Background
Parkanaur was part of a large stretch of land owned by McDonnells.
In the early 1600s ownership was passed to Toby Caulfield, later Sir Toby, 1st Baron of Charlemont. He was a military man from Oxfordshire and was given the land as a reward for his role in the 9 years war in which he fought for the successful Crown forces against the Irish Lords in combination with the Spanish. The defeat led to the ‘Flight of the Earls’.
The Burges
In 1771 Parkanaur was sold to Yner Burges, a member of the British gentry.
The first house was built on the land by John Henry Burges around 1804, it had 3 gables and the main front door was to the left of the present front door. It was used by the family as a place to stay, when visiting their land and for hunting.
This visit must have made a very favourable impression because John Henry decided to extend the house and make it his main residence.
… “at last we reached the gate of Parkanaur, and soon found ourselves at a house, the wind blowing and howling all the time, we knocked at the door, no answer, at last Francis Burke appeared at the window…he came down. with his big coat on him and a candle in his hand which soon went out. But in a short time a most excellent tea appeared before me – we retired at an early hour, there was a good turf fire in our bedroom… and I never slept sounder in my life”
Extract from account of a visit by John Henry Burges with his son John Yner in November 1818
Between 1839 and 1848 further development took place resulting in the grand Tudor revival style house which you now see.
The decoration took a further 6 years. This became permanent home of the Burges – John Yner, his wife Lady Caroline and their family. The design and building was overseen by a prominent architect Thomas Duff. His brief stated that the finished house was not to exceed £5000. Duff also designed many cathedrals including Newry, Armagh and Dundalk. He also designed Dundalk Presbyterian Church and St Patrick’s school – the last surviving Gothic revival building in Belfast. The Cathedral designs were said to be based on Kings College Cambridge.
Among many improvements John Yner planted thousands of trees every year. One invoice is for 1000 oak saplings at a cost of £1.25 – equivalent to 1penny farthing for 10 saplings. In 2021 a parasol beech tree on the front lawn, near the deer park came 3rd in the UK Woodland Trust tree of the year competition. There are apparently only 55 in the world and 3 are in Parkanaur.
The organ in musician’s gallery is said to be dated around 1680, the mantel in the Long Gallery 1651.
The family enjoyed a sociable lifestyle, revolving around hosting and visiting other local aristocrats/landed gentry – including Northland House, home of the Knox family (Earls of Ranfurly), Alexander family in Caledon, Glaslough Co Monaghan, Killymoon, Hillsborough Castle, Favour Royal, Crom Castle, Castlecoole, Shanes castle and Glenarm castle.
Being the family in residenace also brought duties and responsibilities. This included chairing the Assizes in Omagh which included a Court but also functions which would now be the responsibility of the local Council. Some of the responsibility was passed to the Workhouse committee in 1839 in response to the passing of the Poor Law
John Yner chaired the Workhouse committee for 40 years after the Dungannon Workhouse was built, well into his old age.
The family were not immune to the hardships of the times. The 1830’s were very happy and optimistic but in the next 15 years John Yner’s mother, brother and 3 of 4 sons died. Both daughters lived past WW1.
The potato famine and the family’s response
The first Chronicles entry for 1847 is:
“Now commences this memorable year famed for the greatest famine that ever occurred in Ireland. Our country has often been afflicted but never to such an extent and suffering as now” Public works were undertaken…”roads were made and never completed that led to no place, labourers were paid that never worked and work was done that was not wanted – however the people were employed and did not starve during the winter- I never saw their minds more exasperated against the Gentlemen, as if it was the landlords that brought this famine upon them and all the time were doing their utmost to help them”
Lady Caroline undertook her own scheme financed, it is recorded, by the sale of the Carriage horses.
“My lady instituted a kitchen with every apparatus and convenience, ….for feeding the labourers, all of whom were fed daily- they got the best beef, potatoes and pudding which sustained them while many were starving” Despite these efforts…”with all this I could not keep my people and no less than 300 went off to America having disposed of their land to try their fortune in a strange country.”
Records show that in the 1851 census 704 people remained in the original 5 Parkanaur town lands. They have about 250 today.
