The Le Poer tower, overlooking Curraghmore estate, was erected in 1785 in memory of Marcus, the eldest son of George de La Poer Beresford 1st Marquess of Waterford, who died in a riding accident on 10th August 1783.
More notorious however was his nephew Henry de La Poer Beresford, Third Marquess of Waterford.
The second son of the 2nd Marquess of Waterford, became heir to the title on the death of his elder brother George in 1824. He succeeded to the title on his father's death in 1826.
He led a colourful life, in fact he was the first person to “paint the town red”
In the early hours of Thursday, 6 April 1837, Henry Beresford and his fox-hunting friends arrived at a tollgate outside Melton Mowbray .They had been drinking at Croxton races, and seeing their condition, the tollkeeper asked to be paid before he opened the gate for them.
Sadly for him ladders, brushes and pots of red paint were lying nearby; the Marquess and his friends painted the tollkeeper and a constable red. They nailed the tollhouse door shut and painted that red. They ran through the town painting doors, pulling on door knockers and knocking over flower pots. At the Old Swan Inn the Marquess painted the carved swan inn sign red. They vandalised the Post Office and a bank before trying to overturn a caravan in which a man was fast asleep. Policemen tried to intervene but were beaten up and painted red for their trouble. More police arrived and seized one of the men who was put in prison.
The others returned and rescued him, breaking three locks and beating two constables, threatening them with murder if they did not produce the key.
When the Marquess sobered up, he paid for all the damage to people and property. After the incident, the phrase "paint the town red" entered the English language.
A rumour in 1830s claimed that Lord Waterford was the main suspect behind "Spring Heeled Jack". However as that character's acts continued after his death in 1859, Waterford cannot be given sole responsibility.
It was speculated that he could have designed some sort of apparatus for special spring-heeled boots, and that he may have practiced fire-spitting techniques in order to increase the unnatural appearance of his character. They also note the embroidered coat of arms with a "W" letter observed by a servant boy during one incident, a coincidence with his title.
Lord Waterford was frequently in the news in the late 1830s for drunken brawling and vandalism, and was liable to do anything for a bet; this earned him the title "the Mad Marquis", and it is known that he was in London at the time of the first Spring Heeled Jack incidents. The Revd E. C. Brewer in 1880, wrote that Waterford "used to amuse himself by springing on travellers unawares, to frighten them, and from time to time others have followed his silly example".
In 1842, he married Louisa Stuart and settled in Curraghmore House, where he led a quiet life until he died in a horse riding accident in 1859. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1236/comment/20738/