Burton Hall
NAME Burton Hall
AREA LOCATION STILLORGAN, Leopardstown, Murphystown Road, access from Sandyford Business
Estate.
MAP LOCATION OSI maps of 1838-1845 and 1898-1913 place it in the townland of Carmanhall and it
is annotated as Burton Hall on both. It is also noted on Duncan's 1821 map of 1821
as being the residence of John Hall, Barrister.
GENERAL Burton Hall was built for Samuel Burton circa 1730 and his brother Richard built a
similar house opposite it called Rocklands (close to where the Legionaries of Christ building is). A five bay
two story with bow projections, it has rendered walls with a cut-granite cornice supporting the parapet.
The front door is approached by four cut-granite steps and has a cut granite surround and the windows
are of the casement type and have cut-granite sills.
Over the years many families have lived here including the Guinness and Dudgeon families. In 1939
Agnes Ryan, a shrewd business woman purchased it. She also purchased Rocklands across the road in
1943 (where The Clayton Hotel is now). She was from Tipperary originally and the owner of the
Monument creameries. The gardens were used for growing vegetables during WW1.
The house is now run by the St John of Gods Hospitaller Group, supporting persons with enduring
mental health illness. Although being used as community centre, it still retains the grandeur of a bygone
age.
The house was set on fire in 1923 'Burton Hall, Foxrock, the country residence of Senator H.S Guinness,
was maliciously set on fire on Saturday night. The attempt proved a failure. The fire did not take effect, and
little damage resulted....For some time Senator Guinness has not resided at Burton Hall. The furniture and
other valuables were recently removed from the mansion in anticipation of attack. Burton Hall contained one
of the finest collections of books in Ireland, including priceless old manuscripts and Irish pamphlets of the
Restoration period, copies of which are only to be found in the great Universities of Bodleian, Trinity and
the Royal Irish Academy.' Freemans Journal.
YEAR BUILT circa 1730
VALUATION In 1912 the valuation was 365 pounds and in the 1911 census it is noted as having 13
rooms occupied by family.
ARCHITECT Unknown
SOURCES Thom’s directories, contemporaneous newspapers, OSI Maps and NAI Census & Wills.
OCCUPANTS
1730 Samuel Burton
1784 - 1813 Robert Burton
1813 House and contents on 23 acres to be sold at auction
1821 - 1853 John Hall and family
1853 - 1857 Richard Nolan
1858 - 1894 Henry Guinness
1899 Mrs H Guinness/Henry Seymore Guinness
1900 - 1906 Mrs Henry Guinness
1910 - 1925 Henry Seymore Guinness
1927 - 1938 Eden FitzHerbert
1939 - 1953 Agnes Veronica Ryan
1953 - 1965 Joseph Hume Dudgeon
1966 - 1971 Ian Hume Dudgeon
c1974 Dublin County Council
1975 todate Transferred to the Eastern Health Board and leased to St John of
God Hospitaller
STAFF
1890 Thomas Telford - Gardener
1901 Catherine Neill - Cook
Elizabeth Roche - Housemaid
Margaret Roche - Housemaid
Maria McGuirk - Laundress
James Thornton - coachman
1901 - 1922 Henry Moore - Gardener/Land Steward (murdered at the lodge in 1922)
1907 Alfred William Savage - Gardener
1911 Andrew Magee - Groom
Margaret Woods - Nurse
Jane Margaret Wheatley - Nurse
Louis Mamin - Nurse
Elizabeth Mary O'Neill - Cook
Margaret Bridget O'Neill - Kitchen Maid
Bridget Martin - Parlourmaid
Elizabeth Kavanagh - Housemaid
Katherine Matthews - Laundry Maid
Mary Long - Housemaid
1929 Jane Crilly - servant
1934 - 1958 Edward Ivan Morgan - Gardener (living in Burton Hall Lodge)
1944 Kay Dwyer (married Harry Harkin - Gardener)
1944 Eddie Keogh - Chauffeur to Agnes Ryan
CURRENT Extant and in use as a day-care support centre run by St John of God.
CONTRIBUTOR © June Bow & Karen Poff
DATE April 2018