Tuesday 5 July 2022

Magherintemple House

THE CASEMENTS OWNED 3,312 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY ANTRIM


This family came over to Ulster from Ramsey, Isle of Man, early in the 18th century.


HUGH CASEMENT
 (c1720-97), of Bessvale, Ballinderry, County Antrim, married, in 1740, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev George Higginson, Rector of Ballinderry, and had issue,
George, surgeon RN; father of Maj-Gen Sir William Casement KCB;
ROGER, of whom presently;
Thomas;
Higginson;
Mary; Eleanor; Jane.
Maj-Gen Sir William Casement KCB (Image: National Army Museum)

The second son,

ROGER CASEMENT (c1756-1832), of Harryville, County Antrim, wedded firstly, Catherine, daughter of the Rev Joseph Cosnahan, of Peel, Isle of Man, and had issue,
William;
John;
George;
Hugh, grandfather of (Sir) Roger David Casement CMG;
Julius;
Roger;
THOMAS, of whom presently;
Robert (Rev);
Francis;
Cornelius;
Elizabeth; Catherine; Elinor; Rosetta.
He espoused secondly, in 1819, Margaret, daughter of Andrew McQuilty, and had, with further issue,
Roger;
George, of Fenagh, Co Antrim, barrister;
JOHN, succeeded his half-brother;
Julius;
Margaret; Elizabeth; Ann.
Mr Casement's seventh son,

THOMAS CASEMENT JP (1799-1874), of Ballee House, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1874, married, in 1848, Dorinda Deborah, daughter of Thomas Abbot JP, of Mount Bellew, County Galway, and left an only daughter and heiress,

CATHERINE COSNAHAN CASEMENT, of Ballee House, who wedded, in 1869, COLONEL ELDRED THOMAS POTTINGER, Royal Artillery.

Thomas Casement's half brother,

JOHN CASEMENT JP (1825-1902), of Magherintemple, County Antrim, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1881, married firstly, in 1849, Charlotte, daughter of Brabazon Newcomen, of Camla House, County Rosscommon, and had issue,
ROGER, of whom presently;
Brabazon Newcomen, MD.
John, Rear-Admiral.
Mr Casement wedded secondly, in 1859, Charlotte, daughter of Alexander Miller, of Ballycastle.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

ROGER CASEMENT JP DL (1850-1928), of Magherintemple, who married, in 1877, Susanna, daughter of James Beatty, and had issue,
JOHN, his heir;
Francis, Maj-Gen, DSO; father of
FRANCIS CHARLES CASEMENT;
Roger Hugh;
Robert James;
Edgar Reginald.
The eldest son,

JOHN CASEMENT DSO DL (1880-1944), of Magherintemple, Captain, Royal Navy, married, in 1916, ANNA BEATRICE, daughter of John Frederick William Hodges, of Glenravel, County Antrim, though the marriage was without male issue.

His widow,

ANNA BEATRICE, MRS CASEMENT OBE (1887-1975), inherited Magherintemple for her lifetime, with reversion to her nephew,

FRANCIS CHARLES CASEMENT JP DL (1920-76), of Magherintemple, Major, Royal Artillery, who wedded, in 1942, Lesley, daughter of Captain Cecil Richard Brown, and had issue,
Hugh Francis, b 1947;
Patrick John, b 1951;
Robert Charles, b 1953;
Sarah Lindesay; Anne Louisa; Susan Catherine.
*****

Patrick Casement, OBE, was Chairman of the National Trust's  Northern Ireland Committee, 2000-2010. 
He is a zoology graduate from Oxford and holds a masters degree in Ecology; farms a large beef and sheep farm; has previously served on the Northern Ireland Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside. 
MAGHERINTEMPLE HOUSE, near Ballycastle, County Antrim, was built ca 1875 in the Scottish-Baronial style, the seat of the Casement family.

Mr Roger Casement (Sir Roger Casement CMG) was a member of this family.

Magherintemple House (Image: Twitter)

An earlier, quite modest, house called Churchfield was described in 1835 as being a plain two storey dwelling, the property of the Casement family from 1790.

It was considerably enlarged in 1874-75 for John Casement, adding an austere Scottish-baronial block in Ballyvoy stone with gate lodge in matching style.


The grimness of the architecture is, to some degree, offset by the good high position of the house and its splendid views.

The gardens are maintained.

There is a walled garden on a slope, with a bog garden at the bottom.

The walled garden is fully planted up with vegetables, fruit and ornamental plants.

The present layout dates from 1973.

There are both woodland and shelter trees.

The gate lodge replaced an earlier lodge located on the opposite side of the gates.

Two small stone figures that are placed in the rockery in the garden are said to have come from Culfeightrin Church.


Magherintemple gate lodge is available for rent.

First published in December, 2010.

7 comments :

Anonymous said...

The extract from Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland contains several myths. Casement is a Manx name, with no French origins. George was a civil surgeon in Larne, retained by the Royal Navy to attend sailors when a ship docked there.

Lesley McN said...

There are two mistakes here:
"2. ROGER CASEMENT, of Harryville, County Antrim, who married firstly, Catherine (d 1803), daughter of Julius Cosnahan, of Peel, Isle of Man, and had, with other issue [many missing including the link to the executed Roger David Casement],"

Catherine died in 1809 not 1803: A monument in Ballymena old churchyard, shows that Mrs Catherine Casement, otherwise Cosnahan, first wife of Roger Casement esq died on the 10th of October 1809.

Julius Cosnahan was Catharine's brother, not her father:
Catherine was the daughter of Rev Joseph Cosnahan,(b 1726-d 1768) Vicar of Braddan on the Isle of Man, by his 2nd wife, Ellinor daughter of Vicar General Robert Radcliffe. Catherine was mentioned in her father Joseph's will.

Julius Cosnahan was Catharine's
half-brother and 17 years older than her. Since Catharine's father died when she was only two months old, Julius would have been a father figure for her.

Lesley

Lesley McN said...

As mentioned in my previous comment, Catherine Cosnahan was not the daughter of Julius Cosnahan. Her parents were Joseph W. Cosnahan and his 2nd wife Elinor Radcliffe.

Unknown said...

Met Mrs Casement in the late sixties when the area was being electrified. My main (though hazy) recollection of Magherintemple is of being taken into the drawing room where a tiger skin was suspended from a wall. Wonder can anyone of the followers of Lord Belmont's website confirm this . . .

Anonymous said...

Is the big house currently occupied or has it got something to do with the Irish Landmark Trust like the gatelodge? It would be interesting to find out.

Timothy Belmont said...

Anon, I think the Casements still live there.

Jim C said...

I have evidence that Roger Casement lived with a John Young Junior of the Ballymena Linen family after Casement father died
Can anyone confirm or deny this claim?
Jame C