- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
THE EWART BARONETCY, OF GLENMACHAN AND GLENBANK, WAS CREATED IN 1887 FOR WILLIAM EWART, MAYOR OF BELFAST AND LINEN MANUFACTURER
The Ewarts, one of the great linen merchant families of the Lagan valley, can be traced back to the 18th century. in 1716, Thomas Ewart was granted a lease of a farm in the townland of Carnreagh, Annahilt, County Down.
The lease was renewed to his son, Thomas, in 1746: whose son, William, established his own company at Ballymacarrett, now a suburb of Belfast, about 1790. William Ewart and his son, William, established William Ewart & Son at Rosemary Street, Belfast, in 1814.
WILLIAM EWART (1759-1851), of Belfast, formerly of Annahilt, County Down, married, in 1810, Mary Anne, daughter of John Rossman, of Cootehill, County Cavan, and had issue,
WILLIAM, his heir;
Sarah Jane; Eliza.
Mr Ewart, an alderman of Belfast, was succeeded by his only son,
WILLIAM EWART JP (1817-89), of Glenmachan, Belfast, who wedded, in 1840, Isabella Kelso, daughter of Lavens Mathewson, and had issue,
WILLIAM QUARTUS, his heir;
Lavens Mathewson, father of LAVENS MATHEWSON A EWART, 4th Baronet;
Richard Hooker, father of TALBOT EWART, 5th Baronet;
James Mathewson;
George Herbert;
Frederick William, grandfather of WILLIAM IVAN C EWART, 6th Baronet;
Marianne; Lavinia.
Mr Ewart, Mayor of Belfast, 1859-60, MP for Belfast, 1878-89, was created a baronet in 1887, designated of Glenmachan House, County Down, and of Glenbank, Belfast.
He was succeeded by his eldest son,
SIR WILLIAM QUARTUS EWART JP DL, 2nd Baronet (1844-1919), of Glenmachan, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1897, who espoused, in 1876, Mary Warren, daughter of Robert Heard, of Pallastown, Kinsale, and had with other issue,
ROBERT HEARD, his successor;
Charles Gordon;
Charlotte Hope; Isabella Kelso; Mary Gundreda.
Sir William was succeeded by his second son,
SIR ROBERT HEARD EWART, 3rd Baronet (1879-1939), who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his cousin,
SIR LAVENS MATHEWSON ALGERNON EWART, 4th Baronet (1885-1939), who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his cousin,
SIR TALBOT EWART, 5th Baronet (1878-1959), of Glenmachan, who married, in 1913, Sydney Stuart, daughter of Louis P Henop, of New York City, USA, though the marriage was without issue, and Sir Talbot was succeeded by his cousin,
SIR WILLIAM IVAN CECIL EWART, 6th Baronet (1919-95), DSC, High Sheriff of County Antrim, 1976, who married, in 1948, Pauline Chevallier, daughter of Wing-Commander Raphael Chevalier Preston, and had issue,
WILLIAM MICHAEL, his successor;
Susan Eveleen; Patricia Rébé.
Sir Ivan, Lieutenant, Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve Coastal Forces, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, 1945; chairman, William Ewart & Sons, 1968-73; Chairman, Ewart Northern Ltd, 1973-77.
He was succeeded by his only son,
SIR WILLIAM MICHAEL EWART (b 1953), 7th and present Baronet, of Hillsborough, County Down.
THE EWARTS originally lived at Annahilt, near Hillsborough, County Down.
He was succeeded by his only son,
SIR WILLIAM MICHAEL EWART (b 1953), 7th and present Baronet, of Hillsborough, County Down.
THE EWARTS originally lived at Annahilt, near Hillsborough, County Down.
The 1st Baronet's father, William Ewart (1789-1873), moved to Glenbank at Ligoniel and became an alderman of Belfast.
In 1716, Thomas Ewart was granted twenty acres for a lease of a farm in the townland of Carnreagh, Annahilt, near Hillsborough.
In 1716, Thomas Ewart was granted twenty acres for a lease of a farm in the townland of Carnreagh, Annahilt, near Hillsborough.
Part of his agricultural activity involved the production of damask, which the then Linen Board encouraged.
The lease was renewed to his son Thomas in 1746; the latter's son William was more ambitious and sometime around 1790 set up his own concern at Ballymacarrett, then a village, now a suburb of Belfast, though he co-operated with the Hillsborough concern.
His business flourished, and he had agents outside Ulster.
He took his son, also William, into business with him and as William Ewart & Son set up an office and warehouse in Rosemary Street, Belfast, in 1814.
They were incorporated as William Ewart & Son in 1883.
The Ewart head office was at what has become known as the Ewart Building, formerly Bedford Street Weaving Factory, at 17 Bedford Street, opposite the Ulster Hall.
The tall, red-brick warehouses and weaving sheds at the rear have since been demolished.
