(460) Battley of Willbrook and Belvidere Hall

The Battley (otherwise Batteley, Battely, or Batley) family originated in west Suffolk, but emigrated to Ireland in the early 17th century, when William Battley obtained lands in County Clare. His elder son, Nicholas Battley (c.1621-83) was sent to Trinity College, Dublin but his education must have been disrupted by the turbulent state of Ireland in the 1640s and in 1645 he entered the Middle Temple in London. Soon afterwards, he settled in Bury St Edmunds, the home of his ancestors, where he established a successful business as an apothecary and became one of the leading citizens in the town. He and his wife had eight sons (of whom two died in infancy and another in early adulthood) and two daughters. The surviving sons all went to the King Edward VI Grammar School in Bury St Edmunds, and three of them went on to Trinity College, Cambridge. The two eldest, John (1646-1708) and Nicholas (1648-1704), both became clergymen and noted antiquarians: John ending his days as Archdeacon of Canterbury and Nicholas as rector of Bekesbourne (Kent). The third son, Samuel (c.1652-1714), succeeded to his father's business as an apothecary and was like his father a prominent figure in Bury St Edmunds. He was on friendly terms with the Hervey family at Ickworth, who controlled the parliamentary franchise of the town, and in 1712 he was elected as MP for the town on their interest, at a time when the Herveys had no suitable candidate within the family. Thomas (1655-1718), the fourth son, was also a Cambridge graduate, but did not follow his eldest brothers into the church. He did, however, move to Canterbury, where he occupied a house in the close and may have held a lay appointment in the Cathedral administration. Charles (1667-1722), the youngest son, was a barrister, but acted as receiver and steward for Westminster Abbey and also held a post in the Exchequer. These brief career details strongly suggest that the whole family was able and energetic, and that a leaning to the church and the law was already an established characteristic.

The story continues with the descendants of Thomas Battley (1655-1718). He is said to have had two sons, of whom the elder, John (1695-1729) had a well-documented career similar to that of his uncle Charles, who he succeeded in his post at Westminster Abbey. He was married, but had no issue. His reputed younger brother, William Battley (c.1702-36) is by contrast such a shadowy figure that I am not wholly convinced that he was related to the Battleys of Bury St Edmunds at all. Whereas all his reputed siblings were baptised in Canterbury Cathedral, he was not; he does not feature in the wills of any of his near relatives; and he did not attend an English university or inn of court, though he evidently had some legal training - perhaps as articled clerk to a solicitor. After moving to Ireland he was made an honorary member of Kings Inns, Dublin, and he may well have practised as a solicitor in Dublin as his descendants through several generations did.  It seems possible that his connection to the relatively august Battleys of Bury St Edmunds was invented by his descendants, and that his true parentage lay in Ireland, but more evidence will be required to demonstrate this, either way.

Despite his shadowy origins, William was really the founder of this family's prosperity, for as a result of his marriage to Samuella Cade, his eldest son, John Battley (c.1730-1808), who was a solicitor in Dublin and Deputy Clerk of the Pipe in the Irish Exchequer, came into possession of the Willbrook estate in County Dublin, which had belonged to the Cades. His eldest son, Thomas Cade Battley (1770-1851), who was a barrister, apparently rebuilt the house at Willbrook in the early 19th century, but sold it in 1843 . His eldest son, D'Oyly William Battley (1808-87) broke from the family tradition of careers in the law and became an officer in the army. He retired in 1851, and in 1856 he purchased the Templecarrig estate in Co. Wicklow, where he built a new house which he called Belvidere Hall. This descended in turn to his only surviving son, Lt-Col. D'Oyly Cade Battley (1841-1924) and then to the latter's eldest daughter, Louisa Cecilia (1868-1945). She married Maj. Charles Gavin Pilkington Wilson (1874-1931), a Dublin solicitor, who took the name Charles Wilson Battley, probably at the time of her inheritance. Their son, John Charles D'Oyly Wilson (1904-62) also took the name Battley, but sold the family seat in 1949.

