Tuesday 19 March 2024

Hockley Lodge

THE VISCOUNTS CHARLEMONT WERE THE LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ARMAGH, WITH 20,695 ACRES

The settlement of this noble family in Ireland took place in the reign of ELIZABETH I, when the Rt Hon Sir Toby Caulfeild, a distinguished and gallant soldier, was employed in that part of Her Majesty's dominions against the formidable Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.

James, 1st Earl of Charlemont KP (National Portrait Gallery)

THE HON HENRY CAULFEILD (1779-1862), third but second surviving son of James, 1st Earl of Charlemont KP, and Mary, daughter of Thomas Hickman, of Brickhill, County Clare, married, in 1819, Elizabeth Margaret, daughter of Dodwell Browne, of Rahins, County Mayo, and had issue,
JAMES MOLYNEUX, 3rd Earl of Charlemont;
Henry William (1822-67);
Margaret Zoe.
Mr Caulfeild, of Hockley Lodge, County Armagh, was High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1832, MP for County Armagh, 1802-7, 1815-18, and 1820-30.

Hockley Lodge (Buildings of County Armagh)

HOCKLEY LODGE, near RICHHILL, County Armagh, is described in the Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837, thus:
"Adjoining CASTLE DILLON is Hockley Lodge, the seat of the Hon Henry Caulfeild, brother of Lord Charlemont, an elegant modern residence, containing some stately apartments and an extensive and valuable library."
There was a house here dating from the 1770s, set within a demesne, with wider parkland, and many fine trees in the area immediately around the house.

The present building is thought to date from about 1820.

Other features include an ice house, a horse pond and a walled garden.

In 1871 Hockley demesne extended to 292 acres.

Hockley Lodge (Image: Atlas World)

Mark Bence-Jones characterizes Hockly Lodge as "a Regency house of one storey over a high basement built ... onto an older two-storey structure."

The entrance front has a Tuscan porch with stone steps leading up to it; while the southern elevation has protruding pavilions at each end.

The Hon Henry Caulfeild died in 1862, and his widow, Elizabeth, survived him until her death in 1878.

Hockley was thereafter leased to James Henry Stronge (later the RT HON SIR JAMES STRONGE Bt); Captain George D Beresford; and, in 1908, to James Wilson.

Thomas Henry Mowbray Leader (1885-1951) purchased Hockley Lodge in 1932.

Mr Leader, formerly of Dromagh and Rosnalee, County Cork, Game Warden, British Columbia, had served in the First World War with the North Irish Horse, and as a captain in the Royal Tank Corps.

He married, in 1924, his first cousin, Frances Margaret Alice (Hockey Lodge, Armagh), eldest daughter of the RT HON HENRY BRUCE ARMSTRONG, and had issue.

Hockley Lodge was finally sold, in 1983, to the Elim Pentecostal Church for use as a private nursing home, which it remains to this day.

Middle Lodge, Hockley, 2018 (Images: UAHS)

Hockley used to have three gate lodges (Main, Drumilly, and Middle), all dating from about 1836: of which the middle lodge was a building at risk in 2018.

First published in February, 2022. 

Monday 18 March 2024

Kinlough House

THE JOHNSTONS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LEITRIM, WITH 14,395 ACRES


ROBERT JOHNSTON (1768-1843), of Kinlough House, County Leitrim, and 23 Mountjoy Square, Dublin, married Florence, daughter of Henry Rathborne, of Dunsinea, County Dublin, and had, with other issue,
WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Henry (Ven.), Archdeacon of Elphin;
St George Robert.
The eldest son,

WILLIAM JOHNSTON JP (1814-88), of Kinlough House and Mountjoy Square, High Sheriff of County Leitrim, 1850, wedded, in 1856, Sarah Jane, daughter of the Rev William Percy, Rector of Carrick-on-Shannon, and had issue,
JAMES, his heir;
Florence Elizabeth; Sophia Mary;
Emma Caroline; Lucy Katherine.
Mr Johnston was succeeded by his son,

JAMES JOHNSTON JP DL (1858-), of Kinlough House, High Sheriff of County Leitrim, 1884, who married, in 1890, Rebecca Ceely, daughter of Maurice Ceely Maude, of Lenaghan Park, County Fermanagh, and had issue,
William James, 1891-3;
ROBERT CHRISTOPHER, b 1896.
I have been unable to find much information relating to the Johnstons of Kinlough.



KINLOUGH HOUSE, originally known as Oakfield House, was the seat of the Johnston family in the early 18th century.

It was remodelled in the 1820s by Robert Johnston, who renamed it Kinlough House.

