Portumna Castle, County Galway, an Office of Public Works property

Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

General information: 090 974 1658, portumnacastle@opw.ie

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/portumna-castle-and-gardens/:

Built by [Richard Bourke 1572-1635] the fourth earl of Clanricarde, Portumna Castle was the de Burgo family power base for centuries.

The castle is a unique example of the transitional Irish architecture of the early 1600s. Its bold design combines elements of medieval and Renaissance style that complement each other perfectly.

A major fire in 1826 left the castle a roofless shell, but the state began to bring it back from ruin in the 1960s. Restoration work continues to this day.

The dramatic walk up to the building includes charming formal gardens, which create an enchanting sense of the original seventeenth-century setting. The walled kitchen garden is particularly memorable.

The castle enjoys a sensational view of Lough Derg. The ground floor is open to the public and houses an exhibition that brings the story of the castle and the de Burgo family to life. It is right beside the River Shannon and Portumna Forest Park, which makes it a great choice for a delightful day out.

Ashlar limestone Morrison, or Gothic Entrance gates, Portumna Castle. They are attributed to Richard Morrison, built about 1805, flanked by “octagonal piers with reeded colonettes on moulded plinths, with moulded bands and cornices, carved crocketed reeded pyramidal capstones with fleur-de-lys finials, vegetal detail to friezes, and supporting decorative cast-iron double-leaf and single-leaf gates.” [1] Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
A gate lodge, probably designed by Richard Morrison. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The castle is a three-storey semi-fortified Jacobean house with raised basement and dormer attic, built c.1618, facing north and comprising rectangular block having four-bay long sides and three-bay short sides, flanked by square-plan projecting corner towers with one-bay sides. The machicolation over the main entrance has an oculus opening and pedestals with ball finials, and is supported on stone corbels. There are paired ashlar limestone chimneystacks to the middle of the roof which have a plan of five stacks by three parallel to axis. I thought these chimneystacks look rather modern and am not sure they look as they would have back in the 1600s and 1700s. The windows have stone mullioned windows with leaded glazing. Dormer windows have pitched slate roofs and two-light timber casement windows. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Richard Bourke 4th Earl of Clanricarde was brought up and educated in England. He fought on the side of the English against Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and was knighted on the field at the battle of Kinsale. He was a protege of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and married Frances Walsingham, who was the widow of the poet Philip Sydney (1554-1586) and of Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl of Essex (1566-1601), favourite of Queen Elizabeth I.

Portrait of Frances Walsingham, along with her husband Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and in the small picture, Sir Philip Sydney.

The castle was built around 1616 and is a mixture of defensive Elizabethan/Jacobean building and a manor house, marking the transition in building styles. In this is it similar to Rathfarnham Castle in Dublin, which was built around 1583. It retains defensive structures such as machicolations (floor openings in the battlements, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers), shot holes, and strong corner towers, and surrounding walls with gunloops and crenellated towers.

Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Georgian Gothic gateways lead to the avenue up to the house. The seventeenth century Tuscan gateway, contemporaneous with the castle, is one of the earliest examples of the use of classical orders in the country and is the superb work of a skilled craftsman. Its decorative scheme reflects the details of the castle. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Doorway entrance with round headed door opening in a carved limestone doorcase with side pilasters and and a scroll keystone, framed in square recess surmounted by moulded cornice on corbels, with scroll brackets on each end and supporting obelisks flanked by strapwork on each side of glazed elliptical oculus with carved finial. [2] Entrance is up limestone steps with carved balustrade. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The back is similar to the front, except for the addition in around 1797 of a curved porch of Jacobean style in the middle of the garden front (probably in the time of the 12th Earl of Clanricarde who died in December 1797 and was elevated to be a Marquess). I loved the curving steps up to this round door entrance.

Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Henry De Burgh (1743-1797), 1st Marquess (and 12th Earl) of Clanricarde (2nd creation), as a Knight of St Patrick Date after 1789 by Engraver William Sedgwick, English, 1748 – 1800 After Robert Hunter, Irish, 1715/1720-c.1803. Photograph courtesy of the National Gallery of Ireland.
The National Inventory describes the addition: “Curved porch to south elevation added c.1797 and having roughcast rendered walls with moulded string course to battlements, latter having carved ball finial to middle, square-headed two-light window openings having chamfered limestone surrounds, window to basement having chamfered mullion and that to ground floor having mullion and transom. Glazed elliptical oculus over ground floor window. Pointed arch door openings to east and west faces, with chamfered limestone surrounds, moulded cornices and timber doors, accessed by flights of limestone steps.” Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
This board tells us that William de Burgo (d. 1205) came to Ireland with Prince John in 1185, and was granted lands stretching from Cashel to Limerick. In 1193 he married the daughter of Donal Mor O’Brien, King of Thomond, thus securing a good relationship with the native rulers. His son Richard (d. 1241) suceeded him and was known as Lord of Connaught. Richard began the feudalisation of Connaught after military conquest. Richard was succeeded by his son Richard (d. 1248) and then Walter, who was created 1st Earl of Ulster.

Before building Portumna Castle, the principal seat of the Earls of Clanricarde was a castle in Loughrea. As well as building Portumna, the 4th Earl refurbished the castles at Aughnanure and Athenry, amongst others. The Clanricarde earls also owned Clarecastle, Oranmore and Kilcolgan castles.

Aughnanure Castle County Galway, photograph courtesy of OPW website. This was also refurbished by the 4th Earl of Clanricarde.
Athenry Castle, County Galway, photograph courtesy of OPW website. This was also refurbished by the 4th Earl of Clanricarde.

The descendants of William de Burgo adopted Irish customs and clothing. Ulick Burke of Clanricarde (d. 1544) became Earl of Clanricarde and Baron of Dunkellin, and was one of the earliest Irish Chiefs to accept Henry VIII’s policy of “surrender and regrant,” accepting Henry VIII as his sovereign.

Ulick’s son Richard, 2nd Earl of Clanricarde, fought the Irish for the British crown.

The castle passed to the 4th Earl’s son Ulick who succeeded as 5th Earl of Clanricarde (d. 1657) and who was created 1st Marquess of Clanricarde. and then to a cousin, Richard (d. 1666), who became 6th Earl of Clanricarde.

Portrait of Ulick, 5th Earl of Clanricarde (d. 1657). He was created Marquess of Clanricarde. He was Lord Deputy and Commander in Chief of Royalist forces against Cromwell in 1649. His Irish estates were lost but then recovered by his widow after the restoration of Charles II to the throne.

The 6th Earl married Elizabeth Butler, daughter of Walter Butler, 11th Earl of Ormond and had daughters so the title passed to his brother William (d. 1687), 7th Earl of Clanricarde.

The 7th Earl’s son Richard the 8th Earl (died 1708) succeeded his father and despite marrying several times had no male heirs, so was succeeded by his brother John, 9th Earl (d. 1722). John was created Baron Burke of Bophin, County Galway, by King James II. He fought on the Jacobite side and was taken prisoner at the Battle of Aughrim in 1691. He was declared an outlaw and the Clanricarde estates were forfeited to the King, but the outlawry was reversed twelve years later on the payment of a whopping £25,000. His son Michael the 10th Earl succeeded him (d. 1726) and fortunately he married well, to Anne Smith daughter of John Smith, Chancellor of the Exchequer, widow of Hugh Parker of Meldford Hall, Sussex, whose income helped to restore the family fortunes.

