Bishopscourt is a townland and historic site in County Kildare,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, near

Kill Kill often refers to: *Homicide, one human killing another *cause death, to kill a living organism, to cause its death Kill may also refer to: Media *'' Kill!'', a 1968 film directed by Kihachi Okamoto * ''Kill'' (Cannibal Corpse album), 2006 * ...

Ardclough Ardclough, officially Ardclogh (; ), is a village and community in the parish of Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. It is two miles (3 km) off the N7 national primary road. It is the burial place and probable birthplace of Arthur Guinness, wh ...

and

Straffan Straffan (variously ''Teach Srafáin'', ''Strafáin'' or ''An Cluanini'' in Irish) is a village in County Kildare, Ireland, situated on the banks of the River Liffey, 25 km upstream of the Irish capital Dublin. As of the 2016 census, the v ...

and beside the N7 road. The estate was once held by the Bishops of Kildare.

Calendar and historical references

In 1527, Thomas, Bishop of Kildare, granted Bishopscourt to

Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, 1st Earl of Ossory (1539) also known as Red Piers (Irish ''Piers Ruadh''), was from the Polestown–– branch of the Butler family of Ireland. In the succession crisis at the death of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl ...

, and his wife Margaret. In 1537 it passed to

John Alen John Alen (1476 – 28 July 1534) was an English priest and canon lawyer, whose later years were spent in Ireland. He held office as Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and was a member of the Privy Council of Ireland. In the lat ...

, Lord Chancellor of Ireland. In 1676 it passed to John Margetson, later to die at the Siege of Limerick in 1690 fighting for William of Orange. His daughter married Brabazon Ponsonby, recorded in folklore as a fortune hunter.

Ponsonby family

The Ponsonby family became the most powerful political dynasty in 17th century Ireland. John Ponsonby was speaker of the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...

(1753–1761), and William Ponsonby was leader of the Irish Whigs (1789–1803) and birthplace of his brother

George Ponsonby George Ponsonby (5 March 17558 July 1817), was a British lawyer and Whig politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents. Background and education Ponsonby was the second surviving so ...

(1755–1817) leader of the Whig Party in the British House of Commons at Westminster ( 1808–1817), his uncle Major-General

Sir William Ponsonby Major-General Hon. Sir William Ponsonby (13 October 177218 June 1815) was an Anglo-Irish politician and British Army officer who served in the Peninsular War and was killed at the Battle of Waterloo. Early life and education He was the secon ...

(1772–1815) whose inept charge at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

resulted in his death at the hands of the Polish Lanciers and was studied as an example of failed battle strategy for generations afterwards, and of his sister Mary Ponsonby, wife of The 2nd Earl Grey,

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

from 1830 to 1834 and best known nowadays as the Earl Grey of the tea brand.

House

The fabric of the house was reconstructed to the design of

Sir Richard Morrison Sir Richard Morrison (1767 – 31 October 1849 / 1844Philip Smith (writer), ''An Introduction to the Architectural Heritage of County Wicklow'' (Dublin: Wordwell Press / Government of Ireland, Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Gov ...

in 1790. It was on the grounds of the estate that

Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

fought a duel with John d'Esterre on 1 February 1815. Subsequently, the house burnt down in the 1950s and was rebuilt. At the walled west corner of the estate is a small blue door, and the adjacent road junction on the Straffan-Kill road is referred to as the Blue Door.

Scott, Kennedy, McGillycuddy

In 1838 Bishopscourt was sold by Frederick Ponsonby to The 3rd Earl of Clonmell, and in 1914 sold on to Edward Kennedy from Baronrath, at the time the most famous breeder of racehorses in Ireland. Kennedy's stallion

The Tetrarch The Tetrarch (1911–1935) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was undefeated in a racing career of seven starts and was voted the best British-trained two-year-old of the 20th century according to the National Horse ...

, standing at Bishopscourt, is confirmed as the most successful sire in the world in 1919. In 1938 the house passed to Edward's daughter Patricia (Tiggie) Kennedy and her husband, Dermot McGillycuddy, heir to Senator

McGillycuddy of the Reeks The McGillycuddy of the Reeks ( ga, Mac Giolla Mochuda) is the hereditary Chief of the Name of McGillycuddy, a family originating around MacGillycuddy's Reeks, a range of mountains (reeks) in County Kerry in Ireland. Origins of the title T ...

, an ancient clan chiefdom from County Kerry. Edward Kennedy's son Major DM (John) Kennedy won an MC at Anzio whilst serving with 1st Battalion Irish Guards and was later killed at Terporten Castle in Germany in February 1945. It is now home to the Farrell family.

Notable people

* Charles FitzClarence, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

References

{{Reflist *Tony Carr: Time to Kill: Memories of Kill Village (2004) *

Eoghan Corry Eoghan Corry ( ga, Eoghan Ó Cómhraí; born 19 January 1961) is an Irish journalist and author. He is the lead commentator on travel for media in Ireland, having edited travel sections in national newspapers and travel publications since the 1 ...

and Jim Tancred: The Annals of

(2004). *Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society, Volume II : 278. Volume III : 489. Volume IV : 114, 240. Volume V : 214. Volume VI : 479. Volume XII : 340. Volume XVII : 35. *Bishopscourt by James Fleming, published 31 October 1936 in the Weekly Irish Times Townlands of County Kildare