(576) Pack-Beresford of Fenagh

Achievement of the
Pack-Beresford arms

This family stems from Lady Elizabeth Louisa de la Poer Beresford (1783-1856), the youngest daughter of the Rt. Hon. George de la Poer Beresford (1735-1800), 2nd Earl of Tyrone and 1st Marquess of Waterford. She married in succession two of the Duke of Wellington's leading generals, Sir Denis Pack (1775-1823), kt., and Sir Thomas Reynell (1777-1848), 6th bt., but had issue only by her first husband. Her two sons both pursued military careers, and in due course the elder inherited her second husband's estates in Somerset, Devon and Northamptonshire and adopted the surname Reynell-Pack. His descendants will be the subject of a future post on that family. Her younger son, Denis William Pack (1818-81) was fortunate enough to inherit the Irish estates of his mother's illegitimate half-brother, Rt. Hon. Gen. William Carr Beresford (1768-1854), 1st Viscount Beresford, including Fenagh Lodge, which he remodelled in the 1860s. He and his wife had seven sons and two daughters, and several of the sons continued the military tradition of the family. The eldest, however, Denis Robert Pack-Beresford (1864-1942), went to Oxford and studied at the Inner Temple before becoming fascinated by the study of insects in the 1890s and undertaking important studies of native Irish species of spiders, woodlice and wasps. He married but had no children, and he and his wife adopted a child born in Sweden of whose original parentage nothing seems to be recorded, but who married three times and narrowly missed becoming a centenarian.

On the death of D.R. Pack-Beresford in 1942 the Fenagh estate passed to his nephew, Denis John Pack-Beresford (1905-86), an officer in the Royal Navy who was invalided out before the end of the Second World War and became a successful livestock breeder. D.J. Pack-Beresford had made an unsuccessful first marriage which ended in divorce (indeed, of his wife's four marriages, three ended in divorce), but a second marriage produced two children. His daughter died young, but his son, Denis Raymond Pack-Beresford (1934-2002) survived to inherit the Fenagh estate. He made a career for himself in public relations, chiefly in London, however, and shortly after his father's death, the Fenagh estate was sold.

Fenagh Lodge (later Fenagh House), Ballaghaderneen, Co. Carlow

A handsome but austere two storey stone house in an astylar classical manner, apparently built in the early 19th century and extended to the rear in the same style in 1863 to the designs of an estate tenant, William Butler. The rear wing is partly three-storey, and may incorporate part of the earlier house on the site. The east-facing entrance front has three widely-spaced bays, the centre one recessed behind a single-storey pillared porch. In 1903 the house had external shutters on the windows of the south front and a large conservatory, but these features have now disappeared, though the house otherwise appears in good condition. There are four large reception rooms on the ground floor, and a granite staircase giving access to a mezzanine level with two bedrooms, and to four principal bedrooms on the first floor.

Fenagh House: a photograph of 1903 from the south-east. Image: National Library of Ireland.

Fenagh House: a comparable view in recent years.

Descent: perhaps built for Rev. George B. Dawson (fl. 1824); sold c.1825 to Rt. Hon. Gen. William Carr Beresford (1768-1854), 1st Viscount Beresford; to half-nephew, Denis William Pack-Beresford (1818-81); to son, Denis Robert Pack-Beresford (1864-1942); to nephew, Cdr. Denis John Pack-Beresford (1905-86); sold c.1990...Rupprecht, Graf von Dehm (fl. 2005-12).

Pack-Beresford family of Fenagh

Beresford, Lady Elizabeth Louisa De La Poer (1783-1856). Fourth and youngest daughter of Rt. Hon. George de la Poer Beresford (1735-1800), 2nd Earl of Tyrone and 1st Marquess of Waterford, and his wife Elizabeth, only daughter and heiress of Henry Monck (c.1715-87) of Charleville (Co. Wicklow), born 2 February 1783. She married 1st, 11 July 1816 at St Marylebone (Middx), Maj-Gen. Sir Denis Pack KCB (1775-1823), son of the Very Rev. Thomas Pack, Dean of Ossory, and 2nd, 12 February 1831 at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster (Middx), Lt-Gen. Sir Thomas Reynell (1777-1848), 6th bt., KCB, had issue: 