The 11th Earl, John Smith de Burgh (1720-1782) changed his surname from Bourke to De Burgh.

Henry de Burgh, 12th Earl and 1st Marquess of Clanricarde (1742 – 1797), Attributed to John Smart (British, 1741-1811) courtesy of https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6249637

The 13th Earl, John Thomas De Burgh (1744-1808), brother of the 12th Earl, was created again 1st Earl of Clanricarde, an Irish Peer, on 29 December 1800, with special remainder to his daughters, if he had no male heir. One daughter, Hester, married Howe Peter Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo, and the other, Emily, married Thomas St Lawrence, 3rd Earl of Howth.

John Thomas De Burgh (1744-1808) 13th Earl of Clanricarde was created 1st Earl of Clanricarde, Co. Galway.

His son, Ulick (1802-1874), became the 1st Marquess Clanricarde (of the 3rd creation), and also Baron of Somerhill, Kent. It was during his tenure that the fire occurred. He married Harriet Canning, daughter of Prime Minister George Canning. Ulick was described as being immensely rich.

Ulick John De Burgh, 14th Earl and 1st Marquess of Clanricarde (1802-1874).
Harriet Canning, Countess of Clanricarde (1804-1876), married to Ulick John De Burgh, 14th Earl and 1st Marquess of Clanricarde (1802-1874).

Amazing work has been done to reconstruct the castle after the fire. The Commissioners of Public Works acquired the castle in 1968 for preservation as a national monument.

Portumna Castle 1946, photograph from Dublin City Archives and Library. [3]
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. The sign board tells us that the Commissioners of Public Works acquired the castle in 1968 for preservation as a National Monument.
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021.
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. The information board tells us that the collapsed spine wall and oak floor beams were reinstated to the original design, based on detailed survey work of surviving features and documentary evidence, including early floor layout plans. The limestone handrail in front of the building was reinstated based on one surviving fragment.
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. The board tells us that the roof trusses are Irish oak. Studies were made of surviving roof timbers of buildings that would have been built around the same time, such as Carrick-on-Suir castle and Rathfarnham Castle.
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Window mullions were repaired with resin.
There was a carriageway road built in either the late 19th or early 19th century, and a well in what was the kitchen.

After the fire the family built a Ruskinian Gothic mansion by Sir Thomas Newenham Deane at the opposite end of the park. Mark Bence-Jones tells us that the new house was not much lived in by the family, for 2nd and last Marquess of Clanricarde, who succeeded 1874, was “the notorious miser and eccentric who spent his life in squalid rooms in London and dressed like a tramp.

The 2nd Marquess, Hubert George De Burgh-Canning, “the notorious miser and eccentric who spent his life in squalid rooms in London and dressed like a tramp.”

The 2nd Marquess, Hubert George De Burgh-Canning, who died 1916, left Portumna to his great-nephew, Viscount Henry George Charles Lascelles, afterwards 6th Earl of Harewood and husband of Princess Mary (daughter of King George V), because it was said that he was the only member of his family who ever went to see him. The 1862 house was burnt 1922; after which Lord Harewood, when he came here, occupied a small house on the place. Portumna was sold when he died in 1947. [4]

Elizabeth de Burgh, who married Henry Thynne Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood. She was the sister of the 2nd Marquess, Hubert George De Burgh-Canning.
Pictured, the marriage of Princess Mary to Viscount Lascelles.

The castle had a long gallery on the second storey, similar to that in the Ormond Castle in Carrick-on-Suir. Long galleries originated in Italy and France and became fashionable in England after 1550. They were often sparsely furnished and were used for indoor exercise.

Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021.
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021.
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021.
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021.
The view from the front of the castle towards the gates. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Inside Portumna Castle, so far the ground floor has been restored and it houses an informative exhibition about the castle. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The exhibition tells us about various positions of servants in a castle. I was amused by the description of the job of a footman. We are told that they were kept largely for “ornamental” purposes and had to be fairly tall and good-looking, and their wages even rose with their height! Some padded their silk stockings to make their calves look more shapely!

Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Work is still being carried out on the castle, as you can see from the scaffolding on the side.

Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The side has a round-arched door and a small oculus window above. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The stables have been renovated into a cafe.

Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

There’s also a walled garden at Portumna Castle.

Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Portumna Castle, County Galway, July 2021. Photograph © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

[1] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/30343036/portumna-castle-portumna-portumna-demesne-portumna-co-galway

[2] p. 233, Bence-Jones, Mark.

[3] https://repository.dri.ie/catalog?f%5Broot_collection_id_ssi%5D%5B%5D=pk02rr951&mode=objects&search_field=all_fields&view=grid

[4] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/30343036/portumna-castle-portumna-portumna-demesne-portumna-co-galway

