(325) Baillie (later Bailie) of Ringdufferin and Inishargy

Bailie of Ringdufferin

The Baillie family are said to have originated at Bailleul, close to the Belgian border in northern France, and trace their descent from Guy de Balliol who was granted lands in Northumberland after the Battle of the Standard in 1139. John Balliol, king of Scotland at the close of the 13th century, was a member of the family. John's great-uncle, Sir Alexander de Balliol, served as Great Chamberlain of Scotland, and his grandson, William, settled at Lamington (Lanarks) and took the name Baillie. In the mid 15th century, William's great-great-grandson, David Baillie, and two of his brothers, murdered the priest who was their tutor (reputedly after he molested their sister) and fled abroad, although they were later able to return. David's descendant, Alexander Baillie, who was born in about 1540 and lived at Dunragit in Wigtownshire, was an officer in the English army operating in Ulster at the end of the 16th century, and bought or was granted an estate at Inishargy (sometimes recorded as Innishargie), on which his son, also Alexander Bailie (1587-1682), later settled. Alexander, who altered the spelling of the family name from Baillie to Bailie, evidently had a close relationship with the Hamilton family, Viscounts Clandeboye and Earls of Clanbrassil, who were the major property owners in the area, and for whom several generations of his family worked as agents. In 1636 he began the process of buying the Ringdufferin estate on the other side of Strangford Lough from the Hamiltons, a process which was only completed by his grandson, Alexander Bailie, in 1674.

Alexander Bailie had an exceptionally long life, his tombstone at Inishargy recording his death in 1682 at the age of 95. In his later years he seems to have divided his property between his two sons, with the elder, John Bailie (1623-87) receiving Inishargy, and the younger, Edward Bailie (b. c.1635) getting Ringdufferin. John died shortly after his father, and was succeeded by his eldest son, James Bailie (1653-1710), who married well and served his term as High Sheriff of Co. Down in 1697-98. It seems probable that he rebuilt the house at Inishargy, which later drawings and photographs suggest was of late 17th century form. One of his younger sons, Hans Bailie, became a merchant in Dublin and rose to be Lord Mayor of that city in 1754-55. James was succeeded at Inishargy, however, by his eldest surviving son, John Bailie (1697-1759), who was High Sheriff in 1725-26. His son and heir was James Bailie (1724-87), who benefited greatly from the patronage of the Hamilton family. They secured him posts on the staff of the Irish House of Commons and in HM Customs, and later arranged his election as MP for Hillsborough, one of their pocket boroughs. He was active in improving his estate, and founded the town of Kircubbin in 1769, after being granted the right to hold a weekly market there. He was, however, the last of the Bailies of Inishargy: he had no children, and rather than leave the estate to one of his nephews he sold it in 1786.

Edward Bailie (b. c.1635) settled at Ringdufferin. We know almost nothing about his house there, which was perhaps on the 'castle' site marked on the Ordnance Survey map. It seems likely that his son, Alexander Bailie, built a new house on the present site after completing the purchase of the freehold in 1674. He was succeeded by his son, Edward Bailie (1690-1774), and he in turn by his son James Bailie (1735-1819). James left marriage very late, only finally tying the knot in 1793, and it seems likely that his marriage occasioned the major rebuilding of the house at Ringdufferin that created the present front block. The family seems generally to be unusually poorly recorded, and only in the mid 19th century when they began to feature regularly in the local press is much known about them. James Bailie (1797-1863) trained as a barrister and played a leading role in local affairs, but neither he nor his son, Maj. James Bailie (1823-96), who was a career soldier until he inherited the estate, seem to have adapted successfully to the changed political and economic circumstances of the Irish gentry in the late 19th century. By the 1890s, the 670-acre estate was struggling to pay the jointure of James Bailie's widow as well as providing a livelihood to Maj. Bailie and his family, and after his death much of the estate was sold to the tenants to release capital. Maj. Bailie had no son to succeed him, and so the property passed to his widow, who died in 1919, and her three daughters. On the death of Louisa Bailie in 1941, the line of the Bailies of Ringdufferin also came to an end, and the house and grounds were sold in 1945 to the Mackie family, whose descendants own it today.

Inishargy House, Kircubbin, Co. Down

Accordingly to legend, the first house of the Bailie family at Inishargy, on the Ards peninsula near Kircubbin, replaced a moated church, and was built from its stones, and there is certainly a sketch on a map of c.1602 showing what appears to be a moated and fortified building at Inishargy, although whether it was a church (as the cross on one tower perhaps suggests) or a castle (as its form otherwise implies) is unclear.

