Portraits H

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The excellent site of Timothy William Ferres tells us of the Hamiltons, of Stackallen in County Meath:

GUSTAVUS HAMILTON (1642-1723), having abandoned the fortunes of JAMES II, to whom he was a privy counsellor, and distinguished himself as a military officer in the service of WILLIAM III, particularly at the battle of the Boyne, and the siege of Derry, was sworn of the Privy Council of the latter monarch, appointed Brigadier-General of his armies, and further rewarded with a grant of forfeited lands. General Hamilton was MP for County Donegal, 1692-1713, and for Strabane, 1713-15. He was elevated to the peerage, 1715, in the dignity of Baron Hamilton of Stackallan, County Meath. His lordship was advanced to a viscountcy, in 1717, as VISCOUNT BOYNE.

Gustavus Hamilton (1642-1723) 1st Viscount Boyne, c. 1680 unknown artist.

He married Elizabeth, second daughter of SIR HENRY BROOKE, Knight, of Brookeborough, County Fermanagh. They had issue:

FREDERICK (c. 1663-1715), father of GUSTAVUS, 2nd Viscount;
Gustavus, father of 3rd and 4th Viscounts;
Henry, MP for Donegal, 1725-43;
Elizabeth.

Mary Preston youngest daughter of the Hon. Henry Hamilton, MP for Donegal, 1725-43, by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, courtesy of Adam’s auction 20 Sept 2015. Mary Hamilton married in 1764 (as his second wife) the second Nathaniel Preston (1724-1796), Reverend, of Swainstown, Co. Meath. Her father was a younger son of Gustavus Hamilton 1st Viscount Boyne of Stackallan, Co. Meath and her parents were intimate with Mrs Delaney who of them said – “I never saw a couple better suited than Mr Hamilton and his wife, their house like themselves looks cheerful and neat…., they have four children, whose behaviour shows the sense of their parents”. Mary’s brother, Sackville Hamilton became a competent and respected Civil Servant.

The 1st Viscount was succeeded by his grandson, GUSTAVUS, 2nd Viscount (1710-46).

Gustavus Hamilton (1710-46) 2nd Viscount Boyne with a “bauta masque” i.e. the Venetian type supposedly worn by Cassanova, on his ear, by Rosalba Carriera around 1730. He was a founder member of The Society of Dilettanti (founded 1734), a British society of noblemen and scholars that sponsored the study of ancient Greek and Roman art, and the creation of new work in the style.
Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne, (1710-1746) Engraver Andrew Miller, English, fl.1737-1763 After William Hogarth, English, 1697-1764, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne, (1710-1746) courtesy of National Trust Castle Ward.

Gustavus 2nd Viscount died unmarried, and the honours devolved upon his cousin, Frederick, 3rd Viscount (1718-72).

James Hamilton (1559/1560 or 1568-1643) 1st Viscount Clandeboye, courtesy of National Trust Castle Ward.

James Hamilton (1559/1560 or 1568-1643) 1st Viscount Clandeboye married Ursula, daughter of Edward Brabazon, 1st Lord Brabazon, Baron of Ardee. They had no children and after her death he married Jane Philipps, who gave birth to their heir James Hamilton (1617/18-1643) 1st Earl of Clanbrassil, County Armagh.

James Hamilton (1617/1618-1659) 1st Earl of Clanbrassil and 2nd Viscount Clandeboye, courtesy of National Trust Castle Ward.

James Hamilton (1617/18-1643) 1st Earl of Clanbrassil married Anne Carey (d. 1688/89), who gave birth to their heir Henry Hamilton (1647-1675), 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil. They had no children and after his death the title became extinct. The name Claneboye was revived in a title in 1800 when his great-great-grandniece Dorcas Blackwood was made 1st Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye.

Van Dyck – Lady Anne Carey, Later Viscountess Claneboye and Countess of Clanbrassil, ca. 1636 ©The Frick Collection Photo Credit Michael Bodycomb. She married James Hamilton 1st Earl of Clanbrassil, Co Armagh.
Dorcas Blackwood née Stevenson (1730-1808), Baroness, by Gilbert Stuart 22.737 Museum of Fine Arts https://www.mfa.org/collections/object/dorcas-lady-blackwood-dorcas-stevenson-baroness-31992 She married John Blackwood 2nd Baronet of Ballyleidy, County Down.
Henry Hamilton (1647-1675), 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil; National Trust, Castle Ward, attributed to Jacob Huysmans 1650; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/henry-hamilton-16471675-2nd-earl-of-clanbrassil-132220 His family alleged that he was murdered by his wife, Lady Alice Moore (Lady Clanbrassil), so that she could inherit his estate.

There were lots of creations of Earls of Clanbrassil! There was James Hamilton (1697-1758) 1st Earl of Clanbrassill, Co. Armagh. He was the son of James Hamilton (d. 1693) and Anne Mordaunt.