Text © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Portraits C

C

Cornelius Callaghan, M.P., (d.1741), Lawyer Date: 1742 Engraver John Brooks, Irish, fl.1730-1756 After Unknown Artist, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605/6-1675), Aged 51 Date c.1657 by Engraver Abraham Blooteling, Dutch, 1640-1690 After Irish 17th century, Irish, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Harriet de Burgh née Canning, Countess of Clanricarde (1804-1876), married to Ulick John De Burgh, 14th Earl and 1st Marquess of Clanricarde (1802-1874). I think the portrait is by John Lucas.
Elizabeth Stuart née Yorke (1789-1867). Lady Stuart de Rothesay, with her daughters Charlotte (1817-1861) and Louisa (1818-1891) by George Hayter, photograph courtesy of UK Government Art Collection. Elizabeth was the daughter of Philip Yorke 3rd Earl of Hardwicke; Louisa married Henry de la Poer Beresford 3rd Marquis of Waterford; Charlotte married Charles John Canning 1st Viceroy of India, 2nd Viscount Canning, 1st Earl Canning.
Algernon Capell (1670-1710) 2nd Earl of Essex.
John Craven Carden, 1st Baronet by Robert Hunter courtesy of Adam’s auction 13 Oct 2015. This portrait of John Craven Carden is in the uniform of the Templemore Light Dragoons, a volunteer regiment raised in response to the withdrawal of regular troops required for the American War but which rapidly acquired political leverage. Carden had inherited large estates in Tipperary acquired in the Cromwellian settlement of the 17th Century. Although without parliamentry influence, Carden represented landed interests which the Castle administration were keen to control. Bribes were measured and Carden was made a baronet in 1787. He proved to be a sound man in the 1798 rebellion and by fortifying the Market House in Templemore denied the town to the rebels. He also leased the land for a barracks (now the Garda Training College) and donated the site of the Catholic Church in 1810.
Sarah Cooper née Carleton (born around 1718), wife of Arthur Cooper (b. 1716) of Coopershill, County Sligo. Daughter of Guy Cathcart Carleton of Fermanagh and Mary Brooke of Brookeborough, County Fermanagh.
The painting is a portrait by William Hogarth of the 1st Earl of Charlemont, James Caulfeild (1728-1799) aged 13, with his mother, Elizabeth Caulfeild née Bernard (1703-1743)(portrait painted in 1741).
James Caulfeild (1728-1799) 4th Viscount, 1st Earl of Charlemont, 1790 by Martin Ferdinand Quadal, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
James Caulfeild, 1st Earl of Charlemont (1728-1799) by Richard Livesay, British, 1753-1826.
Dorothy Bentinck née Cavendish, Duchess of Portland (1750-1794) by George Romney, c. 1772, daughter of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire. She married William Henry Bentinck 3rd Duke of Portland who added Cavendish to his name to become Cavendish-Bentinck.
William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire, (1698-1755), former Lord Lieutenant of Ireland by Engraver John Faber the Younger, Dutch, c.1695-1756 After Joshua Reynolds, English, 1723-1792, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Catherine Cavendish, Duchess Of Devonshire (1700-1777) née Hoskins or Hoskyn, As Saint Catherine by Charles Jervas (1675-1739), courtesy of Whyte’s auction March 2019. She married William Cavendish 3rd Duke of Devonshire.
William Cavendish (1720-1764) 4th Duke of Devonshire, who brought Lismore Castle, County Waterford, into the Cavendish family by his marriage. Painting by Thomas Hudson.
Charlotte Boyle (1731-1754) daughter of Richard Boyle (1694-1753) 3rd Earl of Burlington 4th Earl of Cork who married William Cavendish (1720-1764) 4th Duke of Devonshire and brought Lismore Castle, County Waterford, into the Cavendish family. Painting after style of George Knapton, courtesy of Chiswick House collection.
William Cavendish (1748-1811) 5th Duke of Devonshire by John Raphael Smith, after Sir Joshua Reynolds publ. 1776, NPG D1752.
Elizabeth Christina Foster née Hervey (1759-1824) later Duchess of Devonshire by Angelica Kauffmann courtesy of National Trust Ickworth. She was the daughter of Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry who built Downhill, Co Derry. She married John Thomas Foster MP (1747-1796) and later, William Boyle Cavendish 5th Duke of Devonshire. Last, she married Valentine Richard Quin 1st Earl of Dunraven and Mount Earl.
Lady Elizabeth Foster (1759-1824) née Hervey, as the Tiburtine Sibyl c. 1805 by Thomas Lawrence, National Gallery of Ireland NGI788. She was the daughter of Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry who built Downhill, Co Derry. She married John Thomas Foster MP (1747-1796) and later, William Boyle Cavendish 5th Duke of Devonshire. Last, she married Valentine Richard Quin 1st Earl of Dunraven and Mount Earl.
William George Spencer Cavendish (1790-1858) 6th Duke of Devonshire by George Edward Madeley, NPG D15276.
Margaret Jones née Cecil (1673-1727) Countess of Ranelagh, 2nd wife of Richard Jones 1st Earl of Ranelagh Engraver: John Smith, English, 1652-1743 After Godfrey Kneller, German, 1646-1723, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
William Chambers in the style of Joshua Reynolds, courtesy of Adam’s auction 13 Oct 2015
Major Henry Chavasse (1863-1943). 4th Battalion Scottish Rifles.
Anna Georgina Chavasse, née Coghill (d. 1899). She married Reverend William Izon Chavasse (1835-1864).
Theresa Susey Helen Vane-Tempest-Stewart née Chetwynd-Talbot, Marchioness of Londonderry (1856-1919) by John Singer Sargent, Vicereine 1886-89, wife of Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest-Stewart , 6th Marquess of Londonderry.

Baron Chichester (1613)

  • Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester (1563–1625)
Arthur Chichester (1563-1625) Baron Chichester Of Belfast (c) Belfast Harbour Commissioners; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation.

Baron Chichester and Viscount Chichester (1625)

  • Edward Chichester, 1st Viscount Chichester (1568–1648)
  • Arthur Chichester, 2nd Viscount Chichester (1606–1675; created Earl of Donegall in 1647)

Earl of Donegall (1647)

  • Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall (1606–1675)
  • Arthur Chichester, 2nd Earl of Donegall (died 1678)
  • Arthur Chichester, 3rd Earl of Donegall (1666–1706)
Anne Barry née Chichester (1697-1753) Countess of Barrymore, 3rd wife of James Barry 4th Earl of Barrymore. She was the daughter of Arthur, 3rd Earl of Donegall.
Lady Anne Chichester, Countess of Barrymore (d. 1753) Attributed to Philip Hussey, she was daughter of Major-General Arthur Chichester, 3rd Earl of Donegall (1666-1706) and his wife Lady Catherine Forbes (d. 1743), and she married James Barry 4th Earl of Barrymore, and was the mother of James Smith-Barry.
  • Arthur Chichester, 4th Earl of Donegall (1695–1757)
Lady Lucy Ridgeway was the eldest daughter and co-heir of Robert Ridgeway, 4th Earl of Londonderry (d. 1713/14), she married Arthur Chichester, 4th Earl of Donegal (1695-1757), by Jonathan Richardson courtesy of Sothebys L11304.
  • Arthur Chichester, 5th Earl of Donegall (1739–1799; created Baron Fisherwick in 1790 and Earl of Belfast and Marquess of Donegall in 1791). He married Anne née Hamilton (1731-1780) who was the daughter of James Brandon Douglas Hamilton 5th Duke of Hamilton, Scotland. Arthur the 5th Earl of Donegall was the son of John Chichester (1700-1746), who was the son of Arthur 3rd Earl of Donegall.
Anne Chichester née Hamilton, Countess of Donegall (1731-1780), who married Arthur Chichester 5th Earl of Donegall. She was the daughter of James Brandon Douglas Hamilton 5th Duke of Hamilton, Scotland.

Marquess of Donegall (1791)

  • Arthur Chichester, 1st Marquess of Donegall (1739–1799)
Arthur Chichester (1739-1799) 1st Marquess of Donegall, by Thomas Gainsborough, courtesy of Ulster Museum. He was the grandson of the 3rd Earl of Donegall.
  • George Augustus Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall (1769–1844)
George Augustus Chichester (1769-1844) 2nd Marquess of Donegall, courtesy of Belfast Castle.

George Hamilton Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall, Baron Ennishowen and Carrickfergus (1797–1883). He married Harriet Anne née Butler (1799-1860), daughter of Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall.

