The Cunningham Baronetcy

THOMAS CUNNINGHAM, of Crookedstone, in the parish of Killead, County Antrim (believed to have been son of Patrick Cunningham, of the same parish, whose will was dated 1696), married Elizabeth ______, and died ca 1728, leaving issue,

Hugh, of Dungonnell, dsp;
WILLIAM (Rev), of whom presently;
a daughter, m Hugh Mosman;
a daughter, m Josias Cunningham;
a daughter, m Samuel McMaster;
Ann; Elizabeth.

The younger son,

THE REV WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, Minister of Limavady, County Londonderry, 1720, wedded Margaret Bradshaw, and dying in 1740,  left issue,

Thomas;
George;
SAMUEL, of whom presently;
Thomas.

His third son,

SAMUEL CUNNINGHAM (c1697-1789), of Crookedstone and Dungonnell, espoused firstly, in 1727, Mary, daughter of Samuel Thompson, of Muckamore, County Antrim, and had issue,

William, of Ahoghill and Greenhall;
SAMUEL, of whom presently;
John, of Dungonnell;
Margaret; Sarah; Mary; a daughter.

He married secondly, __________, widow of Francis Brown; and thirdly, Mary ______.

Mr Cunningham's second son,

SAMUEL CUNNINGHAM (c1742-1812), of Crookedstone, wedded, in 1765, Mary, daughter of John Barber, of British, Killead, and had issue,

Samuel;
John;
William, merchant, of Belfast;
James, of Belmount, Antrim;
Thomas;
Thomas;
Josias, partner with his brother Barber; wholesale tobacco merchants;
BARBER, of whom we treat;
Sarah; Mary; Elizabeth.

The youngest son,

BARBER CUNNINGHAM (1787-1841), of Belfast, a partner with his brother Josias in the firm of Josias and Barber Cunningham, espoused, in 1818, Margaret, daughter of David McClure, of Killead, and had issue,

JOSIAS, of whom hereafter;
Samuel;
David McClure;
Agnes McClure; Agnes McClure.

The eldest son,

JOSIAS CUNNINGHAM (1819-95), of Glencairn, Belfast, who founded the firm of Josias Cunningham and Company, Stockbrokers, in 1843, married, in 1855, Jane Agnes, daughter of James Davis, solicitor, of Belfast, and had issue,

JAMES (1857-1924), of Glencairn, Stockbroker; died unmarried;
JOSIAS (1861-1929), of Glencairn, company director; died unmarried;
SAMUEL KNOX (Rt Hon), of whom hereafter;
David (twin), died 1864;
Margaret; Jane Agnes; Emily; Mary Elizabeth; Anna Wise; Sarah Catherine.

The third son,

THE RT HON SAMUEL CUNNINGHAM (1862-1946), of Fernhill, Belfast, wedded, in 1898, Janet Muir Knox, eldest daughter of Dunlop McCosh, Solicitor, of Dalry, Ayrshire, and had issue,

Josias, stockbroker;
Dunlop McCosh, of 22, Broomhill Pk, Belfast;
James Glencairn, OBE DL;
SAMUEL KNOX, of whom hereafter.

The youngest son,

(SAMUEL) KNOX CUNNINGHAM QC (1909-76), Ulster Unionist politician, barrister and business man, was educated at RBAI, Fettes College, Edinburgh, and Clare College, Cambridge, where he was heavy-weight boxing champion.

Mr Cunnungham was engaged in business in Northern Ireland between 1931-37; called to the Bar of Middle Temple, 1939; and the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland, 1942.

He later became a QC.

During the 2nd World War he served with the Scots Guards, and in 1943 and 1945 he unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary seat of Belfast West.

In 1955 he contested and won the parliamentary seat of South Antrim, a seat which he held until his retirement in 1970.

Cunningham's fame rests chiefly on his distinguished parliamentary career.

Between 1958-59 he was PPS to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury; and between 1959-63 held his most important and influential position as PPS to the Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan.  

This was a unique position for an Ulster Unionist and for four years Knox Cunningham worked in the centre of power at Westminster.

It was in Mr Macmillan’s 1963 resignation honours list that Knox Cunningham was awarded with a baronetcy, designated of Crookedstone, Killead, County Antrim, for his distinguished services to the Prime Minister.

When the Labour Party came to power under Harold Wilson in 1964, Sir Knox pressed and probed with innumerable questions and interventions in debates and he had many verbal clashes with Harold Wilson himself in the House of Commons.

For three years Sir Knox was a member of the United Kingdom Parliamentary Delegation to the Council of Europe and Western European Union at Strasbourg where he put Ulster’s case to the Europeans.

Sir Knox was on the right wing of Ulster Unionism and was a powerful critic of Terence O’Neill’s political reforms in Northern Ireland.

Sir Knox died without issue in 1976, when the title became extinct.

FERNHILL HOUSE was built in the 1860s by John Smith, a wealthy Belfast butter merchant.

The site had to be cut out of the rock-face.

It comprises two storeys, a mixture of Classical and Italian Renaissance style, with a fine Greek-style portico.

In 1898, Fernhill was acquired by Samuel Cunningham, a member of a leading family involved in the grain and tobacco trade.

The Cunninghams owned about 133 acres of land in the Shankill and Ballygomartin areas of Belfast.

Cunningham was a stockbroker, chairman of the Northern Whig and a leading member of the Ulster Unionist Council and the Ulster Provisional Government from 1911 onwards.

The original Ulster Volunteer Force of 1912-14 drilled in these grounds before the 1st World War.

The stables at Fernhill were always stocked with the finest race horses: Tipperary Tim was winner of the 1928 Grand National.

In October, 1994, the Loyalist ceasefire was proclaimed at Fernhill House.

Glencairn ca 1860 (historic OS map)

THE GLENCAIRN ESTATE originally covered more than 100 acres of land at the bottom of Divis Mountain. 

It included four houses - Glencairn and Fernhill, which stood on either side of a sloping valley, Glendivis, situated between the Ballygomartin River and Glencairn Road (just beyond the present entrance to the park), and Four Winds, located further along the Glencairn Road. 

The largest houses, Glencairn and Fernhill, were also served by modest mid-19th century gate lodges. 

In 1899, Samuel Cummingham moved into Fernhill House, which had great views of Belfast, the Mourne Mountains and even the family's home country of Scotland. 

