Stephenstown, Dundalk, Co Louth – lost 

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.

“(Fortescue, sub Hamilton/IFR) A square Georgian house of two storeys over a basement, five bays long and five bays deep, enlarged ca 1820 by the addition of two wings of one storey over a basement, running the full depth of the house and prolinging the front and rear elevations by two bays on either side. One of the wings was demolished ca mid-C19; that which survives has large tripartite fanlighted windows in both its elevations. The entrance front has a fanlighted and rusticated doorway, now obscured by a porch with engaged Doric columns. Some time in the earlier part of C19, the windows were given Tudor-Revival hood mouldings; but late C19 the house was refaced with cement, and the hood-mouldings were replaced by Classical pediments and entablatures. Parapeted roof. Long central axial hall with a pair of columns at far end. Drawing room with broad plasterwork frieze of foliage and C19 decorative plasterwork panels on walls. After the death of Mrs Pyke-Fortescue, 1966, Stephenstown was inherited by her nephew, Major Digby Hamilton, who sold it ca 1974.” 

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. 109. “A large late 18C house to which wings were added in the early 19C. Built for the Fortescue family. One wing was later demolished. Good interior. The house is now derelict.”

http://lordbelmontinnorthernireland.blogspot.com/2014/04/stephenstown-house.html

THE FORTESCUES WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LOUTH, WITH 5,262 ACRES

This is a cadet branch of FORTESCUE of Dromiskin (from whom descended the EARLS OF CLERMONT, and the BARONS CLERMONT and CARLINGFORD).

WILLIAM FORTESCUE, of Newrath, County Louth, younger son of SIR THOMAS FORTESCUE, of Dromiskin, married Margaret, daughter and heiress of Nicholas Gernon, of Milltown, County Louth, and died in 1734, leaving, with other issue, a third son,

CAPTAIN MATTHEW FORTESCUE, Royal Navy, who wedded, in 1757, Catherine Doogh, and had (with a daughter, Catherine) a son,

MATHEW FORTESCUE, of Stephenstown, who espoused Mary Anne, eldest daughter of John McClintock MP, of Drumcar, and had issue,

MATHEW, his heir;
Anna Maria; Harriet; Emily.

The only son,

MATHEW FORTESCUE DL (1791-1845), of Stephenstown, married, in 1811, Catherine Eglantine, eldest daughter of Colonel Blair MP, of Blair, and had issue,

Mathew Charles, died in infancy;
JOHN CHARLES WILLIAM, his heir;
Frederick Richard Norman, father of MATTHEW CHARLES EDWARD;
William Hamilton;
Clermont Mathew Augustus.

Mr Mathew Fortescue was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

JOHN CHARLES WILLIAM FORTESCUE JP DL (1822-91), of Stephenstown, and Corderry, Lieutenant-Colonel, RA; High Sheriff of County Louth, 1861, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of County Louth, 1868-79, who wedded, in 1857, Geraldine Olivia Mary Anne, daughter of the Rev Frederick Pare, by the Hon Geraldine de Ros his wife.

He dsp in 1891, and was succeeded by his nephew,

MATTHEW CHARLES EDWARD FORTESCUE JP DL (1861-1914), of Stephenstown, High Sheriff of County Louth, 1903, Major, 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, who wedded, in 1894, Edith Magdalen, eldest daughter of Sir Charles Arthur Fairlie-Cunninghame Bt, though the marriage was without issue.

*****

After the death of Mrs Pike-Fortescue in 1966, Stephenstown was inherited  by her nephew, Major Digby Hamilton, who sold it about 1974. 

STEPHENSTOWN HOUSE, near Dundalk, County Louth, was a square Georgian house of two storeys over a basement, five bays long and five bays deep.

The house was extended in 1820 by the addition of two wings of one storey over the basement.
One of these wings was demolished later in the 19th century.

At some time in the earlier part of the 19th Century the windows were given Tudor-Revival hood mouldings, but later the house was refaced with cement and the hood mouldings replaced by classical pediments and entablatures.

Alas, the once-great mansion is now ruinous.

Although neglected in recent years, Stephenstown House continues to play a vital role in its surroundings.

It is located on the highest point in the locality dominating the skyline and providing a point of drama in the landscape.

The outlying buildings are in fair condition and their survival contributes further to Stephenstown’s significance.

The house became ruinous by the 1980s.

Abandoned Ireland has an interesting article about it here.

Other former seat ~ Wymondham Cottage, Oakham, Rutland.

First published in March, 2012.

https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/13901114/stephenstown-house-stephenstown-co-louth

Detached five-bay two-storey over basement house, built c. 1790, now in ruinous condition, single-storey addition to south c. 1820, porch to entrance front, c. 1840. Hipped slate roof, partly missing, rendered chimneystacks to main house, red brick north wing. Cast-iron rainwater goods, partly missing. Unpainted cement-rendered walling, limestone trim, continuous eaves cornice, sill course, quoins. Square-headed window openings, rendered surrounds to first floor with flat entablatures, pedimented to ground floor, segmental-headed window openings at wing to north in moulded Gibbsian-style surround, all windows missing. Segmental-headed door opening in Gibbsian-style surround behind porch c. 1840, entablature supported on Tuscan columns. Located on top of elevated position overlooking surrounding countryside, now surrounded by fields. Range of farm buildings to south-east including concrete water tower, single-storey rubble stone farm buildings corrugated fibre-concrete sheeted roofs, red brick surrounds to loop windows. Tower keep in curtilage of south-west, now surrounded by fields. 

