Springfield Castle

THE BARONS MUSKERRY WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WEXFORD, WITH 9,412 ACRES

This family possessed large estates in Somerset as far back as the reign of HENRY II.

The third son of MOSES DEANE, of Deane's Fort, Somerset,

MATTHEW DEANE (c1626-1711), settled in Ireland during the reign of JAMES I, and took up his abode at Dromore, County Cork, where he purchased considerable estates.

Mr Deane, who bequeathed large sums towards the erection of almshouses and other charitable purposes, was created a baronet in 1710, designated of Muskerry.

He married firstly, Mary, daughter of Thomas Wallis, of Somerset; secondly, Martha, daughter of the Most Rev Richard Boyle, Lord Archbishop of Tuam; and thirdly, Dorothy, Countess of Barrymore; by the first of whom he left, at his decease, in 1711, a son and heir,

SIR ROBERT DEANE, 2nd Baronet, who wedded Anne, daughter and co-heir of William Boltridge, one of CROMWELL'S officers; and dying in 1712, was succeeded by his son,

SIR MATTHEW DEANE, 3rd Baronet, MP for Charleville, 1713-14, County Cork, 1728-47, who espoused Jane, only daughter of the Rev William Sharpe, son of the Archbishop of St Andrew's, the ill-fated primate of Scotland, and had issue,

MATTHEW, his successor;
Thomas, dsp;
ROBERT, 4th Baronet;
Meliana; Dorothy; Jane.

Sir Matthew died in 1747, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR MATTHEW DEANE, 4th Baronet (c1706-51), MP for Cork City, 1739-51, who wedded Salisbury, daughter and sole heir of Robert Davis, of Manley Hall, Cheshire, by whom he had three daughters, viz.

Salisbury; Mary; Charlotte.

Sir Matthew dying thus without male issue, the title devolved upon his brother,

THE RT HON SIR ROBERT DEANE, 5th Baronet (c1707-70), Barrister, Privy Counsellor, MP for Tallow, 1757-68, Carysfort, 1769-70, who married, in 1738, Charlotte, second daughter of Thomas Tilson (uncle to Lord Castlecoote), and had issue,

ROBERT, his successor;
Jocelyn;
Charlotte; Grace; Eliza Salisbury; Jane; Alicia; Frances.

Sir Robert was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ROBERT TILSON DEANE, 6th Baronet (1745-1818), MP for Carysfort, 1771-6, County Cork, 1776-81, who was raised to the peerage, in 1781, in the dignity of BARON MUSKERRY.

He wedded, in 1775, Anne, daughter of John Fitzmaurice, and sole heir of her grandfather, John Fitzmaurice, of Springfield Castle, County Limerick (nephew of Thomas, 1st Earl of Kerry), and had issue,

JOHN THOMAS FITZMAURICE, his successor;
William;
MATTHEW, 3rd Baron.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

JOHN THOMAS FITZMAURICE (1777-1824), 2nd Baron, CB, Major-General in the army, who married, in 1815, the second daughter of M Haynes, of Bishop's Castle; but died in 1824, without male issue, when the honours devolved upon his only brother,

MATTHEW FITZMAURICE (1795-1868), 3rd Baron, who wedded, in 1825, Louisa Dorcas, second daughter of Henry Deane Grady, of Lodge, County Limerick, and Stillorgan Castle, County Dublin, and had issue,

ROBERT TILSON FITZMAURICE, his successor;
Henry Standish Fitzmaurice;
Matthew James Fitzmaurice.

• Hamilton Matthew Tilson Fitzmaurice Deane-Morgan, 4th Baron (1854–1929);

• Robert Matthew Fitzmaurice Deane-Morgan, 5th Baron (1874–1952);

• Matthew Chichester Cecil Fitzmaurice Deane-Morgan, 6th Baron (1875–1954);

• Matthew Fitzmaurice Tilson Deane, 7th Baron (1874–1966);

• Hastings Fitzmaurice Tilson Deane, 8th Baron (1907–88);

• Robert Fitzmaurice Deane, 9th Baron Muskerry (b 1948).

The heir apparent is the present holder's only son, the Hon Jonathan Fitzmaurice Deane.

ARDCANDRISK HOUSE, near Wexford, County Wexford (above), is a two-storey Regency villa of about 1833, comprising three polygons of differing sizes.

It has eaved roofs and Wyatt windows at one end.

It was built by the Grogan-Morgans, though was acquired by the Deanes, Lords Muskerry, though marriage.

SPRINGFIELD CASTLE, Drumcolliher, County Limerick, is the ancestral seat of the Barons Muskerry.

The Castle features a Neo-Gothic style main residential building, cornered by two towers, one of which is the large Norman keep built in the 15th Century; and the smaller tower, built later in the 18th Century, enclosing a large central courtyard.

A younger son of the 20th Lord of Kerry, William Fitzmaurice, bought Springfield.

His son John built a very large, three-storey, early Georgian mansion attached to the existing buildings

The Fitzmaurices occupied Springfield Castle until Sir Robert Tilson Deane, 1st Baron Muskerry, married Ann Fitzmaurice, the sole heiress, in 1780.

The Lords Muskerry owned 3,161 acres in County Limerick during the Victorian era.

The castle was burnt in 1921 and rebuilt by the 5th Baron.

Robert, 9th Baron, lives and works in South Africa presently.

His sister Betty and her husband Jonathan run Springfield Castle.

First published in June, 2013. 

Newtownbarry House

THE HALL-DARES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WEXFORD, WITH 5,627 ACRES

ELIZABETH EATON, eldest daughter and co-heir of Henry Eaton, of North Lodge, Essex, by Elizabeth, his wife, last surviving child of George Mildmay, of Corbett's Stye, Essex, married firstly, in 1779, JOHN DARE, of Bentry Heath, Essex, and by him she had an only child, JOHN HOPKINS DARE, of Theydon Bois, Essex, who died unmarried in 1805.

Mrs Dare married secondly, in 1791, JOHN MARMADUKE GRAFTON, of Cranbrook House (only son of John Marmaduke Grafton, of Romford), who took the surname of DARE in addition to that of GRAFTON, in 1805, and died in 1810.

Mrs Dare died in 1823, leaving by her second husband an only child,

ELIZABETH GRAFTON GRAFTON-DARE (1793-), who wedded, in 1815, ROBERT WESTLEY HALL, of Wyefield, and of Cranbrook, High Sheriff of Essex, 1821, MP for South Essex, who took the surname and arms of DARE, 1823, in addition to those of HALL.

