Lord Belmont In Northern Ireland

Aston Martin?

2012-01-28T13:11:00.002Z

Does one detect a tenuous resemblance between these two? The red car is the new Ford Mondeo; the gun-metal grey vehicle, below, the Aston Martin DB9.

I believe a new series of that excellent BBC series, Top Gear, resumes tomorrow evening. Amen to that. Keep up the good work, chaps.

Garvagh Estate

2012-01-28T09:10:00.009Z

The family of Canning has been of distinction in England since the reign of HENRY VI; and the branch, of which the Barons Garvagh are members, removed into Ulster, in the reign of ELIZABETH I, when

GEORGE CANNING Esq, (a military officer, it was presumed), an agent of the Ironmongers' Company of London, obtained a grant of the manor of Garvagh, County Londonderry, and settled there. This gentleman died ca 1646 and was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM CANNING Esq, of Garvagh, to whom succeeded his son, GEORGE CANNING Esq.

His son, GEORGE CANNING Esq, of Garvagh, lieutenant-colonel in the Londonderry Militia. This gentleman married Abilgail Stratford, aunt of John, 1st Earl of Aldborough, by whom he left an only son,

STRATFORD CANNING Esq, of Garvagh, who married Letitia, daughter and heiress of Obadiah Newburgh, of County Cavan, by whom he had issue,

George, of the Middle Temple. This gentleman, who died in 1771, incurred the displeasure of his father, and the penalty of disinheritance, by an improvident marriage to an "impecunious Irish beauty"; and left an only child, then an infant,

GEORGE, who having passed through Eton and Oxford, with more than ordinary éclat, entered early into public life, and became distinguished as a political writer, and one of the most eloquent parliamentary orators.

Mr Canning filled, for several years, some of the higher offices in the government, until eventually, sustained by his own transcendent talents, and enlightened views alone, he reached the summit of a statesman's ambition, and became (in 1827) PRIME MINISTER; but scarcely had the hopes of the nation been raised by this most popular appointment, than it pleased Providence to render those hopes delusive - the Right Honourable gentleman's death ensuing a few months after his elevation.

His third son, Charles John Canning, was created EARL CANNING in 1859.

George Canning (b 1778), first cousin of the prime minister, was elevated to the peerage as BARON GARVAGH in 1818.

Alexander Leopold Ivor George [Canning], 5th Baron Garvagh (b 1920), lives at Deal in Kent.

Garvagh House is claimed to have been first built in the early 17th century and enlarged twice since then. The house eventually evolved a late Georgian appearance, with a front of three bays between two, three-sided bows and an eaved roof on a bracket cornice.

There was a long enfilade of reception rooms, one having a modillion cornice and a Georgian bow; another with a broken pediment of a 19th century appearance over its door-case.

When the Canning family sold Garvagh House, it was used as flats for single female teachers, and some classrooms. The house had fallen into disrepair over the years, suffering from wet and dry rot, and vermin infestation.

County Londonderry Education Committee decided to demolish Garvagh House and to build a new primary school on its site. This was duly done and Garvagh Primary School opened in 1965.

The village of Garvagh is unique in that, unlike other villages in the county, it was not developed by the Irish Society, nor was it an ancient settlement.

It is, in fact, a private plantation; that is, a town set up over a period of nearly 300 years and developed by the local Lords of the Manor, the Cannings.

The family association with the Garvagh area began in 1615 when George Canning, of Foxcote in Warwickshire, was appointed the Agent for the Ironmongers' Company of London, a company actively involved in JAMES I's Plantation of Ulster.

To begin with, the townland of Garvagh was not part of the Ulster Plantation, as it had been granted to Manus O'Cahan, the local Irish chief, as a native freehold. After the Great Irish Rebellion of 1641 the situation changed, when O'Cahan joined forces with Sir Phelim Roe O'Neill in the insurrection and, as a result, he lost the freehold.

In 1649, one of George Canning's sons, Paul Canning, acquired the townland of Garvagh and began to develop it, by first building St Paul's parish church, which initially was intended as a private chapel for him and his family.

The Canning family continued to play an active part in the development of Garvagh until 1920 when they sold the estate and moved to England, exactly three centuries after they had established the first village.

The Garvagh Estate formerly extended to 8,427 acres. Garvagh lies between Coleraine and Maghera. There is a museum and heritage centre in the village.

Covering over 550 acres, Garvagh Forest is situated on the Western outskirts of the village, with trees from over 80 years old to those only planted at the turn of the century. The final unusual habitat in Garvagh Forest is the Garvagh Pyramid, created as a burial chamber for Lord Garvagh in the 19th Century. Unfortunately the pyramid was never allowed to fulfil the task it was designed for and was sealed shut, with no incumbent, a number of years ago.

The illustration of the coat-of-arms is shown by kind permission of European Heraldry. First published in February, 2010.

Deputy Lieutenant

2012-01-27T15:54:00.004Z

APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY LIEUTENANT

Mr David Lindsay, HM Lord-Lieutenant of County Down, has been pleased to appoint

DR WILLIAM GERARD O'HARE CBE, Rostrevor, County Down

To be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County, his Commission bearing date the 24th January, 2012.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr O'Hare is one of Northern Ireland's most successful property and business entrepreneurs with a portfolio of developments across the UK, Central Europe and the USA.

As founder and CEO of Parker Green, Dr O'Hare has grown an international portfolio of properties and investments fast approaching $1bn, which includes the Quays Shopping & Leisure Centre in Newry.

Dr O'Hare has been the catalyst in bringing together many major developments and attracting outside investment into Northern Ireland from the early 1990s to present day, motivating and securing some of the early PFI schemes.

