Lough Fea House

THE SHIRLEYS WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY MONAGHAN, WITH 26,386 ACRES

This is a branch of the noble and ancient family of Shirley, EARLS FERRERS, springing from

SIR HENRY SHIRLEY, 2nd Baronet (1588-1633),

Who married, in 1616, Dorothy, youngest daughter of ELIZABETH I's accomplished but unfortunate favourite, 2nd Earl of Essex (who possessed the barony and lands of Farney, County Monaghan), and in her issue one of the co-heirs of her brother, 3rd Earl of Essex, the celebrated Parliamentarian General. 

(By this alliance the Earls Ferrers quarter the arms of France and England with their own; the Earl of Essex having descended, maternally, from Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cambridge, grandson of EDWARD III).

SIR ROBERT SHIRLEY, 1st Earl Ferrers (1650-1717), married firstly, Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Lawrence Washington, of Garsdon, Wiltshire; and secondly, in 1699, Selina, daughter of George Finch.

The third, but, eventually, eldest surviving son of his second marriage,

THE HON GEORGE SHIRLEY (1705-87), of Ettington Park, Warwickshire, Captain, 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, wedded Mary, daughter of Humphrey Sturt, and had issue,

EVELYN, his heir;
Selina; Margaret.

Mr Shirley was succeeded by his eldest son,

EVELYN SHIRLEY (1756-1810), of Ettington Park and Lough Fea, County Monaghan, who espoused Phillis Byam, daughter of Charlton Wollaston, and had issue,

EVELYN JOHN, his heir;
Charles;
William;
James;
Horatio;
Arthur George Sewallis;
Selina; Mary; Frances; Emily Harriet.

Mr Shirley was succeeded by his eldest son, 

EVELYN JOHN SHIRLEY (1788-1856), of Ettington Park and Lough Fea, who wedded, in 1810, Eliza, daughter of Arthur Stanhope, cousin to the Earl of Chesterfield, MP for County Monaghan, 1826-31, and South Warwickshire, 1836-49, and had issue,

EVELYN PHILIP;
Arthur;
Sewallis;
George Edward;
Walter Devereux;
Selina; Louisa.

His eldest son, 

EVELYN PHILIP SHIRLEY DL (1812-82), of Ettington Park and Lough Fea, MP for South Warwickshire, 1853-65, County Monaghan, 1841-7, had issue,

SEWALLIS EVELYN SHIRLEY JP DL (1844-1904), of Ettington Park and Lough Fea, MP for County Monaghan, 1868-80, High Sheriff of Warwickshire, 1884, who had issue,

EVELYN CHARLES SHIRLEY JP DL (1889-1956), of Ettington Park and Lough Fea; High Sheriff of County Monaghan, 1914, Major, Warwickshire Yeomanry, Lieutenant-Colonel, General Staff, whose only son,

JOHN EVELYN SHIRLEY (1922-2009), of Ettington Park and Lough Fea, Major, King's Royal Rifle Corps.

He lived in 2003 at Ormly Hall, Ramsey, Isle of Man.

Major Shirley had issue,

PHILIP EVELYN , b 1955;
Emily Margaret, b 1957;
Hugh Sewallis, b 1961.

The eldest son,

PHILIP EVELYN SHIRLEY (1955-), of Lough Fea, married, in 1989, Augusta, daughter of Hugo Southern, and has issue,

Evelyn Robert, b 1990;
Horatio John, b 1993;
Nathaniel Guy, b 1995;
Perdita Rose, b 1997. 

The Shirley estate is based at Lough Fea, near Carrickmacross, County Monaghan.

It had an area of some 40 square miles, in the western half of the barony of Farney, County Monaghan, in the period 1576-1960.

The Shirley Papers are deposited at PRONI.

The Shirley Association has written a history of Lough Fea.

The Shirleys were semi-absentee landlords. Their main seat was Ettington Park in Warwickshire.

Evelyn Philip Shirley visited Lough Fea several times a year.

The estate was formerly in the ownership of the Earl of Essex, though underwent the first of several partitions: It passed in two halves to Essex's co-heirs, the Marquess of Hertford and Sir Robert Shirley.

Sir Robert himself died in 1656, imprisoned in the Tower of London for supporting the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.

His son and heir was Sir Seymour Shirley, on whose death in 1667 the estate and the rest of the family inheritance passed in turn to his second and only surviving son, Sir Robert Shirley.

Sir Robert entered the House of Lords in 1677, as Baron Ferrers of Chartley, and in 1711 was further ennobled as 1st Earl Ferrers and Viscount Tamworth.

This last title related to the family seat of Ettington in Warwickshire.

About 1750, the Shirleys built a house near Carrickmacross for their occasional visits.

It was not until 1826 that Robert's grandson, Evelyn John Shirley, laid the foundations of a mansion house worthy of the family and estate, near the banks of Lough Fea.