Mr Hall-Dare and his sister, Elizabeth Catherine, were the offspring of Robert Westley Hall, of Ilford Lodge and FitzWalters, Essex, by Maria Elizabeth his wife, widow of Abraham de Codyn, of Demerara, and daughter of Cornelius Brower, of the same place and grandchildren of the Rev Westley Hall, who died in London ca 1770.

The Rev Westley Hall was a son of one of the Halls of Hillsborough, Kent, who married the sister of Sir Robert Westley, Lord Mayor of London.

Mr Hall-Dare died in 1836, and by his said wife, Elizabeth Grafton Grafton-Dare, left issue,

ROBERT WESTLEY, his heir;
John Grafton, 1818-19;
Henry;
Arthur Charles; died in infancy;
Francis Marmaduke, b 1830;
Mary Elizabeth; Emma Burton; Anne Mildmay; Agnes; Elizabeth.

The eldest son, 

ROBERT WESTLEY HALL-DARE (1817-66), of FitzWalters, Essex, married, in 1839, Frances Anna Catherine, daughter of Gustavus Lambart, of Beauparc, County Meath, and had issue,

ROBERT WESTLEY, his heir;
Charles;
Olivia Frances Grafton; Mabel Virginia Anna; Frances Maria.

Miss Mabel Hall-Dare married, in 1877, James Theodore Bent.

Mr Robert Westley Hall-Dare was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT WESTLEY HALL-DARE JP DL (1840-76), of Newtownbarry House, County Wexford, and Theydon Bois, Essex, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1872, who wedded, in 1863, Caroline Susan Henrietta, second daughter of Henry Newton, of Mount Leinster Lodge, County Carlow, and had issue,

John Marmaduke, died in infancy;
ROBERT WESTLEY, his heir;
Arthur Mildmay;
Elizabeth Frances; Hilda Mary; Evelyn Una.

Mr Hall-Dare was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

ROBERT WESTLEY HALL-DARE JP DL (1866-1939), of Newtownbarry House, and East Hall, Wennington, Essex, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1891, County Carlow, 1896, Captain, 9th Brigade, North Irish Division, RA, who espoused, in 1896, Helen, second daughter of John Taylor Gordon, of Nethermuir, Aberdeenshire, and Blackhouse, Ayrshire, and had issue,

ROBERT WESTLEY, his heir;
Charles Grafton, b 1902;
Audrey; Daphne.

Mr Hall-Dare was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT WESTLEY HALL-DARE (1899-1972), of Newtownbarry House, who married, in 1937, Elizabeth Maria Patricia, daughter of John Brooks Close-Brooks, and had issue, an only child,

CLODY ELIZABETH HALL-DARE (1938-), of Newtownbarry House, educated at Byam Shaw School of the Arts, London, lecturer at City and Guilds College of Art, London, and lived in 1976 at Newtownbarry House.

NEWTOWNBARRY HOUSE, near Bunclody, County Wexford, built between 1883-89, is one of the last country houses designed by Sir Charles Lanyon, assisted by his pupil W H Lynn and his son John.

It is almost entirely a new structure, both extraordinarily austere and Italianate at the same time.

The fenestration of the two adjoining garden fronts reveals a sequence of rooms, expressed with military precision in impeccably detailed granite.

The upstairs windows are framed with a stone surround so that it makes them the same size as the windows below, an idea first used by Lanyon nearly thirty years before at Drenagh, County Londonderry.

Features of the house include a top-lit picture gallery and a richly carved staircase which lets natural light onto the landing, staircase and hall.

There also many finely carved fireplaces.

The library is finely crafted from wood.

Newtownbarry was built by the Hall-Dare family and still remains in the family.

A lot of the information in this script is quoted from an architectural report by Jeremy Williams.

Newtownbarry House is surrounded by beautiful landscapes, gardens and a large pond adjacent to the entrance of the house.

There is an ornamental lake; the Rose Garden; the recently renovated 19th century Sunken Garden.

The prospect from the banks of the River Slaney is to the heights of the Blackstairs Mountains.

The present owner is Clody Norton, the daughter of Robert Westley Hall-Dare, who lives there today with her family.

First published in August, 2012.  Hall-Dare arms courtesy of the NLI.

Tintern Abbey

THE COLCLOUGHS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WEXFORD, WITH 13,329 ACRES

The ancient descent of COLCLOUGH (pronounced Coke-lee) is very fully set forth in the Visitation of Staffordshire, 1583; Visitation, County Wexford, 1618; Visitation, City of London, 1634; and the registries in Ulster King-of-arms' office, Dublin Castle.

The Visitation of Staffordshire commences with

RICHARD COLCLOUGH, of Blurton, Staffordshire, 1367, who was father of

HUGH, his heir;
William;
Richard.

The eldest son, 

HUGH COLCLOUGH, granted Blurton and Cockenidge to his son during the reign of EDWARD III; namely, 

RICHARD COLCLOUGH, living in the reign of HENRY V, who married Elizabeth, daughter of John Delves.

JOHN COLCLOUGH, whose relationship to the above is not given, had a son and heir, 

THOMAS COLCLOUGH, living during the time of HENRY VI, who was father of


RICHARD COLCLOUGH, Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme in the reign of EDWARD IV, who wedded Blanche, daughter of William Davenport, of Davenport, Cheshire, and had a son,

JOHN COLCLOUGH, of Blurton, who espoused Agnes, daughter and heir of Mr Lockwood, and left two sons, namely,

RICHARD, his heir;
Thomas, who had Delfe House, alias High Haugh, gifted by his father.

The elder son,

RICHARD COLCLOUGH, of Woolstanton, Staffordshire, wedded Eleanor, daughter of Sir John Draycot, knight, of Painsley Hall, and had issue,

ANTHONY, his heir;
John;
Matthew;
Richard.

The eldest son,

ANTHONY COLCLOUGH, of Blurton, Staffordshire, in 1566, Captain of the Band of Pensioners to ELIZABETH I, was granted the abbey and lands of Tintern, County Wexford.

This gentleman first arrived in Ireland, 1542, and was knighted by the Lord Justice of that kingdom in 1500. Sir Anthony died in 1584, and is interred under a handsome monument in Tintern Abbey. His wife was Clare, daughter of Thomas Agard, who amassed a great fortune as one of the receivers of the Irish revenue.

