Glanomera House

THE ARTHURS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY CLARE, WITH 10,534 ACRES

The Arthurs are stated to have been originally 'Artureighs', and to derive their descent from a common ancestor with the O'Briens, viz. Cormac Cas, King of Munster. The name, it is further asserted, was anglicised, in common with many others, on the invasion of Ireland by HENRY II, who is stated to have conferred honours and grants of land on one of that name in 1178.

In the records of Limerick, the name of ARTHUR frequently occurs from the earliest period down to the time of CHARLES I, when the family estates in County Limerick were confiscated by the usurper CROMWELL for loyalty to the royal cause.

The Arthurs subsequently removed to County Clare, and became seated at Glenomera. On the municipal roll of the city of Limerick are given the names of no less than forty-eight ARTHURS as mayors etc of that city.

From John Arthur, Mayor of Limerick in 1340, and Sir Dominick Arthur, also Mayor of that city, we pass to Sir Nicholas Arthur, Knight, Mayor in 1591.

Thomas Arthur was Bishop of Limerick in 1470; Richard Arthur was RC Bishop, 1643.

The Rev Geoffrey Arthur, of the Church of Rome, Treasurer of Limerick Cathedral, died in 1519, and was buried there, where his monument, with a curious Latin inscription, may still be seen.

Edward Arthur was MP for the city of Limerick, 1599; and Thomas Arthur, MP in 1585.

THOMAS ARTHUR, of Glanomera, son of Piers Arthur, wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Captain John Butler, heiress of the BUTLERS of Kilmoyler, County Tipperary, descended from the 9th Earl of Ormonde and the 11th Earl of Desmond; and was father of

THOMAS ARTHUR DL, of Glanomera, who wedded Lucy, fourth daughter of Sir Edward O'Brien Bt, of Dromoland, and left by her at his decease, 1803 (with a daughter, Mary), an only son and successor, 

THOMAS ARTHUR DL (1778-1845), of Glanomera, who espoused, in 1803, Harriet, second daughter and co-heir (with her only sister, Charlotte, wife of Sir Edward O'Brien Bt, of Dromoland) of William Smith, of Cahermoyle, County Limerick, and had (with nine daughters) seven sons,

THOMAS, his heir;
William Smith;
LUCIUS (Rev);
Edward;
Augustus;
Henry;
Frederick Brian Boru (Rev).

Mr Arthur was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS ARTHUR (1806-84),  of Glanomera, who wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Captain John Butler, of Kilmoyler, descended from Piers, seventh son of James, 9th Earl of Ormonde.

He was succeeded by his brother,

THE REV LUCIUS ARTHUR (1810-87), of Glanomera, who married, in 1840, Caroline Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of John Haycock Jervis, of Moseley, Warwickshire, and had issue,

THOMAS LUCIUS JERVIS, his heir;
Edward Henry Frederick;
Charles William Augustus;
Harriet Elizabeth Augusta; Ellen Lucy Julia; Maria Anne Florence;
Charlotte Katherine Susan; Grace Caroline Frances.

The eldest son,

THOMAS LUCIUS JERVIS ARTHUR JP (1847-88), of Glanomera, Captain, 6th R V Regiment, married, in 1881, Constance Helen, daughter of William Steele Studdert, of Clonboy, County Clare, by Constance his wife, daughter of Robert George Massy, and had issue,

CHARLES WILLIAM AUGUSTUS, his heir;
Desmond Phelps Pery Lucius Studdert, b 1884.

His elder son, 

CHARLES WILLIAM AUGUSTUS ARTHUR (1882-), of Glanomera, County Clare, wedded, in 1904, Rose Violet, daughter of John Joseph Roche-Kelly, of Rockstown Castle and Islandmore, County Limerick, and had issue,

Charles Augustus, died in infancy;
LUCIUS, of whom hereafter.

His second son, 

LUCIUS ARTHUR, born in 1913, was the grandfather of the surviving members of that line.

Photo Credit: Limerick City Museum; © Michael Kelly; Paul Kelly

GLANOMERA HOUSE, County Clare, was burnt in 1905.

Select Bibliography: Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland, 1912, page 15.   First published in March, 2013.

Bellamont Forest

THE EARLS OF BELLAMONT OWNED 5,321 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY CAVAN

This is the parent stock whence the noble houses of COOTE, Earls of Mountrath, and COOTE, Lords Castlecoote, both now extinct, emanated. 