LOUGH FEA is a very large and unusual Tudor-Gothic house by Thomas Rickman, the English architect and architectural writer who invented the terms "Early English", "decorated" and "perpendicular" to describe the different periods of Gothic architecture.

Unlike most houses of its period and style, Lough Fea has no battlements and few gables, but a solid parapet which conceals much of the roof.

There are also hardly any projecting bows or oriels, but rather small, mullioned windows under hood mouldings; so that the elevations, of pinkish-grey ashlar, have a solid effect.

The Entrance Hall

There are several slender, square turrets with sprocketed, pyramidal roofs; also a polygonal lantern and a small tower and polygonal turret at the end of one wing; but no major tower; so that he house seems low and wide-spreading.

The Entrance Front

The entrance front, facing the lough, is flanked on one side by the chapel and on the other by a great hall, which together form a three-sided court.

The interior is of great complexity, with many corridors and ante-rooms.

There is a hall divided by a stone arcade, its walls hung with an early 19th-century wallpaper.

The Dining-Room

There is a large and handsome library, the famous library of EP Shirley, son of the builder of the house.

The chapel is on the scale of a sizeable church, with two pulpits and a gallery.

The Great Hall

The clou of the house is, however, the Great Hall: vast and baronial, with a lofty hammer-beam roof, a minstrels' gallery and an arcade at first-floor level.

It was added after the rest of the house was completed.

According to the story, Mr Shirley and Lord Rossmore vied with one another as to which of them could build the bigger room.

Lord Rossmore enlarged his drawing room at Rossmore Park five times, but in the end Mr Shirley won the contest by building his great hall.

The garden front of the house faces along a vista to an immense Celtic cross.

The demesne is noted for its magnificent woodlands.

At the end of the 19th century the estate comprised 26,386 acres, but these lands had to be sold due to the Irish Land Acts before the First World War.

The estate now has less than 1,000 acres of grass and woodland.

After the sale of the land, which had been rented to tenants, large mansions such as Lough Fea became white elephants with little revenue coming in.

The Sunken Garden, with the Devereux Tower to the right

In 1904, when Major Shirley’s grandfather died, his father moved from his Ettington Park home in Warwickshire to Carrickmacross, County Monaghan.

Between 1904 and 1977, Major Shirley’s father and his family lived there permanently.

There was a serious fire at the house in 1966, which did quite a lot of damage.

In 1977, the family moved to the Isle of Man and thus reverted to its 19th Century role of absenteeism; though because Major Shirley and his sons were brought up on the estate they have a great love of the place and they do their best to keep the main parts of the building waterproof.

First published in June, 2011.

Baronscourt Shoot

DARREN CRUSH OF THE SHOOTING GAZETTE MAGAZINE WROTE AN ARTICLE IN 2011 ABOUT GAME-SHOOTING AT BARONSCOURT COUNTY TYRONE, SEAT OF THE DUKE OF ABERCORN

NORTHERN IRELAND may not have as many opportunities for game shooting as elsewhere in the British Isles, but in Baronscourt it certainly has one of the most beautiful. 

Situated in a valley at the base of the Sperrin Mountains, Baronscourt estate, all 15,000 acres of it, is something of a sporting paradise. 

Not only does it cater for those in pursuit of sporting pheasants, it can also satisfy the appetite of both the deerstalker and river angler.

Combine this with a main house as majestic on the outside as it is within and you’ve pretty much met the needs of any avid sportsman. 

On the morning of the shoot I was greeted with snow and bright sun.

Saddled up and ready to go after breakfast, I made my way along the remaining eight miles from my hotel to the estate.

The scenery just got better and better as I weaved through the country lanes. 

After passing through the main gates I was met by a beater who pointed me towards the main house, and soon after I grabbed a glimpse of the impressive Clock Tower and Governor’s Lodge - a building that is part of the estate’s stable yard and which dates back to 1890. 

I soon arrived at Barons Court - the main house and seat of the Duke of Abercorn’s family since 1610 - to be met by my host Jamie, Marquess of Hamilton.

I was introduced to the rest of the guns before grabbing an opportunity to speak with Jamie about the shoot as everyone finished their breakfast. 

“There has been game shooting at Baronscourt since the mid-1800s,” said Jamie. “It is something we have always nurtured under our own management.

This includes retaining, as best as possible, our own bloodline of pheasant. 

We’re very lucky in terms of the topography, which really lends itself to sporting birds.

Sammy Pollock, our head-keeper, is assisted by his son, Stephen, and daughter, Jeanette, as well as a wealth of other locals who help on shoot days. 

“Sport at Baronscourt is all about balance and this includes the number of game shooting days that are put on.

In order to protect our stocks we don’t overshoot the land, and each season we will establish how many shoot days we should have so as not to upset this balance. 