Anne Hamilton née Mordaunt (b. 1666) later Mrs James Hamilton (d. 1693) of Tollymore, attributed to Mary Beale, courtesy of National Trust Castle Ward. She was the sister of Sophia Mordaunt who married James Hamilton of Bangor (1640-1707).
Sophia Hamilton née Mordaunt, wife of James Hamilton (1640-1707) of Bangor, in style of Charles Jervas, courtesy of National Trust Castle Ward.
Lord Clanbrassil (probably James Hamilton (1729-1798) 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil of second creation) by Thomas Hickey (Irish 1741-1824) courtesy of Wooley and Wallis sale 2010.
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.
William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865), Astronomer Royal and President of the Royal Irish Academy for Dublin University Magazine vol. xix January 1842, engraver John Kirkwood after Charles Grey, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Anne Hamilton (1692-1760) who married Michael Ward (1683-1759), by Godrey Kneller, courtesy of National Trust, Castle Ward. She was the daughter of James Hamilton (1640-1707) of Bangor and Sophia née Mordaunt.
Anne Hamilton (1692-1760) who married Michael Ward (1683-1759) by Charles Jervas, courtesy of National Trust, Castle Ward. She was the daughter of James Hamilton (1640-1707) of Bangor and Sophia née Mordaunt.

James Hamilton (1575-1618) 1st Earl of Abercorn, Co. Linlithgow [Scotland] was Member of the Council of the province of Munster on 20 May 1615. His son Claud Hamilton (d. 1638) was created 2nd Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane, County Tyrone. Another son was the heir, James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Abercorn. The 2nd Earl had a son, George Hamilton who became 3rd Earl of Abercorn but had no children.

Claud Hamilton (d. 1638) 2nd Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane, County Tyrone was succeeded by his son James Hamilton (1633-1655) 3rd Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane but he died without issue and was succeeded by his brother, George Hamilton (d. 1668) 4th Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane.

George’s son Claud Hamilton (1659-1691) succeeded as 5th Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane, Co. Tyrone and 4th Earl of Abercorn. He held the office of Lord of the Bedchamber to King James II. He fought in the Battle of the Boyne on 1 July 1690. On 11 May 1691 he was outlawed in Ireland, and his Irish titles were forfeited. He fought in the Battle of Aughrim on 12 July 1691, where he commanded a regiment of horse. [1]

Claud Hamilton (1659–1691) 4th Earl of Abercorn courtesy of http://www.thepeerage.com

Claud Hamilton (1659–1691) 4th Earl of Abercorn didn’t have offspring and was succeeded by his brother, Charles (d. 1701) who became 5th Earl of Abercorn. His brother John (1713/4-1755) had a son, John James Hamilton, who succeeded as 5th Baronet Hamilton, of Donalong, Co. Tyrone and of Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, 9th Earl of Abercorn, and was later created 1st Marquess of Abercorn.

With his death, the senior line of the Abercorns and the Strabanes failed as he had no surviving offspring. With regard to the Abercorns, the succession reverted to the next of the cadet branches descending from the five sons of the 1st Earl of Abercorn as it already had done in about 1650 when George, the 3rd Earl, died unmarried in Padua. As the 1st Earl’s third son, William, 1st Baronet of Westport, had no children, the succession passed to the descendants of the fourth son, Sir George Hamilton (d. 1679) 1st Baronet, of Donalong, County Tyrone and his wife Mary Butler (d. 1680) daughter of Thomas Butler Viscount Thurles. The 5th Earl was therefore succeeded as Earl of Abercorn by his second cousin, James Hamilton (d. 1734) the grandson of Sir George. James Hamilton would thus become the 6th Earl of Abercorn.

James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn, also 2nd Baronet Hamilton, of Donalong, Co. Tyrone and of Nenagh, Co. Tipperary and 1st Baron Mountcastle, Co. Tyrone was succeeded by his son, James Hamilton, (1685/6-1743/4) 7th Earl of Abercorn, who was succeeded by his son, James Hamilton (1712-1789) 8th Earl of Abercorn, who died unmarried.

James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn (1712-1789) Engraver John Dean, British, c.1750-1798 After Thomas Gainsborough, English, 1727-1788, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.

The next in line was John James Hamilton (1756-1818) who succeed as 5th Baronet Hamilton, of Donalong, Co. Tyrone and of Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, 9th Earl of Abercorn and was later created 1st Marquess of Abercorn. He was the posthumous son of Captain Hon. John Hamilton and his wife Harriet, and grandson of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn

Lawrence, Thomas; John James Hamilton (1756-1818) 1st Marquess of Abercorn; The National Trust for Scotland, Haddo House; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/john-james-hamilton-1st-marquess-of-abercorn-196780

John James Hamilton (1756-1818) 1st Marquess of Abercorn married first Catherine Copley and they had several children including a son James (1786-1814), called Viscount Hamilton. He married Harriet Douglas who gave birth to their heir James Hamilton (1811-1885), who was to become 1st Duke of Abercorn.

