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. 164. “(Aylmer/IFR) A three storey C18 house of stone, with rusticated brick surrounds to the windows; originally belonging to the Hendricks. Three sided bow in centre of front, containing entrance door; two bays on either side of this. The ends of the house are three bay; one side has round-headed, fanlighted windows on the ground floor, recessed in blind arches filled in with brick. Passed to a branch of the Aylmers with the marriage of Charlotte Hendrick to Michael Aylmer 1853. Sold by Col. R. M. Alymer 1938; subsequently a convent, when a chapel was built to one side of the front and an incongruous modern porch added to the central bow; now owned by Cement-Roadstone.”
Kerdiffstown House, KERDIFFSTOWN, Johnstown, County Kildare
Kerdiffstown, Naas, Co Kildare courtesy National Inventory.
Detached five-bay three-storey over basement former house, c.1860, retaining early fenestration with three-bay full-height canted projecting entrance bay to centre and three-bay three-storey side elevations to north-west and to south-east. Renovated, c.1940, with single-bay single-storey flat-roofed projecting porch added to centre to accommodate use as nursing home. Renovated and extended, c.1950, comprising eleven-bay two-storey flat-roofed wing to west with single-bay double-height bowed linking bay. Wing refenestrated, c.1990. Hipped roof behind blocking course with slate (polygonal to canted projecting bay). Clay ridge tiles. Rendered chimney stacks. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Flat-roof to porch with semi-circular projection over door opening. Flat-roof to wing to west behind parapet wall. Materials not visible. Squared rubble stone walls. Red brick Flemish bond to canted projecting bay. Cut-stone dressings including quoins to corners, cornice and blocking course. Rendered walls to porch. Painted. Rendered walls to wing to west. Unpainted. Square-headed window openings (round-headed to ground floor side (north-west) elevation in red brick surrounds). Stone sills. Red brick block-and-start surrounds. 3/3 and 6/6 timber sash windows. Square-headed door opening. Timber panelled door. Overlight. Square-headed openings to wing to west. Concrete sills. Replacement uPVC casement windows, c.1990. Set back from road in own landscaped grounds approached by avenue. Attached seven-bay double-height Classical-style private chapel, c.1940, to south on a T-shaped plan with round-headed openings, single-bay single-storey flat-roofed transepts to south-east and to south-west, single-bay double-height lower bowed apse to south and single-bay single-storey flat-roofed projecting porch to north forming part of linking bay to house to north. Gable-ended roof with slate. Concrete ridge tiles. Rendered coping to gables with cross finials to apexes. Metal rainwater goods on profiled eaves course. Flat-roofed to transepts and to porch behind parapet walls. Materials not visible. Half-conical to apse. Copped-clad. Rendered walls. Ruled and lined. Unpainted. Rusticated cut-granite plinth. Rendered dressings including ruled-and-lined piers to corners, moulded necking over (forming stringcourse) and moulded surround to gables forming pediments. Cut-stone coping to profiled parapet walls to transepts and to porch. Round-headed openings to nave. Concrete sills. Moulded archivolt to opening to north with drip moulding and plaque over. Fixed-pane stained glass windows. Square-headed openings to remainder. Concrete sills. Timber fittings. Square-headed door opening. Moulded surround with keystone. Timber panelled door. Detached four-bay single-storey outbuilding, c.1860, to west. Reroofed, c.1940. Now disused. Gable-ended roof. Replacement corrugated-iron, c.1940. Iron ridge tiles. Corrugated-Perspex rooflights. Rendered coping to gables. Remains of cast-iron rainwater goods. Rendered walls over rubble stone construction. Unpainted. Square-headed openings including integral carriageway. Stone sills. Fittings now gone. Detached nine-bay two-storey outbuilding, c.1860, to north-west with series of eight elliptical-headed integral carriageways to ground floor. Reroofed, c.1990. Flat-roofed. Replacement iron-clad, c.1990. Roughcast walls. Unpainted. Square-headed window openings (slit-style to first floor). Stone sills. No fittings (window opening to ground floor now boarded-up). Elliptical-headed integral carriageways. No fittings (most now blocked-up with rendered over).
Kerdiffstown House is a fine and well-maintained substantial country gentleman’s residence that has been significantly extended over subsequent decades. Originally a symmetrically-planned house of graceful Georgian proportions with the primary (north-east) front centred about an imposing canted projecting bay, the earliest block retains most of its original character, features and materials. The juxtaposition of rubble stone with red brick in the construction achieves a pleasing decorative effect, while the cut-stone dressings – particularly to the parapet – reveal a high quality of stone masonry that retains its crisp intricacy. The house retains much of its original features and materials, including mutli-pane timber fenestration and a slate roof, and it is possible that an important early interior also survives intact, despite a subsequent change of use. Comprehensively extended in the mid twentieth century to accommodate use as a hospital or nursing home, the additional ranges are typical of their period of construction and reveal a functional planning system – the contrast of styles is nevertheless attractive. Complementing the scheme is the adjoining private chapel, which links the two phases of building, reflecting the Classicism of the house together with the modern construction methods of the additional ranges. A striking feature on the approach avenue to the house from the south, the chapel is a highly ornamental piece that uses render throughout to decorative effect. Although based on a conventional plan the materials used throughout, including concrete, are comparatively modern. The chapel incorporates decorative stained glass windows, which may be of some artistic interest. The house is complemented in the grounds by a range of outbuildings, in various states of repair: the range to west, although in poor repair, retains much of its original features and materials; the range to north-west, on the other hand, is an important reminder of the various activities undertaken on the estate in the past and is a fine stable complex with an attractive arrangement of carriageways. The house and attendant outbuildings, attractively set in landscaped grounds, are an important reminder of the almost independent societies that private estates were in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, while the additional structures are an important lesson in how outmoded or ‘unsustainable’ buildings can be successfully rejuvenated to accommodate an alternative purpose.
Kerdiffstown, Naas, Co Kildare courtesy National Inventory.Kerdiffstown, Naas, Co Kildare courtesy National Inventory.Kerdiffstown, Naas, Co Kildare courtesy National Inventory.Kerdiffstown, Naas, Co Kildare courtesy National Inventory.Kerdiffstown, Naas, Co Kildare courtesy National Inventory.Kerdiffstown, Naas, Co Kildare courtesy National Inventory.
Kerdiffstown House. Image: Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
A three-storey seven by three bay 18th century stone house with rusticated brick surrounds to the windows, originally belonging to the Hendricks family. The full-height canted bow now occupying the central three bays of the main front and containing the entrance door is probably a later addition as it is of brick, whereas the wall behind is of stone. One of the three bay end elevations has round-headed fanlighted windows on the ground floor, recessed in blind arches filled in with brick. The house by marriage to the Aylmers in 1853 and was sold by Col. R.M. Aylmer in 1938. It subsequently became a convent, and was renovated for this purpose in 1940, when a severely plain apse-ended classical chapel was built; rather later, c.1950, some unsightly additions were made including a modern porch and a two-storey accommodation block. The present horrible plastic windows are a more recent erosion of the historic fabric, probably perpetrated c.1990.
Descent: Hans Hendrick (d. 1889); to grandson, Hans Hendrick Aylmer (later Hendrick-Aylmer) (1856-1917); to brother, Algernon Ambrose Michael Aylmer (1857-1933); to son, Col. Richard Michael Aylmer (1887-1975), who sold 1938 to Dominican order for use as a Convent…. sold to Cement Roadstone Ltd. (fl. 1980); now a Society of St. Vincent de Paul Holiday Centre.
Courtown House, County Wexford, photograph by Robert French, Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland
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. 93. “(Stopford, Courtown, E/PB) A C18 house overlooking the sea at Courtown Harbour, much altered and enlarged C19 after being sacked during 1798 Rebellion. The front of the house consisted of a “U” shaped block of two storeys and a dormered attic in the high-pitched, chateau-style roof; the dormers being pedimented. Five bay centre and one bay in the end of each of the projecting wings; the space between the latter being filled, at ground floor level, by a large open porch, fronted by a porte-cochere carried on four piers. The side of the house was of three bays, interrupted by a massive chimney-stack, beyond which was a three storey three sided bow. The side elevation was further prolonged by a two storey block with an ordinary eaved roof on a plain cornice; of three bays in its upper storey, and with a single large three light window, fronted by pilasters and an entablature, below. Large hall with double staircase. Sold post WWII, subsequently demolished.”
Courtown House, County Wexford, photograph by Robert French, Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland
Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
p. 149. “…Altered and enlarged 1865-1867 to the design of William Burn for the 5th Earl of Courtown. Demolished after the second world war.”
THE EARLS OF COURTOWN WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WEXFORD, WITH 14,426 ACRES
This family is said to derive its descent from Nicholas de Stockport, Baron of Stockport, one of the eight barons of the county palatine of Chester, created by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, in the reign of WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.
It is probable the family had been settled in that county before the Conquest, and certainly the estate of Salterstown, near Macclesfield, in Cheshire, belonged to the Stopfords from time immemorial.
