1st Earl of Clanbrassil

THE REV HANS HAMILTON (1536-1608), Vicar of Dunlop, Ayrshire, said to have derived from a common ancestor with the DUKES OF HAMILTON, wedded Margaret Denham, daughter of the Laird of Weshiels, and had, with other issue,

JAMES;
ARCHIBALD, ancestor of ROWAN-HAMILTON of Killyleagh.
Gawn, of Ballygally;
John, ancestor of the Hamiltons of Mount Hamilton, Co Armagh;
William, of Bangor; ancestor of Sir James Hamilton, MP for Bangor;

Patrick;

Jean.

The elder son,

SIR JAMES HAMILTON (c1560-1644), Knight, of Killyleagh and Bangor, both in County Down, Sergeant-at-law, Privy Counsellor to JAMES I, was created, in 1622, Viscount Claneboye.

Of this gentleman Dr King, on his Essay on Men and Morals, remarked that

During the reign of ELIZABETH I, JAMES VI, King of Scots, sent James Fullerton and James Hamilton, afterwards Lord Claneboye, to Ulster, to keep up a correspondence with the English nobility, and secure his interest there, when Her Majesty should die.

His lordship wedded firstly, Ursula, daughter of Edward, Lord Brabazon, of Ardee; and secondly, Jane, daughter of Sir John Phillips Bt, of Picton Castle, Pembrokeshire.

He was succeeded by his only son,

JAMES, 2nd Viscount (c1618-59),

Who, with his father, was a great supporter of CHARLES I, and maintained a regiment of foot and a troop of horse for eight years, at their own expense, for which his estate was seized by Cromwell, and continued for six and a half years under sequestration, the whole profits thereof, during that time, being received by him.

James, 1st Earl of Clanbrassil, Photo Credit: The National Trust

At length he was included among the Protestants with whom the Protector capitulated for their return, living peaceably at home, and admission to their estates, upon such composition that Parliament should think fit.

His lordship was advanced to an earldom by CHARLES II, in 1647, in the dignity of EARL OF CLANBRASSIL, County Armagh; and his son Henry, in 1661, had a grant of the annual rent charge reserved on the territory of Dufferin.

He wedded the Lady Anne Carey, eldest daughter of Henry, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, and had issue,

James, Viscount Claneboye (1642-58);
HENRY, of whom presently;
Hans;
Jane.

His lordship was succeeded by his second son,

HENRY, 2nd Earl (c1647-75), who married, in 1667, the Lady Alice Moore, daughter of Henry, 1st Earl of Drogheda; but dying without issue, all the family honours expired

Henry, 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil, Photo Credit: The National Trust

THE earldom, however, was revived for a kinsman,

JAMES HAMILTON (1694-1758), of Dundalk, County Louth, and Tollymore Park, County Down, MP for Dundalk, son and heir of James Hamilton, of Tollymore, County Down, by Anne his wife, daughter of John, 1st Viscount Mordaunt, and youngest sister of Charles, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1719, in the dignities of Baron Claneboye and Viscount Limerick.

His lordship was advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1756, as EARL OF CLANBRASSIL (second creation).


He wedded, in 1728, the Lady Harriet Bentinck, third daughter of William, 1st Earl of Portland, and had issue,

JAMES, his successor;
ANNE, of whom hereafter;
Caroline, died unmarried in 1762.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

JAMES, 2nd Earl (1730-98), of Dundalk and Tollymore Park, MP for Helston, 1768-74, who espoused, in 1774, Grace, daughter of Thomas, 1st Baron Foley; but died without issue, in 1798, when all the honours expired.

His lordship's sister, Anne, Countess of Roden, inherited the family estates.

*****

The life and career of James Hamilton is well documented.

Hamilton was the eldest son of Hans Hamilton (1535/6–1608) and Jonet (or Janet), daughter of James Denham, laird of West Shield in Ayrshire.

His father Hans was a protestant minister.

He was probably the James Hamilton who studied at St Andrew's University and received a BA in 1584 and an MA in 1585.

He acquired a reputation as "one of the greatest scholars and hopeful wits in his time" and became a teacher at Glasgow.

In about 1587 he left Scotland by ship and, due to storms, unexpectedly arrived in Dublin.

He decided to stay and took up the position of master at the Free School in Ship Street. He employed a fellow Scot, James Fullerton, as usher.

One of their pupils was eight-year-old James Ussher, later Archbishop of Armagh.

It was stated that Hamilton had "a noble spirit ... and learned head."

Hamilton became bursar of Trinity in 1598.

In 1602, the Gaelic chieftain Conn O'Neill sent his men to attack English soldiers after a quarrel and was consequently imprisoned.

O'Neill's wife made a deal with the Scots aristocrat, Hugh Montgomery, to give him half of O'Neill's lands if Montgomery could get a royal pardon for O'Neill.

Montgomery obtained the pardon but, in August 1604, Hamilton discovered the plan for the land.