Cecil Frances Howard née Hamilton, Countess of Wicklow (1795-1860), Wife of William Howard (1788-1869) 4th Earl of Wicklow; After George Henry Harlow, British, 1787-1819, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland. She was the daughter of John James Hamilton 1st Marquess and 9th Earl of Abercorn.
James Hamilton (1811-1885) 1st Duke of Abercorn, Landowner and politician; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, possibly by John Watkins 1860s courtesy of National Portrait Gallery NPG Ax21858.

John James Hamilton (1756-1818) 1st Marquess of Abercorn married secondly a cousin, Cecil Hamilton, but they later divorced. He then married Anne Jane Gore, daughter of Arthur Saunders Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran of the Arran Islands.

Anne Jane née Gore daughter of Arthur Saunders Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran of the Arran Islands who married Henry Hatton of Great Clonard in County Wexford and secondly, John James Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn. Painting by John Opie.
Alexander Hamilton 1690-1768, of Hamwood House, County Meath, photograph courtesy of Hamwood house website.
Hugh Hamilton (1729-1805), Protestant Bishop of Ossory, by engraver William Evans, after artist Gilbert Stewart, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland, NGI.10622. He was a son of Alexander Hamilton 1690-1768.
Charles Hamilton (1772-1857), of Hamwood House, County Meath, photograph courtesy of Hamwood house website.
Marianne Caroline Hamilton née Tighe (1777-1861), photograph courtesy of Hamwood house website. Wife of Charles Hamilton (1772-1857), daughter of William Tighe (1738-1782) of Rossana, County Wicklow.
Charles Hamilton (1738-1818) who built Hamwood, photograph courtesy of Hamwood House website.
Charles William Hamilton (1802-1880), photograph courtesy of Hamwood house website.
Charles Robert Hamilton (1846-1913), photograph courtesy of Hamwood house website. He is probably seated with his wife Louisa Caroline Elizabeth née Brooke (1850-1922).
Self Portrait, c.1906 by Eva Henrietta Hamilton (1876-1960), courtesy of Whyte’s auction Sept 2009.
Francis Charles Hamilton (1877-1961), photograph courtesy of Hamwood house website.
Charles Hamilton (1918-2005) was called “The Major,” photograph courtesy of Hamwood house website.
Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, (1714-1777), holding a plan of Nuneham, Oxfordshire, (later Lord Lieutenant of Ireland) Engraver James McArdell, Irish, c.1729-1765 After Benjamin Wilson, English, 1721-1788, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Samuel Hayes (1743-1795), who built Avondale House.
The children of Charles John Herbert (d. 1823) of Muckross, County Kerry, and his wife Louisa Middleton, by Richard Rothwell, courtesy of National Trust Powis Castle.
Hervey, John, Baron Hervey of Ickworth by Jean-Baptiste van Loo (studio of) courtesy of National Portrait Gallery London.
John Hervey (1665-1751) 1st Earl of Bristol by John Fayram, courtesy of West Suffolk Heritage Service.
Frederick Augustus Hervey (1730-1803) 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, of Downhill Demesne, County Derry, by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, courtesy of National Trust, Ickworth.
Elizabeth Hervey née Davers (1730-1800) Countess of Bristol with her daughter Lady Louisa Theodosia Hervey (1770-1821) later Countess of Liverpool after Antonio de Bittio by Dorofield Hardy courtesy of National Trust Ickworth. She was wife of Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry who built Downhill, Co Derry.
Mary née Hervey was George “Fighting Fitzgerald”s mother, of Turlough Park, County Mayo. She was the granddaughter of John Hervey 1st Earl of Bristol, sister of Frederick Augustus Hervey 4th Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry who built Downhill, Co Derry. She married George Fitzgerald (c. 1712-1782) of Turlough Park, County Mayo.
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.
Elizabeth Foster née Hervey (1759-1824), later Duchess of Devonshire, c. 1805 by Thomas Lawrence, photograph courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland. 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.
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.
Frederick William Hervey (1769-1859) 1st Marquess of Bristol, courtesy of West Suffolk Heritage Service.
Wills Hill (1718-1793) 1st Earl of Hillsborough later 1st Marquess of Downshire, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Alice Maria Taylour née Hill (1842-1928), Countess of Bective, by Camille Silvy 1860, courtesy of National Portrait Gallery NPG Ax50375. She was from England and married Thomas Taylour Earl of Bective.
Anne Wellesley née Hill (1742-1831), Countess of Mornington, by Thomas Hodgetts, published by Welch & Gwynne, after Priscilla Anne Fane (née Wellesley-Pole) 1839, Countess of Westmorland, Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery NPG D39043. She was the daughter of Arthur Hill Trevor 1st Viscount Dungannon, and married Garret Wellesley or Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington.
Georgina, Lady Gore-Booth, née Hill (1846-1927), by Sarah Purser.
James Hoban (1755-1831), from information board in exhibition in Irish Architecture Foundation, Leinster House, a house with three lives.
Ralph Howard, later 1st Viscount Wicklow (1726-1786) by Pompeo Batoni, courtesy of Speed Art Museum.
Lt. Col. Charles Howard-Bury (1883-1963), of Belvedere, County Westmeath.
William Hoare Hume, of Humewood by ROBERT LUCIUS WEST (C.1774 – 1850) courtesy of Adam’s auction 10th Oct 2023.
Anne Hunt, daughter of John Hunt of Glangoole, Tipperary and Curragh Chase. She married William Odell (d. 1722) in 1712. By a follower of Godfrey Kneller, Provenance Castletown Cox, Co. Killkenny, courtesy of Adam’s auction 12 Oct 2014.
Walter Hussey Burgh, (1742-1783), Chief Baron of Exchequer in Ireland Date c.1779; Engraving Date 1779, courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.
Henry Hyde (1638-1709 (?)) 2nd Earl of Clarendon, as Lord Privy Seal and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Irish school courtesy of National Trust Castle Ward.
Jane Hyde Daughter of Henry Hyde, Earl of Clarendon courtesy of Adam’s 14 Sept 2005. This is probably Jane (1694-1723/4) daughter of the 4th Earl, who married William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex.

