My wife's ancestors - St.Lawrence - Contents

Howth Castle around 1740

Painting of Howth Castle around 1740.
This was after the re-building by William St.Lawrence, 14th Baron Howth.
This painting hung in Howth Castle on and off for centuries.
The family finally sold Howth Castle in 2018.
The painting was sold in the Fonsie Mealy sale of Howth Castle contents in Sept 2021. See Lot 523. It sold for €26,000.

The 2021 auction says: "Dating from around 1740, this bird's eye view of Howth Demesne commemorates the extensive rebuilding of Howth Castle, a project completed in 1738 under the direction of William St. Lawrence, 27th Lord Howth. Since then, the original painting has been displayed over the chimneypiece in the Drawing Room. By family tradition this contemporaneous copy was removed in the 1800's by an ancestor possibly as part of a dowry. It was subsequently returned to Howth Castle in the 20th Century where it hung in the Billiard Room and the Cookery School before recently being professionally restored, and displayed for auction purposes in the Drawing Room."

Howth Castle around 1740.
From Fonsie Mealy 2021 auction.
See full size.

Close-up.
From Fonsie Mealy 2021 auction.
The 2021 auction says: "In the left foreground, the figure of a man in clerical garb, sitting on a garden bench, is believed to represent Jonathan Swift, who in the early 1730's was a frequent visitor to the castle."

LHS close-up.
Showing Hill of Howth.
From Fonsie Mealy 2021 auction.

RHS close-up.
Showing Dublin city.
From Fonsie Mealy 2021 auction.