Willbrook (later Fonthill Abbey), Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin

The house stood at the northern end of the Willbrook townland and was in existence by the mid 18th century. (It needs to be carefully distinguished from the present Willbrook House, which was built about 1845 at the southern end of the townland). Thomas Cade Battley (1771-1851) was probably responsible for rebuilding the original Willbrook, perhaps in about 1836 (when the lease was renewed), although it looks a little earlier than that in later photographs. It was a five bay building with a curved bow on the garden front. After the house was sold in 1843, William Walker changed the name of the house to 'Fonthill Abbey', after the iconic Gothick Revival house in Wiltshire, despite Willbrook being about as un-Gothick as it was possible for a house to be! 

Fonthill Abbey (formerly Willbrook), Rathfarnham: the house in 2009, shortly before demolition.
Image: Patrick Healy/South Dublin Libraries. Some rights reserved.

In 1854 the house was sold to Edward P. Gribbon, who trained as an architect in England under T.L. Donaldson but gave up architectural practice in about 1860 after being appointed quantity surveyor to the War Department in Ireland. In 1863 it was reported that the house was to be remodelled for the Hon. F.H. Needham in the Scots Baronial style by John McCurdy, but Needham fell into debt and these works did not proceed. In 1874, when the house was for sale, it was reported that it had been 'much improved at considerable outlay by the former Proprietor (Mr Gribbon, the celebrated Architect)', so he was no doubt responsible for the large square block with some Italianate detailing at one end of the building, which could well date from about 1860. In the later 20th century the house gradually became surrounded by the swelling suburbs of Dublin and was abandoned and fell into disrepair. It was intact and probably rescuable in 2009, but was pulled down soon afterwards to make way for new suburban housing.

Descent: Thomas Cade; to son, Thomas Cade (d. 1783); to nephew, John Battley (c.1730-1808); to son, Thomas Cade Battley (1771-1851); sold 1843 to William Walker; sold before 1853 to Mr Hewitt, a Dublin solicitor; sold 1854 to Edward P. Gribbon (1821-c.1898); sold c.1862 to Hon. Francis H. Needham; sold 1863 to J. Pratt (d. by 1866); sold 1868 to William Vincent (d. by 1874); sold 1884 to Richard Crampton Walker; to widow, Elizabeth Walker (d. 1916); to son, Samuel Walker; to widow (fl. 1950)...

Belvidere Hall, Bray, Co. Wicklow

In 1856, Major William D'Oyly Battley paid £4,440 for a long lease of the lands of Templecarrig (Co. Wicklow) from Edward Massey, who was himself the tenant of the Earl of Meath. Ignoring the existing Templecarrig House, Battley built a new house on the property a little further north, which he called Belvidere Hall in recognition of its fine views to the south and east over the coastal plain. 

Belvidere Hall: the entrance front. Image: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage

The new house was an Italianate villa that faced south and had a five bay, two-storey entrance front set above a high but windowless basement. The central bay projected forwards under an open pediment supported, like the roof to either side, on paired brackets, with a roundel of the Battley crest and motto set in the pediment. An unusually long flight of twelve granite steps flanked by curved cast iron balustrades led up to the front door, which was recessed in a porch formed within the projecting bay. The elevations are all rendered, with the basement rusticated, and rusticated quoins at the angles and the sides of the porch bay. The ground floor windows on the entrance front have individual hood moulds supported on console brackets. The entrance front is essentially two bays deep, but a staircase with a round-headed window occupies a central projection in the rear wall and a short wing at the north-west angle projects further still, creating a three-bay west front. At the sides of the house, the basement has windows, and here the original six-over-six sash windows are preserved, but elsewhere plate glass sashes were inserted later, which have now been replaced by unlovely uPVC. Inside, the central entrance hall gives access to a staircase hall at the rear, containing an Imperial staircase, and the principal rooms preserve contemporary joinery, chimneypieces, and simple decorative plasterwork. A large conservatory was attached to the east side of the house in the 20th century and more recently new school buildings have been erected to the north. The house was set in landscaped grounds and the drive preserves its grand entrance pillars linked by cast iron railings and gates. A lodge was built just inside these gates at a cost of £1,500 in 1865, but has disappeared without trace.