Ewart's bought the building in 1876.
They also ran mills at Crumlin Road; Ligoniel; Ballysillan; and Matier Street, all in Belfast.
During Victorian times, Ewart's was the largest manufacturer of linen in the world.
The principal seat of the Ewart family was Glenmachan House (below), which was set in its own grounds off Old Holywood Road in east Belfast.
It is thought that the land at Glenmachan was sold by Sir Thomas McClure to the prominent Belfast architect of the time, Thomas Jackson, who proceeded to build Glenmachan House as his own residence; though sold it to Sir William Ewart some time thereafter.
Glenmachan was a relatively large house with stabling and a conservatory.
About 1894 a fire broke out in the stables.
The hay loft was seriously damaged, according to a local newspaper.
The grounds extended to 33 acres in 1876.
Glenmachan remained in ownership of the Ewart family till about 1976.
Thereafter, it became neglected and derelict, the sweeping lawns reverting to fields.
Despite some strong local opposition, Glenmachan House and grounds were finally sold to a property developer ca 1990, demolished and turned into a new housing development.
Glenmachan House is not to be confused with Glenmachan Tower, further along the road and formerly the Shillingtons' residence.
Glenbank House (ca 1875) used to be the Ewarts' family home.
It was situated on Ligoniel Road in Belfast.
Glenbank was purchased from Robert Thompson by Lavens Mathewson Ewart.
Ca 1920 the house and grounds were presented to Belfast Corporation for use as a public park.
All that now remains to remind us of its former existence are the gate pillars.
The Henderson (Belfast Newsletter/UTV) and Ewart families are related through marriage, Primrose Henderson's mother being Gundreda Ewart.
The Hendersons, whose residence was Norwood Tower (52 acres), would certainly have known the Ewarts, because the families all worshipped at St Mark's parish church.
The famous author, C S Lewis, was a second cousin of the Ewarts and often visited Glenmachan.
The 1st baronet contributed towards the building of St Mark's parish church, Dundela.
First published December, 2009.
The lease was renewed to his son Thomas in 1746; the latter's son William was more ambitious and sometime around 1790 set up his own concern at Ballymacarrett, then a village, now a suburb of Belfast, though he co-operated with the Hillsborough concern.
His business flourished, and he had agents outside Ulster.
He took his son, also William, into business with him and as William Ewart & Son set up an office and warehouse in Rosemary Street, Belfast, in 1814.
They were incorporated as William Ewart & Son in 1883.
 |
| The Ewart Building (Image: Linenhall Library) |
The Ewart head office was at what has become known as the Ewart Building, formerly Bedford Street Weaving Factory, at 17 Bedford Street, opposite the Ulster Hall.
The tall, red-brick warehouses and weaving sheds at the rear have since been demolished.
Ewart's bought the building in 1876.
They also ran mills at Crumlin Road; Ligoniel; Ballysillan; and Matier Street, all in Belfast.
During Victorian times, Ewart's was the largest manufacturer of linen in the world.
The principal seat of the Ewart family was Glenmachan House (below), which was set in its own grounds off Old Holywood Road in east Belfast.
 |
| Glenmachan House in the 1970s |
It is thought that the land at Glenmachan was sold by Sir Thomas McClure to the prominent Belfast architect of the time, Thomas Jackson, who proceeded to build Glenmachan House as his own residence; though sold it to Sir William Ewart some time thereafter.
Glenmachan was a relatively large house with stabling and a conservatory.
About 1894 a fire broke out in the stables.
The hay loft was seriously damaged, according to a local newspaper.
The grounds extended to 33 acres in 1876.
Glenmachan remained in ownership of the Ewart family till about 1976.
Thereafter, it became neglected and derelict, the sweeping lawns reverting to fields.
Despite some strong local opposition, Glenmachan House and grounds were finally sold to a property developer ca 1990, demolished and turned into a new housing development.
Glenmachan House is not to be confused with Glenmachan Tower, further along the road and formerly the Shillingtons' residence.
 |
| Glenbank ca 1890 |
Glenbank House (ca 1875) used to be the Ewarts' family home.
It was situated on Ligoniel Road in Belfast.
Glenbank was purchased from Robert Thompson by Lavens Mathewson Ewart.
Ca 1920 the house and grounds were presented to Belfast Corporation for use as a public park.
All that now remains to remind us of its former existence are the gate pillars.
The Henderson (Belfast Newsletter/UTV) and Ewart families are related through marriage, Primrose Henderson's mother being Gundreda Ewart.
The Hendersons, whose residence was Norwood Tower (52 acres), would certainly have known the Ewarts, because the families all worshipped at St Mark's parish church.
The famous author, C S Lewis, was a second cousin of the Ewarts and often visited Glenmachan.
The 1st baronet contributed towards the building of St Mark's parish church, Dundela.
First published December, 2009.
Comments
Post a Comment