Sir James Fullerton, now a knight and an adviser to King James, convinced the King that the lands were too large to be split in two and should be divided into three, with one third going to his associate Hamilton.

The King agreed.

Hamilton's main grant, made formally in November 1605, was the lordship of Upper (South) Clandeboye and the Great Ardes in County Down.

The Nine Years War in Ireland had ended in 1603, and Hamilton and Montgomery both recruited tenants from the Scottish lowlands to migrate to Ulster to farm their newly-acquired lands for low rents.

They persuaded members of their extended families to come and, in May 1606, the first group of farmers, artisans, merchants and chaplains arrived to form the Ulster-Scots settlement, four years before the Plantation of Ulster in 1610.

The settlement was a success and Hamilton was knighted by the king at Royston in 1609.

By 1611, a new town of eighty houses had been established at Bangor, County Down, where Hamilton lived.

Hamilton was elected a member of parliament for County Down in 1613; repaired the Bangor Abbey Church in 1617; was created Viscount Clandeboye in 1622.

Ca 1625, he moved from Bangor to Killyleagh Castle.

In 1641, when in his eighties, he returned to his Scottish home town of Dunlop and built a mausoleum to his parents in the church-yard where his father had been minister.

He erected a school attached to the mausoleum which he named Clandeboye School. Both buildings still stand.

Hamilton died, aged about 84, on 24th January, 1644, and was buried in the church at Bangor.

He was succeeded as 2nd Viscount by his only son James, who was also created EARL OF CLANBRASSIL in 1647.

His grandson, Henry Hamilton, 3rd Viscount, died in 1675 with no sons when the titles became extinct.

Another James Hamilton (d 1758), 1st Earl of Clanbrassil of the 2nd creation, held the office of MP for Dundalk, 1715-19. 

Created Baron Claneboye and Viscount Limerick on 13th May 1719; was member of the Common Council for the province of Georgia in 1733; MP for Wendover, 1735-41; MP for Tavistock, 1741/42-47; Privy Counsellor, 1746; MP for Morpeth, 1747-54; Governor of County Louth between 1756-58.

He was created 1st Earl of Clanbrassil, of County Armagh, in 1756.

James [Hamilton] (1730-98), 2nd Earl, KG KP PC, was Sheriff of County Louth in 1757; Chief Remembrancer of the Court of Exchequer [Ireland], 1757-98; Governor of County Louth, 1758-98; succeeded to the Earldom on St Patrick's Day, 1758; was a Privy Counsellor; MP for Helston, 1768-74; Custos Rotulorum of County Louth, 1769 and 1798.

He was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Garter on 5 February 1783; Founder Member of the Order of St Patrick.

On his death at Dundalk, County Louth, the titles became extinct.

The family seat was Tollymore Park in County Down.

Former seats ~ Dundalk, County Louth; Tollymore Park, County Down; Egham, Surrey.

Clanbrassil arms courtesy of European Heraldry.  First published in January, 2012.

Order of St Patrick: Ulster List

THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS ORDER OF ST PATRICK WAS THE THIRD MOST SENIOR ORDER OF CHIVALRY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. IT RANKED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MOST ANCIENT AND MOST NOBLE ORDER OF THE THISTLE

The Knights listed below had connections in one form or another with Ulster.

SELECTIVE LIST OF KNIGHTS OF THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS ORDER OF ST PATRICK

• 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil 1783
• 1st Earl of Charlemont 1783
• 1st Earl of Ely 1783
• 1st Marquess of Ely 1794
• 2nd Earl of Roden 1806
• 2nd Marquess of Ely 1807
• 1st Earl O'Neill 1809
• 2nd Earl of Enniskillen 1810
• 2nd Marquess of Donegall 1821
• 2nd Earl of Caledon 1821
• 3rd Earl of Roden 1821
• 2nd Earl of Charlemont 1831
  
• 3rd Marquess of Downshire 1831
• 10th Viscount Massereene 1851
• 1st Earl of Dartrey, 1855
• 3rd Earl of Gosford 1855
• 4th Marquess of Londonderry 1856
• 3rd Marquess of Donegall 1857
• 4th Marquess of Downshire 1859
• 1st Marquess of Dufferin & Ava 1864
• 2nd Baron Lurgan 1864
• 3rd Earl of Charlemont 1865
• 3rd Earl of Erne 1868
• 4th Earl of Gosford 1869
• 5th Marquess of Londonderry 1874
• 7th Duke of Manchester 1877
• 4th Earl of Erne 1889
• 3rd Earl of Kilmorey 1890
• 4th Earl of Caledon 1897
• 4th Earl of Enniskillen 1902
• 24th Baron de Ros 1902
• 1st Viscount Pirrie 1909
• 9th Earl of Shaftesbury 1911
• 3rd Duke of Abercorn 1922

The first three appointees were founder members of the Order. 

