A Life Less Ordinary

During its colourful history, Carton House observed the cosmopolitan and glamorous lifestyles of both royalty and celebrity. Having received such diverse company as Queen Victoria, Prince Rainier, Grace Kelly and Peter Sellers, the estate has also provided the backdrop for many TV and film productions, including Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon.

With a history spanning more than eight centuries, Carton Demesne has seen many changes in its lifetime. The Carton Estate first came into the ownership of the FitzGerald family shortly after Maurice FitzGerald played an active role in the capture of Dublin by the Normans in 1170 and was rewarded by being appointed Lord of Maynooth, an area covering townlands which include Carton.

His son became Baron Offaly in 1205 and his descendant John FitzGerald, became Earl of Kildare in 1315. Under the eighth earl the FitzGerald family reached pre-eminence as the virtual rulers of Ireland between 1477 and 1513.

But the eighth earl’s grandson, the eloquently titled “Silken Thomas” was executed in 1537, with his five uncles, for leading an uprising against the English. Although the FitzGeralds subsequently regained their land and titles, they did not regain their position at the English Court until the 18th Century when Robert, the 19th Earl of Kildare, became a noted statesman.

The first record of a house at Carton was in the 17th Century when William Talbot, recorder of the city of Dublin was given a lease of the lands by the 14th Earl of Kildare and is thought to have built a house here at this time. The house and lands were forfeited to the crown in 1691 and in 1703 sold to Major General Richard Ingoldsby, Master General of the Ordnance. In 1739, the lease was sold back to the 19th Earl of Kildare who employed Richard Castles to build the existing house. Castles was also responsible for some other great Irish Houses including Westport House, Powerscourt House and in 1745, Leinster House which he built for the FitzGeralds.

In 1747 James the 20th Earl of Kildare and from 1766 first Duke of Leinster, married Lady Emily Lennox, daughter of the Duke of Richmond and great–grand-daughter of the English King Charles II.

Lady Emily played an important role in the development of the house and estate as it is today. She created the Chinese room (bedroom to Queen Victoria) and decorated the famous Shell Cottage on the estate with shells from all round the world. One of Emily’s 23 children was the famous Irish Patriot Lord Edward FitzGerald, leader of the 1798 rebellion.

Carton remained unaltered until 1815 when the 3rd Duke decided to sell Leinster House to the R.D.S. and make Carton his principle residence. He employed Richard Morrison to enlarge and re-model the house. Morrison replaced the curved colonnades with straight connecting links to obtain additional rooms including the famous Dining room. At this time the entrance to the house was moved to north side.

Carton remained in the control of the FitzGeralds until the 1920s when the 7th Duke sold his birth right to a money lender Sir Harry Mallaby Deeley in order to pay off gambling debts of £67,500.

He was third in line to succeed and so did not think he would ever inherit, but one of his brothers died in the war and another of a brain tumour and so Carton was lost to the Fitzgeralds.

Lord Brockett purchased the house in 1949 and in 1977 his son David Nall-Cain sold the house to its present owners Lee and Mary Mallaghan.

Hear what RTE's Nationwide Program had to say on the history of Carton House.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0911/nationwide.html