HISTORY GUIDE CARNFUNNOCK Country Park Special thanks are extended to the following individuals for their contribution and assistance with this publication. A Tale of Two Estates • e late Jim Smith, son of James Smith (1888-1981) who was land steward to the Dixon family from 1935 to his retirement in 1957. • Mr. Billy Brownlow, whose father Frank Brownlow (1900-1968) started work as a horseman for Sir omas in the 1920’s and was promoted to cale dealer at Cairndhu and then land steward at Carnfunnock, residing in Home Farm until 1959. • Mr. Felix McKillop, for his comprehensive research within the publication ‘History of Larne and East Antrim.’ • Mrs. Iris King, granddaughter of George Silington (1884-1972), who was head gardener in Cairncastle Lodge for nearly 60 years and who lived in the back lodge located at the current entrance to the Park until c.1951. • Mrs. Heather Shannon, granddaughter of William Sutherland, chaueur to Lady Dixon. • E.M. Dempsey’s article ‘Cairndhu - Back O’ e Hill’. Published in e Corran, Autumn 1989 Vol. 2 No. 7. • Mrs Anna Mills, who grew up in Drains Bay. • Mr Hugh Gien, who was a young boy living in Larne when the soldiers arrived during World War II. • Former reporters of the Larne Times and Larne Weekly Telegraph. Articles used in the production of this publication are available from Larne Museum. To discover our history at rst hand visit Carnfunnock Country Park, Coast Road, Larne, Co. Antrim BT40 2QG Researched and wrien by Zoe Lindsay, Park Manager. Photographs re-produced with the kind permission of Larne Borough Council Museum Service, Glover Photography, Chris Hill Photographic, Lafayee Photography, Larne Weekly Telegraph / Larne Times, R. Clements, Lyle Studios. Whilst every eort has been made to acknowledge copyright in the case of some photographs it has not been possible to determine the photographer’s identity. Printed on paper produced from sustainable wood source. e information contained in this leaet was correct at the time of going to press. Designed by Oasis Design Studio. Cover photographs: © Copyright acknowledgements contained within publication. A Larne Borough Council Publication. arnfunnock is a townland the late twelh century. e garrison e Agnew family, who originated from situated in the parish of Cairncastle, had a commanding view over the coast Lochnaw, Wigtownshire, Scotland in the 3 between Drains Bay and Ballygally. and Antrim Plateau and the moe was early 1600’s, lived for many generations It’s name is Gaelic, “Carn” meaning a used as a defence against the native Irish in the parish of Kilwaughter. heap of stones marking an ancient and to control the surrounding land. boundary, navigation point or grave and Captain Agnew constructed limestone “Funnock” is derived from “Feannog” or quarries in Waterloo and improved 2 1 “Fannoge” meaning Royston or Scalded docking facilities in Larne Harbour in Crow. It was a 1834. Despite his improvements, well-known harbour trac continued to decrease, landmark in due to competition from Belfast, which e countryside and shoreline were was making major commercial strides. extremely beautiful and fertile, producing ancient times. (Irish Place Names, However, over the following 20 years, large crops of oats, beans and successful P.W. Joyce Ed. 1910) the number of vessels using Larne breeding of black cale. increased as merchants such as omas Today, the land Dixon & Co. of Larne used the port to Unfortunately a number of poor at Carnfunnock Agnew Family import timber. investments led to nancial diculties is a beautiful Between 1600 and 1640 large numbers and in 1865 James Agnew sold lands, country park of English and Scoish families seled On the death of Captain Agnew in 1828, properties and business interests to with aractions catering for locals and in Ulster, especially counties Antrim and his lands and harbour passed to his son, James Chaine, before retiring to his tourists. Down, as noblemen parcelled out small James Agnew (1794-1880), who house in Highbury Grove, London estates, and gied or leased their land. married Catherine Hamilton (1806 where he died in 1880. Early History Sir Randal McDonnell, who became -1877) in 1832. ey had a daughter, Earl of Antrim, was granted land Harrie, and two sons, William and Fertile lands and bountiful sea have Chaine Family stretching from Coleraine to Larne by Charles, who both pre-deceased their encouraged farming and selement James Chaine (1841-1885) was born at James I. father. Muckamore, near Antrim town into a along this coastline since the Neolithic prosperous family in the linen industry. period. e Scoish coastline can be e Carnfunnock lands were included in James Agnew’s property expanded He married Henriea de Salis Creery of seen clearly and trading between the two a rental deed dated 1st February 1621 considerably