Originally built for the Hutchinson family in 1720, the house was later acquired by the 1st Earl of Bantry, ennobled in 1797 for his efforts to repress Wolfe Tone’s French Armada invasion in Bantry in 1796. Significant additions were made to both house and gardens under the 2nd Earl of Bantry (1800-68), who developed Bantry House’s famous art and sculpture collections.