He has served as Chairman of the Communities Support Group, President of the Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade, Chairman of the University of Ulster Foundation and as a visiting professor at the University of Ulster's School of the Built Environment.

In June 2009, The Prince of Wales appointed Dr O’Hare as his Ambassador for Business and Corporate Social Responsibility in Northern Ireland.

In October 2009, Dr O’Hare along with Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, received a joint Lambda Alpha International Award for International Urban Affairs.

Dr O’Hare has recently also been appointed as Honorary Consul for Latvia, where he will have a special role both for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

More recently, Dr O’Hare was listed in the 2009 New Year Honours list, when he became a CBE.

Vice-Admirals of Ulster

2012-01-27T13:43:00.011Z

LIST OF VICE-ADMIRALS OF ULSTER

Arthur, 1st Baron Chichester (1563-1625); in post 1607-25
Charles [Coote], 1st Earl of Mountrath (ca 1610-61); 1647
The Hon Frederick Hamilton (ca 1663-1715); 1691-1710 & 1716-23
Henry, 1st Baron Conyngham (1705-81); 1748-49
Charles, 1st Earl O'Neill (1779-1841); -1841
Archibald, 2nd Earl of Gosford (1776-1849); -1849
Francis, 2nd Marquess Conyngham (1797-1876); 1849-76
George Henry, 3rd Marquess Conyngham (1825-82); -1882
Archibald, 4th Earl of Gosford (1841-1922); -1922
Frederick, 3rd Marquess of Dufferin & Ava (1875-1930); -1930
Francis Charles, 4th Earl of Kilmorey (1883-1961); 1937-61
Basil, 1st Viscount Brookeborough (1888-1973); 1961-73

The various Vice-Admirals of the Coast were not responsible for defence.

The office of Lord High Admiral had two separate strands: one concerned with legal jurisdiction (as head of the High Court of Admiralty, from which the office derived by far the greater part of its emoluments and its power); and the other concerned with executive command of the Navy.

The Vice-Admirals of the Coast were appointed in regard to the former, not the latter.

Vice-Admiralty Courts ceased to function in 1864, and in 1891 the Admiralty Court itself was merged into the High Courts of Justice under the Judicature Act of that year.

All appointments as Vice-Admirals of the Coast, already essentially nugatory, automatically lapsed.

There were various claims to the honorary dignity of the title from families which had held it in succession over a number of generations (although it was never hereditary) or by various mayors (although any rights in this respect were extinguished by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1895).

The Marquesses Conyngham, for instance, owned 150,000 acres of land in Ireland, the vast majority of which was in County Donegal.

Even when still functioning, the office of Vice-Admiral of Ulster was more limited than the title might suggest, as a charter issued by CHARLES II to the Irish Society gave jurisdiction over the larger part of the coast of Ulster to them, excepting only the coasts of County Down and County Antrim.

In 1961, when the question of reviving the office of Vice-Admiral of Ulster arose (there having been none since 1937), the Head of the Historical Section (Admiralty) was consulted, and provided a summary of the historical background before giving his personal opinion on the matter.

He said:

“Subject to a clear acceptance of the fact that any such appointment today carries only a legal connotation, is defunct, and does not entitle the holder to claim any military rank or duty, Head of H.S. sees no real objection to the proposed appointment beyond the obvious stupidity of appointing gentlemen to moribund offices. All these Vice-Admiralty titles are quite meaningless today.”

In 1964, after the office of Lord High Admiral was resumed by the Crown, the Royal Navy ceased to have authority to issue warrants for such offices.

Courtown House

2012-01-27T08:50:00.002Z

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

JAMES STOPFORD, lineally descended from James Stopford, of Saltersford, Cheshire, who settled in Ireland about the middle of the 17th century, was elevated to the Peerage in 1758 as Baron Courtown, of Wexford, and advanced to the dignities of Viscount Stopford and Earl of Courtown in 1762.

He was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1719; MP for Wexford, 1721-27 and for Fethard 1727-58; Sheriff of County Wexford, 1756.

Lord Courtown was succeeded by his son JAMES, 2nd Earl, KP PC, who obtained the English barony of Saltersford in 1796; was MP for Taghmon, 1761-68; MP for Great Bedwyn, 1774; MP for Marlborough 1780-93; a Privy Counsellor; Lord of the Bedchamber to the Prince of Wales, 1780-84; Founder Knight, Order of St Patrick, 1783; Treasurer of the Household, 1784-93.

James George [Stopford], 3rd Earl, KP PC. MP for Great Bedwyn, 1790-96 and 1806-07; MP for Linlithgow Burghs, 1796-1802; MP for Dumfries Burghs, 1803-06; MP for Marlborough, 1807-10; Treasurer of the Household, 1793-1806 and 1807-12; Privy Counsellor, 1793; Captain of the Band of Gentlemen Pensioners, 1812-27; Governor of County Wexford, 1813-31; Knight of St Patrick, 1821; Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, 1835.

James Walter Milles [Stopford], 6th Earl, was Sheriff of County Wexford, 1877, and of County Carlow, 1878; Lord-Lieutenant of County Wexford, 1901-23; aide-de-camp to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

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

Courtown House, near Gorey in County Wexford, was the 18th century seat of the Earls of Courtown overlooking the sea at Courtown Harbour. It was significantly altered and enlarged during the 19th century, following the 1798 rebellion.

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

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

The House was sold after the 2nd World War and subsequently demolished.

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

Courtown Woodland was planted with oak and ash back in 1870. At this time it was part of a typical Victorian estate woodland where exotic conifers and redwoods from California were planted within viewing distance of Courtown House.