The Cunningham family eventually moved to Glencairn House and lived on the estate for most of the 20th century. 

Glencairn and Fernhill were surrounded by extensive lawns, gravel pathways, mature trees, formal gardens, vegetable plots, a croquet lawn, shrub borders and a rock garden. 

An ancient rath or fort, around 120 feet in diameter with ramparts and a surrounding trench, was located behind Fernhill House. 

The trench was filled in and used as a ring for training horses while the Cunninghams lived on the estate. Both Glencairn and Fernhill Houses were damaged during the 2nd World War. 

When Colonel Cunningham returned home after the war, he found Glencairn House empty and abandoned and his family living in part of Fernhill House. 

The estate was eventually acquired by the Belfast Corporation (now the council) in 1962 and re-opened as a public park. 

Parkview Care Home, a sprawling two-storey building, now occupies the site of Glencairn.

Glencairn House (Image: Richard Graham)

BY THE LATE 18th and early 19th century, the Cunninghams had clearly established themselves as merchants and businessmen.

Samuel’s brothers John, William, James, Thomas, Josias and Barber, were all directly involved in business and commerce.

John Cunningham (of Glenwood, a house which is roughly in the same location as the present day Glenwood Primary School) and Thomas Cunningham were partners in the firm of J & T Cunningham at Mill Street, Belfast.

Glencairn (Image: Richard Graham)

James Cunningham was a grain merchant; William was a merchant at Belfast; Josias and Barber (the youngest brothers) were partners in a firm of wholesale tobacco importers based at Rosemary Street, Belfast.

Barber Cunningham, a tobacco merchant, was the father of Sir Josias Cunningham DL, one of the most well-known members of this family.

Sir Josias firmly established the family’s fortunes.

First Published in June, 2010. I am grateful to Richard Graham for use of images of Glencairn.

The Staples Baronetcy

This family settled in Ulster during the reign of JAMES I.

ALEXANDER STAPLES, of Yate Court, Gloucestershire, married firstly, Avis, daughter of Richard Browne, of Marlborough, Wiltshire, and secondly, Elizabeth. He had issue,

George, purchased the Manor of Fovant;

Richard of Boreham;

Alexander, of Nottingham; Mayor of Nottingham, 1629;

Edward;

THOMAS, of whom hereafter;

William.

Mr Staples died in 1590; his fifth son,

THOMAS STAPLES, of Lissan, County Tyrone, and Faughanvale, County Londonderry, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1640, settled in Ulster ca 1610 as part of the plantation of Ulster.

This Thomas settled at Moneymore, County Londonderry (then being constructed as part of the terms of the plantation grant to the Worshipful Company of Drapers, which had been granted large swathes of the new county in 1611). His stone house is marked in a map of 1635 as in the centre of Moneymore, beside the Market Cross.

Mr Staples was created a baronet by CHARLES I in 1628, designated of Lissan, County Tyrone, and of Faughanvale, County Londonderry.

About the same date, he purchased several leases, including the lands of the town of Cookstown, and 180 acres at what is now the Lissan demesne.

It is thought that a dwelling existed on the estate at this time along with an Iron Forge which was used to smelt the iron deposits found across the estate.

Mainly as a result of the existence of the forge, the dwelling house survived the Rebellion of 1641.

Sir Thomas married, ante 1623, Charity, only child of Sir Baptist Jones, of Vintnerstown, and had issue,

BAPTIST, 2nd Baronet;
ALEXANDER, 3rd Baronet;
ROBERT, 4th Baronet.

Sir Thomas died in 1653, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR BAPTIST STAPLES, 2nd Baronet (1625-72), of Lissan and Faughanvale, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR ALEXANDER STAPLES, 3rd Baronet, of Lissan and Faughanvale, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1661, MP for Strabane, 1661-65, who espoused Elizabeth Conyngham, by whom he had no male issue.

Sir Alexander was succeeded by his brother,

SIR ROBERT STAPLES, 4th Baronet (1643-1714), of Lissan, MP for Dungannon, 1692, Clogher, 1695, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1703, who wedded, in 1682, Mary, eldest daughter of the Most Rev John Vesey, Lord Archbishop of Tuam, and had issue,

JOHN, 5th Baronet;
Robert;
Thomlinson;
ALEXANDER, 6th Baronet;
Thomas (Rev), Rector of Derryloran; father of JOHN, MP, ancestor of C S Lewis;
Jane; Ann; Rebecca; Mary.

The present Lissan House substantially owes its existence to Sir Thomas's third son Sir Robert, 4th Baronet.

Having married another heiress in the person of Mary Vesey, he improved the estate, building mills and enlarging the iron forge as well as substantially constructing the present house (incorporating large parts of the pre-existing dwelling) ca 1680.

He also created the walled garden which survives today.

The main feature of his house was the gargantuan oak staircase which still (following a reconstruction due to collapse in 1895) dominates the hall today.

Thomas Ashe, writing his report to the Archbishop of Armagh, from whom the land was originally leased, said, in 1703,

"Robert Staples has built a very good stone house; the rooms are noble, lofty and large. There is a very handsome staircase which leads to chambers above with a large parlour and dining room. The house is well-shingled and stands near a small tenement with four pretty rooms. He has built a handsome stable, large barns and a turf house all well shingled."

Sir Robert died in 1714, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN STAPLES, 5th Baronet (1684-1730), who wedded Mary Goslin, by whom he had no male issue, and was succeeded by his younger brother,

SIR ALEXANDER STAPLES, 6th Baronet (1693-1742), who married, in 1735, Abigail, daughter of Thomas Townley, and had issue, an only child,

SIR ROBERT STAPLES, 7th Baronet (1740-1816), who married firstly, in 1761, Alicia, daughter of Rev Thomas Staples, by whom he had a daughter, Sarah.

He espoused secondly, Mary, daughter of Sir William Barker Bt, and had further issue,

ROBERT, his successor;
Anna Maria.

He married thirdly, in 1776, Jane Vesey, daughter of John, 1st Baron Knapton, and sister of the Viscount de Vesci, and had further issue,

Isabella;
Elizabeth Selina;
Anne;
Catherine.

Sir Robert was succeeded by his only son, 

SIR ROBERT STAPLES, 8th Baronet (1772-1832).