Inishargy House: sketch from map of c.1602.

The present Inishargy House has 17th century origins but has been repeatedly altered and is now to all outward appearances entirely modern. Previous writers have suggested that the earliest house on the site of which anything survives was an H-shaped building of about 1620, constructed for Alexander Bailie, which was damaged during the Irish rebellion of 1641 and later repaired or reconstructed in the late 17th century. The description on which this reading of the building is based is, however, a fanciful affair and describes a building far larger than the present structure. I doubt that it ever existed, and the form of the building recorded in the earliest modern illustration suggests a late 17th or even early 18th century house that could have been built for James Bailie (1653-1710). 

Inishargy House: the derelict and partly roofless structure at the time of its sale in the early 20th century.

This house was given sash windows in the 18th century, and the first sashes, of six over six panes, were replaced by less elegant four-over-four pane sashes in the 19th century. By the time the house was recorded in the early 19th century, part of the south wing had been abandoned and had partially collapsed, and the house was abandoned and continued to deteriorate throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was rescued from dereliction by new owners in the early 20th century, who pulled down the south wing, built two small extensions elsewhere, and renewed most of the features of the building. Finally, in 2013 a new south wing was built, occupying the site of the demolished range of the house.

Descent: Alexander Baillie (b. c.1540); to son, Alexander Bailie (1587-1682); to son, John Bailie (1623-87); to son, James Bailie (1653-1710); to son, John Bailie (1697-1759); to son, James Bailie (1724-87), who sold 1786 to Rev. C. Ward... sold c.1910 to Coulter family.... Andrew Coulter (fl. 2012).

Ringdufferin House, Toy, Killyleagh, Co. Down

Ringdufferin House: entrance front.

A substantial house built in a fine position at the end of a long and winding driveway overlooking the sea on the western shore of Strangford Lough. Alexander Bailie (1587-1682) of Inishargy House took a mortgage on the estate in 1636 and his grandson, Alexander Bailie, bought the freehold in 1674. He may have built the first house on this site, although there was an earlier house, presumably on the site marked as a 'castle' site on the Ordnance Survey map. The present house has a T-shaped plan with a late 18th century rendered five bay entrance front, of two storeys above a basement, and a long return wing at the back which may conceal earlier work.

The front block was almost certainly built for James Bailie (1735-1810) who married only in 1793, a date which would fit the house quite well. The central entrance is recessed within a segmental-arched opening, and the doorway has columns to either side and a delicate fanlight above. The roof is concealed behind a plain parapet decorated with carved eagles at the angles and a male figure in the centre. Inside, the ground floor of the house consists of a single room either side of the entrance hall, and the rooms are decorated with simple cornices and one good white marble chimneypiece. The house was sold in 1945, after the death of Louisa Bailie, to John Pringle Mackie (1897-1988), who created a fine garden around the house. His widow (d. 1996) left it to her granddaughter, Tracy, and her husband Martin Hamilton, who have continued to develop the gardens with the help of her father, Paddy Mackie. The house was acquired by the Mackie family in 1945 with all its contents, and they have created and maintain a private museum in the basement.

Descent: Alexander Bailie (1587-1682); to son, Edward Bailie (b. c.1635); to son, Alexander Bailie (fl. 1674); to son, Edward Bailie (1690-1774); to son, James Bailie (1735-1819); to son, James Bailie (1797-1863); to son, Maj. James Bailie (1823-96); to daughters, Harriet Louisa (1851-1928), Kathleen (1855-1936) and Loiuisa Bailie (1860-1941); sold 1945 to John Pringle (k/a Jack) Mackie (1897-1988); to widow, Kathleen Mackie (d. 1996); to granddaughter, Tracy (b. 1960), wife of Martin Hamilton (b. 1955).

Baillie family of Inishargy

Baillie, Alexander (b. c.1540). Son of a David Baillie of Lamington (Lanarks), born about 1540. An officer in the English army operating in Ulster in the late 16th century. He married and had issue:
(1) Alexander Bailie (1587-1682) (q.v.).
He lived at Dunragit (Wigtowns), and purchased the lands of Inishargy.
His date of death is unknown.

Bailie, Alexander (1587-1682). Son of Alexander Baillie (b. c.1540) of Dunragit (Wigtowns), born 1587. He altered the spelling of his name on settling in Ireland. He was involved in managing the Hamilton estates in Ulster. He married Margaret Merthene, and had issue:
(1) John Bailie (1623-87) (q.v.);
(2) Edward Bailie (b. c.1635) [for whom see below, Bailie family of Ringdufferin];
(3) Margaret Bailie;
(4) Jane Bailie.
He settled at Inishargy and took a mortgage of Ringdufferin on the other side of Strangford Lough from the Earl of Clanbrassil in 1636.
He died aged 95 on 20 August 1682, and was buried at Inishargy. 