Oak plantations were established at some distance. They were underplanted with shrubs to provide food for pheasants for shooting parties. The woodland was regularly cleared and used as firewood by local tenants.

During the 1860s and 1870s the 5th Earl established a pinetum, or conifer collection, in the grounds around Courtown House. A small number of these trees remain today in the Woodland and in property across the river.

Courtown arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

The Blackwood Baronets (1814)

2012-01-26T15:10:00.007Z

The Blackwood Baronetcy, of the Navy, was created in 1814 for the Hon Henry Blackwood (1770-1832), 7th son of Sir John Blackwood Bt, of Ballyleidy, and of Dorcas Blackwood, 1st Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye.

This baronetcy, of the Navy, is a cadet branch of the first Blackwood baronetcy, of Ballyleidy, in 1764.

Vice-Admiral the Hon Sir Henry Blackwood GCH KCB, 1st Baronet, was commissioned, in 1781, in the Royal Navy; became Signal Midshipman in 1790; Lieutenant, 1790; First Lieutenant, 1794; Captain, 1795.

He was commander of the inshore squadron under Admiral Lord Nelson in the blockade of Cadiz in 1805. On 21 October 1805 he witnessed, with Hardy, the oral codicil to Nelson's will in which he commended the care of Emma Hamilton and their daughter, Horatia, to the country.

Sir Henry was Captain of the Fleet in May 1814; and Rear-Admiral on 4 June, 1814. He was appointed Knight Commander, Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1819; Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies between 1819-22; was invested as a Knight Grand Cross, Hanoverian Order (GCH); Vice-Admiral of the Blue, 1825; Commander-in-Chief, 1827-30 in the service of the The Nore.

Captain Sir Martin Henry Blackwood RN (1801-51), 2nd Baronet, was born in 1801, and married Harriet Louisa Bulkeley, daughter of John Matthew Bulkeley, on 19 August, 1826. He died in 1851 aged 49.

Sir Henry Blackwood (1828-94), 3rd Baronet, was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy.

Sir Francis Blackwood, 4th Baronet (1838–1924), was a Captain in the Royal Navy.

Sir Henry Palmer Temple Blackwood, 5th Baronet (1896–1948), fought in the 1st World War with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Sir Francis Elliot Temple Blackwood, 6th Baronet (1901–1979), was Assistant Vice-President with Crocker-Citizens' National Bank at Sacramento in California, USA. He died without male issue.

Sir Francis George Blackwood, 7th Baronet (1916–1991) succeeded as the Baron Dufferin and Claneboye in 1988.

After the extinction of the male line of 4th Baron Dufferin and Claneboye (and the entirety of the Marquessate of Dufferin and Ava), the barony of Dufferin and Claneboye reverted to the male line of the youngest son of the first Baroness, viz. the Blackwood Baronets of the Navy.

The 11th Baron Dufferin and Claneboye, who lives in Australia, is therefore the 8th Baronet.

First published in November, 2010.

Bellarena Estate

2012-01-26T09:00:00.003Z

IMAGE COURTESY OF BRIAN McELHERRON

Bellarena, near Magilligan in County Londonderry, is a mainly late-Georgian house which developed in several different phases around what is probably a late 17th century core.

Marcus McCausland, of Drenagh, son of Bellarena's heiress, assumed the surname Gage and added to the house in 1797.

His son, Conolly Gage, created the present library and managed to fit in a third storey at the rear of the house in 1822.

In the 1830s, Sir Charles Lanyon was employed to redecorate Bellarena, re-model the hall and add the porch. Seemingly there was a degree of rivalry between cousins and in-laws at Bellarena and Drenagh!

A final extension was made by Conolly and Henrietta Gage's daughter, Marianne, who married Sir Frederick Heygate, 2nd Baronet, in 1851.

Bellarena House has a two-storey, five-bay entrance front faced in dark-coloured basalt; a notably wide Venetian window in the centre of the upper storey, which rises into a baseless, floating pediment.

Below this window is Lanyon's semi-circular porch, fronted by a pair of Ionic columns either side of the doorway.

On one side of the entrance front there is a wing, set back. The rear of the main block consists of four bays, all having Wyatt windows in both storeys. The hall contains a double staircase with cast-iron balusters, which rise between two Corinthian columns, painted to resemble marble. The drawing-room ceiling has elaborate plasterwork, remarkably similar to that of Drenagh House.

The most noteworthy room in the house is probably the library of 1822 (below), a tall, spacious room with a coved ceiling, surrounded on three sides by a gallery with a balustrade of exquisite ironwork. This balustrading might possibly have originated from Ballyscullion, along with the library chimney-piece and that in the smoking-room.

To the rear of the house there is a commodious, cobbled office courtyard, with a central pond and fountain; while the impressive stable block boasts a spire and pediment.

Beyond the courtyard is a complete range of early 19th century farm buildings.

The demesne was founded in the mid 17th century on flat ground on the River Roe. The site is excellent, with fine views of Binevenagh. The name is attributed to the early Bishop Bellarena, meaning ‘Beautiful Strand’.

There are lawns round the house and large mature shrubs with requisite shelter trees beyond, both around the house and as shelter belts for the fields.

Sampson, in the Statistical Survey of the County of Londonderry of 1802, noted that it had

‘… been well planted with variety of forest trees and shrubs; considering the lightness of the soil, which, for the most part, is sandy, these plantations succeed remarkably well’.

The walled garden, which is pre-1830s, has been cleared of original planting for modern convenience. The eastern end was formerly an orchard, with a gardener’s house at the north-east corner.