[1] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume I, page 4. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.

Áras an Uachtaráin, Phoenix Park, Office of Public Works Dublin

Having recently revisited the wonderful Casino (“little house”) in Marino, my entry for the Dublin Office of Public Works properties is becoming too long so I have to split it up into several entries, starting today with my entry for the Aras an Uachtaráin, the House of the President, in Phoenix Park. I will be publishing my updated Casino entry soon.

I haven’t been visiting Section 482 properties in the past two months, as I was experiencing “burnout.” As lovely as it is to visit historic properties, it is difficult arranging visits with owners. I feel like I am treading on toes, especially because I will be publishing about my visit, which I can understand alarms owners. It is so much easier visiting public properties. I am also still catching up writing about properties which I visited during the year, and sending entries to owners before publication, seeking approval.

Every weekend which passes, however, without a visit to a Section 482 property is an opportunity missed, and I do hope that the properties which I will not have time to visit this year will continue to be on the Section 482 list next year! Already since I started this project in 2019, some properties have dropped off the list and I have missed the chance to visit.

I’m already excited about the 2024 list, and I will be creating my calendars next year for the 2024 Section 482 properties, which will be available to purchase via this website. Unfortunately the Revenue does not publish the list until late February, so I won’t be able to have the calendars ready at the beginning of the new year. However, I have calendars for sale currently which do not list opening dates for the properties but have all of the pictures of the properties, and which can be used in any year. They would make a good Christmas present!

Section 482 any year calendar A5 size

2024 Diary of Irish Historic Houses (section 482 properties)

To purchase an A5 size 2024 Diary of Historic Houses (opening times and days are not listed so the calendar is for use for recording appointments and not as a reference for opening times) send your postal address to jennifer.baggot@gmail.com along with €20 via this payment button. The calendar of 84 pages includes space for writing your appointments as well as photographs of the historic houses. The price includes postage within Ireland. Postage to U.S. is a further €10 for the A5 size calendar, so I would appreciate a donation toward the postage – you can click on the donation link.

€20.00

Office of Public Works Properties in Dublin:

1. Áras an Uachtaráin, Phoenix Park, Dublin

2. Arbour Hill Cemetery, Dublin

3. Ashtown Castle, Phoenix Park, Dublin – closed at present

4. The Casino at Marino, Dublin

5. Customs House, Dublin

6. Dublin Castle

7. Farmleigh House, Dublin

8. Garden of Remembrance, Dublin

9. Government Buildings Dublin

10. Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Dublin

11. Irish National War Memorial Gardens, Dublin

12. Iveagh Gardens, Dublin

13. Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin

14. National Botanic Gardens, Dublin

15. Phoenix Park, Dublin

16. Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin

17. Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin – historic rooms closed

18. St. Audoen’s, Dublin

19. St. Enda’s Park and Pearse Museum, Dublin

20. St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin

donation

Help me to pay the entrance fee to one of the houses on this website. This site is created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated!

€10.00

1. Áras an Uachtaráin, Phoenix Park, Dublin 8:

July 2012, The Garden Front of the Aras. The portico with giant Ionic columns was added in 1815 by Francis Johnston. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

general enquiries: (01) 677 0095

phoenixparkvisitorcentre@opw.ie

From the OPW website:

Áras an Uachtaráin started life as a modest brick house, built in 1751 for the Phoenix Park chief ranger. It was later an occasional residence for the lords lieutenant. During that period it evolved into a sizeable and elegant mansion.