There are three types of game shooting on the estate; client days, family days, local syndicate days and walked-up days.

The shoot is mainly run for the family but we feel in order to make full use of the land, and also generate extra income to pump back into the shoot, it is wise to let out days.

We have one group of guns that come here six times a year for walked-up game shooting.

Conservation is also very much to the fore.

Every decision is carefully thought out in terms of the impact it will have and the benefits that can be drawn from it. 

And this is not only in terms of game shooting - a Laurent Perrier Award for wild game conservation in relation to the management of our wild herd of Japanese sika, and the Royal Forestry Society’s Duke of Cornwall Award highlights this. 

All of Baroncourt’s days are managed by Jamie - a personal and knowledgeable touch which ensures everything runs smoothly. 

The estate is fortunate to offer a variety of game for its discerning clients. 

“We are very lucky to have a number of woodcock on the estate and have devised drives whereby the guns and beaters can actually walk together along custom-made tracks cut through coniferous woods in pursuit of this sporting bird,” said Jamie. 

“Moderation, again, is the key here and we organise days according to the potential number of woodcock in the area.” 

A call to the By-turn, the first drive, marked the end of our conversation, and it was then to the gun-bus - a fine specimen adorned on the inside with framed photographs of previous shoots and family members from years gone by. 

Driven along by helper Robert Freeborn we soon found ourselves in a snow-strewn landscape.

I found myself behind Lord Iveagh from the Elveden estate.

Resplendent in his family’s Guinness tie, it wasn’t long before he was sampling some of Baronscourt’s best. 

As snow clouds loomed in the distance, pheasants took flight over the line of guns, their rich colours, reflected by a glowing winter sun were stark against a darkened sky. 

They came in a steady trickle and the drive lasted long enough for each gun to get a good share of the sport. 

Elevenses in a log cabin followed McKelvey’s Kale - a very scenic drive that backed onto one of the estate’s three lakes and the main house.

The team tucked in to sausage rolls, soup and a nip of sloe gin around the warmth of a log fire.

Once suitably fortified it was on to the Spinney. 

With the guns lined out in front of tall, coniferous woodland it didn’t take an expert to realise more testing birds were on their way. 

Sure enough, high bird after high bird powered up over the guns and with the bright sun burning in the sky, only a few were deterred from lifting to a sporting height. 

With lunch looming, there was a treat in store for the guns - a duck drive.

Not only was it a great way to end the morning’s game shooting, it provided uninterrupted sport as the birds lifted in a frenzy of flight.

The guns enjoyed a good half an hour of sport and bagged 110 head. 

Over lunch I bent the ear of head-keeper Sammy Pollock: “I’ve worked on this estate for 35 years,” he told me.

“I started off in the estate’s forestry department before a position came up to join the shoot. 

I had always had an interest in game shooting so to become an under-keeper was a chance that I really wanted to take. 

Bob Godfrey was the head-keeper at the time, so I worked under him for a number of years before working under his successor, Trevor Miskelly.

Then I was made head-keeper 19 years ago and have been so ever since.” Son and daughter Stephen and Jeanette joined Sammy when they left school. 

And, apart from enjoying everything ‘outdoors’, Jeanette also has an interest in water colour painting, something she does on commission.

And Sammy even has his other son, David, and David’s son, Adam, helping out on shoot days too. 

For Sammy and his team, conservation, as with Jamie, Lord Hamilton, is key, and he realises that for game shooting to work it has to be carried out in conjunction with managing the land correctly. 

Echoing Jamie’s comments Sammy said: “It’s all about conservation, it has to be.”

“Take the woodcock for example, we have created special game shooting conditions for them that hasn’t been detrimental to the woodland. “

“Combine that with the fact we don’t overshoot them, and you see how we’re trying to create a decent environment for them.”

“I think we’ve got it just about right here.”

“We’ve been working on it for the past 20-odd years and everything seems to be going well.” 

A working estate that is conducive to the surrounding land and community certainly seems in evidence here, and a lot of the game goes back in to the rural community too. 

“Making good use of game is paramount on the estate,” said Jamie.

“As well as supplying the local trade we also supply restaurants in Belfast and Dublin.”

“The estate also has a EU approved game processing facility, one of only two in Northern Ireland, where we can prepare oven-ready birds.”

“Full game preparation is now very much of the business and this also includes venison - approximately 250 head of venison were prepared at the last count.”

“Some of this produce makes its way to our cookery school at Belle Isle.” 

We closed the day with Ramps.

With the stunning house in the background, the guns saw good birds before retiring for a cup of tea, and for those staying the night, something a little bit stronger. 

For me, it was a trip back to the airport and a head full of memories from a great day.

First published in June, 2011. 