The Most Noble James, 3rd Duke of Abercorn, KG KP PC, was the final non-royal conferral before the Order went into abeyance.

First published on the 17th March, 2011.

Moore Abbey

THE MARQUESSES OF DROGHEDA WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY KILDARE, WITH 16,609 ACRES

This noble family came from France very early after the Conquest, and having acquired a good estate in Kent, resided at the manor of Moore Place, as early as the reign of HENRY II.

THOMAS MOORE, living in the reign of EDWARD II, was ancestor, after ten generations, of

JOHN MOORE, of Benenden Place, Kent, living, in 1519, married Margaret, daughter of John Brent, and had, among other issue,

Owen;

EDWARD (Sir), father of 1st Viscount Moore;

George;
THOMAS (Sir), ancestor of the Earls of Charleville;

Nicholas.

Sir Edward and Sir Thomas went over to Ireland, as soldiers of fortune, in the reign of ELIZABETH I. 

SIR EDWARD MOORE, the elder brother, obtained for his services, from Her Majesty, a lease of the dissolved abbey of Mellifont, with its appurtenances, in County Louth, which he made the principal place of his abode; and it so continued that of his descendants until their removal to Moore Abbey, County Kildare, the seat of the Viscounts Loftus, of Ely, which devolved upon the Earl of Drogheda.

He married Mildred, daughter and co-heir of Nicholas Clifford, of Great Chart, in Kent, and was succeeded at his decease by his eldest son,

SIR GARRET MOORE (1564-1627), Knight, of Mellifont, MP for Dungannon, 1613-15, who rendered distinguished assistance to the government of ELIZABETH I, in quelling the Irish rebellion, and received at Mellifont the submission of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.

Sir Garret was elevated to the peerage in 1616, in the dignity of Baron Moore; and advanced to a viscountcy, in 1621, as Viscount Moore, of Drogheda.

His lordship wedded Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Colley, Knight, of Castle Carbery, County Kildare.

He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

CHARLES, 2nd Viscount (1603-43), who was killed at Portlester, County Meath, in the service of CHARLES I; in which he had previously distinguished himself as a gallant and enterprising officer.

His lordship espoused Alice, younger daughter of Adam, 1st Viscount Loftus, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

HENRY, 3rd Viscount, who was created, in 1661, EARL OF DROGHEDA.

His lordship married Alice, fifth daughter of William, 2nd Baron Spencer, of Wormleighton, by Lady Penelope Wriothesley, daughter of Henry, Earl of Sunderland.

He died in 1676, was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES, 2nd Earl, who wedded, in 1669, the Lady Letitia Isabella Robartes, daughter of John, Earl of Radnor, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; but dying in 1679 without surviving issue, the honours devolved upon his brother,

HENRY, 3rd Earl, who had assumed the surname of HAMILTON upon inheriting the estates of his brother-in-law, Henry, Earl of Clanbrassil.

His lordship espoused, in 1675, Mary, daughter of Sir John Cole Bt, of Newland, near Dublin, and sister of Arthur, Baron Ranelagh, and had issue,

CHARLES, father of 3rd & 4th Earls;
Arthur, dsp;
Henry, in holy orders;
John, in holy orders;
William;
Robert;
Capel;
Elizabeth.

The 3rd Earl died in 1714, and was succeeded by his grandson,

HENRY, 4th Earl (1700-27); who inherited the Loftus estates upon the decease of his maternal grandfather in 1725; but dying without an heir in 1727 (he had married Charlotte, daughter of Hugh, 1st Viscount Falmouth), those and the family honours and estates devolved upon his brother,

EDWARD, 5th Earl (1701-58), who wedded firstly, in 1727, the Lady Sarah Ponsonby, daughter of Brabazon, 1st Earl of Bessborough, and had issue,

CHARLES, his successor;
Ponsonby;
Edward, in holy orders.

His lordship married secondly, in 1747, Bridget, daughter of William Southwell, niece of Thomas, Lord Southwell, by whom he had two other sons,

William;
Robert.

The 5th Earl and his son, the Hon and Rev Edward Moore, were lost in their passage to Dublin in 1758.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES, 6th Earl (1730-1822), KP PC, who was created, in 1791, MARQUESS OF DROGHEDA.

His lordship wedded, in 1766, Lady Anne Seymour, daughter of Francis, 1st Marquess of Hertford, by whom he had issue,

CHARLES;
Henry Seymour;
Elizabeth Emily; Mary;
Gertrude; Frances.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES, 2nd Marquess.

• Charles Moore, 2nd Marquess (1770–1837);

• Henry Francis Seymour Moore, 3rd Marquess (1825–1892).

Earls of Drogheda (1661; Reverted)

• Ponsonby William Moore, 9th Earl (1846–1908);

• Henry Charles Ponsonby Moore, 10th Earl (1884–1957);

• Charles Garrett Ponsonby Moore, 11th Earl (1910–89);

• Henry Dermot Ponsonby Moore, 12th Earl (b 1937).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Benjamin Garrett Henderson Moore, styled Viscount Moore.