By the time of the 7th and 8th Baronets in the mid-18th century, the main branch of the family had moved to Castle Durrow in County Kilkenny. Lissan House was let to a minor branch of the family under The Rt Hon John Staples KC MP, first cousin of the 8th Baronet.

John Staples was a talented lawyer and was the last speaker in the Irish House of Commons before its dissolution in 1801. He went on two grand tours of Italy and Greece, furnishing Lissan with a fine collection of books, paintings and marbles.

His second wife was Henrietta, younger daughter of the Viscount Molesworth, one of the Duke of Marlborough's generals during the war of the Spanish Succession.

Sir Robert died without legitimate issue, as a result of which the Castle Durrow property was bequeathed to his eldest (illegitimate) son, whilst Lissan passed to the Rt Hon John Staples' eldest son,

SIR THOMAS STAPLES, 9th Baronet (1775-1865), QC, who espoused, in 1813, Catherine, daughter of the Rev John Hawkins, but had no issue.

Sir Thomas was a notable lawyer and was appointed Queen's Advocate in Ireland in 1845.

He married Catherine, another heiress, a partnership which made them one of the wealthiest families in Ireland.

Sir Thomas purchased the largest town house on Merrion Square in Dublin and made several notable additions to Lissan House, most notably the large ballroom (or music room), built to take advantage of views of the water gardens.

As a prosperous Dublin barrister, he was able to indulge himself in making Lissan a more fashionable house than it had ever been before, his most obvious contribution being to add the single-storey ballroom to the right-hand side of the entrance front.

In the main block of the house, he created Regency interiors in what is now the dining-room and the library, although only that in the dining-room survives.

Externally, he built out a porch (with two front columns answered by two pilasters either side of the Tuscan columns in the door-case, and a triglyph frieze), and altered the roof-line with the effect that the roof was disguised behind a parapet.

This latter change provided a loft to the house, and meant that the top windows were no longer overshadowed by the roof. 

No expense was spared on the construction of this addition, which was fitted with an early central heating system, was double glazed and which had sprung floorboards to aid dancing.

The room was decorated in a striking oriental scheme of scarlet and black and was decorated with vastly expensive hand-painted Chinese wallpaper originally purchased by Sir Thomas' sister Grace, Marchioness of Ormonde, for Kilkenny Castle.

Small portions of this wallpaper survive today, touched up by the last owner, Mrs Hazel Dolling.

Sir Thomas died childless in 1865, as a result of which the title and estate were inherited by the Rev John Molesworth Staples' eldest son Nathaniel, 10th Baronet.

However, Sir Thomas left the contents of Lissan House as well as the entire family fortune to his wife Catherine.

Unfortunately Catherine, Lady Staples, disliked Sir Nathaniel to such an extent that on her death both the fortune and furniture were bequeathed to her god-daughter, Mary Banks.

Thus the estate began a process of swift financial decline. 

SIR NATHANIEL ALEXANDER STAPLES, 10th Baronet (1817-99), JP DL, married, in 1844, Elizabeth, daughter of Captain James Head, and had issue,

JOHN MOLESWORTH, 11th Baronet;
James Head (1849-1917);
ROBERT PONSONBY, 12th Baronet;
Cecilia; another daughter.

Sir Nathaniel was a civil servant in India and during his absence on the subcontinent several members of the wider Staples family began to remove the remaining contents of the house.

The Rt Hon John Staples' third youngest daughter Charlotte had married William Lenox-Conyngham of Springhill in 1824.

During the 1860s and 70s, she and her eldest son, Sir William Lenox-Conyngham, systematically removed the entire contents of the Lissan library along with the best paintings in the house, including a portrait of the Rt Hon John Staples by Batoni. All of these can still be found at Springhill today.

When Sir Nathaniel eventually settled at Lissan during the 1880s, despite his straightened financial circumstances, he added a substantial porte-cochere to the front of the house and purchased the clock tower from the market-house in Magherafelt which he added to the West end of the house.

At the age of 55, Sir Nathaniel evicted Elizabeth, Lady Staples, from the house and lived out his remaining years in the scandalous company of a young clairvoyant, Mary Potter, who was originally from Cookstown.

By the time of his death in 1899, the family were all but financially ruined.

Sir Nathaniel was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN MOLESWORTH STAPLES, 11th Baronet (1847-1933), who was pronounced "insane" and spent the entire duration of his baronetcy in an asylum in England until his death in 1933.

As a result of this, the estate was first occupied by the second eldest son of the family, James Head Staples, who had originally settled at Braemar, Scotland.

He and his wife built a creamery, took in boarders, and Mrs Staples taught cookery and lace-making so that local girls would have some training to enable them to find work in Cookstown.

He also fitted a second-hand water turbine on the Lissan Water in 1902, which supplied the house with its sole source of electricity until 2007 (and which is still in full working order today).

The estate remained, however, in terminal decline.

When James Head Staples died in 1911, the house was left temporarily unoccupied until his eccentric younger brother,

SIR (ROBERT) PONSONBY STAPLES, 12th Baronet (1853-1943), of Lissan, who wedded, in 1883, Ada Louise, daughter of H Stammers, and had issue,

ROBERT GEORGE ALEXANDER, his successor;
Violet Hope; Beatrice Joyce Head; Nora Lettice Mary.

Sir Ponsonby was persuaded to leave London and settle at Lissan in 1912.

Sir Ponsonby was a notably talented artist.

He had gone to the Catholic University of Leuven to study architecture at the age of twelve before moving to Dresden to study fine art.

When he returned to London during the 1880s he quickly became one of the most famous portrait artists of his day.

He exhibited his first picture at the Royal Academy aged 21.

Sir Ponsonby was also an infamous socialite and member of the Café Royal set.

He was a friend and favourite of King Edward VII.

His most famous attribute was his refusal to wear shoes.

He believed that the earth exuded natural electricity which was beneficial to the health and thus shunned the wearing of shoes and listing his principal occupation as "barefoot walking" in the 1926 Who's Who.

Today his paintings are hugely valuable but, whilst existing at the centre of the social scene in fin de siecle London, his work did not make him a wealthy man.

After settling at Lissan, his finances evaporated and he was known to often ask the postman for a loan or to pawn his own paintings in order to raise funds.

