The Luttrell family The demesne and adjoining lands were granted to Sir Geoffrey de Luterel about
1210 by King
John of England. Sir Geoffrey served as the king's minister on many missions of state to Ireland from
1204 to
1216. He was the ancestor of the Luttrells of
Dunster Castle in
Somersetshire, England. The family became the biggest landowners in the district by the 17th century. Robert Luttrell was treasurer of
St Patrick's Cathedral and
Lord Chancellor of Ireland from
1235 to
1245, and married into the Plunkett family. He was assassinated in his
sedan chair outside his townhouse in
Stafford Street,
Dublin, in October 1717. Colonel
Simon Luttrell, 1st Earl of Carhampton (1713–14 January 1787), was an Irish nobleman who became a politician at
Westminster. He was the second son of
Colonel Henry Luttrell of Luttrellstown and became Lord Lieutenant of
County Dublin. Luttrell was an
absentee landlord who also owned an estate in the
West Indies but resided at
Painshill Park in
Surrey, England.
Luke White Henry Lawes Luttrell sold Luttrellstown to publisher
Luke White in 1811, described as one of the most remarkable men that Ireland produced and ancestor of
Lord Annaly. In 1778 Luke White started as an impecunious book dealer, buying in Dublin and reselling around the country. By 1798, during the rebellion, he helped the Irish government with a loan of 1 million pounds (at £65 per £100 share at 5%). He became M.P. for Leitrim, and died in 1824 leaving properties worth £175,000 per annum. Luke White changed the name to
Woodlands In 1915, Lord Annaly sold the house to a Major Hamilton who soon moved on to
Holdenby House in
Northamptonshire and died three years later in 1918 when the house was left to his widow.
Ernest Guinness In 1927 the estate was bought by Ernest Guinness, as a wedding present for his daughter,
Aileen Guinness, who married a cousin, Brinsley Sheridan Plunket. Aileen Plunket entertained on a grand scale. The castle became the site of hunt balls and other lavish social events. Her niece,
Lady Caroline Blackwood wrote of growing up in that atmosphere in her book,
Great Granny Webster.
Private consortia In 1983 it was sold to the private Swiss consortium Primwest controlled by the French businessman Didier Primat. In 2006, it was bought outright by
JP McManus and
John Magnier. In 2007, more than €20 million was spent on major upgrade work, including improvements to the Steel and Mackenzie designed championship golf course and the "alpine style" clubhouse. ==House contents and furnishings==