in 1834 when he inherited Newcastle, Co. Down on 3rd February countries began thousands of years ago. made between the Right Honourable the Kilwaughter estate, where he lived 1864 and had two sons, William Both fossils and prehistoric human Randall McDonnell and John Shaw of for a time before moving to Fisherwick, (1864-1937) and James (1867-1910). artefacts have been found in the Ballygally Castle. Hunting, hawking and Doagh until he built Cairncastle Lodge surrounding area with a Neolithic other chief royalties were only to be (now Carnfunnock) in c.1839. e 4 selement found in Ballygally. e undertaken by the Earl and his heirs. construction of the Coast Road miniature railway was even the reputed (1832-1842), allowed trade to expand scene of a bale and int arrowheads On 1st May 1823 Captain William north and in 1839 James Agnew became have been found on the site. Agnew (1747-1828) obtained from the High Sheri for County Antrim. Marquis of Donegal, a permanent lease Other features which highlight a long for lives renewable for ever of land in the In 1851 Cairncastle Lodge was relatively history include Droagh moe, an earth Lough and Corran, Larne (including small, with only 5 indoor servants, a mound castle built by the Normans in Drumalis). walled garden, lime kilns and ice house. 1. View of Carnfunnock om top paths © Chris Hill Photographic 2. Droagh Moe © Glover Photography. 3. Carnfunnock Ice House 1 constructed mid 1800’s. © Chris Hill Photographic 4. Cairncastle Lodge (1920’s / 30’s) Photographer unknown. 2 For a short time the family lived in the landward side of the Coast Road. e At the time of Chaine's death, his place looking aer his mother in whichever of Chaine’s ancestral home, Ballycraigy current entrance to Carnfunnock of abode was Ballycraigy and his nal the Chaine residences they preferred, Manor in Antrim. A year aer his Country Park was originally the back eects were £63,000, part of which they chose Cairncastle Lodge. William 5 marriage, James purchased Cairncastle entrance for servants and deliveries to stemmed from the sale of the majority of was to give his brother James (1867- Lodge and Cairncastle Lodge. e former main his mills, bleach greens and watercourses 1910) £20,000 within 10 years of his adjacent lands entrance, for the owners and guests, is in Muckamore to the York Street Flax fathers death, and if Larne Harbour from James now the sealed o laneway leading from Spinning Company Ltd. His dying wish proved successful, a further £10,000. Agnew, at a cost the Coast Road to the Activity Centre. was to be buried in the moat near James enjoyed travel and lived a of £12,800. He Waterloo House in the townland of gentleman’s life, never taking any also bought ere were four small lodges for Curran and Drumalis with the ground to prominent part in the businesses. Larne harbour employees connected to the estate. Two 6 be consecrated by the Church of Ireland, 9 (including the on the and for it to be an enclosed family burial At the close of his university lands of Curran Coast ground. is can still be found at career, William returned to and Drumalis) for £20,000 from the Road, one Bankheads / Town Park. It is rumoured Larne to manage the family Agnew family in 1866. Chaine bought being at that James Chaine was buried upright, in estate. Like his father, when the future of Larne Harbour was the back full yachting gear, looking out to sea, William became a director of in doubt and annual income was only entrance, however local historian, Edith Dempsey, the old Northern Counties £50 (Larne Times, 8 August 1896). He the other states that the con was placed in the Railway Company and in invested heavily, improving greatly its on the ground as normal. succession a member of the primitive quays and facilities, promoting shore side Northern Counties Commiee. Larne as a port and re-establishing the of the road, opposite the front entrance. As a mark of respect, the Amongst his many business Larne-Stranraer passenger service in ese are now in private ownership. e people of Larne raised funds interests, William was a director of the 1872. A mail route was established in land steward's dwelling, together with by public subscription to York Street Flax Spinning Co. Ltd, a 1875 and a trans-Atlantic service the farm buildings was a short distance build the Chaine Memorial member of the Board of Superintendents between Glasgow, Larne and New York from the ‘big house’ and was called Tower in 1887/88. e 28 of the Belfast Bank, a Director of the began in 1873. Using the renowned “Home Farm”. e fourth lodge is now metre (90) high memorial Shamrock Shipping Co. Ltd., Larne State Line vessels, this service continued gone. dominates the entrance to Harbour and the owner and chairman of until December 1889 and many the harbour and is a replica Messrs.