Harriet Anne née Butler (1799-1860) Countess of Belfast, wife of George Hamilton Chichester 3rd Marquess of Donegal and daughter of Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall.
Frederick Richard Chichester (1827-1853), Earl of Belfast, Courtesy of Ulster Museum. He was the son of the 3rd Marquess of Donegall.
Frederick Richard Chichester (1827-1853) Earl of Belfast courtesy of Ulster Museum.
  • Edward Chichester, 4th Marquess of Donegall (1799–1889)
  • George Augustus Hamilton Chichester, 5th Marquess of Donegall (1822–1904)
  • Edward Arthur Donald St George Hamilton Chichester, 6th Marquess of Donegall (1903–1975)
  • Dermot Richard Claud Chichester, 7th Marquess of Donegall (5th Baron Templemore) (1916–2007)
  • Arthur Patrick Chichester, 8th Marquess of Donegall (b. 1952) [1]
Portrait c. 1740 of Archbishop Robert Clayton (1695–1758) and Katherine née Donellan by James Latham, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland. Known for his unorthodox views, at the time of his death Robert Clayton was facing charges of heresy.
Robert Clayton (1695–1758) Bishop of Cork and Ross, in Iveagh House on St. Stephen’s Green.
Robert Clements, later First Earl of Leitrim, by Pompeo Batoni, about 1753–1754, Hood Museum of Art.
Robert Clements (1732-1804) 1st Earl of Leitrim by Gilbert Stuart courtesy of Christie’s Irish Sale 2001.
Colonel Henry John Clements (1781-1843) of Ashfield, Co. Cavan by Martin Cregan, courtesy of Christie’s Irish Sale 2001. He was the son of Henry Theophilus Clements (1750-1795), a brother of the 1st Earl of Leitrim, and Catherine Beresford (1761-1836). He married Louisa Stewart (1778-1850) of Killymoon, Country Tyrone, daughter of James Stewart (1741-1821).
Charlotte Florentia Percy née Clive (1787-1866), Duchess of Northumberland (1787-1866), by Martin Cregan. She was the daughter of Edward Clive, 1st Earl of Powys, and she married Hugh Percy, Earl Percy.
John Clotworthy (d. 1665), 1st Viscount of Massereene, courtesy of Clotworthy House.
Archbishop Charles Cobbe (1687-1765) of Newbridge House, Dublin
Charles Cobbe (1687-1765), Protestant Archbishop of Dublin Date 1746 by Engraver Andrew Miller, English, fl.1737-1763 After Francis Bindon, Irish, 1690-1765, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Charles Cobbe, P. Archbishop of Dublin, (1687-1765) by Engraver Andrew Miller, English, fl.1737-1763 After Francis Bindon, Irish, 1690-1765, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Elizabeth Cobbe née de la Poer Beresford (1736-1806), wife of Thomas Cobbe (1733-1814) of Newbridge House, Dublin, in a costume evocative of Mary Queen of Scots, miniature, Cobbe Collection.
This portrait was painted the year that Marmaduke Coghill (1673-1739) was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, attributed to Francis Bindon, courtesy of Adam’s auction 15 Dec 2019. A firm adherent to the ‘castle’ administration he had ‘inherited’ from his father the position of Judge of the Prerogative Court and had enriched himself sufficiently to re-build Drumcondra House, probably using Edward Lovett Pearce. He had a penchant for commissioning outstanding pieces of silver from the Dublin silversmiths such as the extraordinary cistern in the Ulster Museum and the Monteith in Waterford. There is a monument to him by Peter Scheemakers in Drumcondra Church. Francis Bindon (1690 – 1765) is the most likely artist to have painted this portrait.
Marmaduke Coghill (1673-1738). Never married, he lived in Belvedere House, Drumcondra before building a house at Clonturk, afterwards known as Drumcondra House, he lived there with his sister Mary until his death. Adam’s auction 9 Mar 2014.
Admiral Josiah Coghill (1773-1850), 3rd Baronet Coghill, of Coghill, Co. York, UK.
Anna Georgina Chavasse, née Coghill (d. 1899). She married Reverend William Izon Chavasse (1835-1864).

I refer to Timothy William Ferres’s terrific blog to look at the Cole family of Florence Court in County Fermanagh, a National Trust property.

William Cole married Susannah, daughter and heir of John Croft, of Lancashire, and widow of Stephen Segar, Lieutenant of Dublin Castle, by whom he left at his decease in 1653,

MICHAEL, his heir;
John, of Newland, father of Arthur, 1st BARON RANELAGH;
Mary; Margaret.

Called Elizabeth Cole Lady Ranelagh, probably really Catherine Cole née Byron (1667-1746) Lady Ranelagh attributed to John Closterman courtesy of National Trust Florence Court. She married Arthur Cole, 1st Baron Ranelagh.

The elder son,

MICHAEL COLE, wedded, in 1640, Catherine, daughter of Sir Laurence Parsons, of Birr, 2nd Baron of the Irish Exchequer, and dvp, administration being granted 1663 to his only surviving child,

SIR MICHAEL COLE, Knight (1644-1710), of Enniskillen Castle, MP for Enniskillen, 1692-3, 95-9, 1703-11, who espoused firstly, Alice (dsp 1671), daughter of Chidley Coote, of Killester; and secondly, 1672, his cousin, Elizabeth (d 1733), daughter of Sir J Cole Bt.

Sir Michael was succeeded by his only surviving child,

JOHN COLE (1680-1726), of Florence Court, MP for Enniskillen, 1703-26, who espoused, in 1707, Florence, only daughter of Sir Bourchier Wrey Bt, of Trebitch, in Cornwall.

Florence Bourchier Wrey (d. 1718), courtesy of National Trust, Florence Court, County Fermanagh. She married John Cole (1680-1726) who built Florence Court, and named it after her.

John and Florence had the following children:

Henry (Rev);
JOHN (1709-67) his heir;
Letitia; Florence.

Mr Cole was succeeded by his younger son, John Cole (1709-67) MP for Enniskillen, 1730-60. John married in 1728 Elizabeth, daughter of Hugh Willoughby Montgomery, of Carrow, County Fermanagh. Mr Cole was elevated to the peerage, in 1760, in the dignity of Baron Mountflorence, of Florence Court, County Fermanagh.

John Cole (1709-1767) 1st Baron Mountflorence of Florence Court, County Fermanagh, courtesy of National Trust, Florence Court, County Fermanagh.

John and Elizabeth had the following children:

WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY (1736-1803) his heir;
Arthur, m in 1780 Caroline Hamilton;
Flora Caroline; Catherine.

His lordship was succeeded by his elder son, WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, 2nd Baron (1736-1803), MP for Enniskillen, 1761-7, who was created Viscount Enniskillen in 1776; and advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1789, as EARL OF ENNISKILLEN.

William Willoughby Cole (1736-1803) 1st Earl of Enniskillen, by Nathaniel Hone, courtesy of National Trust, Florence Court, County Fermanagh. He was the son of John Cole 1st Baron Mountflorence.

William Willoughby Cole married, in 1763, Anne, daughter of Galbraith Lowry Corry, of Ahenis, County Tyrone, and sister of Armar Corry, Earl of Belmore, and had issue,

JOHN WILLOUGHBY (1768-1840) his successor, who became 2nd Earl;
Galbraith Lowry (Sir), GCB, a general in the army;
William Montgomery (Very Rev), Dean of Waterford;
Arthur Henry, MP for Enniskillen;
Henry, died young;
Sarah; Elizabeth Anne; Anne; Florence; Henrietta Frances.

John Willoughby Cole (1768-1840) 2nd Earl of Enniskillen, later 1st Baron Grinstead, by Thomas Robinson, courtesy of National Trust, Florence Court, County Fermanagh.
John Willoughby Cole (1768-1840) 2nd Earl of Enniskillen and 1st Baron Grinstead (1768-1840).
Lady Henrietta Cole, Lady Grantham, later Countess de Grey (1784-1848), Vicereine 1841-44, from Florence Court, Fermanagh. She was the daughter of William Willoughby Cole the 1st Earl of Enniskillen.
Florence Townley-Balfour née Cole (1779-1862) daughter of William Willoughby Cole 1st Earl of Enniskillen, she married Blayney Townley-Balfour. Painting by Richard Rothwell, courtesy of National Trust Florence Court.