(1.1) Arthur John Pack (later Reynell-Pack) (1817-60), of Avisford (Sussex), born 5 May and baptised at St Marylebone, 2 June 1817; an officer in the 7th Fusiliers (Ensign, 1833; Lt., 1837; Capt., 1843; Maj., 1854; Lt-Col. 1855; retired on half-pay, 1855), who served in the Crimean War and was severely wounded; appointed a Chevallier of the Legion d'honneur, 1856 and CB, 1857; JP for Sussex; assumed the additional surname Reynell in 1857 on inheriting the estates of his stepfather, Sir Thomas Reynell in Somerset, Devon and Northamptonshire; married, 28 December 1850 at St George, Hanover Sq., Westminster (Middx), Frederica Katherine (1827-1904), second daughter of Col. the Hon. Henry Hely-Hutchinson of Weston, Towcester (Northants), and had issue one son and six daughters; died in Cork (Co. Cork), 17 August 1860 and was buried in the military cemetery there, but was apparently later removed to Walberton (Sussex); he is commemorated by a monument in St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny; his will was proved 15 September 1860 (effects under £12,000) [a further account of the Reynell and Reynell-Pack family of Netherton (Devon) will be given in a future post];

(1.2) Denis William Pack (later Pack-Beresford) (1818-81) (q.v.);

(1.3) Anne Elizabeth Pack (1820-89), born 13 April and baptised at St Andrew, Plymouth (Devon), 30 April 1820; married, 28 September 1869 at St Marylebone, Rev. George John Mapletoft Paterson (1822-87), rector of Brome (Suffk), but had no issue; died 18 September and was buried at Brome, 21 September 1889; will proved 18 October 1889 (effects £35,479);

(1.4) Elizabeth Catherine Pack (1821-1903), born 8 December 1821 and baptised at Stoke Damerel (Devon), 5 January 1822; married, 7 July 1842 at St Marylebone (Middx), Sir John William Hamilton Anson (1816-73), 2nd bt., and had issue four sons and seven daughters; died 3 July and was buried at Shirley (Surrey), 6 July 1903; will proved 8 August 1903 (estate £11,931).

She died 6 January 1856 and was buried at Walberton (Sussex); her will was proved in the PCC, 28 February 1856. Her first husband died 24 July 1823 and was buried at St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved in Dublin, 1825. Her second husband died 10 February and was buried in Chichester Cathedral, 17 February 1848; his will was proved in the PCC, 27 March 1848.

Pack (later Pack-Beresford), Denis William (1818-81). Second son of Maj-Gen. Sir Denis Pack (1775-1823) and his wife Lady Elizabeth Louisa de la Poer, fourth daughter of Rt. Hon. George de la Poer Beresford (1735-1800), 2nd Earl of Tyrone and 1st Marquess of Waterford. born 7 July 1818. An officer in the Royal Artillery (2nd Lt., 1836; Lt., 1838; Capt., 1846; retired 1854), who served in the Crimean War. JP and DL for Co. Carlow; High Sheriff of Co. Carlow, 1856. MP for Co. Carlow, 1862-68. He took the additional name Beresford on inheriting the Irish properties of his half-uncle, the 1st Viscount Beresford, in 1854. He married, 12 February 1863 at Fenagh, Annette Caroline (d. 1892), only daughter of Robert Clayton Browne of Browne's Hill (Co. Carlow), and had issue:

(1) Denis Robert Pack-Beresford (1864-1942) (q.v.);

(2) Elizabeth Harriet Pack-Beresford (1865-1937), born 11 March and baptised at St Marylebone (Middx), 11 April 1865; lived latterly at Headley (Hants); died unmarried, 30 June 1937;

(3) Annette Louisa Pack-Beresford (1866-1941), born 1 August and baptised at St Marylebone, 30 August 1866; lived latterly at Headley (Hants); died unmarried, 22 November 1941; will proved 25 April 1942 (estate £7,618);

(4) Arthur William Pack-Beresford (1868-1902), born 23 April 1868; an officer in the Royal Field Artillery (2nd Lt., 1887; Lt., 1890; Capt., 1897; Br. Maj.) and South African Constabulary (Maj.) who served in the Boer War (mentioned in despatches twice and severely wounded, 1900), but died unmarried while on active service, 4 March 1902; 

(5) Charles George Pack-Beresford (1869-1914), born 21 November 1869 and baptised at St Marylebone, 4 January 1870; an officer in the army (2nd Lt., 1889; Lt., 1893; Capt.; Maj., 1908), who served in the Punjab, the Boer War and the First World War, and died unmarried when he was killed in action at Mons, 24 August 1914;

(6) Henry John Pack-Beresford (1871-1945) (q.v.);

