Falkiner — The Phcenix Park, its Origin and early History. 481 



witnessed the defeat of his rival, and three royal proclamations, one 

 of them ordaining a day of humiliation and prayer ' ' for the future 

 prog-ress of oiir arms and a speedy enjoyment of peace and quietness in 

 the land," are dated from " Our Court at Chapelizod."^ 



Aiter William's departure the King's House continued to be 

 utilized by his representatives ; but from the death of Henry, Lord 

 Capel, which unfortunately occurred there in 1701, the place seems 

 to have had no attraction for succeeding Governors, The Viceroys of 

 the eighteenth century were, in any case, for the most part absentees, 

 and from the accession of George I. it does not appear that many of 

 them resided at Chapelizod. Deserted by the Viceroys, the house 

 was given over to the Lord Justices and was allowed to fall into 

 considerable decay. But the Duke of Grafton and Lord Galway, 

 who governed Ireland as Lord Justices in the Yice-royalty of 

 the Duke of Shrewsbury, effected some improvements. Lord Galway 

 erected a pigeon-house which still stands in the grounds. Primate 

 Boulter,- who obtained leave from Lord Carteret to occupy the 

 place, made some attempt towards restoring it in 1726, and for some 

 years the King's House seems to have recovered its former glory. The 

 Duke of Dorset, whose Court was of exceptional brilliancy, resided 

 there in 1731, and it is at this date that we find the entertaining Mrs. 

 Delany, then Mrs. Pendarves, describing the attractions of the Park 

 with her usual sprightHness. " It is," she writes, " a large extent of 

 ground, very fine turf, agreeable prospects, and a delightful wood, in 

 the midst of which is a ring where the beaux and belles resort in fair 

 weather. Indeed, I never saw a spot of ground more to my taste : it 

 is far beyond St. James's or Hyde Park."^ The ring referred to was 

 the open space in which the Phoenix Column now stands, and was at 

 that time entirely, as it is still in part, surrounded by trees. The 

 latest reference to the King's House as an official residence occurs in 

 another letter from the same accomplished lady, who in May, 1750, 

 dined at Chapelizod, "a sweet place, about two miles from Dublin, 

 belonging to the Government," and lent to William Barnard, the 

 Bishop of Derry, who doubtless owed the privilege to his connexion with 

 the most eminent of the then Lord Justices, the masterful Primate Stone. 

 In 1 743 the house was put in order for the reception of Lord Chesterfield, 

 but that nobleman, though he greatly admired the Park and exerted 



iffist. MSS. Comm : Keport on Ormonde MSS., vol. ii., 1899. 



2 Piimate Boulter's Letters, i., pp. 116-122 ; ii., pp. 139, 140. 



3 Con-espondence of Mrs. Delany, vol. i., p. 294, and vol. v., p. 547. 



2 N 2 