A great sale was held during his tenure which lasted two full days and which saw the remaining pictures and fine furnishings sold off, many to the Lenox-Conyngham family at Springhill where they remain today.

By 1943, the estate, stripped of its furnishings and largely sold off, was virtually bankrupt.

Sir Ponsonby was succeeded by his son,

SIR ROBERT GEORGE ALEXANDER STAPLES, 13th Baronet (1894-1970), of 2, Barkfield, Freshfield Road, Formby, Lancashire, who married, in 1922, Vera Lilian, daughter of John Jenkins, and had issue, two daughters,

HAZEL MARION, of whom hereafter;
Elizabeth Hope.

Sir Robert was educated at Campbell College, Belfast, and Trinity College Dublin; fought in the First World War; Lieutenant, Royal Army Service Corps; was a director of Peter Marsh & Sons (Northern Ireland) in 1961.

He discovered that he could no longer afford to live at Lissan.

Sir Robert consequently employed Harry Dolling as estate manager and settled in England, where he could find suitable employment.

Mr Dolling divided Lissan House into apartments and, from 1943 until the late 1960s, the house was home to over a hundred people living in self-contained flats and tenements carved out of the once elegant public rooms and bedrooms.

The remaining contents of value were sent to be stored temporarily at Springhill, where they were mixed with the Lenox-Conynghams' own property and were presented mistakenly to the National Trust along with Springhill in 1957.

Sir Robert feared that he would be the last of the Staples to live at Lissan. He had only two daughters as issue.

The younger, Elizabeth, had settled with her own family in England; whilst the elder, Hazel, (following a spell in the WRNS) had settled into a life on the seas with the Cunard Line as purser on the Queen Mary and Caronia.

Neither had any interest in the now crumbling, run-down and bankrupt estate.

However, the 13th Baronet's death in 1970, the elder daughter Hazel visited Lissan with her mother and met the agent, Mr Dolling.

Within the year the pair were married and both settled at Lissan, returning the house to a single dwelling for the occupation of themselves and Hazel's mother Vera, Lady Staples.

Whilst Hazel inherited the house and estate from her father, the baronetcy passed to Sir Jack Staples and from him to his cousin and, in swift succession, to his two brothers, the present being the 17th Baronet, Sir Richard Staples.

Both inherited the title at advanced ages and neither have any male heirs.

As a result, a search was instigated by Debrett's in the 1990s seeking the next Staples baronet and a ten year genetic research programme started in 2002 which it was hoped would locate the next Baronet.

Three candidates, Garth Staples and Gerald Staples of Nova Scotia, Canada and David Staples of the USA, have been identified as within a sufficient genetic distance according to family tree, all of whom are descended from Matthew Staples.

It is believed that Matthew Staples was in the company of Governor Cornwallis as a military blacksmith at Halifax in 1749 although the link with the Lissan family tree remains elusive and no one candidate has yet proved their claim.

SIR JOHN RICHARD STAPLES, 14th Baronet (1906-89), married, in 1933, Sybel, daughter of Dr Charles Henry Wade.

His cousin,

SIR THOMAS STAPLES, 15th Baronet (1905-97), married, in 1952, Frances Ann Irvine.

He died without issue, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR GERALD JAMES ARLAND STAPLES, 16th Baronet (1909-99), who married, in 1951, Henrietta Owen, daughter of Percival Arland Ussher, and had issue, two daughters,

Emily Ann; Jacqueline Mary.

He was succeeded by his brother,

SIR RICHARD MOLESWORTH STAPLES, 17th Baronet (1914-2013), who married, in 1954, Marjorie Charlotte Jefcoate.

He was educated at St Andrew's College, Dublin; fought in the Second World War, in Burma; was with the Royal Air Force, 1940-52; was with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1952-59.

The title, one of the oldest in the baronetage, expired following the decease of the 17th Baronet.

Hazel Radcliffe-Dolling (neé Staples), elder daughter of the 13th Baronet, was the last member of the family to live at Lissan.

Former residence ~ 2, Barkfield, Freshfield Road, Formby, Lancashire.

The Staples Papers are deposited at PRONI.  First published in May, 2011.

The Skeffington Baronetcy

The very ancient family of SKEFFINGTON derived its name from the village of Skeffington, Leicestershire.

THOMAS SKEFFINGTON, of Skeffington, Leicestershire, was father of

SIR WILLIAM SKEFFINGTON (c1465-1535), Knight, who was appointed by HENRY VIII, in 1529, His Majesty's Commissioner to Ireland, arrived there in August of that year, empowered to restrain the exactions of the soldiers, to call a Parliament, and to provide that the possessions of the clergy might be subject to bear their part of the public expense.

Sir William was subsequently a very distinguished political personage in Ireland and died in the government of that kingdom, as Lord Deputy, in December, 1535.

He married firstly, Margaret, daughter of Sir Everard Digby, of Drystoke, and had issue; and secondly, Anne, daughter of Sir John Digby, of Kettleby, Leicestershire, by whom he had issue,

SIR JOHN SKEFFINGTON, of Fisherwick, Alderman and High Sheriff of London, 1521, who married Elizabeth Pecke, and by her had issue,

WILLIAM SKEFFINGTON, of Fisherwick, and of White Ladies, who wedded Isa, daughter of James Leveson, of Trentham, Staffordshire, and died in 1550, being succeeded by his son,

JOHN SKEFFINGTON, of Fisherwick, Staffordshire, who espoused Alice, seventh daughter of Sir Thomas Cave, of Stanford, and was father of

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

He wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Dering, and had issue, two sons and six daughters.

The second son,

SIR RICHARD SKEFFINGTON, Knight, MP for Staffordshire, 1646-7, married Anne, youngest daughter of Sir John Newdigate, Knight, of Arbury, Warwickshire, and died in 1647, leaving a son,

SIR JOHN SKEFFINGTON, who succeeded his cousin as 4th Baronet, and married Mary Clotworthy, only daughter and heiress of

SIR JOHN CLOTWORTHY, who, for his activity and zeal in promoting the restoration of CHARLES II, was elevated to the peerage, in 1660, in the dignity of Baron Lough Neagh and VISCOUNT MASSEREENE, with remainder, in default of male issue, to his son-in-law, the said Sir John Skeffington, and his issue male, by MARY, his said wife; in default of which, to the heirs general of his lordship.