Loughcrew House

THE NAPERS WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY MEATH, WITH 18,863 ACRES

JAMES NAPER (fourth son of Sir Samuel Naper MP, of Moor Crichel, Dorset, and grandson of Sir Robert Napper (Napier) MP, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, 1593), High Sheriff of County Meath, 1671, married Dorothy, daughter of Sir Anthony Petty, of Romsey, Hampshire, and sister of the celebrated Sir William Petty, ancestor of the Marquess of Lansdowne.

By this lady he left at his decease, in 1676, three sons and two daughters,

William, of Loughcrew, died unmarried;
JAMES, succeeded his brother;
Robert, lieutenant-general;
Elizabeth; Frances.

The second son,

JAMES NAPER (-1718), of Loughcrew, High Sheriff of County Meath, 1702, married firstly, in 1684, Elizabeth, daughter of James Tandy, of Drewstown, County Meath, and by her had two daughters,

Dorothy;
Sarah.

He wedded secondly, in 1695, Elizabeth Barry; and thirdly, Anne, daughter of Sir Ralph Dutton Bt, of Sherborne, Gloucestershire, by whom he had two sons and a daughter,

JAMES LENOX, his heir;
William;
Anna Maria.

The eldest son,

JAMES LENOX NAPER (1712-76), of Loughcrew, High Sheriff of County Meath, 1740, assumed the surname and arms of DUTTON.


He espoused firstly, in 1734, Catherine, daughter of Henry Ingoldsby, by whom he had an only child,

John, who died unmarried, 1771.

He married secondly, Jane, daughter of Christopher Bond, of Newland, Gloucestershire, and had further issue,

JAMES, created 1st BARON SHERBORNE;
WILLIAM, who inherited the Naper estates;
Ralph;
Anne; Mary; Frances; Jane.

Mr Dutton was succeeded in his Irish estates by his second son, William, who, resuming the name and arms of NAPER, became

WILLIAM NAPER (1749-91) of Loughcrew, who married, in 1787, Jane, daughter of the Rev Ferdinando Tracy Travell, of Gloucestershire, and left one daughter, Jane, and one son,

James Lenox William Naper (Image: The National Trust)

JAMES LENOX WILLIAM NAPER JP DL (1791-1868), of Loughcrew, MP for Weobley, 1813-18, High Sheriff of County Meath, 1822, who wedded, in 1824, Selina, second daughter of Sir Grey Skipworth Bt, of Newbold Hall, Warwickshire, and had issue,

JAMES LENOX, his heir;
William Dutton;
Lelia Jane; Anna Selina.

Mr Naper's eldest son,

JAMES LENOX NAPER JP DL (1825-1901), of Loughcrew, High Sheriff of County Meath, 1853, espoused, in 1877, Catherine Frances Rowley, only daughter of Clotworthy, 3rd Baron Langford, and had issue, a son,

WILLIAM LENOX NAPER MC JP DL (1879-1942), of Loughcrew, who wedded, in 1902, Adela Mary Charlotte, eldest daughter of Colonel the Hon W R Trefusis CB, Scots Guards, and the Lady Mary Trefusis.

*****

THE NAPER ESTATES eventually grew to 180,000 acres in counties Meath, Westmeath and Cavan, helped by the Colonel`s marriage to the sister of Sir William Petty, a senior Dublin Castle official.

James Lennox William Naper (1791-1868) commissioned the building of Loughcrew House in 1823, a year after he was appointed High Sheriff of Meath.

A busy landlord and writer, he served as chairman of the Poor Law Guardians during the Famine years and subsidised the emigration of tenants to Canada in the 1830s.

His son, James Lenox Naper, also served as High Sheriff and was a major in the Meath Militia while also enduring the first major fire at Loughcrew House in 1888.

His son, William Lenox Naper, was awarded the Military Cross for services in the Royal Horse Guard during World War One but he died without issue and his widow Adela married the colourful adventurer, Rodney Matthews in 1946. His spending seriously impacted on the estate before he disappeared in his plane in the Irish Sea in 1953.

A cousin of William Lenox, Merrick Naper, died in Africa that same year before he could inherit and Merrick`s brother, Nigel, inherited the 1,500-acre estate before suffering two major fires in the house in 1959 and 1964.

The Irish Land Commission took 600 acres of the estate in 1967 and it was divided between his three sons on Nigel`s death in 1978.

Emily and Charles Naper have converted the old conservatory, pavilions, servant quarters and stables into the current living area, school of gilding and studio area.

Emily Jane Dashwood was born in 1958, eldest child of Sir Francis John Vernon Hereward Dashwood Bt (Premier Baronet of Great Britain). She married Charles William Lennox Naper in 1981.

They have revived the 17th century gardens and established Loughcrew Garden Opera.

LOUGHCREW, Oldcastle, County Meath, today comprises the vestiges of Loughcrew House, the Gardens, ancillary accommodation and about 200 acres of parkland and grounds. 