JOHN WILLOUGHBY Cole 2nd Earl (1768-1840) married, in 1805, the Lady Charlotte Paget, daughter of Henry, 1st Earl of Uxbridge. The 2nd Earl of Charlotte had the following children:

WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY (1807-86) his successor, who became the 3rd Earl of Enniskillen.

Henry Arthur; John Lowry; Lowry Balfour; Jane Anne Louisa Florence.

William Willoughby Cole (1807-1886) 3rd Earl of Enniskillen, by William Robinson, courtesy of National Trust, Florence Court, County Fermanagh.

WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, 3rd Earl (1807-86), Honorary Colonel, 3rd Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, married firstly, in 1844, Jane, daughter of James Casamaijor, and had issue,

John Willoughby Michael, styled Viscount Cole (1844-50);

LOWRY EGERTON, 4th Earl;

Arthur Edward Casamaijor;

Florence Mary; Alice Elizabeth; Charlotte June; Jane Evelyn.

He wedded secondly, in 1865, Mary Emma, daughter of Charles, 6th Viscount Midleton.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

LOWRY EGERTON, 4th Earl (1845-1924), KP JP DL MP, who wedded, in 1869, Charlotte Marion, daughter of Douglas Baird.

Charlotte Marion Baird (1851/2-1937) Countess of Enniskillen, by Henry Richard Graves, courtesy of National Trust, Florence Court, County Fermanagh. She married Lowry Egerton Cole, 4th Earl of Enniskillen.

Courtesy of http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2017/08/florence-court-house.html

Nicholas Conway Colthurst (1789-1829) 4th Baronet of Ardrum, County Cork, by Martin Arthur Shee, courtesy of Eton College. He was Member of Parliament (M.P.) for the City of Cork between 1812 and 1829. His son the 5th Earl married Louisa Jane Jefferyes, through whom he acquired Blarney Castle.
Ambrose Congreve reading a newspaper at Clonbrock House, Ahascragh, Co. Galway, National Library of Ireland Ref. CLON422.

Timothy William Ferres tells us of the line of the Conolly family who owned Castletown House in County Kildare. [2] It was built by William Conolly (1662-1729), Speaker of the House of Commons in Ireland during the reign of Queen Anne, First Lord of the Treasury until his decease during the reign of GEORGE II, and ten times sworn one of the Lords Justices of Ireland.

William Conolly (1662-1729) of Castletown, County Kildare.

William Conolly married, in 1694, Katherine Conyngham, sister of Henry 1st Earl.

Katherine Conolly née Conyngham (c. 1662-1752) who married William Conolly, pictured with her great-niece Molly Burton. Portrait by Charles Jervas.

Speaker Conolly, MP for Donegal, 1692-9, Londonderry, 1703-29, was succeeded by his nephew, William James Conolly (1706-54).

I’m not sure but the top portrait looks like Katherine Conyngham to me, who marries William Conolly.
William Conolly, M.P. (d.1754) by Anthony Lee c. 1727 courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland NGI 421

William James Conolly (1706-54) married Anne Wentworth, eldest daughter of Thomas, 1st Earl of Strafford.

Lady Anne Conolly née Wentworth (1713-1797), daughter of Thomas Wentworth (1672-1739) 1st Earl of Strafford). She was married to William James Conolly (1712-1754), of Castletown, County Kildare. Painting attributed to Anthony Lee, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland. She was the mother of Thomas Conolly (1734-1803).
Lady Anne Conolly (born Wentworth (1712/1713-1797), daughter of Thomas Wentworth (1672-1739) 1st Earl of Strafford). She was married to William James Conolly (1712-1754), of Castletown, County Kildare. She was the mother of Thomas Conolly (1734-1803).

They had issue,

THOMAS (1734-1803) his heir;
Katherine, m. Ralph, Earl of Ross;
Anne, m. G. Byng; mother of Earl of Strafford;
Harriet, m. Rt Hon John Staples, of Lissan;
Frances, m. 5th Viscount Howe;
Caroline, m. 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire;

[2]

Thomas Conolly (1734-1803). He was the son and heir of William James Conolly (d.1754) of Castletown House, by his wife Lady Anne Wentworth. Thomas Conolly married Lady Louisa Lennox, a daughter of Charles Lennox, the 2nd Duke of Richmond.
Thomas Conolly (1738-1803), 1758 by Anton Raphael Mengs, National Gallery of Ireland PGI 4458
Portrait called The Honourable Harriet Molesworth (1745-1812), wife of John Staples (1736-1820) (probably Harriet Conolly, d. 1771), by Francis Cotes, courtesy of National Trust. Springhill, County Derry.

Ferres continues, telling us that Thomas Conolly, MP for County Londonderry, 1761-1800, wedded, in 1758, Louisa Augusta Lennox, daughter of Charles, 2nd Duke of Richmond and Lennox.

The pastel on the top left is Thomas Conolly (1734-1803), Louisa’s husband.
Thomas Connolly of Castletown by Hugh Douglas Hamilton (1739-1808), courtesy Adam’s auction 28 March 2012.
Lady Louisa Connolly née Lennox (1743-1817) by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, (1739-1808), courtesy Adam’s 28 Sept 2005. She was the daughter of Charles, 2nd Duke of Richmond and Lennox.
Louisa Conolly née Lennox (1743-1817) who married Thomas Conolly (1734-1803).

Thomas and Louisa had no children so the estate passed to a grand-nephew, Edward Michael Pakenham (1786-1849) who assumed the surname Conolly in 1821. Now Edward Michael Conolly of Castletown, County Kildare, and Cliff, County Donegal, Lieutenant-Colonel, Donegal Militia, MP for County Donegal, 1831-49, he married in 1819, Catherine Jane, daughter of Chambré Brabazon Ponsonby-Barker, by the Lady Henrietta Taylour his wife, daughter of Thomas, Earl of Bective. They had issue,

THOMAS (1823-1876) his heir;
Chambré Brabazon, d 1835;
Frederick William Edward, d 1826;
Arthur Wellesley, 1828-54;
John Augustus, VC;
Richard, d 1870;
Louisa Augusta; Henrietta; Mary Margaret; Frances Catherine.

Thomas Conolly (1823-1876), painting by William Osbourne.

Thomas married, in 1868, Sarah Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Shaw, of Temple House, Celbridge, County Kildare.

Sarah Eliza Conolly née Shaw, wife of Thomas.
Thomas Conolly (1823-1876) and his wife Sarah Eliza. Sarah Eliza was the daughter of a prosperous Celbridge paper mill owner, Joseph Shaw. Her substantial dowry helped to fund her husband’s adventurous lifestyle! A photograph album which belonged to her brother Henry Shaw, of a visit to Castletown, was rescued from the rubble of his home in London when it was destroyed by a German bomb in 1944. Sadly, he died in the bombing. The photograph album is on display in Castletown.

Thomas and Sarah Elizabeth had several children:

Thomas (1870-1900), killed in action at S Africa;
William, 1872-95;
EDWARD MICHAEL, of whom hereafter;
CATHERINE, Baroness Carew, mother of 6th BARON CAREW.