The 1st and 3rd Marquesses were Knights of St Patrick (KP).

The 11th Earl was a Knight of the Garter (KG).

The 10th Earl was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Kildare, from 1918 until 1922.

MOORE ABBEY, near Monasterevin, County Kildare, was the large and luscious demesne of the Marquesses of Drogheda.

It was erected on the site of a medieval abbey.

The mansion was greatly repaired and improved about 1767; and is an extensive and commodious edifice, somewhat in the conventual style, yet quite destitute of all strongly marked architectural character.

The great hall is lined with Irish oak and is remarkable as the apartment in which the Court of Chancery was held by Adam, 1st Viscount Loftus, at the beginning of the 1641 rebellion.

The the site of the mansion is low, watery and without prospect, yet the surrounding demesne is very large and possesses some fine varieties of scenery; and the adjoining countryside ascends from the flat and boggy region on the north-east into a gentle and undulating mixture of low, pleasant and well-wooded hills.

The main front consists of a seven-bay central block of three storeys over a basement, with four-bay projecting wings of two storeys.

The windows all have pointed heads and Gothic astragals.

The roof parapets are battlemented.

There is an elaborate castellated entrance gateway to the demesne.

Following the dissolution of the monasteries, Moore Abbey passed to George, Lord Audley, who assigned it to Adam, Viscount Loftus.

The site was eventually acquired by the Moore family, Earls of Drogheda.

They were responsible for building the town of Monasterevin and much of Dublin.

In 1767, the 6th Earl pulled down the old abbey and used the stones to build a parish church, which has now been replaced by St John's parish church.

He replaced the abbey with a Neo-Gothic style mansion, now Moore Abbey.

Preparations for a sunken garden, in 1846, exposed a mass of skeletons on what was presumably the site of the abbey cemetery.

In 1924, John McCormack, the world famous operatic tenor, leased the house from Lord Drogheda.

In 1938 the Sisters of Charity of Jesus bought Moore Abbey where they now have a training school for nurses of the mentally disabled. 

Former town residence ~  Sackville Street, Dublin (now called O'Connell Street). 

First published in August, 2011. Drogheda arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

NI Peers Index

AN INDEX OF NORTHERN IRELAND PEERS, EXTANT AND EXTINCT: SELECTIVE AND PERTAINING TO NORTHERN IRELAND

ABERCORN, DUKE OF

ANNESLEY, EARL

ANTRIM, EARL OF

ARDGLASS, EARL OF

ARMAGHDALE, BARON

BANGOR, VISCOUNT

Belfast, Earl of; courtesy lord; see Donegall

BELMORE, EARL OF

BLOOMFIELD, BARON

BROOKEBOROUGH, VISCOUNT

BRYCE, VISCOUNT

CAIRNS, EARL

CALEDON, EARL OF

Castlereagh, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Londonderry

CASTLE STEWART, EARL

CHARLEMONT, VISCOUNT

CLANBRASSIL, EARL OF

Cole, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Enniskillen

Corry, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Belmore

CRAIGAVON, VISCOUNT

CUSHENDUN, BARON

DE BLAQUIERE, BARON

DERAMORE, BARON

DE ROS, BARON

DONEGALL, MARQUESS OF

DORCHESTER, BARON

DOWNSHIRE, MARQUESS OF

DUFFERIN AND AVA, MARQUESS OF

DUNGANNON, VISCOUNT

DUNLEATH, BARON

Dunluce, Viscount; courtesy lord

ELY, MARQUESS OF

ENNISKILLEN, EARL OF

ERNE, EARL OF

GARVAGH, BARON

GLENTORAN, BARON

GOSFORD, EARL OF

Hamilton, Marquess of; courtesy lord

HASTINGS, MARQUESS OF

Hillsborough, Earl of; courtesy lord; see Downshire

KELVIN, BARON

KILMOREY, EARL OF

LECALE, BARON

LONDONDERRY, MARQUESS OF

LURGAN, BARON

MACARTNEY, EARL

MAGHERAMORNE, BARON

MASSEREENE & FERRARD, VISCOUNT

MOIRA, EARL OF; see Hastings

MOUNT ALEXANDER, EARL OF

Newry and Mourne, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Kilmorey

O'NEILL, BARON

PIRRIE, VISCOUNT

RANFURLY, EARL OF

RATHCAVAN, BARON

RODEN, EARL OF

ROKEBY, BARON (89th Lord Archbishop of Armagh)

Stuart, Viscount; courtesy lord; see Castle Stewart

TEMPLETOWN, VISCOUNT

TREVOR, BARON

WAVENEY, BARON

WESTMINSTER, 6TH DUKE OF (b 1951 at Omagh, Co Tyrone)

First published in February, 2013.