Loughcrew Garden Opera has been holding operas and concerts in the grounds of the estate since 2000 during the summer months, which has proved immensely popular.

Weddings, exhibitions and craft workshops have also been held in the large rooms within the courtyard buildings.

Remaining within the Naper family from the 17th Century to the present day, Loughcrew has had a turbulent and fascinating history. 

Originally the seat of the Plunkett family, its most famous member being St Oliver Plunkett, whose church still remains today on the estate, the first Loughcrew House was built in the 1600s by the Naper family, where the current formal gardens exist, amidst an awesome 180,000 acre estate.

Subsequently destroyed by fire, the next Loughcrew House was designed by Charles Cockerel in 1821 for the Naper family.

In 1964 this house, too, was destroyed by fire and all that remains today is the giant portico, rebuilt and free-standing as a modern day folly, and a hard tennis court within the old footprint.

Mark Bence Jones, in his guide to Irish Country Houses, describes the vast stones and fallen capitals of the 1820's neo-classical house, designed by Cockerell, once strewn about the ground like the remains of some lost city of antiquity.

The current house grew out of The Garden House, a large and interesting stone building attached to the original courtyards, unusual in its design, and which used to house an array of flora and exotic plant-life. 

The rooms that make up the house were in fact originally the palm houses, the azalea houses and the furnace rooms.

It currently comprises two principal reception rooms, including a particularly fine drawing-room, two sun-rooms, kitchen, five bedrooms, a basement, and a guest wing with three further bedrooms.

LOUGHCREW GARDENS have been created by generations of the Naper family since the 1660s. The Gardens are open to the public for a number of months during the year.

The result is a stunning combination of vistas, with water and archaeological features and many unusual trees, shrubs and flowers. 

A host of enchanting features are displayed in a setting steeped in atmosphere and history, including a medieval motte and the ruins of Saint Oliver Plunkett's family church and tower house.

The surviving 17th century features include a magnificent yew walk, foundations of a longhouse and a walled garden from which a canal and a parterre have been relocated in replica. 

In the 19th century these earlier elements were enveloped in a comprehensive development of parkland, water gardens, specimen trees, follies, rockeries, wood walks and magnificent vistas. 

The central area of approximately six acres now includes a lime avenue, extensive lawns and terraces, magnificent herbaceous border, ‘Grotesque Rockery and Grotto’, Hellfire garden, watermill, fountain, and symbolic statues and sculptures.

A large, log-cabin-style visitor centre with car park is located at the entrance to the gardens.

This contains a spacious coffee shop on the ground floor with small kitchen and lavatories. 

A covered decked area provides outdoor seating. On the first floor is a large room for a crèche or craft centre with lavatories.

First published in June, 2011.

The Blaquiere Baronetcy

Arms of 1st Baron De Blaquiere

ANTHONY DE BLAQUIÈRE, a French noble of Guyenne, married Elizabeth de Montiel, and had a son, Florence, who settled at Lozère, Languedoc, and was father of

JEAN DE BLAQUIÈRE (c1676-1753), of Greenwich, Kent, who took refuge in England in consequence of the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in 1685.

This Jean married Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Pierre de Varennes, of The Strand, Westminster, and had issue,

Lewis, died unmarried, 1754;
Matthew, died in the East Indies;
John Elias, died in infancy;
James, a military officer;
JOHN, of whom hereafter;
Catherine; Jane; Mary; Susanna.

The fifth and youngest son,

JOHN DE BLAQUIERE (1732-1812), a lieutenant-colonel in the 17th Dragoons, having been appointed principal secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1772, and invested, in 1774, with the Order of the Bath, was created a baronet in 1784, designated of Ardkill, County Londonderry.

Sir John was sworn of the Privy Council in Ireland, and appointed His Majesty's Great Alnager of that kingdom.

He married, in 1775, Eleanor, daughter of Robert Dobson, of Anne's Grove, County Cork, and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
WILLIAM, of whom hereafter;
Edmund, died young;
George (1782-26); m, in 1826, widow of Mr Leigh;
Peter Boyle, ancestor of the 6th Baron;
Anna Maria; Eleanor; Catherine Elizabeth.

Sir John was elevated to the peerage, in 1800, in the dignity of BARON DE BLAQUIERE, of Ardkill, County Londonderry.

His eldest son and heir,

JOHN, 2nd Baron (1776-1844), of Ardkill, was Alnager and Collector of the Subsidies of Alnage in Ireland, 1797-1817, when the office was abolished.

About 1812 he was a prisoner in France and never established his right to vote.

His lordship died unmarried, when the family honours devolved upon his brother,

WILLIAM, 3rd Baron (1778-1851), FRS, a distinguished general in the Army, who married, in 1811, the Lady Harriet Townshend, daughter of George, 1st Marquess Townshend, and had issue,

JOHN, his successor;

WILLIAM BARNARD, 4th Baron;

Rose.

