Stameen, Mornington, Co Meath
Mark Bence-Jones. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London.
“(Cairnes/IFR) A two storey Victorian house with a central pediment-gable on one front, and a similar gable on a projection at the end of the side elevation. The pediment-gables have broken base-mouldings; below them are triple windows. At one side of the central feature in the front is a single-storey projection. The front is prolonged by a bay slightly set back, and then by a lower two storey service wing. Eaved roof on bracket cornice.”
Stameen House is located in the southern suburbs of Drogheda and in the townland of the same name which is in the parish of Colpe, Co. Meath. Bence-Jones described Stameen as a two storey Victorian house while Casey and Rowan describe it as an Italianite house. The hall has a window with the Cairns coat of arms. The date of construction is unclear with Rowan and Hamilton suggesting 1870.
Stameen House was acquired by William Cairnes in the 1820s. The Cairns family originally came from Scotland. Alexander Cairns settled in Donegal. In 1779 John Elliot Cairnes of Saville Lodge, Co. Tyrone, married Catherine, daughter and heiress of John Moore, of Moore Hall, Co. Down. Catherine was a very determined and single minded lady and was described as being “strong in her prejudices and in her determination to have her own way.” She had her favourites among her children, adoring her daughter Anne and son, George, but disliking William, who was born in 1796 and was left only 5s. in her will. She strongly opposed William’s decision to go into business.
William became a partner with Mr. Woolsey in the Castlebellingham before establishing his own Drogheda Brewery at the Marsh Road in 1825. It had formerly been Tandy’s Brewery. William married Marianne Woolsey of Priorsland, co. Louth and they had a large family.
William Elliott Cairnes of Killyfaddy, Co. Tyrone acquired Stameen in 1825. John McGrane had erected a house at Stameen, called “Cotton Hall.” William Cairns purchased it after McGrane died and he commissioned Caldbeck of Dublin to re-design and extend the house.
William had three sons, John Elliot, William and Thomas. John became professor of Political Economy and Jurisprudence in Queen’s University, Galway. William served as a Major in the army and married Isabella, only daughter of John Jameson.
William died about 1864 and was succeeded by his son, Thomas Plunkett Cairnes. He united the Drogheda and Castlebellingham breweries into a public company which floated on the stock exchange. He became governor of the Bank of Ireland. He endowed a number of community building projects in Drogheda and even has a wing in the Rotunda Hospital named in his honour. Thomas founded the Cairnes Trust which built a number of houses for ‘the working classes’ in various districts of Drogheda. Thomas Plunket Cairnes, was named after his godfather, Rev. Thomas Plunket afterwards bishop of Tuam. Thomas became owner of the business after the death of his father. Thomas Plunket was High Sheriff of county Louth in 1886. In 1876 Thomas held 1175 acres in County Meath with John E. Cairnes holding 761 acres and William H. Cairnes holding 259 acres. His sister married John Jameson of the distilling family. He died in 1893 aged 63 years.
Stameen became the property of his son, William Plunkett Cairnes. He was chairman of Cairnes Brewers, chairman of the Great Northern Railway and governor of the Bank of Ireland. He died in 1925. His son, William Jameson Cairnes was killed in 1918 during the First World War. An infantry officer with the Leinster Regiment, William Jameson Cairnes joined the Royal Flying Corps in Egypt and became a Flying Officer on 6 November 1916. He was promoted to Captain on 20 December 1916. Lieutenant Colonel Tom Algar Eliot Cairnes, the son of Thomas Plunket Cairnes, was born in 1888 and he succeeded to Stameen in 1925. Tom served with the 7th Dragoon Guards and the RAF and survived the First World War. He was decorated with the award of Companion, Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) in 1917. Tom served with the RAF in the Second World War. He died in November 1960 aged 72.
In 1961 after the “Colonel” died the property was sold. His son, William David Elliott, served in the Irish Guards and lived at Boltown Hall. Purchased by the Larkin family of Newry it was converted into the Stameen House Hotel.
In 1968 the house was purchased by Swiss hotelier, Willi Widmer, turned into a luxury hotel and re-named the Boyne Valley Hotel. The hotel was re-developed in the 1990s by the McNamara family.
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