(7) Reynell James Pack-Beresford (1872-1949), of Woburn House, Millisle (Co. Down), born 21 December 1872 and baptised privately, 21 January 1873; educated at Westward Ho! and Trinity College, Dublin; JP and DL (from 1939) for Co. Down; High Sheriff of Co. Down, 1927-28; an official of the Local Government Board, 1904-22, rising to be a Local Government Inspector; and later a breeder of pedigree livestock; Vice-President of Royal Ulster Agricultural Soc. and Ulster Farmers Union; a freemason from 1902; married, 17 June 1899 at Walmer (Kent), Florence (1875-1953), only daughter of Frederick William Leith of Walmer Court, and had issue one son and one daughter; died 10 June 1949; will proved in Belfast, 14 November 1949 (estate £16,004);

(8) Hugh de la Poer Pack-Beresford (1874-1954), born 11 July 1874; educated at Wellington College and Trinity College, Dublin (BA); solicitor and later insurance broker; died unmarried, 5 April 1954; will proved in Dublin, 13 September 1954 (estate £6,072);

(9) Algernon Dunbar Pack-Beresford (1875-1908), born 25 July and baptised at Fenagh, 29 August 1875; educated at Wellington College and Kings College, London; civil engineer with London & North-Western Railway and later Madras Railway (India); elected MICE, 1902; died unmarried in London, 5 December 1908; will proved in Dublin, 6 February 1909 (estate £4,737).

He inherited the Fenagh estate from his half-uncle in 1854, and extended the property in 1863.

He died 28 December 1881; his will was proved in London, 14 February 1882 (effects £19,569). His widow died 11 February 1892.

Denis Robert Pack-Beresford 

Pack-Beresford, Denis Robert (1864-1942). Eldest son of Denis William Pack-Beresford (1818-81) and his wife Annette Caroline, only daughter of Robert Clayton Browne of Browne's Hill (Co. Carlow), born in Dublin, 23 March 1864. Educated at Rugby, Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1883; BA 1888) and the Inner Temple (admitted 1884).  JP and DL for Co. Carlow; High Sheriff of Co. Carlow, 1890-91. From the late 1890s, he became an eminent entomologist, who specialised in the study of spiders, wasps and woodlice in Britain and Ireland, though he was obliged to give up his scientific work in later life due to failing eyesight. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy and the Royal Dublin Society. During the First World War he contributed to the war effort by serving on the committees of the Order of St John and the British Red Cross Society, and he was awarded the OBE, 1918 in connection with this work. He married, 11 August 1891, Alice Harriet Cromie (1868-1918), daughter of James Acheson Lyle of Portstewart House (Co. Derry), but had no issue, though they adopted:

(A1) Vera Maud Pack-Beresford (1900-99), parentage unknown, born in Sweden, 12 September 1900; married 1st, 19 February 1920 at Fenagh (div.?), John Reginald Grogan (1899-1960) of Moyle (Co. Carlow), and had issue one son; married 2nd, 1931 in London (div. 1935 on the grounds of her adultery with her third husband), Lt-Cdr. Charles Rowland Eardley Childers (1901-89); married 3rd, by 1937, Maj. Edward Robert Knox-White (1892-1977), tea planter in Ceylon (Sri Lanka); died 8 September 1999; will proved 7 December 1999.

He inherited the Fenagh estate from his father in 1881.

He died 5 March 1942 and was buried at Slyguff Cemetery, Bagenalstown (Co. Carlow); his will was proved in Dublin, 24 March 1942 (effects in Ireland under £10,000) and in Llandudno, 9 July 1942 (estate in England & Wales, £78,021). His wife died 2 June 1918; her will was proved in Dublin, 24 August 1918.

Pack-Beresford, Lt-Col. Henry John (1871-1945). Fourth son of Denis William Pack-Beresford (1818-81) and his wife Annette Caroline, only daughter of Robert Clayton Browne of Browne's Hill (Co. Carlow), born 22 August and baptised at St Marylebone, 19 September 1871. Educated at Clifton College, Bristol. An officer in the Highland Light Infantry (2nd Lt., 1894; Lt., 1896; Capt., 1900; Maj., 1913; retired as Lt-Col., 1921), who served in the Punjab (India), Boer War and First World War (Deputy Asst. Adjutant General, 1914-15). He married, 28 July 1904 (div. 1914 by Act of Parliament on the grounds of her adultery), Sybil Maud (1883-1957), youngest daughter of John Bell (1818-88) of Rushpool Hall, Saltburn-by-the-Sea (Yorks NR), and had issue:

