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| Archdale of Castle Archdale |
John's descendants remained large landowners in Fermanagh until the 20th century, but their tenure of the estates was anything but smooth. John's son, Edward Archdale (1604-41) was killed in the Irish rebellion of 1641, probably when the rebels took Castle Archdale and slaughtered his wife and family. Only his youngest son, William Archdale (c.1640-1722), survived, reputedly protected by his Catholic nurse from the fury of the attackers. After the Civil War he rebuilt Castle Archdale on a rather smaller scale, only for this house in turn to be sacked and burned in the troubles of 1689-90. The ruins of the old castle were abandoned after 1690 and remain today as a reminder of the violence of 17th century Ireland. William had married the eldest daughter of William Mervyn of Omagh and Trillick (Tyrone), from whose family his grandson eventually inherited the Trillick estate. When he died in 1722 he was succeeded by his three children in turn. The elder son, Mervyn Archdale (1685-1726), who was a Colonel in the Army, died suddenly in Dublin in 1726, and his younger brother, Edward Archdale (1694-1728) also died young. Neither had any children, so the Castle Archdale estate passed to their sister Angel (c.1688-1745), the wife of Nicholas Montgomery (d. 1763) of Derrygonnelly (Fermanagh), who took the name Archdall on their receiving the inheritance. The original spelling of the family name was fairly consistently Archdale; Nicholas and his successors used the form Archdall until the mid 19th century, when most but not all of his descendants reverted to Archdale. This contemporary usage has been followed in the genealogical details below.
In 1762 Nicholas Archdall's son, Col. Mervyn Archdall (c.1724-1813) married the eldest daughter of the 1st Viscount Carlow, and they rented a hunting lodge on her father's Emo estate in Co. Leix which may have been their main home until a new Castle Archdale was built in 1773-78, on a new site overlooking the picturesque Lough Erne. The new house was a grand Palladian block with an unusual but dramatic internal plan, the architect of which is sadly not known. In 1776 he also inherited the Trillick estate from his Mervyn relations. Col. Archdall's marriage into the peerage and his creation of a grand new house were reflections of a rapid rise in social consequence; something also reflected by his being elected in 1761 as MP for Co. Fermanagh. This marked the start of a remarkable record by which five members of the family, over four generations, provided an unbroken succession of the county's MPs in the Irish and later the UK Parliaments, for no less than 154 years. This is thought to be the longest continuous representation by one family of any Irish constituency. Col. Archdall was a staunch anti-Catholic, but opposed the Union of Ireland with Great Britain even though he was offered a peerage to give his support to the measure. He died in 1813 at the great age of 88.
His eldest son and successor was General Mervyn Archdall (1763-1839), who commanded a regiment under Sir Ralph Abercromby during the Egyptian campaign, where he lost an arm at the battle of Lake Marestis (now Siviah) in 1801. In the same year he succeeded his father as MP for Co. Fermanagh and thereafter he took on increasing responsibility for the family estates from his aging father. He married in 1805, by which time he had already fathered several illegitimate children, but his marriage produced no legitimate heir to inherit the estates, which in 1839 passed to his brother, Lt. Col. William Archdall (1768-1857). He too died without issue, and the estates passed to his nephew, Mervyn Edward Archdall (1812-95), who resumed the spelling Archdale around 1875. Mervyn was the son of a younger brother of his predecessor, Edward Archdall (1775-1864), who had built Riversdale House before 1817, on a property close to Castle Archdale and also near Lough Erne. Since Mervyn had inherited Castle Archdale, Riversdale was left to Edward's second son, William Humphrys Mervyn Archdall (later Archdale) (1813-99), who remodelled it so extensively as to make it almost a new house in 1868. This mid to late 19th century period was perhaps the high-water mark of the family, at least economically, despite the increasing challenges to Irish landlords as the 19th century wore on. They may have been helped by their reputation as considerate (and resident) landlords, and by the good quality of their extensive estates: in 1876, Mervyn owned 33,015 acres in Fermanagh and Tyrone and William 5,627 acres in Fermanagh.
Mysteriously, when Mervyn died in 1895 none of his five children inherited Castle Archdale, which passed instead to his brother William. The descent of the property at this time was apparently controlled by the provisions of General Archdall's will, proved in 1839. Under that will, Mervyn's eldest son, Col. Mervyn Henry Archdale (1852-1925) should have inherited and the only reason I can see for the exclusion of him and his siblings from the inheritance is that they were illegitimate: that no marriage had taken place between their father and his reputed wife, Emma Inez Goulding. Certainly I have not been able to trace such a marriage. The situation has strong echoes of the Case of the Disappearing Baronetcy which played itself out in London a generation earlier; but in that case the children were not deprived of property, only of a title. This case seems harder to explain, especially as Mervyn Archdall must have known by the time his children were born that he would eventually inherit the family estates. If any reader can throw light on the family dynamics which caused this situation to arise, I should be very interested to know the background.
At all events, William Humphrys Mervyn Archdale (1813-99) inherited Castle Archdale in 1895 and briefly united the two estates. At his death they were divided between two of his nephews. The Rt. Hon. Edward Archdale (1850-1916), eldest son of Rev. Henry Montgomery Archdale (1818-98), inherited Castle Archdale, where he made changes to the house and built a new parish church in the first decade of the 20th century. He became Lord Lieutenant of Co. Tyrone in 1913-16. Riversdale passed to the Rt. Hon. Sir Edward Mervyn Archdale (1853-1943), 1st bt., eldest son of Nicholas Montgomery Archdale (1820-77). Sir Edward was an MP at both Westminster and, after partition, in Belfast for a total of 45 years, and became the Minister of Agriculture in the Northern Ireland government, 1921-33. He was created a baronet in 1928. When he died, in the depths of the Second World War, Riversdale passed to his son, Vice-Admiral Sir Nicholas Edward Archdale (1881-1955), 2nd bt., who sold the estate to the Northern Irish government in 1947, and the Ministry of Agriculture afforested the estate and pulled down the house in 1960. The family baronetcy continues, being now held by Nicholas Edward Archdale (b. 1965), who does not use the title.