This noble family derives its origin from

SIR JOHN COOTE, a native of France, who married Isabella, the daughter and heir of the Seigneur Du Bois, of that kingdom, and had issue,

SIR JOHN COOTE, Knight, who coming into England, settled in Devon, and married a daughter of Sir John Fortescue, of that county.

His lineal descendant,

JOHN COOTE, heir to his uncle, 28th Abbot of Bury St Edmund's, wedded Margaret, daughter of Mr Drury, by whom he had four sons,

Richard;
FRANCIS, of whom we treat;
Christopher;
Nicholas.

Mr Coote's second son,

FRANCIS COOTE, of Eaton, in Norfolk, served ELIZABETH I; and by Anne, his wife, had issue,

SIR NICHOLAS COOTE, living in 1636, who had two sons,

CHARLES, his heir;
William (Very Rev), Dean of Down, 1635.

Sir Nicholas's elder son,

SIR CHARLES COOTE (1581-1642), Knight, of Castle Cuffe, in the Queen's County,

Served in the wars against O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, at the head, as Captain of the 100th Foot Regiment, with which corps he was at the siege of Kinsale, and was appointed, by JAMES I (in consequence of the good and faithful services he had rendered to ELIZABETH I), provost-marshal of the province of Connaught for life. 

In 1620, he was constituted Vice-President of the same province; and created, in 1621, a baronet, designated of Castle Cuffe, Queen's County. Sir Charles distinguished himself, subsequently, by many gallant exploits; but the most celebrated was the relief of Birr, in 1642. Being dispatched, with Sir Thomas Lucas and six troops of horse, to relieve that garrison, and some other fortresses, it was necessary, in order to effect the objective, to pass the causeway broken by the rebels, who had thrown up a ditch at the end of it. 

Sir Charles, leading thirty dismounted dragoons, beat the enemy, with the loss of their captain and twenty men; relieved the castles of Birr, Borris, and Knocknamase; and having continued almost forty hours on horseback, returned to the camp with the loss of only one man.

This is the surprising passage through Mountrath woods which justly caused the title of MOUNTRATH to be entailed upon his son.

Sir Charles married Dorothea, youngest daughter and co-heir of Hugh Cuffe, of Cuffe's Wood, County Cork, and had issue,

Charles, 1st Earl of Mountrath;
Chidley, of Killester, Co Dublin;
RICHARD, 1st Baron Coote, ancestor of the EARL OF BELLAMONT (1st Creation);
Thomas, of Coote Hill;
Letitia.

The younger son,

RICHARD COOTE (1620-83), for his hearty concurrence with his brother, SIR CHARLES, 2nd Baronet, in promoting the restoration of CHARLES II, was rewarded with the dignity of a peerage of the realm.

Being the same day that his brother was created Earl of Mountrath, Richard Coote was created, in 1660, Baron Coote, of Colloony.

In 1660, his lordship was appointed Major to the Duke of Albemarle's Regiment of Horse; and the same year he was appointed one of the commissioners for executing His Majesty's declaration for the settlement of Ireland.

He was, in 1675, appointed one of the commissioners entrusted for the 49 Officers. 

In 1676, the 1st Baron resided at Moore Park, County Meath, and Piercetown, County Westmeath.

His lordship married Mary, second daughter of George, Lord St George, and had issue,

RICHARD, his successor;
Thomas;
Lætitia; Mary; Catherine; Elizabeth.

Following his decease, in 1683, he was interred at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD, 2nd Baron (1636-1701), Governor of County Leitrim, 1689, Treasurer to the Queen, 1689-93, MP for Droitwich, 1689-95, who was, in 1688, one of the first to join the Prince of Orange.

In 1689, he was attainted in his absence by the Irish Parliament of JAMES II.

His lordship was created, in 1689, EARL OF BELLAMONT, along with a grant of 77,000 acres of forfeited lands.

His lordship was Governor of Massachusetts, 1695, and Governor of New York, 1697-1701.

The King had sent Lord Bellomont to New York to suppress the "freebooting."

Unfortunately he was responsible for outfitting the veteran mariner William Kidd, who turned into "Captain Kidd," who terrorised the merchants until his capture in 1698.

According to Cokayne "he was a man of eminently fair character, upright, courageous and independent. Though a decided Whig he had distinguished himself by bringing before the Parliament at Westminster some tyrannical acts done by Whigs at Dublin."

