1937–1938 Settlement and Conveyance of Seskinore

Introduction

The Settlement and Conveyance papers of 1937–1938 are among the most important surviving legal documents relating to the final transfer of the Seskinore estate.

Executed following the deaths of Colonel John Knox McClintock in 1936 and his daughter Amelia Isobel Eccles Joynson-Wreford in 1937, the documents formally transferred the remaining settled lands, mansion house, investments, and trust funds to Captain Wilfred Heyman (“Tony”) Joynson-Wreford.

Together with Amelia’s will and probate papers, these records conclusively demonstrate that Tony inherited the remaining estate absolutely and in fee simple.

Background

The documents derive from the McClintock marriage settlement executed on 26 April 1893 upon the marriage of:

Colonel John Knox McClintock
and
Amy Henrietta Frances Eccles (later McClintock)

The settlement covered extensive lands in:

County Tyrone

including:

Seskinore,
Mullaghmore,
Tullyrush,
and associated hereditaments and investments.

Under the settlement, Amy Henrietta McClintock retained a jointure entitlement of £300 per annum should she survive her husband.

Death of Colonel McClintock

Colonel John Knox McClintock died on:

24 October 1936.

The conveyance documents record that following his death:

“his daughter the said Amelia Isobel Eccles Wreford became entitled to the lands hereditaments and premises comprised in the said settlement”

Amelia therefore became the legal successor to the remaining settled estate.

A Succession Cut Short

The conveyance papers reveal how rapidly the succession at Seskinore unfolded during 1936–1937.

Following the death of Colonel John Knox McClintock on 24 October 1936, his only child, Amelia Isobel Eccles Joynson-Wreford (“Leila”), became entitled to the remaining settled estate. Her inheritance, however, was tragically brief. On 30 January 1937 she died from meningitis, only a few months after her father’s death.

Under her will, dated 22 January 1935, she appointed her husband, Captain Wilfred Heyman (“Tony”) Joynson-Wreford, sole executor and left him all her real and personal estate absolutely.

The conveyances executed during 1937–1938 therefore represent the final stage in a succession that passed from Colonel McClintock to Leila and then, within a matter of months, to Tony. The speed with which these events occurred fundamentally altered the future of Seskinore and marked the end of the direct McClintock line in possession of the estate.skinore.

Release of Amy Henrietta McClintock’s Jointure

A major element of the settlement concerned the life annuity payable to Amy Henrietta McClintock.

Rather than continuing the annual payment of:
£300 per annum,

the trustees and Captain Joynson-Wreford agreed to commute the annuity through a lump-sum settlement.

The documents record that Amy Henrietta McClintock received:

£3,703 15s

in exchange for releasing her claims under the original marriage settlement.

This formally freed the estate from the remaining jointure obligations.

Amy’s later probate papers provide additional evidence for the final transfer of the Seskinore estate from the McClintock line to the Joynson-Wreford family.

Trustees

The surviving trustees involved in the conveyance included:

Captain James Gildea Browne
Captain Hugh Charles Godfrey Stewart

Both acted alongside Captain Wilfred Heyman Joynson-Wreford in winding up the remaining trusts and transferring the estate assets.

Lands Remaining in the Settlement

The First Schedule of the conveyance identifies the principal remaining lands as portions of:

Mullaghmore
Tullyrush
Seskinore

including:

“the Mansion House, houses and tenements thereon”

This is one of the final surviving legal descriptions explicitly referring to Seskinore House itself.

Investments and Trust Funds

The Second Schedule records substantial remaining investment holdings, including:

Consolidated Stock
Guaranteed 3% Stock
Conversion Stock
Northern Ireland Guaranteed Land Bonds
War Loan
Uninvested Capital Cash

These demonstrate that by the late 1930s much of the original estate wealth had already been converted from land into financial securities.

Historical Importance

These conveyance papers mark the effective final consolidation of the Seskinore estate under Captain Wilfred Heyman (“Tony”) Joynson-Wreford immediately before the Second World War.

They are historically significant because they:

document the winding-up of the original McClintock marriage settlement,
identify the surviving estate lands,
record the release of Amy Henrietta McClintock’s jointure,
and conclusively establish Tony’s ownership of the remaining estate and assets.

The documents also illustrate the gradual transformation of Seskinore from a large landed estate into a much reduced property holding supported increasingly by investment income rather than agricultural land.