WILLIAM STOPFORD, of Bispham and Wrightington, Lancashire, was MP for Liverpool, 1558.
WILLIAM STOPFORD, of Ulnes Walton, Lancashire, the representative of a family long settled in the north of that county, married Mary, daughter and eventual co-heir of Henry Farrington, second son of William Farrington, of Worden, and had issue,
JAMES, his heir;
William.
Mr Stopford died in 1647, and was succeeded by his elder son,
JAMES STOPFORD (1620-85), of Saltersford, Cheshire, Captain in the Parliamentary Army which served in Ireland; and upon the restoration of the royal family acquired considerable estates in that kingdom, partly by purchase and partly by grants under the Act of Settlement and the adjudication in favour of the ’49 officers, and took up his abode at New Hall, Meath.
Mr Stopford married firstly, Ellinor, fourth daughter of John Morewood, of The Oaks, Yorkshire, and had issue (with a daughter),
He wedded secondly, Mary, daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Robert Forth, Knight, and had further issue, two daughters.
Mr Stopford was succeeded by his grandson,
JAMES STOPFORD (1668-1721), MP for Wexford Borough, 1703-13, County Wexford, 1713-21, who wedded Frances, only daughter and heir of Roger Jones, and granddaughter and heiress of Thomas Jones, of Courtown, County Wexford.
He was succeeded at his decease by his eldest surviving son,
JAMES STOPFORD (1700-70), MP for County Wexford, 1721-7, Fethard, 1727-58, High Sheriff of County Wexford, 1756, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1758, in the dignity of Baron Courtown, of Wexford; and, in 1762, advanced to the dignities of Viscount Stopford and EARL OF COURTOWN.
His lordship married Elizabeth, only daughter of the Rt Rev Edward Smyth, Lord Bishop of Down and Connor, and had issue,
JAMES, his successor; Edward, lieutenant-general in the army; Thomas(Rt Rev), Lord Bishop of Cork and Ross; Joseph; Philip; Frances; Mary; Anne; Catherine; Charlotte.
His lordship was succeeded by his eldest son,
JAMES, 2nd Earl (1731-1810), KP, PC, who was created a peer of Great Britain, in 1794, as Baron Saltersford.
His lordship espoused, in 1762, Mary, daughter and co-heir of Richard Powys, of Hintlesham Hall, Suffolk, by whom he had issue,
The heir apparent is the present holder’s son James Richard Ian Montagu Stopford, styled Viscount Stopford (b 1988).
*****
THE COURTOWNS were a “Patrick Family”, the 2nd and 3rd Earls having been installed as Knights of St Patrick.
The 6th Earl was the last Lord-Lieutenant of County Wexford, from 1901 until 1922.
James Patrick Montagu Burgoyne Winthrop, 9th and present Earl, was a Lord in Waiting (Government Whip), 1995-97; representative peer to the House of Lords, 1999-.
COURTOWN HOUSE, near Gorey, 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 dormer attic within the high-pitched, château-style roof.
The five-bay centre had a large open porch, with a porte-cochère carried on four piers.
Courtown House was demolished in 1962, having been sold to the Irish Tourist Board in 1948.
After the 2nd World War, the income from the amount of land left in the estate was not enough to keep Courtown House going and it had to be sold.
Marlfield House, once a Dower House on the Courtown estate, dates back to the 1840s.
The Courtown family also had a seat in Cheshire, Beale Hall.
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 under-planted 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.
First published in January, 2012.
James Stopford (1794-1858) 4th Earl of Courtown, attributed to Joseph Slater, courtesy of Fonsie Mealy auction.Charlotte Albina Montague Scott, married to James Thomas Stopford 4th Earl of Courtown, by Joseph Slater, courtesy of Fonsie Mealy auction.George Dawkings, Courtown House, Wexford, by Charles Hayter, courtesy of Fonsie Mealy auction.
Courtown House, near Gorey, was the seat of the Earls of Courtown. It was significantly altered and enlarged during the 19th century, including work by William Burn. 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.
This house, one of several on the Courtown estate, was pulled down in 1962, having been sold to the Irish Tourist Board in 1948. After World War II, the income from the amount of land left in the estate was not enough to keep Courtown House going and it had to be sold.
Featured in The Wexford Gentry by Art Kavanagh and Rory Murphy. Published by Irish Family Names, Bunclody, Co Wexford, Ireland, 1994.
p. 200. Stopford of Courtown
p. 201. The first Stopford to come to Wexford waas James Stopford, the grandson of James a Cromwellian officer who got lands in Meath. Young James married an heiress called Frances Jones. She was the only daughter of Roger Jones and the heiress of Thomas Jones of Courtown.
Thomas Jones was a Captain in the army of the Commonwealth and he bought the lands from Edward Chichester, the grandson of Sir Edward Fisher who had been given them in the Wexford Plantation of 1611 (Fisher was one of the main architects of the Plantation)… [The terms of his title to Courtown specified]: “No Irish Papists are to be employed. Such Protestants as live there are to be within the protection of the garrison of Gorey, and are to bring in their cattle into some place of security, before the Sun goes down and not to drive them out before the Sun be up.”
The early Stopfords for the most part were absentee landlords….Despite beign absentees they were politically inclined and James was an MP for all his adult life. Of course tehre were no elections in those days and the family with the largest resources and therefore the better contacts with the British establishment was an automatic choice for MP. James had a half sister Dorothy, an acquaintance of Dean Swift, who nicknamed her “Countess Doll.”
James had a son, also named James who in the mid 1760s was elevated to the Peerage. He was given the titles Baron of Courtown, Viscount Stopford and Earl of Courtown. It was James the 1st Earl who built Courtown House. He died in 1770.
p. 202. His son James the 2nd Earl was the man on whom honours were heaped by the British Royalty. He was Treasurer of the Household in addition to his post as Lord of the Bedchamber [of the Prince of Wales in the mid 1700s]. He was given grants of land in England and elevated to the British peerage as Baron Saltersford of Saltersford, Co Cheshire in 1796. His brother was made a General of the Army as was his son Edward, while his younger sons Robert and Monague were made Admirals. The 2nd Earl commuted regularly to his Courtown home. He set up a barter system in the area by which he paid all his bills with fish. During his lifetime there was an abundance of fish caught in the area. Lord Courtown obtained his supplied of fish by the “castle mease” system, whereby the fishermen paid in fish for the use of the burrows for drying their nets.
p. 203. It was the 4th Earl who was responsible for building the Harbour at Courtown, “in an era when crushing poverty and hardship were the lot of the Irish people.” Mr and Mrs Hall, noted travellers of their time wrote that he was “Oneof the good landlords of the County, who had successfully laboured to introduce improvements among the people.” Notwithstanding those accolades, the Earl opposed the Catholic claim for emancipation.
The 5th Earl: p. 204. In 1883 his estates comprised more than 23,000 acres. He had the bulk of his land in Courtown, over 7000 acres in Carlow and almost 2000 in Cheshire. He vigorously opposed Home Rule and refused to sell his lands to the tenants when the land acts came into force. He died in 1914 at the age of 91 with his estate intact.
p. 205. The sixth Earl was the last to reside in Courtown House. The lands were sold and in 1947 Courtown House was taken over by the Irish Tourist Board. It was later demolished.
Detached three-bay single-storey pedimented gate house, extant 1840, on a symmetrical plan centred on single-bay full-height pedimented breakfront. Refenestrated, —-. Now disused. Pitched (gable-fronted) slate roof extending into lean-to slate roofs with clay ridge tiles, lichen-spotted cut-granite monolithic pediments to gables, and no rainwater goods surviving on cut-granite eaves. Part creeper- or ivy-covered coursed rubble stone walls originally rendered, ruled and lined on cut-granite chamfered plinth with red brick flush quoins to corners; rendered, ruled and lined surface finish (east). Round-headed central carriageway between red brick Flemish bond piers with red brick voussoirs. Square-headed flanking window openings with lichen-spotted cut-granite sills, and red brick block-and-start surrounds framing replacement timber casement windows. Lane fronted at entrance to grounds of Courtown House.
A gate house surviving as an interesting relic of the Courtown House estate following the sale (1947) and subsequent demolition (1948-9) of the eponymous country house (see 15701216) with the architectural value of the composition, one colloquially known as “The Arch”, confirmed by such attributes as the compact symmetrical plan form centred on a shallow breakfront; and the pedimented roofline. A prolonged period of unoccupancy notwithstanding, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with quantities of the original fabric: the introduction of replacement fittings to the openings, however, has not had a beneficial impact on the external expression or integrity of a gate house forming part of a neat self-contained group alongside an adjacent “cottage orné” (see 15701222) and church (see 15701220) with the resulting ensemble making a pleasing visual statement in a sylvan setting. NOTE: A drawing signed (1844) in an illegible hand outlines an unexecuted proposal to transform the gate house with Georgian Gothic embellishments mirroring the adjacent church (IAA).