By her, Sir Anthony had a number of children, of whom the eldest surviving son, 

SIR THOMAS COLCLOUGH (1564-1624), Knight, of Tintern Abbey, succeeded his father and had livery of his estate.

Sir Thomas married Martha, fourth daughter of the Most Rev Adam Loftus, Lord Archbishop of Dublin; and by her, who died in 1609, and was buried in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, he had issue,

ADAM, his heir; 
Thomas;
John;
Richard;
Leonard;
Anne; Jane; Martha; Mary; Eleanor.

He espoused secondly, Eleanor, second daughter of Dudley Begenal, of Dunleckney, County Carlow, second son of Sir Nicholas Bagenal, Knight, of Newry, Marshal of ELIZABETH I's armies in Ireland.

The eldest son, 

SIR ADAM COLCLOUGH (c1590-1637), of Tintern Abbey, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1630,  was created a baronet in 1628, designated of Tintern Abbey, County Wexford.

He married Alice, daughter of Sir Robert Rich, Knight, a Master in Chancery in England, and had issue,

CÆSAR, his heir;
Anthony.

Sir Adam was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR CÆSAR COLCLOUGH, 2nd Baronet (1624-84), of Tintern Abbey, who wedded Frances, daughter of Sir William Clarke, and had issue,

CÆSAR;
Margaret.

He was succeeded by his only son,

SIR CÆSAR  COLCLOUGH, 3rd Baronet (c1650-87), Deputy Lieutenant-Governor of County Kilkenny, 1689, who dsp, when the title expired, and the estates devolved upon his only sister,

MARGARET COLCLOUGH, who duly became heiress to her brother of his great estates.

She married firstly, in 1673, Robert Leigh, of Rosegarland, who thereupon assumed the surname of COLCLOUGH; and secondly, in 1696, John Pigott, of Kilfinney, who also assumed the surname of COLCLOUGH, and died in 1717.

She dsp 1723, when she was succeeded at Tintern by her kinsman and heir male,

CÆSAR COLCLOUGH (1696-1766), of Tintern Abbey (eldest son of Dudley Colclough, of Duffrey Hall), Colonel, Wexford Militia, MP for County Wexford, 1727-60 and 1761-6, who wedded firstly, in 1717, Frances Muschamp, daughter of Sir Thomas Vesey Bt, of Knapton, Lord Bishop of Ossory, by whom he had an only daughter, Margaret, who died young.

He married secondly, in 1721, Henrietta, daughter of Agmondisham Vesey, of Lucan, County Dublin, and had further issue,

Cæsar, b 1722; dspvp;
Vesey (1724-45), father of VESEY;
Dudley, dspvp;
Agmondisham Vesey;
Adam, of Duffrey Hall; father of MARY GREY WENTWORTH;
Thomas (Rev);
Richard;
Frances; Anne; Harriett; Mary; Margaret; Lora.

Colonel Colclough was succeeded by his grandson,

VESEY COLCLOUGH (1745-94), of Tintern Abbey, MP for County Wexford,  1766-90, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1767, who espoused, in 1765, Katherine, daughter of John Grogan, of Johnstown, County Wexford, and had issue,

Cæsar, his heir;
John, MP for County Wexford;
Vesey.

Mr Colclough (who was known in County Wexford as "Sir Vesey"), was succeeded by his eldest son,

CÆSAR COLCLOUGH (1766-1842), MP for County Wexford, 1806, who married, in 1818, Jane Stratford, daughter of John Kirwan, Barrister, and had no issue.

He died in 1842, when Tintern Abbey and the estates descended to (and after some litigation on the part of his widow), and were settled on his second cousin and heiress-at-law,

MARY GREY WENTWORTH ROSSBOROUGH-COLCLOUGH (1811-84), of Tintern Abbey, only surviving daughter and heiress of Cæsar Colclough, of Duffrey Hall.

She succeeded her father in 1822, and her kinsman, 1842.

Mary Colclough wedded, in 1848, JOHN THOMAS ROSSBOROUGH JP DL, of Mullinagood, County Longford, eldest son of John Rossborough, of Nicholson's Court and Clancaulfield House, County Longford, and grandson of Hugh Rossborough, of Mullingoan, County Fermanagh.

Mr Rossborough assumed, in 1853, the additional surname and arms of COLCLOUGH.

He died in 1869; and Mary, Mrs Rossborough-Colclough, died in 1884, leaving issue,

LOUISE MARIA SUSANNA COLCLOUGH;
Susanna Frances Julia; Mary Grey Wentworth Fanning; Belinda Powell Leech Trumble.

The eldest daughter,

LOUISE MARIA SUSANNA COLCLOUGH BIDDULPH-COLCLOUGH, of Tintern Abbey, succeeding her mother in 1884, married, in 1885, Franc Digby Biddulph, Captain, 3rd Middlesex Militia (who assumed the surname and arms of COLCLOUGH, 1886), youngest son of Francis Wellesley Marsh Biddulph, of Rathrobin.

She died in 1912, having by him had issue,

CÆSAR FRANC THOMAS BICKERSTAFF PLANTAGENET (1886-88);
Lucy Wilmot Maria Susanna Biddulph, born 1890.

The only daughter,

LUCY WILMOT MARIA SUSANNA BIDDULPH-COLCLOUGH (1890-1984), of Tintern House, presented Tintern Abbey to the Irish state in 1958 (excluding lands).

By Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3761031

TINTERN ABBEY, situated on the west shore of Bannow Bay, County Wexford, was one of the most powerful Cistercian foundations in the south-east of Ireland until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536.

The first Cistercian foundation in Ireland, at Mellifont, County Louth, in 1142, was part of sweeping reforms which took place in the Irish Church in the 12th century.

The early Cistercians, who had their origins in the monastery of Citeaux in France, were dedicated to a simple life of prayer and manual labour.

By 1169, when the Anglo-Normans arrived in Ireland, there were already fifteen Cistercian houses in Ireland.

In 1200, William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, set sail for Ireland on his first visit as Lord of Leinster. Threatened with shipwreck, he vowed to found an abbey wherever he could safely land.

On reaching safety in Bannow Bay, he redeemed his vow bequeathing about 9,000 acres of land for a Cistercian abbey.

