Terregles House
Encyclopedia
Terregles House was a late 18th-century country house, located near Terregles
, around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of Dumfries
in south-west Scotland
. It replaced an earlier tower house
, which had served as the seat of the Lords Herries
, and later the Earls of Nithsdale
, until William Maxwell
, the 5th Earl, forfeited his titles in 1716.
In 1776, Winifred Maxwell, the granddaughter of the 5th Earl of Nithsdale, served as heir general to her father, inheriting the Terregles property. She and her husband, William Haggerston Constable of Everingham, commissioned the architect Sir Robert Smirke to design a new house. On completion, the old castle was demolished. The new house became home to the Constable-Maxwells and their seven children.
In 1848 Winifred's grandson, William Constable-Maxwell, obtained an Act of Parliament restoring him as the descendent of William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale, and ten years later the House of Lords
declared him the 10th Lord Herries of Terregles
. His descendants, the Constable-Maxwells, lived at Terregles until early in the twentieth century when the property was let out.
The estates were sold after the First World War, and in the early 1930s the house and contents were also sold. The house was requisitioned during the Second World War and was the residence of King Haakon VII of Norway
during the German occupation of his homeland. The property was not reoccupied after the war, and was stripped of its contents in the 1950s. It was demolished with explosives in 1962, as it had become infested with dry rot
. The former stables, also designed by Smirke and built around 1830, are now a category A listed building.
Terregles
Terregles is a village and parish near Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the former county of Kirkcudbrightshire.The name Terregles is said to be a corruption of Brythonic Tir-eglwys...
, around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
in south-west Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It replaced an earlier tower house
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
, which had served as the seat of the Lords Herries
Lord Herries of Terregles
Lord Herries of Terregles is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1490 for Herbert Herries. On the death of his grandson, the third Lord, the male line failed. He was succeeded by his daughter Agnes. She married Sir John Maxwell, second son of Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell...
, and later the Earls of Nithsdale
Earl of Nithsdale
Earl of Nithsdale was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1620 for Robert Maxwell, 9th Lord Maxwell, with remainder to heirs male. He was made Lord Maxwell, Eskdale and Carlyle at the same time...
, until William Maxwell
William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale
William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale was a Catholic nobleman, who took part in the Jacobite Rising of 1715.He was the eldest son of Robert, fourth Earl of Nithsdale , and Lady Lucie Douglas , daughter of William, eleventh earl of Angus and first Marquess of Douglas. He was probably born at...
, the 5th Earl, forfeited his titles in 1716.
In 1776, Winifred Maxwell, the granddaughter of the 5th Earl of Nithsdale, served as heir general to her father, inheriting the Terregles property. She and her husband, William Haggerston Constable of Everingham, commissioned the architect Sir Robert Smirke to design a new house. On completion, the old castle was demolished. The new house became home to the Constable-Maxwells and their seven children.
In 1848 Winifred's grandson, William Constable-Maxwell, obtained an Act of Parliament restoring him as the descendent of William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale, and ten years later the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
declared him the 10th Lord Herries of Terregles
Lord Herries of Terregles
Lord Herries of Terregles is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1490 for Herbert Herries. On the death of his grandson, the third Lord, the male line failed. He was succeeded by his daughter Agnes. She married Sir John Maxwell, second son of Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell...
. His descendants, the Constable-Maxwells, lived at Terregles until early in the twentieth century when the property was let out.
The estates were sold after the First World War, and in the early 1930s the house and contents were also sold. The house was requisitioned during the Second World War and was the residence of King Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
during the German occupation of his homeland. The property was not reoccupied after the war, and was stripped of its contents in the 1950s. It was demolished with explosives in 1962, as it had become infested with dry rot
Dry rot
Dry rot refers to a type of wood decay caused by certain types of fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness...
. The former stables, also designed by Smirke and built around 1830, are now a category A listed building.
External links
- Historic Houses owned by Maxwell in Scotland, Maxwell World Website.