A fine building that no longer stands in Seskinore was once one a large hub for troops during the Second World War.
Today, only remnants of the former McClintock family home can be found among the overgrowth of Seskinore Forest. While the manor itself has vanished, the family’s legacy lives on in the village they helped to shape.
The story of the estate stretches back to the Plantation period, when Tyrone was sectioned into territories and granted to barons.
Around 3,000 acres were originally awarded to Lord Audley, a favourite of King James I, but after he failed to develop the land, it was taken from him.
In 1660, the Perry family from Wales was granted the estate for just £15, which equates to around £2,400 today.
James Perry, son of Thomas Perry, began establishing the settlement, which was first named Perrymount. Locally, it was also known as Mullaghmore House (not to be confused with the one in Omagh).
Little is known about James himself, but his descendant Mary Perry would later integrate the family with the McClintocks when she married Alexander McClintock from Co Louth in 1781.
The estate eventually passed from the last Perry, George, to his widow Mary, and then to their nephew Samuel McClintock in 1824.A 19th-century book described the house as a ‘neat and fashionable lodge’, boasting a fair share of corn and flax production.
It read, ‘The demesne lies low, and the prospect from the lodge is exclusively confined to the little beauties of the home view; in which the rose, the sweet William, and the sweet brier seem to vie which shall diffuse the larger proportion of its fragrance through the surrounding scene.’
The name Seskinore (or Sheskinore) was said to derive from Irish words meaning ‘the rich or golden soil of thistles’, a reference to the plant’s presence as a sign of fertile ground.
During the McClintock family’s time in the area, they established a school for the estate’s workers… the forerunner of today’s McClintocks Primary School.
Unlike many absentee landlords of the era, the family remained closely involved in local life, with many serving in the military.
The house was remodelled and extended in 1862 to designs by Derry and Belfast-based architects Boyd & Batt, featuring five public rooms, ten bedrooms, staff quarters, and a separate butler’s house.
George, Samuel’s son, adopted the name George Perry-McClintock and designed a coat of arms combining the Perry and McClintock crests.
These arms were displayed above the front door of Seskinore House and can still be seen at the Orange Hall in the village today.
When George died on Boxing Day 1887, the estate passed to his eldest son, Colonel John Knox McClintock.
A decorated soldier, he commanded the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers during the First World War and was promoted to Brevet-Colonel for his leadership. After returning home, he became deeply involved in the formation of the Ulster Special Constabulary in Tyrone and was appointed County Commandant.
The decline of Seskinore House began in the 1930s.
After John’s death, the manor was inherited by Tony Joynson-Wreford and his wife Leila.
Just three weeks after moving in, Leila died of meningitis at the age of 38.
Stricken with grief, her husband’s health declined, and he later died of tuberculosis.
In his will, Tony requested that the house be sold. The sale took place in 1941, when Seskinore House and 115 acres were purchased by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The sale excluded the Garden of Remembrance, where Leila was buried, which was legally preserved with access rights for the McClintock family.
During the Second World War, British and American troops were billeted on the estate, with officers quartered in the main house. After the war, however, the property was left to deteriorate under the Ministry’s ownership, and in 1952, the once-grand Seskinore House was demolished after nearly two centuries.
Today, the grounds serve as a public park for the people of Seskinore, while the family burial site remains… a quiet reminder of the McClintocks’ legacy on the village.