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

SIR JOHN SKEFFINGTON, Baronet, as 2nd Viscount; who died in 1695, and was succeeded by his only son,

CLOTWORTHY, 6th Baronet and 3rd Viscount (1660-1714), who married, in 1684, Rachael, daughter of Sir Edward Hungerford KB, of Farley Castle, Somerset, and had issue,

CLOTWORTHY, his successor;
Jane; Rachael; Mary.

His lordship was succeeded by his son,

CLOTWORTHY, 7th Baronet and 4th Viscount, who married, in 1713, the Lady Katherine Chichester, eldest daughter of Arthur, 3rd Earl of Donegall, and had issue,

CLOTWORTHY, his successor;
Arthur, MP for Co Antrim;
John (Rev);
Hungerford;
Hugh;
Catherine; Rachael.

His lordship died in 1738, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

CLOTWORTHY, 8th Baronet and 5th Viscount (1715-57), who was created, in 1756, EARL OF MASSEREENE.

His lordship espoused firstly, in 1738, Anne, eldest daughter of the Very Rev Richard Daniel, Dean of Down, but by that lady had no issue; and secondly, in 1741, Elizabeth, only daughter of Henry Eyre, of Rowter, Derbyshire, and had issue,

CLOTWORTHY, his successor;
HENRY, successor to his brother;
William;
John;
CHICHESTER, who inherited as 4th Earl;
Alexander;
Elizabeth; Catherine.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

CLOTWORTHY, 2nd Earl and 9th Baronet (1743-1805), who wedded firstly, in 1789, Mlle Mary-Anne Barcier; and secondly, Elizabeth Lane, but had no issue.

He was succeeded by his brother,

HENRY, 3rd Earl and 10th Baronet, who died unmarried, when the peerage and baronetcy devolved upon his next surviving brother,

CHICHESTER, 4th Earl and 11th Baronet, who wedded, in 1780, the Lady Harriet Jocelyn, eldest daughter of Robert, 1st Earl of Roden, by whom he had an only daughter, HARRIET.

His lordship died in 1816, when the earldom and baronetcy expired, while the viscountcy of Massereene and the barony of Lough Neagh devolved upon his only daughter, HARRIET, as 9th Viscountess Massereene.

First published in May, 2011.

The O'Neill Baronetcy (1643)

This was a branch from the Milesian stock from which the present noble family of O'NEILL claims descent.

HUGH BOY O'NEILL, from whom the territories called the Claneboys, in counties Down and Antrim, received their name, grandson of HUGH MEYTH, King of Ulster, 1122, recovered those lands from the English (which had been wrested from his family at the invasion during the reign of HENRY II), and his descendants enjoyed them until the reign of JAMES I.

When a portion was conquered by force of arms from the O'Neills, more purchased by JAMES I by them, and some part left in their possession, which has descended to the O'Neills of Shane's Castle.

His Majesty, when he instituted the Order of Baronets, had chiefly in view the subduing of the clan O'Neill in Ulster, and the Ulster hand ~ the Red Hand of O'Neill ~ was given as a badge to the order.

BRIAN O'NEILL, in consideration of his gallant services at the battle of Edgehill, was created a baronet by CHARLES I in 1643, designated of Upper Claneboys.

Sir Brian married Jane Finch, of the family of the 1st Earl of Nottingham, and dying in 1670, was succeeded by his son, 

SIR BRIAN O'NEILL, 2nd Baronet, of Backerstown, County Dublin, one of the judges of the Court of King's Bench in Ireland during the reign of JAMES II, who married Mary, sister of Christopher, 10th Baron Dunsany, and dying in 1694, was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR HENRY O'NEILL, 3rd Baronet (c1674-1759), of Kellystown, near Drogheda, who married firstly, Mary, daughter of Mark Bagot, of Mount Arran, County Carlow, and had an only son,

BRIAN, his successor;

RANDALL, 5th Baronet.

He wedded secondly, Rose, daughter of Captain James Brabazon (son of Sir Anthony Brabazon, and nephew of William, 1st Earl of Meath), and had further issue,

Brabazon;
Henry;
FRANCIS, 6th Baronet.

Sir Henry was succeeded by the eldest son of his first wife,

SIR BRIAN O'NEILL, 4th Baronet, of Kellystown, who died without male issue, when the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR RANDALL O'NEILL, 5th Baronet, of Kellystown, surveyor of excise at Rush, County Dublin, who married, about 1750, Mrs Margaret Tompkins, by whom he had a son, William, and a daughter, Rachel.

Sir Randall died in 1799, and was succeeded by his only son,

SIR WILLIAM O'NEILL, 6th Baronet (c1754-84), of Kellystown, who died childless, when the baronetcy reverted to his uncle (of the half blood) and heir male, being sixth and youngest son of the 3rd Baronet, 

SIR FRANCIS O'NEILL, 7th Baronet (c1730-99), of Kellystown, who was ejected from his property under the Popery Acts, and after renting two small farms near Kellystown, kept "a small huckster's shop and dairy" at Slane.

He married a daughter of ________ Fleming, of County Louth, by whom he had fourteen or fifteen children.

Sir Francis was in possession of the patent of the baronetcy in 1798, but died in 1799, being buried (with his father) at Mount Newton.

His widow died 18 months later.

Following his death the baronetcy expired.

*****

AS TO aristocratic kinsmen abandoning such claimants, again we may cite Burke's account of the support, moral and financial, given to the above mentioned Sir Francis O'Neill by his distant Protestant kinsman John, 1st Viscount O'Neill:

In that humble cottage the aged and poverty stricken baronet was visited in May, 1798 by John, the first Viscount O'Neill, and his two sons, Charles and John, the late Earl and the last Viscount ... for John, the first Lord O'Neill, princely in mind and he was exalted in station, never turned his face from a poor relation.

BACKWESTON HOUSE was once the residence of Sir Brian O'Neill, 1st Baronet.

He was a descendant of the Chiefs of Claneboy, and proved himself a gallant soldier, first in Holland and afterwards on the royalist side in the Civil War in England.

In relating the vicissitudes of the O'Neill family, Sir Bernard Burke has told how Sir Brian, with a few others, tried to rally the royal troops at the rout of Newburn, and how on the hard fought field of Edgehill he rallied the dragoons with undaunted courage, and finally saved CHARLES I from being taken prisoner.