It has been claimed that Irish architect James Hoban used the garden front portico as the model for the façade of the White House.

After independence, the governors general occupied the building. The first president of the Republic of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, took up residence here in 1938. It has been home to every president since then.” [1]

Phoenix Park was originally formed as a royal hunting Park in the 1660s, created by James Butler the Duke of Ormond. A large herd of fallow deer still remain to this day. Since it was a deer park it needed a park ranger. One of the park chief rangers was Nathaniel Clements (1705-1777), who was also an architect, and it was he who built the original house in 1751 which became the Aras. He was appointed as Ranger and Master of the Game by King George II in 1751. Clements was also an MP in the Irish Parliament.

Photograph from the National Library, from when the building was the Vice Regal Lodge. This is the front which faces Chesterfield Avenue. Photograph is by Robert French, and the photograph is part of the Lawrence Photographic Collection, Date: between circa. 1865-1914, NLI Ref: L_ROY_00335
The Vice-Regal Lodge (Lord Lieutenant’s Residence), Phoenix Park, Dublin After John James Barralet, Irish, 1747-1815, photograph courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.

Clements accumulated much property including Abbotstown in Dublin, and estates in Leitrim and Cavan. In Dublin, he developed property including part of Henrietta Street, where he lived in number 7 from 1734 to 1757. For more about him, see Melanie Hayes’s wonderful book The Best Address in Town: Henrietta Street, Dublin and its First Residents, 1720-80 published by Four Courts Press in 2020. Another house he designed, which is sometimes on the Section 482 list, is Beauparc in County Meath, and another Section 482 property, Lodge Park in County Kildare. Desmond Fitzgerald also attributed Colganstown to him, a house we visited in 2019, though this is not certain. [2]

7 Henrietta Street, recently for sale, photograph courtesy of myhome.ie, built for Nathaniel Clements, who also built the house that has become Aras an Uachtarain.
Number 7 Henrietta Street, from myhome.ie. The interior retains an original double-height open-well staircase and early dog-leg closed-string service stair with original plasterwork and joinery throughout. Laid out by Luke Gardiner in the 1720s, Henrietta Street is a short cul-de-sac containing the finest early Georgian houses in the city, and was named after Henrietta Crofts, the third wife of Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton and Lord Lieutenant in 1717-1721.

We attended a few of President Higgins’s summer parties at the Aras. These are open to the public, by booking tickets.

Aras an Uachtarain, July 2012. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Aras an Uachtarain, June 2022. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The Entrance Hall of the Áras dates from 1751 from the time of Nathaniel Clements, and features a magnificent barrel-vaulted ceiling with plaster busts in the ceiling coffers.

The Entrance Hall dates from 1751 and features a magnificent barrel-vaulted ceiling with plaster busts in the ceiling coffers. Photograph taken on our visit to the Aras Garden Party in June 2022. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Aras an Uachtarain. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Aras an Uachtarain. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Bust of President Michael D. Higgins in the Entrance Hall. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The Council of State Room is part of the original 1751 house. The ceiling, installed by Nathaniel Clements in 1757, is by Bartholomew Cramillion and depicts three of Aesop’s Fables – the Fox and the Stork, the Fox and the Crow and the Fox and the Grapes.

A covered ceiling with original mid-C18 plasterwork of Aesop’s fable theme. This beautiful plasterwork is by Bartholomew Cramillion. Another ceiling by him was taken from a house which was demolished, Mespil House in Dublin, and is now in what is called the President’s Study, and depicts Jupiter presiding over the elements and the four season and dates from the late 1750s. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Aras an Uachtarain. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Aras an Uachtarain. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Maude Gonne, by Sarah Purser, on the right of us in our Bloomsday outfits, in the Council of State Room. On the left is Constance Markievicz, by Szankowski. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The first meeting of the Council of State, January 1940. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The State Drawing Room is also part of the original house and the its rich gilt ceiling dates from then. The walls are lined with green silk.

Myself and Stephen with the President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina in 2012, in the State Drawing Room. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The State Drawing Room. The Louis XVI couch came from the palace of Versailles during the Presidency of Eamon De Valera. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The ceiling of the State Drawing Room, part of the 1751 house. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Aras an Uachtarain. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The State Drawing Room, June 2022. The chandelier commemorates the 1801 Act of Union with its entwined shamrocks, roses and thistles, and originally hung in Dublin Castle. The wall lights were made from a second similar chandelier. The Louis XIV couch and chairs came from the Palace of Versailles as a gift during Eamon de Valera’s Presidency. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Pianist at the Bloomsday Celebration at the Aras, June 2022, in the State Drawing Room. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The administration of the British Lord Lieutenant bought the house from Nathaniel Clements’ son Robert 1st Earl of Leitrim in 1781, to be the personal residence for the Lord Lieutenant. In 1781 the Viceroy, or Lord Deputy, was Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle. The building was rebuilt and named the Viceregal Lodge. At first it served as a summer residence, while the Viceroy stayed in Dublin Castle for the winter. The first “Lord Lieutenant” was his successor, William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland.