House of Jocelyn

EGIDIUS JOSSELIN, a nobleman of Brittany, in France, took up his abode in England during the reign of EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, and left a son, SIR GILBERT JOCELYN, who returned to Normandy and came back into England with the CONQUEROR, from whom he obtained extensive territorial grants in Lincolnshire, among which were the lordships of Sempringham and Tyrington.

Sir Gilbert had two sons, namely,

Gilbert of Sempringham (c1083-1190), the elder, devoting himself to a religious life, retired to Sempringham Priory, where he had founded the order of St Gilbert, known as the GILBERTINES, possessed, at the dissolution of religious houses, twenty-one monasteries in England, containing nearly 1,200 persons.

This Gilbert died at the singularly advanced age of 106, and was canonized by POPE INNOCENT III in 1202.

GEOFFREY DE JOCELYN, the younger son, married the daughter of John Blisset, and from that marriage descended lineally,

THOMAS JOCELYN, who wedded, in 1249, Maude, daughter and co-heir of Sir John Hyde, of Hyde Hall, Hertfordshire, and granddaughter, maternally, of John, Baron Sudeley, of Gloucestershire; by which marriage the Jocelyns obtained that estate, which continued for a very lengthy period in the family.

From this Thomas, we pass to his lineal descendant,

SIR RALPH JOCELYN KB, citizen and draper of London, of which city he was sheriff, 1458, and Lord Mayor, 1464.

In 1467, Sir Ralph represented the city of London in parliament, and was again Lord Mayor in 1476.

The elder brother of this opulent citizen,

THOMAS JOCELYN, of Hyde Hall, was great-grandfather of

SIR THOMAS JOCELYN KB (1506-62), of Hyde Hall, who married Dorothy, daughter of Sir Geoffrey Gates, Knight, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD JOCELYN, of Hyde Hall, whose grandson,

SIR ROBERT JOCELYN (1623-1712), Knight, of Hyde Hall, and of Newhall, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, 1677, was created a baronet in 1665, designated of Hyde Hall, Hertfordshire.

He wedded Jane, daughter and co-heir of Robert Strange, of Wiltshire, and had nine sons and five daughters; of whom

STRANGE, 2nd but eldest surviving son, inherited the title and fortune;
Edward, in holy orders;
Thomas, father of ROBERT, 1ST VISCOUNT JOCELYN.

Sir Robert was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR STRANGE JOCELYN, 2nd Baronet (c1651-1734), who wedded Mary, daughter of Tristram Conyers, of Walthamstow, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN (1689-1741); at whose decease, unmarried, the baronetcy devolved upon his only brother,

SIR CONYERS JOCELYN, 4th Baronet (1703-78), MD, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, 1745, who died unmarried, when the baronetcy devolved upon the son and successor of

THE RT HON ROBERT JOCELYN (1688-1756); (refer to Thomas, son of 1st Baronet), a lawyer of great eminence, who filled the offices of Solicitor-General and Attorney-General in the reigns of GEORGE I and GEORGE II, and was constituted LORD CHANCELLOR OF IRELAND, 1739.

This eminent gentleman, MP for Granard, 1725-7, Newtownards, 1727-39, was subsequently twelve times one of the Lords Justices of Ireland, and died in government, 1756.

He was elevated to the peerage, in 1743, in the dignity of Baron Newport, of Newport, County Tipperary; and advanced to a viscountcy, in 1755, as Viscount Jocelyn. 

His lordship espoused firstly, Charlotte, daughter and co-heir of Charles Anderson, of Worcester, and had a son,

ROBERT, his successor.

He wedded secondly, in 1754, Frances, daughter of Thomas Claxton, of Dublin, and widow of Richard, 1st Earl of Ross.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

ROBERT, 2nd Viscount (1731-97), who succeeded to the baronetcy of the family upon the decease of his kinsman, Sir Conyers, 4th Baronet, in 1770.

Tollymore Park

His lordship, Auditor-General of Ireland, was created, in 1771, EARL OF RODEN.

He married, in 1752, the Lady Anne Hamilton, only surviving daughter of James, Earl of Clanbrassil, and eventually heir of her brother, James, the last earl, and had issue,

ROBERT, his successor;
George;
Percy;
John;
Harriet; Caroline; Charlotte; Sophia; Louisa; Emelia.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT, 2nd Earl (1756-1820), KP PC MP, who was appointed a Knight of St Patrick, 1806.

Dundalk House

His lordship espoused, in 1788, Frances Theodosia, eldest daughter of the Very Rev Robert Bligh, Dean of Elphin, and niece of John, 1st Earl of Darnley, and had issue,

ROBERT, his successor;
James Bligh, Lieutenant RN;
Thomas;
George;
Frances Theodosia; Anne.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT, 3rd Earl (1788-1870), KP PC, who wedded, in 1813, Maria Frances Catherine, second daughter of Thomas, Baron le Despencer.