Consequently, Tintern Abbey, sited on a gentle south-facing slope overlooking Tintern stream, is sometimes called Tintern de Voto, 'Tintern of the vow.'

Once established, the abbey was colonised by monks from the Cistercian abbey at Tintern in Monmouthshire, of which William Marshal was also patron.

Following its foundation, Tintern acquired large tracts of land in County Wexford and, at the Dissolution of the Monasteries, appears to have been the third richest Cistercian abbey in Ireland (after St Mary's in Dublin and Mellifont).

Shortly after, Tintern Abbey and its lands were granted to Anthony Colclough from Staffordshire, an officer in HENRY VIII's army.

The Colclough family extensively modified the abbey church, converting the crossing tower and later, the nave, chancel and Lady Chapel to domestic quarters.

In the 18th century, Sir Vesey Colclough built many of the fine battlemented walls seen around the abbey today.

In the 1790s, John Colclough converted the nave into a residence of neo-Gothic style.

He also established a flour mill, the ruins of which stand on the south bank of the stream close to the upper bridge.

At this period also, a thriving weaving industry had developed in Tintern village, located across the stream south-west of the abbey.

Following John's death, his brother Caesar inherited the estate and, shortly after 1814, built the village of Saltmills to replace the old village of Tintern which was then demolished.

The final member of the Colclough family to reside at Tintern was Miss Lucy Wilmot Maria Susanna Biddulph Colclough, who presented the Abbey to the Irish nation in 1958.

Conservation and consolidation works started at Tintern in the early 1980s and archaeological excavations between 1982-94 exposed many of the features of the original Cistercian abbey.

Constructed to the standard Cistercian plan, the abbey church was located to the north of an  enclosed cloister garth, which was surrounded on all sides by covered walks and a sequence of domestic buildings.

First published in August, 2012.

Wilton Castle

THE ALCOCKS OWNED 1,775 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY WEXFORD

Tradition states that the first of this family came to Ireland with HENRY II, from Surrey, and settled at Downpatrick, County Down; there is, however, no knowledge that any persons of this name inhabited that town.

JOHN ALCOCK, of Downpatrick, County Down, had issue (with three daughters), three sons,

WILLIAM, his heir;
Alexander (Very Rev), Dean of Lismore, 1725-47;
Simon, of Dublin.

The eldest son,

WILLIAM ALCOCK, of Wilton, County Wexford, married, in 1670, Jane, daughter of John Bamber, of Bamber Hall, Lancashire, and had issue,

Richard, dsp;
WILLIAM, his heir;
John;
Mary; Elizabeth; Alice; Jane.

The younger son,

WILLIAM ALCOCK (1705-1779), of Wilton, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1740, MP for Fethard, 1764-8, Colonel, Waterford Militia, wedded, in 1734, Mary, eldest daughter of Nicholas, Viscount Loftus, and in her descendants co-heir to her brother Henry, Earl of Ely; and had issue,

HENRY, his heir;
William, of Springfield House, County Wexford;
John (Sir), Knight, of Waterford;
Mary; Henrietta.

Colonel Alcock was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY ALCOCK (1735-1812), of Wilton, MP for Waterford City, 1783-97, Fethard, 1797-9, an officer in the 13th Light Dragoons, who espoused firstly, in 1764, Philippa Melosina, daughter of the Rt Rev Richard Chenevix, Lord Bishop of Waterford and Lismore; she died with her infant son, 1765.

He married secondly, in 1766, Elizabeth Catharine, daughter of Beverley Ussher, MP for Waterford for thirty-six years, and had issue,

William Henry, died unmarried;
Ussher, died unmarried;
WILLIAM CONGREVE, died unmarried;
HARRY, succeeded his brother;
Eliza Jane; Mary Anne; Henrietta.

Mr Alcock was succeeded by his third son,

WILLIAM CONGREVE ALCOCK (1771-1812), MP for Waterford, 1801-3, County Wexford, 1807-12, who died unmarried, when Wilton devolved upon his only surviving brother,

HARRY ALCOCK (1792-1840), of Wilton, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1822, who married, in 1818, Margaret Elinor, daughter and heir of James Savage, of Kilgibbon, County Wexford, a descendant of the old Anglo-Norman family of Savage, of Portaferry, County Down, and had issue,

HARRY, his heir;
Ussher William;
Philip Savage, of Park House, Wexford, father of PHILIP CLAYTON ALCOCK;
George Augustus (Rev);
Elinor Catherine; Henrietta; Elizabeth Louisa; Margaret Charlotte; Sarah.

The eldest son,

HARRY ALCOCK JP DL (1821-93), of Wilton, Honorary Colonel, Wexford Militia, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1846, died unmarried, leaving his property to his nephew,

PHILIP CLAYTON ALCOCK JP DL (1861-1949), of Wilton, and Overton Lodge, Ludlow, Shropshire, Captain, Gloucester Regiment, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1900, who wedded, in 1914, Kathleen, daughter of Thomas Robinson, and had issue,

Kathleen Annette; Philippa; Mary Clayton; Margaret Savage.

WILTON CASTLE, Enniscorthy, County Wexford, is a magnificent 19th century mansion built to the designs of the architect Daniel Robertson, of Kilkenny.

It was erected on a moated platform surrounded by parapet walls and sham fortifications.

The house is greatly machiolated and castellated.

The main block comprises three storeys, with a two-storey wing.

The Victorian castle is dominated by a lofty square tower at one end, and a tall polygonal tower and turret at the other.

The porch has an oriel over it.

Wilton Castle was burnt to the ground by the IRA in 1923.

Mr Sean Windsor, whose grandfather was land steward of the estate, purchased it in 2004 and proceeded to restore the two-storey wing and tower.

Wilton Castle is now open to guests.

  

First published in August, 2018.  Alcock arms courtesy of the NLI.

Ballynastragh House

THE ESMONDE BARONETS OWNED 3,533 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY WEXFORD

This family is of very ancient establishment in County Wexford, where we find John Esmonde was consecrated Bishop of Ferns in 1349.

The immediate founder of the present house,

JAMES ESMONDE, of Johnstown, County Wexford, with whom the Visitation of Wexford by Daniel Molyneux, Ulster King of Arms, begins, married Isabel, daughter of Thomas Rosseter, of Rathmacknee Castle, and was father of

LAURENCE ESMONDE, of Johnstown, who wedded Eleanor, daughter of Walter Walsh, of the Mountains, by whom he had two sons, and was succeeded by the elder,

WILLIAM ESMONDE, who espoused Margaret, daughter of Michael Furlong, of Horetown, and had, with seven daughters, four sons,

Robert;
LAURENCE, of whom presently;
James;
Patrick.

