Favour Royal
http://www.walkni.com/Walk.aspx?ID=265
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=F10755
Favour Royal started life long before Ireland was divided and a great deal of land spread both sides of the modern border. Some “new” houses have been built on old plots once owned by the Favour Royal Estate, and some of the old gate houses still exist in both Southern and Northern Ireland.
History
Sir Thomas Ridgeway was one of hundreds of English and Scottish aristocrats who obtained slices of Ulster during the plantation era.
It was the cheapest and most convenient way that the ruling monarch had of repaying them for services rendered.
In Ridgeway’s case he was treasurer of wars in Ireland. In 1610 King James I granted him a total of 1,720 hectares, (4,300 acres) in the Clogher valley area.
In 1613 he built a castle in Augher and then sold his entire estate to Sir James Erskine in 1622. In 1630 a defect was discovered in the original grant of lands to Ridgeway and King Charles I made a re-grant of the lands to Erskine.
This Royal Favour was acknowledged by naming the estate Favour Royal.
Sir James Erskine son Archibald having two daughters Mary and Ann . Mary married William Richardson and took up living in Augher castle. Later as Sir William Richardson he gained fame as the magistrate who kept a supply of Shillelaghs for the settlements of legal disputes.
The other daughter Ann, married John Moutray in 1670 .
The Moutray family continued to live there until the death of Mrs Anketell Moutray on New years day 1975. The house and what remained of the estate was sold in 1976.
A major part of the estate was acquired by the Forest service. The total area is approx 500 hectares (1,250 acres).
Favour Royal Woodland Site, County Tyrone; Archaeological Report
2.14.1 Introduction
2.14.1.1 Location
This site is located approximately 15km north of Monaghan town on the Monaghan border, Co. Tyrone (Figure 46).
2.14.2 Receiving Environment
2.14.2.1 Placenames
County “Tyrone or in Irish “Tir Eoghain”; the descendants of Eoghan [Owen], son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, possessed the territory extending over the counties of Tyrone and Derry and the two baronies of Raphoe and Inishowen in Donegal; all this district was anciently called Tir-Eoghain [Tir-Owen: Wars of GG], ‘Owen’s territory’, which is now written Tyrone and restricted to one county” (Joyce 1856, 88). “Tir” in Irish means broadly “country”, “land”, “territory” and “the people of any of these concepts” (Flanaghan & Flanaghan 1994, 152).
Townland
Favour Royal Demesne; circa 1655. The townland derives its name from Favour Royal Bawn, a large fortified mansion house ruins of which stand in the neighbouring townland of Lismore on the opposite side of the Blackwater.
Favour Royal House was built by Sir Thomas Ridgeway in 1611 and named because the land was granted as a royal favour from James 1st.
The present mansion dates from 1824. The original name of the townland was “Achadh Maoil” meaning “field of the bald hillock” (McKay 1999, 69).
Barony
Clogher; in Irish “Clochar” meaning “stony place” (Flanaghan & Flanaghan 1994, 191). “Clogher is so named after the keeping-place Clogh-Oir, the ‘Gold Stone’, a gold covered Pagan image. In the sixth century it was the centre of the kingdom of Oriel. Behind the cathedral is the hill-fort of Rathmore, inauguration place of the kings of Oriel” (Pennick 1996, 184-5).
Parish
Errigal Trough in Monaghan, ‘the church of [the barony of] Trough’. Errigal Trough; “Errigal”, in Irish “Aireagal”, meaning ‘a habitation, a small church’ (Joyce 1856, 98).
2.14.2.2 Topography
The topography of the site comprises:
(i) Typical drumlin country, conical hill and valley
2.14.2.3 Cartographic Sources
An analysis of Ordnance Survey maps from the early nineteenth century to date gives a picture of the development of the townland over time. There is no Down Survey map available for this county.
The 1st edition Ordnance Survey map (1834) shows the forest site of Favour Royal as only partially forested on its western and eastern sides (Figure 48). The majority of the forest site is unforested in 1834. Favour Royal forest site is located within ‘Favour Royal Demesne’ townland and contains 670 acres 3 roods and 20 perches. Favour Royal Demesne House is well denoted with large areas of formal gardens to the east of the house. The townland comprises large field plots many of which show some sort of tree cover whether sparse planting or tree-lined field boundaries. There is woodland directly north of the house and to the west. A ‘fort’ is denoted in the south-eastern corner representing TY059:064 (enclosure). A ‘quarry’ is located in the woodland to the east of the forest site while a ‘well’ and ‘ruin’ are noted to the west of the forest site within Favour Royal Demesne. A ‘Church’ is located in the north-west corner of the townland with a wooded area to the north and south.