Mr Conolly was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

EDWARD MICHAEL CONOLLY CMG (1874-1956), of Castletown, Major, Royal Artillery, who died unmarried, when Castletown passed to his nephew,

William Francis (Conolly-Carew), 6th Baron Carew. [2]

Albert Cunningham (d. 1691) first colonel of the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, by Willem Wissing c. 1690, courtesy of British Cavalry Regiments website and wikipedia.
Albert Conyngham (d. 1691), courtesy of National Trust Springhill.
William Burton Conyngham (1733-1796), teller of the Irish Exchequer and treasurer of the Royal Irish Academy, 1780 engraver Valentine Green, after Hugh Douglas Hamilton, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Katherine Conolly née Conyngham (c. 1662-1752) who married William Conolly, with her great-niece Molly Burton. Portrait by Charles Jervas.

On his terrific website, Timothy William Ferres tells us about the Conyngham family of Springhill, County Derry in Northern Ireland: [3]

Colonel William Cunningham, of Ayrshire settled in the townland of Ballydrum, in which Springhill is situated, in 1609.

Colonel Cunningham’s son, William Conyngham, known as “Good Will” (d. 1721) married Ann, daughter of Arthur Upton, of Castle Norton (later Castle Upton), County Antrim, by his wife Dorothy, daughter of Colonel Michael Beresford, of Coleraine. William “Good Will” Conyngham died in 1721, and was succeeded by his nephew,

William Conyngham (d. 1721), “Good Will”, courtesy of National Trust. Springhill, County Derry.
Ann Upton (1664-1753) wife of William “Goodwill” Conyngham (1660-1721), daughter of Arthur Upton (1623-1706) of Castle Upton, County Antrim, courtesy of National Trust. Springhill, County Derry.

William “Goodwill” Conyngham was succeeded by his nephew George Butle Conyngham (d. 1765). He married , in 1721, Anne, daughter of Dr Upton Peacocke, of Cultra.

George Butle Conyngham (d. 1765), courtesy of National Trust, Springhill, County Derry.
Anne Peacocke (d. 1754), Mrs George Butle Conyngham, courtesy of National Trust, Springhill, County Derry.

George Butle Conyngham and Anne née Peacocke had children William (1723-84), the heir to Springhill, and David, successor to his brother, John who died unmarried in 1775 and a daughter Anne (1724-1777) who married in 1745 Clotworthy Lenox.

Called Anne Conyngham (1724-1777) Mrs Clotworthy Lenox, courtesy of National Trust. Springhill, County Derry. She was the daughter of George Butle Conyngham.

David who succeeded his brother William died without issue so Springhill passed to his nephew George Lenox (1752-1816), son of his sister Anne, and George adopted the surname of Conyngham. George married, first, Jean née Hamilton (d. 1788), daughter of John Hamilton of Castlefin. They had a son, William Lenox-Conyngham (1792-1858).

Jean Hamilton (d. 1788), wife of William Conyngham (1723-1774) by Joshua Reynolds, courtesy of National Trust. Springhill, County Derry.

George married, second, in 1794, Olivia, fourth daughter of William Irvine, of Castle Irvine, County Fermanagh.

William Burton Conyngham (1733-1796), teller of the Irish Exchequer and treasurer of the Royal Irish Academy, 1780 engraver Valentine Green, after Hugh Douglas Hamilton, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
William Burton Conyngham (1733–1796) by Anton Raphael Mengs c. 1754-58, courtesy of wikipedia. He was the son of Francis Burton and Mary Conyngham, and he inherited Slane Castle as well as Donegal estates from his uncle William Conyngham who died in 1781.
William Burton Conyngham, engraving After GILBERT STUART courtesy of Adams Country House Collections auction Oct 2023.

Slane Castle passed to William Burton Conyngham’s nephew Henry Conyngham (1766-1832) 1st Marquess Conyngham. Henry married Elizabeth Denison.

Elizabeth née Denison, Marchioness Conyngham (1769-1861), wife of Henry 1st Marquess.
Elizabeth Conyngham née Denison, wife of Henry 1st Marquess by Thomas Lawrence 1821 courtesy of Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.
Elizabeth Conyngham (née Denison), Marchioness Conyngham (1769–1861) by George Chinnery, English, 1774-1852.
Maria Conyngham (died 1843), daughter of 1st Marquess of Slane by Sir Thomas Lawrence courtesy of Metropolitan museum.
Francis Nathaniel Conyngham (1797-1876) 2nd Marquess of Slane, County Meath, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Edward Cooke, (1755-1820), Under-Secretary of State for Ireland Date: 1799 Engraver William Ward the Elder, English, 1766-1826 After William Cuming, Irish, 1769-1852.
Arthur Cooper, b. 1716, of Coopershill, County Sligo.
Sarah Cooper née Carleton (born around 1718), wife of Arthur Cooper (b. 1716) of Coopershill, County Sligo. Daughter of Guy Cathcart Carleton of Fermanagh and Mary Brooke of Brookeborough, County Fermanagh.
Arthur Brooke Cooper (c. 1775-1854) of Coopershill, County Sligo.

Timothy William Ferres also tells us of the Coote family. Charles Coote (1581-1642), 1st Baronet of Castle Cuffe, Queen’s County (Laois): “The Peerage” website tells us that in 1600 he went to Ireland as Captain of 100 Foot under 8th Lord Mountjoy, Queen Elizabeth I’s Lord Deputy of Ireland. He fought in the siege of Kingsale in 1602. He held the office of Provost Marshal of Connaught between 1605 and 1642, for life. He held the office of General Collector and Receiver of the King’s Composition Money for Connaught in 1613, for life. He held the office of Vice-President of Connaught in 1620. He was appointed Privy Counsellor (P.C.) in 1620. He was created 1st Baronet Coote, of Castle Cuffe, Queen’s Co. [Ireland] on 2 April 1621. He held the office of Custos Rotulorum of Queen’s County in 1634. He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Queen’s County [Ireland] in 1639. Before 1641 he held Irish lands, mostly in Conaught, worth £4,000 a year. He held the office of Governor of Dublin in 1641. In 1642 he helped relieve Birr, King’s County (now County Offaly), during the Uprising by the Confederation of Kilkenny, his successful operations there and elsewhere in the area, which was called Mountrath, suggesting the title by which his son was ennobled.

Sir Charles Coote (1581-1642) 1st Baronet of Castle Cuffe, Queens County By David Keddie – Own work, Public Domain, https//:commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42005305.jpg

He married Dorothea, youngest daughter and co-heir of Hugh Cuffe, of Cuffe’s Wood, County Cork, and had issue, Charles (c.1610 –1661) 1st Earl of Mountrath;
Chidley (d. 1688) of Killester, Co Dublin and Mount Coote, County Limerick;
RICHARD (1620-83) 1st Baron Coote of Colloony, County Sligo, ancestor of the EARL OF BELLAMONT (1st Creation);
Thomas, of Coote Hill;
Letitia (married Francis Hamilton, 1st Bt of Killaugh, co. Cavan).

Charles Coote 1st Earl of Mountrath (c.1610 –1661), 2nd Baronet, ca. 1642, before he was ennobled, Circle of William Dobson. By Christina Keddie – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42002789

Charles Coote (c.1610 –1661), 1st Earl of Mountrath married first, Mary Ruish, who gave birth to his heir, Charles Coote (d. 1672) 2nd Earl of Mountrath, Queen’s County. The 1st Earl of Mountrath, Queen’s County, also had the titles 1st Baron Coote of Castle Cuffe, in Queen’s Co. [Ireland] and 1st Viscount Coote of Castle Coote, Co. Roscommon [Ireland].

