The house was constructed in the 1760s[1] for The 1st Earl of Bective to a design by the Irish architect George Semple.

It remained wholly in the private hands of the Taylour family, Marquesses of Headfort, until 1949, when the family leased the main house to the newly formed Headfort School.

The 6th Marquess of Headfort later sold the East Wing, renamed as Headfort Court, and with its own garden, along with the school premises in the 1980s (on terms allowing the school to continue) to an American, B.J.

The East Wing / Headfort Court became a distinct property, as did part of the grounds,[3] and the main house and much of the grounds were purchased by a charitable trust, the Headfort Trust, to preserve the buildings and support the school.

In 2004, the house was selected by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) for inclusion in its List of 100 Most Endangered Sites[4][5] The school closed in March 2020 but was reopened under new management in September 2020.