His lordship wedded, in 1680, Catharine, daughter and heir of Bridges Nanfan, of Worcestershire, and had issue,

NANFAN, his successor;
RICHARD, succeeded his brother.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son,

NANFAN, 2nd Earl (1681-1708), who married Lucia Anna van Nassau (1684-1744), daughter of Henry de Nassau, Lord Overkirk, in 1705/6 at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, London.

He died at Bath, Somerset, from palsy, without male issue, when the family honours devolved upon his brother,

RICHARD, 3rd Earl (1682-1766), who, in 1729, sold the family estate of Colloony, County Sligo, for nearly £17,000.

In 1737, he succeeded his mother to the estates of Birtsmorton, Worcestershire.

Macaulay described him as "of eminently fair character, upright, courageous and independent."

On his death the earldom expired. 

The last Earl was succeeded in the barony of Coote by his first cousin once removed,

CHARLES, 5th Baron (1738-1800), KB PC, son of Charles Coote, MP for County Cavan, 1761-6, son of the HON THOMAS COOTE, a Justice of the Court of the King's Bench of Ireland, younger son of the 1st Baron.

THE HON THOMAS COOTE (c1655-1741) was the father of

CHARLES COOTE (c1695-1750), of Coote Hill, County Cavan, High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1719, MP for Granard, 1723-27, Cavan County, 1727-50, who wedded, in 1722, Prudence, daughter of Richard Geering, and had issue,

CHARLES, his heir;
Frances; Elizabeth.

His only son,

SIR CHARLES COOTE (1736-1800), KB PC, of Coote Hill (afterwards renamed Bellamont Forest) married, in 1774, the Lady Emily Maria Margaret FitzGerald, daughter of James, 1st Duke of Leinster, and had issue,

Charles, Viscount Coote (1778-86);
Mary; Prudentia; Emily; Louisa.

Sir Charles succeeded his cousin, Richard, in 1766, as 5th Baron Coote; and was created, in 1767, EARL OF BELLAMONT (3rd creation).

1st Earl of Bellamont KB

His lordship was created a baronet, in 1774, designated of Donnybrooke, County Dublin, with remainder to his natural son, Charles Coote, of Dublin.

Following his death in 1800, the titles became extinct as he left no legitimate male issue, though he was succeeded in the baronetcy according to the special remainder by his illegitimate son Charles, 2nd Baronet.

BELLAMONT FOREST, near Cootehill, County Cavan, now sits amid approximately one thousand acres of parkland and lakes.

Bellamont is generally acknowledged to be one of the finest 18th-century Palladian houses in the British Isles.

(Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

It is thought to be one of the earliest brick houses in Ireland.

An article published in Country Life in 2010 tells the story of Bellamont and some of its owners:

Despite its historical importance as the first and most perfect Palladian villa built in Ireland, Bellamont is relatively little known, whereas the Cootes, who built it, were very well known, not to say notorious, in their day. 

The first to make his mark in Ireland was Sir Charles Coote, a military adventurer who died in battle at Trim, County Meath, in 1642, leaving estates in four counties to his four sons. 

His youngest son, Colonel Thomas Coote, was granted the O’Reilly lands in County Cavan at the Act of Settlement in 1662. 

He married a Miss Hill from Hillsborough in County Down and founded the town of Coote Hill (now Cootehill). 

On his death in 1671, his estate passed to his nephew, also Thomas Coote, who became a Lord Justice of the Kings Bench in Ireland, and was made a Knight of the Bath ‘in testimony of his good and laudable service in suppressing tumultuous and illegal insurrection in the northern parts of Ireland’. 

He also established Cootehill as a prosperous linen town, which, by 1800, was attracting buyers from Belfast, Dublin and London. 

On marrying his third wife, Ann Lovett, in 1697, Coote became the uncle-in-law of Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, a cousin of Vanbrugh, and by far the most important architect working in Ireland in the early 18th century. 

According to architectural historian Dr Maurice Craig (Country Life, May 21 and 28, 1964), it was Pearce who built Thomas Coote’s new house at Cootehill in 1729-30, the design of which was reputedly based on Palladio’s Villa Rotonda at Vicenza and Villa Pisani at Montagnana. 

Its name was later changed to Bellamont Forest by Coote’s grandson, Charles, who inherited in 1764 and became the Earl of Bellamont in 1767. 

The new Lord Bellomont was a complex figure, being variously described as a man of ‘the highest refinement’, but also as a ‘tyrant’, ‘madman’ and ‘a person of disgusting pomposity’. 

An inveterate womaniser, he sired at least six illegitimate children, all of whom were provided for in his will. 