Edward Archdale of Castle Archdale had no children, so in 1916 his estate passed to his younger brother, Lt-Col. James Blackwood Archdale (1853-1936) and then to his son, Henry Blackwood Archdale (1887-1939), who was the family historian, publishing Memoirs of the Archdales in 1925. He too was married but childless, and so in 1939 the estate passed to his cousin, Mervyn Henry Dawson Archdale (1904-68), who barely had time to move into the house before it was requistioned for military use. He retained a toe-hold in the house until 1942 but then moved out completely, and after the Second World War he emigrated to New Zealand. In 1957 the house was returned to the family but in poor condition, and it quickly became derelict. It was demolished in about 1970, one of the sadder and more significant losses among Northern Irish country houses.
Castle Archdale, Fermanagh
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| Castle Archdale: the ruins of the house built in 1615 and rebuilt after the Civil War. |
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| Castle Archdale: the main block from the south-west. Image: Peter Archdale |
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| Castle Archdale from the 19th century Ordnance Survey 6" map |
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| Castle Archdale in 1968: derelict and awaiting demolition. Image: Peter Archdale. |
The interior is a great loss, for the workmanship was of high quality, especially the hall and staircase. The plan was perfectly symmetrical, with one large room either side of a square entrance hall. The hall, with two grey marble chimneypieces facing each other, led through a screen of fluted Corinthian columns to a corridor running the length of the house. More columns divided the staircase from the corridor, so that on entering the front door one looked straight through a double screen to a majestic double return stair, which rose to the first floor and was lit by a huge Venetian window on the landing. The staircase had wrought iron S-shaped banister rails with brass medallions and carved acanthus scrolls on the tread-ends. The top storey was reached only by a secondary stair in the north-east corner.
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| Castle Archdale from an aquatint by Jonathan Fisher, 1795. Image: National Library of Ireland |
The site chosen for the house in the late 18th century was no doubt selected for its fine views over Lough Erne, which were recorded by a number of artists from the late 18th century onwards. There was extensive planting of the estate, so that Castle Archdale "from its elevation and extent of wood, is the most conspicuous demesne on the shores of Lower Lough Erne". There was also a pleasure garden around the new house, as Col. Archdall recorded in 1796 that "one round of the Garden Walk measures 59 perches". During the 19th century more elaborate gardens were laid out around the house, including the rock garden depicted in the watercolour below.
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| The view from the house at Castle Archdale: 19th century watercolour by Beatrice Parsons. Image: Peter Archdale |
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| The rock garden at Castle Archdale: 19th century watercolour by Beatrice Parsons. Image: Peter Archdale |
Riversdale, Fermanagh
A square three-storey stone villa of Classical design was built, reputedly before 1817, for Edward Archdale, with a rectangular courtyard of offices and farm buildings attached. The appearance of this house seems not to have been recorded but the plan can be seen on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey 6" map below. It was remodelled in 1868 as an Italianate white stuccoed villa by William Hague junior, who was a noted designer of Catholic churches but did some country house work too. As remodelled, the entrance front had a prominent two-storey porch tower and the main garden elevation a canted bay the full height of the facade. The house had a flat roof and a balustraded parapet, and plaster quoins at the angles.
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| Riversdale House in 1910. Image: Peter Archdale |
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| Riversdale, from the 19th century Ordnance Survey 6" map |
Descent: Edward Archdale (1775-1864); to younger son, William Humphrys Mervyn Archdale (1813-99); to nephew, Sir Edward Mervyn Archdale (1853-1943), 1st bt.; to son, Sir Nicholas Edward Archdale (1881-1955), 2nd bt., who sold 1947 to Northern Ireland Government, which demolished the house in 1960.
Archdale family of Castle Archdale
Archdale, Martin (d. 1597) of Abbotts Hall, Darsham (Suffolk). Second son of John Archdale of Stafford and his wife Anne, born about 1535. Merchant in London. He married, 13 June 1575, Barbara (c.1557-1617), only daughter and heiress of Thomas Sexton of Lavenham (Suffolk) and had issue, probably with other children who died young:
(1) John Archdale (1578-1621) (q.v.);
(2) Alice Archdale (1581-1612); married Sir Benjamin Ayloffe (d. 1662), 2nd bt. of Braxted and had issue a daughter; buried 28 November 1612;
(3) Martin Archdale (b. 1587; fl. 1631), who went to Ireland with his eldest brother but later returned to England; living in 1631;
(4) Rev. Robert Archdale (1589-1645); educated at Christ's College, Cambridge (BA 1607; MA 1611); rector of Trimley St. Martin (Suffolk) by 1627; died unmarried 1644/5;
(5) Samuel Archdale (1591-1617) of Hornchurch (Essex); educated at Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1609); buried 10 June 1617; will proved 27 November 1617;
(6) Daniel Archdale (1593-1647); educated at Christ's College, Cambridge and Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1612); married and had issue a daughter; died 1647; administration of goods granted 25 May 1647;
(7) Sarah Archdale (b. 1595); married, 17 December 1618, Richard Baker of St. Saviour, Southwark.
He purchased Abbotts Hall, Darsham (Suffolk) in 1593-94 and subsequently three further manors in Darsham.
He died 25 December 1597 and his will was proved 31 December 1597. His widow married 2nd, Sir William Ayloffe, 1st bt. of Braxted and Hornchurch (Essex) and was buried 16 December 1617.
