the Palladian manner, while the south and front faced the gardens and was initially only two storeys in height.

Powerscourt House was extensively altered during the 18th century by the German architect Richard Cassels, starting in 1731 and finishing in 1741: On a commanding hilltop position, Cassells deviated slightly from his usual sombre style, to give the house something of a 'castle air'; a severe Palladian façade bookended by two circular domed towers. 

GEORGE IV was the guest of Richard Wingfield, 5th Viscount, in August 1821.

The 7th Viscount inherited the title and the Powerscourt estate, which comprised 49,000 acres of land, at the age of 8 in 1844.

When he reached the age of 21, he embarked on an extensive renovation of the house and created the new gardens.

Main attractions on the grounds include the Tower Valley (with stone tower), Japanese Gardens, winged horse statues, Lake, Dolphin Pond, Walled Gardens, Bamberg Gate and the Italian Garden.

The Pepper Pot Tower is said to be designed after a favoured three-inch pepper pot.

Of particular note is the pets' cemetery, whose tombstones have been described as "astonishingly personal".

Inspiration for the garden design followed visits by Powerscourt to ornamental gardens at the Palace of Versailles, Schönbrunn Palace near Vienna, and Schwetzingen Castle near Heidelberg.

The garden development took 20 years to complete in 1880.

In 1961, the estate was sold by the 9th Viscount, Mervyn Patrick Wingfield, to the Slazenger family, who still own it to this day (2010).

Tragically in the early hours of 4th November, 1974, a fire broke out on the top floor and by the morning the main part of the house was a roofless shell.

No one was injured, but all of the principal reception rooms and bedrooms were destroyed.

The Saloon

The walls of the main house, revealing stonework dating back to the 16th century, stood as a stark reminder of the fire for over twenty years.

Then in 1996 a process of regeneration began with the re-roofing of the house and the restoration of the windows as they were before the fire.

The entrance hall now features an exhibition describing the fascinating history of Powerscourt, while shops, a terrace café and other visitor facilities are also located in the house.

Wendy Anne Pauline Slazenger (daughter of the late Ralph Slazenger), married the 10th Viscount, Mervyn Niall Wingfield, in 1962. The marriage was dissolved in 1974 and Lord Powerscourt remarried.

Through her children, the Hon Mervyn Anthony Wingfield and the Hon Julia Wingfield, there remains a strong family connection between the two families and the Powerscourt Estate.

Only two rooms are open to the public as they once appeared while Powerscourt had residents, while the rest of ground floor and first floor are now retail units.

THE GARDENS at Powerscourt were laid out in two main periods.

When the house was rebuilt in the decade after 1731, the surrounding grounds were laid out in a series of formal rides and parkland to the North, with carefully planned gardens and terraces to the South. 

The design reflected the desire to create a garden which was part of the wider landscape.

To the north formal tree plantations framed the vista from the house, while a walled garden, fish pond, cascades, grottoes and terraces lay to the south. 

Walks wound through the wooded grounds and a fine tree lined avenue was created.

A century later the 6th Viscount instructed his architect, Daniel Robertson, to draw up new schemes for the gardens. 

Robertson was one of the leading proponents of Italianate garden design which was influenced by the terraces and formal features of Italian Renaissance villas and perfected in gardens in France and Germany.

Robertson designed the terrace nearest the house.

He is said to have suffered from gout and directed operations from a wheelbarrow, fortified by a bottle of sherry.

When the sherry was finished, work ceased for the day!

The death of the 6th Viscount in 1844 meant that alterations to the gardens ceased until his son resumed the work in the late 1850s. 

Using a combination of Robertson's designs and the plans of the other landscape experts, the terraces were completed, enormous numbers of trees were planted and the grounds adorned with an amazing collection of statuary, ironwork and other decorative items.

By the time of his death in 1904, the 7th Viscount had transformed the estate.

Further generations of the Wingfields maintained the grounds, adding the Japanese Gardens, Pepper Pot Tower and continuing to plant specimen trees. 

First published in November, 2011.  Select bibliography: The Powerscourt Website.

The Crown Bar Acquisition

SELECTIVE ACQUISITIONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

PROPERTY:  Crown Liquor Saloon, Belfast

DATE: 1978

EXTENT: 0.09 acres

DONOR: Messrs Edward & James Hillan

First published in December, 2014.