On his death in 1800, the estate passed to these descendants who lived on at Bellamont Forest, becoming gradually ever poorer. 

In 1874, Edward Smith JP, having amassed a considerable fortune from the coal trade between Liverpool and Newry, bought Bellamont Forest and lands for £145,000 (equivalent to £16.5 million in 2019). 

Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021

The mansion, built between 1725-30 for the Hon Thomas Coote, is four bays square, built over two storeys, with a mezzanine floor and a basement.

It is built of red brick with ashlar facings, and has a Doric limestone portico, with pediments over the windows.

There are both excellent formal reception rooms and beautiful entertaining rooms, coupled with a comfortable family atmosphere.

Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021

It provides extensive bedroom accommodation for both family, guests and staff, and in addition boasts the former linen hall.

The gardens have also been developed and greatly enhanced and act as further entertaining space.

A particular feature is the walled garden.

The descendants of the last Earl of Bellomont sold Bellamont Forest in 1874 to Edward Smith, a wealthy coal merchant.

The Dorman-Smiths sold the estate to Bryan Mills in 1981; and they sold it in 1987 to John Coote.

Mr Coote died in 2010, and in 2015 Bellamont Forest was purchased by its present owner, John Manuel Morehart.

The mansion, outbuildings, and demesne are currently undergoing a major restoration.

First published in August, 2013.   Bellomont arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Chief Secretary's Lodge

THE CHIEF SECRETARY'S LODGE (Deerfield), Phoenix Park, Dublin, was originally built by Sir John Blaquiere, 1st Baron de Blaquiere, and became the Chief Secretary for Ireland's official residence in the late 18th century.

The Chief Secretary for Ireland, a position analogous to Prime Minister, had his office within Dublin Castle.

The office was abrogated when Éire (as it was then called) seceded from the United Kingdom in 1922.

It is now the official residence of the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland.

Colonel John Blaquiere came to Ireland as Chief Secretary to the Viceroy, Lord Harcourt, in 1772.

Like Viceregal Lodge (Áras an Uachtaráin) across the road (former residence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland), the Chief Secretary's Lodge, or Deerfield as it is now called, is surrounded by its own sixty-acre park, with wonderful views of the Dublin mountains.

The Lodge, which cost £8,000 to build, comprises two storeys with two projecting bowed ends facing southwards.

There were two principal reception rooms.

A commodious staircase hall is bedecked with American flags and presidential portraits.

The brilliant white porte-cochère admits visitors under a large bust of President Lincoln.

The architect of the Lodge, with its immaculate walled gardens, fruit trees and glass-houses, is unknown.

In 1784, the house was acquired by HM Government as an official residence for the Chief Secretary for Ireland, analogous with the office of prime minister.

Illustrious occupants have included the Hon Sir Arthur Wellesley (1st Duke of Wellington), Lord Castlereagh, Sir Robert Peel and Lord Randolph Churchill.

Sir Winston Churchill, as a small boy, roamed the gardens and woods and took great delight in riding up and down the paths in his donkey and cart.

In 1927, the United States sent its first envoy, Fred Sterling, to the newly-formed Irish Free State.

Mrs Sterling noticed the empty house whilst walking in Phoenix Park, told her husband she'd found the ideal residence for him, and Deerfield has remained a part of American soil ever since.

First published in September, 2011.

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Castleboro House

THE BARONS CAREW WERE THE GREATEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WEXFORD, WITH 17,830 ACRES

The CAREWS are one of the few families now remaining who can trace their descent without intermission from the Anglo-Saxon period of English history. For a long series of years, they maintained an elevated position among the landed proprietors of Devon.

A scion of the English stock settling in Ireland was ancestor of the CAREWS of that kingdom, of whom,

ROBERT CAREW wedded Anne, sister of Lawrence Hyde, of Cottington, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;

Lawrence;

Peter;

William;

Richard;

Henry.

Mr Carew died before June, 1661, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT CAREW JP, of Bally Born, County Wexford, High Sheriff of County Waterford, 1711, who married, in 1710, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of John Shapland, a wealthy merchant of Wexford, and had issue,

ROBERT, his heir;
SHAPLAND, succeeded his brother;
Thomas, of Ballinamona;
Ellen.

Mr Carew died in 1721, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROBERT CAREW, of Castle Boro, MP for Waterford, 1740, who dsp and was succeeded by his brother,

SHAPLAND CAREW (1716-80), of Castleboro, County Wexford, Barrister, MP for Waterford City, 1748-76, wedded Dorothy, daughter and co-heir of Isaac Dobson, and had issue,

ROBERT SHAPLAND, his heir;
Elizabeth; Eleanor; Dorothea; Mary; Dobson.