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.
Ballynastragh House, County Wexford, photograph by Robert French, Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.
p. 26. [Esmonde, Bt/PB] Originally a seventeenth century house, built by James Esmonde; enlarged and modernized by Sir Thomas Esmonde, 8th Baronet, probably soon after he succeeded in 1767; so that it became a house of mid-C18 appearance, of three storeys over basement. Handsome seven bay front with three bay breakfront; niche with statue in centre, above entrance door; parapeted roof; good quoins; statues at ends of area parapet. Various alterations were carried out by Sir Thomas Esmonde, 9th Bt, between 1803-1825, including, probably, the addition of the single-storey Doric portico on the entrance front. Later in 19C, the house was embellished and slightly castellated; probably in two phases; the architect, in any case, being George Ashlin. A slender five storey battlemented tower was added on one side, and a projection with round-headed windows on the other. The parapet of the roof, as well as that of the portico, was battlemented. The garden front was given two Victorian three sided bows, of a style very characteristic of Ashlin, with three tiers of pilasters. The house was burnt 1923 and replaced 1937 by a new house in the Georgian style to the design of Mr. Dermot Gogarty, (son of Oliver St John Gogarty, of Renvyle), who worked under Lutyens; and a connection of the Esmonde family. It is of brick, two storeys and five bays; with a high-pitched sprocketed roof and a verandah recessed under the upper storey.”
Ballynastragh House, County Wexford, photograph by Robert French, Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.
Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
p. 149. (18th C house) “A three storey mid 18C house built by Sir Thomas Esmonde incorporating some 17C work. The single storey Doric portico may date from the early 19C. Battlements were added to the house later in the 19C and further alterations were carried out to the design of George Ashlin. Burnt in 1923. A very attractive modern house designed by Dermot Gogarty was built in 1937.”
Ballynastragh House, County Wexford, photograph by Robert French, Lawrence Photograph Collection, National Library of Ireland.
THE ESMONDE BARONETS OWNED 3,533 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY WEXFORD
This family is of very ancient establishment in County Wexford, where we find John Esmonde was consecrated Bishop of Ferns in 1349.
The immediate founder of the present house,
JAMES ESMONDE, of Johnstown, County Wexford, with whom the Visitation of Wexford by Daniel Molyneux, Ulster King of Arms, begins, married Isabel, daughter of Thomas Rosseter, of Rathmacknee Castle, and was father of
LAURENCE ESMONDE, of Johnstown, who wedded Eleanor, daughter of Walter Walsh, of the Mountains, by whom he had two sons, and was succeeded by the elder,
WILLIAM ESMONDE, who espoused Margaret, daughter of Michael Furlong, of Horetown, and had, with seven daughters, four sons,
Robert; LAURENCE, of whom presently; James; Patrick.
The second son,
SIR LAURENCE ESMONDE (1565-1645), Knight, abandoning the ancient creed of his ancestors, declared himself a partisan of ELIZABETH I, and a convert to protestantism.
Sir Laurence was elevated to the peerage in 1622, in the dignity of BARON ESMONDE, of Lymbrick, County Wexford.
During one of his campaigns in Connaught, having fallen in love with Margaret, the beautiful daughter of Murrough O’Flaherty, of Connemara, he reputedly married her, and had a son, THOMAS.
It happened, however, that Lady Esmonde, a devout Roman Catholic, fearing that her child might be brought up a Protestant, carried off the infant by stealth and returned to her family in Connaught.
This act of maternal devotion seems to have been not at all disagreeable to Sir Laurence, as affording him a pretext for casting suspicion on the legality of his union, that of a Protestant with a Catholic; yet, without resorting to legal measures to annul the marriage in due form, he some time later married Elizabeth, second daughter of the Hon Walter Butler, fourth son of James, 9th Earl of Ormonde, but by her had no issue.
His lordship died in 1645, bequeathing all his extensive estates to his only son, SIR THOMAS ESMONDE.
The severity and singularity of his case created considerable interest; and there is scarcely a doubt that, but for the melancholy state of civil war, usurpation, and destruction of property, at that period, the conduct of Lord Esmonde towards his lady, and the legality of his second marriage, his first un-divorced wife still living, upon legal investigation into the matter, and the accompanying circumstances, Sir Thomas Esmonde’s right of succession to his father’s peerage could not fail to have been acknowledged.
Before, however, that could have taken place, Sir Thomas died; and his successor had to occupy himself with entering into possession of his grandfather’s property.
Sir Thomas Esmonde, as already noticed, was reared and educated with his maternal relations; and upon his uncle being raised to the peerage, to the dignity of Viscount Mayo, in 1627, Sir Thomas, who had already been knighted for his eminent services in the cause of royalty, as General of Horse in the armies of CHARLES I, was, through the Lord Mayor’s influence, created a baronet in 1629, designated of Ballynastragh, County Wexford.
Sir Thomas married firstly, Ellice, widow of Thomas, 4th Baron Cahir, and daughter of Sir John Fitzgerald, of Dromana, County Waterford, and had issue,
LAURENCE, his successor; James, of Ballynastagh, ancestor of the 7th Baronet.
Sir Thomas was succeeded by his elder son,
SIR LAURENCE ESMONDE, 2nd Baronet (1634-88), who wedded Lucia Butler, niece of the 1st Duke of Ormonde, and had issue,
LAURENCE, his successor; Frances; Lucy; two other daughters.
Sir Laurence’s seat, Huntington Castle, County Carlow, was built by Lord Esmonde in 1625, and named after the ancient seat of his ancestors in England.
He was succeeded by his eldest son,
THE RT HON SIR LAURENCE ESMONDE, 3rd Baronet, who espoused, in 1703, Jane Lucy, daughter of Matthew Forde, and had issue,
Sir Laurence died ca 1720, and was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR LAURENCE ESMONDE, 4th Baronet, who died unmarriedca 1738, and was succeeded by his next brother,
SIR JOHN ESMONDE, 5th Baronet, who married and died without male issue, 1758, and was succeeded by his brother,
SIR WALTER ESMONDE, 6th Baronet, who wedded Joan, daughter of Theobald, 5th Baron Caher, and had three daughters.
Sir Walter died without male issue, 1766, when the title passed to his cousin,
SIR JAMES ESMONDE, 7th Baronet (1701-66), a descendant of James Esmond, younger son of the 1st Baronet, who survived Sir Walter not more than a few days, and wedded Ellice, only daughter and heir of James Whyte, of Pembrokestown, County Waterford, and had issue,
THOMAS, his successor; John, ancestor of the 10th Baronet; James; Elizabeth; Katherine; Frances; Mary.
Sir James was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR THOMAS ESMONDE, 8th Baronet; but had no issue by either of his two wives, and died in 1803, when the title reverted to his nephew and heir,
THE RT HON SIR THOMAS ESMONDE, 9th Baronet (1786-1868), MP for Wexford Borough, 1841-7, who espoused firstly, in 1812, Mary, daughter of E Payne; and secondly, in 1856, Sophia Maria, daughter of Ebenezer Radford Rowe, though both marriages were without issue, when the baronetcy passed to his cousin,
SIR JOHN ESMONDE, 10th Baronet (1826-76), JP DL, son of Commander James Esmonde RN, MP for Waterford, 1852-76, who married, in 1861, Louisa, daughter of Henry Grattan, and had issue,
THOMAS HENRY GRATTAN, his successor; LAURENCE GRATTAN, 13th Baronet; John Geoffrey Grattan; Walter George Grattan; Henrietta Pia; Louisa Ellice Benedicta Grattan; Annetta Frances Grattan.
Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR THOMAS HENRY GRATTAN ESMONDE, 11th Baronet (1862-1935), DL MP, who wedded firstly, in 1891, Alice Barbara, daughter of Patrick Donovan, and had issue,
OSMOND THOMAS GRATTAN, his successor; John Henry Grattan; Alngelda Barbara Mary Grattan; Eithne Moira Grattan; Patricia Alison Louisa Grattan.
Sir Thomas was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR OSMOND THOMAS GRATTAN ESMONDE, 12th Baronet (1896-1936), who died unmarried, when the title passed to his cousin,
SIR LAURENCE GRATTAN ESMONDE, 13th Baronet (1863-1943), Lieutenant-Colonel, Waterford Royal Field Artillery, who married twice, though both marriages were without issue, when the title reverted to his cousin,
SIR JOHN LYMBRICK ESMONDE, as 14th Baronet (1893-1958), who wedded, in 1922, Eleanor, daughter of Laurence Fitzharris, though the marriage was without issue, when the title passed to his younger brother,
SIR ANTHONY CHARLES ESMONDE, 15th Baronet (1899-1981), who wedded, in 1927, Eithne Moira Grattan, daughter of Sir Thomas Esmonde, 11th Baronet, and had issue,
JOHN HENRY GRATTAN, his successor; Bartholomew Thomas Grattan; Anthony James Grattan; Alice Mary Grattan; Eithne Marion Grattan; Anne Caroline Grattan.
