Antrim Castle
Encyclopedia
Antrim Castle or Massereene Castle was a castle in Antrim
, Northern Ireland
. It was erected in stages between 1610 and 1666. It was destroyed in 1922 and finally demolished in the 1970s.
, later created Viscount Massereene
. It was through his daughter and heiress, Mary, and her marriage to Sir John Skeffington, 4th Baronet (by special remainder he would become the 2nd Viscount Massereene), that the estate and title came to the latter family.A parterre
supplied the castle with herbs for cooking and medicinal uses and its long canal was divided into two sections by a limestone cascade.
The castle was raided by Jacobite
General Richard Hamilton
and his men who looted Viscount Massereene's silver plate and other silverware and furniture up to a value of £3000, a considerable loss at the time.For sometime the castle was used for political conferences; in 1906 Right Hon. John Foster
, the last Speaker of the Irish House was reported to have spoken in the Oak Room of the castle at a meeting.
During a grand ball on 28 October 1922, the castle caught fire and was destroyed.Although much of the evidence pointed to arson
by the IRA
, the official verdict was not conclusive, thus no insurance claim was paid out. The castle remained as a ruin until its demolition in 1970. The only evidence of the castle is a slightly raised grassed platform as well as a freestanding Italian tower which was built in 1887 and a gatehouse
.
The gardens are a popular tourist attraction, open yearly, located on the Randalstown Road, Antrim, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Antrim, County Antrim
Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It was erected in stages between 1610 and 1666. It was destroyed in 1922 and finally demolished in the 1970s.
History
According to the Illustrated Dublin Journal of 1861, the castle was built by Sir John ClotworthyJohn Clotworthy, 1st Viscount Massereene
John Clotworthy, 1st Viscount Massereene was an Anglo-Irish politician.-Life:He was a son of Sir Hugh Clotworthy, sheriff of county Antrim....
, later created Viscount Massereene
Viscount Massereene
Viscount Massereene is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1660, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Loughneugh. From 1665 to 1816 the Skeffington Baronetcy of Fisherwick was attached to the viscountcy and from 1756 to 1816 the Viscounts also held the title of Earl of Massereene...
. It was through his daughter and heiress, Mary, and her marriage to Sir John Skeffington, 4th Baronet (by special remainder he would become the 2nd Viscount Massereene), that the estate and title came to the latter family.A parterre
Parterre
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
supplied the castle with herbs for cooking and medicinal uses and its long canal was divided into two sections by a limestone cascade.
The castle was raided by Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
General Richard Hamilton
Richard Hamilton (officer)
Richard Hamilton was a Jacobite Irish army officer who fought on both sides during the Williamite War in Ireland.-Biography:...
and his men who looted Viscount Massereene's silver plate and other silverware and furniture up to a value of £3000, a considerable loss at the time.For sometime the castle was used for political conferences; in 1906 Right Hon. John Foster
John Foster
John Foster may refer to:* Rev. John Foster, 18th century American clergyman* John Foster , MP for Dunleer 1790–1792, son of 1st Baron Oriel* John Foster , American, also engraver...
, the last Speaker of the Irish House was reported to have spoken in the Oak Room of the castle at a meeting.
During a grand ball on 28 October 1922, the castle caught fire and was destroyed.Although much of the evidence pointed to arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
by the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
, the official verdict was not conclusive, thus no insurance claim was paid out. The castle remained as a ruin until its demolition in 1970. The only evidence of the castle is a slightly raised grassed platform as well as a freestanding Italian tower which was built in 1887 and a gatehouse
Gatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
.
The gardens are a popular tourist attraction, open yearly, located on the Randalstown Road, Antrim, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.