Barretstown Castle
Encyclopedia
Barretstown Castle is a castle
in Ballymore Eustace
, County Kildare
, Republic of Ireland
. It stands on the site of a late 12th century Anglo-Norman
castle.
held after the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, when Barretstown Castle was listed as the property of the Archbishop of Dublin
, from whom it was promptly confiscated by the Crown
. Thereafter the Castle was held by the Eustace family on a series of "permanent lease
s."
In the 17th century Sir Walter Borrowes married a daughter of the earl of Kildare
and acquired the estate
, and the family retained possession for over 200 years. Members of the family, such as Sir Kildare Borrowes, 5th Baronet
, represented Kildare County
and Harristown in the former Parliament of Ireland
.
Unlike the Eustace baronet
s of the 16th and 17th centuries, the five Borrowes baronets who spanned the 19th century played no part in public life. This quiet aristocratic reign ended with the flamboyant Sir Kildare, 10th Baronet (1852–1924), whose father Rev. Sir Erasmus, 8th Baronet, had significantly modified the residence in a medieval, romantic, asymmetrical style. In 1918, the Borrowes family having left Ireland
, Barretstown was purchased by Sir George Sheppard Murray, a Scotsman
who converted the estate into a fine stud farm
, and planted many of the exotic trees that dominate the landscape.
In 1962 Elizabeth Arden
acquired the castle from the Murray family. Over five years, Arden extensively reconstructed, redecorated, and refurnished the castle. Her influence dominates the look of the house to this day. The door of the castle is reputed to have been painted red after her famous brand of perfume
Red Door, and remains so to this day.
After Arden's death in 1967, the international biscuit tycoon Garfield Weston
took up residence. Under his ownership the grounds were significantly improved, particularly through the addition of a magnificent lake in front of the castle.
The Weston family
, which owns Dublin's famous Brown Thomas
department store
, presented the estate to the Irish government
in 1977, during which time it was used for national and international conferences and seminars, as well as being used as a part of the Irish National Stud
.
The Irish government has leased the castle and its grounds to the Barretstown Gang Camp Fund for the next 90 years for a nominal
€1.26 per year. Part of Paul Newman's
Hole in the Wall Camps
, the Barretstown
Gang Camp opened in August 1994, serving 124 children. With the completion of the new medical centre and programme hall, in 1995 the camp served nearly 300 children from Ireland
, the United Kingdom
, Germany
, France
, the United States
, and Chernobyl disaster
areas. In 2009, Barretstown will serve 1900 children from around Europe
.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in Ballymore Eustace
Ballymore Eustace
Ballymore Eustace is a small town situated in County Kildare in Ireland, although until 1836 it lay within a "pocket" of County Dublin...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It stands on the site of a late 12th century Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
castle.
History
The first historical mention of the place is in a 1547 inquisitionInquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
held after the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, when Barretstown Castle was listed as the property of the Archbishop of Dublin
Archbishop of Dublin
The Archbishop of Dublin may refer to:* Archbishop of Dublin – an article which lists of pre- and post-Reformation archbishops.* Archbishop of Dublin – the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin....
, from whom it was promptly confiscated by the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
. Thereafter the Castle was held by the Eustace family on a series of "permanent lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
s."
In the 17th century Sir Walter Borrowes married a daughter of the earl of Kildare
George FitzGerald, 16th Earl of Kildare
George FitzGerald, 16th Earl of Kildare was known as the "Fairy Earl", apparently for no other reason than that his portrait, still extant, was painted on a small scale." He was the son of Thomas FitzGerald and Frances Randolph and grandson of Edward FitzGerald and Agnes Leigh.-Family:He...
and acquired the estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
, and the family retained possession for over 200 years. Members of the family, such as Sir Kildare Borrowes, 5th Baronet
Sir Kildare Borrowes, 5th Baronet
Sir Kildare Dixon Borrowes, 5th Baronet was an Irish politician.He was the oldest son of Sir Walter Borrowes, 4th Baronet and his wife Mary Pottinger, daughter of Captain Edward Pottinger. In 1741, Borrowes succeeded his father as baronet. Between 1745 and 1776, he represented Kildare County in...
