Arthur Rawdon
Sir Arthur Rawdon | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Northern Irish |
| Occupation(s) | Landlord Member of Parliament General |
| Known for | Building Moira, County Down |
| Successor | Sir John Rawdon |
| Parent(s) | George Rawdon (Father) Dorothy Rawdon (Mother) |
Sir Arthur Rawdon built a large part of Moira, County Down in the seventeenth century. He was known as 'Father of Irish Gardening' and 'The Cock of the North'. He was a contemporary of Sir Hans Sloane (also from County Down) and was a big fan of botany. He brought over 400 different species of plant to Moira from Jamacia which withered away once Arthur died.[1]
Biography
Sir Arthur Rawdon was a Member of Parliment,like his father, and a general in the army of King William of Orange. But he got besieged at Derry, from which he got ill, but managed to escape. This event ended Arthur's military carreer in King William of Orange's army. Sir Arthur inherited the lands at Moira after his father died. He rebuilt a manison on the lands of Moira that was surrounded by trees, had sheep and huge gardens. In this estate Arthur built the first hot-house in Europe.
Sir Arthur was a very keen botanist and imported 400 plant species over from Jamacia. This is how he got to be known as 'Father of Irish Gardning'. His garden was said to have be stunning. It had a labrynth, ponds, canals and trees. These trees included the Locust of Virgina which was 30ft high and a trunk of at least a foot and a half in diameter.
Arthur only had a short time to enjoy the masterpeice he had created as he died in 1695 at the age of thirty-four.
For two generations Arthur's garden was looked after until his desendents allowed it to die away..[1]
Arthur Rawdon Remebered
Today in Moira many places are named after Sir Arthur Rawdon such as Rawdon Court which is a place off Main Street, Moira which has cafes and shops in it's residence. There is a street off the Meeting Street in Moira called Rawdon Place which is housing street. Parts of the remains of Sir Arthur's Manison are still visiable in Moira Demesne, even after all these years.
References
- ^ a b Rudd, C. R. J. "The Castle and The Rawdon Family". Moira: A Historical Handbook. Retrieved 2011-06-04.