Stephenstown Pond shared Irish Country Houses's post.
Stephenstown House, it's probably the most famous and oft spoken about ruin in Co.Louth , Ireland.
Originally , well at some point anyway, the lands were the property of the Taafe family, but were leased to Matthew Fortescue, via a moneylender Ignatius Page. In 1777 Matthew Fortescue bought them outright and within the next decade or so he built Stephenstown house there.
It was/is 2 storey over basement , 5 bays wide and deep, and sits over all it surveys in an outstanding position .It was enlarged with 2 wings about 30 years later, although 1 was subsequently knocked a further 30 years on.
In the 1820s William Galt was agent for the Fortescues. He was married to Agnes Burns, sister of Robbie Burns the poet , and their house still remains close by at Stephenstown pond, a popular local amenity.
The Fortescues were THE people in county Louth with many estates and titles within their family .In 1876 Stephenstown had over 5000 acres with it, while combined the family held almost 26,000 acres in Louth and several seats( including Ravensdale, Clermont, Miltown Grange and Corderry).
Stephenstown had many stories associated with it, including the murder of a maid by a jealous former lover, a butler, but none as strange as the death of Major Matthew Fortescue within an hour of receiving his " call up " papers to join the fray in the Great War in 1914.
By this time the estate had been greatly reduced but the trappings of wealthy landed life were still evident .
His widow Edythe( nee Fairlie-Cunninghame),who later married Rev Major Pyke who also predeceased her, lived until 1966. Her nephew Digby Hamilton sold Stephenstown in circa 1974 along with approx 190 acres(Lisney auctioneers) it has subsequently fallen into its current tragic state, not inhabited since.