Archdale, John (1578-1621) of Castle Archdale. Eldest son of Martin Archdale (d. 1597) of Abbotts Hall, Darsham (Suffolk) and his wife Barbara, daughter and heiress of Thomas Sexton of Lavenham (Suffolk), born 30 December 1578. Educated at Grays Inn (admitted 1607/8). He settled in Ulster as an "undertaker" in the Plantation settlement after the flight of the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnel; High Sheriff of Co. Fermanagh, 1616. He married 1st, 14 January 1600/01, Frances (d. 1614), eldest surviving daughter of Edward Honings MP of Carlton, Darsham and Eye (Suffolk) and 2nd, Catherine (d. 1642), eldest daughter of Sir William Temple, Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, and had issue, with others who died young:
(1.1) Edward Archdale (1604-41?) (q.v.);
(1.2) Mary Archdale (b. 1606), baptised 2 January 1605/6; married Rev. Randolph Adams (d. 1675) of Mullingar (Cork) and had issue;
(1.3) Ven. Martin Archdale (b. c.1608), baptised 24 January 1607/8; educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1623); rector of Straboe (Carlow) 1635 and Archdeacon of Ferns, 1640; lost his livings in the Irish Rebellion of 1641; died before 1660;
(1.4) Ven. John Archdale (1610-74), baptised 6 August 1610; educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1624; BD 1631); rector of Old Ross (Wexford), 1635; Archdeacon of Killala, 1637; Archdeacon of Achonry, 1638; minister at Lusk (Dublin), 1654; married Elizabeth Donnellan (fl. 1700) of Co. Roscommon and had issue one son and two daughters from whom ultimately descended the antiquary and genealogist Mervyn Archdale (1723-91) who edited the last edition of Lodge's Peerage of Ireland; died 1674;
(1.5) Barbara Archdale (b. 1613), baptised 17 October 1613;
(2.1) Lettice Archdale (d. 1642); married Tobias Norris of Dublin and had issue one daughter; died 28 October 1642.
He inherited the Abbotts Hall, Darsham estate from his father in 1597 but sold it before going to Ireland, where he acquired by letters patent dated 13 July 1612 a grant of land in the barony of Lurg (Fermanagh) which became the Castle Archdale estate, and on which he built the first Castle Archdale. He also obtained further grants of land at Drumragh (Tyrone) and Curranlurge (Fermanagh).
He died 31 August 1621. His first wife was buried 29 January 1613/4. His widow married 2nd, Sir John Veel of Mullingar (Co. Cork) and died 13 November 1642; she was buried at St Werburgh's church, Dublin, 15 November 1642.
Archdale, Edward (1604-41) of Castle Archdale. Eldest son of John Archdale (1578-1621) of Castle Archdale and his first wife Frances, daughter of Edward Honings MP of Carlton, Darsham and Eye (Suffolk), baptised 15 April 1604. He married Angel(a), second daughter of Sir Paul Gore, 1st bt. and had issue, reputedly with nine other children massacred in the 1641 rebellion:
(1) William Archdale (c.1640-1722) (q.v.).
He inherited the Castle Archdale estate from his father in 1621 and came of age in 1625. The castle was destroyed in the Irish rebellion of 1641.
His was killed in the Irish Rebellion of 1641, probably in the assault on Castle Archdale; his wife probably died at the same time.
Archdale, William (c.1640-1722) of Castle Archdale. Only surviving child of Edward Archdale (1604-41) and his wife Angel(a), daughter of Sir Paul Gore, 1st bt., born about 1640. He was orphaned as an infant when his parents and siblings were apparently killed during the assault by Irish rebels on Castle Archdale in 1641; William reputedly being saved by the actions of McHugh, his Roman Catholic nurse. JP for Co. Fermanagh; High Sheriff of Co. Fermanagh, 1667 and 1692; member of the Commission of Array for the county c.1705. He married, 1677, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Henry Mervyn MP of Omagh Castle and Trillick (Tyrone) and had issue:
(1) Mervyn Archdale (1685-1726) (q.v.);
(2) Angel Archdale (c.1688-1745), born before 1688; married, 22 April 1724, Col. Nicholas Montgomery (later Archdall) MP (d. 1763) of Derrygonnelly (Fermanagh) (q.v.), who assumed the name and arms of Archdall in 1728, and had issue one son; died 1745;
(3) Edward Archdale (1694-1728) (q.v.);
He inherited the Castle Archdale estate as an infant and came of age in about 1661. The castle having been destroyed in the 1641 rebellion he later rebuilt it. In the later 17th century he expanded the estate through purchases of smaller properties. Castle Archdale was again destroyed by fire in the troubles of 1689 and abandoned.
He died in 1722. His wife's date of death is unknown.
Archdale, Col. Mervyn (1685-1726) of Castle Archdale. Elder son of William Archdale (c.1640-1722) of Castle Archdale and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Mervyn of Trillick, born 1685. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (BA 1705). High Sheriff of Co. Fermanagh, 1714. Lt-Col. of Col. Irvine's Militia Regiment of Dragoons, 1708; Col. of Fermanagh Dragoon Regiment, 1715. He was unmarried and without issue.
He inherited the Castle Archdale estate from his father in 1722.
He died suddenly in Dublin, 27 December 1726.
Archdale, Edward (1694-1728) of Castle Archdale. Younger son of William Archdale (c.1640-1722) of Castle Archdale and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Mervyn of Trillick, born 1694. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1712; BA 1716). High Sheriff of Co. Fermanagh, 1722; Capt. in Sir Gustavus Hume's Regiment of Dragoons. He married 1st, Frances, daughter of Sir John Caldwell, 1st bt., of Castle Caldwell (Fermanagh) and 2nd, 1728, Elizabeth (1712-70), daughter of John Cole MP of Florence Court (Fermanagh), but had no issue.
He inherited the Castle Archdale estate from his brother in 1726.
He died 8 October 1728. His first wife's date of death is unknown. His widow married 2nd, 7 December 1731, Hon. Bysshe Molesworth MP (d. 1779), seventh son of 1st Viscount Molesworth, and died January 1770.