In the townlands of Derrymeen, Lismore and Cullenbrone to the north of Favour Royal demesne the townlands show wooded areas along their southern boundaries adjoining Favour Royal Demesne. The rest of the townlands are devoid of trees. They appear well laid out in rectilinear field plots in 1834. Deer Park townland to the south-west of the forest site shows some wooded areas while Edenmore townland to the west of Favour Royal demesne shows sparse tree cover on the east and tree-lined boundaries in the west of the townland close to a ‘ruin’. In Drumadarragh townland to the west of Favour Royal demesne a ‘Fort’ and ‘Quarry’ (TY059:054) are noted in close proximity to the adjoining townland of Favour Royal demesne.
The 3rd edition Ordnance Survey map (1936-46) shows the forest site as largely unforested except on the western and eastern margins (Figure 49). Favour Royal Demesne is clearly denoted and contains 699 acres and 3 perches at this time. Favour Royal House is located north of the forest site with ‘St. Mary’s Church-Portclare’ located to the west of the house. There is an area of woodland to the south-west of the church. The demesne of Favour Royal borders the forest site to the north. The area of woodland arcing around the forest site to the south is called ‘Latten Wood’ between 1936 and 1946. Two recorded archaeological sites are noted; one to the west of the forest site comprising a ‘Fort’; TY059:063 and to the east of the forest site a ‘Fort’; TY059:064.
The townland of Deer Park to the south-west of the forest site is predominately wooded between 1936 and 1946 as is the townland of Edenmore to the west. In Lismore townland to the north-east, ‘Lismore Wood’ is shown bordering Favour Royal Demesne on the south. In Derrymeen townland to the north, ‘Brownhill Wood’ and ‘Brown Hill’ as well as ‘Fort Hill’ are clearly shown bordering Favour Royal Demesne on the south. Killybrick House is well depicted to the north-west of the forest site within the townland of Callagh. ‘Killybrick Wood’ is noted further north-west as well as ‘Gallagh Wood’.
2.14.2.4 History
An early account of the parish of Errigal Trough is gained from Samuel Lewis in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland during his travels in the early nineteenth century:
“Errigal Trough, a parish partly in the barony of Clogher, county of Tyrone but chiefly in that of Trough, county of Monaghan and province of Ulster, three miles south south-west from Aughnacloy, on the road to Emyvale and on the river Blackwater; contains 49321 inhabitants. It comprises 24,792 and one quarter statute acres, according to the Ordnance Survey of which 21,174 and one quarter acres are in Monaghan and 102 and one quarter are under water; 21,834 acres are applotted under the Tithe Act. About four-fifths of the land are arable and pasture and there is a great deal of mountainous land used for grazing and some bog on the western boundary; agriculture is improving. There is an abundance of limestone and sandstone and coal is supposed to exist in the Sleabea mountains, though it has not been worked. On the north-west confines of the parish is Lough More. A small factory for weaving linen has been recently erected here. The gentlemen’s seats are Fort Singleton, that of T. Singleton, Esq., situated in a well wooded demesne of 200 acres; Favour Royal, the handsome residence of J. Corry Mountray, Esq., erected near the site of the ancient house which was destroyed by fire in 1823 and surrounded by a richly wooded demesne of 740 acres; and Laurel Hill of W.H. Mayne Esq. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Clogher and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is appropriate to the see of Clogher; the tithes amount to £400 of which £215.7.8 and one quarter is payable to the Bishop and the remainder to the incumbent. The glebe house stands on a glebe of 40 acres. The church is a very neat modest structure; a handsome cruciform church in the later English style with a square tower at the north-east angle was erected in the demesne of Favour Royal in 1835, at an expense of £1000 by Mr. J. C. Mountray Esq., who has endowed it with £50 per annum, augmented with £30 per annum by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners; it is open to the public, there being no other within three miles of Favour Royal and is called St. Mary’s, Portclare; the living is a donative in the patronage of the founder.