His lordship and Lady Harriet separated in 1814.

The 3rd Baron died at Norwood, Surrey, by shooting himself while suffering from smallpox.

He served in Flanders, at the Cape of Good Hope, and in India; major-general, 1813; lieutenant-general, 1825; general, 1841.

His elder son,

JOHN, 4th Baron (1812-71), married firstly, in 1849, Anna, daughter of John Christie; and secondly, in 1852, Eleanor Amelia, daughter of William, 1st Baron Hylton, though the marriage was without issue.

The titles consequently devolved upon his brother, 

WILLIAM, 5th Baron (1814-89), Captain, Royal Navy, who married, in 1862, Anna Maria, daughter of John Wormald, at St. Marylebone Church, Marylebone, London.

His lordship died without issue, and was buried at Brockworth Manor, Gloucestershire.

The titles reverted to his first cousin once removed,

WILLIAM BARNARD, 6th Baron (1856-1920), who wedded, in 1888, Lucinne, daughter of George Desbarats, of Montreal, Quebec, Canada; the marriage, however, was without issue, when the titles expired.

THE CHIEF SECRETARY'S LODGE, Phoenix Park, Dublin, was surrounded by 62 acres of parkland and was completed in 1776.

It was purchased by HM Government in 1782 and became the official residence of the Chief Secretary until 1922, when it became US Ambassador's residence. 

I have written an article about the Chief Secretary's Lodge HERE.

*****

PORTLEMAN HOUSE (or Port Loman), near Mullingar, County Westmeath, former residence of the 1st Baron de Blaquiere, was an 18th century house of three storeys and six bays.

It was built on rising ground above Lough Owel. The grounds comprised eight acres.

The main entrance was in a pillared recess; elaborate curved staircase. It is now demolished.

*****

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR JOHN BLAQUIERE, BARONET, KCB, 1ST BARON DE BLAQUIERE

Blaquiere was the fifth son of Jean de Blaquiere, a French merchant who had emigrated to England in 1732, and his wife Marie Elizabeth de Varennes. He at first served in the Army, in the 18th Dragoons (later the 17th Dragoons), where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

In 1771 Blaquiere was appointed Secretary of Legation at the British Embassy in Paris, a post he held until 1772. The latter year Lord Harcourt, HM Ambassador in Paris, was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Blaquiere joined him as Chief Secretary for Ireland.

He became a Privy Counsellor the same year and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Bath two years later.

Blaquiere was to remain Chief Secretary until Harcourt's resignation in January, 1777. He had been elected to the Irish House of Commons for Old Leighlin in 1773, a seat he held until 1783.

After a few months for Enniskillen in 1783, he sat then for Carlingford from 1783-90; for Charleville from 1790-98; and for Newtownards from 1798 till the Act of Union in 1801.

In 1784 Blaquiere was created a baronet, of Ardkill in the County of Londonderry; and in 1800 he was raised to the peerage as 1st Baron de Blaquiere, of Ardkill in the County of Londonderry.

Lord de Blaquiere also sat as MP for Rye from 1801-02 and for Downton from 1802-06.

*****

I HAVE BEEN so far unable to find any record of the de Blaquieres owning a residence in County Londonderry, despite the name Ardkill being in their territorial title.

It is, perhaps, more likely that they simply owned land.

The Ardkill estate, Clondermot, County Londonderry, by marriage: The estate was bought for him by Alexander Tompkins, of Prehen, County Londonderry, father of Maria Tompkins (wife of Robert Dobson), and grandfather of Eleanor Dobson, the 1st Barons' wife.

First published in May,

Rock House

Coat-of-arms of 1st Baron Clive

THE CLIVES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY MAYO, WITH 35,000 ACRES 

The family of CLIVE is descended from Robert Clive, of Styche, Shropshire.

GEORGE CLIVE JP DL (1805-80), of Ballycroy, County Mayo, and of Perrystone Court, Herefordshire, MP for Hereford, third son of Edward Clive, of Whitfield, wedded, in 1835, Ann Sybella Martha, second daughter of Sir Thomas Harvie Farquhar Bt, and had issue,

EDWARD HENRY, his heir;
Archer Anthony (1842-77), Barrister;
Charles Farquhar;
Sybella Harriet; Kathleen.

The eldest son,

GENERAL EDWARD HENRY CLIVE JP DL (1837-1916), of Perrystone Court and Ballycroy, wedded, in 1867, Isabel, daughter of Daniel Hale Webb, and had issue,

GEORGE SYDNEY, his heir;
Edward Archer Bolton;
Richard Alfred;
Henry Ambrose;
Sybil Mary; Isabel Kathleen; Laura Cicely; Judith Evelyn.

