BUSHY PARK - A Brief History
The details listed below are gathered from various
sources.
Where available, I have acknowledged authorship.
I make no comment on missing, contradictory or
challenging facts.
Even in the era of
‘electronic/digitised’ data it has proven exceedingly
difficult to source any libraries/galleries of pictures/images of
‘Bushy Park’.
It is something that I believe the various
municipal authorities are slowly working to resolve.
In the meantime, I’ve decided to post a few
images captured recently.
I’m not going to gratify the anoraks out
there by detailed specs involved.
Suffice it to say that 2 digital cameras, with
default settings, in the hands of a BPOB’er still suffering
withdrawal symptoms upon a recent return from France, and on 2
different occasions when the weather proved contrary, were involved.
And, YEA -- I agree -- “Coulda dun
better”.
(BigPete)
Bushy Park
Part of an extensive open space network along the
Dodder, Bushy Park extends to 20.5 hectares.
The park originated in 1700 when Arthur Bushe of
Dangan, Co. Kilkenny, Secretary to the Revenue Commissioners, built the
house known as "Bushes House" on a site of 4 hectares.
A John Hobson became owner in 1772 and changed the name to
Bushy Park, possibly after the park in London of that name.
Purchased by Abraham Wilkinson in 1791 who added
almost 40 hectares to the estate, he gave it as a dowry to his daughter
Maria when she married Robert Shaw in 1796.
George Bernard Shaw was a distant relative, his
grandfather being a nephew of Sir Robert Shaw (1st Bart).
The Shaws were connected with Bushy Park for the
next 155 years until 1951 when they sold the estate to Dublin
Corporation.
In 1953, the Corporation sold 8 hectares to the
Sisters of Religious of Christian Education but later re-acquired 2
acres of woodland in 1993.
The park is noted for its woodland walks,
ornamental ponds and beautiful Dodder Walk as well as catering for
football, tennis ,boules, and children's playarea.
Other information:
Kiosk, Nature Trail, All-Weather Football
16 Tennis Courts managed in association with Dublin
Parks Tennis League.
The above details are from:
====================================================
========================
The Shaw Family of Bushy Park and the Doolittles
The Shaw collection was recently acquired by Dublin
City Archives.
The collection, although small, contains a number
of interesting deeds and maps of the lands of Sir Robert Shaw, Baronet
of Bushy Park, Terenure and has also established an intriguing link
with the theatre
Sir Robert Shaw was a well known figure in
nineteenth-century Dublin; he became a member of the Guild of Merchants
at the age of 21 and was elected as their representative to the Dublin
City Assembly (forerunner of the present day City Council).
He was also one of Dublin's foremost financial
experts, with his own bank, Robert Shaw and Son, at Foster Place.
With his financial know-how he was appointed to
Dublin Corporation's Committee of Finance and elected Lord Mayor in
1815.
He was also a Member of Parliament for New Ross and
Dublin from 1804 > 1826 and, in deference to his position, he was
conferred with a Baronetcy on 17 August 1821 during George IV's visit
to Dublin.
His career continued to be illustrious and he was a
founding member of the Royal Bank of Ireland which his bank merged with
in 1837.
Bushy Park, however, was not the original homestead
of the Shaw Family.
Sir Robert's father, Robert Senior was a prosperous
merchant and became the Accountant General of the Post Office.
He acquired Terenure House, an estate of 35 acres
in 1785, and it became the Shaw family residence.
In 1796 at the age of 22 Sir Robert married Maria,
daughter and heiress of the neighbouring family—the Wilkinsons.
His bride brought a substantial dowry and the 110
acre estate of Bushy Park to the marriage.
Later, in 1806, Sir Robert sold his family home,
Terenure House, and Bushy Park House became the family home and seat of
the Shaw family until 1953.
His marriage to Maria produced eight surviving
children, five sons and three daughters.
This small collection of papers are almost entirely
related to the leasing and purchasing of parts of the Bushy Park Estate
especially to lands in the vicinity of Terenure, Kimmage, Crumlin,
Roundtown, Dublin city and the parish of Rathfarnham, which were mostly
farm lands in the nineteenth century. These are well illustrated by a
number of small maps which accompany the deeds.
However the collection has a strong link to the
theatre world and has uncovered an intriguing fact—Eliza
Doolittle, the name made famous in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion,
existed, resided in Cork and had connections with the Shaw Family.