In 1943 the Irish Tourist Association Survey recorded that the house had been destroyed by fire twenty years earlier, but that the gardens were still open to the public.

Housing development is occurring on the site, adjacent to the walled garden.

It was a five-bay, two-storey over basement house, built ca 1800 by Robert Johnston; now ruinous.


Its roof has been removed.

There were two ashlar chimney-stacks with string courses; sandstone walls with ruled-and-lined render; and tooled limestone quoins and string course.

It had a Doric portico to the façade, with tripartite window and pediment above.

Segmental-arched openings to basement with cast-iron railings.

Although this impressive former country house now lies in ruins, the grandeur and elegance of the building still survives.

Detailing such as the flower motif to the tripartite window contributes to the artistic quality of the house.

First published in March, 2012.   Sir James (Jim) Kilfedder MP (1928-1995) was born at Kinlough, County Leitrim.

Cecil Manor

THE GERVAISES OWNED 7,727 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY TYRONE 


JEAN GERVAIS, of Tournon, Guyenne, France, married Anne Fabre, and had two sons,
PIERRE, of whom we treat;
DANIEL.
After their parents' death, and while still children, they fled with an uncle following the revocation of the edict of Nantes, and settled in England.

In 1710, DANIEL, the younger, was naturalized, and subsequently became a captain in the Army and gentleman usher to Queen Anne.

He wedded Pauline Belagnier, daughter of the minister of the French protestant church, Dublin, but dsp.

Daniel's brother, elder son of Jean Gervais, 

PIERRE GERVAIS, espoused, in 1717, Marie Françoise Girard, and died in 1730, having had three sons, the eldest of whom,

PETER GERVAIS (1722-1800), Collector of Revenue, Armagh, wedded, in 1763, Elizabeth, fourth daughter of the REV SAMUEL CLOSE, of Elm Park, County Armagh.

Peter Gervais, Photo Credit: Armagh County Museum

They both died in 1800, leaving issue,
FRANCIS, his heir;
Mary Anne, m Rev D Kelly;
Elizabeth, m Captain John Winder.
The only son,

THE REV FRANCIS GERVAIS JP (1764-1849), of Cecil, Rector of Tartaraghan, Carlingford, married, in 1807, Katherine Jane, daughter of Michael Tisdall, of Charlesfort, County Meath, and had issue,
FRANCIS JOHN, his heir;
Elizabeth; Catherine; Juliana Henrietta.
Francis Gervais (1764-1849), Photo Credit: Armagh County Museum

The only son,

FRANCIS JOHN GERVAIS JP DL (1819-82)), of Cecil Manor, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1846, wedded, in 1852, Annie Catherine, eldest daughter of the Rev John Richardson Young, of Kilmarron Rectory, County Monaghan, and had issue,
FRANCIS PETER, his heir;
Katherine Mary; Frances Elizabeth Haton.
Francis John Gervais, Photo Credit: Armagh County Museum

The only son,

Francis Peter Gervais, Photo Credit: Armagh County Museum

FRANCIS PETER GERVAIS JP DL (1858-1918), of Cecil Manor, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1902, a barrister,

Mrs Georgina Frances Gervais, Photo Credit: Armagh County Museum 

married, in 1884, Georgina Frances Dalrymple, daughter of James Gilmour, of Warren Hill, County Londonderry, and had issue,
DOROTHY, born ca 1886.
Click to Enlarge

CECIL MANOR, near Augher, County Tyrone, was a rather austere three-storey, early 19th century block, probably attributed to William Farrell.

It was built ca 1830 for the Rev Francis Gervais, who had purchased the estate from the Cairnes family in 1811.

The windows were set wide apart in the solid expanses of wall.

Its entrance front had a Classical porch, prolonged by a wing of the same height.

There was a slightly overhanging roof with a bracket cornice; and chimney-stacks grouped together in a long line.

The mansion, originally called Saville Lodge, is now demolished.

I'm seeking more images of Cecil Manor.


The demesne had four gate lodges, of which two seem to have survived, albeit in a parlous state.

This was formerly a fine demesne on the lower slopes of Knockmany.

There is still an avenue of Douglas Fir and forest planting, and a lake.

A garden house is at the site of a formerly productive garden.

There was a boys and girls school, on Erasmus Smith's foundation, endowed with two acres of land by the Rev Francis and Mrs Gervais, who, in conjunction with the trustees of that charity, built the schoolhouse.

Much of the estate is now part of the Northern Ireland Forest Service's Knockmany Forest.

Former London residence  ~ 2 Strathmore Gardens.