The son and heir,

ROBERT SHAPLAND CAREW (1752-1829), of Castleboro, MP for Waterford City, 1776-1800, espoused Anne, daughter and heir of the Rev Dr Richard Pigott, of Dysart, Queen's County, and had issue,

ROBERT SHAPLAND, his heir;
Dorothea; Elizabeth Anne; Ellen.

Mr Carew was succeeded by his son,

ROBERT SHAPLAND CAREW (1787-1856), of Castleboro, who married, in 1816, Jane Catherine, daughter of Major Anthony Cliffe, of Ross, by Frances his wife, eldest daughter of Colonel Deane, MP for County Dublin, and had issue,

ROBERT SHAPLAND, his heir;
Shapland Francis;
Anne Dorothea; Ellen Jane.

Mr Carew was elevated to the peerage, in 1838, in the dignity of BARON CAREW, of County Wexford.

His lordship was installed, in 1851, as a Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick (KP).

• Robert Shapland Carew, 1st Baron (1787–1856);

• Robert Shapland Carew, 2nd Baron Carew (1818–81);

• Robert Shapland George Julian Carew, 3rd Baron;

• George Patrick John Carew, 4th Baron (1863–1926);

• Gerald Shapland Carew, 5th Baron (1860–1927);

• William Francis Conolly-Carew, 6th Baron (1905–94);

• Patrick Thomas Conolly-Carew, 7th Baron (b 1938).

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, the Hon William Patrick Conolly-Carew.

CASTLEBORO, near Enniscorthy, County Wexford, was a very large, imposing, Classical mansion of about 1840, built for the 1st Baron Carew.

The main block was of three storeys, the top storey used as an attic; a central, three-sided bow with Corinthian columns at the angles supporting the entablature; two bays on either side of the centre and a pair of Corinthian pilasters at each end.

The grand centre of the building presented the appearance of a Venetian palace, about ninety feet in length and, at the front, extended a façade of elegant and elaborate workmanship.

A projection of a semi-hexagon figure occupied about one third of the garden front (above), while the mansion extended a similar distance on each side.

A highly ornamental entablature ran along the entire building above the second story and was supported in the centre by four Corinthian columns with very rich capitals and by two pilasters of the same order on the right and left extremities.

A very rich and highly ornamental cut stone string course ran above the first storey with rosettes and scrolls.

The entrance front (below) displayed a lofty and magnificent portico supported by six columns of the Corinthian order.

The architect, Robertson, suffered from gout and, whilst the building was in progress, it was said he was pushed around sitting in a wheelbarrow with the plans in one hand and a bottle of fine wine in the other!

Castleboro was laid out with four stepped terraces, with a manicured grass bank on each side desending to an artificial lake.

In the centre of the third bank stood a magnificent fountain flanked by two smaller fountains with pools on the immediate upper terrace.

During the Irish Troubles of the 1920s, the Carews sold off the prize cattle herds and furniture and effects and lived full time in England.

The entrance front was of seven bays, with a deep, two-storey Corinthian portico.

The wings and pavilions, two-storey, were mainly neo-Classical; the garden front (below) being more plain.

A lengthy article in The People of 1923 entitled "Castleboro Burned: Lord Carew's Mansion In Flames: Now A Mass Of Debris" states:

'Castleboro, the ancestral home of the Right Hon. Lord Carew was burned to the ground on Monday night, and all that remains now of the palatial mansion are smoke begrimed roofless walls and a heap of debris.

The reason for the destruction of one of the finest residences in Leinster remains a mystery to all but those who were responsible for the destructive work which will only add more thousands to the bill that the Co Wexford will have to foot when the time of reckoning comes.

The work of destruction was perpetrated shortly after ten o'clock on Monday night. Between nine and ten the farm steward, Mr. Robert Richardson…was knocked up at his residence by armed men.

On answering the knock he was compelled to hand over the keys of a store in which some barrels of paraffin oil were stored.

These the armed men took possession of and rolled them from the farm yard to the main building and brought with them hay, which they also got in the farm yard.

Then it would appear that they soaked the hay in the paraffin and scattering it through the main building set it alight with the result that in a short time the whole place was ablaze…

Entrance to the house was gained through the French bay windows which would appear to have been broken by the butt end of rifles.