The second son,

SIR LAURENCE ESMONDE (1565-1645), Knight, abandoning the ancient creed of his ancestors, declared himself a partisan of ELIZABETH I, and a convert to protestantism.

Sir Laurence was elevated to the peerage in 1622, in the dignity of BARON ESMONDE, of Lymbrick, County Wexford.

During one of his campaigns in Connaught, having fallen in love with Margaret, the beautiful daughter of Murrough O'Flaherty, of Connemara, he reputedly married her, and had a son, THOMAS.

It happened, however, that Lady Esmonde, a devout Roman Catholic, fearing that her child might be brought up a Protestant, carried off the infant by stealth and returned to her family in Connaught.

This act of maternal devotion seems to have been not at all disagreeable to Sir Laurence, as affording him a pretext for casting suspicion on the legality of his union, that of a Protestant with a Catholic; yet, without resorting to legal measures to annul the marriage in due form, he some time later married Elizabeth, second daughter of the Hon Walter Butler, fourth son of James, 9th Earl of Ormonde, but by her had no issue.

His lordship died in 1645, bequeathing all his extensive estates to his only son, SIR THOMAS ESMONDE.

The severity and singularity of his case created considerable interest; and there is scarcely a doubt that, but for the melancholy state of civil war, usurpation, and destruction of property, at that period, the conduct of Lord Esmonde towards his lady, and the legality of his second marriage, his first un-divorced wife still living, upon legal investigation into the matter, and the accompanying circumstances, Sir Thomas Esmonde's right of succession to his father's peerage could not fail to have been acknowledged.

Before, however, that could have taken place, Sir Thomas died; and his successor had to occupy himself with entering into possession of his grandfather's property.

Sir Thomas Esmonde, as already noticed, was reared and educated with his maternal relations; and upon his uncle being raised to the peerage, to the dignity of Viscount Mayo, in 1627, Sir Thomas, who had already been knighted for his eminent services in the cause of royalty, as General of Horse in the armies of CHARLES I, was, through the Lord Mayor's influence, created a baronet in 1629, designated of Ballynastragh, County Wexford.

Sir Thomas married firstly, Ellice, widow of Thomas, 4th Baron Cahir, and daughter of Sir John Fitzgerald, of Dromana, County Waterford, and had issue,

LAURENCE, his successor;
James, of Ballynastagh, ancestor of the 7th Baronet.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR LAURENCE ESMONDE, 2nd Baronet (1634-88), who wedded Lucia Butler, niece of the 1st Duke of Ormonde, and had issue,

LAURENCE, his successor;
Frances; Lucy; two other daughters.

Sir Laurence's seat, Huntington Castle, County Carlow, was built by Lord Esmonde in 1625, and named after the ancient seat of his ancestors in England.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON SIR LAURENCE ESMONDE, 3rd Baronet, who espoused, in 1703, Jane Lucy, daughter of Matthew Forde, and had issue,

LAURENCE, 4th Baronet;
JOHN, 5th Baronet;
WALTER, 6th Baronet;
Richard.

Sir Laurence died ca 1720, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR LAURENCE ESMONDE, 4th Baronet, who died unmarried ca 1738, and was succeeded by his next brother,

SIR JOHN ESMONDE, 5th Baronet, who married and died without male issue, 1758, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR WALTER ESMONDE, 6th Baronet, who wedded Joan, daughter of Theobald, 5th Baron Caher, and had three daughters.

Sir Walter died without male issue, 1766, when the title passed to his cousin,

SIR JAMES ESMONDE, 7th Baronet (1701-66), a descendant of James Esmond, younger son of the 1st Baronet, who survived Sir Walter not more than a few days, and wedded Ellice, only daughter and heir of James Whyte, of Pembrokestown, County Waterford, and had issue,

THOMAS, his successor;
John, ancestor of the 10th Baronet;
James;
Elizabeth; Katherine; Frances; Mary.

Sir James was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR THOMAS ESMONDE, 8th Baronet; but had no issue by either of his two wives, and died in 1803, when the title reverted to his nephew and heir,

THE RT HON SIR THOMAS ESMONDE, 9th Baronet (1786-1868), MP for Wexford Borough, 1841-7, who espoused firstly, in 1812, Mary, daughter of E Payne; and secondly, in 1856, Sophia Maria, daughter of Ebenezer Radford Rowe, though both marriages were without issue, when the baronetcy passed to his cousin,

SIR JOHN ESMONDE, 10th Baronet (1826-76), JP DL, son of Commander James Esmonde RN, MP for Waterford, 1852-76, who married, in 1861, Louisa, daughter of Henry Grattan, and had issue,

THOMAS HENRY GRATTAN, his successor;
LAURENCE GRATTAN, 13th Baronet;
John Geoffrey Grattan;
Walter George Grattan;
Henrietta Pia; Louisa Ellice Benedicta Grattan; Annetta Frances Grattan.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

Armorial Bearings of Sir Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde Bt

SIR THOMAS HENRY GRATTAN ESMONDE, 11th Baronet (1862-1935), DL MP, who wedded firstly, in 1891, Alice Barbara, daughter of Patrick Donovan, and had issue,

OSMOND THOMAS GRATTAN, his successor;
John Henry Grattan;
Alngelda Barbara Mary Grattan; Eithne Moira Grattan; Patricia Alison Louisa Grattan.

Sir Thomas was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR OSMOND THOMAS GRATTAN ESMONDE, 12th Baronet (1896-1936), who died unmarried, when the title passed to his cousin,

SIR LAURENCE GRATTAN ESMONDE, 13th Baronet (1863-1943), Lieutenant-Colonel, Waterford Royal Field Artillery, who married twice, though both marriages were without issue, when the title reverted to his cousin,

SIR JOHN LYMBRICK ESMONDE, as 14th Baronet (1893-1958), who wedded, in 1922, Eleanor, daughter of Laurence Fitzharris, though the marriage was without issue, when the title passed to his younger brother,

SIR ANTHONY CHARLES ESMONDE, 15th Baronet (1899-1981), who wedded, in 1927, Eithne Moira Grattan, daughter of Sir Thomas Esmonde, 11th Baronet, and had issue,

JOHN HENRY GRATTAN, his successor;
Bartholomew Thomas Grattan;
Anthony James Grattan;
Alice Mary Grattan; Eithne Marion Grattan; Anne Caroline Grattan.