General Clive's eldest son,

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR GEORGE SIDNEY CLIVE GCVO KCB CMG DSO (1874-1959), died following a catastrophic fire at the family residence, Perrystone Court, in 1959.

The Clives of Ballycroy, as they subsequently became known, distinguished themselves as parliamentarians and soldiers.

They were cousins of the celebrated Robert Clive of India.

In the vicinity of Rock House, George Clive, who acquired the estate, planted approximately 72 acres of forest, including walkways leading from The Rock House to the sea and rivers on the property.

The forest, now beautifully matured, consists of some unique species, e.g., Austrian Pine, Spanish Chest Nut, etc., some of whom were reportedly supplied by Clive of India and delivered by train to the nearby Mulranny Station.

In 1982 Jacques Maillet and his son Jean Claude established Tucson Investments, having an 80% and 20% ownership respectively.

In 1986 they purchased Rock House in Ballycroy and some 300 acres consisting of woodlands, blanket bog, non-agricultural land, stretches of the Owenduff and Ballyveeney rivers and shooting rights to approximately 32,000 acres in West Mayo.

The Maillets have already made an investment of €600,000 in the refurbishment of Rock House and nearby lodge, converting both to high quality accommodation for paying guests.

Rock House has now become an established tourist destination.

First published in July, 2012.  Clive arms courtesy of the NLI.

Killyleagh Castle

THE ROWAN-HAMILTONS OWNED 1,118 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

2,040 ACRES IN COUNTY KILDARE, 572 IN THE QUEEN'S COUNTY, AND 145 ACRES IN COUNTY DUBLIN

 

This family is descended from Thomas, youngest son of Sir John Hamilton of Cadzow, from which Thomas many families in Ulster descended; namely, those of Killyleagh, Hallcraig or Neillsbrook, Tollymore, Carnesure, Bangor, Ballygally, and Gransha; founded by the six sons of Hans Hamilton of Dunlop.

THE REV HANS HAMILTON (c1535-1608), Vicar of Dunlop, Ayrshire, wedded Margaret Denholm, daughter of the Laird of Weshiels, and had, with other issue,

James, created VISCOUNT CLANEBOYE;
ARCHIBALD, of whom we treat.

The younger son,

ARCHIBALD HAMILTON (c1564-1639), of Hallcraig, Lanarkshire, married firstly, Rachel Carmichael, and had issue,

John;
James;
GAWN, of whom hereafter;
William;
Hugh.

He wedded secondly, Miss Simpson, by whom he left one daughter, Jane, married to Archibald Edmonstone, of Braid Island, County Antrim.

The third son,

GAWN HAMILTON (c1630-1703), of Killyleagh, County Down, espoused Jane, daughter of Archibald Hamilton, and had issue,

ARCHIBALD;
Mary; Rose.

Mr Hamilton was succeeded by his son and heir,

ARCHIBALD HAMILTON, of Killyleagh, who married Mary, daughter of David Johnstone, of Tully, County Monaghan, and had issue,

William;
GAWN;
Susanna; Jane; Mary.

Mr Hamilton died in 1747, and was succeeded by his younger son,

GAWN HAMILTON (1729-1805), of Killyleagh, High Sheriff of County Down, 1773, who wedded, in 1750, Jane, only child of WILLIAM ROWAN, barrister-at-law, and widow of Tichbourne Aston, of Beaulieu, County Louth, and had issue,

ARCHIBALD;
Sidney.

Mr Hamilton was succeeded by his son and heir,

ARCHIBALD HAMILTON (1751-1834), of Killyleagh Castle, County Down, who assumed the additional surname of ROWAN, in conformity with the will of his maternal grandfather, WILLIAM ROWAN, who devised his fortune to his grandson, then a boy at Westminster School

"in the hope that he should become a learned, honest, sober man; live unbribed and unpensioned; zealous for the rights of his country; loyal to his King; and a true protestant without bigotry to any sect."

Archibald Rowan-Hamilton (Image: Belfast Harbour Commissioners)

He married, in 1781, Sarah Anne, daughter of Walter Dawson, of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, and had issue,

Archibald;
GAWN WILLIAM ROWAN;
Sydney;
Frederick;
Dawson;
Jane; Elizabeth; Mildred; Harriet; Francesca.

Mr Rowan-Hamilton's second son,

GAWN WILLIAM ROWAN ROWAN-HAMILTON CB (1783-1834), of Killyleagh Castle, Captain RN, married, in 1817, Catherine, daughter of General Sir George Cockburn, and had issue,

ARCHIBALD ROWN, his heir;
George Rowan;
Melita Anne.

Captain Rowan-Hamilton was succeeded by his elder son,

ARCHIBALD ROWAN ROWAN-HAMILTON JP, of Killyleagh Castle, who married, in 1842, Catherine Anne, daughter of Rev George Caldwell, and had issue,

GAWN WILLIAM, his heir;
George;
Sidney Augustus Rowan;
Frederick Temple Rowan, father of GAWN BASIL GUY ROWAN-HAMILTON;
Mary Catherine; Helen Gwendoline; Harriet Georgina.