Glasshouses are gone. There is a roughly-built folly tower, or look-out, in a field to the north of the house, and an ice house. There are three gate lodges, the oldest having been built in 1797.

In 1742, Conolly McCausland, of Drenagh, married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Gage, of Magilligan. Conolly's son Marcus, under the terms of his mother's will, succeeded to the Bellarena estates and assumed the name of Gage in 1816; hence the proud name of Gage lived on at Bellarena.

Bellarena was acquired by the Heygate baronets when the 2nd Baronet, Sir Frederick, married Marianne Gage in 1851.

The 4th Baronet, Sir John, was the last of the Heygates to live at Bellarena. By the 1970s, he was living alone in the house and, alas, in 1976, he took his own life by shooting himself.

During the 2nd Baronet's time, the Bellarena Estate comprised 5,507 acres.

First published in February, 2010.

The Argory Mosses

2012-01-25T16:33:00.001Z

National Trust colleagues gathered from Murlough, Strangford Lough, Castle Ward, Springhill and The Argory today, our task being to remove birch and Scots pine saplings from the indigenous Argory moss bogland.

The Argory Mosses comprise a bog of about twenty acres in extent.

I drove to Sprucefield and we shared vehicles thereafter to The Argory in County Armagh. We numbered about three dozen.

Although I'd brought a packed lunch with me, the staff at The Argory most generously provided us with refreshments, including a sausage barbecue, complete with gazebo.

At lunch-time, I had a great chin-wag with the House Steward of Springhill, another National Trust property in County Londonderry.

Despite our task of uprooting the birch and Scots pine saplings from the bog, these were not wasted, since we placed them in plastic sacks for re-planting elsewhere.

These little trees will be planted in County Down, at the Portavo plantation, within the next few weeks.

Tullylagan Manor

2012-01-25T08:00:00.004Z

GREER OF TULLYLAGAN

HENRY GRIER [sic], of Rock Hall, and afterwards of Redford, near Grange, County Tyrone, came to Ireland 1653. He married, in 1652, Mary Turner, of Northumberland; and died about 1675, having had issue,

JAMES GREER, the eldest son, of Liscurran, County Armagh; born at Newton, Northumberland, 1653. Having married and left issue,

HENRY, ancestor of the GREERS of Grange, County Tyrone; and JOHN, born 1688, ancestor of the GREERS of Tullylagan and Seapark.

His direct descendant, FREDERICK GREER, JP RN, of Tullylagan, born 1829; married, in 1874, Cecilia, eldest daughter of Sir Nathaniel Staples Bt, of Lissan; and their eldest son,

THOMAS GREER JP, born 1875.

Tullylagan (also known as Tullylagan Manor, formerly New Hamburgh), near Cookstown in County Tyrone, was built ca 1830. It consists of two storeys over a basement, which was subsequently excavated to become a ground floor.

The house has a three-bay front; a two-bay projecting porch; an eaved roof on bracket cornice.

There is a side wing, originally one storey over a basement.

While the precise history is unfortunately not known, it is believed that this building replaced a much older structure which was erected by the Sanderson family, who named the land ‘Tullylagan’ after where they were born in Scotland.

In 1898 Thomas MacGregor Greer, the only son of Thomas Greer, MP for Carrickfergus, inherited the lease of Tullylagan Manor. He was responsible for much of the development of the Manor.

MacGregor Greer was a talented man who had many diverse interests. He considered the Manor House inadequately proportioned for a country residence so rather than risk spoiling the architecture by adding to the house he decided to excavate the basement.

This was a substantial task at the time, depending heavily on manual labour, with the soil removed from the basement, the house became three-storey.

The following article is his obituary in the Times newspaper:

Mr. Thomas Macgregor Greer, who died at Bournemouth on Sunday at the age of 75, was a well-known figure in the North of Ireland, a member of the Senate, and a Deputy-Lieutenant for Co. Antrim. He was born in Dublin on January 31, 1853. His father, Samuel McCurdy Greer, was a prominent member of the Irish Bar, at one time M.P. for Co. Derry. and Recorder of Londonderry, and later County Court Judge for Leitrim and Roscommon. His mother was a daughter of James McCrone,. Crown Agent for the Isle of Man. He was educated at Coleraine and Trinity College, Dublin, where he took a distinguished degree. He was admitted a solicitor in 1875 and, with offices at Ballymoney, built up a large practice in the North of Ireland, from which he retired seven years ago. He was formerly a delegate for Ulster to the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland, Convenor of Tenures and Trusts Committee of the General Assembly of the Irish Presbyterian Church, and for over 20 years solicitor to the Antrim County Council. On the formation of the Northern Irish Parliament he was elected a member of the Senate, and was one of the members of that body chosen to represent Northern Ireland in the abortive Council of Ireland provided for in the Government of Ireland Act. He married in 1880, Margaret, daughter of the late Sir Charles Reed, M.P., first chairman of the London School Board. She survives him. His only son Lieutenant Kenneth Greer, Irish Guards, was killed on the Somme in 1916; his only surviving daughter is the wife of Sir Ernest Gowers.

The grounds of the estate received similar attention with many rare & exotic trees and shrubs being planted. Greer was able to identify each plant by its common and Latin name.

The Tullylagan estate comprised 1,192 acres in 1870.

In the farmyard he installed carpentry facilities and here many fine examples of chairs, tables and other items were produced.

The house is now a hotel.

House of Acheson

2012-01-24T13:03:00.002Z

ARMS OF GOSFORD CITY COUNCIL

The founder of this noble family in Ireland was ARCHIBALD ACHESON esq, of Gosford, co Haddington, Scotland, who settled in that kingdom in the beginning of the 17th century.