First published in September, 2010.

Sunday 17 March 2024

Chapel of the Resurrection

The Chapel, with Belfast Castle in the background (picture post card)

THE CHAPEL OF THE RESURRECTION, 21, Innisfayle Park, Belfast, was constructed between 1865-69 in the Gothic-Revival style as a mortuary chapel for the 3rd Marquess of Donegall.


This charming little chapel predates Belfast Castle, which was constructed in 1868-70.

The late Sir Charles Brett remarked that the 3rd Marquess found his previous dwelling of Ormeau House an ‘ill-constructed residence’, and Lord Donegall himself wrote that his estate was "under a disadvantage for want of a more suitable family residence.’

Despite being in constant debt, Lord Donegall decided to construct a new mansion house on lands he still owned in the deer park to the north of Belfast.

The Donegall family chapel, designed by Lanyon, Lynn & Lanyon, was built as a mortuary chapel that served as a memorial to the 3rd Marquess's son Frederick Richard, Earl of Belfast, who had died prematurely in 1853.

The chapel was not only a memorial to their son, but was also to be used as a burial place for members of the Chichester family (who had heretofore been interred at Carrickfergus).

The Chapel of the Resurrection was consecrated on the 20th December, 1869, by the Rt Rev Dr Robert Knox, Lord Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore.

The Natural Stone Database records that the chapel was constructed with locally-quarried Scrabo sandstone, with Portland limestone used as a secondary material.


The interior of the chapel originally possessed a white marble monument to Lord Belfast which depicted him on his deathbed (sculpted by Patrick McDowell).

Following the completion of the site, the remains of Lord Belfast were moved to the Chapel of the Resurrection and interred in its vault.

It is said that the chapel was converted into a private chapel for the use of the owners and occupants of the Castle in 1891.

The conversion of the building included the decoration of the interior and the addition of an altar, reading-desk, organ and stained-glass windows.

The refurbishment of the interior was carried out by Cox & Sons, London, and Buckley's of Youghal, County Cork.

The church organ was built by Wordsworth of Leeds.

Following the death of the 3rd Marquess in 1883, Belfast Castle and its estate passed to his son-in-law, Anthony Ashley-Cooper (styled Lord Ashley), later 8th Earl of Shaftesbury, who had married the Lady Harriet Chichester in 1857.

The Shaftesbury family continued to own Belfast Castle until 1934, when the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury granted the building and the 200 acre estate to Belfast Corporation.

The Shaftesburys are thought to have continued using the chapel for private and semi-private services thereafter, even though they had no need of it, as they could worship in an Oratory located inside the Castle itself; but during the 1st World War services in the chapel were discontinued, except very occasionally.

Having been utilised as a private dwelling for only 65 years, Belfast Castle was granted to Belfast Corporation on 1st February 1935.

Lord Shaftesbury retained the chapel until 1938, when it was transferred to the Church of Ireland.

Brian Barton remarks that the chapel effectively became the responsibility of St Peter’s parish church from that year.

The first public service was held at the Chapel of the Resurrection on the 18th September, 1938.

The building suffered minor damage during the Belfast Blitz, and repairs were subsequently carried out to the damaged roof and windows.

The chapel continued to be used regularly for services between 1938 and the 1960s; due to the decline in church attendance, however, the change in the make-up of the local population and the vandalism of the building (following the development of post-war housing around it in the 1950s and 1960s), regular services were abandoned in 1965.

The last service was held on the 27th august, 1972.

(Timothy Ferres, 2014)

The congregation of St Peter’s endeavoured to maintain the chapel, but by 1974 recurrent acts of vandalism had forced the Select Vestry to remove all furnishings from the building and to sell the organ to a rural church.

By the 1980s the church had fallen into an advanced state of disrepair and was curtailed behind a barbed-wire fence.

In 1982 the vaults beneath the chapel were vandalised and the remaining tombs (the remains of the Chichester family) desecrated by vandals.

Sadly the chapel has continued to lie vacant since the 1970s.

In 2007-08 holding repairs were carried out to the chapel, which included repairs to its roof, the restoration of its roof trusses and the cleaning of its stonework.

The restoration aimed to make the chapel safe and restrict further acts of vandalism; all openings and doors were blocked up.

Some of the original furnishings of the chapel survive at St Peter’s parish church, Antrim Road, Belfast.

In a side chapel of St Peter's (opened in 2000; named the Chapel of the Resurrection) are a number of artefacts from the derelict chapel, including its reredos, the altar, a number of statues, the credence table and the original lectern.