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| Angel Archdall |
(1.1) Col. Mervyn Archdall (1725-1813) (q.v.);
(2.1) Robert Archdall (d. 1809); buried at St Giles-in-the-Fields, London, 18 December 1809;
(2.2) Richard Archdall (c.1750-1824) of Spondon (Derbys); educated at Harrow, Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1767) and Inner Temple (admitted 1772; called to the bar, 1779 and to the Irish Bar, 1779); Whig MP in the Irish Parliament for Ardfert, 1790-97 and Killybegs, 1797-1800 and in the UK Parliament for Kilkenny, 1801-02 and Dundalk, 1802-06 during which time he was a consistent supporter of the Government and made himself useful to the Addington ministry; married, 11 November 1780, Anna Maria Montagu (d. 1805) and had issue five sons and three daughters; died 8 February 1824;
(2.3) Nicholas Archdall (later Archdall-Cope) (d. 1825) of Springfield (Kildare); married, August 1782, Sarah Arabella Abigail Meade (d. 1844), the daughter of Rev. Samuel Meade of Cork and niece and heiress of Dr. Walter Cope (d. 1787), Bishop of Ferns, whose name he took in addition to his patronymic, and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 25 January 1825;
(2.4) Edward Archdall (d. 1822); Lieutenant in Royal Navy, 1782; will proved 20 March 1822;
(2.5) Catherine Archdall (d. 1810); married, 26 September 1777, James Byrne of Parke (Carlow) and had issue five sons and two daughters; died 1810;
(2.6) Sarah Archdall (d. 1822); died unmarried, 1822;
(2.7) Augusta Archdall (d. by 1789); married, 1778, Rev. Jonathan Bruce (d. 1845) of Island Gate, Limerick (who m2, his cousin, Mary, daughter of George Evans) but had no issue;
(2.8) Elizabeth Archdall (b. 1759; d. by 1779), born 1759; married, 18 December 1777 at Leyton (Essex), James Dalbiac (c.1750-1824) of London (who m2, 30 December 1779, Mary Barnard (d. 1798) and had issue).
He inherited the Castle Archdale estate in right of his first wife from her younger brother in 1728; on his death it passed to their only son.
He died 21 May 1763. His first wife died in 1745. His widow was living in 1789.
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| Col. Mervyn Archdall (Image: Peter Archdale) |
(1) Gen. Mervyn Archdall (1763-1839) (q.v.);
(2) Mary Archdall (1764-95), born 11 October 1764; married, 4 June 1789, Rt. Hon. Sir John Stewart (c.1758-1825), 1st bt. PC MP, of Athenree, Attorney-General for Ireland, and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 28 May 1795;
(3) Angel Archdall (1765-1817), born 15 September 1765; married, 5 September 1807, Maj. John Richardson (1768-1841) of Rossfad (Fermanagh) and had issue one son; died 1817;
(4) Martha Caroline Archdall (1767-84), born 1 March 1767; died unmarried, 1784;
(5) Lt-Col. William Archdall (1768-1857) (q.v.);
(6) Anna Archdall (1769-1803), born 27 May 1763; died unmarried, 26 March 1803;
(7) Catherine Archdall (1770-1852), born 26 June 1770; died unmarried, 26 March 1852;
(8) Elizabeth Archdall (1771-1833), born 1 October 1771; married, 4 April 1805, Dacre Hamilton (1771-1837) of Cornacassa (Monaghan) and had issue two sons; died 1833;
(9) Sidney Archdall (1772-1861), born 9 October 1772; married, 10 May 1800, Robert Hamilton (1775-1830) of Dublin, solicitor, younger son of Robert Hamilton of Dublin and had issue five sons and four daughters; died 15 August 1861;
(10) Wilhelmina Henrietta (k/a Mina) Archdall (1773-1861), born 8 December 1773; married, 30 October 1820, Augustine McNamara (1769-1827) of Dublin but died without issue, 1861;
(11) Edward Archdall (1775-1864) (see below, under Archdale family of Riversdale);
(12) Capt. Henry Archdall (1782-1856), born 14 June 1782; educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1801); entered the Army, 1803; Captain in 6th Dragoon Guards; ADC to his eldest brother; married, 15 April 1816, Jane (d. 1825), youngest daughter of Philip Doyne, barrister-at-law, but died without issue, 4 August 1856.
He inherited the Castle Archdale estate from his father in 1763 and the Mervyn estates at Trillick and elsewhere in Co. Fermanagh in 1776. He rebuilt Castle Archdale on a new site in 1773-78. He also rented for many years a hunting lodge called The Grove on the Emo estate in Co. Leix that belonged to his in-laws.
He died 18 June 1813, aged 88, and was buried at Ardess (Fermanagh). His widow was buried 17 December 1825.
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| Gen. Mervyn Archdall (Image: Peter Archdale) |
(X1.1) Henry Gray Archdall;
(X1.2) Jane Gray (Archdall);
(X1.3) Elizabeth Gray (Archdall);
and another illegitimate daughter by Bridget McHugh:
(X2.1) Catherine McHugh.
He inherited the Castle Archdale and Trillick estates, and the lease of The Grove, from his father in 1813. At his death he bequeathed his lease of The Grove to his widow.
He died of a stroke, 26 July 1839; his long and complex will was proved in the PCC, 8 October 1839. His widow died 7 January 1851.
Archdall, Lt-Col. William (1768-1857) of Castle Archdale and Trillick Lodge. Second son of Col. Mervyn Archdale (c.1724-1813) and his wife Mary, daughter of William Henry Dawson, 1st Viscount Carlow, born 17 February 1768. Entered the army, 1786, serving in 4th (Kings Own) Regiment (Major, 1800; Lt-Col., 1800; retired 1801); served in Nova Scotia and took part in the capture of St. Pierre and Miquelon, 1793; captured by French privateer Vengeance on his return home, Oct. 1797, and held prisoner for a year; later served in Holland; after retirement he became an Inspecting Field Officer of Yeomanry Artillery. He married, 7 February 1807 at Castle Cary (Somerset), Martha Hawley (1786-1852), daughter of James Clarke of Castle Cary (Somerset) but had no issue.
He inherited the Castle Archdale and Trillick estates from his elder brother in 1839.
He died 1 January 1857; his will was proved in the PCC, 20 March 1857. His wife died 21 August 1852; her will was proved in the PCC, 17 November 1853.