Descent: Edward Massey (1796-1861) sold 1856 to Maj. William D'Oyly Battley (1808-87); to son, Lt-Col. D'Oyly Cade Battley (1841-1924); to daughter, Louisa Cecilia (1868-1945), wife of Charles Gavin Pilkington Wilson (later Charles Wilson Battley) (1874-1934); to son, John D'Oyly William Battley (1904-62); sold 1949 to Henry J. O'Kelly; sold 1958 to William Roche; sold 1960 to Ernest O. Knepp; to widow, Gweneyth E. Knepp; sold after 1972... sold 1983 for conversion to school.

Battley family of Willbrook and Belvidere Hall

Battley, Nicholas (c.1621-83). Elder son of William Battley of County Clare, born about 1621. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1638) and Middle Temple (admitted 1645). Apothecary at Bury St. Edmunds. Alderman of Bury St. Edmunds, 1668, 1680. He married, about 1645, Anne Woolman (d. 1695), and had issue (with two other sons who died in infancy):

(1) Ven. Dr. John Battley (1646-1708), born at Bury St Edmunds, 18 November 1646; educated at Bury St Edmunds Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge (BA 1665; DD 1684); Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; rector of Adisham (Kent), 1684; Archdeacon of Suffolk, 1687-88 and of Canterbury, 1688-1708; antiquarian and author of histories of Richborough (Kent) and Bury St. Edmunds (Suffk) which were published posthumously; married 1st, 1675, Catherine Rawlins (d. 1685) of Knightsbridge, and 2nd, 1696/7 (licence 30 December 1696), Mary (c.1656-1741), daughter of Sir Henry Oxenden, 1st bt. of Dene, but had no issue; died 10 October 1708 and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral; will proved 4 November 1708;

(2) Rev. Nicholas Battley (1648-1704), baptised at St James, Bury St Edmunds, 14 June 1648; educated at Bury St Edmunds Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1667; BA 1669) and Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge (MA 1672), 1670-1704; ordained priest, 1675; rector of Nowton (Suffk), 1680-85, vicar of Creeting St Olave, 1681; rector of Ivychurch (Kent) and vicar of Bekesbourne (Kent), 1685-1704; married Anne  [surname unknown, possibly Knipe] (d. 1716) and had issue three sons and one daughter; died 19 May and was buried at Bekesbourne, 22 May 1704, where he is commemorated by a monument;

(3) Samuel Battley (c.1652-1714), born about 1652; educated at Bury St Edmunds Grammar School; apothecary in Bury St. Edmunds in succession to his father; alderman of the borough, 1696 and 1708; MP for Bury St Edmunds, 1712; obtained grants of land in Co. Cavan and Co. Fermanagh and also owned lands in Co. Waterford and Co. Wexford, all of which he later sold in order to purchase an estate at Horringer (Suffk), where he moved c.1700; married 1st, 21 November 1682 at Nowton (Suffk), Mary (1661-97), daughter of Thomas Bright of Bury St Edmunds, and had issue two sons and three daughters who all died young; married 2nd, by 1699, Anne (fl. 1741), widow of [forename unknown] Sydey, and had issue at least two sons who also died young; died at Horringer, 15 July 1714 and was buried at Bury St. Edmunds, having left in his will, proved 6 August 1714, a sum for the perpetual repair of the tomb of his ancestors in the churchyard there;

(4) Thomas Battley (1655-1718) (q.v.);

(5) William Battley (1659-85), born June 1659; educated at Bury St. Edmunds Grammar School; died unmarried, April 1685 and was buried at St Mary, Bury St Edmunds;

