Lismore Castle ( ga, Caisleán an Lios Mhóir) is a castle located in the town of
Lismore,
County Waterford
County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...
in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. It belonged to the
Earls of Desmond
Earl of Desmond is a title in the peerage of Ireland () created four times. When the powerful Earl of Desmond took arms against Queen Elizabeth Tudor, around 1578, along with the King of Spain and the Pope, he was confiscated from his estates, ...
, and subsequently to the
Cavendish family
The Cavendish (or de Cavendish) family ( ) is a British noble family, of Anglo-Norman origins (though with an Anglo-Saxon name, originally from a place-name in Suffolk). They rose to their highest prominence as Duke of Devonshire and Duke of Newc ...
from 1753. It is currently the Irish home of the
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...
. It was largely re-built in the
Gothic style
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
during the mid-nineteenth century for
The 6th Duke of Devonshire.
Early history
Built as the sister castle to
Ardfinnan Castle
Ardfinnan Castle, is the sister castle of Lismore Castle and was built circa 1185 to guard the river crossing at Ardfinnan (''Ard Fhíonáin'' in Irish) in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is situated on the River Suir, seven miles west of Clonme ...
in 1185 by the Lord of Ireland,
Prince John of England to guard the river crossing, the castle site was originally occupied by
Lismore Abbey
Lismore Abbey is a former monastery in Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland, reportedly in its day the most celebrated in the South of Ireland. Its site is now occupied by Lismore Castle.
History
Lismore Abbey was founded around 632 by St Mochuda, ...
, an important monastery and seat of learning established in the early 7th century. It was still an ecclesiastical centre when
King Henry II of England
Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
stayed here in 1171, and except for a brief period after 1185 (when he had assigned his son King John of England to build a 'castellum' here) when it served as the episcopal residence of the local bishop. It was a possession of the
Earls of Desmond
Earl of Desmond is a title in the peerage of Ireland () created four times. When the powerful Earl of Desmond took arms against Queen Elizabeth Tudor, around 1578, along with the King of Spain and the Pope, he was confiscated from his estates, ...
, whose lands were broken up during the plantations following the killing of
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond ( – 1583), also counted as 15th or 16th, owned large part of the Irish province of Munster. In 1565 he fought the private Battle of Affane against his neighbours, the Butlers. After this, he was for som ...
, in 1583.
In 1589, Lismore was leased and later acquired by
Sir Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...
. Raleigh sold the property during his imprisonment for High Treason in 1602 to another infamous colonial adventurer,
Richard Boyle, who was later created, in 1620, The 1st
Earl of Cork
Earl of Cork is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, held in conjunction with the Earldom of Orrery since 1753. It was created in 1620 for Richard Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle. He had already been created Lord Boyle, Baron of Youghal, in the County ...
.
Earls of Cork and Burlington
Boyle came to the
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from ...
from the
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
On 1 ...
in 1588 with only twenty-seven pounds in capital and proceeded to amass an extraordinary fortune. After purchasing Lismore he made it his principal seat and transformed it into a magnificent residence with impressive gabled ranges each side of the courtyard. He also built a castellated outer wall and a gatehouse known as the Riding Gate. The principal apartments were decorated with fretwork plaster ceilings, tapestry hangings, embroidered silks and velvet. It was here in
1626
Events
January–March
* January 7 – Polish-Swedish War: Battle of Wallhof in Latvia – Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, defeats a Polish army.
* January 9 – Peter Minuit sails from Texel Island for America's Ne ...
that
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle (; 25 January 1627 – 31 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, alchemist and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of ...
, ''The Father of Modern Chemistry'', the fourteenth of the Earl's fifteen children, was born. The castle eventually descended to
The 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork (1694-1753), who was a noted influence on
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...
(and is usually known in architectural histories as the
Earl of Burlington
Earl of Burlington is a title that has been created twice, the first time in the Peerage of England in 1664 and the second in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831. Since 1858, Earl of Burlington has been a courtesy title used by the d ...
).
Lismore featured in the Cromwellian wars when, in
1645
Events
January–March
* January 3 – The Long Parliament adopts the ''Directory for Public Worship'' in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, replacing the Book of Common Prayer (1559). Holy Days (other than Sundays) are not ...
