Ulster's Nabob

I've been viewing the BBC documentary about The East India Company, presented by Dan Snow.

Ulster's most distinguished Nabob was, in all probability, James Alexander, advanced to an earldom, in 1800, as Earl of Caledon.

Do we know exactly where he lived in India?

Alexander (1730-1802) joined the East India Company in 1752, and over the next twenty years as a merchant in India and a company official amassed a fortune which he estimated at £500,000 (almost £80 million in today's money).

Dr Peter Marshall CBE has written:

"[Among the great fortunes which were amassed in Bengal before the end of the 1760s] ... were [those] made by Francis Sykes, Thomas Rumbold and James Alexander, who had all taken a rich harvest out of the early revenue administration, Sykes as Resident at Murshidabad, Rumbold at Patna, and Alexander..."

On his final return to Ulster in 1772, he purchased an estate at Moville (Donegal) and also Boom Hall near Londonderry.

A mere three years later, however, in 1775-76, he bought the 9,000 acre Caledon estate on the borders of counties Tyrone and Armagh from the Lord Cork for about £90,000.  

Caledon Castle was rebuilt on a new site in 1779 to the designs of James Wyatt and Thomas Cooley.  

Mr Alexander became MP for Londonderry in 1774 and, in 1790, was advanced to the peerage, as Baron Caledon; followed by a viscountcy in 1797; and an earldom in 1800.

Visitor Numbers

Visitor numbers have today exceeded one million, five hundred thousand since December, 2007, when the blog began.

Ballygawley Park: 1914

Photo credit © Kenneth Allen

I have received a most fascinating message from Nick Stewart, a son of Sir Hugh Stewart, 6th Baronet.

Sir Hugh (1897-1994) was a major in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, High Sheriff, 1955, and a DL for County Tyrone in 1971.

At that time, Sir Hugh lived at Loughmacrory Lodge in Carrickmore.

Photo credit © Kenneth Allen

I have written about Ballygawley House and the Stewart Baronets of Athenree here.

Nick, whose half-brother is the present Baronet, has kindly sent me two old photographs of Ballygawley House taken by Sir Hugh in the winter of 1914.

The demesne was occasionally known as the Greenhill Estate.

Colour images courtesy of Kenneth Allen.   First published in April, 2012.

Yard Breakfast

I motored into Holywood, County Down, this morning and, having found a parking space off the High Street, met my aunt and Pat at The Coffee Yard café.

For a change I ordered the pancake with bacon and maple syrup today; and a cup of coffee.

We found our usual place on the ground floor. It was busy this morning.

Prawn Open Sandwich

I've just tucked in to a splendid open prawn sandwich, made with buttered Ulster wheaten bread, mature cheddar coleslaw, mature cheddar cheese, pickled onion, baby beetroot, celery, lettuce, and tomato.

It's a long time since I had this meal and I really enjoyed it.

Decanal Confusion

A few months ago I received a message, sent to my "official" email address, from a Church of Ireland dean.

The Dean addressed me as Lord Belmont and invited me to lunch with him at the Deanery.

He said he'd written to me.

He even suggested two dates in May; and that, if I preferred, we could lunch at a local restaurant.

I replied immediately, apprising the Dean that I had not received a letter. I wrote my address at the top of the email I sent him.

I accepted his invitation and agreed a date.

About a week later, I received another email from the Dean, advising me that his secretary had been endeavouring to contact me in County Fermanagh.

This puzzled me.

Since the blog was established in 2007, I have made it quite clear that I am not a peer of the realm and that the title is, in fact, fictitious. I've made no secret of that fact and anybody who thinks otherwise risks foolishness!

It dawned on me the the Dean was confusing me with the noble earl who lives at Castle Coole estate, near Enniskillen.

I replied to this effect.

He responded within hours, concurring that he had confused me with the nobleman who lives in County Fermanagh, and politely withdrawing his invitation to me.

My entertainment, not to say amusement, at this gaff cannot be overstated.

The Dean shall remain nameless.

Shopping List

Whilst motoring over to my aunt's this morning, I stopped off en route at my local Marks & Spencer food store.

At the bakery counter, they had some morsels of bread for customers to sample. 

It was delicious; so good, in fact, that I inquired about it. It looked rather akin to the kind of dough used in croissants. 

They call it a cheese and onion twist, I think.

I bagged one of these, and half a wheaten farl, for my cream of vegetable soup this evening.

I also purchased a fine little steak of beef fillet.

ON arrival at my aunt's house, I left a carton of my soup at her back door.