(1) Denis John Pack-Beresford (1905-86) (q.v.);

(2) Tristram Anthony Pack-Beresford (1907-81), born 8 May 1907; educated at Royal Naval Colleges, Osborne & Dartmouth; an officer in the Royal Navy (Sub-Lt., 1928; Lt., 1930; Lt-Cdr., 1938), who served in the Second World War; inspector of Imperial Lighthouse Service, Bahamas, 1949-64; awarded MBE, 1965; married, 10 April 1944, Alexandra Vivien Anne (1916-85), only daughter of Col. Kenneth Struan Robertson OBE (1883-1943) of Edinburgh and widow of Peter Austen Knight (1916-40), and had issue two daughters; died in Dublin, 29 May 1981; his will was proved 27 November 1981 (effects in England, £17,455).

He lived at Kellestown House (Co. Carlow).

He died 26 May 1945; his will was proved 27 September 1945 (estate £22,992). His ex-wife married 2nd, 30 November 1914, Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Stuart-Burnett KCB DSO (1882-1945) of Barra Castle, Old Meldrum (Aberdeens.), and had issue four daughters, the eldest of whom was born prior to the marriage; she died at Dalmally (Argylls), 8 February 1957, and was buried at Kilmalieu Burial Ground, Inveraray (Argylls); her will was proved 10 April 1957 (estate £28,142).

Pack-Beresford, Cdr. Denis John (1905-86). Elder son of Lt-Col. Henry John Pack-Beresford (1871-1945) and his wife Sybil Maud, youngest daughter of John Bell of Rushpool, Saltburn-on-Sea (Yorks NR), born 27 October 1905. Educated at Royal Naval Colleges, Osborne and Dartmouth. An officer in the Royal Navy (2nd Lt., 1926; Lt., 1928; Lt-Cdr., 1936; Cdr.; invalided, 1944), who served in the Second World War. Founder-President of Irish Pedigree Pig Breeders Association and Vice-President of Irish Aberdeen Angus Association; a member of Council of the Royal Dublin Society. He married 1st, 14 January 1928 (div. 1931 on the grounds of her adultery), Basante Doreen Ismay Shire (1907-63), daughter of Frederick William Hoskin of Peverel, Plymouth (Devon) and 2nd, 24 November 1933, Daphne (1910-73), only daughter of Horace Robert Martineau VC (1874-1916) of Durban (South Africa), and had issue:

(2.1) Denis Raymond Pack-Beresford (1934-2002), born 5 September 1934; educated at Sherborne School and Trinity College, Dublin; worked in public relations, including a period for the Irish Government's Córas Tráctála, 1969-74; married, 12 January 1967 (div. 1974), Carolyn Anne, daughter of Gerald C. Ryan of Guildford (Surrey), and had issue one daughter; died 22 October 2002;

(2.2) Elizabeth Ann Pack-Beresford (1937-53), born 11 May 1937; died young, 9 November 1953.

He inherited the Fenagh estate from his uncle in 1942, but it was sold after his death.

He died 23 October 1986. His first wife married 2nd, 1933 (div.), Robert William Wainewright (1901-62); 3rd, 1939 (div. c.1942), Surgeon Lt-Cdr. Francis William Armitage Fosbery (1907-73), and 4th, Jul-Sept 1946, William E. Richards; she died in Oct-Dec 1963. His second wife died 2 October 1973; her will was proved in Kilkenny, 15 January 1974 (estate in Ireland, £3,662) and in London, 12 June 1974 (estate in England, £1,276)

Principal sources

Burke's Irish Family Records, 1976, pp. 102-04; 

https://www.igp-web.com/Carlow/Fennagh_Lodge.htm

Location of archives

Pack-Beresford of Fenagh: family papers, c.1765-1830 [National Library of Ireland Acc. 458a]

Pack-Beresford, Denis Robert (1864-1942): scientific papers, 20th cent. [Royal Irish Academy]

Coat of arms

Quarterly, 1st and 4th, argent crusilly fitchée, three fleurs-de-lis sable within a bordure wavy pean; 2nd & 3rd, quarterly sable and ermine, in the first quarter a sword in bend sinister argent, pomelled and hilted or, encircled by a wreath of the last; and in the fourth quarter, a cinquefoil of the third; in the centre chief, pendant from a crimson ribbon bordered blue, a representation of a golden cross and clasps.

Can you help?

• Is anyone able to provide a more accurate date for the construction of the front block of Fenagh House, or more detailed information about its ownership since 1990?
• Can anyone provide photographs or portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 14 May 2024.