His lordship was installed a Knight of St Patrick, 1821.

Hyde Hall

The 3rd Earl was installed as a knight of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick in 1821.

• Robert Jocelyn, 3rd Earl (1788–1870);

• Robert Jocelyn, 4th Earl (1846–80);

• John Strange Jocelyn, 5th Earl (1823–97);

• William Henry Jocelyn, 6th Earl (1842–1910);

• Robert Julian Orde Jocelyn, 7th Earl (1845–1915);

• Robert Soame Jocelyn, 8th Earl (1883–1956);

• Robert William Jocelyn, 9th Earl (1909–93);

• Robert John Jocelyn, 10th Earl (b 1938).

The heir apparent is the present holder's only son, Shane Robert Henning Jocelyn, styled Viscount Jocelyn.

Former seats ~ Hyde Hall, Hertfordshire; Tollymore Park, County Down; Dundalk House, County Louth.

First published in February, 2012.

Tollymore Park

THE EARLS OF RODEN OWNED 8,903 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY DOWN

RALPH JOCELYN, son and heir of HENRY JOCELYN, was living during the reign of KING JOHN.

By Beatrix his wife he left a son,

JOHN JOCELYN, living the the time of HENRY III, who wedded Katherine, daughter and co-heir of Thomas Battell, of Ongar, Essex, and was father of

THOMAS JOCELYN, who espoused, in 1249, Maud, daughter and co-heir of Sir John Hyde, of Hyde Hall, Hertfordshire, and granddaughter, maternally, of John, Baron Sudeley, of Gloucestershire; by which marriage the Jocelyns obtained that estate, which continued for a very lengthy period in the family.

He was succeeded by his son,

THOMAS JOCELYN, living during the reign of EDWARD I, who married firstly, Alice, daughter of William Liston, and secondly, Joan, daughter of John Le Blount, and was succeeded by his son (by his first wife),

RALPH JOCELYN, who wedded firstly, Anne, daughter of William Sandes, and secondly, Matilda (d 1353), daughter of John Sutton, and by her had a son,

GEOFFREY JOCELYN, living temp. EDWARD III, who wedded Margaret, daughter of Robert Rockell, and was succeeded by his son,

RALPH JOCELYN, who married Margaret, daughter of John de Patmere, and had two sons, Thomas, his heir, who dsp, and

GEOFFREY JOCELYN, who married Katherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Braye, and had three sons,

THOMAS, his heir;

Geoffrey, ancestor of JOSSELYN, of Horksley, Essex;

Ralph (Sir), KB, MP, Lord Mayor of London.

The eldest son,

THOMAS JOCELYN, of High Roding, Essex, son and heir of his father, 1428, married Alice, daughter of Lewis Duke, and had a son,

GEORGE JOCELYN, of High Roding, who espoused Maud, daughter of Edward Bardolfe, and was succeeded by his son,

JOHN JOCELYN, of High Roding, who wedded Philippa, daughter of William Bradbury, and died in 1525, buried at Sawbridgeworth, being succeeded by his son,

SIR THOMAS JOCELYN KB, of Hyde Hall, who married Dorothy, daughter of Sir Geoffrey Gates, Knight, and had, with other issue,

RICHARD, his heir;

Mary; Jane.

Sir Thomas died in 1561, and was succeeded by his son,

RICHARD JOCELYN, of High Roding, who espoused firstly, Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Shelton Kt, and secondly, Anne, daughter of Thomas Lucas, of St Edmundsbury, Suffolk, and died in 1604, leaving, by hi second wife, a son,

RICHARD JOCELYN, of Hyde Hall, Hertford, who married firstly, a daughter of the Rt Rev Richard Barnes DD, Bishop of Durham, and secondly, Joyce, daughter of Robert Atkinson, of Stowell, Gloucestershire, and by her had a son,

SIR ROBERT JOCELYN (1600-64), Knight, of Hyde Hall, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, 1645, who wedded Bridget, daughter of Sir William Smith Kt, of Hillhall, Essex, and was buried in 1664, having had issue.

His third but eldest surviving son,

ROBERT JOCELYN, of Hyde Hall, Sheriff of Hertfordshire, 1677, was created a baronet in 1665, designated of Hyde Hall, Hertfordshire.

Sir Robert wedded Jane, daughter and co-heir of Robert Strange, of Somerford, Wiltshire, and had nine sons and five daughters; of whom

STRANGE, 2nd but eldest surviving son, inherited the title and fortune;
Edward, in holy orders;
Thomas, father of ROBERT, 1ST VISCOUNT JOCELYN.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR STRANGE JOCELYN, 2nd Baronet (c1651-1734), who wedded Mary, daughter of Tristram Conyers, of Walthamstow, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN JOCELYN (1689-1741); at whose decease, unmarried, the baronetcy devolved upon his only brother,

SIR CONYERS JOCELYN MD, 4th Baronet (1703-78), High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, 1745, who died unmarried, when the baronetcy devolved upon the son and successor of

THE RT HON ROBERT JOCELYN (1688-1756); (refer to Thomas, son of the first Baronet), MP for Granard, 1725-7, Newtownards, 1727-39, a lawyer of great eminence, who filled the offices of Solicitor-General and Attorney-General in the reigns of GEORGE I and GEORGE II, and was constituted LORD CHANCELLOR OF IRELAND, 1739.