Her name arises in the copy deed of release
(AR/add/52/22), where Sir Robert was released from his duties as
executor to the will of Lidia Wilkinson. In her will Lidia left
legacies to Eliza Doolittle and Isabella Doolittle of Cork and Henry
Doolittle of Dublin City. This deed proves the existence of Eliza
Doolittle but as yet any further information regarding her or her
relationship with the Shaw Family has proved elusive.
George Bernard Shaw was not a direct descendant of
Sir Robert but the playwright's father, George Carr Shaw was a cousin
of the Baronet. It is hard to surmise how G.B. Shaw was aware of the
name of Eliza Doolittle, her connection was obviously with the
Wilkinson family who were related to Sir Robert by marriage. We can
only suppose that G.B. Shaw came across her name in family letters or
deeds and consigned to memory the now famous name to be used when
required.
"Your calling me Miss Doolittle that day when
I first came to Wimpole Street. That was the beginning of self-respect
for me." (Pygmalion Act V)
The Shaw collection has been part of Dublin City
Public Libraries digitisation project focusing on the digitisation of
printed text, manuscripts and maps. It is one of five pilot projects
relating to the overall theme of "The Big House: Aspects of the
landed estates" run by An Chomhairle Leabharlanna. Images from the
collection including the Eliza Doolittle deed, in addition to
information on the digitisation process, will be presented on a
specially constructed website <www.askaboutireland.com>.
The website will also play host to the National
Thematic Network, a portal for information on a selection of local
studies collections throughout the country.
Olivia McCormack
Dublin City Archives
====================================================
========================
Dáil Éireann - Volume 168 - 28 May,
1958
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. -
Development of Bushy Park, Terenure.
Mr. N. Lemass
Mr. N. Lemass asked the Minister for Local
Government if there are now plans before him regarding the development
of Bushy Park, Terenure; and, if so, if he will state when he is likely
to reach a decision regarding them.
Mr. Blaney
Mr. Blaney: The plans submitted by the corporation
for the development of Bushy Park, Terenure, were approved on the 30th
April, 1958, but I am awaiting a reply from the city manager on
observations conveyed to [697] him regarding certain items in the
estimate of cost.
====================================================
========================
History of Terenure
The lands of Terenure were granted to Hugo
Barnewall in 1215 by King John. This family continued to reside here
down to 1652 when their lands were confiscated by Cromwell and leased
to Major Elliott.
Terenure then contained a castle and six dwellings,
one of which was a mill.
The population was twenty.
After the restoration Charles II granted Terenure,
Kimmage and the Broads to Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnel. I
n 1671 Major Joseph Deane, an officer in
Cromwell’s army, purchased these lands from Talbot for
£4,000.
He converted the castle into a mansion and his
family held the property down to 1789 when much of the lands were sold
to Abraham Wilkinson.
The Shaws were descended from William Shaw, a
Captain in King William’s army, who fought at the Battle of the
Boyne, and was granted lands in the counties Kilkenny and Cork. Robert
Shaw came to Dublin and in 1785 leased Terenure House from Joseph
Deane.
Two years later Shaw rebuilt part of the house, now
the front portion of Terenure College.
The other great house, on the opposite side of the
road, is Bushy Park.
It was built by Arthur Bushe of Dangan, County
Kilkenny, prior to 1700, and was at first named Bushe’s House.
It passed through several owners and was purchased
in 1772 by John Hobson who changed the name to Bushy Park.
In 1791 this estate was purchased by Abraham
Wilkinson who had already acquired much of the Terenure Estate.
He added almost 100 acres to the residence and
presented it along with £10,000 to his only child Maria on her
marriage to Robert Shaw Jnr. in 1796.
The same year, on the death of his father, Shaw
came into possession also of Terenure House.
This he sold, about 1806 to Frederick Bourne, the
proprietor of a stage coach business.
Robert Shaw was created a baronet in 1821.
The Bournes occupied Terenure House down to 1857
and during this period the estate was renowned for the magnificent
landscaping and planting of the grounds and the extent and content of
the glasshouses.
Furthermore, the estate was thrown open to the
public at the weekend.
In 1860, the property was purchased by the
Carmelite Order and opened as a Secondary School for boys. From time to
time extensions have been added and a fine Church was built in 1958.
- Paddy Healy’s Dublin. Healy, Paddy. [South
Dublin Libraries]. October 2004. (Pages 87 – 88)
====================================================
========================