In 1611, we find Mr Acheson obtaining a large grant of lands in County Antrim; and in the following year, another grant in County Cavan.

In 1628, he was created a baronet, and, in 1630, he obtained a tract of land in Scotland.

Sir Archibald was Solicitor-General, a senator of justice, and many years secretary of state for Scotland; which latter office he continued to fill until his decease at Letterkenny, County Donegal, in 1634, when he was succeeded in the title and estates by his eldest son,

SIR PATRICK, at whose decease without issue, the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR GEORGE, who was succeeded by his only son,

SIR NICHOLAS, MP for County Armagh in 1695; who died in 1701 and was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ARTHUR, who was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR ARCHIBALD, who was elevated to the Irish peerage, in 1776, in the dignity of Baron Gosford, of Market Hill, County Armagh; and advanced to the viscountcy, as Viscount Gosford, in 1785.

His lordship married Mary, youngest daughter of John Richardson Esq, of Rich Hill, by whom he had ARTHUR, his successor.

ARTHUR, 2nd Viscount; who was created EARL OF GOSFORD, in 1806.

Baronston House

2012-01-24T08:45:00.003Z

THE MALONE FAMILY WERE THE THIRD LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WESTMEATH, WITH 13,715 ACRES

Members of this family have sat in the Irish Parliament and three Malones served in the army of JAMES II. Following the army's defeat at the battle of the Boyne, eight Malones lost their properties. Many of them fled to Europe, where they are frequently recorded in the archives of Spain and France.

A branch of the Malone family converted to the Protestant religion, and so were able to retain their Irish estates and to achieve high office in the kingdom of Ireland and in the legal profession.

Of this family, RICHARD MALONE Esq, of Ballynacargy, County Westmeath, was a diplomat in Holland.

His son, the Rt Hon ANTHONY MALONE (1700-76), was an able lawyer and a Chancellor of the Exchequer in Ireland. As a MP for his county he was fearless in his criticism of the crown's annexation of revenues collected in that kingdom, and its intolerance of Roman Catholics.

He left his estates to his nephew, RICHARD MALONE (1738-1816), 1st and last Lord Sunderlin.

Richard Malone was MP for Granard, 1775-86; MP for County Westmeath, 1782.

He was created Baron Sunderlin, of Lake Sunderlin, County Westmeath in 1785.

Baronston was a late 18th century house consisting of a three-storey centre block joined to two-storey wings by curved sweeps. It was mostly built for the 1st and last Lord Sunderlin.

The centre block had a seven-bay front with a pedimented breakfront; a three-bay projecting porch; wings of five bays.

Having suffered a series of fires, the centre block was replaced in 1903 by a large gabled Edwardian villa, with the sweeps and wings remaining on either side.

Baronston was sold in 1929 and demolished thereafter.

Sunderlin arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

USA Interest

2012-01-23T14:47:00.001Z

Lord Belmont is gaining a reputation in the United States of America. The Blog had fifteen per cent of visits from our American cousins yesterday.

I have paid visits to California and Florida, though have not been to the United States recently. I'm overdue a trip!

I am personally delighted to welcome new readers and followers, especially from overseas.

Yesterday the Blog had 1,377 hits.

	Country
	59.20%	United Kingdom
	15.00%	United States
	6.80%	Canada
	6.40%	Ireland
	5.20%	Australia
	1.00%	Turkey
	1.00%	New Zealand
	0.80%	France
	0.80%	Germany
	0.80%	Korea, Republic Of
	0.60%	Thailand
	0.40%	Japan
	0.40%	Philippines
	0.40%	Bulgaria
	0.20%	Malta
	0.20%	Denmark
	0.20%	Russian Federation
	0.20%	Italy
	0.20%	Mexico
	0.20%	Hong Kong

Thank you.

The Lady Faulkner of Downpatrick CBE, 1925-2012

2012-01-23T11:25:00.008Z

I am saddened to hear that Lucy, Lady Faulkner, the widow of Northern Ireland's last prime minister, the Right Honourable the Lord Faulkner of Downpatrick PC, has died. She was 87 years old.

Lucy Faulkner, nee Forsythe, married Brian Faulkner in 1952 after they met through their common interests of politics and hunting.

The couple had three children, a daughter and two sons, and lived at the Highlands estate, near Seaforde, County Down.

Lady Faulkner had worked as a Belfast Telegraph journalist before her marriage. She was also the first national governor of BBC Northern Ireland.

Lord Faulkner died as the result of a tragic equestrian accident in 1977.

She died peacefully at home with her three children, the Hon David, the Hon Michael and the Hon Clare at her bedside.

The Savoy Chapel

2012-01-23T08:41:00.001Z

The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty

The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy, off The Strand in London, has has long been associated with the Duchy of Lancaster.

The Chapel is the only building of a hospital founded by HENRY VII for homeless people in 1512.

This hallowed place of worship belongs to Her Majesty The Queen in Her Right as Duke of Lancaster. It is a ‘free’ chapel or ‘peculiar’, not falling within any bishop’s jurisdiction, though remaining firmly within the established Church.

The Chapel remains an important part of the Savoy Estate, the Duchy of Lancaster’s principal London land holding. It continues to provide spiritual service to the community, as it has done for nearly five hundred years.

The Savoy Chapel is also the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order, an Order of Chivalry within the Sovereign’s personal gift. By The Queen’s appointment, the present Chaplain is also Chaplain of the Order.

There are about fifteen recipients of the Order in Northern Ireland.