Sir Anthony was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN HENRY GRATTAN ESMONDE, 16th Baronet (1928-87), Barrister, Irish politician, who married, in 1957, Pamela Mary, daughter of Dr Francis Stephen Bourke, and had issue,

THOMAS FRANCIS GRATTAN, his successor;
Harold William Grattan;
Richard Anthony Grattan;
Karen Maria Grattan; Lisa Marion Grattan.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,

(SIR) THOMAS (Tom) FRANCIS GRATTAN ESMONDE, 17th Baronet (1960-2021), Consultant Neurologist, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, 1992-, who married, in 1986, Pauline Loretto, daughter of James Vincent Kearns, and had issue,

SEAN VINCENT GRATTAN, his successor;
Aisling Margaret Pamela Grattan; Niamhe Pauline Grattan.

The 17th Baronet, better known as Dr Tom Esmonde, was succeeded by his son,

DR SEAN VINCENT GRATTAN ESMONDE, MBchB, MRCP, born in 1989, who would be 18th Baronet, though has yet to establish his succession to the baronetcy.

BALLYNASTRAGH HOUSE, near Gorey, County Wexford, was originally a 17th century house, built by James Esmonde.

It was enlarged and modernized by Sir Thomas Esmonde, 8th Baronet, shortly after he succeeded in 1767.

Ballynastragh comprised three storeys over a basement, with a fine seven-bay front and three-bay breakfront.

Alterations were undertaken to the mansion by the 9th Baronet between 1803-25; and later that decade the house was embellished and slightly castellated.

The Neo-Georgian Ballynastragh House of 1937 (Image: Buildings of Ireland)

The mansion was burnt by the IRA in 1923 and replaced in 1937 by a Neo-Georgian dwelling.

First published in August, 2018.

Ramsfort House

THE RAMS OWNED 1,813 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY WEXFORD

DR FRANCIS RAM (1537-1617), of Windsor, Berkshire, had by Helen his wife a large family.

Dr Ram resided subsequently at Hornchurch, Essex, near London, where a handsome monument was erected in memory of his wife and children.

One of his sons,

THE RT REV DR THOMAS RAM (1564-1634), Lord Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, born at Windsor, Berkshire, educated at Eton College, and at King's College, Cambridge, whence, having taken the degree of Master of Arts, he went to Ireland as Chaplain to Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, in 1599.

The next year he was appointed Dean, first of Cork, and then of Ferns.

Dr Ram was consecrated Lord Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, 1605.

On the plantation of Wexford, 1615, by JAMES I, he obtained a grant of lands, which descended to his children.

He married firstly, Jane Gilford, widow of Mr Thompson, and had issue,

Thomas (Very Rev), Dean of Ferns, dsp;
Grace; Susan; Jane; Anne.

The Bishop wedded secondly, Anne, daughter of Robert Bowen, of Ballyadams, Queen's County, and had further issue,

Robert (Rev);
ABEL, of whom hereafter;
Henry;
Elizabeth; Grace.

His lordship died of apoplexy in Dublin, 1634, at 70 years of age, during the session of a Convocation there, whence his body was conveyed to Gorey, County Wexford, and deposited in a "fair marble tomb in a chapel built by himself."

He also built the bishop's house at Old Leighlin, and other structures at such places where he received any profits, for the benefit of his successors, and recovered the manor of Fethard to the see of Ferns.

His third son,

ABEL RAM, of Ramsfort and Clonattin, succeeded to the estates and espoused Eleanor, daughter of the Rt Rev Dr George Andrews, Lord Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, and had issue,

ABEL, his heir;
Andrew;
Jane; Frideswide; Anne.

Mr Ram died in 1676, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ABEL RAM, of Ramsfort and Clonattin, High Sheriff of Dublin City, 1673, Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1684, who married, in 1667, Eleanor, daughter of Stephen Palmer, of Dublin, and had issue,

ABEL, his heir;
Stephen;
George;
Joshua;
Andrew;
Samuel;
Thomas;
Ellinor; Elizabeth; Rebecca; Cassandra; Anne.

Sir Abel died in 1692. His fifth son,

ANDREW RAM, of Ramsfort, MP for Duleek, 1692-8, married and had issue,

ABEL, his heir;
Humphreys, MP, father of STEPHEN;
Andrew, MP for County Wexford, 1755-60, Duleek, 1761-90;

Mr Ram died in 1698, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

ABEL RAM (1669-1740), of Ramsfort, MP for Gorey, 1692-1740, who dying without issue, bequeathed by his will the Clonattin portion of his estates to his brother, ANDREW, and the Ramsfort portion to his nephew,

STEPHEN RAM (1744-1821), of Ramsfort, MP for Gorey, 1764-90, who married, in 1774, the Lady Charlotte Stopford, sixth daughter of James, 1st Earl of Courtown, and was father of

ABEL RAM (c1775-1832), of Ramsfort, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1829, who wedded, in 1818, Eleanor Sarah, only daughter of Jerome Knapp, of Charlton House, Berkshire, and was father of

STEPHEN RAM DL (1819-99), of Ramsfort, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1842, who espoused, in 1839, Mary Christian, daughter of James Archibald Casamajor, Madras CS, and had issue (with several daughters),

Stephen James, died unmarried;
Edmund Arthur, dsp;
Abel Humphrey, dsp;
ARTHUR ARCHIBALD, of whom we treat.

The youngest son,

ARTHUR ARCHIBALD RAM (1852-1905), married, in 1899, Blanche Mary, eldest daughter of Arthur Loftus Tottenham, of Glenfarne Hall, County Leitrim, and had an only child, MARY CHRISTIANA, born in 1902.

RAMSFORT HOUSE, the magnificent mansion built by Stephen Ram MP to the design of George Semple, was bombarded and burnt during the Irish rebellion of 1798.

It was replaced by an early, two-storey 19th century house with two three-sided bows and an eaved roof.

The second house was erected on a different site.

At some later stage in the 1800s a wing was added in Francois Premier style.

