This post pertains to genealogy, a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary subject for this blog. Genealogy is prickly; mostly of interest to a limited few close (more or less) relatives. What brings me to broach the subject is that we are again considering a trip this Easter. This time to Ireland and an overnight or two to Scotland...if only as a matter of principle.
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| Kilwaughter Castle, Antrim, Ireland |
While in Ireland, among other things, we'd like to take in the ruins of Kilwaughter Castle. Located in County Antrim, North Ireland about three miles from the end of the rail line in Larne, Kilwaughter is allegedly the starting place (prior to immigration to America) of some of Darla's line. Specifically, the Gingles family (under various spellings) who are said to have worked there. It's a matter of family stories being chipped away by realities, in a sense. It's made its way from the halcyon days of "Our family had a castle." to "Well, they worked at one." Is what it is.
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| Kilwaughter Castle, Antrim, Ireland |
The castle, incidentally, is not quite so old as it seems. Kilwaughter's ruin (okay, almost the whole of it) was built by architect John Nash for the Agnew family from 1803 to 1807. So, not so old. It was, however, constructed on the site of an older 17th century tower, said to date to 1622 and which was partially incorporated into the new design. So, it's age is perhaps a matter of how one looks at it.
Nash, an English architect of the Georgian and Regency eras, had a rather significant role in changing Britain's landscape. He also had some curious domestic troubles...inexplicable. First of all, his wife Jane was living beyond their means. Not the first time in mankind's history. The Garden of Eden comes to mind. And ultimately Nash would be driven into bankruptcy; again not the first time that's happened either. But Jane had certain issues worth mentioning, if only because they seem so fantastical. Apparently, she faked two pregnancies with Mr. Nash and imposed two "spurious" children upon him as being their own. Assuming they were doing so, how you could cohabitate and not know is a valid question. We'll just say it was a different age.
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| Kilwaughter Castle room, Antrim, Ireland |
Nash sent wife Jane away for reformation, first to Aberavon, Wales to stay with a cousin, Ann Morgan. Jane then came back to London, continued to live luxuriously and...her affairs led to an illegitimate child with a Mr. Charles Charles. In a subsequent lawsuit, Charles admitted the child, but alas. He died in prison unable to pay the damages. A divorce from Jane upon adultery was finalized in January 1787, after some 12-years of fooling with her. After that, Nash came into his own as an British architect.
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| Kilwaughter Castle room, Antrim, Ireland |
Anyhow, Kilwaughter now stands in ruin (since 1951). It's ignominious fate resulted from the passage of time and various inheritances and marriages to ever more distant relatives. By the time World War Two broke out, the property was in the hands of an Italian noble family. Since Italians were (temporarily) enemies, the UK government requisitioned (seized) the property as enemy assets. Eventually Kilwaughter castle saw the stationing of the US 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion in the build up prior to D-Day. After the war, Kilwaughter was put at auction. A scrap dealer won the bid, and set about stripping the property bare--staircases, chandeliers, furniture, windows, paneling...but he did leave the husk which remains in precarious condition.
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| Kilwaughter Castle staircase, Antrim, Ireland |
Today, the Kilwaughter ruin is privately owned, only recently changing hands. Unfortunately unlike Scotland's right-to-roam, one cannot simply traipse over fences in Ireland. Wish it were otherwise, but landowners frown on that we are told. So, we'll see if we can brush up permission to visit Kilwaughter. I took some liberty in snipping a few photos from Archiseek.com. Archiseek, by the by, is dedicated to chronicling "lost" buildings in Antrim. Here's their site: https://www.archiseek.com/kilwaughter-castle-co-antrim
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| Kilwaughter Castle, Antrim, Ireland |
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