Wife of the 1st Lord Lieutenant, Dorothy Bentinck Duchess of Portland (1750-1794), nee Cavendish, daughter of the 4th Duke of Devonshire, Vicereine of Ireland 1782, painted by George Romney. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The house was extended when acquired for the Viceroys to reflect its increased ceremonial importance. Mark Bence-Jones tells us that after being bought by the government, the house was altered and enlarged at various times. David Hicks tells us in his Irish Country Houses, A Chronicle of Change that all those who were awarded the position of Lord Lieutenant were from titled backgrounds and accustomed to grand country houses in England, so they found the Viceregal Lodge to be unimpressive. The 3rd Earl of Hardwicke, Philip Yorke, was the first Lord Lieutenant after the Act of Union in 1800, in 1801-1806. Yorke supported Catholic emancipation. In 1802 Yorke employed Robert Woodgate, a Board of Works architect, to make some alterations to the house, adding new wings to the house.

Photograph from the National Library of Ireland. This is the garden side of the house. The double height pedimented portico of four gian Ionic columns was added in 1815 by architect Francis Johnston. Photograph is by Robert French, and the photograph is part of the Lawrence Photographic Collection, Date: between circa. 1865-1914, NLI Ref: L_CAB_02652.
Philip Yorke, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke, (1757-1834), Former Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Date 1836 Engraver William Giller, British, c.1805-after 1868 After Thomas Lawrence, English, 1769-1830, photograh courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.

Additional work was carried out by Michael Stapleton – who was an architect as well as noted stuccadore – and Francis Johnston. In 1808, when Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond was Lord Lieutenant, Johnston added a Doric portico to the entrance front, and the single-storey wings were increased in height.

Aras an Uachtarain, June 2022. In 1808 Francis Johnston added a Doric portico to the entrance front. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Aras an Uachtarain, June 2022. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, (1764-1819), Soldier and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, had Francis Johnston work on the property. Engraver Henry Hoppner Meyer, English, 1782-1847 After John Jackson, English, 1778-1831. Photograph courtesy of National Gallery of Ireland.

In 1815, Johnston extended the garden front by five bays projecting forwards, and in the centre of this front he added the pedimented portico of four giant Ionic columns which is the house’s most familiar feature. 

In 1815, Francis Johnston added the pedimented portico of four giant Ionic columns which is the house’s most familiar feature. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
At the garden party, © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The ballroom/state reception room was also added at this time.

The former ballroom, now the State Reception Room, which features a plaster cast of a Lafrancini ceiling. Photograph taken in June 2022 at the Bloomsday Summer Garden Party. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

It was not until the major renovations in the 1820s that the Lodge came to be used regularly by Lord Lieutenants. In the 1820s the Lord Deputy was Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, 2nd Earl of Mornington, brother of the Duke of Wellington of Waterloo fame. See my footnotes for some portraits of Vicereines and Viceroys who may have lived in the Aras.

Richard Colley Wellesley (1760-1842), 2nd Earl of Mornington and 1st Marquess Wellesley by John Philip Davis courtesy of National Portrait Gallery in London NPG 846.

Maria Phipps née Liddell, Marchioness of Normanby (1798-1882),Vicereine 1835-39, laid out the gardens along with Decimus Burton in 1839-40. Decimus Burton also designed many gardens in London including St. James’s Park, Hyde Park Corner and Regent’s Park. He was also an architect.

Maria Phipps nee Liddell, Marchioness of Normanby (1798-1882) by Sir George Hayter, Vicereine 1835-39, who laid out the gardens along with Decimus Burton. She persuaded Queen Victoria to support Irish weavers and grant them lucrative royal warrants. George Hayter was Queen Victoria’s favourite painter. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The gardens of the Aras, at 2022 garden party. The main parterre forms a pair of ringed Celtic crosses, as laid out by Decimus Burton in conjunction with Maria Phipps nee Liddell, Lady Normanby, wife of the Viceroy in 1838. Decimus Burton also designed many gardens in London including St. James’s Park, Hyde Park Corner and Regent’s Park. He was also an architect. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Aras an Uachtarain. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Aras an Uachtarain. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
At the garden party, © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

In 1849 the east wing was added, which houses the new State Dining Room. The financing of any royal visit was a matter of concern for Lord Lieutenants as they had to finance any improvements to the Viceregal Lodge. It was during the tenure of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (1800-1870), that Queen Victoria visited, with the idea that this would boost morale after the famine.

The State Dining Room at the Aras, July 2013. Jacob Owen, chief architect of the Board of Works, designed the dining room and matching drawing room in 1849. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Jacob Owen, chief architect of the Board of Works, designed the dining room and matching drawing room in 1849.