Sir Anthony was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR JOHN HENRY GRATTAN ESMONDE, 16th Baronet (1928-87), Barrister, Irish politician, who married, in 1957, Pamela Mary, daughter of Dr Francis Stephen Bourke, and had issue,
THOMAS FRANCIS GRATTAN, his successor; Harold William Grattan; Richard Anthony Grattan; Karen Maria Grattan; Lisa Marion Grattan.
Sir John was succeeded by his eldest son,
(SIR) THOMAS (Tom) FRANCIS GRATTAN ESMONDE, 17th Baronet (1960-2021), Consultant Neurologist, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, 1992-, who married, in 1986, Pauline Loretto, daughter of James Vincent Kearns, and had issue,
SEAN VINCENT GRATTAN, his successor; Aisling Margaret Pamela Grattan; Niamhe Pauline Grattan.
The 17th Baronet, better known as Dr Tom Esmonde, was succeeded by his son,
DR SEAN VINCENT GRATTAN ESMONDE, MBchB, MRCP, born in 1989, who would be 18th Baronet, though has yet to establish his succession to the baronetcy.
BALLYNASTRAGH HOUSE, near Gorey, County Wexford, was originally a 17th century house, built by James Esmonde.
It was enlarged and modernized by Sir Thomas Esmonde, 8th Baronet, shortly after he succeeded in 1767.
Ballynastragh comprised three storeys over a basement, with a fine seven-bay front and three-bay breakfront.
Alterations were undertaken to the mansion by the 9th Baronet between 1803-25; and later that decade the house was embellished and slightly castellated.
The mansion was burnt by the IRA in 1923 and replaced in 1937 by a Neo-Georgian dwelling.
First published in August, 2018.
for new building replacing old, Buildings of Ireland:
Largely remodeled by G.C. Ashlin in the late 1860s for local MP Sir John Esmonde, and destroyed in an arson attack in March 1923 when it belonged to his son Sir Thomas Esmonde, a Senator of the new Irish Free State. The original house was a large Georgian house to which Ashlin added unconvincing battlements and a tower to one end. After the fire, in which it was almost completely destroyed, Fuller & Jermyn drew up designs for a rebuild, it was eventually rebuilt after much dispute over compensation by Dermot St.John Gogarty in 1937 in a Neo-Georgian style.
The Irish Times, 12th March 1923, reported: “Ballynastragh, the beautiful residence of Senator Sir Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde, Bart., about three miles from Gorey, County Wexford, was set on fire on Friday night, and burned to the ground… The only occupants of the house at the time of the outrage were Colonel Laurence Esmonde, his brother, together with five servants. The raiders, of whom there were about 50 in all, forced an entrance through one of the lower windows at about 9.30 pm, and gave the occupants ten minutes to get ready. They were kept under armed guard in an out-building till the house was well alight, the rooms and furniture having been sprayed with petrol. With the permission of the man in charge, Colonel Esmonde removed the golden chalice and sets of vestments from the beautiful little chapel in the upper portion of the building before the raiders had commenced their work of destruction. These articles are all that was saved. With the aid of a fairly strong wind, gas bombs being also used, the flames made great headway, huge tongues of fire rising towards the sky. They were seen at least ten miles away. The garrison of National troops at Gorey, attracted by the fire, arrived shortly after 11 o’clock, about half an hour after the raiders had left, but they were too late to save the building. Only the bare walls of it remain”.
“Some interesting particulars concerning the burning of his house were given yesterday afternoon to a representative of the Press Association by Sir Thomas Grattan Esmonde, who for the past few days has been in residence in London, but returns to Dublin today. “I received a wire yesterday,” he said, “that my house had been burned down, and I must say that it came as a surprise to me. The only reason for such an act, so far as I know, is that I am a Senator of the Irish Free State, and, of course, I am in no worse a position than anybody else”.
Featured in The Wexford Gentry by Art Kavanagh and Rory Murphy. Published by Irish Family Names, Bunclody, Co Wexford, Ireland, 1994.
p. 97. Esmonde of Ballynastragh
The very distinguished family of Esmonde, a surviving branch of which still lives at Ballynastragh, near Gorey, began their connection with Wexford in the 12th century. It is believed that Geoffrey de Estmont was one of the thirty knights who accompanied Robert FitzStephen to Ireland in 1169 when the latter lead the advance force that landed at Bannow that year. According to Philip Hore, Geoffrey de Estmont came from [p. 98] Huntingdon, in Lincolnshire, where a family of Esmondes survived and were ancestors of Lord Worhouse of Norfolk.
[Hore Mss in St. Peter’s College]
In her article Anna Kinsella stated that “it is not by accident that an Esmonde was among the first to come to Wexford, because Evan, the daughter of Sir John Esmonde who was the wife of Robert FitzHarding, Portrieve of Bristol, who was so friendly with Diarmuid McMurrough that the latter called his daughter Aoife, after Eva Esmonde.”
According to Donovan, the original castle of Johnstown, near Wexford, now an Agricultural Research Centre, was built by this Geoffrey de Estomont. However, Herbert Hore stated that the property was acquired frmo and held under the see of Ferns from the time that John Esmonde was Bishop of Ferns, in the 14C, and the fortified mansion or hall of Johnstown was erected by the Esmondes in the reign of Henry VII, in the latter part of 15C. Anna Kinsella states that Sir Geoffrey built a motte and baily at Lymbrick in the Barony of Forth, and his son Sir Maurice built a castle on the same site. After Maurice’s death in 1225 the castle was abandoned and his son John built a castle on a new site which was called Johnstown Castle. John died in 1261.
John was succeeded by his son Sir William Esmonde who had several sons, including John who became Bishop of Ferns, Walter (of Ballynastragh) a Conon of Ferns and an Attorney for Archbishop Lecky of Dublin, and Thomas. Sir William also had a brother Henry who was Seneschal of Wexford in 1294 and Chancellor in 1310. He was also one of the deputatinsent in 1317 to demand a charter for Wexford town from the Earl of Pembroke. [see Hilary Murphy, The Families of County Wexford].
p. 99. This is the first reference to Ballynastragh and it may well have been Walter who was the first Esmonde to settle here. An interesting thing about Ballynastragh was that it was situated in the parish of Kilcavan (Killinerin) near modern day Gorey and in the middle ages was called Lymbrick, probably a name brought to that part by the Esmondes who settled first at Lymbrick in the Barony of Forth.
p. 101. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth Lawrence Esmonde, the second son of William Esmonde and his wife Margaret, daughter of Michael Furlong of Horetown, thought it prudent to embrace the new religion. By doing so, he secured his future prospects. In the words of Anna Kinsella, “he renounced the faith of his ancestors in return for which he was appointed Major Genearl of all the King’s forces in Ireland.” His services to the crown were rewarded with knighthood. He was very active in the Nine Years War against the Kavanaghs and O’Byrnes. He was in charge of a company [p. 102] beaten at the battle near Enniscorthy where the Kavanagh/Byrne/O’Moore faction were victorious. In 1599 in a famous battle fought between the Deputy, Essex and the Kavanagh/Byrne alliance, near Arklow, Captain Esmonde was shot and wounded but survived to fight another day. Howeverhis father, William, was not so fortunate and was killed in the same encounter. In 1602 Captain Esmonde wrote to Lord Shrewsbury the Lord Deputy to say that he “had broken the Kavanagh faction and had caused Donal Spainnigh Kavanagh etc to submit upon their knees.”
P 102. IN the same year he built a castle and a church at Luimneach near the modern village of Killinerin and near Ballynastragh, which he named Lymbrick after the original Norman motte and bailey in the Barony of Forth. In 1606 he was appointed Governor of Duncannon Fort, which was established in the late 16C to prevent an invasion of teh coast of Wexford/Waterford by the Spanish. He remained Governor of the Fort until his death in 1646.
[in the family tree I may have Lawrence Esmondes confused. It seems confused in the Wexford book. In that book Lawrence the son of Wm and Mgt Furlong marries O’Flaherty and Eliz Butler, but in The Peerage, it is Lawrence son of Patrick, sheriff of Carlow, who marries these two, and becaome Baron of Lymbrick. See Lord Belmont below – also like the Wexford Gentry book]
p. 103. Sir Laurence became a major player in the plantations and acquired vast estates in Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Tipperary. He was MP for Wicklow in the Irish Parliament of 1613. Together with Sir William Parsons and Sir Edward Fisher he was a Commissioner for the Plantations, one of a small group of very influential and powerful men. In 1622 he was created Baron of Lymbrick. In 1625 he built Huntingdon castle in Clonegal which had named after the ancient seat of his ancestors in England. IN this year he also purchased Ballytramont, near Castlebridge, from the Synnotts for £2,600. AFter his death the Huntington estate and castle was occupied as a military station by Dudley Colclough from 1649-1674. When the Ram family acquired their Gorey lands in 1626 Lawrence Esmonde was given 13 acres in the town which almost three hundred years later became the site of the Catholic church and schools in Gorey.
p. 104. The Baronet seemed to have had a human side to him also. When Richard Masterson, the owner of considerable lands in the Ferns area, died in 1627, his next heir was Edward the grandson of his brother Nicholas, a boy of nine. Sir Lawrence took his under his wing to protect his interests from other Mastersons, in particular Lawrence Masterson. Lawrence was Richard’s grandson by his illegitimate son John. Richard was a friend of Esmonde and would have known him from the time of teh wars with the Kavanaghs in the late 1590s. He said of Edward “his dead father left the trust of teh child to me and I have bred him up att scoole in my house this fowre years past relygiouslye, and will the next sommersend him to the college (Trinity) if it so please God.” However it appears that Edward was influenced by Esmonde’s Catholic wife and he became a Catholic later in his life.