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| Capt. M.E. Archdale |
(1) Blanche Mary Mervyn Archdale (1850-1943), born 13 July 1850; married 20 September 1876, George Benjamin Thorneycroft (1849-1924) of Dunston (Staffs) and had issue one son and one daughter; died 1 May 1943; administration of goods granted 3 August 1943 (estate £3,166);
(2) Col. Mervyn Henry Archdale (1852-1925); Col. in 12th Lancers; married, 28 March 1883 at Terrington St Clement (Norfolk), Mary (d. 1890), daughter of Sir Henry de Bathe, 4th bt., and had issue one son (who died young) and four daughters; died 25 March 1925; will proved 9 June 1925 (estate £14,419);
(3) Brig-Gen. Hugh James Archdale (1854-1921), born 15 January 1854; educated at Cheltenham College; served in Welsh Fusiliers and Lincolnshire Regiment; married 1st, 2 September 1885, Elizabeth Mary Victoria (c.1861-88), eldest daughter of Capt. Hugh Montgomery Archdall of Drumadravy (Fermanagh) who died without issue, and 2nd, 28 August 1894, Helen Evelyn Trevor (c.1868-1945), elder daughter of Boscawen Trevor Griffith-Boscawen of Trevalyn Hall (Flints) and had issue one daughter; died 31 August 1921; will proved 14 October 1921 (estate £1,780)
(4) Evelyn Louisa Jane Archdale (1859-1936); married, 4 August 1880, Maj-Gen. Rowland Broughton Mainwaring CMG (1851-1926) but died without issue, 12 March 1936; will proved 10 October 1936 (estate £300);
(5) Georgina Emma Matilda Archdale (1861-1934), born 23 February and baptised 26 April 1861; married, 20 December 1886, Maj. John Gerard Christopher Irvine (d. 1938) of Killadeas (Fermanagh) and had issue; died 14 August 1934; will proved 3 December 1934 and 8 February 1935 (estate £108 in Northern Ireland and £693 in England).
He inherited the Castle Archdale and Trillick estates from his uncle in 1857, and at his death they passed to his younger brother, William Humphrys Mervyn Archdale (1813-99) of Riversdale (see below) rather than his children, presumably under the terms of General Mervyn Archdall's will of 1839, implying the illegitimacy of his children. In 1876 he owned 27,410 acres in Fermanagh and 5,605 acres in Tyrone.
He died at Cannes (France), 22 December 1895. His wife died 30 August 1874.
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| Rev. H.M. Archdale (Image: Peter Archdale) |
(1) Elizabeth Price Archdale (c.1849-1933); died unmarried, 21 May 1933; will proved 24 May 1934 (estate £1,564);
(2) Edward Archdale (1850-1916) (q.v.);
(3) Henry Dawson Archdale (1851-1926); Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, 1871 (retired by 1888); died in Dublin, Jan-Mar 1926;
(4) Sarah Blackwood Archdale (1852-1941), born 26 May 1852; married, 10 November 1886 at Christ Church, Clifton (Glos), Rev. Edward Blanchard Ryan (c.1847-1904), rector of Strangford (Down) and had issue one son and two daughters; died 24 May 1941; will proved 11 November 1941 (estate £2,412 in England) and 11 November 1942 (estate £1,081 in Northern Ireland);
(5) Lt-Col. James Blackwood Archdale (1853-1936) (q.v.);
(6) Audley Mervyn Archdale (1855-1931), of St. Leonards-on-Sea (Sussex), born 1 October 1855; educated at Marlborough; married, 19 September 1895, Mary Scott (1860-1926), daughter of George Elphinstone of Oakfield House, Streatham and had issue one son and one daughter; died 15 June 1931; administration of goods granted 13 November 1931 (estate £5,663);
(7) Montgomery Archdale (c.1857-1921); patient at Crichton Royal Hospital, Dumfries; died unmarried, 2 February 1921; administration of goods granted 16 March 1921 (estate £232);
(8) Matilda Humphrys Archdale (1858-1927), born 21 August 1858; died unmarried in Dublin, Jul-Sep 1927;
(9) George Archdale (1860-1938) (q.v.);
(10) Richmal Mangnall Archdale (1862-1940), baptised 4 May 1862; admitted to Bailbrook Asylum, 1895; died there unmarried, 8 January 1940, and was buried at Ballinamallard.
He died 14 February 1898. His widow died 7 August 1911.
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| Rt. Hon. Edward Archdale |
He inherited the Castle Archdale and Trillick estates from his uncle, William Humphrys Mervyn Archdale (1813-99), in 1899 and apparently altered the house at Castle Archdale to the designs of Sir Thomas Drew, who also built a new parish church on the estate in 1905-08.
He died 4 July 1916; his will was proved 30 October 1916 (estate £49,515 in England). His widow died 25 April 1918.
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| Col. J.B. Archdale (Image: Peter Archdale) |
(1) Henry Blackwood Archdale (1887-1939) (q.v.).
He inherited the Castle Archdale and Trillick estates from his elder brother in 1916.
He died 6 May 1936; his will was proved 8 and 29 December 1936 (estate £10,121 in Northern Ireland and £1,988 in England). His wife died 30 October 1925; administration of her goods was granted to her husband 21 May 1926 (effects £328 in Northern Ireland).
Archdale, Henry Blackwood (1887-1939) of Castle Archdale and Trillick Lodge. Only child of Lt-Col. James Blackwood Archdale (1853-1926) of Castle Archdale and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of George May of Cambridge, born 15 March 1887. Educated at Wellington College and at a theological college. Served in WW1 as a Private in 1st Cambridgeshire Regiment, 1916-17 but was discharged due to sickness. Author of Memoirs of the Archdales, 1925. He married, 19 October 1921 in Dublin, Dorothy Audley (1894-1939), youngest daughter of Henry William Audley Mervyn, but had no issue.
He inherited the Castle Archdale and Trillick estates from his father in 1936.
He died 26 August 1939; his will was proved 15 March 1940 (estate £4,477 in Northern Ireland). His widow died 17 December 1939; her will was proved 24 April 1940 (estate £9,213 in Northern Ireland and £581 in England).
