Guide to Irish Castles, Manors, and Country Houses

of THE PROVINCE OF LEINSTER for:

-- Co. WICKLOW --

Notes: (1) -- M. Bence-Jones, A Guide to Irish Country Houses, London, 1988.

Notes: (2) -- Russborough -- Abt 2 miles from Ballymore-Eustace, the mansion and seat of Joseph Leeson, Esq. was built in 1741 by the architect Richard Castle. On the death of his father, Leeson had come into a large fortune while still only 30 yrs. old. He was MP for Rathcormack between 1743 and 1756, when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Russborough; in 1760 he became Viscount Russborough, and 3 yrs later he was created Earl of Miltown. He died at his house in Dublin in the yr. 1783, leaving his 3rd wife to survive him until 1842, when she died aged 100. Though Russborough was occupied by the rebels during the 1798 rebellion it suffered very litte.The King's troops behaved very differently during their occupation... When the 6th Earl of Miltown died, Russborough passed to his widow, who died in 1914. The estate eventually devolved on his sister's son, Sir Richard Turton, Bart., who was MP for Thirsk in Yorkshire. When he died in 1929, his widow offered Russborought to the Irish nation, but Mr. Cosgrave's government turned down her generous offer and the house was empty until it was bought by Capt. Denis Daly of Dunsandle Co. Galway 2 yrs. later. He and his wife preserved the house thru difficult times, and they sold it in 1951 to the present owners ... and currently open by special arrangement to cultural societies?

Notes: (3) -- Powerscourt -- Neighbor to Charleville, separated by the stream called the Dargle. The name Powerscourt derives from the family of De La Poer, who came into possession of this territory by marriage with the dau. of Milo de Cogan, a follower of Strongbow. De Cogan erected the original castle here to protect his estates from the powerful septs of the O'Tooles and the O'Byrnes. In the centuries that followed it was twice taken by the O'Tooles, as well as passing thru the hands of Talbots and Fitz-Geralds. In 1608 Sir Richard Wingfield successfully crushed a rebellion in L'Derry and, as a reward, the lands and property of Fercullen, were granted to him by James I in the following year. In 1649 the castle was destroyed on the instructions of the Duke of Ormonde, to prevent it falling into the hands of the Parliamentarians. Presumably the castle must have been made habitable again in abt. 1700. The house is built of a pale Wicklow granite from the quarries at Glencree and the central block is surmounted by a pediment where the family arms of Richard Wingfield (d. in 1757) and his second wife, Dorothy Rowley are carved in a whitish stone. It is indeed fortunate that when Powerscourt became the property of the present owner in 1961, he was able to purchase the contents at the same time...

Notes: (4) -- Charleville -- Neighbor to Powerscourt, separated by the stream called the Dargle. Built in the Palladian design, the estate came into the hands of the Monck family thru the marriage of Charles Monck, who was a barrister-at-law, with Agneta Hitchcock in 1705. Thos. the 2nd son of this marriage, was the father of Charles Stanley Monck, created Baron Monck in 1797, and Viscount Monck in 1801. The later title came as a reward from the Govt. for his having voted for the Union, and this advancement must have made for bad blood with his neighbor, Viscount Powerscourt (When the Govt. emissary called on Lord Powerscourt to offer him an earldom as a similar bribe, his prompt reply was to kick him downstairs.) There is no record of the original house at Charleville which burnt to the ground in 1792. Soon afterwards the present house was built (Architect W. Davis?) The 2nd Viscount Monck, was created Earl of Rathdowne in 1822. (Perhaps he was hoping for a visit from George IV at the time of the royal visit to Powerscourt in 1821.) The earldom of Rathdowne died with the 1st Earl whose unfortunate wife produced no fewer than 9 daughters but no son; the 4th dau. was to marry her cousin, the 4th Viscount Monck. He was Governor-General of 'British America' at the time the Dominion of Canada was created in 1867. Edith, Viscountess Monck, the widow of the 5th Viscount, was the last of that family to live at Charleville, which was closed up after she died in 1929. ... Mr. & Mrs. Donald Davies purchased the property in 1941 and restored it to perfection.

Notes: (5) -- Mt. Kennedy -- Only 300 acres remain today of the estate of 64,000 acres that belonged to General Cunningham, the builder of Mt. Kennedy. He had purchased the original 10,000 acres from Elizabeth Barker, who inherited the property from the last male of the Kennedys, aft whom it is named, in 1769. Cunningham was the first Irish landlord to commission plans from James Wyatt for his house. Cunningham waited over 10 yrs. to start building the house after embellishing the landscape first. The building dates from 1784 and was executed by Mr. Cooley from the designs of Wyatt. In the 1798 rebellion Gen. Cunninghame, who had by now been created Lord Rossmore, and Lord Kingsborough, at the head of their troop, managed to beat off a body of insurgents from Mt. Kennedy. Gen. Cunningham's arms and those of his wife, who was a Murray, are displayed above the pillars facing the main door. He died w/o issue in 1801 and the property was inherited by Jean Gordon, the daughter of one of his sisters. She married Geo. Gun of Kilmorn, Co. Kerry, and their son added the name of Cunningham to his own... Mt. Kennedy remained in the possesion of the Gun-Cunningham until 1930, and in 1938 it was acquired by Mr. Ernest Hull...

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