Bailie, John (1623-87). Elder son of Alexander Bailie (1587-1682) of Inishargy, born 1623. He was involved in managing the Hamilton estates in Ulster alongside his father. He married 1st, Catherine Cary, a descendant of the Raplock branch of the Hamilton family, and  probably 2nd*, 1671, Sarah, the widow of Alexander Sloane (d. 1666) of Killyleagh (the father of Sir Hans Sloane) and had issue:
(1.1) James Bailie (1653-1710) (q.v.);
(1.2) Alexander Bailie;
(1.3) John Bailie (d. 1685?); 
(1.4) Edward Bailie;
(1.5) Thomas Bailie;
(1.6) Henry Bailie;
(1.7) Fernando Bailie;
(1.8) Janetto Bailie (m.);
(1.9) Anna Bailie;
(1.10) Jane Bailie;
(2.1) Alice Bailie (fl. 1739); married [forename unknown] Elsmere and had issue; she was a beneficiary of the will of Sir Hans Sloane and was living in 1739.
He inherited Inishargy from his father in 1682.
He died 4 May 1687. His first wife died 12 December 1661. His second wife's date of death is unknown.
* It is possible but unlikely - in view of their respective ages - that Sarah Sloane married John's son and namesake.

Bailie, James (1653-1710). Eldest son of John Bailie (1623-87) of Inishargy and his wife Catherine Cary, born 1653. High Sheriff of Co. Down, 1697-98. He married Jane (c.1664-1748), daughter of the Hon. Francis Annesley of Castlewellan (Co. Down) and had issue:
(1) Francis Bailie; probably died young;
(2) John Bailie (1697-1759) (q.v.);
(3) James Bailie (c.1698-1770) of Clough; married, 1726 (licence 1 January) at St Mary, Dublin, Elizabeth Mallack (d. 1778); will proved in PCD, 1770;
(4) Hans Bailie (c.1700-73); merchant; High Sheriff of Dublin, 1748; Lord Mayor of Dublin, 1754-55; Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, 1747-49 and Senior Grand Warden, 1759; married, 21 July 1734, Anne Ashe, and had issue five sons and six daughters; died 1773 and will proved the same year;
(5) Rev. Annesley Bailie (c.1705-58); educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1722; BA 1726; MA 1732); vicar of Comber (Down), 1733-58; married 1st, by 1743, Anne (d. 1753), daughter of John Todd of Dublin, esq., and 2nd, 14 February 1754 at St Luke, Chelsea (Middx), Elizabeth Elsmere (d. 1763); died 25 April 1758 and was buried at Inishargy;
(6) Jane Bailie;
(7) Brilliana Bailie;
(8) Cary Sophia Bailie (d. 1772), of New Ross (Co. Wexford); died unmarried; will proved, 1772;
(9) Anne Bailie; married Robert Isaac of Holywood (Co. Down) and Mount Panther, and had issue;
(10) Alice Bailie (d. 1791); married, 1729, Rev. Arthur Forde (d. 1767), rector of Lurgan, and had issue at least two sons and one daughter; will proved 20 December 1791;
(11) Elizabeth Bailie;
(12) Mordant Bailie.
He inherited Inishargy from his father in 1687, and may have built a new house there.
He died 9 July 1710; his will was proved in the PCD in that year. His wife died at Inishargy, 25 January 1748.