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| George Archdale (Image: Peter Archdale) |
(1) Helen Audley Archdale (1896-1979), born 9 February 1896; married, 1928, John Lombe Haddon Askwith MBE (1900-86) of Ardvarney, Ederney (Fermanagh), third son of Rev. John Haddon Askwith of Ripon and High Sheriff of Fermanagh, 1943; died 1979 and was buried at Ardess (Fermanagh);
(2) Mary Blackwood Archdale (b. 1898), born 4 April 1898; emigrated to Canada, 1923; married, 14 June 1927 at Winnipeg (Canada), George Ernest Brennon, son of John Brennon of Kenmare (Kerry) and had issue one son and one daughter;
(3) Sarah Matilda Archdale (1899-1930), born 13 June 1899; married Richard Thorpe (fl. 1976), son of Richard Thorpe of Brighton; emigrated to Canada and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 30 September 1930 at Wawanesa, Manitoba (Canada);
(4) Mervyn Henry Dawson Archdale (1904-68) (q.v.);
(5) Joan Archdale (1906-2002), born 23 April 1906; married, 1937, James Hackney of Heathfield (Sussex) and had issue two daughters; died Jul-Sep 2002 aged 96;
(6) George Montgomery Archdale (1907-91) of Sandwich (Kent), born 6 July 1907; married, 1937, Kathleen Stuart (d. 1984); died April 1991.
He died August 1938. His widow died in 1965, aged about 98.
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| M.H.D. Archdale |
(1) Desmond Archdale (b. 1932), born 10 August 1932; educated at Campbell College, Belfast;
(2) Patrick Archdale (b. 1934), born 17 March 1934; educated at Campbell College, Belfast; married Susan [surname unknown] and had issue two sons and three daughters;
(3) Michael William George Archdale (b. 1935), born 18 October 1935; educated at Campbell College, Belfast; emigrated to New Zealand and lived at Wakanui and later at Ashburton; married Ann Henrietta Hargreaves and had issue three daughters;
(4) Denis (Theodore) Archdale (1938-2005), born 26 February 1938; educated at Campbell College, Belfast; married, 5 December 1964, Mary (d. 2015), second daughter of Maj. John Lawrence Pinsent of Higher Ludbrook, Ermington (Devon) and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 10 July 2005.
He inherited Castle Archdale from his uncle, Henry Blackwood Archdale, in 1939 but it was requisitioned by the military and he moved out completely in 1942. It was not returned to the family until 1957, after which it quickly became derelict and was demolished c.1970.
He died 4 August 1968 and was buried at South Canterbury Cemetery, New Zealand. His widow's date of death is unknown.
Archdale family of Riversdale, baronets
Archdall, Edward (1775-1864) of Riversdale. Third son of Col. Mervyn Archdale (c.1724-1813) and his wife Mary, daughter of William Henry Dawson, 1st Viscount Carlow, born 4 March 1775. Educated at St Mary's Hall, Oxford (matriculated 1795; BA 1803). He raised and commanded the Lurg and Magheraboy True Blue Infantry, 1798. JP and DL for Co. Fermanagh; High Sheriff of Co. Fermanagh, 1813. He married, 2 October 1809, Matilda (d. 1859), third daughter of William Humphrys of Ballyhaise (Cavan) and had issue:
(1) Mary Archdall (1810-78), born 1 October 1810; died unmarried, 1 October 1878;
(2) Mervyn Edward Archdall (later Archdale) (1812-95) (see above, under Archdale family of Castle Archdale);
(3) William Humphrys Mervyn Archdall (later Archdale) (1813-99) (q.v.);
(4) Letitia Jane Archdall (1815-1900), born 22 February 1815; married, 6 November 1834, Rev. Butler Brooke (d. 1869), rector of Aghavea (Fermanagh), fourth son of Sir Henry Brooke, 1st bt. of Colebrooke (Fermanagh) but had no issue; died 2 January 1900; will proved 20 March 1900 (estate in England £7,917);
(5) Lt-Col. Edward Archdall (1816-86), of Clifton Lodge, Lisnakea (Fermanagh), born 4 and baptised 29 October 1816; educated at Royal Military College, Sandhurst; served in the army, 1834-52, retiring as Capt. in 14th Foot; Lt-Col. of Fermanagh Militia; JP for Fermanagh; High Sheriff of Co. Fermanagh, 1872; married 1st, 21 November 1846 at Wrockwardine (Shropshire), Caroline Anne (c.1819-70), daughter of Charles Claude Clifton of Tymawr (Brecons) and widow of Lt. John Francis Theophilus Starke (d. 1844); married 2nd, 9 February 1875, Eleanor Jane (c.1837-1907), youngest daughter of Robert Stewart of Lisburn (Antrim), but died without issue, 17 June 1886; will proved at Dublin, 26 October 1886;
(6) Rev. Henry Montgomery Archdall (later Archdale) (1818-98) (see above, under Archdale family of Castle Archdale);
(7) Nicholas Montgomery Archdall (later Archdale) (1820-77) (q.v.);
(8) John Archdall (1822-41), born 28 April 1822; Ensign in 52nd Light Infantry; died unmarried of yellow fever at Berbice, British Guiana, 26 August 1841;
(9) Hugh Montgomery Archdall (1824-80) of Drumadravy (Fermanagh), born 6 February 1824; Capt. in 52nd Light Infantry who served in India, 1853-57; Secretary to Fermanagh Grand Jury, 1873-80; married, 23 September 1857 at Fivemiletown (Tyrone), Elizabeth (c.1833-1923), second daughter of Sir Hugh Stewart MP, 2nd bt., of Athenree and had issue seven sons and four daughters; died 22 September 1880; will proved 24 December 1880 (estate in England under £2,000);
(10) Audley Mervyn Archdall (later Archdale) (1825-93) of Underdown, Ledbury (Herefs), born 9 June 1825; served in the army, 1844-55, retiring as Captain in Royal Artillery; JP for Herefordshire; married, 2 May 1854 at Henbury (Glos), Sybilla Mary (1834-89), sixth daughter of Philip John Miles of Leigh Court (Somerset) and Kings Weston House (Glos) and had issue three sons and one daughter; resumed the traditional spelling of the family name about 1875; died 27 February 1893; will proved 6 June 1893 (estate £2,580);
(11) James Mervyn Archdall (1826-40), born 12 September 1826; died young, 11 November 1840;
(12) Richmal Mangnall Archdall (later Archdale) (1827-1919), born 9 December 1827; sher resumed the traditional spelling of the family name about 1875; died unmarried, 24 January 1919; buried at Trory (Fermanagh);
(13) Matilda Archdall (1829-51), born 6 November 1829; died unmarried, 5 April 1851.
