References to people mentio ne d in Election of 1753
Th e Brownlows
Linen
Sources for genealogical infor ma tion
Interesting persons ass oci a ted with Lurgan
Links between Armagh and Lurgan
Lurgan relic in County Museum
The Rev. Richard Ba rton
Coursing in County Armagh in the 17th century and Master McGrath
Lurgan Cucking Stool
Brownlow House
The Lurgan Spade
ARNAGH M I SCELLANEA
VOL.XV
DATA ON PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATIO NS
Benburb
Clare
Drumhillery
Lislooney
Loughgal l
Vinec ash
Richhill
Ahorey
Ahore y notes fro m a r ent a l of 177 8 -17 8 2
Presbyteria ni sm in Mourne
Fir s t Drwnbanag her - List of Ministers
Drumbanagher Se cession or Second Cong rega tion
Tyrones Ditches - Li s t of Mini sters
The cont ents of thes e volumes l a belled Armachiana are simply notes for t a lks to local and visitin g societies in search of material relating to it s histor ic a l b a ck ground and an cient monuments . They a re not of any great i mportance but may p rovide a gui de to studen ts seek ing d a t a on the county g enerally or on their own distri ct s i n particular . TGF Paterson
Armachiana Volume 15
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Armachiana Vol1 (Armagh County Museum ARMCM.28.2014.44)
LURGAN.
Derivation of name,
Derives from Lurga the shin. Lurraga means the same and is a common form in t h e south. Lurgan is · the na me of about thirt y townlands in the north and west and is part of about sixty other place names.
The town is comme morated in Dublin by a street called Lurgan Street, near the site of the old Dublin Linen Hall, and is honoured in Pennsylvania by having a township named after it.
THE TOWN OF LURGAN
The wars between Elizabeth and the nort h ern Irish Chieftains r e sulted in their eventual de f ea t a nd the confiscation of their lands. This was not achieved, however, until t h e openin g years of the reign of her successor, King Ja mes the First.
The sum~ er of 160 8 was a me morable one in this Province. The exciteme nt and consternation cre a ted by the fli ght of the Earls in the preceding autumn had barely subsided ·when the project for the Plantation of Ulster by British settlers was put into being. By that scheme the northern counties beca :ne peopled with inhabitants of English, Welsh and Scotch extraction.
The escheated lands - th a t is the lands that had devolved upon the Crown were thereupon divided into proportions of 2,000 acres, 1,500 acres and 1,000 acres, and it was decid,ed that the undertakers of such lands should be of three classes - firstly, En glish and Scottish , who were to plant their lands with British tenants, secondly, servitors in Ireland who might have Irish tenants also, and thirdly, natives of Ireland who were to · be made freeholders.
Un d er that scheme John and William Brownlow obtained grants in O Neiland Barony, securing 1,500 and 1,000
acres respectivel y . The lands in question we re of a :u ixed nature, s ome to wnla n ds excellent, o thers chiefly :u arsh and bog but with much timber that afterwards proved a valuable asset.
John Brownlow• s g rant was dated 29 May, 1610, and his lands were for med into a Manor called Dou ghcoron, with a de mesne of 450 acres. The various towmlands for ming it are carefully set out and there is a reference to the balliboe of Shankill and the half balliboe of Aghnecloghie being exce p ted though situate within the grant. That was due, of course, to the fact that they were glebe lands. His son, William, obtained his patent on 13th June of same year f or adjoining lands. They were e r ected into a Manor known as Ballynemony but the balliboe of Kinere ganbe g was excepted, being church property.
