Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Knowles: Earlscliffe Owner 1961 to 1969

In 1961, after almost a decade under the Woods family, Earlscliffe passed into the hands of Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Knowles and his wife Olga Mabel Knowles (née Johnston). Their period as residents lasted through most of the 1960s — a time of both national change in Ireland and the gradual transformation of large coastal homes into family-centred residences.

Family history

Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Knowles: soldier, horseman and gardener

When Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Knowles died at Earlscliffe on 3 March 1967, the notices announcing his death looked back towards Derbyshire. They remembered a former commander of the Derbyshire Yeomanry, an officer of the Royal Scots Greys and a man educated at Eton and Sandhurst. His funeral was held several days later at Brailsford, close to the countryside in which his life had begun.

Yet the final decades of Andrew’s life belonged largely to Ireland. His journey to Earlscliffe had taken him through two world wars, military command, amateur racing, hunting country, personal upheaval and a new life in Kerry. Horses and the countryside remained consistent threads throughout that journey.

His early life

Andrew was born in Brailsford, Derbyshire, on 17 February 1897, the son of Robert and Hanna Knowles. ¹ After attending Eton and Sandhurst,¹⁰ he served with the Royal Scots Greys during the First World War. In the years that followed he became an amateur jockey, rode in the Grand National and finished second in the Foxhunters’ Chase. He gave up racing after that but was then closely associated with the Dove Valley Hunt.²

On 21 April 1924, Andrew married Elizabeth Evelyn “Betty” Hurt. They had two sons, Robert and Peter Andrew. The birth of their elder son, Robert Knowles, was registered at Belper during the first quarter of 1926. Their younger son, Peter Andrew Knowles, was born on 12 December 1927.

Move to Ireland

By 1934 Andrew had made his home in Ireland, where he rode successfully in point-to-point racing. Among his best-known horses were Shaun Rhu and Toi Denis, the latter carrying him to victory in the Kilmallock Gold Cup.²

Personal Upheaval

Andrew and Betty’s marriage eventually broke down. The divorce proceedings attracted newspaper attention in 1936 because of Betty’s relationship with Sir Peter Farquhar, a prominent figure in the hunting world. The court granted Andrew a decree, and Betty married Sir Peter the following year. The reports offer a glimpse of the tightly connected equestrian circles in which all three had moved. The 1937 marriage report noted that Betty had been a familiar figure in the Meynell hunting field for several years. ^{12 14}

Second World War and the years after

Andrew’s military connections continued alongside his sporting life. He became the last commander of the Derbyshire Yeomanry before the outbreak of the Second World War, completing his command in 1939. He received the Territorial Decoration and returned to active service during the war.¹¹ He subsequently lost an eye during the retreat to Dunkirk.

After the war, Andrew returned to Ireland and became involved in National Hunt racing as an owner, committee member and steward. In London on 16 March 1950, he married Olga Mabel Johnston.¹³ Olga was the daughter of Major Charles Ernest Johnston, who had been killed in France during the First World War,⁵ and Mabel Frances Irene Johnston, later Mrs Ryan.⁴

Move to Kerry

Andrew and Olga established a home at Reen-na-Furraha (or Reenafura) near Sneem in County Kerry.^{3 9} It appears to have suited Andrew’s longstanding interests particularly well: horses, country life and gardening. Passenger records also show the couple travelling together, including a Caribbean voyage from which they returned to Liverpool.⁶

From Kerry to Earlscliffe

On 31 May 1961, Andrew bought Earlscliffe from Margaret (Peggy) Woods. He and Olga moved from the sheltered landscape of south Kerry to the exposed slopes of the Baily, overlooking Dublin Bay. Andrew did not arrive empty-handed. According to his obituary, he brought plants with him from the garden at Reen-na-Furraha, carrying part of his former home into the grounds of Earlscliffe.¹⁵

That small detail provides perhaps the most personal connection between Andrew Knowles and the house. Earlscliffe was not simply another address in a long life. Its garden became a continuation of the landscape he had already cultivated in Kerry. Plants transferred across the country linked two very different coastal settings and reflected an interest that remained important to him in his later years.

The end of the Knowles years

Andrew died at Earlscliffe in March 1967, aged 70. The Derbyshire death notice described him as formerly of the Derbyshire Yeomanry and the Royal Scots Greys, but also named Earlscliffe, Baily, County Dublin, as his home. ¹⁶ His funeral at Brailsford brought his life geographically full circle, from Derbyshire to Ireland and back again.

After his death, Olga continued to live at Earlscliffe for a short period and was joined by her mother, Mabel Frances Irene Ryan. Mabel later died at Earlscliffe on March 27 1968 ⁷ and was buried in Kilbarrack, Co. Dublin.

In May 1969 Earlscliffe was offered for sale, ⁸ bringing the Knowles family’s eight-year association with the property to an end. When Olga Knowles sold Earlscliffe in 1969, the house passed to David and Muriel Robinson. What began as the next chapter in its history became its longest continuous family connection, extending through the Robinson and Foley families to the present day.

Olga subsequently returned to Gloucester, where she lived until her death in July 2001 at the age of 85.

Next chapter: The Robinson and Foley family

List of Residents/Owners

References & Further Reading

1. Details found on Ancestry.co.uk. ↩
2. Irish Times obituary for Lt.-Col A. Knowles, March 7, 1967, page 6. ↩
3. The house in Sneem is also sometimes spelled Reen-na-Furragha or Reenafura. It is next to Parknasilla, an old country house that is now a luxury Kerry hotel. ↩
4. Details found on Ancestry.co.uk. ↩
5. As discussed in Major Charles Ernest Johnston DSO TD at http://www.stanwardine.com/cgi-bin/malvernww1.pl?id=230 ↩
6. UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960. ↩
7. Irish Times, March 29, 1968, page 24. ↩
8. Notice in the Irish Times dated May 14 1969 states that Earlscliffe was to be auctioned on that day. ↩
9. As an aside, in 1969, eight years after Andrew and Olga moved out of Reenafura in Sneem and into Earlscliffe, French president Charles De Gaulle visited Kerry. He was due to stay at Parknasilla, an old country house on the Ring of Kerry that is now a luxury hotel. However, it was felt that he could be best protected under heavy security next door in the secluded Reenafura. For more details see Parknasilla historic guests. ↩
10. Derby Evening Telegraph, March 07, 1967, page 10. ↩
11. Derby Evening Telegraph, March 07, 1967, page 10. ↩
12. The Daily Telegraph, Dec 12 1936, page 6. There was no divorce in Ireland at that time for marriages in Ireland, but Andrew and Elizabeth were married in England. ↩
13. The Daily Telegraph, March 17, 1950, page 16. ↩
14. Derby Evening Telegraph, June 24, 1937, page 7. ↩
15. Irish Times obituary for Lt.-Col A. Knowles, March 7, 1967, page 6. ↩
16. Derby Evening Telegraph, March 07, 1967, page 10. ↩

List of Residents/Owners