(6) Charles Battley (1667-1722), born February 1667; educated at Bury St Edmunds Grammar School and the Middle Temple (admitted 1686; called 1700); barrister-at-law; receiver and collector of rents of Westminster Abbey; secretary to the Exchequer Remembrancer by 1694; married, 1692 (licence 23 August), Elizabeth (fl. 1741), daughter of John Needham and had issue three sons (who all died young) and several daughters; died May 1722 and was buried at Great Whelnetham (Suffk); will proved in the PCC, 3 October 1722;

(7) Anne Battley (d. c.1715); lived with her brother John until his death; died unmarried; will proved in the PCC 4 May 1715;

(8) Beata Battley; married [forename unknown] Morden.

He inherited lands at Bury St. Edmunds (Suffolk) and in County Clare from his father.

He died in February 1682/3 and was buried at St Mary, Bury St Edmunds. His widow was buried at Bekesbourne (Kent), 7 February 1694/5.

Battley, Thomas (1655-1718). Fourth son of Nicholas Battley (b. 1622) and his wife Anne [surname unknown], baptised at St James, Bury St Edmunds, 15 December 1655. Educated at Bury St Edmunds Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1674; BA 1678). He may have held a lay post in the administration of Canterbury Cathedral. He married, 7 August 1694 at Bekesbourne (Kent), Ann Pierce (d. 1715), and had issue:

(1) John Battley (1695-1729), born 26 April and baptised at Canterbury Cathedral, 2 May 1695; educated at Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 1711; BA 1715; MA 1718) and Inner Temple (admitted 1722); Receiver, Solicitor and Steward of the Courts of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey, 1723-29; JP for Westminster; Clerk to the Governors of Queen Anne's Bounty; Secretary to the Augmentation Office; married, 9 February 1726/7 at Chapel Royal, Whitehall, Elizabeth (c.1706-65) (who m2, 6 May 1735 at All Hallows, Barking (Middx), Thomas Baskett), daughter of Mark Frecker, but died without issue; died 10 June and was buried in the south aisle of Westminster Abbey, 14 June 1729; will proved in the PCC, 19 August 1729;

(2) Ann Battley (b. 1697), born 10 March and baptised at Canterbury Cathedral, 11 March 1696/7; living, unmarried, in 1741;

(3) Hester Battley (b. 1698), baptised at Canterbury Cathedral, 11 November 1698; probably died young;

(4) Mary Battley (1700-01), baptised at Canterbury Cathedral, 9 December 1700; died in infancy and was buried at Bekesbourne, 1 August 1701;

(5) William Battley (c.1702-36) (q.v.);

(6) Mary Battley (b. 1705), baptised at Canterbury Cathedral, 8 November 1705; married, 21 January 1730/1 at Grays Inn Chapel, John Stacy (d. 1754), apothecary, and had issue one son and two daughters; living in 1757.

He appears to have lived in the Cathedral precinct at Canterbury.

He was buried 'in the body of the church' at Canterbury Cathedral, 13 January 1717/8. His wife was buried at Bekesbourne, 14 March 1714/5.

Battley, William (c.1702-36). Said to have been the second son of Thomas Battley (1655-1718) and his wife, Ann Pearce, probably born about 1698, but no baptism can be found and he is not mentioned in the surviving wills of any of his near relatives, so the connection must be regarded as unproven. He was admitted as an honorary member of Kings Inns, Dublin, probably c.1730. He married Samuella (d. 1775), daughter of Thomas Cade of Willbrook, Rathfarnham (Co. Dublin), hosier, and had issue:

(1) John Battley (c.1730-1808) (q.v.);

(2) William Battley (d. 1772); married and had issue; died 1772; will proved in Dublin, 2 January 1773;

(3) Edmund Battley.

He presumably lived in Dublin.

He died in January 1736. His widow died in December 1775.