Carew in his Re p ort of 1611 gives both Brownlow'ss resident and dwellin g in an Irish house. They had brought over six car p enters, one mason, one tailor and six wor km en and had p laced one freeholder and six tenants upon their lands. Pre p arations were being made to build two bawns and they had some muskets and other ar ms in readiness for defence of the pro p erties. By 1619 John Brownlow was dead and Willia m in p ossession of the two manors. Pynnar' s 11 Survey" of
that yea r tells us that there was 11 upon Ballynemony a strong stone house ·within a g ood island and at Doughcoron a fair house of stone and bri ck with a bawn of timber and earth wi th a pa llazado about it and in readine ss limeand stone to ma ke a bawn thereof in the summer 11. We also le a rn that there ·was then a very fair tovm c onsisting of fo rt y -two houses, all inhabited by Engli sh fa milies, \d th streets pa ved clean through. There were a lso two water mills and a windmi ll, all for corn, and a store of arms in the manor By then there were five fre eho lders upon t h e estate and fiftytwo tenants holdin g leases for years, in a ll 57 families 1d tl1 divers other tenants under t lrn :n , all of whom had taken the oa th of supremac y an d were able to 'Jluster on e hundred :n en \'Ii th a r ms. Th e re '.-ra s th en a g ood store of tilla g e on the property but not one Irish fa mily upon all t h e land.
William Brownlow must, however, s ho rtly afterwards have g iven 1,ray to t h e temptation o f h i gh rents and ready payments of f ered by the natives. An Inquisition of 1630 shous that in that year he was brought to book by the Government in co n sequen c e of such lettings.
In 1629 be had a re- g rant of the two manors by whi ch they became united as the Man or of Brownlow's Derry. At the same time a paten t was issued for a ma r k et every
i'riday at Ballylur g an and two fairs o n t h e Fe as t of St. Ja 1 es and Feast of St Martin This shows tha t b y t h en the to1.m had be c om e a p la c e o f i "c.lJ.p orta n c e in t h e so cial life of the area a n d g ives Lu r g an ' s ::a. a r k e t s an d fairs an ancestry of over three hun d re d a n d t wenty years .
A museter Roll of t h e te n ants was ta . e n i n 1 6 30 wh i c h gives t h e na mes of for t y - two men ca p able of bearin g ar:n s . This is d ifficult to rec on c ile with the one hundred :n en :n e n ti o ned. by Pynnar in 1 6 1 9 . A Subsidy Roll of 1634 g ives a li k e n umbe r Se ven y ears later t h e Civil War broke out and Lur g an was ta k en by a f orce of nati ve s oldiers said t o have nu~ b ered 1 , 000 8 en . From Carte's l Li fe of Ormonde II we g at h er t l1 at t h e ou tbreal-c was not entirely 1111 e x p e ct ed and that Sir William Brownlow had been supplied wi t h powder for the d efen ce of his Castle whi c h it wa s then believed had stood a fortnight ' s sie ge - if so Si r Wi lliam ne g lected to men tion tha t as pe ct of t h e a ff a irs in d e posi t io n s ~ ad e by him in 1 6 42 and 1653. The a t t ac k , we are told, t ook p lace on the 23rd October, 1641 (in his la t er a ccount he c h an ge d the dat e to 1st Novembe r ) and that the raiding par ties were under the Ma cans, Ma g ennis es a nd th e O' Ha nlo ns, who burn t the town an d mu rdered several inhabitants of whom he na!Iles Sl . x but states there were others . :, ' Tha t the nex t day th ey threatened to put all the inhabitants to
the s wo rd un l ess he g a ve up the castle ·whi ch he did upon p ro 'J.l ise tha t t h e y would all be c onveyed sa fel y to Li s na ga rve y No sooner was th e Cas tle sur rendered than he was taken p risoner ·with his wi fe and chi l d r en , first to Armagh later to Dun ga nnon an d fin a lly t o
Charle:n on t uh e re he wa s eventua ll y freed by the Eng lis h.
Accor ding to O' Me ll an ' s J ou r na l there was a second burnin g of Lur gan in hay , 1642.
Other inhabitants of Lur g an ~ad e si~il ar depositions. Alex ande r Gill ( ~O May 1 653) p laces th e casua lties at a bo ut sixteen p ersons and na mes te n indivi du als pe rsonally 1mown to hi in . fr lli a'.11 Duf fiel d ( 9 Au gust, 1642) gives th e rnxnb er s lai n a t the taking of the town as ten ; Henry Oghull in hi s d e pos ition 'lla de 2 Ha y , 1653, says he was at Sir William Brownlow s house near Lur g an th e ni ght Lur g an wa s burnt and that the next day he saw five dead , a ll of wh om h e names. So me d epositions give na mes but t he d ocu~ ents require careful collatin g and chec k ing . It is apparent that the 11 Sac k of Lurgan" was a mild affair in co mp arison with events elsewhere in the county. Lives wer e lost, houses we re burned and the Brownlow Castle ta k en, a mansion ou tside the town a nd undoubtedly Sir William's house at Ballynemony.