Antrim Castle

THE VISCOUNTS MASSEREENE AND FERRARD WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ANTRIM, WITH 11,778 ACRES

SIR WILLIAM SKEFFINGTON (c1467-1535), Knight, who was appointed by HENRY VIII, in 1529, His Majesty's Commissioner to Ireland, arrived there in the August of that year, empowered to restrain the exactions of the soldiers, to call a parliament, and to provide that the possessions of the clergy might be subject to bear their part of the public expense. Sir William was subsequently a very distinguished politician in Ireland, and died in the government of that kingdom as Lord Deputy, 1535.

His great-grandson,

JOHN SKEFFINGTON, of FISHERWICK, Staffordshire, married Alice, seventh daughter of Sir Thomas Cave, of Stamford, and was father of

SIR WILLIAM SKEFFINGTON, Knight, of Fisherwick, who was created a baronet in 1627, designated of Fisherwick, Staffordshire.

He married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Dering, and had issue,

JOHN, 2nd Baronet, whose son WILLIAM, 3rd Baronet, dsp;
RICHARD, 4th Baronet;
Elizabeth; Cicely; Mary; Hesther; Lettice; Alice.

The second son,

SIR RICHARD SKEFFINGTON, was father of

SIR JOHN SKEFFINGTON, 5th Baronet, who wedded MARY, only daughter and heir of

SIR JOHN CLOTWORTHY, who, in reward for his valuable services in promoting the restoration of CHARLES II, was created, in 1660, Baron Lough Neagh and VISCOUNT MASSEREENE, both in County Antrim; with remainder, on failure of his male issue, to his son-in-law, Sir John Skeffington, husband of his only daughter MARY, and his male issue by the said Mary, and failing such, to the heirs-general of Sir John Clotworthy.

Sir John Clotworthy (Image: Clotworthy House)

His lordship died in 1665, and the honours devolved, according to the reversionary proviso, upon the said

SIR JOHN SKEFFINGTON, 2nd Viscount (1632-95), MP for County Antrim, 1692-3, Governor of Londonderry, 1699, who married, in 1654, Mary, only daughter and heir of John, 1st Viscount Massereene, by whom he had issue (with three daughters), a sole surviving son,

CLOTWORTHY, 3rd Viscount (1661-1714), who married, in 1684, Rachael, daughter of Sir Edward Hungerford KB, of Farley Castle, Wiltshire, and had issue,

CLOTWORTHY, his successor;
Jane, m Sir Hans Hamilton Bt;
Rachael, m Randal, 4th Earl of Antrim;
Mary, m Rt Rev Edward Smyth, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor.

His lordship was succeeded by his son,

CLOTWORTHY, 4th Viscount, who wedded, in 1713, the Lady Catherine Chichester, eldest daughter of Arthur, 4th Earl of Donegall, and had issue,

CLOTWORTHY, his successor;
Arthur, MP for Co Antrim;
John, in holy orders;
Hungerford;
Hugh;
Catharine; Rachael.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

CLOTWORTHY, 5th Viscount (1715-57), who was advanced to an earldom, in 1756, in the dignity of EARL OF MASSEREENE.

1st Earl of Massereene (Image: Sotheby's)

His lordship wedded, in 1738, Anne, eldest daughter of the Very Rev Richard Daniel, Dean of Down; and secondly, in 1741, Elizabeth, only daughter and heir of Henry Eyre, of Rowter, Derbyshire, and had issue,

CLOTWORTHY, 2nd Earl;
HENRY, 3rd Earl;
William, Constable of Dublin Castle;
John;
CHICHESTER, 4th Earl;
Alexander;
Elizabeth, m Robert, 1st Earl of Leitrim;
Catharine, m Francis, 1st Earl of Landaff.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

CLOTWORTHY, 2nd Earl (1743-1805), who married, though having no male issue the family honours devolved upon his brother,

HENRY, 3rd Earl, Governor of the City of Cork, who died unmarried in 1811, and was succeeded by his only surviving brother,

CHICHESTER, 4th Earl, who wedded, in 1780, Harriet, eldest daughter of Robert, 1st Earl of Roden, and had issue,

HARRIET, VISCOUNTESS MASSEREENE.

