Tullylagan Manor (New Hamburgh), Co Tyrone
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.
p. 277. “(Greer/IFR) Built ca 1830, two storeys over basement, which was subsequently excavated, so that it became in effect a ground foor. Three bay front; two storey projecting porch, with coupled pilasters on both storeys and large window with entablature in upper storey. Eaved roof on bracket cornice. Wing at side, originally one storey over basement, which became a ground floor as in the main block.”
see https://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2014/01/tullylagan-manor.html
THE GREERS OWNED 1,192 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY TYRONE
SIR JAMES GRIER (c1604-66), Knight, of Capenoch, Dumfriesshire, and Rock Hall, Alnwick, Northumberland, fifth son of Sir William Grier, succeeded his brother, John, in Capenoch.
This gentleman married Mary, daughter of the Rev John Browne, of Glencairn, first minister after the Reformation, and widow of Thomas Grier, of Bargarg Tower, Dumfriesshire.
His eldest son,
HENRY GRIER (c1625-c1675), of Rock Hall, and afterwards of Redford, near Grange, County Tyrone, came to Ulster in 1653.
He married, in 1652, Mary Turner, of Northumberland, and had issue,
JAMES;
Robert;
Thomas.
Mr Grier, who joined the Society of Friends (Quakers) ca 1660, was succeeded by his eldest son,
JAMES GREER (1653-1718), of Liscorran, County Armagh, who wedded, in 1678, Eleanor, daughter and co-heir of John Rea, of Liscorran, and had issue,
Henry, ancestor of the GREERS of Grange, Co Tyrone;
JOHN, ancestor of the GREERS of Tullylagan and Seapark, of whom we treat;
Thomas;
James, of Liscorran;
Mary.
The second son,
JOHN GREER (1688-1741), of Grace Hill, County Armagh, and Tullyanaghan, near Lurgan, espoused, in 1717, Mary, daughter of Jeramiah Hanks, of Birr, and widow of John Chambers, of Dublin, and had several children, of whom the second son,
THOMAS GREER (1724-1803), of Rhone Hill, Dungannon, County Tyrone, became, on the extinction of the male line of his elder brother John, the head of the second house of Ulster Greers.
He married, in 1746, Sarah, daughter of Thomas Greer, of Redford, his second cousin, and died at Rhone Hill, leaving issue,
THOMAS, his heir;
Robert (1766-1808), died unmarried in USA;
Eleanor; Mary; Jane; Sarah; Ann.
The elder son,
THOMAS GREER (1761-1870), of Rhone Hill, wedded, in 1787, Elizabeth, only child of William Jackson, and had issue,
Thomas, of Tullylagan;
William Jackson, of Rhone Hill, father of THOMAS FERGUS;
John Robert;
Alfred, of Dripsey House, Co Cork;
Sarah; Mary Jackson; Elizabeth; Caroline; Louisa Jane; Priscilla Sophia.
The eldest son,
THOMAS GREER JP (1791-1870), of Tullylagan, married, in 1826, Wilhelmina, daughter of Arthur Ussher JP, of Camphire, County Waterford, and had issue,
FREDERICK, his heir;
Usher;
Martha Usher; Elizabeth Jackson; Wilhelmina Sophia Priscilla.
The eldest son,
FREDERICK GREER JP (1829-1908), of Tullylagan, late Royal Navy, wedded, in 1874, Cecilia, eldest daughter of Sir Nathaniel Alexander Staples Bt, of Lissan, County Tyrone, by Elizabeth Lindsay his wife, only child of James Head and Cecilia his wife, third daughter of the Hon Robert Lindsay, of Balcarres, and had issue,
THOMAS, of Tullylagan;
Nathaniel Alexander Staples;
Elizabeth Lindsay; Mary Ussher.
The eldest son,
THOMAS GREER JP (1875-1949), of Tullylagan, espoused, in 1907, Constance Clara Annie, daughter of Edward Cochrane Palmer, of Beckfield House, Queen’s County, and had issue,
FREDERICK WILLIAM USHER GREER, of Tullylagan, born in 1915, who died unmarried.
TULLYLAGAN MANOR, (formerly New Hamburgh), near Cookstown, 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.
Frederick Greer inherited Tullylagan following the decease of his father, Thomas, in 1870, though he leased the estate to his cousin, Thomas MacGregor Greer ca 1898.
Thomas MacGregor Greer, the only son of Thomas Greer, MP for Carrickfergus, was responsible for much of the development of the estate thereafter.
Mr Greer was a talented man who had many diverse interests.
Thomas MacGregor Greer of Seapark near Belfast came, after his marriage to Dorinda Florence Lowry in 1892, to Tullylagan Manor, near Cookstown, which he leased from Thomas Usher Greer. He had two daughters.
Sylvia married Major Alexander (Pomeroy); Betty married Colonel Percival, Commander at Singapore during the 2nd World War.
The Greers returned to Seapark after the 1st World War, where Mrs Greer died in February 1930.
In 1931, Thomas married Miss Leonie Caroline Handcock (Dublin) returning to Tullylagan. Thomas owned one of the first motor cars in this part of Tyrone. He sponsored the work of Harry Ferguson (of Ford Ferguson fame) who often stayed at Tullylagan.
The ancient church of Desertcreat in the 1930s was beautified by an Oak Reredos, Pulpit, communion table and rails, all of which had been carved by Thomas, also two oak Jacobean chairs and a silver salver.