When the war broke out in 1641, Wexford was an extremely dangerous place for Protestant landowners as the following account of the Lords Justices of Ireland attest:
“The rebells in ye county of Wexford, increasinge daily have taken the Castells of Arklow, Limbrick, the Lord Esmonde’s house, and Fort Chichester, places of good strength and importance…in both these counties of Wicklow and Wexford, all the castles and House of the English with all their substance are come into ye hands of ye rebells nd the English themselves with their wives and children stript naked and banished thence by their fury and rage…”
Lord Esmonde was in command of Duncannon fort, and loyal to England during the Great Rebellion, and his son, Sir Thomas, was a Confederate General on the opposing side. Sir Thomas had started his military career as an officer in the continental army of Charles I and for his valiant service at the siege of La Rochelle he was made a baronet of Ireland while his father still lived. He did not however come back to Ireland until 1646 after his father’s death. He was a resolute Catholic and his heirs after him remained true to the faith of their original ancestors.
p. 105. The fort was an English stronghold and soldiers from the fort attacked Redmond Hall, near Hook Head, which was defeneded by the Redmonds. One of the attacking forcewas a Lieutenant John Esmonde, a nephew or grand-nephew of Lord Esmonde. He and fourteen soldiers from the fort were hanged by the confederates for their part in the attack. Walter Roche as Provost Marshall of Wexford was responsible for the executions and it is most likely he knew Lieut. Esmonde quite well. Duncannon fort itself was besieged for three months by confederates in 1633 and Lord Esmonde was forced to surrender. The officer to whom he surrendered was Captain Thomas Roche. Lord Esmonde survived for two more years and was still the titular commander of the fort at the time of his death.
After his death in 1646, Sir Lawrence was buried in the vault of his church at Lymbrick. His son, Sir Thomas, continued to fight for the Confederates and in the civil war of 1648, when the Confederates split he declared against the Papal Nuncio and was excommunicated for his troubles. In the following year he was appointed Major General of the Leinster forces to oppose Cromwell. He continued to campaign during 1650 but was eventually forced to submit. During the Cromwellian campaign the castle at Lymbrick was burnt to prevent its being used by the Cromwellian soldiers. Sir Thomas was on the list of Transplantable Catholics in 1653.
After the Cromwellian Confiscations, since the Johnstown Esmondes wre Catholic, their lands were granted to Colonel Overstreet, and later came into the possession of the Grogan family. The Ballynastragh/Lymbrick lands were also confiscated and the Ballytramont property was granted to the Duke of Ablemarle (General Monck).
Interestingly it appears that Sir Laurence Esmonde had taken the lands from General Monck during the Plantation period as asserted in a petition by his son in 1668…
p. 106. It took the Esmondes 60 years and cost an enormous amount of money to get back parts of their North Wexford estates.
p. 106. Sir Thomas was married to Ellice the dau of Sir John FitzGerald, and they had three sons, Lawrence, James and Patrick. Lawrence inherited the title and as Sir Lawrence reoccupied Huntingdon Castle in 1682. His young son [Laurence] went to France and entered the French army at the age of 14. His guardian was the Countess of Devonshire. He came back to Huntington to become the 3rd Baronet. James succeeded to Ballynastragh and the youngest son, Patrick became an officer in the Austrian army and fought in the Turkish wards, spending seven years as a prisoner of war in the infamous Seven Towers prison in Constantinople. He was later made a Chevalier and appointed Governor of Prague.
p. 106. The main line of Esmondes continued on through the descendants of Sir Thomas who in the persons of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th baronets resided at Huntington. The widow of the 6th Baronet was left in “straitened circumstances” and sold the estate of Huntington to Sir James Leslie, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick, in 1751. Huntington remained in his family until 1825 when it was leased to Alexander Durdin and later bought by his descendants. It passed by marriage to the Robertsons who are still in possession of Huntington Castle today. [note that the 5th Bt had a daugther, who married Richard Durdin. The 6th Baronet had only daughters also].
[7th Bt was from the line of James, son of Thomas the 1st baronet – James was the second son, who inherited Ballynastragh. He had a son, Laurence (1670-1760) who had the son James the 7th Bt of Ballynastragh).
p. 107. James the second son of Thomas 1st Bt married Barbara Vincent and they had at least two sons, Lawrence, who succeeded his father as owner of Ballynastragh in 1717 and Marcus who, in 1670, temporarily regained possession of Johnstown (forfeited in 1654). This may have come about when the widow of Colonel Overstreet married a man called Withers, who may have let Johnstown to Marcus. Johnstown was sold to Col John Reynolds and his daughter Mary married John Grogan of Wexford, a yeoman and merchant, who took possession of the estates in the late 1690s.
p. 107. Ballynastragh was confiscated because of the “rebel” taint, and the sons of Dr John Esmonde, who had been hanged for his part in the 1798 rebellion, fled to France. Sir Thomas had no family so when he died, John’s eldest son Thomas succeeded as heir and 9th Bt. He eventually regained possession of Ballynastragh in 1816.
Sir Thomas, 9th Bt, gave the Catholic church the sites and grounds for the present St Michael’s church in Gorey, the Presbytery, the CBS school and Monastery and the Loreto Convent. The Church was designed by Pugin, who visited Wexford at the invitation of Sir Thomas and Mr John Talbot of Castle Talbot. The portion of ground so generously donated was known as “Sparrow’s Plot.” [p. 109] Sparrow was the person who in Penal Times “discovered” the Esmondes as Catholics and following the resultant confiscation was awarded teh portion of ground which became known as “Sparrow’s Plot” which Sir thomas Esmonde bought from Lord Valentia (Annesley).
The 9th Bt died in 1868 ages 82. One of his brothers was very Rev. Bartholomew Esmonde, a Jesuit, who was Superior of Clongowes Wood College and an eminent theologian. Sir Thomas was succeeded by his newphew, Sir Thomas, 10thBt [son of James], who married Louisa the daughter of Henry Grattan MP and grand daughter of the great Henry Grattan (of Parliament fame).
Featured in The Wexford Gentry by Art Kavanagh and Rory Murphy. Published by Irish Family Names, Bunclody, Co Wexford, Ireland, 1994.
p. 97. Esmonde of Ballynastragh
The very distinguished family of Esmonde, a surviving branch of which still lives at Ballynastragh, near Gorey, began their connection with Wexford in the 12th century. It is believed that Geoffrey de Estmont was one of the thirty knights who accompanied Robert FitzStephen to Ireland in 1169 when the latter lead the advance force that landed at Bannow that year. According to Philip Hore, Geoffrey de Estmont came from [p. 98] Huntingdon, in Lincolnshire, where a family of Esmondes survived and were ancestors of Lord Worhouse of Norfolk.
[Hore Mss in St. Peter’s College]
In her article Anna Kinsella stated that “it is not by accident that an Esmonde was among the first to come to Wexford, because Evan, the daughter of Sir John Esmonde who was the wife of Robert FitzHarding, Portrieve of Bristol, who was so friendly with Diarmuid McMurrough that the latter called his daughter Aoife, after Eva Esmonde.”
According to Donovan, the original castle of Johnstown, near Wexford, now an Agricultural Research Centre, was built by this Geoffrey de Estomont. However, Herbert Hore stated that the property was acquired frmo and held under the see of Ferns from the time that John Esmonde was Bishop of Ferns, in the 14C, and the fortified mansion or hall of Johnstown was erected by the Esmondes in the reign of Henry VII, in the latter part of 15C. Anna Kinsella states that Sir Geoffrey built a motte and baily at Lymbrick in the Barony of Forth, and his son Sir Maurice built a castle on the same site. After Maurice’s death in 1225 the castle was abandoned and his son John built a castle on a new site which was called Johnstown Castle. John died in 1261.
