Friday 10 February 2023

Kilbroney Lodge

WILLIAM RAINEY (c1565-c1606), of Ayrshire, settled in County Antrim, and was father of

JOHN RAINEY (1602-82), of Killybegs, County Antrim, who left three sons and two daughters,
WILLIAM, of whom presently;
Robert, of Killybegs;
Hugh, of Magherafelt;
Elizabeth; Mary.
The eldest son,

WILLIAM RAINEY (c1640-c1722), of Belfast, wedded a daughter of _____ McCormick, and left four sons and four daughters,
John, of Belfast;
WILLIAM, of whom hereafter;
Robert, of Newry;
Daniel (Rev), minister of the church at Amsterdam;
Jane; Mary, Anne; Grissel.
The second son,

WILLIAM RAINEY (1671-1725), of Belfast, espoused Katherine, daughter of _____ Shaw, by Elizabeth, daughter of James Maxwell, and sister and co-heir of Arthur Maxwell, of Drumbeg, County Down, and had four sons and a daughter,
Arthur Rainey MAXWELL, of Castle Hill, Co Down;
JOHN, of whom we treat;
William;
Patrick;
Jane.
The second son,

JOHN RAINEY (c1717-93), of Greenville House, Knockbreda, County Down, married Mary, daughter of Surgeon William Hamilton, of Dublin, and had an only son and two daughters,
WILLIAM, his heir;
Frances; Elizabeth.
The only son,

WILLIAM RAINEY (c1745-1803), of Greenville, wedded firstly, Henrietta Maria, daughter of the Rev James Hutchinson, by whom he had five sons and two daughters,
John;
WILLIAM HENRY, of whom we treat;
James;
Francis;
Henry;
Martha; Mary.
He married secondly, Mary Anne Boyd, and had a son, Boyd, and a daughter, Elizabeth.

The second son, 

WILLIAM HENRY RAINEY JP (1780-1830), of Mount Panther, County Down, Major, 4th Bengal Cavalry, East India Company, espoused Margaret, daughter of Robert Macan, of County Armagh, and had issue,
ARTHUR JACOB MACAN, his heir;
Elizabeth Matilda, m R L Ogilby of Ardnargle.
The only son,

MAJOR-GENERAL ARTHUR JACOB MACAN RAINEY (1826-1906), wedded Caroline Susannah, eldest daughter of the Rev William Robinson, Rector of Bovagh, County Londonderry, and sister and co-heir of Henry Jeffery Robinson, of Portrush, County Antrim, and had issue,
William John, died in infancy;
ROBERT MAXIMILIAN, later RAINEY-ROBINSON;
Francis Edward;
Edward Flower;
Caroline Susanna; Esther Sophia.
The eldest surviving son,

ROBERT MAXIMILIAN RAINEY-ROBINSON CB CMG (1861-1932), Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding, 62nd Punjabis, Indian Staff Corps, assumed the arms and surname of ROBINSON in 1897.

He wedded, in 1903, Alice Frances, eldest daughter of Arthur Hidding Hildebrand CIE.


The Rainey mausoleum is at Knockbreda parish graveyard, County Down.


LINEAGE OF ROBINSON

THE VERY REV WILLIAM FRIEND (1714-66), Dean of Canterbury, 1760, wedded, in 1739, Grace, youngest daughter of William Robinson, of Rokeby, Yorkshire, and sister of the Most Rev Richard Robinson, Lord Archbishop of Armagh, and had, with other issue, a son,

THE REV SIR JOHN ROBINSON, Baronet,  formerly Archdeacon of Armagh, who assumed the surname of ROBINSON in lieu of Friend, 1793, and was created a baronet in 1819.

Sir John had, with other issue,

CAROLINE SUSANNAH ROBINSON (see above).


THE LODGE, Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor, County Down, is said to have built by Robert Ross.

The Lodge was situated on a rise overlooking the lower meadow.


Kilbroney Lodge was razed to the ground by the local council when they acquired the forest park.


GREENVILLE HOUSE, Knockbreda, County Down, was a two-storey, eleven-bay Georgian mansion which stood at what is today called Greenville Park, directly beside Grand Parade, and opposite Dixon Playing Fields in east Belfast.

It appears to have had a courtyard within its walls, and a large conservatory attached to the house.

Greenville features in J A K Dean's Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland.

It was demolished in 1975.

IN 1709 William Rainey acquired a property consisting of dwelling house, cellars, gardens, and premises, on the south side of High Street in Belfast (that is to say south of the river Farset, perhaps between Pottinger's Entry and Church Lane). 

The Raineys flourished in Belfast during the 17th and 18th centuries as merchants, selling linen and provisions.

As prominent merchants in the town they would have been acquainted with other well-known families, such as the Gregs, Cunninghams, and Macartneys.

It's probable that they purchased Greenville from the Houstons, who moved to the adjacent Orangefield House.

First published in February, 2013.

4 comments :

Anonymous said...

the house was pulled down by the council must be 20 years now nothing left but an empty space

Anonymous said...

Isn't that house still there and used as a rectory by CoI or Presbyterians, not sure which...

Anonymous said...

To anonymous
That is not the old rectory.
Old rectory is on kilbroney road.

Anonymous said...

The house stood on the site now occupied by the campsite office and shop. It was burnt in the early 50s and demolished in the 60s. There is a large play park and carpark where the back of the house stood. There are few remains of the other buildings that stood on the estate.