Later he donated a reading desk and a lectern made from Austrian Oak. He was Church Warden for 25 years, Parochial nominator, a member of the Diocesan and General Synod, Hon. Treasurer and Secretary and read the lessons throughout the year.
He had a keen interest in Tullylagan prize pipe band, presenting them with kilts in MacGregor tartan.
In 1941 the parish of Desertcreat and people of the district were greatly saddened by the death of its most generous benefactor and paid tribute to the great interest that he had taken in the welfare of Church and district during his lifetime.
Mr Greer 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.
In the farmyard he installed carpentry facilities and here many fine examples of chairs, tables and other items were produced.
Thomas MacGregor Greer remained in Tullylagan until his death in 1941.
The house is now privately owned.
Other former residence ~ Curglasson, Stewartstown, County Tyrone.
First published in January, 2012.
www.nihgt.org/resources/pdf/Register_of_Parks_Gardens_Demesnes-NOV20.pdf
TULLYLAGAN MANOR, County Tyrone (AP MID ULSTER 10) T/079
REGISTERED GRADE A
Late Victorian/Edwardian park (46.6 acres/19.9ha) with Regency house, subsequently remodelled
1904 (Listed HB 09/05/019) on flat land bordering the Killymoon-river, 3.32 miles (5.35km) south
of Cookstown and 6.15 miles (9.91km) north of Dungannon. The demesne occupies both banks of
the meandering river for 0.7 miles (1.1km) and except for the very south portion where the house
stands, most of this area was covered by bleach greens, mill and race until the late 19th century.
The house, originally called ‘New Hamburgh’ was built in 1828 to a design by architect Thomas
Jackson of Belfast and was a mill owner’s house, built for Thomas Greer junior (1761-1840). It is
not known when the first mill was built on the site, though the townland of Tullylagan is known to
have had a ‘good bawne of clay and stone’ in 1619 then belonging to Captain Alexander
Sanderson, a Scot. There was certainly a mill here by 1762, indeed within the townland there was
‘corn mill, bleaching mill and tuck mill’ and eight years later Robert Sanderson leased ten acres
there ‘for bleaching and use of dam and water courses etc.’ to a ‘merchant’ of Dungannon, James
Greer (1728-92). His brother, Thomas Greer (1724-1803), a leading Quaker and one of Ulster’s
most prominent linen merchants of the later 1700s, subsequently acquired the bleachworks,
known as ‘New Hamburgh’ (variously spelt ‘New Hambro’ or ‘Hamborough’ for £2,000. Initially,
he ran these work in partnership with another firm but after that developed problems, he and his
son, Thomas junior (1761-1840), took control of New Hamburgh again in 1796. Like his father,
Thomas continued the bleaching of linen at Tullylagan, whilst living at Rhone Hill, however his
eldest son Thomas (1790-1870) moved there after his marriage in 1824, building a new house in
1828, designed by fellow Quaker Thomas Jackson, to the south of the bleach mill itself. His new
house was classical in style of three-bays and two stories with walls of coursed ashlar sandstone,
hipped roof, wide eaves on modillion brackets. This original house had a modest park or more
correctly, pleasure ground, around the house of 14 acres (5.9ha) with a narrow tree belts along
the road to the south and a trapezoidal productive garden (3. acres/0.52ha) to the west of the
house; until the 1990s this still contained some box-hedging and fruit trees. In 1853 the younger
Thomas Greer advertised the whole property (now known as ‘Tullylagan House’) for letting, but
whether it was actually found a tenant is not certain, for he was back living there in 1858 and
remained there for the rest of his life. In 1870 the house was inherited by Frederick Greer (1828-
1907), a naval officer, and in 1888 he leased the house and grounds to Washington Kinley, who
stayed on until 1898. Around 1903 he leased it to his cousin, Major Thomas MacGregor Greer
(1869-1941), initially on a twenty year lease. Major Greer, was a pioneer of motoring and an early
supporter of Harry Ferguson, who prototype tractors were trialled on the demesne. In 1904 he
commissioned Alfred Henry Hart and Percy Leslie Waterhouse to prepare designs for a new house
at Tullylagan. The plans, which were exhibited at the Royal Academy the following year, were in a
neo-Tudor Cotswold style. They were not acted upon, however, and instead the existing house
was enlarged by following the example of Montalto House in Co. Down, and digging out the
basement around the house and making it the ground floor – an operation that inevitably involved
removal of large quantities of earth around. He also abandoned the old mill and made the present
park, planting mostly deciduous trees alongside the river to the north for 0.7 miles (1.1km).
Included in this were exotic trees and shrubs, while a garden was laid out in the Lutyens-style to
the east of the remodelled house. There is evidence of many ornamental features, with rockeries,
paths and walks, a pergola with brick columns and a box maze, many incorporated within an
elaborate water garden. to the north-east of the house. Mr. MacGregor Greer lived at Tullylagan
until his death in June 1941 after which the gardens became very overgrown. The property was
sold to the present owner in the 1980s, and around 1994 a hotel was built a hotel to the north of
the house, re-utilising some of the former mill buildings. The hotel is currently leased out whilst
Register of Parks, Gardens and Demesnes of Special Historic Interest (NI) – November 2020
the house remains a private dwelling. The house is private. Public access to the hotel and part of
the grounds.
Irish Historic Houses 