John was succeeded by his son Sir William Esmonde who had several sons, including John who became Bishop of Ferns, Walter (of Ballynastragh) a Conon of Ferns and an Attorney for Archbishop Lecky of Dublin, and Thomas. Sir William also had a brother Henry who was Seneschal of Wexford in 1294 and Chancellor in 1310. He was also one of the deputatinsent in 1317 to demand a charter for Wexford town from the Earl of Pembroke. [see Hilary Murphy, The Families of County Wexford].
p. 99. This is the first reference to Ballynastragh and it may well have been Walter who was the first Esmonde to settle here. An interesting thing about Ballynastragh was that it was situated in the parish of Kilcavan (Killinerin) near modern day Gorey and in the middle ages was called Lymbrick, probably a name brought to that part by the Esmondes who settled first at Lymbrick in the Barony of Forth.
p. 101. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth Lawrence Esmonde, the second son of William Esmonde and his wife Margaret, daughter of Michael Furlong of Horetown, thought it prudent to embrace the new religion. By doing so, he secured his future prospects. In the words of Anna Kinsella, “he renounced the faith of his ancestors in return for which he was appointed Major Genearl of all the King’s forces in Ireland.” His services to the crown were rewarded with knighthood. He was very active in the Nine Years War against the Kavanaghs and O’Byrnes. He was in charge of a company [p. 102] beaten at the battle near Enniscorthy where the Kavanagh/Byrne/O’Moore faction were victorious. In 1599 in a famous battle fought between the Deputy, Essex and the Kavanagh/Byrne alliance, near Arklow, Captain Esmonde was shot and wounded but survived to fight another day. Howeverhis father, William, was not so fortunate and was killed in the same encounter. In 1602 Captain Esmonde wrote to Lord Shrewsbury the Lord Deputy to say that he “had broken the Kavanagh faction and had caused Donal Spainnigh Kavanagh etc to submit upon their knees.”
P 102. IN the same year he built a castle and a church at Luimneach near the modern village of Killinerin and near Ballynastragh, which he named Lymbrick after the original Norman motte and bailey in the Barony of Forth. In 1606 he was appointed Governor of Duncannon Fort, which was established in the late 16C to prevent an invasion of teh coast of Wexford/Waterford by the Spanish. He remained Governor of the Fort until his death in 1646.
[in the family tree I may have Lawrence Esmondes confused. It seems confused in the Wexford book. In that book Lawrence the son of Wm and Mgt Furlong marries O’Flaherty and Eliz Butler, but in The Peerage, it is Lawrence son of Patrick, sheriff of Carlow, who marries these two, and becaome Baron of Lymbrick. See Lord Belmont below – also like the Wexford Gentry book]
p. 103. Sir Laurence became a major player in the plantations and acquired vast estates in Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Tipperary. He was MP for Wicklow in the Irish Parliament of 1613. Together with Sir William Parsons and Sir Edward Fisher he was a Commissioner for the Plantations, one of a small group of very influential and powerful men. In 1622 he was created Baron of Lymbrick. In 1625 he built Huntingdon castle in Clonegal which had named after the ancient seat of his ancestors in England. IN this year he also purchased Ballytramont, near Castlebridge, from the Synnotts for £2,600. AFter his death the Huntington estate and castle was occupied as a military station by Dudley Colclough from 1649-1674. When the Ram family acquired their Gorey lands in 1626 Lawrence Esmonde was given 13 acres in the town which almost three hundred years later became the site of the Catholic church and schools in Gorey.
p. 104. The Baronet seemed to have had a human side to him also. When Richard Masterson, the owner of considerable lands in the Ferns area, died in 1627, his next heir was Edward the grandson of his brother Nicholas, a boy of nine. Sir Lawrence took his under his wing to protect his interests from other Mastersons, in particular Lawrence Masterson. Lawrence was Richard’s grandson by his illegitimate son John. Richard was a friend of Esmonde and would have known him from the time of teh wars with the Kavanaghs in the late 1590s. He said of Edward “his dead father left the trust of teh child to me and I have bred him up att scoole in my house this fowre years past relygiouslye, and will the next sommersend him to the college (Trinity) if it so please God.” However it appears that Edward was influenced by Esmonde’s Catholic wife and he became a Catholic later in his life.
When the war broke out in 1641, Wexford was an extremely dangerous place for Protestant landowners as the following account of the Lords Justices of Ireland attest:
“The rebells in ye county of Wexford, increasinge daily have taken the Castells of Arklow, Limbrick, the Lord Esmonde’s house, and Fort Chichester, places of good strength and importance…in both these counties of Wicklow and Wexford, all the castles and House of the English with all their substance are come into ye hands of ye rebells nd the English themselves with their wives and children stript naked and banished thence by their fury and rage…”
Lord Esmonde was in command of Duncannon fort, and loyal to England during the Great Rebellion, and his son, Sir Thomas, was a Confederate General on the opposing side. Sir Thomas had started his military career as an officer in the continental army of Charles I and for his valiant service at the siege of La Rochelle he was made a baronet of Ireland while his father still lived. He did not however come back to Ireland until 1646 after his father’s death. He was a resolute Catholic and his heirs after him remained true to the faith of their original ancestors.
p. 105. The fort was an English stronghold and soldiers from the fort attacked Redmond Hall, near Hook Head, which was defeneded by the Redmonds. One of the attacking forcewas a Lieutenant John Esmonde, a nephew or grand-nephew of Lord Esmonde. He and fourteen soldiers from the fort were hanged by the confederates for their part in the attack. Walter Roche as Provost Marshall of Wexford was responsible for the executions and it is most likely he knew Lieut. Esmonde quite well. Duncannon fort itself was besieged for three months by confederates in 1633 and Lord Esmonde was forced to surrender. The officer to whom he surrendered was Captain Thomas Roche. Lord Esmonde survived for two more years and was still the titular commander of the fort at the time of his death.
After his death in 1646, Sir Lawrence was buried in the vault of his church at Lymbrick. His son, Sir Thomas, continued to fight for the Confederates and in the civil war of 1648, when the Confederates split he declared against the Papal Nuncio and was excommunicated for his troubles. In the following year he was appointed Major General of the Leinster forces to oppose Cromwell. He continued to campaign during 1650 but was eventually forced to submit. During the Cromwellian campaign the castle at Lymbrick was burnt to prevent its being used by the Cromwellian soldiers. Sir Thomas was on the list of Transplantable Catholics in 1653.
After the Cromwellian Confiscations, since the Johnstown Esmondes wre Catholic, their lands were granted to Colonel Overstreet, and lter came into the possession of the Grogan family. The Ballynastragh/Lymbrick lands were also confiscated and the Ballytramont property was granted to the Duke of Ablemarle (General Monck).
Interestingly it appears that Sir Laurence Esmonde had taken the lands from General Monck during the Plantation period as asserted in a petition by his son in 1668…
p. 106. It took the Esmondes 60 years and cost an enormous amount of money to get back parts of their North Wexford estates.
p. 106. Sir Thomas was married to Ellice the dau of Sir John FitzGerald, and they had three sons, Lawrence, James and Patrick. Lawrence inherited the title and as Sir Lawrence reoccupied Huntingdon Castle in 1682. His young son [Laurence] went to France and entered the French army at the age of 14. His guardian was the Countess of Devonshire. He came back to Huntington to become the 3rd Baronet. James succeeded to Ballynastragh and the youngest son, Patrick became an officer in the Austrian army and fought in the Turkish wards, spending seven years as a prisoner of war in the infamous Seven Towers prison in Constantinople. He was later made a Chevalier and appointed Governor of Prague.
p. 106. The main line of Esmondes continued on through the descendants of Sir Thomas who in the persons of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th baronets resided at Huntington. The widow of the 6th Baronet was left in “straitened circumstances” and sold the estate of Huntington to Sir James Leslie, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Limerick, in 1751. Huntington remained in his family until 1825 when it was leased to Alexander Durdin and later bought by his descendants. It passed by marriage to the Robertsons who are still in possession of Huntington Castle today. [note that the 5th Bt had a daugther, who married Richard Durdin. The 6th Baronet had only daughters also].
[7th Bt was from the line of James, son of Thomas the 1st baronet – James was the second son, who inherited Ballynastragh. He had a son, Laurence (1670-1760) who had the son James the 7th Bt of Ballynastragh).
p. 107. James the second son of Thomas 1st Bt married Barbara Vincent and they had at least two sons, Lawrence, who succeeded his father as owner of Ballynastragh in 1717 and Marcus who, in 1670, temporarily regained possession of Johnstown (forfeited in 1654). This may have come about when the widow of Colonel Overstreet married a man called Withers, who may have let Johnstown to Marcus. Johnstown was sold to Col John Reynolds and his daughter Mary married John Grogan of Wexford, a yeoman and merchant, who took possession of the estates in the late 1690s.
p. 107. Ballynastragh was confiscated because of the “rebel” taint, and the sons of Dr John Esmonde, who had been hanged for his part in the 1798 rebellion, fled to France. Sir Thomas had no family so when he died, John’s eldest son Thomas succeeded as heir and 9th Bt. He eventually regained possession of Ballynastragh in 1816.