Honours came to Sir Brian, but without corresponding wealth, and after the Restoration, he appears to have tried to add to his slender income by sending wool to France, a trade for which, on account of his constant loyalty and good service he was given a licence by the King.

Sir Brian, who was twice married, first to Jane Finch and secondly to Sarah Savage, whose mother was a daughter of Hugh, first Viscount Montgomery, of the Great Ards, died about 1670, and was succeeded by his son, who bore the same name.

Sir Brian O'Neill, the 2nd baronet, has been already mentioned in the history of Stillorgan in connection with his marriage to the widow of James Wolverston, who was a sister of Christopher Plunkett, 10th Lord Dunsany.

He was educated as a lawyer at Gray's Inn, which he entered in 1664, and, as stated in the history of Stillorgan, was appointed by JAMES II, in 1687, as one of the justices of the King's Bench in Ireland.

By his first marriage, Sir Henry O'Neill, 3rd Baronet, was father of Sir Randal, 4th Baronet, surveyor of customs at Rush, County Dublin, and died having had a son and a daughter, who both died unmarried. 

Sir Henry O'Neill, by his second marriage, left Sir Francis O'Neill, of Kellystown, in the county of Meath, 7th Baronet, who married Miss Fleming, of County Louth.

• Sir Brian O'Neill, 1st Baronet (d 1670)
• Sir Brian O'Neill, 2nd Baronet (d 1694);
• Sir Henry O'Neill, 3rd Baronet (c1674-1759);
• Sir Brian O'Neill, 4th Baronet;
• Sir Randall O'Neill, 5th Baronet (d 1779);
• Sir William O'Neill, 6th Baronet (c1754-84);
• Sir Francis O'Neill, 7th Baronet (c1730-99).

First published in April, 2011.

The Hamilton Baronetcy (1662)

Coat-of-arms of 1st Earl of Clanbrassil

THE REV HANS (otherwise JOHN) HAMILTON, Vicar of Dunlop, a natural son of Archibald Hamilton, of Raploch, married Janet, daughter of James Denholm, of West Shields, and had issue,

JAMES, created Viscount Claneboye;

Archibald, of Hallcraig;

Gawn, of Ballygally;

JOHN, of whom hereafter;

William, of Newcastle and Bangor;

Patrick, of Gransha;

Jean.

The fourth son,

JOHN HAMILTON (c1576-1639), of Coronary, County Cavan, and of Monella (Hamiltonsbawn), County Armagh, married, in 1617, Sarah, daughter of Sir Anthony Brabazon, Governor of Connaught, and had issue,

HANS, his heir;
Anthony;

James, of Bailieborough;
Francis;

Ursula; Mary; Eleanor.

John Hamilton was invited to Ireland by his brother James, Lord Claneboye, and in 1613 purchased 1,000 acres of the lands of Killycloghan, County Cavan; and in 1615, 1,000 acres of Magheryentrim and Killyruddan, in the barony of The Fews, County Armagh.

He lived to a good age, died on the 16th September, 1639, and was buried in Mullabrack Church.

The eldest son,

THE RT HON SIR HANS HAMILTON, Knight, of Hamiltonsbawn, High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1669, MP for County Armagh, 1661-6, wedded Magdalene, daughter of Sir Edward Trevor Kt, and had an only daughter, SARAH, married to Sir Robert Hamilton, Knight, of Mount Hamilton, County Armagh.

Sir Hans was knighted in 1661, and created a baronet in 1662, designated of Monella.

He died suddenly in 1681, when the baronetcy became extinct, but the estates devolved upon Sir Hans's son-in-law,

SIR ROBERT HAMILTON, Knight, of Mount Hamilton, who was appointed Sir Hans's successor as custos rotulorum of the county, and, in 1683, created a baronet, designated of Mount Hamilton, County Armagh.

*****

Louise Duncan from Australia has researched the family:

Of John's (ie John Hamilton of Monilla) family was first Hans. In his youth he was bred at (unclear) Schools; went to the college of Glasgow, in Scotland; was much disposed for learning, and very capable of it, but by his father's death, and the urgency of his affairs, was soon called back again to Ireland.

He attended his affairs carefully and discreetly till the war of Ireland broke out, at which time duty and necessity obliged him to give his assistance therein, by my Lord Claneboy's advice. His years and parts early promoted him to be a captain of horse; as in progress of time he became lieutenant-colonel. He joined, with the Earl of Clanbrassil, in Ormond's Association.

That war being ended, he married Magdalen Trevor, daughter to Sir Edward Trevor, (and sister to Marcus Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon) and had by her some children, whereof only his daughter Sarah came to maturity.

His business then being to improve and plant his estate, lying mostly in the upper country; and, by reason of his very good natural and acquired parts, and justice to the King's interest and family, after King Charles II’s restoration, was knighted and made Baronet., and afterwards one of his Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, and was very much entrusted by the Government in the oversight of the upper country (at Hamilton’s Bawn in County Armagh).

He died of a good age, in great esteem, and generally much bewailed; lies in the tomb with his father, mother, lady, and daughter.

He was guilty of great errors—whereof afterwards, His natural parts and improvements were both very considerable; his deportment, in his younger years, very commendable; but, his estate being much burdened, his disposition to live high and aim to purchase great things, occasioned many to think (as a gent, of his neighbourhood and great acquaintance once said) that.

Sir Hans Hamilton was never so honest as Hans Hamilton by half. He was unfortunate in that his daughter married contrary to his disposition, and the measures he had proposed to himself.

He fell at last in great variance with his nearest friends, and affliction by the death of his lady and daughter; went to Dublin, with design, as it is believed, to do something that was great for his family against his friends, but failed of it, and died in the enterprise, but did not perform it.

THE FORMER army barracks at Hamiltonsbawn, County Armagh, were built in 1731 on the site of a 60-square foot defensive bawn.

This bawn was built with walls twelve feet in height and used lime and stone, with two flankers which had been built as part of the plantation of Ulster by the Scottish settler John Hamilton in 1619.

It is recorded that, by 1622, the bawn was 90 feet in length and 63 feet wide.

Hamilton was responsible for a few dozen families in the area, and was able to arm thirty men as required by his undertaking as part of the Plantation.

The area had been known variously as Monela, Monella, Monilla or Moynellan.