The noise of the breaking of the glass was plainly audible in the farm yard and tongues of flames leaping up to the sky after a short space of time conveyed the first intimation of what the advent of the armed men breaking in on their peaceable surroundings meant while they were left powerless to attempt to save their master's property…

It was impossible to do anything to extinguish the conflagration which had taken a complete hold of the building and which appeared to have been fired in several places. The fire raged furiously for some hours and completely destroyed the fine building'

'The building of the mansion cost, it is stated, £200,000 [£16 million in 2011], so that a claim which will undoubtedly be lodged is likely to run into a very big sum.

Castleboro was always famous for its gardens and through the liberality of the present Lord Carew visitors were allowed to stroll through the grounds, a privilege that was largely availed of in the summer months.

The scene of Monday night's fire was visited by large numbers of people on Tuesday and the terrible work was condemned on all sides.

The people of the district were always liberally treated by the Carew family and the wanton destruction of their beautiful home was learned with feelings of horror and dismay' (The People 10th February 1923).

Lord Carew did not live to see his claim for compensation satisfied and died on the 29th April 1923, less than three months following the destruction of his home.

Castleboro House survives as an impressive ruin in a somewhat bleak setting, the parkland to the north now used for grazing and the truncated terraces to the south – once second only to those at Powerscourt House, County Wicklow.

Other former seats ~ Woodstown, County Waterford; Crowcombe Court, Taunton, Somerset.
Former town residence ~ 28 Belgrave Square, London.

Carew arms courtesy of European Heraldry.   First published in July, 2011. 

The Livingston Centre

Balloo House (Image: Timothy Ferres, 2021)

On Monday, the 7th June, 2021, I lunched with the Rev Dr Stanley Gamble, Rector of Killinchy, at Balloo House, County Down.

Stanley and I share a deep passion for heritage, particularly in Northern Ireland.

Balloo House (Image: © Rosalind Davies)

After lunch we drove the short distance to the village of Killinchy, which overlooks beautiful Strangford Lough, where Stanley showed me the new community hub at Killinchy parish church.

We toured the former rectories in the village, of which three remain; the Georgian rectory, however, was demolished after the 2nd World War.

The Livingston Centre is now a focal point for a whole range of community activities, including a permanent exhibition on the life of the Rev John Livingston and his distinguished descendants, who include one man who helped draft the American Declaration of Independence and later negotiated the Louisiana Purchase; one who signed the Declaration of Independence; and another who was a key aide to Andrew Jackson at the battle of New Orleans and later served as his Secretary of State.

Livingston Centre , Killinchy Parish Church (Image: Ulster-Scots Agency)

This new hub in the village received financial assistance from the Ulster-Scots Agency.

Stanley remarked at the time:-

‘‘Everyone at Killinchy Parish Church is delighted with the progress of the Livingston Centre and we are all looking forward to seeing it finished and starting on the next chapter, supporting the development of our community in all sorts of ways, not least through greater appreciation of our Ulster-Scots heritage." 

"The Reverend John Livingston is rightly regarded as the first incumbent of three churches in Killinchy, the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church and the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church, and we hope that our shared history and identity will serve as a unifying force in the local community.’’

John Livingston was one of the first Scottish ministers who came over to Ulster, occupying a pulpit in the established Church of Ireland years before an organized Presbyterian denomination was established.

At the Livingston Centre (Image: Rev Dr Stanley Gamble, 7th June, 2021)

He was part of a group of Presbyterian clergy who, faced with growing hostility from the Anglican communion, organized the Eagle Wing expedition of 1636, the first planned attempt by Ulster-Scots to travel to America.

The expedition failed and Livingston eventually died in exile in Holland; he and his family, however, have made an indelible impression on the history of Ulster and the United States.

Livingston Days festivals, to celebrate the life and legacy of John Livingston, as well as connecting the local community with their broader Ulster-Scots identity, are now held annually.

The last programme included a tattoo held at Killinchy Primary School, featuring the talent of a range of local bands including Killinchy Silver Band, Cleland Memorial Pipe Band and Lord Londonderry’s Own CLB Flute Band.

This was followed up by a Family Fun Day, with a range of exhibitions and talks on an Ulster-Scots theme.

First published in June, 2021.

New Belfast DL

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANT

Dame Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle DBE, Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast has been pleased to appoint:-

The Rev Canon Terence Kevin Declan Graham

Belfast

To be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County Borough, her Commission bearing date the 5th July, 2023.

Signed: Dame Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle DBE DStJ