The State Dining Room, June 2022. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Queen Victoria planted a Wellingtonia Gigantea tree which is still standing (others have planted trees also, including Queen Alexandria and Barak Obama, Charles de Gaulle, John F. Kennedy, Pope John Paul II and King Juan Carlos of Spain).

Queen Victoria planted this Wellingtonia Gigantea (photograph from July 2012). © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

In 1854 the west wing was added, also designed by Jacob Owen. Queen Victoria visited again in 1853, and at this time the Viceregal Lodge was connected to the public gas supply, in order to illuminate the reception rooms and also to provide public lighting throughout Phoenix Park.

A new part of the West Wing was added for the visit of George V in 1911, during the Lord Lieutenancy of John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair.

Ishbel nee Marjoribanks Countess of Aberdeen (1857-1939), by Alphonse Jongers. Vicereine 1886 and 1905-1915, she brought about improvements in cottage industries and women’s healthcare, and was a committed advocate of Irish Home Rule. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The office of Lord Lieutenant was abolished in 1922 when the Irish Free State came into being. From 1922 until 1932 it was the residence of the Governor General of the Irish Free State. In 1922 Tim Healy was sworn in as Governor General. Over the following weeks, the former Viceregal Lodge was attacked and came under heavy fire on regular occasions.

The State Dining Room contains furniture by James Hicks of Dublin. The early 19th century fireplaces were originally a gift to Archbishop Murray of Dublin in 1812 “by his flock” for his residence at 44 Mountjoy Square, and were brought to the house in 1923, upon the sale of the house in Mountjoy Square, by the first Governor General of the Irish Free State, Tim Healy.

The early 19th century fireplaces were originally a gift to Archbishop Murray of Dublin, and were brought to the house by the first Governor General, Tim Healy. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The early 19th century fireplaces were originally a gift to Archbishop Murray of Dublin, and were brought to the house by the first Governor General, Tim Healy. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

In 1937 when the office of President of Ireland was established, the house became the house of the president. The first President was Douglas Hyde (President of Ireland 1938-1945).

Douglas Hyde, President of Ireland 1938-1945. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

During the incumbency of President Sean T. O’Kelly, in 1948, a mid-C18 plasterwork ceiling attributed to Cramillion representing Jupiter and the Four Elements, with figures half covered in clouds, was brought from Mespil House, Dublin, which was then being demolished, and installed in the President’s Study, one of the two smaller rooms in the garden front of the original house, which we did not see.

President Sean T. Kelly, term of office 1945-1959. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The Mespil House ceiling was brought here at the instigation of Dr. C.P. Curran, who was also instrumental in having casts made of the plasterwork by the Francini, or Lafranchini, brothers, at Riverstown House, Co. Cork, which then seemed in danger; and which have been installed in the ballroom and in the adjoining corridor. 

The State Reception Room (formerly the ballroom) features a plaster cast of a Lafranchini panel in the ceiling. The Lafranchini brothers were 18th century Swiss stuccodores who also worked on Carton and Castletown Houses. See my entry about Riverstown House https://irishhistorichouses.com/2022/10/05/__trashed/.

One of the State Rooms in the Aras, 1984, photograph from Dublin City Library and Archives. [3] The handwoven Donegal carpet, designed for the house by Raymond McGrath, includes the riverine heads from the Custom House representing the principal rivers of Ireland, and the phoenix rising from the flames.
The plaster cast of the Lafrancini ceiling in the former ballroom. It features “Time Rescuing Truth from the Assaults of Discord and Envy.” © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The original Lafrancini ceiling in Riverstown House, County Cork, photograph taken on our visit to Riverstown in June 2022. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Riverstown House, County Cork. The original of the plaster cast, in Riverstown House, County Cork. The owner of Riverstown House, Denis Dooley, cleaned the plasterwork himself, and discovered the castle in the top left hand corner, which is not in the cast, and which, on his visit to Riverstown, Desmond Guinness was astounded to notice! © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The State Corridor, also called the Lafranchini Corridor, leads from the Entrance Hall past the State Reception Room. This corridor was originally part of the orchestra pit for the adjoining ballroom. It was created as a corridor in the 1950s. One side of the corridor is lined with bronze busts of Irish Presidents mounted on marble columns and the other side features stucco panels showing classical figures. These too are casts taken from Riverstown House.

The Francini Corridor leads from the Entrance Hall past the State Reception Room. One side of the corridor is lined with bronze busts of Irish Presidents mounted on marble columns and the other side features stucco panels showing classical figures. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The handwoven Donegal carpet, designed for the house by Raymond McGrath, includes the riverine heads from the Custom House representing the principal rivers of Ireland. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Queuing in the Lafrancini Corridor at the June 2022 Garden Party, in order to enter the State Rooms and to meet President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Plaster cast in the Aras. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Original plaster in Riverstown House. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Wall plaster cast of Francini plasterwork. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Original plasterwork in Riverstown House. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Riverstown, County Cork. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Francini corridor, © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The State corridor also has a fireplace by 18th century Italian craftsman, Bossi, whose family knew the secret of how to colour marble.