The expenses of the Chapel are borne by the sovereign, and collections are donated to charity.

Maintenance of this historic building remains the Duchy of Lancaster’s responsibility.

Work has commenced on a new development plan for the Chapel. The last extensions were constructed in 1957, with the creation of the ante-chapel, the royal Robing room and the Chaplain's office.

THE ROBING ROOM. IMAGE COURTESY OF ELLIOTT BROWN

This work will be improved and extended in a project which will last till June, 2012.

The royal Robing room will be enlarged.
There will be a new door from the retiring room into the newly-excavated semi-circular courtyard.
The present Chaplain's office will be divided into a new office for the Verger.
A new Chaplain's office will be created adjacent to the Verger's office, accessible to the courtyard.
The present ante-chapel will have windows opening on to the new courtyard.
The choir vestry will be refurbished.
There will be a new kitchen.

In the chapel itself, the wooden dais has been removed to reveal the earlier Victorian stone and patterned tile dais.

The chancel carpet has been removed to reveal the Victorian tiled floor, together with the brass memorials to two bishops, both of whom are buried in the churchyard.

Heraldic banners are being made for the Sovereign and the Grand Master of the Royal Victorian Order.

The brief was also for the re-landscaping of the Chapel in conjunction with a major development on the adjoining land. The vestries were re-roofed with copper; the churchyard re-landscaped, to form an oval lawn, path and stone border carved with an inscription recording the re-opening by Her Majesty the Queen.

Crowning Glory

2012-01-22T16:38:00.000Z

The crown has suffered a mishap. I have several. I was chewing a fruit pastille earlier, when the inevitable occurred. That is the second time it has come out.

Damn! I shall have to pay my dentist another visit. I was there last Thursday for a routine check-up. I have the little blighter in a sealed pouch.

My next field trip with the NT volunteers might well be to The Argory, County Armagh, next week.

House of Crichton

2012-01-22T12:51:00.001Z

This family is descended from a branch of the Creightons, Viscounts Frendraught, in Scotland, which title ceased with Lewis, the 5th Viscount, about 1690.

JOHN CREIGHTON, of Crom Castle, County Fermanagh, married Mary, daughter of Sir Gerald Irvine, of Castle Irvine, and was succeeded by his son,

ABRAHAM CREIGHTON, MP for County Fermanagh, who commanded a regiment of foot at Aghrim, in 1692. Colonel Creighton married Mary, daughter of the Rt Rev James Spotiswood, Lord Bishop of Clogher, and was succeeded by his only surviving son,

DAVID CREIGHTON, celebrated for his gallant defence, in 1689, of the family seat of Crom Castle, against a large body of the royal army (King James's).

Having repulsed the assailants, young Creighton made a sally, at the instant that a corps of Enniskilleners was approaching to the relief of the castle, which movement placed the besiegers between two fires, and caused dreadful slaughter.

This gentleman represented Enniskillen in parliament, and attaining the rank of major-general in the army, was appointed governor of the royal hospital of Kilmainham.

He was succeeded by his only son, ABRAHAM CREIGHTON, who was elevated to the Irish peerage, in 1768, as Baron Erne, of Crom Castle.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder surviving son JOHN, 2nd Baron, who was advanced to the dignity of Viscount Erne, in 1781; and created EARL OF ERNE, in 1789.

Ashcroft Contribution

2012-01-22T09:17:00.001Z

I salute Michael Ashcroft for his generous offer to donate £5 million towards a new royal yacht to commemorate Her Majesty's diamond jubilee.

The Right Honourable Michael Anthony [Ashcroft], Baron Ashcroft KCMG, was created a life peer in 2000.

Lord Ashcroft, a former Conservative Party deputy chairman, has said he will contribute the money to the charitable trust trying to raise £100m to build a national flagship.

The trust is University of the Oceans; the project, FSP21.

Rear-Admiral David Bawtree CB DL (Rtd), the chairman of the trust, said he hoped Lord Ashcroft's move would encourage others to come forward and donate.

In a statement on his website, Lord Ashcroft said:

The murmurings this week of a privately financed replacement for Britannia are hugely heartening, even if there is a very long way to go to make this happen. But I would like to be one of the first to offer tangible support to the concept, by offering up to £5m towards the construction costs of building a new, effective and flexible royal yacht.

The proposed vessel – 650ft long and as tall as St Paul's Cathedral – would provide education and vocational training for young people, facilities for scientific research, and a venue for trade missions and commercial exhibitions as well as staterooms for the use of the Royal Family on trips around the United Kingdom and overseas.

Lord Ashcroft added that the new vessel could be used by other members of the Royal Family.

The Prime Minister has offered his support to the project, and in a letter to the Admiral Bawtree in October described it as a "splendid idea".

David Cameron's official spokesman said this week that he would "react favourably" to requests for government assistance but believed it would be "inappropriate" for taxpayers' money to be used.

Portavo Revisited

2012-01-21T16:19:00.001Z

The old lungs have been invigorated by abundant fresh Ulster air this week. I spent the day at the National Trust's land beside Portavo again today. This land was bequeathed to the Trust by a gentleman in his will.

There were about two dozen of us and we managed to plant 1,500 trees, which totals 2,000 this week. There are another 5,000 to plant. The field was akin to a rugger pitch today, abounding in mud. Nevertheless, the ash trees will thrive here, complemented by oak at a lower level; interspersed with a mixture of other varieties.