His lordship was subsequently twelve times one of the Lords Justices of that kingdom, and died in the government, in 1756.

He was elevated to the peerage, in 1743, in the dignity of Baron Newport; and advanced to a viscountcy, in 1755, as Viscount Jocelyn. 

His lordship espoused firstly, Charlotte, daughter and co-heir of Charles Anderson, of Worcester, by whom he had a son, ROBERT, his successor.

He wedded secondly, in 1754, Frances, daughter of Thomas Claxton, of Dublin, and widow of Richard, 1st Earl of Ross.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

ROBERT, 2nd Viscount (1731-97), MP for Old Leighlin, 1745-56, who succeeded to the baronetcy of the family upon the decease of his kinsman, Sir Conyers Jocelyn, 4th Baronet, in 1770.

His lordship, Auditor-General of Ireland, was created, in 1771, EARL OF RODEN.

He married, in 1752, the Lady Anne Hamilton, only surviving daughter of JAMES, 1ST EARL OF CLANBRASSIL, and eventually heir of her brother, James, the last earl, and had issue,

ROBERT, his successor;
George;
Percy;
John;
Harriet; Caroline; Charlotte; Sophia; Louisa; Emelia.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT, 2nd Earl (1756-1820), KP, PC, MP for Dundalk, 1783-97, Knight of St Patrick, 1806, who espoused firstly, in 1788, Frances Theodosia, eldest daughter of the Very Rev Robert Bligh, Dean of Elphin, and niece of John, 1st Earl of Darnley, and issue,

ROBERT, his successor;
James Bligh (d 1812), Lieutenant RN;
Thomas;
George
Frances Theodosia; Anne.

His lordship married secondly, in 1804, Juliana Anne, daughter of John Orde, and had further issue,

JOHN, father of the 6th and 7th Earls;
Augustus George Frederick.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT, 3rd Earl (1788-1870), KP PC, who wedded firstly, in 1813, Maria Frances Catherine, second daughter of Thomas, 16th Baron le Despencer, and had issue,

ROBERT (1816-54), father of ROBERT, 4th Earl;
JOHN STRANGE, 5th Earl;
William Nassau;
Elizabeth Frances Charlotte; Frances; Maria.

His lordship, installed a Knight of St Patrick, 1821, married secondly, in 1862, Clementina Janet, daughter of Thomas Andrews, of Greenknowes.

He was succeeded by his grandson,

ROBERT, 4th Earl (1846-80), Lieutenant, 1st Life Guards, Lord-in-Waiting, 1874-80, who died unmarried, when the family honours reverted to his nephew,

JOHN STRANGE, 5th Earl (1823-97), DL, who wedded, in 1851, Sophia, daughter of John, 1st Baron Broughton, and had issue, a daughter,

Violet Charlotte Julia Maria.

His lordship died without male issue, and was succeeded by his cousin,

WILLIAM HENRY, 6th Earl (1842-1910), (son of the Hon John Jocelyn), who died unmarried, when the titles devolved upon his brother,

ROBERT JULIAN ORDE, 7th Earl (1845-1915), JP DL, who espoused, in 1882, Ada Maria, daughter of Colonel Soame Gambier Jenyns, and had issue,

ROBERT SOAME, his successor;
Julian Mary; Marcia Valda.

His lordship was succeeded by his son,

ROBERT SOAME, 8th Earl (1883-1956), JP, who espoused, in 1905, Elinor Jessie, daughter of Joseph Charlton Parr, and had issue,

ROBERT WILLIAM, his successor;
John Charlton;
Elizabeth; Mabel Kathleen.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT WILLIAM, 9th Earl (1909-93), DL, of Tollymore Park, County Down, Captain, Royal Navy, who wedded, in 1937, Clodagh rose, daughter of Edward Robert Kennedy, and had issue,

ROBERT JOHN, his successor;
Thomas Alan;
James Michael.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT JOHN, 10th and present Earl.

The heir apparent is the present holder's only son, Shane Robert Henning Jocelyn, styled Viscount Jocelyn.

TOLLYMORE PARK, near Newcastle, County Down, is the former demesne of the Earls of Roden.

It is situated on the river Shimna, at the north-west base of Slieve Donard, adjacent to the south side of the village of Bryansford.

This superb demesne, in consequence partly of its landscaping, though mainly of its natural character, is one of the most magnificently picturesque in the British Isles.