(Timothy Ferres, 2014)

The chapel has a heavily-pitched, natural slate roof, with masonry cross finial to gabled façade and metal cross finial to apse.

Rock-faced masonry walls have cut-stone dressings, including string-courses and stepped buttresses.

Pointed arch window openings to nave have tracery, forming a bipartite arrangement.

There is a rose window at the gabled façade, and trefoil-arch openings to belfry.

(Timothy Ferres, 2014)

A pointed arched door opening is set within a cusped and sprocketed, gabled surround.

The chapel's interior was of great beauty and charm.

Two effigies or statues of Lord Belfast, one of which was a life-size representation in pure white marble of him on his death-bed, his mother holding his right hand; the other, a plaster statue of the young nobleman.

Both are now in Belfast City Hall.

First published in February, 2014.  See the Mausolea & Monuments Trust.

Saturday 16 March 2024

Upper Crescent, Belfast

Upper Crescent in 2014

Lower Crescent and Upper Crescent, both in the University Quarter of south Belfast, have inspired me since childhood.

Lower Crescent, which runs from 4 University Road to Botanic Avenue, is to the north of the Upper Crescent; whereas Upper Crescent runs from 28 University Road to Crescent Gardens.

Most of the 2nd Marquess of Donegall's Belfast estate was sold in the early to mid-19th century, thereby freeing large areas of land around the town for development.

The lands to the south, along the Malone Ridge, were particularly attractive to developers, and fostered the construction of many fine late Georgian-style terraces from the mid 1830s onwards, a trend accelerated by the establishment of the prestigious Queen's College (Queen's University) in the area, in the later 1840s.

13-15 Upper Crescent in 2014

These new, grand terraces were occupied by the city's professional and business classes, who vacated their older residences in the centre of the town (like College Square North); which, in turn, eventually became shops and offices.

Upper Crescent was perhaps the grandest terrace development undertaken in south Belfast.

This was an elegantly curving row of three-storey dwellings in a late Regency style, built in 1846 by the timber merchant Robert Corry.

It has been suggested that the celebrated Belfast architect Sir Charles Lanyon may have been involved in the design of the crescents.

Corry himself undertook the building work and took up residence at 16 Upper Crescent.

For the first few years of its existence it was known as Corry's Crescent.


To the immediate north of Upper Crescent, where Crescent Church now stands, there was a large, grassed area which formed part of Mr Corry's gardens.

Shortly after this plot was laid out, however, Corry had it ploughed up and used for the cultivation of vegetables (for the relief of local workers suffering as a result of the famine).

To the north of this garden ran an old water course; to the east, some smaller gardens (belonging to other residents of Upper Crescent); and further to the east and to the north-east, Albion Lane.

In 1852, Robert Corry built another terrace to the north of his garden and just south of the old water course.

This new development, called Lower Crescent, was much in the same vein as that to the south and was occupied by the same mix of professional and business men; though, by as early as 1860, the ground floors of some of the properties were utilized as offices.

In the late 1860s, a railway line was laid to the immediate north of Lower Crescent (along the line of the old water course).
In 1873, the large sandstone building, (originally Ladies Collegiate, later Victoria College), was added to the west end of the terrace, with two houses added to the east end by the end of the decade, the most easterly of which, Rivoli House, originally contained a dance academy run by a Frederick Brouneau.
The railway line cut across Albion Lane and presaged the laying out of a new, broader thoroughfare, to be named Botanic Avenue.

Upper Crescent was further extended in the 1860s and 70s, with two large William Hastings-designed properties erected to the west end in 1869, one of which, Crescent House (latterly a bank) also fronted on to University Road.

In 1878-79, two further houses were added at this end.

In 1885-7, a large Presbyterian church (the present Crescent Church) was erected to plans by the Glasgow architect, John Bennie Wilson, on the west side of Robert Corry's former garden, with a two-storey terrace, the present Crescent Gardens, built on the site of smaller garden plots to the east end in 1898.

During the first half of the 20th century, most of the properties of Upper and Lower Crescent, as well as Crescent Gardens, remained private residences.

By 1960, however, many had become businesses; while others were divided into flats, and Rivoli House (later Dreenagh House) became a hotel.

This trend continued and by the beginning of the 21st century none of the properties were occupied as private dwellings.

In the mid 1990s, three of the 1860-70 houses at the west end of Upper Crescent were demolished and a modern office block was built in their place.

In 2000, the railway cutting to the south of Lower Crescent was built over in preparation for a new development.