Sir George Errington, 1st (and last) Baronet, MP for Longford, 1874-9, purchased Ramsfort thereafter and another extension was added, with stepped curvilinear gables, mullioned windows, an arcade surmounted on piers and columns along the ground floor.

This final addition terminated with a corner turret, spire, and a wooden belvedere.

A small chapel in the Romanesque-Italianate style was built in the grounds at the lake.

Ramsfort operated as a school from the early 1930s until 1983, when it was purchased by the Phelan family.

First published in August, 2018.

Loftus Hall

THE MARQUESSES OF ELY WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WEXFORD, WITH 14,023 ACRES 

The family of LOFTUS, or, as it was anciently spelt, Lofthouse, appears, from the archives of York Minster, to have flourished in Yorkshire as early as the reign of ALFRED THE GREAT. Before the advent of the Normans, this family held the town and lands of Loftus, Yorkshire, by thaneage, and after the Conquest, by military tenure. The same records show that Christopher Lofthouse was prior of Helagh, Yorkshire, in 1460.

EDWARD LOFTUS, of Swineshead, Yorkshire, whose descendants have been, in different branches, thrice elevated to the Irish peerage, had two sons, namely,

Robert, created Viscount Loftus;
ADAM, of whom hereafter.

The elder son, Robert, whose second son, Adam, an eminent lawyer, was appointed LORD CHANCELLOR OF IRELAND, 1619; and created, in 1622, Viscount Loftus, of Ely, a dignity which expired with his lordship' grandson ARTHUR, 3rd Viscount.

The younger son,

THE MOST REV DR ADAM LOFTUS (c1533-1605), accompanied, as private chaplain, the Viceroy, Thomas, Earl of Sussex, into Ireland, and was consecrated Lord Archbishop of Armagh, 1562-3.

In 1567, the Lord Primate was translated to the see of Dublin; and six years afterwards we find him Lord Keeper of the Great Seal.

In 1578, His Grace was constituted LORD CHANCELLOR OF IRELAND, and he continued to hold the seals until his death.

This esteemed divine having a principal share in the foundation of Trinity College, Dublin, was appointed by charter its first Provost, which office he resigned in 1594.

He married Jane, eldest daughter of Alan Purdon, of Lurgan Race, County Louth, and by her had twenty children, of whom seven died young, including,

DUDLEY, his heir;

Edward, Recorder of Dublin;

Adam;

Thomas;

Henry;

Isabella; Anne; Catherine; Martha; Dorothy; Alice; Margaret.

His Grace was succeeded by his eldest son, 

DUDLEY LOFTUS (1561-1616), of Rathfarnham Castle, who wedded Anne, daughter of Sir Henry Bagenal, of Newry, and had, with other issue,

ADAM, 1st Viscount Lisburne (1st creation);
NICHOLAS, of whose line we are about to treat;
Edward;
Samuel.

The second son,

NICHOLAS LOFTUS (1592-1666), of Fethard, MP for Fethard, 1613-34, County Wexford, 1640, Joint Clerk of the Pells and of the Treasury in Ireland, wedded and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, 

SIR NICHOLAS LOFTUS (1635-1708), Knight, of Fethard, MP for Fethard, 1661-6, who married twice, and had several children, all of whom died issueless, when the estates descended to his brother,

HENRY LOFTUS (1636-1716), of Loftus Hall, MP for Clonmines, 1692-3 and 1695-9, who married twice and was succeeded by his elder son,

THE RT HON NICHOLAS LOFTUS (1687-1763), MP for Fethard, 1710-13, Clonmines, 1713-14, County Wexford, 1715-51, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1751, in the dignity of Baron Loftus, of Loftus Hall.

His lordship was sworn of the privy council in 1753; nominated Governor of County Wexford, and advanced to a viscountcy, as Viscount Loftus, of Ely, in 1756.

He married firstly Anne, 2nd daughter of William, Viscount Duncannon, by whom he had issue,

NICHOLAS, his successor;
HENRY, succeeded as 4th Viscount Loftus;
Mary; Anne; Elizabeth.

His lordship wedded secondly, Letitia, daughter of Sir John Rowley, knight, by whom he had no issue.

He was succeeded by his elder son, 

NICHOLAS, 2nd Viscount, who was advanced to the dignity of Earl of Ely in 1766.

He married Mary, eldest daughter and heir of SIR GUSTAVUS HUME, 3rd Baronet, of Castle Hume, County Fermanagh; and dying in 1766, was succeeded by his only son, 

NICHOLAS, 2nd Earl, who died unmarried, in 1769, when the earldom expired, and the viscountcy and barony reverted to his uncle,

THE HON HENRY LOFTUS, as 4th Viscount, born in 1709.

His lordship was advanced to an earldom, in 1771, as Earl of Ely; and installed a Knight Founder of the Most Illustrious of St Patrick, 1783.

Lord Loftus married twice, though died without issue, in 1783, when the titles became extinct; while the estates devolved upon his nephew, 

THE RT HON CHARLES TOTTENHAM, who then assumed the surname and arms of LOFTUS, and was created, in two years afterwards, Baron Loftus, of Loftus Hall.

His lordship was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1789, as Viscount Loftus; and Earl of Ely in 1794.

He was further advanced, to the dignity of a marquessate, in 1800, as MARQUESS OF ELY.

His lordship was postmaster-general of Ireland in 1789; privy counsellor; Knight of St Patrick; governor of Wexford; governor of Fermanagh; colonel, the Wexford Militia.

*****

GEORGE HENRY WELLINGTON, 7th Marquess (1903-69), styled Viscount Loftus between 1925-35, became known by the courtesy title Viscount Loftus when his father succeeded to the marquessate in 1925.

He was educated at Lancing College and served as a major in the North Irish Horse during the 2nd World War.

He was High Sheriff of County Fermanagh in 1931.

In 1935 Lord Ely succeeded to the marquessate on the death of his father.

*****

CHARLES JOHN, 8th Marquess, who died in 2006 aged 92, was a Canadian prep school headmaster for some 40 years and a dogged, if silent, attender at the House of Lords for almost 30 years until his exclusion by Tony Blair's reforms. He was appalled by the "constitutional vandalism" that cost him his seat.

His eldest son, John, who was born in 1943, succeeded to the titles as 9th Marquess.

The Ely Papers are deposited at PRONI.

