Heraldry at Drumbanagher

The heraldry at Drumbanagher Church of Ireland, Poyntzpass, Co Armagh commemorates families that are related in various ways to the local Close family namely the families of Brownlow, Chamberlain and Maxwell. 

                                                           Drumbanagher Church

The heraldry on the various windows is described followed by the heraldic description and then a brief family pedigree of both Brownlow and Close show how the families are related.

In 1875 the stained glass windows in west wall were erected, the rose window in memory of Elliot Brownlow has the Brownlow crest and motto as shown:

                                                           Brownlow Crest

The two lancet windows of the west facing side were the gift of Dowager Lady Isham in memory of Sir Barry Close. These display the coats of arms, crests and mottos of both the Close and Maxwell families as shown:

                                                          Close arms, crest amotto

                                                     Maxwell arms, crest and motto

The monument erected in memory of Mary Sophia Brownlow and wife of Revd John Forbes Close who died on 6 May 1843 aged 39 bears the impaled coat of arms of Close with the quartered arms of Brownlow. The quartered arms of Brownlow are interesting in that along with the arms of Brownlow the arms of Chamberlain are also present reflecting the fact that Arthur Chamberlain (1645-1712) changed his surname to that of his mother, Brownlow. In 1903 the east window was erected in memory of Maxwell Close who died 25^th January 1903 and it also bears the Close coat of arms as shown:

The impaled arms of Close with the quartered arms of Brownlow and Chamberlain.

                                              The Close coat of arms on the east window.

Heraldic Description

or = gold, argent = silver, sable = black, gules = red, azure = blue vert = green

Brownlow:    (Lord Lurgan) per pale or and argent an escutcheon within an orle of martlets sable.

Crest: On a chapeau azure turned up ermine a greyhound statant.

Motto; Esse quam videri (136).

Chamberlain: Gules a chevron between three escallops or (181).

Close:            (Drumbanagher, formerly Elm park, Co Armagh) Azure on a chevron argent between three mullets or, two buglehorns proper stringed gules with a stirrup iron in the centre rest proper.

Crest Out of an eastern crown or, a demi lion rampant vert holding a battle-axe headed argent.

Motto Fortis et fidelis (205)

Maxwell:        Argent a saltire sable on a chief argent three pellets sable.

Crest: A buck’s head erased proper. Motto Je suis prêt (672)

Chamberlain & Brownlow Pedigree

Arthur Brownlow (also Chamberlain) in 1667 carried out a brief survey of the several leases within the Manor of Brownlowes Derry, Co Armagh as well as of lands in Co Louth and Co Monaghan. He was born in Ardee Co Louth and entered TCD in Dublin graduating in 1664. The Brownlows Derry property was bequeathed by Sir William in 1660 to his daughter Letitia and then to her son Arthur Chamberlain who assumed the Brownlow surname. He appears to have been proud of his Anglo-Norman ancestry that he passed his Niselrath Co Louth property to his second son, Standish with the provision that he add the name of Chamberlain and quarter the arms of that family.

Patrick Chamberlain of Nealrath (Rathnestin) Co Louth married Letitia Brownlow daughter of Sir William Brownlow of Doughcoron

Arthur Chamberlain (1645-1712) later Brownlow of Lurgan  MP married in 1679 Jane Hartstonge daughter of Sir Standish Hartstonge baronet

William Brownlow (1683-1739) of Lurgan MP married 1711 Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton of Donalong, 6^th Earl of Abercorn

William Brownlow (1726-1794) married first in 1754 Judith Letitia Meredyth (died 1763) daughter of Charles Meredyth Dean of Ardfert.

Charles Brownlow (1757-1822) of Lurgan married in 1785 Caroline Ashe (died 1838) daughter of Benjamin Ashe of Bath.

Anna Brownlow (died 1863) married in 1820 Maxwell Close of Drumbanagher who was a Colonel and died in 1867.

Mary Brownlow married in 1822 John Forbes Close (Rector of Mourne) 

  

Maxwell & Close Pedigree

Robert Maxwell Bishop of Kilmore (Farnham Family)

Robert Maxwell

Henry Maxwell (Mullatinny, now Elm Park)

Margaret Maxwell (d. 1758) married Capt James Butler of Ringhaddy

Rev Samual Close married Catherine Butler of Ringaddy Co Down

Maxwell Close m (1748) Mary Maxwell, sister of John Lord Farnham

Rev Samual Close (Elm Park) m. Deborah Champagne: 4 of their children:

Henry Samual Close m. Jane Waring (Waringstown, Co Down)

John-Forbes Close m. Mary Brownlow

Maxwell Close born 1783 m. 1820 Anna-Elizabeth Brownlow

Mary Close m. Sir Justinian Isham

Maxwell Close 1827-1903 son to Henry Samual Close

Maxwell Close was born in Dublin in 1823.  His father Henry Samuel Close was a well-known lawyer and belonged to a substantial family of landed gentry in Drumbanagher in County Armagh.  From a very young age Maxwell Close displayed a more than usual interest in cultural heritage and thus we find him taking down songs and music from Pat Walker from County Wicklow as early as 1836.  He graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1846 with a BA in Natural Sciences and in 1848 was ordained an Anglican priest, in which capacity he worked in England until, on the death of his father in 1861, he returned to Ireland. He died in 1903. A window at St Patrick’s Cathedral Armagh also commemorates Maxwell Close as shown:

                                       Close coat of arms at St Patrick’s Cathedral Armagh.

Drumbanagher Timeline