e have little informat ion as t o ho w long the Irish held t he town but we do know that the British settlers were a ga in in occupation before 1654, in wh ich year William Edmundson disturbed a servi ce in the pari sh chu rc h and wa s bea ten for hi s p ains . Th ree years later, in 1657, Cro mw ell caused an Inquisition to be made of t he Coun ty parishes fro m wh ic h ·we ga t he r that the to\m had returned to norma l con ditio n s. At any rate the ch urch wa s in good repa ir and a school functioning.
In 16 60 a Poll Tax was taken of t h e inha bitants and in 1 66 5 a Hearth Tax wa s i mp osed wh ic h gives us the na:nes of all t h e househol d ers of the pa rish , bu t a s only t h ose wno h ad proper hear ths and c h i mney s are n oted it cannot be co n sidered a complete c ensu s. It does, howe ver, give a list of forty-six inhabita n ts o f whom two paid tax on four hearths, seven on two h eart h s, and the remainder one hearth each.
By this time the tovm wa s in a prosp erous condition, a fact a pp arent fro m a token i ssued by a Lurgan merchant in 1666. From 1672 to date Parish records survive, one of t h e best sequences of such registers in the north.
Th e t o wn seems to h ave suffered little inconvenience during the Willia.mite Wars. So me of Schomberg• s troops wer e stationed in the tovm and neighbour h ood and the
General made the m res p onsible for t he re p air of t h e highway, with, of course, an ult e rior object in viewt h e facility of his troops when the occasion should arise. Tradition s ays that durin g t h is work the General once used the Blue Stone at Lylo as a luncheon table. The fa mous landmar k is no w· buried but that is another story.
A few years earlier in 1684 the first Presbyterian congregation in t he tovm is said to have been for :n ed and six years later the Battle of the Boyne was fought, a battle resultin g in a Dutch Prince being p lace on the throne of England after defeating his father-in-law on the banks of that delightful river. Six years later, in 1696, a Quaker Meeting House was built .
In the closing years of the century Lurgan began to develop as a linen centre. We have a pen p icture of the town as it was then in Dr. Thomas Molyneux' s 11 Journey to ye North 1i, written in 1708. The doctor (afterwards Sir Thomas) was on his way fro:n Dublin to Castledillon , his country seat near Ar magh, from which he went on a long trip through parts of Antrim, Derry and Tyrone . From the diary we learn that he passed through Portadown a pretty village vmere his horses were ta k en over in a vmerry owing to the building of a new bridge. We are told th a t he went from thence through a mi ghty pretty
English-like enclosed country, well p lanted with large trees to Hr. Brownlow s to,m o f Lurgan, which he describes as "at p resent the greatest mart of linen manufactories in the north being al mo s t entirely p eo pled with linen weavers, and all by the care and cost of Mr. Brownlow, who on his first establishing the trade here, bought up ever y thing brou ght to the mark e t of cloth (linen ) and lost at first consi d erably , but at length the thing fixing itself, he is now by t h e same methods a consi d erable gainer. This ge ntleman is more cu rious than ordinary and has by hi m several old I ri sh manuscripts which he can read and understand very well. He shewed me one in parchment of the Bible (as I remember) pretended to be written by St. Patrick's own hand but this must be a fable. This gentle man is not satisfied about the petrifying qualities of Lough Neagh waters .... Having supped with hi m we lay at an Inn 11 • In the morning Dr. Molyneux and his friend continued their journey, and thus pass outside our survey. The then Mr. Brownlow was Arthur Brownlow alias Chamberlain who took the name of Brownlow on inheriting his grandfather's estates and "the parchment pretended to be written by St. Patrick 11 , the fa mous Book of Armagh, one of the most precious of our surviving manuscripts - we sha ll notice both more fully later.
In 1712 James Quin of Carlow was induced by William Br ownlow to ta ke u p his abode in Lur g an and begin the manufacture of da mask and by 1714 fine cambric was being produced in the d istrict.