In many ways the Burges were not entirely typical of many of heir class – they were not absentee landlords who simply collected rent. They lived in Parkanaur, engaged with the locals, played an important part in the civic life of the community and were liked and respected by the local people. Visitors to Parkanaur and local families to this day include some who talk of their grandparents working on the estate and of the kindness of ‘The Major’. The history describes many celebrations, marking the end of school years, weddings, Christmas, Easter races and many more at the great house.
The fact that the family and their estate escaped harm during times when many grand houses were burnt down is attributed to the respect and affection in which they were held. In contrast Lady Caroline’s brother, the Earl of Leitrim, was murdered near Milford in Co Sligo in 1878.
The Linen industry brought prosperity to Castlecaulfield and in the 1860’s the Acheson and Smith factory was built and operated until well into the 20th century. This caused some family strife as one Burges son bought shares in the company causing distress to his father as it was considered to be engaging in ‘trade’
Despite being good landlords changes in society post WW1 resulted in the dwindling of the previously enormous estate. WW2 brought temporary financial respite as Parkanaur was used as a base for western command, housing over 50 military personnel. Nissen huts were built in the courtyards. But Post war it was a great struggle to survive economically.
In 1955 Major Burges and the family left to go to Sussex - after 135 years of life in Parkanaur.
Patsy Porter (nee Burgees) now in her 80’s visited in 2022 and reminisced about her childhood in Parkanaur and her memories of leaving as a teenager.
PRONI hold amazing records of the daily life in Parkanaur, making it a building of considerable significance.
1959 Thomas Doran, a local man who went to America, became very wealthy by founding a greetings card company.
He purchased Parkanaur and 63 acres for £12000, inspired by Rev Gerry Eakin and his wife Mary and their son Stanley who walked with difficulty and later used a wheelchair. Stanley attended local schools but on leaving school had great difficulty finding somewhere to get occupational training. The establishment of the College where his parents were the first house parents enabled him to train as an audiologist. He was a popular member of staff in South Tyrone Hospital until his terminal illness. He was also an enthusiastic radio amateur and took part in car rallies.
Recent History
Parkanaur was a Residential College until 2022.
Initially it catered for school leavers with physical disability, providing them with vocational training. The building was owned and the college run by the NI Council for Orthopoedic Development (NICOD) – now known as Cedar Foundation.
In 1969 the Thomas Doran Parkanaur Trust was established and the estate ownership passed to the Trust.
Later as mainstream schools adjusted to the needs of pupils with physical disability, the diagnoses of Parkanaur students changed. Students increasingly had diagnoses of learning disability, autism, and some had complex needs. In term-time the students arrived at the College on Monday morning and stayed until Friday lunchtime. Each student attended for 3 months, originally funded by Department for Employment and Learning (DEL). Following reorganisation of Government departments, administration and financing of the students passed to Department for Communities (DfC). The residential element of the experience was very beneficial in the personal development of the students and their success in achieving OCN qualifications was very high. Unfortunately the outcome measure used to gauge success was the number of students who achieved employment The relatively low numbers led to the cessation of life as a Residential College. The restrictions of Covid-19 made the normal pattern of Monday to Friday in the College impossible and accelerated the change. The last students completed their OCN qualifications in March 2022.
It is of note that the rest of the UK has many Residential Colleges for those with Learning Disability. Parkanaur was the only such College in NI.
The Present
The establishment of Parkanaur as a College over 60 years ago was a timely response to addressing a gap in provision for physically disabled young adults. Thomas Doran Parkanaur Trust continues to meet the needs of young adults with a range of disabilities including learning disability, physical disability, mental health problems and autism. We exist to improve life, broaden life choices and facilitate personal development. We currently provide residential services, with 16 people who choose to make Parkanaur their permanent home. We also offer Supported Living and Short Stay services both of which are in great demand with much unmet need.
A recent initiative has been the introduction of Day Opportunities, offering meaningful activities and fostering personal growth for school leavers. There is increasing demand for such services and provision has dropped significantly since Covid 19. The service is evolving in response to the needs of Service users and their families and in partnership with other providers.