He purchased the Riversdale estate between 1800 and 1817, and built a house there, which was apparently rebuilt or remodelled between 1840 and 1860.
He died 12 May 1864 and was buried at Trory (Fermanagh). His wife died 10 July 1859 and was buried at Trory.
Archdall (later Archdale), William Humphrys Mervyn (1813-99) of Castle Archdale, Trillick Lodge and Riversdale. Second son of Edward Archdall (1775-1864) of Riversdale and his wife Matilda, daughter of William Humphrys of Ballyhaise (Cavan), baptised 2 June 1813. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford (matriculated 1831; BA 1835) and Lincolns Inn (admitted 1835). JP and DL for Fermanagh and JP for Tyrone; High Sheriff of Fermanagh, 1845 and Tyrone, 1861; Foreman of the Fermanagh Grand Jury; MP for Fermanagh, 1847-85. He resumed the traditional spelling of the family name about 1875 and assumed the additional name of Mervyn on inheriting the Castle Archdale and Trillick estates in 1896, in accordance with the will of his uncle, Gen. Mervyn Archdall (d. 1839). He married 1st, 15 April 1845, Emily Mary Rebecca (c.1818-92), eldest daughter of Hon. & Rev. John Charles Maude, rector of Enniskillen (Fermanagh) and 2nd, 28 February 1894, his cousin Matilda Mary (1830-1916), daughter of William Alley of Artane (Dublin) but had no issue.
He inherited Riversdale House from his father in 1864 and Castle Archdale and Trillick from his elder brother Mervyn Edward Archdale in 1895/6. In 1876 he owned 5,627 acres in Co. Fermanagh. At his death Castle Archdale and Trillick passed to his nephew, Edward Archdale (1850-1916) and Riversdale to his nephew, Sir Edward Mervyn Archdale, 1st bt.
He died 23 June 1899; administration of his goods was granted 4 December 1899 (estate £17,648). His first wife died 27 October 1892. His widow died 9 October 1916.
Archdall (later Archdale), Nicholas Montgomery (1820-77). Fifth son of Edward Archdale (1775-1864) of Riversdale and his wife Matilda, daughter of William Humphrys of Ballyhaise (Cavan), born 18 February 1820. JP and DL for Longford and JP for Fermanagh; High Sheriff of Fermanagh, 1861. He resumed the traditional spelling of the family name about 1875. He married, 27 January 1852, Adelaide Mary (1832-1926), fourth daughter of Rev. John Grey Porter of Belle Isle (Fermanagh), rector of Kilskeery (Tyrone) and had issue:
(1) Rt. Hon. Sir Edward Mervyn Archdale (1853-1943), 1st bt. (q.v.);
(2) Margaret Eleanor Archdale (1854-1928), born 23 February 1854; died unmarried, 17 March 1928; will proved 23 May and 2 June 1928 (estate in England £9,432 and £856 in Northern Ireland);
(3) John Porter Archdale (later Porter) (1855-1939) of Clonbalt (Longford) and Belle Isle (Fermanagh), born 3 April 1855; educated at Kings School, Worcester and Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge (matriculated 1874); assumed the name and arms of Porter in lieu of Archdale by royal licence, 1876; JP and DL for Co. Longford; High Sheriff of Longford, 1879 and Fermanagh, 1883; a Senator of the Northern Ireland Parliament, 1921-37; married, 31 January 1884, Josephine Henrietta, daughter of Col. Jesse Lloyd of Ballyleek (Monaghan) and had issue three sons and two daughters; died 10 August 1939; will proved 2 November 1940 (estate in Northern Ireland £1,690) and 28 January 1941 (estate in England £Nil);
(4) William Henry Archdale (1856-75), born 16 November 1856; educated at Oxford University (matriculated 1874 as a non-collegiate student); died unmarried, 29 March 1875; buried at Henbury (Glos), 2 April 1875;
(5) Henry Butler Archdale (1857-58), born 4 December 1857; died in infancy, 22 October 1858 and was buried at Ballinamallard (Fermanagh);
(6) Matilda Lavinia (k/a Meta) Archdale (1859-76), born 7 December 1859; died unmarried, 14 July 1876;
(7) Nicholas Francis Archdale (b. 1862) of Clover Hill (Dublin) and later of Monks Risborough (Bucks), born19 February 1862; educated at Wellington and Pembroke College, Oxford (matriculated 1881; BA 1884); JP for Co. Dublin; married 1st, April 1887, Alice (d. 1889), elder daughter of Philip Henry Egerton of Gladwyn, Gresford (Denbighs) and had issue one child (who died in infancy); married 2nd, 1921, Adelaide Emily Rigby (c.1882-1944), daughter of Rev. Robert Rigby Kewley, vicar of Wingham (Kent), but died without further issue, 17 February 1947; will proved 13 September 1948 (estate £15,601 in England and £2,130 in Northern Ireland);
(8) Lt-Col. Theodore Montgomery Archdale DSO (1873-1918), born 24 September 1873 in Edinburgh; educated at Repton; served in the Royal Artillery, 1894-1918 (Lt-Col.), serving in the Boer War, 1899-1901 and WW1, 1914-18; married, 9 October 1901 (sep. 1911), Helen Alexander Russel (1876-1949), daughter of Alexander Russel, editor of The Scotsman, a militant suffragette who worked throughout her life in London, Geneva and Kent for feminist causes and who was later the partner of Lady Rhondda and editor of Time and Tide; she and Col. Archdale had issue two sons and one daughter; he was drowned in the sinking of the Leinster off Dun Laoghaire, 10 October 1918 and buried at Clondalkin (Dublin); his will was proved 5 May 1919 (estate £3,106).
