Richhill Castle is a 17th-century Grade A listed country house in the large village of Richhill, in the townland of Legacorry, Armagh, Northern Ireland roughly halfway between Armagh and Portadown.
It is a two-storey building with a gabled attic in the high pitched roof. It consists of a 5-bay central range flanked by two wings, all with Dutch-style gables. [1]
The Legacorry estate was acquired in 1610 by Francis Sacherevall, a planter from Leicestershire, who constructed a house on the 1000-acre site. The property passed down to his granddaughter Anne, who had married Major Edward Richardson. [1]
The present house was constructed between 1664 and 1669 for Major Richardson, who served as MP for County Armagh from 1661 to 1689 and was appointed High Sheriff of Armagh for 1665–66. The estate and village then came to be known as Richhill. It was inherited by Edward's son William, twice MP for Co. Armagh (1692–95 and 1715–27) and High Sheriff in 1690, who died without an heir in 1727. The property passed to his brother John and thence to John's grandson William, also MP for Co. Armagh from 1783 to 1798 and High Sheriff for 1777. He commissioned ornate gates and railings eighteen to twenty feet high topped with the Richardson family's coat of arms from the Thornberry Brothers of Armagh. These were removed in 1936 "for safe keeping" to Hillsborough Castle, then the residence of the governor of Northern Ireland. [1]
William married twice and left three daughters, none of whom had children. The estate therefore passed in 1881 to the Richardson's of Rossfad House, Co. Fermanagh, inherited by Colonel John Mervyn Archdall Carleton Richardson, JP and Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff in 1888. Since that time there have been various owners, including Major Robert Gordon Berry, the Northern Ireland Education Authority and Sam Hewitt. [1] Sam Hewitt sold it in 1959 to the Lyttle family, the present owners, who have restored much of the house and garden.[ citation needed ]
There are plans to raise a trust fund and put the building into community use. [2] [3]
County Armagh is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 1,327 km2 (512 sq mi) and has a population of 194,394 as of the 2021 census. County Armagh is known as the "Orchard County" because of its many apple orchards. The county is part of the historic province of Ulster.
Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh. Lurgan is about 18 miles (29 km) south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin railway line. It had a population of about 28,634 at the 2021 UK census and is within the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon district. For some purposes, Lurgan is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area" along with neighbouring Craigavon and Portadown.
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 24 mi (39 km) southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of about 22,000 at the 2011 Census. For some purposes, Portadown is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area", alongside Craigavon and Lurgan.
Springhill is a 17th-century plantation house in the townland of Ballindrum near Moneymore, County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It has been the property of the National Trust since 1957 and, in addition to the house, gardens and park, there is a costume collection and a purported ghost. It is open from March to June, and September on weekends, and is open to the public seven days a week during July and August.
Eyrecourt Castle was an Irish 17th century country house in Galway which became a ruin in the 20th century. The house, the surrounding estate, and the nearby small town of Eyrecourt all took their name from Colonel the Right Hon. John Eyre, an Englishman who was granted a large parcel of land in recognition of his part in the military campaign in Galway during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. There was an earlier fortified house or castle on the same land.
Gosford Castle is a 19th-century country house situated in Gosford, a townland of Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It was built for Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford, and designed in the Norman revival style by London architect Thomas Hopper. It is a Grade A listed building, and is said to be Ulster's largest. The Earls of Gosford occupied the castle until 1921, and the estate was later purchased by the Ministry of Agriculture to form Gosford Forest Park. The building subsequently deteriorated and in 2006 was sold to a development company who converted the castle into private dwellings.
Richhill is a large village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies between Armagh and Portadown. It had a population of 2,738 people in the 2021 Census.
Major James Matthew Stronge was a soldier and Ulster Unionist Party MP in the Parliament of Northern Ireland, and the later Northern Ireland Assembly. He was the son and heir of Sir Norman Stronge, Bt; they were both killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army at his family home, Tynan Abbey.
The A3 is a major road in Northern Ireland. It travels through County Antrim, County Down, County Armagh and parts of southern County Fermanagh.
Bailieborough Castle was located in Bailieborough, County Cavan, Ireland. It was built in an enclosed demesne by 1629. Also known as Castle House, Lisgar House, or simply 'The Castle', the country house was located just to the south-west of Castle Lough in what is now known as Bailieborough Demesne, on the north-western edge of the town. It was largely destroyed by fire in the early 20th century and is now totally demolished.
Burrenwood is a cottage orné or country house and estate near Castlewellan, County Down, Northern Ireland.
Derrymore House is a National Trust property in Bessbrook, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The grounds are open to the public most of the year round and the drawing room or "Treaty Room" in the house itself on selected dates only. It is described by the National Trust as a "late 18th-century thatched house in gentrified vernacular style".
Walworth Castle is a castle of 12th-century origins, situated at Walworth, near Darlington, County Durham, England. It is a Grade 1 listed building. It was completed around 1600, probably by Thomas Holt for Thomas Jenison. It stands on the site of a former manor house or castle built in the 12th century by the Hansard family. The estate passed through the hands of the Ayscoughs and Aylmers besides the Hansards and Jenisons, and became a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II and then a girls' boarding school after the war. It has been a hotel since 1981.
William Richardson was an Irish landowner and Member of Parliament.
William Richardson was an Irish landowner from Richhill, County Armagh.
William Richardson (1656–1727) was an Irish politician.
Kilronan Castle, previously known as Castle Tenison, is a large country house standing in 40 acres (16 ha) of parkland on the shore of Lough Meelagh in County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the village of Ballyfarnon.
Ballymoyer House, now demolished, was an 18th-century country house which stood in a 7000-acre demesne in the townland of Ballintemple, some 5 km north east of Newtownhamilton, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Sir John Blennerhassett was an English-born judge and politician who became Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and sat in the Irish House of Commons as MP for Belfast. He was a member of a prominent Norfolk family which acquired large estates in Ireland, mainly in County Fermanagh. The Blennerhassett family have an enduring connection with County Kerry.
Arthur Chamberlain Brownlow was an Anglo-Irish politician.
54°19′57″N6°32′56″W / 54.3325°N 6.5489°W
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| Castles and military sites |  | |
| Churches and religious sites |
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| Museums and cultural sites |
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| Natural landmarks and outdoor spaces | ||
| Prehistoric landmarks | ||
| Stately homes |
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