Hamilton's bawn was almost completely destroyed during the 1641 uprising in Ulster, but following the Restoration of CHARLES II in 1660, Sir Hans Hamilton, 1st Baronet, built a three, or possibly five, chimney mansion or manor house on the ruins of the bawn.

The manor house was known colloquially as "the Castle".

Owing to substantial family debts, the land on which the bawn and house had stood was sold by Sir Hans Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, of Mount Hamilton, in the early 18th century (ca 1704).

By the 1720s it had come into the possession of Sir Arthur Acheson, of Markethill.

First published in April, 2011.

The O’Neill Baronetcy (1666)

At Killelagh, County Antrim, close to Lough Neagh, there are said to be remains of a castellated building, formerly the seat of a branch of the powerful family of O'Neill. Little is known of its scanty remains, though apparently a part of the walls of its courts and gardens still stand.

Ulster remained firmly in the control of the Clanaboy O'Neills until 1608. The family fought on both sides of the civil wars that racked Ireland from 1642-93. The end result was a significant loss of territory and influence due to political alliances and an influx of new families flowing in from Scotland and England.

SIR HENRY O'NEILL (c1625-80), of Edenduffcarrick (Shane's Castle), son of HUGH McPHELIM BACCACH O'NEILL, married, ca 1655, Eleanor, daughter of Sir William Talbot Bt, and had issue,

NEIL, his heir;
DANIEL, succeeded his brother;
Rose.

During the trouble of 1641, Sir Henry's estate was forfeited.

It was, however, restored in 1665, and he conformed to the Established Church.

He was created a baronet in 1666, designated of Killelagh, County Antrim.

Sir Henry's son and heir,

SIR NEIL O'NEILL, 2nd Baronet (c1658-90), of Shane's Castle, wedded, in 1677, Frances, daughter of Caryll, 3rd Viscount Molyneux, and had issue, four or five daughters.

Sir Neil boyhood was spent on the shores of Lough Neagh, in and around the townland of Ballyginniff, where an old ruin, beside the Milltown, still marks the spot of his ancestral castle.

In 1678, he inherited the family honours and estates.

In 1688, Sir Neil was in Dublin "concerting measures" with his uncle Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell; and, in the same year, he was appointed a burgess of Belfast.

In 1689, he was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim; about which time he raised a regiment of dragoons, numbered the 11th, in the service of JAMES II.

He served with his regiment at the siege of Londonderry.

At the battle of the Boyne, Sir Neil, at the head of his regiment, defended "with great gallantry" the passage over that river at Slane.

On this occasion, Sir Neil was severely wounded in the thigh and he died soon afterwards at Waterford, having followed the king to that city.

He was interred at the Franciscan Priory in Waterford, having died in July, 1690, aged 32.

Sir Neil O'Neill (Image: The Tate Gallery)

Sir Neil left his family unprovided for.

However, in 1703, his estates at Killelagh and Kilmakevit - including 19 townlands - were sold at Chichester House in Dublin.

He left no male heir but was succeeded in the title by his only brother,

SIR DANIEL O'NEILL, 3rd Baronet, who wedded, ca 1690, Mary, daughter of Sir Gregory Byrne Bt, and had issue, an only child, Eleanor, who married Hugh O'Reilly.

The title and estates were forfeited by a posthumous act of attainder in 1691.

On petitioning the government, Sir Neil's widow was granted a 41-year lease on the Killelagh estate in 1700, which she sold the following year.

Lady O'Neill died in 1732.

First published in March, 2011.

Mount Wolseley

THE WOLSELEY BARONETS OWNED 2,547 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY CARLOW

This ranks amongst the most ancient families of Staffordshire, one of its ancestors being Lord of Wolseley, in the 13th century; and another, one of the Barons of the Exchequer in the reign of EDWARD IV.

ROBERT WOLSELEY (1587-1646), Clerk of the King's Letters Patent (son of John Wolseley, of Stafford, by Isabella, daughter of John Porter, of Chillington, in the same county), was created a baronet, in 1628, designated of Wolseley, Staffordshire.

Sir Robert married, in 1630, Mary, second daughter of Sir George Wroughton, Knight, of Wilcot, Wiltshire, by whom he had issue, five sons and six daughters.

The youngest son, Colonel William Wolseley, commanded the Inniskilling Regiment at the battle of the Boyne, and was also at the battle of Newtownbutler.

He was subsequently appointed Master of the Ordnance, sworn of the Privy Council, and constituted one of the Lords Justices of Ireland.

Sir Robert died in 1646, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR CHARLES WOLSELEY, 2nd Baronet (c1630-1714), a distinguished senator during the reigns of CHARLES I and CHARLES II, having represented Staffordshire in Parliament, 1654-60, and taken an active part in public affairs.

He wedded Anne, youngest daughter of William, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, and had issue,

Charles;
William, 3rd Baronet;
Henry, 4th Baronet;
RICHARD, of whom we treat;
Robert;
Elizabeth; Mary; Anne; Dorothy; Bridget; Penelope; Susan; Penelope; Frances; Constance.

The fourth son,

CAPTAIN RICHARD WOLSELEY (1655-1724), an officer in the army of WILLIAM III in Ireland, MP for Carlow Borough, 1703-13, 1715-24, married Frances Burneston, and had issue,

Richard, died 1733;
WILLIAM, who inherited the English baronetcy;
RICHARD, of whom we treat.

The youngest son,

RICHARD WOLSELEY (1696-1769), of Mount Arran, County Carlow (to whom his father left his Irish estates), MP for Carlow Borough, 1727-60, 1761-8, was created a baronet, in 1744, designated of Mount Wolseley, County Carlow.

Sir Richard married firstly, Anne Smith, and had issue,

William (Rev); grandfather of FREDERICK WOLSELEY (Wolseley Cars);
Clement, father of the 4th Baronet and grandfather of the 5th & 8th Baronets;
Katherine.

He wedded secondly, in 1727, Alice, fourth daughter of Sir Thomas Molyneux Bt, of Castle Dillon, County Armagh, and had further issue,

RICHARD, his successor.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his son,

SIR RICHARD WOLSELEY, 2nd Baronet (1729-81), who espoused, in 1765, Letitia, daughter of Anthony Marlay, of Celbridge, and had issue,

WILLIAM, his successor;
Matilda.