Bailie, John (1697-1759). Eldest surviving son of James Bailie (1653-1710) and his wife Jane, daughter of Sir Francis Annesley of Castlewellan (Co. Down), born 1697. High Sheriff of Co. Down, 1725-26. He married Jane (d. 1781), daughter of Matthew Forde of Seaforde (Co. Down) and had issue, with four other children who probably died in infancy:
(1) James Bailie (1724-87) (q.v.);
(2) Mathew Bailie (1728-70), born 28 August 1728; merchant in Dublin and one of the group of merchants who formed the Dublin Insurance Co., 1750; alderman of the city of Dublin; an officer in the 2nd Dublin Militia (Capt.); married, 9 March 1757 at St Anne, Dublin, Julia, daughter of Sir Thomas Prendergast, and had issue at least three sons; disappeared when the frigate Aurora bound for the East Indies was lost with all hands, 1770, and was presumed dead, 1775;
(3) Christian Bailie (c.1736-1817); married, c.1760, Rev. Nicholas Hamilton (c.1727-87) and had issue six sons and two daughters; died 9 May 1817;
(4) Lt-Col. William Annesley Bailie (1740-1821); an officer in East India Co. Army (fireworker, 1760; 2nd Lt., 1763; Lt., 1764; Capt. Lt., 1765; Capt. 1767; Maj., 1772; Lt. Col., 1779; resigned, 1782); married, 1787, Hon. Elizabeth (d. 1831), second daughter of St. Leger Aldworth, 1st Viscount Doneraile, and had issue three sons and one daughter; retired to Bath and died there aged 80, 16 May 1821; buried at St Swithin, Walcot, Bath, 21 May 1821; his will was proved 4 June 1821;
(5) Jane Bailie; married, 1762 (licence 18 February), Robert Rollo Gillespie of Comber (Co. Down) and had issue one son;
(6) Ann Sarah Bailie; married William Mercer of Fair Hill (Louth) and had issue.
He inherited Inishargy from his father in 1710.
He died 6 August 1759. His widow died in 1781; her will was proved in the PCD in that year.

Bailie, James (1724-87). Elder son of John Bailie (1697-1759) and his wife Jane, daughter of Matthew Forde of Seaforde (Co. Down), born 1724. An officer in the 14th Dragoons (Maj.), 1751-56; Chief Serjeant-at-Arms in the Irish House of Commons, 1759-68. HM Customs Land waiter for Newry (Co. Down), 1766-69 and for Galway, 1772-73. High Sheriff of Co. Down, 1767-68. MP for Hillsborough in the Irish Parliament, 1777-87. Member of the Down Society for promoting agriculture, 1759-60, and was active in improving his estate; he was granted a patent for a weekly market at Kilcubbin and established the town there in 1769. He was a member of the Royal Dublin Society from 1766. He married, 13 December 1760 at St Mary, Dublin, Ann (d. 1810?), daughter of Francis Hall of Strangford (Co. Down), but had no issue.
He inherited the Inishargy estate from his father in 1769. He sold Kilcubbin to Robert Edward Ward of Bangor Castle in 1786 for £36,000 and Inishargy to Rev. Charles Ward.
He died 22 September 1787 and was buried at Inishargy; his will was proved in PCD, 1787. His wife was perhaps the Ann Bailie who died in Dublin in 1810 and whose will was proved in the PCD in that year.

Bailie family of Ringdufferin

Bailie, Edward (b. c.1635). Younger son of Alexander Bailie (1587-1682) of Inishargy, said to have been born in 1635. He married Elizabeth, only daughter of James Dunbar, and had issue including:
(1) Alexander Bailie (fl. 1674) (q.v.).
He took over the mortgage of Ringdufferin from his father in 1668.
His date of death is unknown.  His wife's date of death is unknown.

Bailie, Alexander (fl. 1674-90). Eldest son of Edward Bailie (b. c.1625) of Ringdufferin, and his wife Elizabeth, only daughter of James Dunbar. He married and had issue including:
(1) Edward Bailie (1690-1774) (q.v.).
He completed the purchase of Ringdufferin in 1674.
His date of death is unknown.

Bailie, Edward (1690-1774). Son of Alexander Bailie (fl. 1674) of Ringdufferin, born 1690. High Sheriff of Co. Down in 1730-31. He married and had issue:
(1) A son [for a possible identification see the comment by 'Anonymous' at the foot of this page];
(2) James Bailie (1735-1819) (q.v.).
He inherited Ringdufferin from his father.
He died in 1774, aged 84.

Bailie, James (1735-1819). Second son of Edward Bailie (1690-1774), born 1735. JP and DL for Co. Down. He married, 1793, Sophia Loudon alias Lewdon (d. 1816), and had issue including:
(1) James Bailie (1797-1863) (q.v.);
(2) Louisa Bailie (c.1800-88); died in Dublin, 17 February 1888, and was buried at Killaresy graveyard, Killyleagh (Co. Down).

He inherited Ringdufferin from his father in 1774 and built a new front range, perhaps around the time of his marriage in 1793.
He died in 1819 and was buried at Killaresy graveyard, Killyleagh (Co. Down). His wife died in 1816 and was buried in the same place.

