Ballynascarry House

Semi-detached three-bay two-storey house with two-bay two-storey agricultural building/outbuilding to south housed under the same continuous roof, built c.1790. Projecting single-bay porch to front façade (southeast). Lower two-bay single-storey outbuilding attached to north end. Pitched natural slate roof (having large slates) with three rendered brick chimneystacks over dwelling house to north end. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Roughcast rendered walls over smooth rendered plinth course. Square-headed window openings to house with cut stone sills and replacement windows. Recessed square-headed doorcase to windbreak porch. Two-segmental-headed carriage arches to south end with timber sheeted double doors, the southern carriage arch having dressed limestone voussoirs. Single-storey outbuilding to north, aligned along length of building, having roughcast rendered walls, pitched natural slate roof, square-headed window and door openings and a segmental-headed carriage arch to south end having cut stone voussoirs. Located to the east of Finnea, on the border with Co. Meath to the east. Detached single-storey outbuilding (with attic level) on L-shaped plan to the northeast of dwelling having roughcast rendered walls, pitched natural slate roof and square-headed opening with timber battened door to the northeast section on ‘L’. Roofless section to the southwest end of outbuilding having random rubble stone walls and with a segmental-headed carriage-arch to the northwest elevation (to the gable-end of projecting wing, and facing house) with square-headed window opening over. Original fittings now removed. Remains of walled garden (on irregular-plan) to the northeast and east having tall random rubble stone boundary walls.

An unusual vernacular house/farmhouse, which retains its early form and character, despite the recent loss of early fittings to the openings. The form of this complex is most unusual, having an attendant range of outbuildings housed under the same continuous roof. It retains most of its early fabric, including a natural slate roof having large slates, and has good quality dressed limestone voussoirs to a number of the carriage arches. The irregular spacing of the openings to the dwelling indicates that this house was extended to the south and its unusual form suggests that it may be of some antiquity. This curious house is an interesting addition to the architectural heritage of Westmeath. The outbuildings and the remains of the walled garden add to the setting and complete this composition. This house formerly had a number of single-storey glazed porch and conservatory additions to the front elevation, including porches to both the carriage arches (historic photo c.1920). This suggests the section to the south (outbuilding section) was converted to living accommodation at some stage and then subsequently converted back for use as an outbuilding. The lands and probably the house (which was possibly rented out) were in the ownership of the Hepenstal family during the eighteenth century, possibly in the ownership of a George Hepenstal, first husband of Esther/Hester Watson (see below). The holding at Ballynascarry appears to have passed into ownership of a Dr. Patrick Duigenan (c. 1735 –1816), the second husband of Hester Watson-Hepenstal, during the late-eighteenth or the early-nineteenth century. Dr Duigenan was an important and quite controversial character who served as an M.P. from 1791 (Old Leighlin/Carlow 1791 – 98 in the Irish House of Commons; Armagh Borough 1798 – 1801 and then Armagh City in the first Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster) until his death in 1816, and he also served as a privy counsellor and as professor of civil law at Trinity College. Duigenan was the son of a Roman Catholic farmer from Leitrim but later converted to Protestantism and was vehemently opposed to Grattan and the idea of Catholic Emancipation. Indeed, he was known as the most vitriolic opponent to Catholic Emancipation in parliament. Following his death, ownership (will dated 1816) passed onto his wife Esther/Hester (died 1827 in Dublin), and it subsequently passed into the ownership of the Revd. Lambert Watson Hepenstal (died 1858), son of the above. The lands remained in the Hepenstal family until the first decades of the twentieth century, and the holding belonged to a Louisa Hepenstal, c. 1920, who owned 610 acres in the area at the time. The estate was later acquired by the Land Commission, c. 1926, who subdivided and redistributed the lands.