, represented Kildare County
Kildare County (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Kildare County was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons to 1801.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Kildare County was represented with two members.-1689–1801:...
and Harristown in the former Parliament of Ireland
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
.
Unlike the Eustace baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
s of the 16th and 17th centuries, the five Borrowes baronets who spanned the 19th century played no part in public life. This quiet aristocratic reign ended with the flamboyant Sir Kildare, 10th Baronet (1852–1924), whose father Rev. Sir Erasmus, 8th Baronet, had significantly modified the residence in a medieval, romantic, asymmetrical style. In 1918, the Borrowes family having left Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Barretstown was purchased by Sir George Sheppard Murray, a Scotsman
Scotsman
Scotsman may mean:* a man from Scotland, in common parlance - see also Scottish people.* No true Scotsman, a common logical fallacy.*The Scotsman, a national newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland....
who converted the estate into a fine stud farm
Stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...
, and planted many of the exotic trees that dominate the landscape.
In 1962 Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Arden
Florence Nightingale Graham , who went by the business name Elizabeth Arden, was a Canadian-American businesswoman who built a cosmetics empire in the United States. At the peak of her career, she was one of the wealthiest women in the world.-Biography:Arden was born in 1884 at Woodbridge, Ontario,...
acquired the castle from the Murray family. Over five years, Arden extensively reconstructed, redecorated, and refurnished the castle. Her influence dominates the look of the house to this day. The door of the castle is reputed to have been painted red after her famous brand of perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
Red Door, and remains so to this day.
After Arden's death in 1967, the international biscuit tycoon Garfield Weston
W. Garfield Weston
Willard Garfield Weston, OC, , Canadian businessman and philanthropist, led George Weston Limited and its various subsidiaries and associated companies, including Associated British Foods, for half a century and established one of the world's largest food processing and distribution concerns...
took up residence. Under his ownership the grounds were significantly improved, particularly through the addition of a magnificent lake in front of the castle.
The Weston family
Weston family
The Weston family of Canada and the United Kingdom are prominent businesspeople with global interests in food and clothing businesses. The family operations began with the founding of a bakery in Toronto, Ontario by George Weston....
, which owns Dublin's famous Brown Thomas
Brown Thomas
Brown Thomas & Company Limited is a chain of four Irish department stores, located in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick. Owned by Wittington Investments, Brown Thomas is an upmarket chain, akin to Canada's Holt Renfrew chain and Britain's Selfridges stores, which are also controlled by the Weston...
department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
, presented the estate to the Irish government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
in 1977, during which time it was used for national and international conferences and seminars, as well as being used as a part of the Irish National Stud
Irish National Stud
The Irish National Stud is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility based at Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland...
.
The Irish government has leased the castle and its grounds to the Barretstown Gang Camp Fund for the next 90 years for a nominal
Peppercorn (legal)
A peppercorn in legal parlance is a metaphor for a very small payment, a nominal consideration, used to satisfy the requirements for the creation of a legal contract. "A peppercorn does not cease to be good consideration if it is established that the promisee does not like pepper and will throw...
€1.26 per year. Part of Paul Newman's
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
Hole in the Wall Camps
Hole in the Wall Camps
The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps is a nonprofit organization that unites the world's largest family of camps for children with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. Hole in the Wall Camps are free of charge to all campers and their families regardless of their ability to pay and...
, the Barretstown
Barretstown
Barretstown is a not for profit camp for children with cancer and other serious illnesses located at Barretstown Castle, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare, in Ireland...
Gang Camp opened in August 1994, serving 124 children. With the completion of the new medical centre and programme hall, in 1995 the camp served nearly 300 children from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
areas. In 2009, Barretstown will serve 1900 children from around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.