Battley, John (c.1730-1808). Eldest son of William Battley (c.1702-36) and his wife Samuella, daughter of Thomas Cade of Willbrook, Rathfarnham (Co. Dublin), born about 1730. Educated at Kings Inns, Dublin (admitted 1758). Solicitor in Dublin; Deputy Clerk of the Pipe in the Irish Exchequer. He married*, July 1767, Hannah (d. 1773), daughter of Oliver Watson of Edenderry, a Quaker who was disowned by her congregation following her marriage, and had issue:

(1) Thomas Cade Battley (1770-1851) (q.v.);

(2) Lt-Col. William Battley (c.1771-1817); an officer in the 60th Foot (Ensign, 1789; Lt. 1793; Capt., 1803 (Br. Maj. 1808); Maj., 1814 (Br. Lt-Col, 1814); retired 1817); married, 24 December 1799 at Portsea (Hants), Hannah Mitchell, and had issue three sons and three daughters (one of the sons being born before his marriage); he is said to have been accidentally killed at Gibraltar on his way home from the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa); his will, made at the Cape of Good Hope in July 1817 was proved in London, 3 December 1817;

(3) Elizabeth Battley (c.1773-86); died young at Willbrook, May 1786.

He succeeded his maternal uncle at Willbrook in 1783.

He died in 1808. His wife died, possibly following childbirth, in July 1773.

* This marriage is attested by multiple sources. However, Burke's Landed Gentry states that he married 'Frances, sister of John Butler' who was the mother of his children. It is possible that Hannah died soon after his recorded marriage in 1767 and that he married again, but I have found no evidence for a second marriage. The newspaper report of his wife's death in 1773 does not give her name.

Battley, Thomas Cade (1770-1851). Elder son of John Battley (c.1730-1808) and his wife Hannah, daughter of Oliver Watson, born June 1770. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1788; BA 1794), Middle Temple (admitted 1792) and Kings Inns (called 1794). Barrister-at-law. He married, Feb/Mar 1798, Belinda Arabella (d. 1863), daughter of Rev. Richard Chapell Grange of Sallymount (Co. Wicklow), and had issue:

(1) Richard Battley (b. c.1799); given as the eldest son in Burke's Landed Gentry and said to be an officer in 22nd Regiment, but does not appear in the Army Lists; said to have died unmarried;

(2) John Cade Battley (c.1800-25); educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1817); an officer in 30th Regiment (Ensign, 1821); died unmarried at Kamptee, Madras (India), 15 January 1825;

(3) A son (b. 1802), born 20 July 1802; probably died in infancy;

(4) Elizabeth Georgina Battley (1807?-37?), probably the daughter whose birth was reported in the press, February 1807; married, 13 January 1834 at Muttra (India), Maj. George Larkins, Royal Horse Artillery; said to have died in India, c.1837;

(5) D'Oyly William Battley (1808-87) (q.v.);

(6) Thomas Battley (c.1812-62), born about 1812; an officer of the Chancery Registrar for Ireland from 1831; one of the Registrars of the Court of Bankruptcy, 1847; married, 1841, Marcella (c.1812-97), daughter of John Connolly of Newhaggard (Co. Meath), but had no issue; died 28 October 1862; administration of his goods was granted to his widow, 29 November 1862 (effects under £1,000);

(7) Rev. Charles Bush Battley (c.1813-81), born about 1813; educated at Trinity College, Dublin (admitted 1827; BA 1832); ordained deacon, 1838, and priest, 1839; chaplain to Lord Avonmore in 1850; married, 19 March 1834 at St Peter, Dublin, Susannah Nugee (d. 1883); died in Dublin, 3 January 1881;

(8) Rochfort Battley (1817-66), of Ashgrove Cottage, Kingstown (Co. Dublin), born 15 June and baptised at St Peter, Dublin, 25 September 1817; married, 6 October 1863, Rosellen (c.1836-71), daughter of William Jones Field MD and had issue one son; died 26 October 1866; administration of his goods granted to his widow, 25 February 1867 (effects under £1,500);