Charles Coote (c.1610 –1661), 1st Earl of Mountrath married secondly Jane Hannay, and she had a son Richard (1643-1700), who married Penelope, daughter of Arthur Hill of Hillsborough, County Down. Their daughter Penelope Rose married Charles Boyle (d. 1732) 2nd Viscount Blesington. Another daughter, Jane (d. 1729) married William Evans, 1st and last Baronet of Kilcreene, County Kilkenny.

Charles Coote, 2nd Earl of Mountrath married Alice, daughter of Robert Meredyth of Greenhills, County Kildare. His daughter Anne (d. 1725) married Murrough Boyle, 1st Viscount Blesington (d. 1718). His son Charles (1656-1709) succeeded as 3rd Earl of Mountrath, and he was father to the 4th, 5th and 6th Earls.

Charles Coote (d. 1715) 4th Earl of Mountrath, c. 1710 by Charles Jervas. He died unmarried.
Diana Coote (1696-1766), Countess of Mountrath, wife of 6th Earl, 1746 by Thomas Hudson, National Gallery of Ireland NGI293.

The son of Algernon Coote (1689-1744) 6th Earl of Mountrath, Charles Henry Coote (d. 1802) 7th Earl of Mountrath had no legitimate male issue and the earldom and its associated titles created in 1660 died with him. The barony of Castle Coote passed according to the special remainder to his kinsman, Charles Coote. The baronetcy of Castle Cuffe also held by the Earl passed to another kinsman, Sir Charles Coote, 9th Baronet.

Charles Henry Coote (1794-1864) 9th Baronet of Castle Cuffe, Queens County, By John Hoppner, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42004929

Let us return now to Charles Coote (1581-1642), 1st Baronet of Castle Cuffe, Queen’s County (Laois) and trace the line of his younger son, RICHARD COOTE (1620-83), for his hearty concurrence with his brother, SIR CHARLES, 2nd Baronet, in promoting the restoration of CHARLES II, was rewarded with the dignity of a peerage of the realm; the same day that his brother was created Earl of Mountrath, Richard Coote was created, in 1660, Baron Coote, of Colloony.

In 1660, Richard was appointed Major to the Duke of Albemarle’s Regiment of Horse; and the same year he was appointed one of the commissioners for executing His Majesty’s declaration for the settlement of Ireland. He was, in 1675, appointed one of the commissioners entrusted for the 49 Officers. In 1676, the 1st Baron resided at Moore Park, County Meath, and Piercetown, County Westmeath. He married Mary, second daughter of George, Lord St. George, and had issue: RICHARD (1636-1701) his successor;
Thomas (d. 1741)
Lætitia (married Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth of Swords); Mary (married William Stewart, 1st Viscount Mountjoy); Catherine (married Ferdinando Hastings); Elizabeth (married Lt.-Gen. Richard St. George).

Following his decease, in 1683, he was interred at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. He was succeeded by his eldest son,

RICHARD, 2nd Baron (1636-1701), Governor of County Leitrim, 1689, Treasurer to the Queen, 1689-93, MP for Droitwich, 1689-95, who was, in 1688, one of the first to join the Prince of Orange. In 1689, he was attainted in his absence by the Irish Parliament of JAMES II. His lordship was created, in 1689, EARL OF BELLAMONT, along with a grant of 77,000 acres of forfeited lands.

Richard Coote (1636-1700/01) 1st Earl Bellomont By Samuel Smith Kilburn (d. 1903) – New York Public Library digital library http//:digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?423861, Public Domain, https//:commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13014278

Richard 1st Earl of Bellomont was Governor of Massachusetts, 1695, and Governor of New York, 1697-1701. The King had sent Lord Bellomont to New York to suppress the “freebooting.” Unfortunately he was responsible for outfitting the veteran mariner William Kidd, who turned into “Captain Kidd,” who terrorised the merchants until his capture in 1698.

According to Cokayne “he was a man of eminently fair character, upright, courageous and independent. Though a decided Whig he had distinguished himself by bringing before the Parliament at Westminster some tyrannical acts done by Whigs at Dublin.”

The 1st Earl of Bellomont wedded, in 1680, Catharine, daughter and heir of Bridges Nanfan, of Worcestershire, and had issue, NANFAN (1681-1708) his successor as 2nd Earl of Bellomont, and RICHARD (1682-1766), who succeeded his brother.

NANFAN, 2nd Earl (1681-1708) married Lucia Anna van Nassau (1684-1744), daughter of Henry de Nassau, Lord Overkirk, in 1705/6 at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, London. Nanfan died at Bath, Somerset, from palsy, without male issue, when the family honours devolved upon his brother, RICHARD, 3rd Earl (1682-1766), who, in 1729, sold the family estate of Colloony, County Sligo, for nearly £17,000.

In 1737, he succeeded his mother to the estates of Birtsmorton, Worcestershire. Macaulay described him as “of eminently fair character, upright, courageous and independent.” On his death the earldom expired. 

The last Earl was succeeded in the barony of Coote by his first cousin once removed, CHARLES, 5th Baron (1736-1800), KB PC, son of Charles Coote [1695-1750] High Sheriff of County Cavan, 1719, MP for Granard, 1723-27, Cavan County, 1727-50MP for County Cavan, 1761-6, who was son of the HON THOMAS COOTE (c. 1655-1741) a Justice of the Court of the King’s Bench of Ireland, younger son of the 1st Baron. This Thomas’s daughter Elizabeth married Mervyn Pratt (1687-1751) of Cabra Castle.

Charles Coote (1736-1800) 1st Earl of Bellamont (3rd creation) By Joshua Reynolds – Public Domain, https//:commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4796126.jpg, National Gallery of Ireland NGI 216

Sir Charles succeeded his cousin, Richard, in 1766, as 5th Baron Coote; and was created, in 1767, EARL OF BELLAMONT (3rd creation). His lordship was created a baronet, in 1774, designated of Donnybrooke, County Dublin, with remainder to his natural son, Charles Coote, of Dublin.

SIR CHARLES COOTE (1736-1800), KB PC, of Coote Hill (afterwards renamed Bellamont Forest) had an illegitimate son, Charles Coote (1765-1857) who despite his illegitimacy became 2nd Baronet of Bellamont). Charles 1st Earl married, in 1774, the Lady Emily Maria Margaret FitzGerald, daughter of James, 1st Duke of Leinster, and had issue, Charles, Viscount Coote (died age seven, 1778-86); Mary; Prudentia; Emily; Louisa. Following his death in 1800, the titles became extinct as he left no legitimate male issue, though he was succeeded in the baronetcy according to the special remainder by his illegitimate son Charles, 2nd Baronet.

