[Illustration: ANTRIM CASTLE, THE RESIDENCE OF THE EARL OF MASSARENE]
The fine old mansion of the noble family of Skeffington, of which
our prefixed wood-cut will give a very correct general idea, is well
deserving of notice, not only from its grandeur of size and the beauty
of its situation, but still more as presenting an almost unique example,
in Ireland, of the style of domestic architecture introduced into the
British islands from France, immediately after the Restoration.
This castle is generally supposed to have been erected in or about the
year 1662, by Sir John Clotworthy, Lord Massarene, who died in 1665, and
whose only daughter and heir, Mary, by her marriage with Sir John, the
fifth baronet of the Skeffington family, carried the Massarene estate and
title into the latter family. But though there can be no doubt, from the
architectural style of the building, that Antrim castle was re-edified
at this period, there is every reason to believe that it was founded
long before, and that it still preserves, to a great extent, the form
and walls of the original structure. The Castle of Antrim, or Massarene,
as it is now generally called, appears to have been originally erected
early in the reign of James I., by Sir Hugh Clotworthy, who, by the
establishment of King James I. had the charge of certain boats at
Massarene and Lough Sidney, or Lough Neagh, with an entertainment of five
shillings Irish by the day, and 18 men to serve in and about the said
boats, at ten-pence Irish by the day each. This grant was made to him by
patent for life, in 1609; and on a surrender of it to the king in 1618,
it was re-granted to him, and his son and heir John Clotworthy, with a
pension of six shillings and eight pence per day, and to the longer liver
of them for life, payable out of the revenue. For this payment Sir Hugh
Clotworthy and his son were to build and keep in repair such and so many
barks and boats as were then kept upon the lough, and under his command,
without any charge to the crown, to be at all times in readiness for
his Majesty’s use, as the necessity of his service should require. John
Clotworthy succeeded his father as captain of the barks and boats, by
commission dated the 28th January 1641, at 15s. a-day for himself; his
lieutenant, 4s.; the master, 4s.; master’s mate, 2s.; a master gunner,
1s. 6d.; two gunners, 12d.; and forty men at 8d. each.
On the breaking out of the rebellion shortly afterwards, the garrison at
Antrim was considerably increased, and the fortifications of the castle
and town were greatly strengthened by Sir John Clotworthy, who became
one of the most distinguished leaders of the parliamentary forces in the
unhappy conflict which followed. Still commanding the boats of Lough
Neagh, that magnificent little inland sea, as we may not very improperly
call it, became the scene of many a hard contest between the contending
parties, of one of which Sir R. Cox gives the following graphic account.
It took place in 1642.
“But the reader will not think it tedious to have a description of
a naval battel in Ireland, which happened in this manner: Sir John
Clotworthy’s regiment built a fort at Toom, and thereby got a convenience
to pass the Ban at pleasure, and to make incursions as often as he
pleased into the county of Londonderry. To revenge this, the Irish
garrison at Charlemont built some boats, with which they sailed down the
Black-water into Loughneagh and preyed and plundered all the borders
thereof. Hereupon, those at Antrim built a boat of twenty tun, and
furnished it with six brass guns; and they also got six or seven lesser
boats, and in them all they stowed three hundred men, under the command
of Lieutenant-Colonel Owen O’Conally (the discoverer of the rebellion,
who was a stout and active man) and Captain Langford. These sailed over
the lough, and landed at the mouth of the Black-water, where they cast
up two small forts, and returned. But the Irish found means to pass
by these forts, in dark nights, and not only continued their former
manner of plundering, but also raised a small fort at Clanbrazill, to
protect their fleet upon any emergency. Upon notice of this, Conally and
Langford manned out their navy again, and met the Irish near the shore
of Clanbrazill; whereupon a naval battel ensued: but the rebels being
fresh-water soldiers, were soon forced on shore; and the victors pursuing
their fortune, followed them to the fort, and forced them to surrender
it: and in this expedition sixty rebels were slain, and as many were
taken prisoners, which, together with the boats, were brought in triumph
to Antrim.”
But Sir John Clotworthy’s little fleet were not always so successful
against the Irish as on this occasion. In an Irish MS. journal of the
rebellion it is stated that on the 15th September 1645, a boat belonging
to the governor of Massarene was captured by Sir Felim O’Neil, in which
were two brass cannon, ten muskets, twelve barrels of salted fish, some
sailors, and a company of soldiers. They brought it to the mouth of the
river Black-water, at Charlemont. The journalist coolly adds, “Some of
the men were hanged, and some redeemed!” And again, according to the same
authority, in May 1646, Sir Felim had the good fortune to capture seven
boats, taking fourteen men prisoners, and killing above twenty more.
However, upon the whole, the governor of Massarene did good service to
the cause of the Protector, for which, in consideration of the surrender
of his pension of 6s. 8d. a-day, &c. an indenture was perfected on the
14th of August 1656 between the Protector and him, whereby a lease was
granted him for 99 years of Lough Neagh, with the fishing and soil
thereof, and the islands therein, and also the lough and river of Ban,
and as far as the Salmon-leap, containing six salmon-fishings, and
two mixed fishings of salmon and eels, &c.; and being instrumental in
forwarding the restoration of King Charles II. after Cromwell’s death,
he was raised to the peerage by patent, dated at Westminster, Nov. 21,
1660, by the title of Baron of Lough Neagh and Viscount Massarene,
entailing the honours, in case of failure of his issue male, on Sir John
Skeffington and his issue male, with whom they have since remained. A new
patent, constituting Sir John Skeffington captain of Lough Neagh, was
granted to him in 1680.
We shall conclude with a few words upon the castle itself, which is
beautifully situated at the extremity of the principal street of the town
of Antrim, on the banks of the Six-mile-water river, and immediately
contiguous to Lough Neagh. The entrance from the town is through a fine
gate-house, in the Tudor style of architecture, built of cut lime-stone,
and closed by two folding-doors of cast iron, which are opened from a
room overhead by means of machinery. The principal front of the castle
faces the gate-house, and is in the centre of a curtain wall, connecting
two large square towers placed at the angles of the building, and which
again have smaller circular towers at three of their angles. This front
is approached by a magnificent double stone staircase, and presents a
great variety of enrichments in the French style of the seventeenth
century, and is also decorated with shields having the armorial bearings
of the founder’s family, and with medallions containing the portraits
of Charles I. and II. The greatest length of the castle, however, runs
parallel with the river, from which it is separated only by a low parapet
wall, while the terraces of the gardens are situated on the other side.
These gardens are no less attractive than the castle itself, with which
they appear to be of equal age; they are laid out in the French style,
the flower-beds being formed into a variety of patterns, among which
that of the _fleur-de-lis_ is the most common and conspicuous. This
design is in its way extremely beautiful, and to carry it out fully, no
expense or trouble seems to have been spared. The borders are often of
triple and quadruple rows of box, between which is laid fine gravel of
different colours, which adds greatly to the effect. It is said that
a red kind of this gravel was imported from Holland, and cost upwards
of 1s. 2d. a quart. This garden is traversed from east to west by a
succession of fish-ponds, of which the most central one is circular, and
the rest oblong: and miniature cascades conduct the water from the most
elevated of these ponds to the lowest. The timber in this garden is of
great age and beauty, particularly the lime and oak; and it contains two
or three specimens of the rhododendron, which are celebrated for their
magnificence, being fully fifteen feet in height, and of corresponding
circumference.
The house contains some fine pictures and curious articles of antique
furniture.