1 UPPER CRESCENT:
Originally named Crescent House, was built in 1869 to designs by William Hastings. Its original resident was Dr Wilberforce Arnold, whose family remained there until the early 1900s. The next occupant was Dr John Campbell, who was followed by a Dr William Campbell (presumably his son). Both Campbells (and possibly Dr Arnold before them) appear have used the University Road section of the property as a surgery. In the 1970s, the building was acquired by Queen's University and served as the University's Institute of Professional Legal Studies. In 2001-02 the property was converted to a branch of the Bank of Ireland (and practically rebuilt in the process), with half of the first floor and all of the second floor converted to offices, linked to the large modern office block to the east.
7 UPPER CRESCENT:
Built in 1849, occupied by Robert Workman, who remained there until the mid-1850s, when he was followed by John Coates, secretary of the County Antrim Grand Jury. By 1860, the building was in the hands of a John P Corry, a relative of the builder of the Crescent, Robert Corry. At this stage (according to valuation records), the ground floor was used as offices. James P Corry remained in residence until 1877, when he was succeeded by MrWilliam Dobbin. John Morrow, of the Ayr Steamship Company, is listed as the householder in 1899 and 1910; with P T Crymble in 1920. In the later 1920s, the property was acquired by a Miss Wallace, who remained there until the 1970s; and for part of this time used the premises as a nursing home. Thereafter the property was converted to offices. The current occupant acquired the building in 1983.
8 UPPER CRESCENT:
Occupied, in 1849, by a merchant named Edward Tucker, who was followed by the Rev William Patterson (Professor of Mathematics, Queen's College) in the early 1850s; Peter Keegan, wine merchant, in the later 1850s; James Glass from ca 1860-77; and then Mrs Shillington. In the 1899 directory, Robert Workman, Junior, is listed as the occupant; William Harper in 1910; Joseph Walsh, 1915-40s; then H M Hamilton; and Herbert Kearney. In the 1970s the property was converted to offices.
9 UPPER CRESCENT:
Mrs Grueber; followed in the mid 1850s by Professor Charles McDowell, who remained there until the early 1880s. In the 1899 and 1910 directories, a W H Ward (of the Ulster Damask & Linen Company) is listed as the occupant; with a Robert Robinson in 1920-30. By 1951, the property had become converted to offices, occupied firstly by the Forestry Division of the NI Department of Agriculture, and then by a firm of quantity surveyors.
10 UPPER CRESCENT:
Mrs Murdock in 1849; followed in the 1850s by James Green and then James P Corry (a relative of the above mentioned Robert). Corry was succeeded by Jane Vance, who remained there until the later 1870s. The next resident was Alexander Taylor; with a solicitor, J S Mahon, listed in the 1899 and 1910 directories. About 1918, the property was acquired by a family named Matthews, who remained there until the 1950s, when the building was converted into offices (financiers, then a travel agent).
11 UPPER CRESCENT:
James Greene, (1st clerk, Custom House); followed by Mrs Herdman; and, by 1860, William McNeill; and, by the late 1870s, James Festu. By 1899, the building was home to William Yates; then, pre-1920, the Rev William Beatty; and then T Bell, who remained there from the mid 1920s to the 1960s. By 1970 the property had been converted to an office.
12 UPPER CRESCENT:
Between 1849-1910/20, the house was occupied by Robert Boag, of Albion Clothing Company, possibly the same person, though likely a father and son. By 1920, it had become The Crescent Private Nursing Home, but had reverted to an conventional dwelling again by 1930, with Miss Mabel Simms in residence. Miss Simms remained there until at least 1960, but by 1970 the building had been converted to an office.
13 UPPER CRESCENT:
William Brown, of Day, Bottomley & Company, who, in the 1850s, leased the house to Mrs Esther Orr, who remained there until about 1880. The next occupant was James Hyndman; followed in the early 1900s by Mrs Cron. Mr E Matthews and his family remained there from the 1920s until the 1960s. By 1970, the house was being used by a group of elocution teachers, but appears to have reverted to a private dwelling in the late 1970s. The property appears to have become offices from the mid 1980s.
14 UPPER CRESCENT:
Mrs Dickey; Henry Smith, linen manufacturer, by 1852; and Jane Millford by 1860. The Rev W S Darley became resident in the later 1870s; with Mrs Thompson listed in the 1899 directory; William Galloway (damask designer) in 1920; and the Rev R H White in 1930. In the 1950s, this building and its two neighbours to the east (nos.15 & 16) served as the Ulster Nature Cure Clinic. In the 1960s all three were acquired by Queen's University and converted to student residences. It was probably at this point that the major internal changes to the buildings were carried out; however, it's not improbable that the earlier presence of the Ulster Nature Cure Clinic probably entailed some alterations, perhaps the creation of doorways between the formerly separate properties.
15 UPPER CRESCENT:
Robert Cassidy, solicitor, who remained here until about 1853, when he moved to the newly-built Lower Crescent; followed by the Rev Robert Wilson, whose family in turn were followed by Mr John Downing. By 1899, Mrs Manley was in residence; and by 1920 a "druggist" named John Clarke; Mrs Rankin, by 1930. A decade later the property served as a nursing home. In the 1950s, this building and its two neighbours to each side (nos.14 and 16) were the Ulster Nature Cure Clinic.
Sources: Henderson's Belfast Directory; Belfast & Province of Ulster Directory; ST Carleton, The Growth of South Belfast (QUB MA thesis, 1967); John Caughey, Seize Then The Hour: A history of James P Corry & Compnay (Belfast, 1974), pp.28-29; David Evans, Historic buildings of Queen's University (revised edition, 1980); Alison Jordan: Margaret Byers, Pioneer of Women's Education (QUB Institute of Irish Studies).

