Tobertynan, Enfield, Co Meath
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.
“(MacEvoy, sub De Stacpoole/IFR) A small castellated house of two storeys over a basement and three bays, with battlements and cylindrical corner turrets, and with a three storey battlemented addition at one side. Mainly built ca 1810 by Francis MacEvoy, a distinguished surgeon, afterwards the home of his brother James, the father-in-law of Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms and Editor of Burke’s series fo genealogical publications. Passed to the de Stacpooles with the marriage of Pauline MacEvoy to 4th Duke de Stacpoole. Sold 1962.”
Record of Protected Structures:
Townland: Tobertynan, town: Rathmoylan
Detached three-bay two-storey over basement house, built c1780.
Not in National Inventory
https://meathhistoryhub.ie/houses-r-z/
Francis McEvoy was the son of Edward McEvoy of Dring, Co. Longford. Francis, a distinguished surgeon, was one of the founders and later President of the Royal College of Surgeons. Francis married Anne Featherstonhaugh of Bracklyn castle. Their son, Edward, died unmarried and the estate went to James McEvoy, brother of Francis, of Frankford in 1808. He married Theresa, youngest daughter and co-heiress of Sir Joshua Coles Meredyth, 8th Baronet. James died in 1834 while his widow lived on until 1896, surviving her husband by sixty two years. Their second son, Joshua, married Mary Netterville, only daughter and heiress to the 7th Viscount Netterville and took the name Netterville. In 1852 Richard Gradwell of Dowth Hall married Maria Theresa, elder daughter of James and Theresa. In 1856 Barbara Frances, the younger daughter of James and Theresa, married Sir Bernard Burke who was Ulster King at Arms and editor of Burke’s Peerage.
James was succeeded at Tobertynan by his widow and then his son, Edward Francis McEvoy. In 1835 Tobertynan House was described as a handsome mansion house in the centre of the demesne. About half the townland was laid out as a park with trees.
In 1850 Edward Francis McEvoy married Eliza Theresa Browne of Mount Hazel, heiress to that estate. Edward McEvoy attended Cambridge and served in the 6th Carabiniers Dragoon Guards. He then served as MP for Meath 1855-1874 as an independent.
While serving in the Dragoon Guards Edward was friendly with Roger Tichborne. Roger lost his life when his ship went down in the South Atlantic. His mother was distraught and advertised widely believing that he had not died. A man claiming to be Roger Tichborne arrived from Australia and the mother welcomed him but there was a huge legal case to claim the assets of Roger Tichborne and it was proved that the man was an imposter. It was a very famous case in the late 19th century. Edward McEvoy knew him for an imposter and was a very important witness against the claimant at the trial.
In 1876 Edward McEvoy of Tobertynan held owned 2,411 acres in Meath, over 300 acres in Leitrim and also lands in Longford. The Empress of Austria visited Tobertynan while staying at Summerhill. At that time there was a lily pond, thatched summerhouse, a statue of Mercury and a tower which was possibly a folly on the outer lawn.
Fr. Charles Houben, a Passionist, became a regular correspondent with the McEvoys. In thanksgiving for the birth of their daughter, Pauline, Edward and Eliza erected a shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes on a Scots Pine tree in the woods at Tobertynan in 1868, ten years after the apparations at Lourdes. Fr. Charles blessed the shrine. Fr. Charles became a saint when he was beatified in 1988.
Pauline, the only surviving child of Edward MacEvoy was brought up at Tobertynan, by governesses. She could play the piano and talk French, the two accomplishments required of a young lady at that period. Pauline Mary McEvoy married George de Stacpoole on 1 December 1883.
The de Stacpoole family were linked to Limerick from the 13th century. Richard de Stacpoole was created a Viscount by Pope Louis XVIII in 1826 and a Papal Marquis by Leo XII in 1828 then a Papal Duke by Gregory XVI in 1830. Richard de Stacpoole spent £40,000 to rebuild “St Paul’s without the walls” and also repaired the main bridge over the Tiber and the restoration of the fountains which had been out of action, since Napoleonic times. Richard 1st Duke de Stacpoole died July 1848. George de Stacpoole, only son of the 3rd Duke, was born in Paris in 1860. He was the grandson of Richard de Stacpoole, of Mount Hazel, Co. Galway, whom Leo XII created a Duke of the Papal States in 1830.
George de Stacpoole met Miss Pauline McEvoy of Tobertynan in Dublin where he had established a base for hunting with the Meaths and the Wards. After their marriage in 1883 they went to live at St. Wandrille, Normandy, as his father, the real owner, was by this time a priest. Stanislaus was Domestic Prelate to Pope Pius IX in Rome and on his deathbed asked his son George to use the title of count. George and Pauline’s eldest child Gertrude was born at St. Wandrille. By this time however, Pauline was getting tired of living abroad. Her own mother Elizabeth McEvoy missed her very much in Ireland and she offered her son-in-law her Mount Hazel property, provided he would live there. The couple moved to Mount Hazel and there they raised their family of six children. Pauline had taken a fancy to a house opposite St. Columbus Church in London but thought that the bells might disturb her. The church was a Scottish Presbyterian church – a denomination which does not use bells. Instead they purchased a house in Cadogan Gardens. The fourth Duke de Stacpoole wrote his autobiography “Irish and other memories” which was published in 1922. He presented the Sultan of Turkey with a St. Bernard dog. The dog did not like the heat and the Sultan had a tunnel constructed to generate a cooling draft. When the Sultan was deposed after the First World War he took the St. Bernard dog into exile with him. In 1920 Tobertynan House was raided by intruders during the troubled times. The items stolen were recovered and returned by the Irish Volunteers.