The Roman Catholic parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church and containes three chapels, one at Knockconnan built in 1820 at an expense of £700; another in the townland of Drimbriston built in 1823 at an expense of £500; the third built in 1787 in the townland of Mullyoden. The first two were erected and the third repaired under the exertions of Rev. C. McDermot, the parish priest. There is a national school at Moy; there are three other public schools of which one at Fort Singleton is supplemented by T. Singleton Esq., who built the school house, in which the curate of the parish performed divine service twice every Sunday. There are also four hedge schools, three scriptural and four Sunday schools. In that portion of the parish which is in Co. Tyrone is a remarkable place called Altadawin, where it is said St. Patrick assembled the first of his followers: it is a valley, 150 feet deep through the centre of which a tongue of land of considerable altitude extends and on the summit stands a large rock in the form of an altar, adjoining which is another rock in the form of a chair. The valley is covered with trees and a beautiful stream runs nearly through its centre. A royal residence of an independent prince of the O’ Nial family is reported to have stood here formerly” (Lewis 1837, 29).
Favour Royal Demesne dates to circa 1655. The townland derives its name from Favour Royal Bawn, a large fortified mansion house in ruins which stands in the neighbouring townland of Lismore on the opposite side of the Blackwater. Favour Royal Demesne House was built by Sir Thomas Ridgeway in 1611 and named because the land was granted as a royal favour from James 1st.
The present mansion dates to from 1824. “The original name of the townland was “Achadh Maoil” meaning “field of the bald hillock” (McKay 1999, 69).
A number of notable houses were identified in the vicinity of the forest including Favour Royal Demesne House to the north; Killybrick House to north-west and Anktell Mountray Hall to south-west.
Bence Jones describes Favour Royal Demesne House as follows:
“Mountray: A somewhat austere Tudor-Gothic house of 1825, said to be an architect named William Warren; built for John Corry Mountray to replace a house of 1670 destroyed by fire in 1823. It is two storey with an attic of rather low-pitched gables in front; three storeys at the back. The front of the house has large rectilinear windows with elaborate Gothic tracery and hood mouldings over them. Now owned by the Forestry Commission” (Bence-Jones 1988, 124).
2.14.2.5 Folklore
There was no material revealed during an examination of the Department of Irish Folklore archive in UCD.
2.14.3 Field Inspection
2.14.3.1 One of the smaller sites, measuring only 12 hectares. It is located just across the border from Monaghan and is part of the same forest complex as Derrynagill. It consists of relatively young conifers (Plate 48) and was thus difficult to access and had low visibility. The entire site was surveyed and no archaeological sites were identified. No vernacular structures or field walls were identified.
On the adjacent hilltop to the study area is a large bivalliate ringfort. It is quite substantial and is situated in a commanding location with good views of the surrounding countryside. It was likely an important site. It consists of a substantial inner bank, over 2m in height (Plate 48) and a lower outer bank (Plate 49) with a space of approximately 2m between them. There is no sign of an associated ditch feature. The banks are currently covered with mature deciduous trees. It may in fact be a tree ring and not a ringfort.
2.14.3.2 New Sites
There were no new archaeological sites identified as part of the forest survey.
2.14.4 Desk Study
2.14.4.1 The Recorded Monuments (Figure 47)
The Sites and Monuments record (SMR) of Dúchas-The Heritage Service, Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands refers to the following sites within and in the environs of Favour Royal Woodland, County Tyrone.
From the 6″ Ordnance Survey maps, a list of the archaeological sites and their proximity to the woodland site was compiled.
SMR No. Distance to Favour Royal Woodland Site Type
TY059:051 500m N Enclosure (site of)
TY059:064 20m E Enclosure Settlement
TY059:063 70m S Rath
TY059:054 500m W Enclosure
TY059:050 650m NW Rath
There are no recorded archaeological monuments within Favour Royal Demesne Woodland.
Within the environs of Favour Royal Demesne Woodland the following SMR sites are recorded:
SMR No. TY059:051
Townland Derrymeen
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Enclosure (site of)
NGR Not Indicated
Height O.D. 200 feet OD
Description The site was kicked up as a possible enclosure site from the name ‘Fort Hill’. The hill itself is a low rounded topped feature within Favour Royal Forest. At present its lower slopes are heavily planted with mature conifers but its summit is unplanted grass. Local forester informs that the summit was a timber storage area and has been left unplanted. The hills somewhat flat topped and has no visible evidence for a fort or enclosure although high grass could obscure slight breaks of slope. There are several vehicle tracks across the summit. Forester also has not come across any upstanding remains on the hill therefore doubt if there was a site here or if there was it has been levelled. Remains of an enclosure on Fort Hill. No visible remains or knowledge amongst forestry personnel.