A plaster cast in the Lafrancini Corridor in the Aras, above a Bossi fireplace. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The State Reception Room has a Bossi fireplace, as does the Lafranchini corridor. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Dining Room, which contains portraits of past Presidents of Ireland. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Erskine Hamilton Childers, President of Ireland 1973 until 1974 when he died in office. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, President of Ireland from December 1974 to October 1976. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Patrick Hillery, President of Ireland 1976-1990. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
“A breath of fresh air,” by the Keep Well Glass Quilt Project undertaken by members of the Glass Society of Ireland during the third wave of Covid with a twelve week lockdown. Fifty glassmakers made two pieces each. It is on loan to the President. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Mary Robinson, President of Ireland 1990-1997. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

Later additions to the gardens were carried out by Ninian Niven, who designed Iveagh Gardens in Dublin. The gardens contain many Victorian features including ceremonial trees, an arboretum, wilderness, pleasure grounds, avenues, walks, ornamental lakes and a walled garden, which contains a Turner peach house and which grows the food and flowers organically.

© Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

The walled gardens at the Aras. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
The Peach House glasshouse was designed by Richard Turner, constructed between 1836-37. Turner also designed the large palm houses in the Botanic Gardens in Dubln, Belfast and London. The one at the Aras underwent restoration between 2007-2009. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
This lovely building is to one side of the main house at the Aras, I’m not sure what it is but it’s very picturesque. Photograph courtesy of Declan Murray.

[1] https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/aras-an-uachtarain/

Some of the Viceroys and Vicereines who lived there may include (portraits below are from the 2021 exhibition of Vicereines that took place in Dublin Castle): William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck the 3rd Duke of Portland and his wife Dorothy (Viceroy 1782), George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 11st Marquess of Buckingham (Viceroy 1782), Charles Manners the 4th Duke of Rutland (1754-1787), Viceroy 1784-87, and his wife Mary Isabella, Charles Lennox the 4th Duke of Richmond and his wife Charlotte (Viceroy 1807-1813), Hugh Percy 3rd Duke of Northumberland and his wife Charlotte Florentia (Viceroy 1829-30), Constantine Henry Phipps 1st Marquess of Normanby and his wife Maria Phipps (Viceroy 1835-39), James Hamilton 1st Duke of Abercorn and his wife Louisa (Viceroy 1866-68 and 1874-76), Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, 3rd Baron Grantham, 6th Baron Lucas and his wife Henrietta Cole from Florence Court, County Fermanagh (Viceroy 1841-1844), Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry and his wife Theresa (Viceroy 1886-89), John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer (Viceroy 1868-74 and 1882-5), John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair (Viceroy 1886 and 1905-1915)and Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne (Viceroy 1915-1918).

Mary Somerset (1665-1733), Duchess of Ormond, wife of James Butler 2nd Duke of Ormond (1665-1745), painted by Michael Dahl. She publicly wore a new Irish-made dress every Monday in Dublin Castle to set a trend so that all ladies of fashion would buy Irish-made clothing. James Butler 2nd Duke became Lord Lieutenant in 1703, so they would have lived in Dublin Castle. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Mary Isabella Manners nee Somerset, Duchess of Rutland, Vicereine 1784-87. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Charlotte Florentia Percy nee Clive, Duchess of Northumberland (1787-1866), by Martin Cregan, Vicereine 1829-30. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Lady Henrietta Cole, Lady Grantham, later Countess de Grey (1784-1848), Vicereine 1841-44, from Florence Court, Fermanagh. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Louisa Hamilton nee Russell Duchess of Abercorn, by Edwin Landseer (Vicereine 1866-68 and 1874-76). © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Charlotte Spencer nee Seymour, Countess Spencer (1835-1903) by Sir John Leslie, Vicereine 1868-74 and 1882-5. She supported Home Rule for Ireland, putting her at odds with Queen Victoria. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Theresa Susey Helen Talbot, Marchioness of Londonderry (1856-1919) by John Singer Sargent, Vicereine 1886-89. She worked to develop the craft of lacemaking in counties such as Limerick and Monaghan. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
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Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry, husband of Theresa Susey Helen Talbot (above). © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com
Alice Guest nee Grosvenor Viscountess Wimborne by Sir John Lavery, Vicereine 1915-18. © Jennifer Winder-Baggot, www.irishhistorichouses.com

[2] https://irishhistorichouses.com/2020/05/21/colganstown-house-hazelhatch-road-newcastle-county-dublin/

[3] https://repository.dri.ie/