At that ti me the making of linen was an essentially do me stic affair. Far~ ers raised t he f lax on their own lands. It was scutched at ho me . Daughters and servants spun the yarn. The sons wove th e li n en and the bleaching was effected by the sa:n e hands. Later, following the invention of the fly-shuttle, the Kelly family were among the most celebrated shuttle- mak ers in the north.
I cannot g o into details as to famous local linen fa milies. James Bradshaw, a linen manufacturer, obtained trade secrets in Holland in the early ye ars of the 18th century and, in doin g so, barely esca pe d wi th his life - for such secrets were valuable. He wemt there in 1717 with the object of acquiring some knowledge of Dutch methods of production and was successful. His father was a Quaker, and James himself was born at Annsboro' in 1679. He died in 1754, leaving vdth other issue, a son Robert of Lurgan, g randfather of Robert Bradshaw of Milecross near Hewtownards, who drove around the countryside behind a pair of bullocks with a servant perched on one as
outrider. His carri age was a sort of van of his ovm invention with a stove ins i de and a funnel cut through the roof that belched forth smoke. His bulloc ks had their tails docked as he believed the y wasted their strength throu gh switchin g tbe!Il - the stories t ha t have co!lle d om1 relating to hi'Jl are legion.
In an acc ount of Lur g an 1.v.ri tt en in 1751 by the Re v. Richard Barton, there is a vivid re presentation of the Lur gan linen ~arke t. Linens were then sold in the open mar ke t - the Linen Ha ll doe s not see~ t o have been built until later. They we re measured under c over in the public - houses and custo m had !Il ade it a rule tha t the sellers of webs should expend at least t hre e- p ence in liquor for the good of the house. At the same time there was a soa p manufactory in th e tovm .
Five years later in 1756 the fa :nous John Wesley arrived in Lurgan in the month of Jul y it wa s the first of a series of such visits . On that occasion he preached in the Market House . He continued to p ay regular visits to Lur g an for over twenty years. In 1760 ,vhen the French were in Carrickfer gu s Bay and Belfast was threatened with invasion Lur g an sent a body of one hundred and forty horsemen to help to repel the invader .
Seven years later the then rector, t h e Rev. Arthur
Ford ( a k ins:n an of t he Brownlow fam ily and for a ti me agen t for the property) die d an d wa s buried on the nor t h of t h e disman tled chur ch as a pro t e st a ga inst the universal av o idance of t h at side b ecause of an old custo:n or sup e rstition as t o such a bu rial- p l a ce b eing reserved for unbaptized chil d ren, e tc. The ~atte r caused a fuss at the ti:n e but th e fear no lon ge r ob tains.
Two years later in 176 9, Bush e pub lished hi s 11 Hibernia Curiosa 11 for which he had col le ct e d t he facts five ye ars e arlier.
During his visit to the Province of Ulster he co mp lain ed that h e did not g e t above on e bed of clean dr y straw for his h orse i n the three eastern Provinces. This he found in Lurgan at an inn knovm as the 11 Crown and Whea ts heaf 11 • He c onsidered Lur ga n on e of the prett iest towns i n tl1 e nor t h and de scribed his h ost and h ostess in glowing ter:ns. He had also :nu ch to say about the p lace and the :n anners, lan guage and dis p ositions of its inhabitants wn o:n he found g enteel, sensi ble and friendl y . He a lso noted a n am enit y known as t h e Assembly which he de scr ib e s sociable and entertaining and comm ents that 11 no social distinctions or exclusions on circums t an ces of birth or fortune p revailed, the only crit e rion of qualifications being the decency of behaviou r and g ood manners.
I n 1779 , at a t i :n e wh en Britai n wa s at war with Am er i ca and t h is c ountr y ill- p rotect e d and threatened Hi t h in vasi on, t h e Ri gh t Honble. William Bro wnlo w r a ised a corps o f volunteers. It was v e r y a ctive and its cap t ain was Colonel of t h e No r t h ern Battalion o f Th e Armagh Regi ment o f Volunt e ers. Its unif or m wa s s c a rlet , f ac e d w~ t h wh ite. A belt- p late s u rvi ve s in t h e County l•luseum . The Volunteer cor p s g en e rall y l a t e r b eca:ne p olitically inclined am were eve n tuall y d i sb an ded by t h e Government. The Lur g an Comp an y f i gu res la r ge l y i n p ress re p orts of the perio d .