LOFTUS HALL, near Fethard-on-Sea, County Wexford, is, according to Mark Bence-Jones, a gaunt, three-storey mansion of 1871, with rows of plate-glass windows and a parapet, incorporating parts of a previous, late 17th century house.

The house stands near the tip of Hook Head, an extremely wind-swept spot bereft of trees and shelter.

The present house was built after his coming-of-age by the 4th Marquess of Ely (who also had plans for Ely Lodge in County Fermanagh).

It contains an impressive staircase hall.

In 1917, Loftus Hall was bought by the Sisters of Providence and turned into a convent and a school for young girls interested in joining the order.

In 1983, it was purchased by Michael Deveraux, who re-opened it as "Loftus Hall Hotel", which was subsequently closed again in the late 1990s.

It was privately owned by Deveraux's surviving family until late 2008, when it was sold to an unnamed buyer, rumoured to be "Bono" of U2 fame.

While in need of repair at the time of writing, the nine-bay mansion comprises seven reception rooms, twenty-two bedrooms and a function room spread across three floors.

First published in May, 2012.

Courtown House

THE EARLS OF COURTOWN WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WEXFORD, WITH 14,426 ACRES 

This family is said to derive its descent from Nicholas de Stockport, Baron of Stockport, one of the eight barons of the county palatine of Chester, created by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, in the reign of WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.

It is probable the family had been settled in that county before the Conquest, and certainly the estate of Salterstown, near Macclesfield, in Cheshire, belonged to the Stopfords from time immemorial.

WILLIAM STOPFORD, of Bispham and Wrightington, Lancashire, was MP for Liverpool, 1558.

WILLIAM STOPFORD, of Ulnes Walton, Lancashire, the representative of a family long settled in the north of that county, married Mary, daughter and eventual co-heir of Henry Farrington, second son of William Farrington, of Worden, and had issue,

JAMES, his heir;

William.

Mr Stopford died in 1647, and was succeeded by his elder son,

JAMES STOPFORD (1620-85), of Saltersford, Cheshire, Captain in the Parliamentary Army which served in Ireland; and upon the restoration of the royal family acquired considerable estates in that kingdom, partly by purchase and partly by grants under the Act of Settlement and the adjudication in favour of the '49 officers, and took up his abode at New Hall, Meath. 

Mr Stopford married firstly, Ellinor, fourth daughter of John Morewood, of The Oaks, Yorkshire, and had issue (with a daughter),

WILLIAM, his heir, father of JAMES;

James;

Joseph, father of the Rt Rev James Stopford.

He wedded secondly, Mary, daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Robert Forth, Knight, and had further issue, two daughters.

Mr Stopford was succeeded by his grandson, 

JAMES STOPFORD (1668-1721), MP for Wexford Borough, 1703-13, County Wexford, 1713-21, who wedded Frances, only daughter and heir of Roger Jones, and granddaughter and heiress of Thomas Jones, of Courtown, County Wexford.

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

JAMES STOPFORD (1700-70), MP for County Wexford, 1721-7, Fethard, 1727-58, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1756, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1758, in the dignity of Baron Courtown, of Wexford; and, in 1762, advanced to the dignities of Viscount Stopford and EARL OF COURTOWN.

His lordship married Elizabeth, only daughter of the Rt Rev Edward Smyth, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor, and had issue,

JAMES, his successor;
Edward, lieutenant-general in the army;
Thomas (Rt Rev), Lord Bishop of Cork and Ross;
Joseph;
Philip;
Frances; Mary; Anne; Catherine; Charlotte.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES, 2nd Earl (1731-1810), KP, PC, who was created a peer of Great Britain, in 1794, as Baron Saltersford.

His lordship espoused, in 1762, Mary, daughter and co-heir of Richard Powys, of Hintlesham Hall, Suffolk, by whom he had issue,

JAMES GEORGE, his successor;
Edward (Sir), GCB;
Robert (Sir), GCB, GCMG;
Richard Bruce (Rev).

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

JAMES GEORGE, 3rd Earl (1765-1835), KP, who married, in 1791, Mary, eldest daughter of Henry, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch, by whom he had issue,

JAMES THOMAS, his successor;
Edward;
Henry Scott;
Montagu (Sir), KCB;
Robert;
Mary Frances; Jane; Charlotte; Caroline.

• James Thomas Stopford, 4th Earl (1794–1858);

• James George Henry Stopford, 5th Earl (1823–1914);

• James Walter Milles Stopford, 6th Earl (1853–1933);

• James Richard Neville Stopford, 7th Earl (1877–1957);

• James Montagu Burgoyne Stopford, 8th Earl (1908–75);

• James Patrick Montagu Burgoyne Winthrop Stopford, 9th Earl (b 1954).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son James Richard Ian Montagu Stopford, styled Viscount Stopford (b 1988).

*****

THE COURTOWNS were a "Patrick Family", the 2nd and 3rd Earls having been installed as Knights of St Patrick.

The 6th Earl was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Wexford, from 1901 until 1922.

James Patrick Montagu Burgoyne Winthrop, 9th and present Earl, was a Lord in Waiting (Government Whip), 1995-97; representative peer to the House of Lords, 1999-.

 

COURTOWN HOUSE, near Gorey, County Wexford, was the 18th century seat of the Earls of Courtown, overlooking the sea at Courtown Harbour.

It was significantly altered and enlarged during the 19th century, following the 1798 rebellion. 

The front consisted of a U-shaped block of two storeys and a dormer attic within the high-pitched, château-style roof.

The five-bay centre had a large open porch, with a porte-cochère carried on four piers.

Courtown House was demolished in 1962, having been sold to the Irish Tourist Board in 1948.

After the 2nd World War, the income from the amount of land left in the estate was not enough to keep Courtown House going and it had to be sold.

Marlfield House, once a Dower House on the Courtown estate, dates back to the 1840s.

The Courtown family also had a seat in Cheshire, Beale Hall.

Courtown Woodland was planted with oak and ash back in 1870.

At this time it was part of a typical Victorian estate woodland where exotic conifers and redwoods from California were planted within viewing distance of Courtown House.

Oak plantations were established at some distance.

They were under-planted with shrubs to provide food for pheasants for shooting parties.

The woodland was regularly cleared and used as firewood by local tenants.

During the 1860s and 1870s the 5th Earl established a pinetum, or conifer collection, in the grounds around Courtown House.

A small number of these trees remain today in the Woodland and in property across the river. 

First published in January, 2012.