Mr Rowan-Hamilton died in 1818, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

COLONEL GAWN WILLIAM ROWAN-HAMILTON JP DL (1844-1930), of Killyleagh Castle, and Shanganagh Castle, County Dublin, High Sheriff of County Down, 1875, who wedded, in 1876, Lina Mary Howley, daughter of Sir George Howland Beaumont Bt, and had issue,

ARCHIBALD JAMES;
Orfla Melita.

Colonel Rowan-Hamilton was succeeded by his son and heir,

ARCHIBALD JAMES ROWAN-HAMILTON (1877-1915), who espoused, in 1908, Norah, daughter of Frederick Abiss Phillips.

He was killed in action, 1915, without issue, and was succeeded by his nephew,

BRIGADIER GAWN BASIL (GUY) ROWAN-HAMILTON DSO MC DL (1884-1947), of Killyleagh Castle, who married, in 1916, Phyllis Frances, daughter of Robert, Lord Blackburn, by his wife Lady Constance Frances Bowes-Lyon, and had issue,

Angus David;
DENYS ARCHIBALD;
Gawn Leslie.

The second son,

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL DENYS ARCHIBALD ROWAN-HAMILTON MVO DL (1921-2018), of Killyleagh Castle, High Sheriff of County Down, 1975, married, in 1961, Wanda Annette, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Warburton, and had issue,

GAWN WILLIAM, his heir;
Constance Orfla; Louisa Anne.

Colonel Rowan-Hamilton fought in the 2nd World War; Member, Royal Victorian Order, 1947; Aide-de-Camp, Governor of Southern Rhodesia, 1947; Major, 29th Britiish Infantry Brigade, Korea; Military Secretary to West Africa; 2nd in command of the 1st Black Watch, 1957-59; commander, 45th Black Watch, 1960-63; Defence Attache to the British Embassy, Damascus and Beirut, 1964-67; retired from the Army, 1967.

Colonel Rowan-Hamilton's son,

GAWN WILLIAM ROWAN-HAMILTON DL (1968-), married Polly Ann, daughter of Colonel Rodney J Martin, and has issue,

Archibald James (b 1997);
Jake Douglas;
Charles Rodney;
Tara Emily; Willa Melita Dorothy.

KILLYLEAGH CASTLE, County Down, is one of the most romantic houses in Northern Ireland, its exotic skyline of turrets and conical roofs dominating the adjacent village and countryside for miles around.

There are claims that it has Norman late-12th century origins, but the house today is basically 17th century, much altered and enlarged from 1847-51.

The Castle stands at the upper end of the principal street in the village; but, though commanding in position, castellated in character, and massive and venerable in appearance, it is strictly a mere mansion, battlemented along the summit, and flanked with large, circular, battlemented turrets.

The grounds are an essential part of the setting of the picturesque house and its geographical association with Killyleagh.

In the early 17th century the house built by Sir James Hamilton, 1st Viscount Claneboye, of which a tower survives, had a large attached deer park , which seems to have fallen into disuse by the 18th century, if not earlier.

There are formal  garden features associated with this early house and/or with the improved late 17th century house, as enlarged in 1666 by Henry, 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil.

This includes some of the terraces or hanging gardens on the steep slopes of the south and south west side of the house, together with formal canals or fish ponds.

These terraces were evidently remodelled and enlarged in the Victorian era.

The grounds are not extensive and no garden of note is maintained at the present time, but fine mature trees grace the surroundings.

The productive areas are no longer kept.

The extensive entrance screen encircles the area of the former bawn.

The property was subject to ownership litigation, and the resulting judgement of Solomon, saw the bawn divided for more than a century; the castle was retained by the Hamilton family and the gatehouse went to the Blackwood family [later Lords Dufferin].

The gatehouse was then rebuilt as a tall Georgian block, enlarged ca 1830; while in the early 19th century the main Hamilton castle fell into decay.

The feud was ended by the 5th Lord Dufferin, afterwards 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, after he inherited in 1841.

He returned the property to the castle owner, Archibald Rowan-Hamilton, and as a further gesture removed the old Georgian house and built, in 1886, an appropriate baronial gatehouse to the design of Benjamin Ferry, then employed at Clandeboye.

He married the daughter of Archibald Rowan-Hamilton, who afterwards himself employed, between 1847-51, Charles Lanyon to enlarge and remodel the house, giving it its present appearance.

At Ringhaddy, north of the village, and on Sketrick Island (more celebrated today, perhaps, for Daft Eddy's bar and restaurant), there are two small castles, which acted subordinately to Killyleagh Castle in defence of the barony of Dufferin.

First published in September, 2013.