Finally, let us return now to Charles Coote (1581-1642), 1st Baronet of Castle Cuffe, Queen’s County (Laois) and trace the line of his son Chidley Coote (d. 1668). Chidley lived in Mount Coote, County Limerick (later called Ash Hill, a section 482 property, see my entry). He had a son, Chidley (d. 1702) who married Catherine Sandys. They had a daughter Catherine (d. 1725) who married Henry Boyle 1st Earl of Shannon. Another daughter, Anne, married Bartholomew Purdon, MP for Doneraile and later Castlemartyr of County Cork. They had a son Reverend Chidley Coote (1678-1730) who inherited Ash Hill in County Limerick. He married Jane Evans (d. 1763) and it was their grandson Charles Henry Coote (1754-1823) who succeeded as 2nd Baron Castle Coote in 1802. He was the son of Reverend Charles Coote (1713-1796) and Grace Tilson (d. 1766). Another son was Lt.-Gen. Sir Eyre Coote (1762-1823).

Major General Eyre Coote (1762-1823), Governor of Jamaica, 1805 by engraver Antoine Cordon after J.P.J. Lodder, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland. He was son of Reverend Charles Coote (1713-1796) and Grace Tilson (d. 1766).
Eyre Coote (1726-1783) attributed to Henry Robert Morland, c. 1763, National Portrait Gallery of London NPG124. He was the son of Reverend Chidley Coote (1678-1730) who inherited Ash Hill in County Limerick and Jane Evans (d. 1763).
Lieutenant General Sir Eyre Coote (1726-1783) Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies (1777-1783) by John Thomas Seton, courtesy of the British Library. He was the son of Reverend Chidley Coote (1678-1730) who inherited Ash Hill in County Limerick and Jane Evans (d. 1763).

Reverend Chidley Coote (1678-1730) who inherited Ash Hill and Jane Evans (d. 1763) had a daughter Elizabeth who married John Bowen. Reverend Childley Coote and Jane Evans’s son Robert (d. 1745) inherited Ash Hill and married his cousin Anne Purdon, daughter of Bartholomew Purdon and Anne Coote. Robert Coote and Anne Purdon’s grandson was Charles Henry Coote (1792-1864) who succeeded as 9th Baronet of Castle Cuffe, Queen’s County, who married Caroline Elizabeth Whaley (d. 1871), daughter of John Whaley (d. 1847) of Dublin.

Caroline Elizabeth Coote née Whaley (d. 1871), daughter of John Whaley (d. 1847) of Dublin courtesy of wikitree, uploaded by Desmond William Kelly Lynch SD. She married Charles Henry Coote (1792-1864) who succeeded as 9th Baronet of Castle Cuffe, Queen’s County.
Charles Eyre Coote (1801-1858), third son of Chidley Coote (1776-1843) and Anne Hewitt, by James Butler Brenan RHA (1825-1889) courtesy Whyte’s Sept 2003.
James Corry (c. 1643-1718), MP, Colonel by Thomas Pooley courtesy of National Trust Castle Coole. He was the father of John Corry, MP (d. 1726).
Colonel John Corry, MP (1666–1726), attributed to Thomas Pooley, courtesy of National Trust Castle Coole, County Fermanagh.
Elizabeth Corry (1715-1791) (?) later Mrs Archibald Hamilton (d. 1752) and finally Mrs James Leslie of Leslie Hill, County Antrim, possibly by Anthony Lee courtesy of National Trust Castle Coole. She was the daughter of Colonel John Corry, MP (1666–1726).
Sarah Corry (1709-1779) later Mrs Galbraith Lowry Corry, by Anthony Lee courtesy of National Trust, Castle Coole, County Fermanagh. She was the daughter of Colonel John Corry, MP (1666–1726).
Martha Leslie née Corry (1704/5-1759) possibly by Anthony Lee courtesy of National Trust Castle Coole. She married Edmund Leslie, MP, of Leslie House, County Antrim. She was the daughter of Colonel John Corry, MP (1666–1726).
Probably Edmund Corry né Leslie (d. after 1764), MP by Irish school; or else Leslie Corry (1712-1740/41), MP, courtesy of National Trust Castle Coole. Edmund Leslie married Martha Corry, and added Corry to his surname to become Edmund Leslie-Corry.
Mary Armar née Corry (1710-1774) Mrs Margetson Armar by Anthony Lee courtesy of National Trust Castle Coole. She was the daughter of Colonel John Corry, MP (1666–1726).
Pole Cosby and his Daughter Sarah, by James Latham, portrait courtesy of Gallery of the Masters website. Sarah (b. 1730) married, first, Arthur Upton (1715-1768) of Castle Upton in County Antrim, after his first wife Sophia Ward had died, and secondly, Robert Maxwell (d. 1779) 1st and last Earl of Farnham. https://www.galleryofthemasters.com/l-folder/latham-james-pole-cosby.html
The Archers, John Dyke Acland and Dudley Alexander Sydney Cosby (1732-1774), 1st Baron Sydney and Stradbally, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Mrs. Sydney Cosby, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland. Could it be Emily Ashworth (d. 1863), wife of Sydney Cosby (1807-1840)?
General William Cosby (c. 1690-1736) by Charles Jervas 1710, Governor of New York, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Anne Boyle née Courteney, Countess of Cork and Orrery (1742-1785) Engraver James Watson, Irish, c.1740-1790 After Hugh Douglas Hamilton, Irish, 1740-1808, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland. She married Edmund Boyle 7th Earl of Cork, 7th Earl of Orrery.
Portrait Of A Lady traditionally identified as Caroline Courtenay Née Smith-Barry, courtesy of Whyte’s Sept 2007, daughter of James Smith-Barry (1746-1801) of Fota House, County Cork, she married George Courtenay of Ballyedmond House, County Cork (no longer exists).
Mary Creighton (or Crichton) née Hervey, Countess of Erne, with her daughter Lady Caroline Creighton (or Crichton), later Lady Wharncliffe by Hugh D Hamilton courtesy of Christie’s 2004. Mary was daughter of Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry, who built Downhill in Derry, and she married John Creighton (or Crichton) 1st Earl Erne of Crom Castle.
Henrietta Paulet née Crofts, Duchess of Bolton (1682-1730) daughter of James Crofts (Scott), 1st and last Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of King Charles II. She married Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton.
I think this is Jane Crosbie (c. 1713-1753), who married Thomas Mahon (1701-1782) of Strokestown, County Roscommon. She’s the daughter of Maurice Crosbie, 1st Baron Brandon.
Arabella Crosbie (d. 1813) who married Edward Ward (1753-1812) of Castle Ward, County Down, by Anna Maria Frances Blackwood Price, courtesy of National Trust, Castle Ward. William Crosbie 1st Earl of Glandore, County Cork, son of 1st Baron Brandon.
James Cuffe, 1st Baron Tyrawley, (1748-1821), Barrack-Master General and First Commissioner of the Board of Works in Ireland Date 1802 by Engraver John Raphael Smith, English, 1752-1812 After William Cuming, Irish, 1769-1852, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
A portrait of Jane Cuffe (1719-1806), daughter of James Cuffe of Ballinrobe, County Mayo, wife of George Jackson (1717-1789) of Enniscoe, County Mayo.
Elizabeth Cuffe (1719-1794) who married Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford. She became Countess of Longford in her own right, through her father Michael Cuffe (1694-1744), who was heir to Ambrose Aungier, 2nd and last Earl of Longford (1st creation). 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess_of_Donegall

[2] http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2016/03/castletown-house.html

[3] http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/search/label/County%20Londonderry%20Landowners