The 4th Earl died in 1816, when the earldom expired; but the viscountcy of Massereene and barony of Loughneagh devolved upon his only daughter and sole heiress,

HARRIET, VISCOUNTESS MASSEREENE, who married, in 1810, Thomas Henry, Viscount Ferrard, by whom she had issue,

JOHN, VISCOUNT MASSEREENE AND FERRARD (1812-63).

• Clotworthy John Skeffington, 11th Viscount Massereene, 4th Viscount Ferrard (1842–1905) - 1870 Married Florence Elizabeth Whyte-Melville, only daughter of Major George John Whyte-Melville, the Victorian sporting novelist, and great granddaughter of the 5th Duke of Leeds.
• Algernon William John Clotworthy Skeffington, 12th Viscount Massereene, 5th Viscount Ferrard (1873–1956)
• John Clotworthy Talbot Foster Whyte-Melville-Skeffington, 13th Viscount Massereene, 6th Viscount Ferrard (1914–1992)
• John David Clotworthy Whyte-Melville Foster Skeffington, 14th Viscount Massereene, 7th Viscount Ferrard (born 1940)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son the Hon. Charles Clotworthy Whyte-Melville Foster Skeffington (born 1973).

Sir John Clotworthy took his title from the half barony of Massereene in County Antrim, where he established his estates.

In 1668, the Marrereenes owned about 45,000 acres in Ireland; however, by 1701, the land appears to have shrunk to 10,000 acres; and, by 1713, the County Antrim estates comprised 8,178 acres.

Land acquisiton through marriage etc meant that the land-holdings amounted to 11,778 acres in 1887.

In the 1600s the Massereenes possessed the lucrative fishing rights to Lough Neagh by means of a 99-year lease and they were also accorded the honour, Captains of Lough Neagh, for a period.

The Chichesters, Earls of Belfast, were Admirals of Lough Neagh.

Historical records also tell us that Lord Massereene had the right to maintain a “fighting fleet” on the Lough.

The 12th Viscount Massereene and Ferrard, DSO, was the last of the Skeffingtons to live at Antrim Castle:

The 12th Viscount was educated at Winchester and Sandhurst; commissioned into the 17th Lancers in 1895; saw action throughout the South African War, 1899-1902; was wounded, mentioned in dispatches and awarded the DSO; and retired as a brevet major in 1907.

Lord Massereene became a TA major in the North Irish Horse later in that year. He later served in the early years of the First World War and is said to have found Lawrence of Arabia 'impossible'. In 1905 he married and succeeded to the title.

He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for County Antrim. Although his father-in-law was a Liberal MP and Home Ruler, Lord Massereene was a staunch Conservative and Unionist. Notwithstanding his position as a DL for County Antrim, he is supposed to have sat in his chauffeur-driven car, looking on with approval, as guns were run into Larne Harbour in 1912!

His lordship was Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim from 1916-38.

From 1921-29 he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and a member of the Northern Ireland Senate.

ANTRIM CASTLE, County Antrim, stood at the side of the River Sixmilewater beside the town of Antrim.

It was originally built in 1613 by Sir Hugh Clotworthy and enlarged in 1662 by his son, the 1st Viscount Massereene.

The Castle was rebuilt in 1813 as a three-storey Georgian-Gothic castellated mansion, faced in Roman cement of an agreeable orange colour.

The original doorway, most elaborate and ornate and complete with Ionic pilasters, heraldry and a head of CHARLES I became a central feature of the new 4-bay entrance front, with a long, adjoining front of 180 feet with 11 bays; mullioned oriels and a tall, octagonal turret were added in 1887 when the Castle was again enlarged.

The image of the Castle above was taken in 1921, just before the disastrous fire.

Clicking on the images shall provide considerable detail.

The demesne boasts a remarkable 17th century formal garden and parterre with a long canal bordered with tall hedges; and another canal at right angles to it making a “T” shape.

There are abundant old trees, masses of yew and walls of rose-coloured brick.

An ancient motte stands beside the ruinous Castle.

The motte was transformed into a magnificent 'viewing mount' in the early 18th century with a corkscrew path lined on the outside with a yew hedge.

Lord and Lady Massereene and their family were hosting a grand ball in Antrim Castle when it was burnt by an IRA gang on the 28th October, 1922.

It is thought that one of the servants was an Irish Republican sympathizer; provided information to the gang; and left the Castle having packed his bags.

Many items of historical importance were destroyed in the fire; but the presence of mind of Lord Massereene and his staff, and the length of time which it takes for a very large house to be consumed by a fire, saved much that would otherwise have been lost.