First published in March, 2014.

Friday 15 March 2024

Derrynoid Lodge

THE TORRENSES OWNED 4,844 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY

This family is reputed to have derived its descent from a noble house of Sweden. 

THOMAS TORRENS, a cavalry officer from Sweden who served in the army of WILLIAM III, resigned his commission and settled, about 1690, at Dungiven, County Londonderry.

He married and had issue,
Thomas, d 1735;
Henry, d 1755;
JOHN, of whom we treat;
Robert (Rev), Rector of Hervey Hill; father of Robert Torrens;
The third son,

THE REV JOHN TORRENS (1708-87), of Templemore, County Londonderry, Rector of Ballynascreen, 1722, Headmaster of Derry Diocesan School, 1734-5, Prebendary of Derry, 1747, Vicar-General of the Diocese of Derry, married firstly, in 1733, Anne, daughter of the Rev Roger Blackhall, headmaster of Derry Diocesan School, 1702-34, and had issue,
Roger, 1733-1804;
THOMAS, of whom presently;
Robert, b 1748;
Martha; Jane; Anne; Elizabeth.
Mr Torrens wedded secondly, in 1752, Elizabeth Fisher.

His second son,

THE REV THOMAS TORRENS (1741-79), of Londonderry, espoused, in 1765, Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Curry, and had issue,
John (Ven), Archdeacon of Dublin;
Samuel, captain, 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot;
ROBERT, of whom hereafter;
Henry (Sir), Major-General, KCB.
Major-General Sir Henry Torrens KCB

The Rev Thomas Torrens's third son,

ROBERT TORRENS (1775-1856), of Derrynoid Lodge, Draperstown, County Londonderry, was a senior judge, having been appointed, in 1823, a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland.

The Hon Mr Justice Torrens married, in 1809, his cousin Anne, daughter of Thomas Torrens, and had issue,
THOMAS FRANCIS, b 1810, died in Italy;
Robert Samuel (1818-51), captain, 42nd Regiment;
Samuel John (1825-46), died in Madeira;
HENRIETTA, of whom presently;
Ann, 1829-32.
Mr Justice Torrens's elder daughter,

HENRIETTA TORRENS (1819-57), espoused William, 1st Baron O'Neill, and had issue,
Edward, 2nd Baron O'Neill;
Arthur;
ROBERT TORRENS, of whom we treat;
Anne.
The Lady O'Neill died in 1857, and bequeathed the Derrynoid estate to her third son,

MAJOR THE HON ROBERT TORRENS O'NEILL (1845-1910), of Tullymore Lodge, County Antrim, who died unmarried.


DERRYNOID LODGE, near Draperstown, County Londonderry, was built ca 1809 for the Hon Mr Justice Torrens.

It was originally a thatched cottage though, about 1816, the house was extended and a slate roof was erected.

The Lodge was last inhabited before the start of the 2nd World War.

In 1952, Derrynoid Lodge suffered severe fire damage and was subsequently demolished.

*****

In 1995, with funding from the Department of Agriculture, International Fund for Ireland and the European Union, the former land steward’s house and other servants’ quarters were refurbished to form a striking sandstone frontage to the Derrynoid Centre.

THE DERRYNOID CENTRE is situated in 250 acres of secluded forest woodland, on the site of the Georgian manor house, Derrynoid Lodge.

It contains 40 en-suite bedrooms, an on-site restaurant & bar and leisure facilities.

Conference facilities include a multi-media lecture theatre which could accommodate 110 guests, and 8 fully equipped syndicate rooms.