Sir Norman Stronge Bt

2012-01-21T08:35:00.005Z

DEDICATED TO THE ESTEEMED AND ILLUSTRIOUS MEMORY OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR CHARLES NORMAN LOCKHART STRONGE, BARONET, MC JP, AND HIS ONLY SON, JAMES MATTHEW STRONGE ESQ, BRUTALLY MURDERED ON THIS DAY IN 1981

I first had the privilege of meeting Sir Norman Stronge (1894-1981) after a concert in the late seventies, when I was still a teenager. I was at the local British Legion Festival of Remembrance, taking place at the County Hall near Ballymena in County Antrim - it was usually held at the Ulster Hall in Belfast but, due to "the Troubles", took place at the County Hall for a few years.

Sir Norman was an old man by then, tall and distinguished with a good head of grey hair; upright with a benign smile; distinguished-looking and wearing a double-breasted chalk-stripe suit.

He always wore a neatly clipped moustache. Sir Norman struck me as being a true gentleman from a previous era, ~~rarely~~ never encountered today.

Sir Norman had had an illustrious life and career. The baronetcy was first created in 1803, and Sir Norman was the 8th Baronet.

He served as Lord Lieutenant of County Armagh from 1939 till his death in 1981 under two successive monarchs, including GEORGE VI; and sat as a member of the NI House of Commons from 1938-69, including a spell as Speaker from 1945-69.

The late Douglas Deane OBE recalls Sir Norman's passion for wildlife at Tynan Abbey:

He went to live and farm at Tynan Abbey in 1928 and always his interest was in wild things; often he told me about the wildfowl which visited the lake in winter; the groups of Bewick swans; the flocks of white-fronted geese... he showed me an incubating woodcock, hidden in a pool of brown leaves by the edge of the main drive at Tynan and told me that his gamekeeper had seen a woodcock carry one of its young, held between its legs, from an open patch in the woods in to cover; and many times had watched a woodcock feed its young in the same fashion as pigeons.
Every year Sir Norman would invite me to Tynan to see the azaleas in colour and the seas of bluebells in the woods and always there was talk of butterflies, painted ladies, peacock and the rest.

Mr Deane continues:

Sir Norman was the envy of his friends, being an excellent shot. He would often finish a day's shooting with close to 200 pigeons...his cousin, Sir Basil Brooke [1st Viscount Brookeborough], had the edge on him and always seemed to finish the day with more.

Tynan Abbey, County Armagh, was built in 1750 and enlarged in the Tudor-Gothic style around 1820-30. It had an imposing two-storey entrance front, battlemented and pinnacled; a battlemented central tower and doorway too, with pointed Gothic windows.

Originally, the estate extended to some 8,000 acres.

One quiet Wednesday evening at around nine o'clock, 21st January, 1981, Sir Norman - by now in his 87th year - and his son, James, were having a quiet drink in the library of Tynan Abbey following their dinner, when they heard a loud explosion in close proximity.

Unknown to them, a gang of heavily-armed men had been stalking out the Abbey and its grounds earlier and the explosion had been caused by a hand-grenade thrown at the heavy, wooden front door.

The Stronges would have had a reasonable idea, by this stage, that they were being attacked. He kept a flare nearby, and opened the window to fire it in an attempt to alert others to the grave situation.

As it happened, a police patrol did notice the flare but, by that stage, it was too late.

The gang quickly located Sir Norman and his son in the library and opened fire on them, at point blank range, brutally killing them instantaneously.

The gang then placed fire-bombs throughout Tynan Abbey and made their escape in a southerly direction into the relatively safe jurisdiction of the Irish Republic.

The great mansion, and its priceless contents, was utterly destroyed; indeed, its ruinous shell had to be demolished later because it was unsafe.

Although there ensued a ferocious gun-battle with the police, the gang fled. I'd only wish to conclude by quoting from a small article by Turtle Bunbury:

We stopped first in the village of Tynan to view the High Cross, a replica of which now surmounts Bourke and Anne Cochrane's grave in New York. We could just make out some images - perhaps Shadrach and his brothers hot-stepping it on fire-coals, maybe Adam and Eve contemplating a serpent.

The Church where the Stronges are buried stands close by. The last baronet, Sir Norman Stronge, and his son, James, were murdered by the Provisional IRA in 1981.
Sir Jack, who knew them both, says father and son were quietly watching TV when a hand grenade blew their front door of its hinges. Sir Norman managed to let off a flare but the police got there too late.

The two men were machine gunned to death and the house burned down. The perpetrators all met unhappy ends - either shot by their own comrades or captured and incarcerated.

My father and I attended their funeral at Tynan parish church. I remember the Duke of Abercorn wearing a heavy, tweed, raglan overcoat. Notwithstanding the passing of so many years, this vile act has continued to stick in my memory. The mere thought of such a heinous atrocity still deeply saddens me to this very day.

Kilboy House

2012-01-20T12:20:00.001Z

THE PRITTIE FAMILY, BARONS DUNALLEY, WERE THE THIRD LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TIPPERARY, WITH 21,081 ACRES

The founder of this noble family in Ireland was COLONEL HENRY PRITTIE who, for his loyalty and eminent services to the crown, during the civil wars, had a grant, or confirmation, from CHARLES II, of Dunalley Castle, and other estates in County Tipperary, by Patent, in 1678.

Colonel Prittie was a captain in the Kentish Regiment of Horse, New Model Army. He gained the rank of Major in 1649 in Cromwell's New Regiment of Horse; was High Sheriff of County Carlow in 1650; Governor of Carlow in 1652; High Sheriff of County Tipperary in 1659.

The grandson of this gentleman, HENRY PRITTIE, sustained a siege of twenty-one days, in his castle of Dunalley, against the disbanded soldiers of of the royal army of JAMES II after the battle of the Boyne; but the besiegers at length entering, Mr Prittie was flung headlong from the top of the castle, however miraculously escaped unhurt.

