Beresford Obelisk

The Beresford Obelisk (Image: Belfast Live website)

THE BERESFORD OBELISK is situated in a large field in the townland of Carrick East, Ballyquin.

It is about two miles from Limavady, on the road to Dungiven in County Londonderry.

I hadn’t much difficulty in finding it, with the assistance of Limavady tourist office and my car’s “sat-nav.”

(Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

Parking is difficult, because the Ballyquin Road is narrow and there is no car-park, though I managed to tuck myself into a small section of verge beside the information-board.

From the car I walked up a concrete drive to the wheat field on the right-hand side.

(Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

The obelisk is perhaps a hundred yards from the drive-way.

As I mentioned, access is not easy, nor even encouraged, given that it is located on private land today.

The foundation stone of the obelisk was laid on the 29th June, 1840, in the third year of Queen Victoria's reign.

(Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

It was erected by the tenants of Lord Waterford's estate  in County Londonderry to commemorate the "Virtues and Talents that distinguished and adorned their late Agent."

(Image: Timothy Ferres. 2021)

Henry Barré Beresford, seventh and youngest son of the RT HON JOHN BERESFORD, was born on the 25th September, 1781, at WALWORTH HOUSE, near Ballykelly, and died in London on the 15th December, 1837.

The obelisk is about 45 feet in height, and the sides face north, south, east, and west.

The Beresford Obelisk before Restoration (Image: Follies Trust)

It was restored in 2015 by the Follies Trust:-

"Thanks to the help of many donors, grant aid from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and several charitable trusts, the Follies Trust was able to complete the conservation of the Beresford Obelisk at Ballyquin, near Limavady in the first few months of 2015."

"The obelisk was erected in 1840 in memory of Henry Barré Beresford, who was land agent for his relative the Marquess of Waterford."

"A reception was held at the Roe Valley Resort Hotel on 19 May 2015 to mark the completion of the work and the launch of an associated publication funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund, entitled The Beresford Obelisk, A Legacy in Stone in the Roe Valley."

"We were delighted to welcome Marcus de la Poer Beresford, Lord Decies, who formally launched the book."

"The event was attended by other members of the Beresford family, including the Marquess of Waterford and Agnes Beresford-Ash, widow of the late John Randal Beresford-Ash (1938-2010), who was a direct descendant of Henry Barré Beresford."

"Amongst the many others attending were most of the authors of essays in the book, Chris McCollum, Raymond Blair, Daniel Calley, Professor James Stevens Curl, Primrose Wilson, the book’s editor Dr Evelyn Mullally, and the farmer who owns the land on which the obelisk is situated, William Purcell."

"The total cost of the project including the book amounted to over £80,000."

Tomkins of Londonderry

The family of Tomkins of PREHEN (of which that before us is a scion) claims descent from the ancient house of TOMKINS, of Weobley, Herefordshire, distinguished for its devotion to the royal cause during the civil wars.

ALEXANDER TOMKINS, of Prehen, in the liberties of Derry, and LEARMOUNT PARK, capital burgess of Derry, 1662, Mayor, 1683, had a grant made to him by The Honourable the Irish Society, dated 1664, of the lands of Brickkilns, etc, in the liberties of that city; and had likewise a grant made to him, by letters patent, from CHARLES II, of the lands of Gosheden, dated 1668.

Mr Simpson's Annals of Londonderry, giving an account of the siege in 1688-9, says,

That of the citizens who contributed much towards the defence of the town, we must mention Alderman Tomkins. The family to which he belonged were all most respectable residents in the city so far back as the year 1642.

He married, in 1659, Margaret, daughter of Alderman Thomas Moncreiffe, and had issue,

JOHN, of whom hereafter;

GEORGE, of whom we treat;

Mary; Sarah.

The elder son,

JOHN TOMKINS, married and had an only child,

ALEXANDER TOMKINS, of Prehen, Mayor of Derry, 1713, 1718, and 1721, who wedded and had issue, three daughters, his co-heirs,

Honoria, m George Knox, of Rathmullen, Co Donegal;

Fanny, m 1st BARON DE BLAQUIERE;

HANNAH, of whom we treat.

The youngest daughter,

HANNAH TOMKINS, espoused, in 1750, Sir William Montgomery, 1st Baronet (1717-88), of Magbie Hill, Peeblesshire, and had issue, three daughters, co-heirs,

Elizabeth, m Luke Gardiner, 1st VISCOUNT MOUNTJOY;

Anne, m 1st Marquess Townshend;

BARBARA, of whom presently.

The youngest daughter,

BARBARA MONTGOMERY (-1794), of Learmount, married the Rt Hon John Beresford, of Abbeville, County Dublin, and WALWORTH, County Londonderry, brother to the 1st Marquess of Waterford.

Sir William Montgomery died in 1788 and bequeathed Learmount to his three daughters as co-heirs.

Thereafter, John and Barbara Beresford purchased the other sisters' interests in the property; and when Barbara died in 1794, Learmount became the property of her children, the Beresfords.

***

ALDERMAN ALEXANDER TOMKINS devised to his second son,

GEORGE TOMKINS (ante 1680-1739), MP for Londonderry City between 1715 and 1739, the estate of Mobuoy, County Londonderry. 

Mr Tomkins was Sheriff in 1701, Mayor, 1706, 1718, and 1722, and general agent to The Honourable The Irish Society.

He also represented the city of Londonderry from 1715 to his decease in 1739.

He wedded, in 1702, Anne, daughter of Alderman Norman, MP for Londonderry, and had (with two daughters) two sons: Alexander; and

SAMUEL TOMKINS, of Mobuoy, Deputy Surveyor-General of HM Customs in Ireland, who married Miss Chantrey, daughter of Captain Chantrey, and dying about 1766, had an only child,

GEORGE TOMKINS, of Mobuoy, Captain, 70th Foot, who wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Patrick Furnell, of Ballyclough, in the liberties of the city of Limerick, and had issue.

He died in 1800, and was succeeded by his son,

GEORGE TOMKINS, a barrister, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

SAMUEL TOMKINS, resident at Richmond Villa, near Limerick, of the militia in which city he was major.

He espoused firstly, Charlotte, only child of John Margerum, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, by which lady he had two daughters; and secondly, Jane Bunbury, third daughter of the Rev Benedict Arthur, of Seafield, County Dublin, and by her had further issue,

GEORGE, his heir;

Jane Bunbury; Samina; Mary Anne; Letitia; Belinda.

Major Tomkins died in 1824, and was succeeded by his only son, 

GEORGE TOMKINS JP, of Richmond Park, County Limerick, who married in 1842, Catherine Jane, eldest daughter of Major Richard Young, of Coolkeiragh House, Londonderry.

First published in July, 2021.