We have a p leasant picture of the Lurg a n of th ose da y s in Young I s 11 Tour o f Ireland 11 publis h ed i n th e f ollowing year but e:n bodyin g observations ma d e 177 6-177 8 . From t h e book in question we learn that Mr . Brownlowh ad then ~ a d e g reat i:nprovements in his de mesne, i ncludin g a te mp le f rom which to observe the view of the lake, Loug h Nea gh and the adjoining countryside.
The writer was, of course, chiefly concerned with a g riculture but being in the tovm on a Market Day he walked With his host to the ~art to see the way in which linens an d camb rics were sold and gives an excellent account of t h e p roceedings. Weavers were able to earn by coarse li n ens 1/- per day and by fine l/4·d., and the same ap plied t o t he s p inners - they received more for the fine y arns.
At that time 3,000 p iec es a week were bein g sold in the market at an avera g e of 35/-. Th e town pa rks about Lurgan were let at 40/- an acre but in the c oun try g enerally at 14/-. Th e husbandr y was exceedingly bad , the p eople mindin g nothin g but flax and p otatoes.
An even more deli ghtfui description of the tovm as it was in the Irish Volunteer p erio d is pr eserved in a book published in Dubli n i n 17 8 2, entitled 11 A t ou r through Ireland 11. It reads as follows: -
11 .Fro:n thence (Waringstown we visited Lur ga n in the County of Armagh, distant about two :n iles. This is one of the pre ttiest little market tovms in the kin gdom . Its situation is extremely pleasant, in a fine fertile and populous country, a n d in the :ni d st of the linen manufactory. It stands on a gen tle emin en ce abou t two miles fr om and commanding a fine p rospect of Lough Neagh , t h e largest lake in the kin gdom.
The inhabitants are g enteel, sensible and friendly, and though the tovm is not ver y consi d erable yet fro!ll a g eneral concurrence in the sa me agreeable disposition, they h ave established a very socia b le and entertaining assembly, to which throwing aside all ridiculous distinctions and exclusions on the circumstances of birth and fortune, the o ffsp~ing of p ride, upon vanity and ignorance, every pe rson is welcome who is qualified to ap pea r with decenc y and
behave with good ma nners. They seem indeed to exert themselves to support the reputation of their to vm whi ch from the similarity of its inhabitants to those of the English had for many years acquired the na~e of Little England, and an Englishman at Lur g an indeed will think himself in his own country 11 • From conte mp orary news paper s we learn that in 1781 there wer e at least two social clubs :n eeting in Lur g an, the Lurgan Club in the Black Bull Inn and the men of o ' Ne iland in the Blackamoor Inn. Coc kfighting was one of the local pastimes at that time and was pat ronized by all classes. In 1793 the Irish Militia was re-or g anized and county units raised. Lur g an, pos sibly due to its geographical position, s ent ver y few men into the Armagh Mi litia. Three y ears later Yeomanry Corps were f ormed and Lur g an acquired a Cavalry and Infantr y Corps - the latter in the next century became involved in certain squablles of a political nature, wh ereby its loyalty to authority became suspect. Part of the trouble was due to the then agent who was ver y anti-Orange in his views. A coat of the Lurgan Cor p s survives in the National Museum, Dublin, and very full records presented b y the late Sir William Allen are preserved in Armagh Museum. Two years later in 1795 the Orange Order was formed, and its p rinciples were quickly ado p ted in Lur gan. In 1797