Sir Thomas, 9th Bt, gave the Catholic church the sites and grounds for the present St Michael’s church in Gorey, the Presbytery, the CBS school and Monastery and the Loreto Convent. The Church was designed by Pugin, who visited Wexford at the invitation of Sir Thomas and Mr John Talbot of Castle Talbot. The portion of ground so generously donated was known as “Sparrow’s Plot.” [p. 109] Sparrow was the person who in Penal Times “discovered” the Esmondes as Catholics and following the resultant confiscation was awarded teh portion of ground which became known as “Sparrow’s Plot” which Sir thomas Esmonde bought from Lord Valentia (Annesley).
The 9th Bt died in 1868 ages 82. One of his brothers was very Rev. Bartholomew Esmonde, a Jesuit, who was Superior of Clongowes Wood College and an eminent theologian. Sir Thomas was succeeded by his newphew, Sir Thomas, 10thBt [son of James], who married Louisa the daughter of Henry Grattan MP and grand daughter of the great Henry Grattan (of Parliament fame).
Detached five-bay two-storey country house with dormer attic, dated 1937, on a square plan; five-bay two-storey side elevations. Refenestrated, —-. Hipped slate roof on a U-shaped plan with clay ridge tiles, yellow brick Flemish bond chimney stacks on yellow brick Flemish bond bases having cornice capping, sproketed eaves, and cast-iron rainwater goods on timber eaves boards on “Cavetto” cornice retaining embossed cast-iron hoppers (“1937”) and square profile downpipes. Tuck pointed yellow brick Flemish bond walls with stained yellow brick flush quoins to corners. Square-headed central door opening approached by two steps with coat of arms-detailed doorcase having bull nose-detailed reveals framing timber panelled double doors having overlight. Square-headed window openings with shallow sills, and yellow brick voussoirs framing replacement eight-over-twelve (ground floor) or eight-over-eight (first floor) sash windows without horns having part exposed sash boxes. Set in landscaped grounds.
A country house erected to a design by Dermot St. John Gogarty (b. 1908) of Merrion Square, Dublin (DIA), representing an important component of the twentieth-century domestic built heritage of north County Wexford with the architectural value of the composition, one rooted firmly in the contemporary Georgian Revival fashion, confirmed by such attributes as the deliberate alignment maximising on scenic vistas overlooking ‘a very fine parkland with a large ornamental lake in front’ (Craig and Garner 1975, 54); the compact near-square plan form centred on a restrained doorcase demonstrating good quality workmanship; the diminishing in scale of the openings on each floor producing a graduated visual impression; and the Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944)-esque high pitched sproketed roofline: meanwhile, a colonnaded “loggia” survives as an interesting relic of ‘the beautiful residence of Senator Sir Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde [1862-1935] set on fire and burned to the ground’ (The People 14th March 1923, 3). Having been well maintained, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with substantial quantities of the original fabric, both to the exterior and to the interior, thus upholding the character or integrity of the composition. Furthermore, a walled garden (see 15700707); and a ruined gate lodge (see 15700709), all continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of an estate having historic connections with the Esmonde family including Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Laurence Grattan Esmonde (1863-1943), thirteenth Baronet; Sir John Lymbrick Esmonde (1893-1958), fourteenth Baronet; Sir Anthony Charles Esmonde (1899-1981), fifteenth Baronet; and Sir John Henry Grattan Esmonde (1928-87), sixteenth Baronet.
Derrylahan Park, Riverstown, Co Tipperary – burnt 1921
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. 102. “(Head/LGI1958) A High Victorian house with steep gables and roofs, plate glass windows and decorative iron cresting on the ridges. Built 1862 at a cost of £15,000, to the design of Sir Thomas Newenham Deane. Burnt 1921.
The main house, built in 1862, burnt in 1921 and no longer standing, was designed by Sir T. N. Deane, who is likely to have also been responsible for the associated buildings.
Only gate lodge remains:
Listed in Vanishing Country Houses of Ireland by The Knight of Glin, David J. Griffin and Nicholas K. Robinson, published by The Irish Architectural Archive and The Irish Georgian Society, 1988.
p. 134. A high Victorian house designed by Sir Thomas Newenham Deane in 1862 for William H. Head. Burnt in 1921.
Detached two-bay single-storey gate lodge with attic, built c. 1860, with rectangular bay window to north gable and recent single-storey lean-to extension to rear. Pitched slate roof with cast-iron crestings, eaves brackets and gabled dormer to front. Cut stone coping stones to gables and cut stone chimneystack. Ashlar limestone walls with string course to bay window. Replacement timber windows and doors having chamfered cut stone surrounds and sills. Limestone gateway consists of carved stone gate piers having bowtell mouldings to corners and stepped caps, flanked by carved pedestrian entrances with chamfered surrounds and shouldered lintels with cut stone copings. Snecked limestone boundary walls with cut stone coping.
Appraisal
The gate lodge and main gateway to Derrylahan Park. The main house, built in 1862, burnt in 1921 and no longer standing, was designed by Sir T. N. Deane, who is likely to have also been responsible for the associated buildings. Built of very high quality materials and craftsmanship, the lodge and gateway have survived intact and give an indication of the quality of the house to which they belonged. The farmyard buildings of the demesne are located to the south of this entrance.
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. 240. “(Gun/LGI1912) A High Victorian house with trefoil shaped recesses over the windows and some Ruskinian Gothic dormer gables.”
Detached five-bay two-storey Venetian Gothic Revival style house, built c. 1860, incorporating fabric of earlier house, built 1836. Comprising three-bay two-storey recessed central block having trefoil-headed openings, single-bay single-storey gabled projecting porch, single-bay two-storey hipped gabled advanced flanking end bays and single-bay side elevations having canted bay window to south with gablet over. Pitched artificial slate roofs with half-hipped gables and ashlar chimneystacks. Rubble stone walls with ashlar dressings. Arched niches surround facade openings, with trefoil arches at first floor, timber two-over-two pane sliding sash windows set in square-headed windows, bay window at ground floor south wall. Off-centre gabled ashlar porch. Remains of detached four-bay single-storey rubble stone-built single-cell medieval abbey, built c. 1600, to east, now ruinous. Gateway, built c. 1860, to south-east comprising pair of cut-stone piers with cast-iron inner piers having cast-iron gates and railings.
At the time of Grffith’s Valuation, Rattoo House, in the possession of Wilson Gun, was valued at £20. Lewis refers to Rattoo Lodge as the residence of W.T. Gun in 1837. This would appear to be the house which Bary states was built by Wilson Gun in 1836. The 1st editon Ordnance Survey map, however, indicates “Rattoo House (in ruins)”, south west of the Round Tower, which would suggest there was an earlier house also known by this name. In 1906 it was owned by William T.J. Gun and valued at £63. The house remained in the Gun family and their descendents until the early twentieth century when it was sold to the Land Commission by Ella Browne, grand-daughter of Wilson Gun. The Irish Tourist Association Survey, however, still describes it as in her possession “a large straggling building with fourteen bedrooms and fine sittingrooms”. It is still extant and occupied. In 2010 it was offered for sale.
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. 293. “(Leeson-Marshall, sub Milltown, E/PB) A Victorian Tudor house of 1861, built for Robert Leeson, grandson of 1st Earl of Milltown. Symmetrical front of three steep gables with a gabled enclosed porch; tall chimneystacks, single-storey three sided bow at end. Spacious rooms, attractive drawing room. The house was enlarged ca 1909, to the design of James Franklin Fuller. Now the home of Prof and Mrs B McK. Bary, having come to Mrs Bary from her cousin Mrs Ruth, nee Leeson-Marshall.”
Callinafercy House, Co Kerry courtesy National Inventory.
Detached three-bay two-storey triple-gable-fronted Jacobean Revival style house, dated 1861, with single-bay single-storey gabled projecting porch to centre and single-bay side elevations having single-storey flat-roofed projecting canted bay window to south elevation. Extended to south-west, c. 1910, comprising three-bay two-storey Jacobean Revival style parallel block with dormer attic and three-bay two-storey return with dormer attic on a T-shaped plan comprising three-bay two-storey staggered parallel range and two-bay two-storey projecting bay with dormer attic at right angles to south west. Steeply pitched slate roofs with clay ridge tiles, gable copings, grouped chimneystacks, ball finials to springers, profiled cast-iron gutters and square downpipes. Roughcast rendered walls with render moulded plinth. Exposed rubble stone walls with ashlar quoins to part of north wing and including blocked openings. Render shield to central gable of facade. Paired or tripled timber one-over-one pane sliding sash windows with limestone sills, render architraves and hood mouldings on lion-head bosses. Projecting gabled porch with square-headed door openings having timber four-panel doors to either side of porch. Stable complex, built c. 1865, to south-west about a courtyard comprising: Detached four-bay single-storey range retaining original fenestration. Detached two-bay single-storey stone-built outbuilding. Detached four-bay single-storey rubble stone-built range with corrugated-iron roof. Detached two-bay two-storey house with two-bay single-storey wing to south. Detached two-bay single-storey outbuilding with pair of square-headed integral carriage arches. Gateway to courtyard comprising pair of rubble stone piers with cast-iron gates. Gateway, built c. 1865, to north-east comprising four cut-stone piers with cast-iron gates and railings.