Sir Richard was succeeded by his only son,

SIR WILLIAM WOLSELEY, 3rd Baronet (1775-1819), who died unmarried, when the baronetcy devolved upon his cousin,

THE REV SIR RICHARD WOLSELEY, 4th Baronet (1760-1852), of Mount Wolseley, who married thrice, without issue, when the title devolved upon his cousin,

SIR CLEMENT WOLSELEY, 5th Baronet (1794-1857), High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1852, Major, Carlow Militia, who married, in 1833, Alice Elizabeth, daughter of Peter van Homrigh, and had issue,

JOHN RICHARD, his successor;
CLEMENT JAMES, 7th Baronet.

Sir Clement was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR JOHN RICHARD WOLSELEY, 6th Baronet (1834-74), JP DL, High Sheriff of County Carlow, 1861, who wedded, in 1859, Frances Annabella, daughter of Captain Arthur Blennerhassett, and had issue, three daughters,

Ada Frances Alice; Amelia Cecilia Louisa; another daughter.

Sir John died without male issue, and was succeeded by his brother,

SIR CLEMENT JAMES WOLSELEY, 7th Baronet (1837-89), JP DL, who wedded, in 1872, Constance Louisa, daughter of Lieutenant-General Robert Parker Radcliffe, though the marriage was without issue, when the baronetcy reverted to his cousin,

THE VERY REV SIR JOHN WOLSELEY, 8th Baronet (1803-90), of Mount Wolseley, Dean of Kildare, 1859-90, who espoused, in 1832, Anne, daughter of John Maunsell, though the marriage was without issue, when the title reverted to his kinsman,

SIR CAPEL CHARLES WOLSELEY, 9th Baronet (1870-1923), a descendant of the first Baronet, who married, in 1907, Beatrice Sophia, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel William Wallingford Knollys, though the marriage was without issue, when the baronetcy reverted to his kinsman,

SIR REGINALD BEATTY WOLSELEY, 10th Baronet (1872-1933), a descendant of the first Baronet, who wedded, in 1930, Marian Elizabeth, daughter of William Alfred Baker, though the marriage was without issue, when the title reverted to his kinsman,

THE REV SIR WILLIAM AUGUSTUS WOLSELEY, 11th Baronet (1865-1950), a descendant of the first Baronet, who espoused, in 1932, Sarah Helen, daughter of William Cotton Grummitt, though the marriage was without issue, when the baronetcy reverted to his kinsman,

SIR GARNET WOLSELEY, 12th Baronet (1915-91), a cobbler, descendant of the first Baronet.

This Baronetcy has been dormant since the death of the 12th Baronet in 1991. The senior male heir to the baronetcy may exist among the descendants (if any).

Mount Wolseley House (Image: Tripadvisor)

MOUNT WOLSELEY, near Tullow, County Carlow, is a two-storey, Victorian, vaguely Italianate house.

It has a distinctive bracket cornice, camber-headed windows, and a balustraded porch.

There has presumably been a Wolseley dwelling on this location since the designation of the first Baronet, in 1744, of Mount Wolseley.

Mount St Joseph's (Image: old postcard)

Sir John Richard Wolseley, 6th Baronet, was succeeded in the title by his brother, Sir Clement James Wolseley, may have been the last of the Wolseley Baronets to reside there.

Sir John's daughters subsequently sold Mount Wolseley to the Patrician Brothers in 1925, when it became a school.

Today Mount Wolseley House is the private home of the Morrisseys, though a hotel, spa, and golf resort has been built within the grounds.

First published in August, 2020.

The Langford Baronetcy

The family of LANGFORD was once prominent in the borough of Carrickfergus, County Antrim, and had formerly considerable property in the town's corporation. Both Sir Roger Langford and Sir Hercules Langford were Mayors of Carrickfergus, 1614, 1615, 1623, 1631, and 1639.

Captain Roger Langford, sometime joint governor of Carrickfergus, commanded 100 foot-soldiers at Carrickfergus in 1603.

He was granted the abbey (or priory) and lands of Muckamore in 1621; and we find 

HERCULES LANGFORD (1626-83), another of the family, who began to build a castle in the town, which was called by the family name, and was completed in the early 17th century.

Mr Langford was created a baronet in 1667, designated of Kilmakevit, County Antrim, and of Summer Hill, County Meath.

Sir Hercules, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1661, married Mary, daughter of Henry Upton (MP for Carrickfergus, 1634), of Castle Upton, County Antrim, and had issue, Arthur, Henry, Theophilus, Mary and Martha. 

MARY LANGFORD was the wife of Sir John Rowley MP, ancestor of Lord Langford. Their grandson, Hercules Langford Rowley, married Elizabeth Upton, who was created Viscountess Langford in 1766. Their daughter, the Hon Jane Rowley, married Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl of Bective. Lord and Lady Bective's fourth son was created Baron Langford in 1800. 

Sir Hercules died in 1683, and was buried at St Michan's Church, Dublin; when the Summer Hill estate devolved upon Lady Rowley.  

Bishop Jones (Lord Bishop of Meath, 1661-82) sold Summerhill in County Meath and many other townlands to Sir Hercules Langford.

Sir Hercules' eldest son, 

SIR ARTHUR LANGFORD, 2nd Baronet (c1652-1716), MP for Duleek, 1692-3, Coleraine, 1695-1713, County Antrim, 1715-16, was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and admitted to Lincoln's Inn, London, in 1671.

He was said to be a fervent Presbyterian and gave funds to the Church in Dublin. He leased Rahinstown in 1691 to Thomas Bomford.

Sir Henry Langford, 3rd Baronet
(Image: Royal Albert Museum and Art Gallery)

Sir Arthur was succeeded by his younger brother,

SIR HENRY LANGFORD, 3rd Baronet (c1655-c1725), MP for St Johnstown (Donegal), 1695-9, who possessed estates in Devon at Bradninch and Combsatchfield, near Silverton.

Sir Henry acquired Barton Hall estate, near Torquay, in 1710. 

He was the third High Sheriff of Devon and a judge at Greys Inn, London.

In 1710, Sir Henry bought the manor of Kingskerswell, and bequeathed all his estates to his godson, Thomas Brown, who later built the family vault and buried Sir Henry therein.

On Sir Henry's death the title expired.

First published in March, 2011.  Langford arms courtesy of European Heraldry.