the town was the p lace of meeting for the second demonstration since the Order's for~ation . Great p re par ations had been made. Fro:n sunrise that :norning cro wd s of peop le were on their way . Distri et s west of th e Bann joined together at Portadown where they were inspected by Maj or Acheson (later Lord Gosford) then a candidate for the county who rode up and down the lines saluting all and sundry - the first wooin g of the order fo r political purposes that I have any record of About t ha t ti:n e William Blacker of Carrickblacker received a present fro:n his g r and -uncle , Col . Care y, of so:ne horse furniture used by King William at the bat tle of the Boyne, and the mee tin g was dee:ned a :nost fitting occasion for its exhibition. Bla cker, accordingly, pla ced it upon a magnificent black hunte r and escort e d by twelve of the finest lookin g me n in the c ount r y, all above six feet high and d ressed ali ke, two of vmo:n led the horse whilst the others tried to keep off the crowds who strove to touch the valued relics as they passed along. They were acco:np anied by several hundred wellmounted horse:nen, many of whom had c oJ1e from Killyman and othe rs parts of Tyrone followed by the districts in the ir order with all mann er of mu sic. The story fro m this point had best be told in William Bl a cker' s own words . 11 At Lurgan we were met by two other p rocessions fr om
Down and An t ri m and th ere we found Ge neral La ke, the Co 2mander-in-Chief of the Northern di strict, waiting to receive us, attended by one or two other General officers and their en tire staff in full ri g . We defiled p ast these g randees near the h ead of the Castle Lane. J do wn whi eh we pro ceeded into Mr. Brownlow ' s demesne and round the lake which was co11pletely surr ounded and :n ore, the head of the procession ha vin g rea ched the stre e t of Lurgan a g ain ere the last had entirely quitted it. I do no t recollect having ever ~ince seen a si ght so beautiful as the lake surrounded as it was u p on that occasion by a slow movin g proce ss ional mass . The day was extremely fin e. The women gaily d ressed were as n1.n1erous as the men. There was a :narked sparklin g of scarlet, the Yeomanry wearing their unifor ms, the Banners, the mu sic co min g softened across the water, the general appearance of c he erful exultation , all cons p ired to fo r m a scene whi ch can never be obli tera ted fro'.TI '.llY :ne:n ory. In less than two hours afterwards the town was cleared. My father and I dined there ·wi th a lar ge p ar ty of gentlemen and on going home on horseba c k about t en at ni~ht I do not think we saw four peop le on the road 0 be tween Lur g an and Carri ck One of these was old Frank Baird , a fiddle playing school- master frofil Drumlyn Hi ll, wh om we came up with near the "Red Cow11 fi d dling and
dancin g a p as seul alon g the road which h e actually ke p t up with unabated s p irit until we reached t h e turn to Carric k and no doubt c ontinu e d it th e entire ,ra y t o his domicile . It has fr e que n tly h a p ene d to :n e to traverse many miles of th e coun t r y on t h e ni gh t of t h e 12t h of July and I can sa f ely as s ert t h at I i nv a ri ab l y f ound
t h e roads more quiet on that n i gh t th a n on an y ot h er . It s e emed a p oint of ho n our a:n on g t h e Prote s t an ts to k ee p t h at ni ght fro m bec om i n g ~ ar ke d by an i 2p r op ri e t y . ~en whose co n duct might be loos e enough 364 n i ghts in t he y ear were on t h eir guard on that on e' 1 •
The concluding ye ars of th e ce n t u r y we re a ti me of unrest in the count y g enerally , but Lur g an f a red fai rl y well in the troubled d ay s of th e He ar t s o f Oa k Boy s, Pee p of Day Boys, etc.
Many of t h e i nh abi ta n ts , h owever, b ecame interested in t he p rinci p l e s of th e United I r ish'.Il en vJho u ere p receded by th e Defende rs, an org a nization also r epre sented in Shankill P a ris h . In 1800 t h e old Ir i sh House of Co mm ons wa s di s solved by t h e Act of Un i on , a trag edy that r e sulted in the wealth y and la nd ed cla s ses n ee lecti ng their p ro p erti e s f or life in London.
A new Court House was erected in 1802. It re p l a ced an earl ier str u cture with a b ri d e well und e rn e at h it, a bui l d i ng that cro p s up in late 17th cent u r y l ea s e s.
About t ha t time t h e Roman Cath olic in hab it an ts were 1:; iven
an old mil l ca lled 11tbe Dougherer 11 out side t l1 e to1m b ounc.ar 1 b 1 ·.r . U. Brown l ow whi c h t h e y 1Je1· e able to c onver t into a c:.1a pel. The p resent site in NoTth Street was g i ven in 1829 b y Charles Brownlow later fir s t Lor d Lurgan .