, a force of Catholic confederacy commanded by
Lord Castlehaven sacked the town and castle. Some restoration was carried out by
The 1st Earl of Burlington and 2nd Earl of Cork (
1612
Events
January–June
* January 6 – Axel Oxenstierna becomes Lord High Chancellor of Sweden. He persuades the Riksdag of the Estates to grant the Swedish nobility the right and privilege to hold all higher offices of governme ...
–
1698
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Abenaki tribe and Massachusetts colonists sign a treaty, ending the conflict in New England.
* January 4 – The Palace of Whitehall in London, England is destroyed by fire.
* January 23 – G ...
) to make it habitable again, but neither he nor his successors lived at Lismore.
Dukes of Devonshire
The castle (along with other Boyle properties –
Chiswick House
Chiswick House is a Neo-Palladian style villa in the Chiswick district of London, England. A "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London, the house was designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694–1753 ...
,
Burlington House
Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in Mayfair, London. It was originally a private Neo-Palladian mansion owned by the Earls of Burlington and was expanded in the mid-19th century after being purchased by the British government. Toda ...
,
Bolton Abbey
Bolton Abbey in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England, takes its name from the ruins of the 12th-century Augustinian monastery now known as Bolton Priory. The priory, closed in the 1539 Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by King Henry ...
and
Londesborough Hall
Londesborough Hall is a country house in the village of Londesborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, close to the towns of Market Weighton and Pocklington.
The original Elizabethan building was demolished in 1819 and replaced by th ...
) was acquired by the
Cavendish family
The Cavendish (or de Cavendish) family ( ) is a British noble family, of Anglo-Norman origins (though with an Anglo-Saxon name, originally from a place-name in Suffolk). They rose to their highest prominence as Duke of Devonshire and Duke of Newc ...
in
1753
Events
January–March
* January 3 – King Binnya Dala of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom orders the burning of Ava, the former capital of the Kingdom of Burma.
* January 29 – After a month's absence, Elizabeth Canning returns ...
when
Lady Charlotte Boyle (
1731
Events
January–March
* January 8 – An avalanche from the Skafjell mountain causes a massive wave in the Storfjorden fjord in Norway that sinks all boats that happen to be in the water at the time and kills people on both sho ...
-
1754), the daughter and heiress of
The 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork, married the
Marquess of Hartington
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
, who later became, in 1755,
The 4th Duke of Devonshire (1720-1764), a future
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
of the
Kingdom of Great Britain
The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...
. Their son, the
5th Duke (
1748–
1811
Events
January–March
* January 8 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes, in St. Charles and St. James Parishes, Louisiana.
* January 17 – Mexican War of Independence – Battle of Calderón Brid ...
), carried out improvements at Lismore, notably the bridge across the
River Blackwater in
1775
Events
Summary
The American Revolutionary War began this year, with the first military engagement being the April 19 Battles of Lexington and Concord on the day after Paul Revere's now-legendary ride. The Second Continental Congress t ...
which was designed by Cork-born architect
Thomas Ivory
Thomas Ivory (1709–1779) was an English builder and architect, active in Norwich.
Life
Ivory was born in 1709. His early years and education remain obscure. His earliest recorded large commission was in his capacity as a builder and timber m ...
.
The
6th Duke (1790–1858), commonly known as 'the Bachelor Duke', was responsible for the castle's present appearance. He began transforming the castle into a fashionable 'quasi-feudal ultra-regal fortress' as soon as he succeeded his father in 1811, engaging the architect
William Atkinson from 1812 to 1822 to rebuild the castle in the
Gothic style
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
, using cut stone shipped over from
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
. Lismore was always the Bachelor Duke's favourite residence, but as he grew older his love for the place developed into a passion. In 1850 he engaged his architect
Sir Joseph Paxton
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
, the designer of
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibit ...
, to carry out improvements and additions to the castle on a magnificent scale – so much so that the present skyline is largely Paxton's work. At this time,
J.G. Crace of London, the leading maker of
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
furniture, and his partner, the leading architect
A.W.N. Pugin
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...