Classification C
Area of Interest 30m
Distance 500m N
SMR No. TY059:064
Townland Favour Royal Demesne
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Enclosure Settlement
NGR Not Indicated
Height O.D. 200 feet OD
Description Located on a reasonably flat hilltop over looking a tributary of the River Blackwater. A small circular site defined by a low bank and external ditch. It has been slightly truncated at the east by a field boundary. The interior is reasonably level and a gap at the west seems to be an entrance. It is sparsely planted with mature conifers as part of a larger plantation. The site measures 13m in diameter N-S. The surrounding bank is 3m wide, 1.20m above the interior and 1m above the ditch. The ditch is well silted up and is 2m wide. The entrance is 3m wide at the top and 1.30m wide at the base. There is a causeway over the ditch.
Classification C
Area of Interest 30m
Distance 20m E
SMR No. TY059:063
Townland Favour Royal Demesne
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Rath
NGR Not Indicated
Height O.D. Not Indicated
Description The site is situated on the western edge of a drumlin with good views to west, north and south-west. The ground falls away steeply to the west. The site consists of a central area sloping down towards the north enclosed by a bank, ditch and counterscarp bank. Beech trees are planted all over the site but sparsely in the centre. It creates a very fine landscape feature. The counterscarp is turned into a field fence by a ditch on the outside. This turns into a regular line running away from the site at the east but the low counterscarp continues around the site. The site measures 33m N-S and 30m E-W. The site is not a bivalliate rath as stated in the scheduling papers of the DOE.
Classification C
Area of Interest 30m
Distance 70m S
SMR No. TY059:054
Townland Drumadarragh
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Enclosure: Not an Antiquity
NGR Not Indicated
Height O.D. Not Indicated
Description The site appears on the 3rd edition Ordnance Survey map as a portion of an enclosed land to the west of the crossroads, comprising one quarter of an oval. The site is adjacent to Favour Royal forest.
The area to the west of the junction is now occupied by a house, walled yard and garden. Formerly a small school house. In the garden east of the house is a small depression. There is nothing visible which corresponds with the 3rd edition O.S. map enclosure.
The house and yard lie on a very slight rise to the south of a level curved area before land rises again to the north but this may be natural. It could just be very eroded enclosure.
Classification N/A
Area of Interest N/A
Distance 500m W
SMR No. TY059:050
Townland Derrymeen
Barony Not Indicated
Site Type Rath
NGR H 6061 5292
Height O.D. 200 Feet OD
Description Substantial remains; located on a prominent hilltop with good views. This appears to be a rath with a tree plantation a little distance outside it. The site consists of an internal 26m by 22m enclosed bank and outer ditch. The bank is 5m wide, 1m high internally and 1.50m above the ditch which is 2m wide and 0.20m deep. The tree-ring consists of a bank 3m wide, 1m high internally and 1.20m above a outer ditch 1.50m wide ad 0.30m deep. The rath and tree ring are separated by a berm 8m wide.
Classification C
Area of Interest 30m
Distance 650m NW
2.14.4.2 Desk study revealed no recorded archaeological sites within the forest site while there are five known archaeological sites in the immediate vicinity.
2.14.4.3 Stray finds
The Topographical Files of the National Museum of Ireland were examined in which all stray finds are provenanced to townland. The following is a list of the townlands within and in the environs of Favour Royal forest.
Townland Proximity to Forest
Favour Royal Demesne Within
Derrymeen To North
There are no stray finds recorded from the townland of Favour Royal in which the forest is located.
There are no stray finds recorded from other adjacent and surrounding townlands in the vicinity of Favour Royal forest site.
2.14.5 Predicted Impacts
The scale of works planned for this site will involve both clearfelling and planting. Both of these processes are inherently destructive with ground disturbances associated with the use of heavy machinery (for tree removal) and preparation of the land for planting (with the excavation of drainage ditches).
While the areas to be affected have been surveyed in an attempt at locating and identifying previously unknown archaeological sites, no new sites were revealed. However, it must be borne in mind that archaeological remains with little above ground surface expression may survive below the ground surface. Such features would only be revealed during earthmoving and ground preparation works where such archaeological sites would be directly compromised by these subsequent works. Please see the mitigations and recommendation section in volume 1 for suggested mitigations.
*Please note that it was not possible to reproduce figures for inclusion on the website version of the reports.
reposted
http://www.millenniumforests.com/16forests/surveys/archfav.htm
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