Appraisal 

Although neglected in recent years Stephenstown House continues to play a vital role in its surroundings. Built by the Fortescue family, it is located on the highest point in the locality dominating the skyline and providing a point of drama in the landscape. The outlying buildings are in fair condition and their survival contributes further to Stephenstown’s significance. 

https://archiseek.com/2015/1785-stephenstown-house-co-louth

1785 – Stephenstown House, Co. Louth 

Built in 1785 by Matthew Fortescue for his new bride Marian McClintock. A square Georgian house of 2 storeys over a basement 5 bays long and 5 bays deep. Extended in 1820 by the addition of 2 wings of one storey over basement. One of these wings was further demolished later in the 19th century.  

After the death of Mrs Pyke-Fortescue, Stephenstown was inherited by her nephew who sold it in 1974. Increasingly derelict, the house is now a ruin with portions of the roof collapsing through the structure. 

https://www.geni.com/projects/Historic-Buildings-of-County-Louth/29645

Stephenstown House near Dundalk.  
On March 19 1735, Mr. Richard Taaffe of Manfieldstown granted a lease of the lands of Stephenstown, Ballyclare and Ballinlough (a later deed confirms that the townland of Knocktavey was also included, together with the dwelling house and demesne of Stephenstown) to Mr. John Taaffe. On 14th February 1740, John Taaffe surrendered the lease of all the above lands to Mr. Page, a money lender from Dublin, who immediately re-leased on the same terms and conditions to Chichester Fortescue, the second son of William Fortescue and Margaret Gernon. Chichester, who lived at Dellin in the parish of Darver, never married and when he died in 1747 he left all his property to his younger brother, Mathew, who continued with the lease on the above named land. Stephenstown House was built in 1785 by Matthew Fortescue (son of the above Mathew), for his bride Marian McClintock a.k.a. Mary Anne. A square Georgian house of 2 storeys house. Extended in 1820. In 1817, William Galt was contracted by Matthew Fortescue to build two ponds, the water being needed for new gardens which had recently been constructed at Stephenstown house and also to drive to the grinding mills in the house farmyard. William Galt who was married to Agnes Burness, the sister of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. Galt was retained as manager to Mr. Fortescue after the completion of the ponds with the generous salary of 40 guineas per annum – the post also came with the use of a cottage as well as land for keeping a cow and growing vegetables. William and Agnes had no children but lived comfortably for the rest of their lives. Agnes lived to be 72 years old and died on October 17th 1834, her husband survived her by 13 years and died on March 3, 1847. The couple are buried in St Nicholas Cemetery in Dundalk. 

Marianne Fortescue (1767-1849) married to Matthew Fortescue who wrote a diary at the family home on Merrion Street in Dublin where they were staying when the 1798 uprising broke out. Her diary is of significant historical value. In July 1798 she was able to return to Stephenstown House, Country Louth. Stephenstown house remained in the Fortescue family until recent times. When Mrs Pyke-Fortescue died in 1966, Stephenstown was inherited by her nephew Major Digby Hamilton who sold it in 1974. It was let fall into ruin in the 1980’s. 

Stephenstown pond is now a nature park and tourist attraction 

Too Large for Modern Rural Life

During the reign of James I the splendidly named Sir Faithful Fortescue whose family originated in Devon came to this country where prior to his death in 1666 he bought an estate in County Louth. From him descended several branches of the Fortescues, one of which eventually acquired the titles of Viscount and Earl of Clermont. Meanwhile the parcel of land first acquired by Sir Faithful was further supplemented by various successors and came to include an estate called Stephenstown close to the village of Knockbridge. Here sometime around 1785-90, Matthew Fortescue built a new house to mark his marriage to Mary-Anne McClintock whose own Louth-based family had, through her mother (a Foster), already inter-married with the Fortescues. 

Stephenstown is a large, square house of two storeys over raised basement and with five bays to each side. Around 1820, the next generation of Fortescues added single-storey over basement wings to either side but that to the south was subsequently demolished. At some other date seemingly the building’s windows were given Tudor-revival hood mouldings, probably not unlike the make-over given during the same period to nearby Glyde Court (see The Scattering, April 20th 2015). However later again these openings reverted to a classical model, with classical pediments on the ground floor and entablatures on the first, the whole covered in cement render. A single storey porch on the entrance front was the only other alteration. From what remains, it would appear the interior had delicate neo-classical plasterwork, perhaps on the ceilings (none of which survive) and certainly on friezes below the cornice in diverse rooms. 

It is not easy to piece together the history of Stephenstown in the last century. The last direct descendant of the original builder was another Matthew Fortescue who in 1894 married a cousin, Edith Fairlie-Cuninghame. He died twenty years later without a direct heir, after which his widow married an Australian clergyman, the Rev. Henry Pyke who took on the Fortescue surname to become Pyke-Fortescue. Curiously the couple are listed as dying on the same day, 24th September 1936, upon which Stephenstown seemingly passed to another relative, Digby Hamilton. He sold up in the 1970s after which the house stood empty (and the trees in the surrounding parkland were all cut down). When Alistair Rowan and Christine Casey published their volume on the buildings of North Leinster in 1993, they noted that Stephenstown was ‘an elegant house, too large for modern rural life, empty in 1985, and likely to become derelict.’ That likelihood has since become a reality. 

See https://www.louthcoco.ie/en/services/archives/online-digital-archives/private-papers/stephenstown-photograph-album.pdf