, were commissioned to transform the ruined chapel of the old Bishop's Palace into a medieval-style banqueting hall, with a huge perpendicular stained-glass window, choir-stalls and Gothic stenciling on the walls and roof timbers. The chimney-piece, which was exhibited at the Medieval Court of the
Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary The Crystal Palace, structure in which it was held), was an International Exhib ...
of 1851, was also designed by Pugin (and Myers) but was originally intended for
Horsted Place
Horsted Place is a Tudor Revival country house, now a hotel, in Little Horsted, East Sussex, England. The current building dates to 1850, when it was built by Samuel Daukes/ George Myers for Francis Barchard, a successful merchant from London, ...
in
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
; it was rejected because it was too elaborate and subsequently bought for Lismore – the Barchard family emblems later replaced with the present Irish inscription ''Cead Mille Fáilte'': 'a hundred thousand welcomes'. Pugin also designed other chimney-pieces and furnishings in the castle and, after his death in 1851, Crace continued to supply furnishings in the Puginesque manner.
In 1858, the
Cavendish family
The Cavendish (or de Cavendish) family ( ) is a British noble family, of Anglo-Norman origins (though with an Anglo-Saxon name, originally from a place-name in Suffolk). They rose to their highest prominence as Duke of Devonshire and Duke of Newc ...
sponsored a new bridge over the Blackwater, which replaced the one built in 1775. This new construction followed designs by Charles Tarrant and was done by E.P. Nagle and C.H. Hunt.
After the death of
the 6th Duke of Devonshire — known as the "Bachelor Duke" — in 1858, Lismore remained substantially unaltered. It became the home of a younger son of the
9th Duke,
Lord Charles Cavendish
Lord Charles Cavendish FRS (17 March 1704 – 28 April 1783) was a British nobleman and Whig politician.
Cavendish was the youngest son of William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire, and Rachel Russell.
On 9 January 1727, Lord Charles Cavendis ...
, who married
Adele Astaire
Adele Astaire Douglass (born Adele Marie Austerlitz, later known as Lady Charles Cavendish; September 10, 1896 – January 25, 1981), was an American dancer, stage actress, and singer. After beginning work as a dancer and vaudeville perform ...
, the sister and former dancing partner of
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history.
Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...
. After her husband's death in 1944 and her remarriage in 1947, Adele continued to use the castle until shortly before her own death in 1981.
The castle was only used by
The 11th Duke of Devonshire for brief annual visits, generally over Easter. In the last years of his tenure it was made available for short-term rent.
The
12th Duke, who succeeded to the title in 2004, continues to live primarily on the family's
Chatsworth estate. His son and heir,
Lord Burlington
Earl of Burlington is a title that has been created twice, the first time in the Peerage of England in 1664 and the second in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831. Since 1858, Earl of Burlington has been a courtesy title used by the duke ...
, who has an apartment in the castle, has been given management of it, and in 2005 converted the derelict west range into a contemporary art gallery, known as Lismore Castle Arts. The remainder of the interior is not open to the public, but is available for hire by groups of up to twenty-three visitors.
The castle features gardens, which are open to the public. The upper garden is a 17th-century walled garden,
while much of the informal lower garden was designed in the 19th century. Under Lord Burlington the planting has been enhanced, and contemporary sculpture added, including works by
Sir Antony Gormley
Sir Antony Mark David Gormley (born 30 August 1950) is a British sculptor. His works include the ''Angel of the North'', a public sculpture in Gateshead in the north of England, commissioned in 1994 and erected in February 1998; ''Another Pl ...
, Marzia Colonna and Eilís O'Connell.
References
Notes
Sources
*Terence R Smyth. (1994). ''Irish Country Houses''
*Megan Aldrich, ‘Crace, John Gregory (1809–1889)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004
Further reading
* Murdoch, Tessa (ed.) (2022). ''Great Irish Households: Inventories from the Long Eighteenth Century''. Cambridge:
John Adamson, pp. 19–23
External links
Official siteLismore Heritage CentreLismore Castle Arts gallery in West Wing of Lismore Castle
{{Authority control
Castles in County Waterford
Gardens in County Waterford
Art museums and galleries in the Republic of Ireland
Contemporary art galleries in Ireland
Historic Houses in County Waterford
Lismore, County Waterford