Bailie, James (1797-1863). Eldest son of James Bailie (1735-1810/19) and his wife Sophia Loudon, born 31 March 1797. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1814; BA 1818), Kings Inn, Dublin (admitted 1826; called to bar 1831) and Grays Inn, London (admitted 1828). Barrister-at-law. JP and DL for Co. Down by 1835. Chairman of the Killyleagh etc. Farming Society. On 5 March 1834 he fought a duel against Arthur H. Read near Ballynahinch. He married 1st, 25 February 1820 at Killyleagh, Charlotte (c.1793-1826), daughter of Very Rev. Peter Carleton, Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and 2nd, 22 April 1829 at Ferbane (Offaly), Harriet Alice (1811-95), daughter of Rev. Henry Mahon of Killygally (Offaly), and had issue:
(1.1) Maj. James Bailie (1823-96) (q.v.);
(2.1) Louisa Anne Bailie (1844-98), born 15 October and baptised at St Peter, Dublin, 28 November 1844; died unmarried, 23 December 1898 and was buried at Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin;
(2.2) Sophia Emily Bailie (1846-70), baptised 17 April 1846; died unmarried, 5 February 1870 and was buried at Killaresy graveyard, Killyleagh (Co. Down);
(2.3) Harriet Alice Gertrude Bailie (1851-1927), baptised at Killinchy (Co. Down), 6 July 1851*; died unmarried, 22 February 1927 and was buried at Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin; will proved in London, 4 June 1927 (estate £10,147).
He inherited Ringdufferin from his father in 1810 or 1819.
He died 11 June 1863 and was buried at Killaresy, Killyleagh (Co. Down); his will was proved 4 July 1863 (effects under £1,500). His first wife died 28 July 1826. His widow died in Dublin, 4 February 1895, and was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin; her will was proved in Dublin, 5 March 1895 (effects in Ireland, £3,279) and sealed in London, 16 March 1895 (effects in England £163).
* However, her tombstone in Dublin gives her date of birth as 7 April 1853.

Bailie, Maj. James (1823-96). Only child of James Bailie (1797-1863) and his first wife, Charlotte, daughter of Very Rev. Peter Carleton, Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, born 31 January 1823. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1840; BA 1845; MA 1848; Italian medal, 1842). An officer in the 60th Rifles and later 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers (Ensign, 1842; Lt., 1845; Capt., 1850; Maj., 1860; retired 1861). JP for Co. Down, 1864-96. He married, 15 May 1850 at Moradabad, Bengal (India), his cousin, (Charlotte) Jemima (k/a Mima) (c.1832-1919), eldest daughter of Capt. William Cossart Carleton, and had issue:
(1) Harriet Louisa Bailie (1851-1928), born 12 April and baptised at Agra, Bengal (India), 4 August 1851; died unmarried, 29 October 1928; will proved in Belfast, 7 May 1929 (effects in Northern Ireland, £57) and sealed in London, 14 February 1930 (effects in England, £38);
(2) Edward Robert Bailie (1853-55), born at Ferozepore (India), 17 November 1853 and baptised at Rawalpindi (India), 22 March 1854; died in infancy, 1855;
(3) Kathleen Bailie (1855-1936), born 16 December 1855 and baptised at Rawalpindi, 9 January 1856; died unmarried, 2 January 1936; will proved 30 November 1936 (effects £28);
(4) Louisa Bailie (1860-1941), born 5 June 1860; died unmarried of shock following burns received in an accidental fire at Ringdufferin, 5 November 1941; will proved 30 July 1943 (estate £4,496).
He inherited Ringdufferin from his father in 1863, and in 1876 owned 670 acres. At his death the estate passed to his widow and daughters. Much of the land was sold to tenants soon afterwards, and the house was sold in 1945 after the death of Louisa Bailie.
He died 28 February 1896 and was buried at Killyleagh; his will was proved 8 July 1896 (effects £185). His widow died at Ringdufferin, 31 May 1919.

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland, 1912, pp. 22-23; G.A. Bailie, A history and genealogy of the family of Bailie of [the] north of Ireland, 1902; P. Robinson & D. Oram, 'Inishargy: some notes and ideas concerning this historical site', Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society, no. 7, pp. 26-8; K. Rankin, The linen houses of County Antrim and North County Down, 2012, pp. 30-32; S. Mussen, Inishargy House, Kircubbin, Co. Down, Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, Queen's University, Belfast, 2013.

Location of archives

No significant accumulation is known to survive, although some papers are believed to remain at Ringdufferin.

Coat of arms

Azure, nine stars argent, three three two and one.

Can you help?

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• Can anyone add to the rather inadequate genealogical information for the earlier generations of this family?

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 21 March 2018 and updated 4 November 2018, 8 October 2020, 13 June 2021, 14 October 2022 and 6 March 2023. I am grateful to Stephanie Brann and Ann Hope-Bailie for corrections and to Terence Reeves-Smyth for comments.