He purchased Crock-na-crieve, Ballinamallard (Fermanagh) in the late 1850s.
He died suddenly of a heart attack in the hunting field, 2 February 1877, and was buried at Trory (Fermanagh). His widow died 6 January 1926, aged 94; her will was proved 27 July 1926 (estate £16,288).
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| Sir Edward Mervyn Archdale, 1st bt. by Sir John Lavery, 1928. Image: Ulster Museum |
(1) Vice-Adm. Sir Nicholas Edward Archdale (1881-1955), 2nd bt. (q.v.);
(2) Angel Archdale (1882-1973), born 10 August 1882; married, 31 August 1909 at Trory (Fermanagh), Percy Marmaduke Tottenham CBE (1873-1975), elder son of Capt. Francis Loftus Tottenham of Coolmore, Crowborough and had issue; died 14 April 1973; will proved 3 July 1973 (estate £18,689);
(3) William Porter Palgrave Archdale CBE (1883-1956) of Mountfield Lodge, Omagh (Tyrone) (which he bought 1925 and sold 1947), born 1 December 1883; educated at Portora Royal School; Manager of the Sudan Cotton Plantations Syndicate, c.1910-46; married, 27 April 1918, Alice Edith Palgrave (1881-1963), third daughter of Charles Alexander Price Chetwynd-Talbot and had issue one son and two daughters; died 2 November 1956 at Umtentweni, Natal (South Africa); will proved 12 December 1957 (estate in England £20,708) and 2 December 1958 (estate in Northern Ireland £4,181);
(4) Lt-Col. Audley Quintin Archdale (1886-1978), born 3 April 1886; educated at Winchester; served in the Army, 1906-39 (2nd Lt., 1906; Lt., 1909; Capt., 1914; Maj., 1917; Lt. Col. 1935; retired, 1939) and was wounded and mentioned in despatches in WW1; Commanding Officer, Pre-Officer Cadet Training Unit, Wrotham (Kent), 1939-45; married, 22 March 1922, Mary Edith Haigh (1895-1987), daughter of Oliver Bury JP of Chelsea, and had issue three daughters; died 17 January 1978; will proved 9 June 1978 (estate £14,075);
(5) Dominick Mervyn Archdale (1892-1916), born 4 April 1892; educated at Felsted and Wye Agricultural College; served in WW1 as Lt. in King's African Rifles but was killed in action at Lupembe (Tanzania), 13 November 1916; buried at Iringa Cemetery, Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania) but commemorated by a monument at Trory (Fermanagh);
(6) Capt. Humphrys Archdale (1896-1972), born 29 July 1896; an officer in the Royal Navy, 1914-46 (Lt., 1918; Lt-Cdr., 1925; Cdr., 1941; retired 1941 but returned to active service as Acting Capt; retired 1946), who served in WW1 and WW2; married, 26 May 1944, Mary Katherine (d. 1975), only daughter of Robert Leslie Gilbert and had issue one son; died 24 August 1972; will proved 10 November 1972 (estate £16,990).
He inherited Riversdale from his uncle, William Humphrys Mervyn Archdale, in 1899. He sold Crocknacrieve in 1901 and parts of the estate to his tenants.
He died 1 November 1943 aged 90 and was buried at Trory (Fermanagh); his will was proved 6 and 20 July 1944 (estate £15,428 in Northern Ireland and £26,211 in England). His wife died 10 May 1924 and was also buried at Trory; her will was proved 30 January 1925 (estate £393).
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| Sir Nicholas Archdale, 2nd bt. |
(1) Sir Edward Folmer Archdale (1921-2009), 3rd bt. (q.v.);
(2) Alice Gerda (k/a Patty) Archdale (1923-87), born 9 June 1923; married, 31 March 1949 (div. 1965), Maj. Peter Courage (1922-87), eldest son of Lt-Col. John Hubert Courage of Kirkby Fleetham Hall (Yorks NR) and had issue one son and three daughters; died 6 April 1987.
He inherited Riversdale Hall from his father in 1943, but sold it in 1947 to the Northern Ireland Ministry of Agriculture which afforested the estate and pulled down the house in 1960, while retaining the stable court.
He died 28 July 1955 and was buried at Trory (Fermanagh); his will was proved 22 October 1955 (estate in England £11,254 and in Northern Ireland £416). His widow died 17 December 1969.
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| Sir Edward Archdale, 3rd bt. |
(1) Annabel Frances Archdale (1956-96), born 14 February 1956; died unmarried, 3 February 1996; will proved 21 May 1996;
(2) Lucinda Grace Archdale (b. 1958), born 27 April 1958; married, May 1991, Targina Luedy Kalid-Filho and had issue one son and two daughters;
(3) (Sir) Nicholas Edward Archdale (b. 1965), 4th bt., born 2 December 1965; Technical Director of Carallon Ltd, designers of lighting control systems; he has not proved his succession to the baronetcy and does not use the title.
He died 31 July 2009. His widow died 20 May 2017.
Sources
Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 2003, pp. 130-31; Burke's Irish Family Records, 1976, pp. 28-35; Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland, 1912, pp. 10-11; The Dublin Builder, 18 March 1868, p. 12; H.B. Archdale, Memoirs of the Archdales With the Descents of Some Allied Families, 1925; A. Rowan, The buildings of Ireland: North-West Ulster, 1979, pp. 170-71; A. Day & P. McWilliams, The Ordnance Survey memoirs of Ireland: vol. 14 - Parishes of County Fermanagh II, 1992, pp. 33, 125; Ballinamallard Historical Society, Ballinamallard - a place of importance, 2004;
Location of archives
Archdale family of Castle Archdale: papers, c.1415-1900 [Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, D1639]; volume of extracts from early records relating to the Archdale family and their ancestors, 1537-1909 [Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, T/359]
Coat of arms
Azure, a chevron ermine, between three talbots, passant, or.