They had six children. The fifth Duke, George Edward Joseph Patrick de Stacpoole, was born on 8 March 1886. He was the son of George and Pauline Stacpoole. He married Eileen Palmer on 12 November 1915. He served as Captain in the Connaught Rangers during World War I. Two of his younger brothers were killed during the war. Another two brothers also served in the war. He was a member of the Irish Turf Club and Irish National Hunt Committee. He died on 3 April 1965 aged 79.
The sixth duke, Major George Duc de Stacpoole, died in July 2005 and was buried in Roundstone, Co. Galway. George was born in 1916 in the middle of the First World War that claimed his uncles Roderick and Robert. Educated at St Gerard’s in Dublin and then at Downside. He was an accomplished soldier and continued the de Stacpoole tradition of service with Irish regiments. He became a regular soldier with the Royal Ulster Rifles and one of the few Catholic officers in that regiment. During the Second World War, and afterward, he served in Afghanistan, Mesopotamia, Palestine and Malaya. It is said that he kept his coffin in his bedroom at Tobertynan.
After a spell at school mastering he returned to his family home, Tobertynan, in Meath, where his father wanted him to run the farm, a strange career move as he was not familiar with agriculture. His sister got a judgement of his competence from the herd, a man called Healy, who said “Ah, he’ll be fine when he learns the difference between a heifer and a bullock”.
With the sale of Tobertynan, George moved to the family’s summer home, Errisbeg House, and with his mother and son Richard around him, he embarked on a series of commercial ventures. His son, Richard, became the 7th Duke de Stacpoole and resides at Errisberg House, Roundstone, Co. Galway.
Tobertynan was sold by 6th Duke de Stacpoole in 1962 and then passed to Land Commission and then into private ownership. In 1998 Tobertynan House on 51 acres was sold prior to auction for around £750,000.
https://photos-a.propertyimages.ie/media/3/8/3/2867383/700f3561f5.pdf
Tobertynan House
Rathmoylon, Co. Meath
On c. 11.92 ha (c. 29.45 acres)
Impressive Georgian castellated country home in the heart of the Meath
countryside.
For Sale by Private Treaty
‘On the instructions of the joint Receivers,
Simon Davidson and Michael Coyle, HWBC Allsop’
Entrance Hall • Inner Hall • Drawing room • Study • Dining room
Breakfast room • Kitchen • Utility • Cloakroom • WC
7 Bedrooms • Bathroom
Basement • Old kitchens • Wine cellar • Boiler room • WC • 8 further rooms
House yard • stable yard 7 stables • walled garden • sand arena
old cutstone stable yard • old cut stone farm yard and out buildings
Lands in old park land grass with exquisite mature trees.
Rathmoylon 5km, Longwood 6km, Trim 9km, Summerhill 9km, Enfield /M4 14km,
Liffey Valley Shopping Centre 40km, Dublin 45km (Distances are approximate)
Location
Tobertynan House sits in an exceptional location close to the quaint village of
Rathmoylon and the historic town of Trim. It’s a ten minute drive to Enfield and the M4
which has numerous daily trains to the city. Rathmoylon has churches, primary schools,
shops and pubs to service daily needs. A short drive brings you to the historic and
busy market town of trim, which has numerous shops, schools, pubs and restaurants.
The large Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and cinemas are a 25 minute drive.
Tobertynan is spoilt for choice for country pursuits. Local golf courses include
Rathcore Golf & country club, County Meath Golf club, Knightsbrook golf club and
slightly further afield is Carton house golf club. There is fantastic hunting with the Tara
Harriers The Meaths and the Ward Unions. There are a number of local shoots in the
area along with an abundance of sporting clubs.
History
There was a modest house at Tobertynan dating back to 1750. The house was majorly
upgraded in 1810 when the battlements and corner Turrets were added by James MacEvoy,
a distinguished surgeon who was one of the founders of the college of surgeons. It later
passed to his brother James the father in law of Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms
and editor of Burkes series of genealogical publications. The property then passed to the
de Stacpoole’s with the marriage of Pauline MacEvoy to The 4th Duke de Stacpoole.
Tobertynan House is a castellated house of two storeys over basement of three bays with battlements. There are four magnificent cylindrical corner turrets and a three
storey battlemented addition to one side. One enters the property up a long tree lined avenue to a gravelled fore court to the front of the house. Granite steps lead up to
the front door with a very pretty original Georgian fanlight above.
The interior is spacious, with bright, well-proportioned rooms and coving and centre roses throughout. A large entrance hall with decoratively framed fan light leads to the
drawing room, which, like the dining room and study, has a wooden floor, and turret off. The breakfast room has large windows and a built-in bookcase, while the kitchen has
fitted units an oil-fired Rayburn and a utility room. Exposed pine beams adorn the landing upstairs with glazed side fanlights providing excellent natural light to this floor.
There are seven large light filled bedrooms and a family bathroom with a shower in the turret. The flagstone floored basement contains old kitchens, wine cellar, further
rooms and a door to outside which leads on to the car port and stables. The house will need a good deal of refurbishment.
Outside
Beside the house is a modern stable yard with 7 stables containing
automatic drinkers and feeds, a sand arena and fenced turn out
paddocks. Further down the avenue is the old cut stone stable yard
which sits next to a large farm yard with extensive old cut stone
buildings, 3 span hay barn and silage pit. All in need of renovation.
Land
The lands are all in grass in a number of fields, with plenty of
natural shelter. There is a magnificent array of beautiful mature
trees dotted throughout the entire property.
BER Details
BER Exempt (Listed Building)
Viewing
Strictly by Appointment.
Directions
Go through Rathmoylon village (post office on the right) to a major
T – Junction, turn left signed Longwood continue xx until you see
a red wall and a yellow sign with a deer on it turn left (L80325)
Continue to the end of the road and the entrance gate is on the left.
ganlywalters.ie
Irish Historic Houses 