Robert Leeson was leasing Callanafersy House to Ephraim Williams at the time of Griffith’s Valuation, when it was valued at £12 5s. Bary indicates that this house was leased by the Williams family and probably had been built by them earlier in the nineteenth century. It is still extant and occupied.
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. 158. “(Butler, sub Lanesborough, E/PB) A gabled Victorian Tudor house on an island in Upper Lough Erne, built ca 1860 by Hon Henry Cavendish Butler, half brother of 5th Earl of Lanesborough.”
Weston, 12 Alma Road Monkstown, Monkstown, Co. Dublin, A94FH99 courtesy Lisney Sotheby’s, January 2025, €1,950,000
7 Bed
5 Bath
483 m²
Weston, 12 Alma Road is a rare find, constructed in 1865 by renowned architect Thomas Newenham Deane, his best-known works in Dublin include the National Library, the National Museum on Kildare Street and the Old Library in Trinity College. This substantial semi-detached Victorian property is well positioned on this highly regarded road in the heart of Monkstown. The property is surrounded by an excellent selection of schools, churches, the seafront and Seapoint bathing area as well as public transport with the DART nearby. The accommodation consists of 7 bedrooms, 4 reception rooms and has an overall floor area of approximately 483 sq.m. (5,200 sq.ft.). This wonderful home has been in the same family ownership for over 35 years and now offers a great opportunity for a new purchaser to create a home of true distinction. The property has retained many of the original period features and embellishments and the principal reception rooms are particularly fine examples of houses built in the era boasting wonderful proportions, high ceilings, magnificent gothic arched windows, detailed cornice work, centre roses and very fine fireplaces. Upstairs there are 6 generous bedrooms together with a truly impressive drawing room. A particular feature is the large converted attic room offering stunning panoramic views over the roof tops taking in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, Dublin Bay, Howth and the Pigeon House chimneys. To the front of the property there is off street parking within the landscaped garden together with lawn area, mature hedging and pedestrian path to the wonderful entrance porch. To the rear there is a private and secluded low maintenance garden with granite wall and garage. Alma Road is a highly convenient location only a few minutes’ walk from the bustling village of Monkstown with its wide selection of local and boutique shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants. There is more extensive shopping available in Blackrock, just a short stroll away. Primary and Secondary schools are in abundance, with Scoil Lorcain around the corner. There are also many recreational and leisure activities and sporting venues such as rugby, hockey and tennis with Monkstown and Blackrock (Green Road) Tennis Clubs only a short drive away. The four yacht clubs and extensive marina at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, along with its two piers will be of major interest to sailing enthusiasts. Easy access to the new coastal cycle route towards either Dun Laoghaire or Howth provides ample opportunity for scenic cycles. Being within metres of the seafront there are also lovely tranquil scenic walks in the immediate area, the DART at Seapoint is at the end of the road and Seapoint beach is within walking distance, ideal for a lunchtime dip in the Irish Sea. Enclosed Porched Entrance with Victorian period tiled floor and opens into the Reception Hall (10.10m x 2.25m )with ornate ceiling coving, ceiling rose, arch to inner hall with matching ceiling coving and door to Front Reception Room (4.90m x 4.55m )with twin sliding sash windows overlooking front, very fine mahogany fireplace with cast iron pattern tiled inset, gas coal effect fire to the front and stone hearth, ceiling coving and ornate ceiling rose Dining Room (7.70m x 4.85m )with ornate ceiling coving, ceiling rose, twin sliding sash windows looking rear, very fine marble fireplace with raised fireplace and gas fire to the front Cloakroom with electrical fuse boards, cloak hanging area and opening to a Guest Bathroom (4.70m x 2.00m )with part frosted glazing, roll top cast iron claw feet bath, w.c., wash hand basin and recessed lighting Store Area first part housing the hot water cylinder, digital heating controls and immersion, and timber steps leading up to Storage Area (3.50m x 1.70m ) Lower Level with steps down Utility Room (2.60m x 2.35m )with tiled floor, Belfast sink with cupboard under, Bosch washing machine, Zanussi tumble dryer, further storage, door down to a cellar area and door out to the back garden Family Room (5.30m x 4.70m )with solid oak floor, shelving to one side, ceiling coving, fireplace with mahogany surround, tiled inset, stone hearth and open fire Bathroom comprising bath and shower attachment over, large fitted mirror set into the tiled wall, fully tiled walls and tiled floor, bidet, w.c., pedestal wash hand basin, fitted mirror and step in tiled Mira shower Bedroom 1 (6.30m x 3.00m )with stairs leading up to the room, sliding sash twin windows looking into the garden and sliding sash window looking out over the driveway Kitchen/Breakfast Room (6.30m x 3.00m )with tiled floor, double folding multi-paned French doors opening out to the garden, kitchen is fitted with press units, drawers, worktops, stone worktop, Siemens dishwasher, Fisher & Paykel stainless steel double oven, five ring gas hob with stainless steel splashback, Fisher & Paykel stainless steel chimney effect extractor, black press units and drawers, one and a half bowl sink unit, shelving, wine rack and picture window overlooking the garden Outside (Garden approx. 11m x 9m)the rear garden is walled and laid out in paving stones and patio with outside purpose built table and chairs and bench, and door to a garage Garage (3.60m x 3.45m )with double folding doors out to the driveway Cellar Area accessed from the utility room and currently laid out as a wine storage area with large areas that open into one another under the entire main body of the house Upstairs Half Landing with feature window overlooking the rear with twin sliding sash windows Bedroom 2 (4.90m x 4.75m )with sliding sash window, high ceiling, ceiling coving, very fine marble fireplace with cast iron arched inset, gas coal effect fire, stone hearth either side of the chimney breast, cupboards and storage, and pedestal wash hand basin First Floor Landing (3.75m x 2.25m )with ceiling coving Bedroom 3 (4.95m x 4.55m )with marble fireplace with arched tiled inset, gas coal effect fire to the front and matching tiled hearth, wash hand basin, twin sliding sash windows looking rear, ceiling coving, picture rail and fitted cupboards either side of the chimney breast Drawing Room (7.30m x 4.85m )with ornate ceiling coving, ceiling rose, picture rail, beautiful feature window looking out front with three sliding sash windows set in, and very fine white marble fireplace with cast iron arched inset and stone hearth Bedroom 4 (4.65m x 2.25m )with cast iron fireplace, sliding sash window looking front, picture rail and ceiling coving Shower Room with step in tiled power shower with monsoon head, auxiliary hose, oversized tray, w.c., pedestal wash hand basin, part tiled walls, tiled floor, shaving socket and light, and extractor fan Bedroom 5 (3.90m x 2.75m )with sliding sash window facing front with shutters intact, picture rail and ceiling coving Half Landing with stairwell leading up, twin sliding sash windows looking rear and ceiling coving Guest W.C. with wash hand basin Internal Lobby Bedroom 6 (4.75m x 3.00m )with cast iron arched fireplace, cupboards either side of the chimney breast and multi-paned sliding sash window giving a sea view Bathroom with panelled bath with Mira shower over, large fitted mirror, wash hand basin, tiled floor, part tiled walls and recessed lighting Studio/Loft with double folding cupboard doors opening off the half landing to a stairwell that leads up to a fantastic space offering breath-taking views out over Dublin Bay, the East Pier to Howth and door with steps leading up to a roof terrace that gives 360 degree panoramic views Seating View Area (4.80m x 3.90m )with limed pine panelled walls and ceiling and feature glass Secondary Area (4.90m x 3.60m )with vaulted ceiling and recessed lighting Rear Section Bedroom Area (5.35m x 3.50m )with Velux skylight, limed pine panelled walls, vaulted ceiling, feature period solid fuel burning stove with exposed original brick back and under eaves storage
Gas fired central heating
A magnificent Victorian residence in the heart of Monkstown
Off street car parking to the front
Well laid out accommodation of approx 483 sq.m (5,200 sq.ft.)
Short walk to the DART and swimming at Seapoint
Pleasant views over the Dublin Bay from the attic room
Numerous period details intact to include cornice work and ornate centre roses
Regular bus service on Monkstown Road and short walk to the DART
Bence-Jones, Mark. 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. 85. “Bellingham; BT/PB) A C19 house added to at various times in the present centry, and full of Edwardian charm. Large drawing room, like those living room halls which were so popular with Edwardians; boudoir with modern plasterwork; partly octagonal dining room with balcony.”
Bence-Jones, Mark. 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. 13. “[Dobbs/IFR]A Victorian house with gables, pointed windows and a pointed befry; built 1861 for W.C.Dobbs, MP, Judge of Landed Estate Courts, to the design of Charles Lanyon and William Henry Lynn. In recent years, the residence of Most Rev. J.C. McQuaid, Catholic Archbishop of Dublin.”
Irish Historic Houses 