(9) Harriet Battley (c.1820-82), born about 1820; married, 28 August 1844 at St Peter, Dublin, William Charles Brown (fl. 1869) of Manchester and later of Rochfort Lodge, Richmond (Surrey), financier; buried 8 April 1882;

(10) Diana Maria Battley (c.1822-1910), born about 1822; married, 16 July 1853 at St Peter, Dublin, Alexander Clotworthy Downing Leckie Edie (c.1810-75) of Thornhill, Strabane (Co. Tyrone), and had issue two daughters; died aged 88 on 4 October 1910.

He inherited Willbrook from his father in 1808 and probably rebuilt the house, perhaps about 1836 - when the lease was renewed - or a little earlier. He sold the estate in about 1843.

He died 20 September 1851. His widow died on 9 November and was buried at Clontarf (Co. Dublin), 13 November 1863.

Battley, Maj. D'Oyly William (1808-87). Third, but eldest surviving, son of Thomas Cade Battley (1770-1851) and his wife Belinda Arabella, daughter of Rev. Richard Chapell Grange of Sallymount (Co. Wicklow), born January 1808. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1829; Lt., 1834; Capt., 1840; Maj.; retired 1851). He married, about 20 October 1839, Margaret Downing (d. 1871), daughter of William Edie of Thornhill (Co. Tyrone) and widow of James Magill (c.1800-37) of Fairview (Co. Donegal), and had issue:

(1) D'Oyly Cade Battley (1841-1924) (q.v.);

(2) Rochfort Clotworthy Loftus Battley (1844-85), baptised at St Michael, Coventry (Warks), 18 October 1844; married, 29 April 1871 at Monkstown (Co. Dublin), Anna Mary, daughter of Maj. John Graham Sadler of Hymenstown (Co. Tipperary), and had issue one son and two daughters; died of pneumonia, 19 April 1885.

To replace Willbrook, he purchased a long lease of the Templecarrig estate, Bray (Co. Wicklow) from Edward Massey (1796-1861), and built a new house which he named Belvidere Hall.

He died 2 November 1887 and was buried at Delgany (Co. Wicklow); his will was proved 24 February 1888 (effects £1,188). His wife died 13 January 1871 and was buried at Dean's Grange Cemetery, Blackrock (Co. Dublin); administration of her goods was granted 6 April 1871 (effects under £450).

Battley, Lt-Col. D'Oyly Cade (1841-1924). Elder son of Maj. D'Oyly William Battley (1808-87) and his wife Margaret, daughter of William Edie of Thornhill (Co. Tyrone), born 1841. An officer in the Royal Elthorne or 5th Middlesex Light Infantry Militia* (later the 3rd Battalion, Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) (Lt., 1860; Capt., 1865; Hon. Maj., 1877; Maj., 1884; Hon. Lt-Col., 1884; retired c.1890). JP for Cos. Cork, Wicklow and Dublin and DL for Co. Wicklow; High Sheriff of Co. Wicklow, 1889 and Co. Dublin, 1911. He married, 25 February 1868 at St George, Dublin, Annie Cecilia (1848-1918), daughter of William Henry Jackson, solicitor, of Dublin, Killarney House, Bray (Co. Wicklow) and Inane (Co. Tipperary), and had issue:

(1) Louisa Cecilia Battley (1868-1945) (q.v.);

(2) Lt-Col. William D'Oyly Battley (1870-1916), born 10 December 1870; an officer in the Dublin City Artillery (2nd Lt., 1891; Lt., 1892; Capt., 1900; Maj., 1903; Hon. Lt-Col.; retired c.1909), who served in the Boer War, 1899-1902; died unmarried, 11 September 1916 and was buried at Delgany;

(3) Rochfort Cade Battley (1873-1925), born 23 March 1873; apparently emigrated first to Canada and later to Australia; died, probably unmarried, 2 July 1925 and was buried at Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia);

(4) Mabel Margaretta Annie Battley (1876-85), born 1 April 1876; died young, 28 October 1885 and was buried at Delgany (Co. Wicklow);

(5) Evelyn Charlotte Maud Battley (1887-1944), born 27 July 1887; died unmarried, 15 June 1944 and was buried at Delgany.