Hobby & leisure courses, and training & consultancy services are available.

The Centre closed down, however, in March, 2011.

First published in March, 2014.

1st Baron Lurgan

THE BARONS LURGAN WERE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY ARMAGH, WITH 15,166 ACRES

JOHN BROWNLOW, of Epworth, in the Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire, removed to Ulster and settled in County Armagh, where he had a grant of Doughcoron (or Doughcarron) and other lands in the barony of ONeilland, 1610, which lands were erected into the manor of Doughcoron, with liberty to impark 450 acres in demesne.

This John Brownlow had (with two younger sons, John, died unmarried 1640, and Richard, died unmarried 1661) an eldest son and heir,

SIR WILLIAM BROWNLOW (1591-1661), Knight, of Doughcoron, who was knighted by Henry Cary, Viscount Falkland, Lord Deputy of Ireland, 1622.

He wedded Elinor, daughter and co-heir of John O'Dogherty, of Derry, County Armagh, and by her had three daughters, his co-heiresses,
LETTICE, of whom hereafter;
Rose; Eleanor.
Sir William died in 1661.

His eldest daughter,

LETTICE BROWNLOW, espoused firstly, Patrick Chamberlain, of County Louth, by whom she had a son, ARTHUR, devisee of his grandfather.

She married secondly, Christopher Clinton; thirdly, Alexander Aston; and fourthly, ________ Beversham.

Her son by her first husband,

ARTHUR CHAMBERLAIN (1645-1711), became heir to his maternal grandfather, and adopted the surname of BROWNLOW.

He was High Sheriff of County Armagh, 1668-9, MP for Armagh County, 1689-1711and wedded, about 1679, Jane, daughter of Sir Standish Hartstonge Bt, by whom he had, with other issue,
WILLIAM, his heir;
Anne, m Matthew Forde;
Lettice, m Robert Cope.
Mr Brownlow was succeeded by his eldest son, 

WILLIAM BROWNLOW (1683-1739), MP for Armagh County, 1711-39, who married, in 1712, the Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James, 6th Earl of Abercorn, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his heir;
Jane, died unmarried;
Elizabeth, m to John, Lord Knapton;
Anne; Mary; Isabella.
Mr Brownlow was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON WILLIAM BROWNLOW (1726-94), of Lurgan, MP for Armagh County, 1753-94, who married firstly, in 1754, Judith Letitia, eldest daughter of the Very Rev Charles Meredyth, Dean of Ardfert, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his heir;
CHARLES, heir to his brother.
He wedded secondly, in 1765, Catherine, daughter of Roger Hall, of Mount Hall, County Down, and had further issue,
James (1772-1832);
Francis (Rev), b 1779; m Catherine, 6th daughter of 8th Earl of Meath;
Catherine, m, in 1783, M Forde, of Seaforde;
Isabella, m, in 1796, Richard, 4th Viscount Powerscourt;
Elizabeth, m, in 1791, John, 4th Earl of Darnley;
Mary Anne, died unmarried 1791;
Frances Letitia, m, in 1800, John, 2nd Viscount de Vesci;
Selina; Louisa.
Mr Brownlow was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM BROWNLOW, who dsp 1815, and was succeeded by his brother,

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL CHARLES BROWNLOW (1757-1822), of Lurgan, who wedded, in 1785, Caroline, daughter and co-heir of Benjamin Ashe, of Bath, and had issue,
William, a military officer, killed in Spain, 1813;
CHARLES, of whom we treat;
John (Rev), b 1798;
Frederick, b 1800; army major;
George, b 1805; East India Company;
Henry, b 1807; East India Company;
Isabella, m, in 1818, R Macneill, of Barra;
Anna, m, in 1821, Col Maxwell Close, of Drumbanagher;
Mary, m, in 1822, Rev John F Close.
Colonel Brownlow was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON CHARLES BROWNLOW (1795-1847), of Lurgan, MP for County Armagh, 1818-32, who married firstly, in 1822, the Lady Mary Bligh, second daughter of John, 4th Earl of Darnley, by whom he had a daughter, Mary Elizabeth.