His great-grandson, also named HENRY PRITTIE, was MP for Banagher, 1767-68; MP for Gowran, 1769-76; High Sheriff of County Tipperary, 1770; MP for County Tipperary, 1776-90.

Mr Prittie was elevated to the Irish peerage by the title of BARON DUNALLEY on 31 July 1800. His lordship died in 1801.

Henry Francis Cornelius Prittie, 7th and present Lord Dunalley, lives in Oxfordshire.

A note in the Dunalley Papers records the sale of the Kerry estate of this family to the Crosbies in 1742 for £1,500.

Kilboy House, near Nenagh, County Tipperary, was a mid to late 18th century house built for Henry Prittie MP, afterwards 1st Lord Dunalley, to the design of William Leeson.

LORD DUNALLEY AND PARTY STANDING ON THE STEPS OF KILBOY HOUSE

It had three storeys over a basement; a five-bay entrance front with a central pediment; and four large, engaged Doric columns. The top storey was treated as an attic above the cornice. Five bay side elevation.

The mansion was burnt in 1922 and afterwards rebuilt minus the top storey.

About 1955 the house was demolished and a single-storey house in a Georgian style was built over the original basement.

Dunalley arms courtesy of European Heraldry.

Bentley Convertible

2012-01-20T09:32:00.002Z

I was motoring along the carriageway yesterday, towards Portavo, when a large Bentley Continental convertible wafted past. The hood was down; the chap driving it, follicly challenged. It was white and I believe the registration number was NXI 8.

That's the first Bentley convertible I've seen on Ulster's roads recently.

The Countess of Wessex

2012-01-20T07:00:00.004Z

Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex GCVO is 47 today.

HRH's formal styles are: Her Royal Highness The Princess Edward Antony Richard Louis, Countess of Wessex, Viscountess Severn.

HRH received the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II in 2004, and was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 2010.

When the Prince of Wales accedes to the throne, The Countess of Wessex shall become Baroness Greenwich, Countess of Merioneth and Duchess of Edinburgh.

Portavo Plantation

2012-01-19T17:09:00.004Z

We are planting a brand new broadleaf woodland on a field beside Portavo reservoir, in the townland of Balloo Lower, County Down. This spot is close to Orlock.

Six of us spent the day there and we managed to plant five hundred ash saplings; however, this will be a mixed wood and we shall plant oak, cherry and some Scots pine.

The field is about eight acres in extent; the total plantation will comprise not less than seven thousand trees.

We will assemble with the Woodland Trust on Saturday morning again, in order to plant the remainder. Everybody is welcome. We meet at about ten o'clock.

Oh, and I had ham and beetroot relish sandwiches today!

Earl of Belmore

2012-01-19T08:45:00.006Z

JOHN LOWRY, esq, sprung from an ancient Scottish family, migrated to Ulster, and settled at Ahenis, County Tyrone. It is stated that Mr Lowry died, in 1689, at the siege of Derry.

Mr Lowry wedded twice. His second wife was Miss Mary Buchanan, a Scottish lady, and they had seven children, of whom,

ROBERT LOWRY (d 1729), the successor to his father, of Ahenis, married Anne, daughter of the Rev James Sinclair, of Hollyhill, and had issue,

GALBRAITH LOWRY (1706-69), thrice elected knight of the shire for Tyrone. He married Sarah, 2nd daughter and co-heir of John Corry Esq. His son and heir,Mr Lowry was succeeded by his son,

ARMAR LOWRY esq, MP for County Tyrone, who assumed the additional surname and arms of CORRY, and was elevated to the Irish peerage, in 1781, as Baron Belmore, of Castle Coole, County Fermanagh.

His lordship was further advanced, in 1789, to the dignity of Viscount Belmore; and, in 1797, created EARL OF BELMORE.

By his first marriage, in 1772, to Lady Margaret Butler, daughter of the Earl of Carrick, he had an only surviving heir,

SOMERSET, 2nd Earl. Born 1774; married Juliana, 2nd daughter of Henry Earl of Carrick; Governor-General of Jamaica. Succeeded by his son and heir,

ARMAR, 3rd Earl. Born 1801; Fermanagh MP.

Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore (1835–1913)
Armar Lowry-Corry, 5th Earl Belmore (1870–1948)
Cecil Lowry-Corry, 6th Earl Belmore (1873–1949)
Galbraith Armar Lowry-Corry, 7th Earl Belmore (1913–1960)
John Armar Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl Belmore (b. 1951)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, John Armar Galbraith Lowry-Corry, Viscount Corry (b 1985).

Belmore arms courtesy of European Heraldry

Earldom of Clanbrassil

2012-01-18T14:40:00.003Z

The Earldom of Clanbrassil was created twice.

In 1622, Sir James Hamilton was created Viscount Claneboye in the Peerage of Ireland. The 2nd Viscount, of the same name, was created Earl of Clanbrassil in 1647.

On the death of the 2nd Earl in 1675, both titles became extinct.

However, in 1719, another James Hamilton was created Viscount Limerick and Baron Claneboye, and EARL OF CLANBRASSIL in 1756.

On the death of the 2nd Earl in 1798, the Earldom became extinct once again.

The life and career of James Hamilton is already 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.

He was also a privy counsellor.

In about 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 Visocunt 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.

The Rowan-Hamilton family still lives at Killyleagh Castle in County Down and they are related to James Hamilton.

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, the titles became extinct. The family seat was Tollymore Park in County Down.

Clanbrassil arms courtesy of European Heraldry.