He inherited Belvidere Hall from his father in 1887.

He died 26 September 1924 and was buried at Delgany, where he and his family are commemorated by a monument in the churchyard. His wife died 27 February 1918 and was buried at Delgany.

* For reasons which are obscure, he appears in the earlier militia lists as D'Oyley William Battley.

Battley, Louisa Cecilia (1868-1945). Eldest daughter of Lt-Col. D'Oyly Cade Battley (1841-1924) and his wife Annie Cecilia, daughter of William Henry Jackson of Inane (Co. Tipperary), born 19 November 1868. She married, 13 August 1903 at St Patrick, Greystones (Co. Wicklow), Maj. Charles Gavin Pilkington Wilson (1874-1934), solicitor and freemason  (who took the name Charles Wilson Battley between 1912 and 1926), eldest son of John Wilson of Rooske, Dunboyne (Co. Meath), and had issue:

(1) John Charles D'Oyly Wilson (later Battley) (1904-62) (q.v.);

(2) Muriel Haidee Westropp Wilson (later Battley) (1907-74), born 19 June 1907; married, October 1937, as his second wife, George O'Callaghan (later O'Callaghan-Westropp) (1864-1944), The O'Callaghan, son of Col. John O'Callaghan, but had no issue; died 10 April 1974.

She inherited Belvidere Hall from her father in 1924.

She died 5 January 1945; her will was proved 14 June 1945 (estate in England & Wales £17,229). Her husband died 26 October 1934; his will was proved 17 January 1935 (estate £4,424).

Wilson (later Battley), John Charles D'Oyly (1904-62). Son of Maj. Charles Gavin Pilkington Wilson and his wife Louisa Cecilia, eldest daughter of Lt-Col. D'Oyly Cade Battley, born 12 October 1904. Took the name Battley in lieu of Wilson between 1912 and 1926. Educated at a Dublin university (BA; LLD) and Kings Inns (called 1926). Barrister-at-law and solicitor (admitted 1932); senior partner of Moore, Kiely and Lloyd of Dublin (retired 1959). He married, 27 March 1940 at Donnybrook (Co. Dublin), Bertha Charlotte Helena (1906-61), daughter of Dr. Hugh Gerald Westropp MD, but had no issue.

He inherited Belvidere Hall from his mother in 1945, but sold the lease in 1949.

He died 25 January 1962; his will was proved 6 June 1962 (estate £13,374). His wife died 10 June 1961; her will was proved 26 October 1961 (estate £1,186).

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland, 1912, pp. 34-35; M.C. Lyons, Illustrated incumbered estates, 1993, pp. 112-13; F. Young, 'John Battely's Antiquitates S. Edmundburgi and its editors', Proc. Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, vol. 41 part 4, 2008, pp. 467-79; J.A.K. Dean, The gate lodges of Leinster, 2016, pp. 171, 392; 

Location of archives

No significant accumulation is known to exist.

Coat of arms

None recorded.

Can you help?

• Is anyone able to demonstrate (or disprove) the connection between William Battley (c.1702-36) and the Battleys of Bury St. Edmunds?
• Can anyone provide further information about the ownership of Willbrook/Fonthill Abbey after the Second World War, or additional photographs of the house?
• I should be most grateful if anyone can provide photographs or portraits of people whose names appear in bold above, and who are not already illustrated.
• As usual with Irish families, the very limited online availability of parish registers and the poor survival of many other records means the genealogical details above are thinner and less reliable than I would like. If anyone can offer further information or corrections I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from descendants of the family who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 23 June 2021.