He wedded secondly, in 1828, Jane, fourth daughter of Roderick Macneill, of Barra, Inverness-shire, and had further issue,
CHARLES, his successor;
Edward;
Clara Anne Jane.
Mr Brownlow was elevated to the peerage, in 1839, in the dignity of BARON LURGAN, of Lurgan, County Armagh.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,

CHARLES, 2nd Baron (1831-82), KP, of Lurgan, Knight of St Patrick, who espoused, in 1853, Emily Anne, fourth daughter of John, 3rd Baron Kilmaine, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his successor;
John Roderick;
Francis Cecil, father of 5th Baron;
Mary Emily Jane; Clara Agnes; Louisa Helene; Isabella Anna;
Clementina Georgiana; Emmeline Harriet Annette.
His lordship, Lord-Lieutenant of County Armagh, 1864-82, was succeeded by his eldest son,

WILLIAM, 3rd Baron (1858-1937), KCVO, of Lurgan, State Steward to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, 1895-1905, who married, in 1893, the Lady Emily Julia Cadogan, eldest daughter of George, 5th Earl Cadogan, and had issue, an only child, 

WILLIAM GEORGE EDWARD, 4th Baron (1902-84), who wedded, in 1979, (Florence) May Cooper, widow of Eric Cooper, of Johnannesburg, South Africa, and daughter of Louis Francis Squire Webster, of Johannesburg.

His lordship died without issue, when the title reverted to his cousin,

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN DESMOND CAVENDISH, 5th Baron (1911-91), OBE.

The title expired following the death of the 5th Baron in 1991.


 *****      

UNDER the Plantation of Ulster, John Brownlow, of Nottingham, offered himself as an undertaker of land at Oneilland, County Armagh.
Brownlow stated Nottingham as his place of origin, his family's native city and where his father had served as Mayor; but he himself had actually been living in Epworth, Lincolnshire, and had only returned to Nottingham on his father's death to claim his inheritance.
He was granted the 'middle proportion' of Doughcoron in the barony of Oneilland by patent from JAMES I in 1610.

Doughcoron contained 1,500 acres and included many townlands.

In 1610, John Brownlow's son William was granted 1,000 acres by James I, the proportion of Ballynemony.

This land also lay on the southern shore of Lough Neagh, adjacent to his father's land, and stretched from the upper Bann eastward to Doughcoron.

With the death of John Brownlow, his son, William inherited his father's property; and in 1622 William was knighted by Lord Falkland, the lord deputy of Ireland.

The existing Brownlow estate was not only consolidating and prospering but also being extended, for on the death of Sir William Brownlow in 1660, he was succeeded by his grandson, Arthur Chamberlain, eldest son of Lettice Brownlow. 

Arthur Chamberlain assumed the surname of Brownlow as directed in the will of his grandfather Sir William Brownlow and resided in Brownlow's-derry.

Arthur Brownlow, alias Chamberlain, was a prudent manager and accumulated a considerable amount of money which he invested in other lands, chiefly in County Armagh were he acquired the manor of Richmount and thus became one of the largest property owners in the county.

Meanwhile throughout the 17th and 18th centuries the County Armagh Brownlow estate in the manors of Brownlowsderry and Richmound continued to prosper and with it the Brownlows, while Lurgan continued to grow as a town.

However, the changing political situation in Ireland, especially in regard to the land question, and the introduction of the Land Acts, meant the end of the great estate.

This, coupled with family financial crisis, forced the Brownlow family to sell off most of their remaining estate, including Brownlow House, in 1893. 

They moved to London, although maintaining their contact and links with the town and people of Lurgan.

The barony of Lurgan was created in 1839 for Charles Brownlow, MP for County Armagh.

His son, the 2nd Baron, joined the Liberal Party and became a government whip in the Upper House; and he was appointed a Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick (KP) in 1864.



The 2nd Lord Lurgan owned the celebrated greyhound, Master McGrath; and his brother-in-law was Mr Maxwell Close whose home, incidentally, was DRUMBANAGHER HOUSE, built to the design of William Playfair who also designed Brownlow House.

The barony expired in 1991, following the death of the 5th Baron.

Stained Glass Window at Brownlow House

BROWNLOW HOUSE, near Lurgan, County Armagh, is a large Elizabethan-Revival mansion, built by William Playfair about 1836.

This large mansion is built of a honey-coloured stone, with numerous gables and lofty finials; abundant tall chimney-pots; oriels crowned with strap-work; and a tower with a dome and lantern.


The walls of three main reception rooms are decorated with panels painted to look like verd-antique; the ceilings grained to resemble various woods.

The windows overlooking the great staircase boast heraldic stained glass.

Brownlow House was sold by the Lurgan family to the Orange Order in 1903.

The surrounding parkland is reputedly the largest public park in Northern Ireland.

The Brownlow Papers are held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

By 1883, the Brownlow estate was valued at £20,589 a year (£1.8 million today).

This consisted of the manors of Brownlowsderry and Richmount.

The memory of the Lurgan family lives on, in the form of a charitable trust.

First published in November, 2009.