Within the grounds there is a beautiful monument, in the form of an obelisk, erected to the memory of Lieutenant the Hon James Bligh Jocelyn, Royal Navy, second son of the 2nd Earl.

Tollymore Park House (above) was a Georgian mansion extending round four sides of a courtyard.

The earliest part was constructed ca 1730 by James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Clanbrassill (of the second creation), whose grandmother was heiress of the Magennis family, original owners of the Estate.

As first built, the mansion consisted of a two-storey block with one bay on either side of a three-sided bow, and single-storey, three-bay wings.

The architect was likely to have been Thomas Wright.

By 1787, the three other sides of the courtyard had been built, all single storey.

The mansion already had long corridors with windows containing roundels of Flemish stained glass.

When Lord Clanbrassill died in 1798 without issue, the estate passed to his sister, the 1st Countess of Roden (nee Lady Anne Hamilton), and remained in the family for generations.

An extra storey was added the the single-storey parts; while the entrance front became a typical late-Georgian composition of nine bays with a pedimented breakfront centre and a single storey Doric portico.

Before 1859, the house was further enlarged and the original block was given high roofs in the French château manner.

Tollymore has been noted for its fine views and plantations since the 18th century, in the latter years of which Thomas Milton wrote in Seats and Demesnes of the Nobility in Ireland,

It is a wild and rocky Tract, exhibiting some scenes of singular beauty, in the romantic style. Two Mountain Torrents join in the Park, and form sundry cascades, in their passage to the Sea… 

Every advantage was taken of the natural attributes to create a fashionable 18th century naturalistic park and to further grace it with suitable buildings.

Tollymore House, at the centre of the site, was demolished in 1952.

However, the demesne buildings and their folly embellishments remain and are now appreciated as fine examples of the work of Thomas Wright and others, the finest being the Clanbrassill Barn.

Fantastical gate piers made of ‘bap’ stones can be seen along the demesne walls.

Collectively these are called Lord Limerick’s Follies.

A Hermitage clings to the rocks above the Shimna river, built in 1770 to commemorate a friend’s death.

There are a great many interesting 18th century bridges along the river, which plays an important part in the landscape as it sparkles over rocks and deep ravines.

In 1786 Wilson, in the Post Chaise Companion, noted the ‘… finest groves of larch trees in this kingdom …’. 


The woodland planting was acknowledged to have been extensive and successful.

Tollymore was purchased by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1930; the holding was increased in 1941 and subsequently a great deal of the land was covered with forest planting.

The structure of the landscape park is not visible presently.

An arboretum represents the ‘second phase’ of planting lies to the west of the house is now termed a, ‘tree collection’, as it is not being added to.

The original Picea abies var. Clanbrassilliana (discovered by Lord Clanbrassill in the mid-1770s) can be seen in this area. 


There is an exceptionally fine avenue of Deodar cedar at the Barbican gate avenue.

The walled garden has been made into a car park but the Head Gardener’s house remains, surrounded by a sea of tarmac.

However, rhododendron and azalea plants attractively cover an area on either side of the Horn Bridge as a steep descending walk to the river. 

The Forest Service is also responsible for Forest Plots, experimental plantations of various species which are being tested for suitability as forest planting.

The entrances are exceptional and are: Bryansford or Gothick Gate, ca 1786, and lodge, 1802; Barbican gate, ca 1780, and lodge ca 1810; East Lodge, 1865; White Gate Lodge, early 20th century.

The walls on the Hilltown Road and a gate are listed.

Tollymore Forest Park covers an area of almost 500 hectares at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in County Down.

The park has a long history dating back to 1611, in the records of JAMES I.

It was recorded that the park was granted to Brian MacHugh MacAgholy Magennis. 


The neighbouring village of Bryansford is believed to have been named after him (Brian’s Ford).

The property remained in the Magennis family until about 1685, when Bryan Magennis died unmarried and Tollymore became the property of his sister, Ellen, who had married Captain William Hamilton.

From the Hamiltons, Earls of Limerick, the estate passed, again through the distaff side, to the Jocelyns, one of whom was later created Earl of Roden.

The 9th Earl lived at Bryansford, County Down, just outside the walls of Tollymore Park.

It is believed that the 10th and present Earl still maintains a residence at Tollymore.

Tollymore Park remained solely in Roden hands until 1930, when the 8th Earl sold two thirds of the land to the Ministry of Agriculture for afforestation purposes.

In 1940 the remaining third was bought by the Ministry; and during the 2nd World War Tollymore House and part of the grounds were used by the Army.

After the war the house fell into a state of disrepair and was demolished by the 9th Earl in 1952.

It is now one of Northern Ireland's most popular attractions.

In 1955, Tollymore became the first state forest in Northern Ireland.

Former seats ~ Hyde Hall, Hertfordshire; Tollymore Park, County Down; Dundalk House, County Louth.

 First published in February, 2012.  Roden arms courtesy of the NLI.