New Park , Moville - The, "Monty," connection.



New Park 10th November 2012

I was in Moville today. It does have a pleasant location on the banks of Lough Foyle with views across the waters to Magilligan Point with its Martello Fort, sister to that at Greencastle. Clearly Samuel Montgomery must have approved of the location when in 1768 he purchased some eight hundred acres, (Cunningham measure) from Lord Donegall on a lease for three lives, renewable for ever and subsequently purchased a small estate of sixty acres where he built a residence for himself and his wife in or about 1776. This house was to be known as New Park and was to be home to the Montgomery family up until 1949 when the redoubtable Lady Maud Montgomery passed away. She became engaged to her husband Rev Henry Montgomery ( later Bishop Sir Henry Montgomery) when only fourteen years of age and married him before her seventeenth birthday. Her claim to fame does not of course emanate from any endeavours of her own. Instead her name appears in the footnote of history as the mother of her fourth child, Bernard Law Montgomery, aka , "Monty,"  - Viscount, Field Marshall Montgomery.

New Park 10th November 2012

New Park is still in existence, - just. It is derelict and sits amidst a partially developed housing estate. It would appear that it has become another casualty of the death of the Celtic tiger. I never thought it a particularly nice looking house but dereliction does not add to its allure. Hopefully it will ultimately be  renovated.

Although Monty's mother was the last Montgomery to reside in Moville the family continued to have an interest in the town through the collection of ground rents. Up until 1984 solicitors for the Montgomery family attended at the Foyle Hotel at Main Street, Moville once a year and received payment of these rentals. Even then this was a rather archaic process.

New Park - 10th November 2012