The daughter of the Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Rev Charles D'Arcy, who was staying at the time, jumped out of a window to save herself.

A 900-piece dinner service of Foster provenance was thrown from the drawing-room windows into the Sixmilewater river; however, very little of it survived intact.

A great deal of furniture, some of it large, was rescued.

More would have been rescued, except that the townspeople of Antrim, who turned out in large numbers to help, thought that the most important thing to be saved was the billiards table!

Thirty men managed to get it out of the castle.

Among the major survivals were the family portraits. A comparison with the portraits itemised by C.H. O'Neill in 1860 and those surviving in family possession today, suggests a rescue operation of astonishing success (although it has to be remembered that many portraits and other important pieces were probably in the London town house in 1922, or with the Dowager Lady Massereene at her house in Hampshire).

The 13th Viscount , who was a small boy at the time, recalled the blaze vividly.

He remembered being trapped with his mother in a light well from which they narrowly escaped, and being told by her that they were going to die there.

He particularly remembered the nursery cat with its fur on fire. I wonder if it survived.

Following the fire, Lord Massereene went to live in the nearby dower house, Skeffington Lodge (which subsequently became the Deer Park Hotel). Further losses of family treasures – this time by sale, not by fire – now followed.

The family considered building a two-storey, Neo-Tudor house on the site of Antrim Castle but nothing came of this.

Apparently no insurance compensation was paid, because arson could not be proved.

The ruin of the great mansion was finally removed about 1970.

After the Second World War, Skeffington Lodge was abandoned; the Antrim Castle stable block was converted for use as a family residence, and was re-named Clotworthy House.

It was let for about ten years following the death of Lord Massereene in 1956.

Clotworthy was then acquired by Antrim Borough Council, and was converted for use as an Arts Centre in 1992.

The gardens are of great importance as they retain, in reasonable condition, features from the 17th century.

Whereas, at other sites in Ulster, later fashions dictated alterations in garden layout, at Antrim the formal style typical of European gardens of the 17th century remained little changed throughout successive generations.

The gardens are listed, naming the Long pond and Round Pond.

A great deal of the latter was wooded; became a deer park; and was set out in the early 19th century in clumps and shelter plantations in the landscape manner, but no longer survives in that form.

A fine stone bridge, the Deer Park Bridge, spans the river at a shallow point and formed a link between the demesne and the rest of the estate.

The Anglo-Norman motte adjacent to the house was made into a garden feature, with a yew-lined spiral walk leading to the top, from which views of the grounds, the town of Antrim and the river could (and can still) be enjoyed.

The castle and the motte were enclosed within a bawn and protected by artillery bastions, which were utilized for gardens from the 18th century.

The formal canals, linked by a small cascade and lined with clipped lime and hornbeam hedges, are the main attraction.

The wooded Wilderness is interspersed with straight paths that lead to vistas outside the demesne, which added to the impression that the area it covers is larger than it is.

Unfortunately most of the vistas have now been blocked.

A round pond is a feature in the wilderness.

A small former parterre garden is now the family memorial ground.

A larger parterre was reconstructed in the 1990s and now forms a considerable ornamental area planted in the manner of a 17th century garden, including plants that were known to have been grown at that time.

The model for the layout comes from Castle Coole in County Fermanagh.

This area is bounded by a fine clipped lime hedge and a venerable yew hedge.

Use of the site as an army camp in the last world war possibly accounts for the paucity of fine mature trees.

Other sections have suffered; the kitchen and ornamental Terrace Garden were destroyed in the 1960s, when a road was laid through part of the area.

The main gate lodge from the town, the Barbican Gate, was possibly built in 1818 to the designs of John Bowden and has been separated from the site by the intrusion of the road.

An underpass now connects the lodge entrance to the grounds.

Another gate lodge, at the farm and stables entrance on the Randalstown Road, has been demolished.

The stable block, built in the 1840s and now known as Clotworthy House, is used as an arts centre.

It replaced an earlier stable block immediately to the east of the house and assumed the name ‘House’ when the family went to live in it some time after the fire at the castle.

The estate and gardens are now owned by Antrim Borough Council and are open all the time for public access.

The 14th and present Viscount formerly lived with his family at Chilham Castle in Kent till it, too, was sold in 1996.

First Published in March, 2010.