A pa rcel o f li n en wo ve n in 1809 wa s of su ch ezc ellen ce t.1a t it was pre sented to P rincess Charlot t e ; later Lur g an cambrics \·ie re sent to Quee n Vi ctor i a.
Tb e toim then boasted a bandso ::u e market house si tuate in t h e o l d middle Row, and a Li nen Hall buil t in 1 825.
Lur g an was then th e se c ond to1-m in t11e County in i :npo r tan ce and in 1 819 it c ontained 37 9 houses an d 2207 inbabitant s, th e vre e kly trade in li nen tbe n avera g ing fro m £2 , 500 to £ 3,000 pe r wee k . Th e mansion 0 1.. the Brownlow fa :IJ. ily, p ro bab l y blJ.il t about th e ti :ne of the Restoration, is ci.e s cribed as an antique c astle in a directory of tn at ye ar . Fro:n oth er s our c es we knov1 that i t was ver y si ~ ilar to Ri c hhil l Cas t le , an e difice built abo ut 1665 . Th e occupations of t h e i n habitants o f those day s 1..re re ve ry diffe rent to t h e pre sent , whee l wri gh ts, turners, shuttle- w. akers, flaxdre -ssers, c o oper s, t ob acco spinners , reed - makers, soap-boilers, c handler s, straw- bonnet '.il akers, ha tters, na il- mak ers , an d other obso lete tra de s and cr af ts, appear t o re '.llind us of how self - suffi c ie n t the to1-ms we re t· en in co pari son with develop _ en t s in c onne ct i on wi t h
industr , . he Lurgan bank es tab l ished fo r th e c on ve nien c e of the l i nen menchants s a tte nd i ng tbe t01-m '.!lar~;: e ts wa s t h e n in being .
Ga:iib l e in h is 'Views of So ciet y an d ·-: anncrs i n th e
Nort h of I reland 11 pu bl ish ed in Lo nd o n in 181 9 ur i t cs _
11
I left Ar ill a g h yeste rd ay ::a or n i ng i n c o~npaw Hi t h the worthy Vicar -C i1o ra l vJho was go i ng to attend a p u p il in the ne i gh bour h oo d . Though h e wa s v er y i n differen tl y '1l ou.nte d a s those g en eral l y are i'!ho ride on hired horses, I scor n ed to wal k awa y f ro m hi "'.11 a nd k e p t to his si d e unt il ·•re ca:n e to th e house vme re h e wa s g o i ng . . . . I sto pped f or breakfas t
at t h e little tm,m o f Ri c hhill 11 •
Th er e he brea kfa st ed wi t h a par t y of ~:, l aye rs, af t erward s
?_J roce e di ng vii th t h e m for s o:n e :n iles to a po i n t vher e th ey
se p arated. The p layers had a c a rt on which fo r c our tesy ' s
sa k e he acce p ted a seat but was shortly af t e r ward s ob l ige d to di s mount be ca use the " motion was so ru d e 11 • Des p ite that t n e p layers a ppre ciat ed his company a n d he g r ea tl y enjoyed t eir c onversation . We are left in some d oubt as to the r ou te ta k e n fro m Richhill; it wa s p robably d irect a cross c ountr y to Kno c kbridge and fro ~ thence to Lurgan - a t an yra te he does not mention Port adovm .
Lc1ter, vihen app roa ching Lurgan , he 11 was overtaken by a funeral , followed by a number of persons in ostl y on horseba c k,
sever a l of these wore white line n sc a rfs, tied with black ribands over their shoulders ..... I acco '.llpan ied t h e p rocessi on into the church ya rd ( p resu':Tiably Shankill) and h ad the g ratificat ion of h e a ri ng th e funeral service rea d in a very sole :n n and i '.llp ressive :-11 anner ..... This is a s :n all town but so neat and thriving that by ·wa y of distinction it is or has been called ' 1Li ttle Zn g land 11 ••••
There are two inns, and re11e .n berin g the . indl y c hara cter g iven of women by all travellers I st op ped for p reference at the S'Jl allest i,.ihi ch is kept by a widow of t h e na :n e of Cunningham. At first I was incli ned to be dissatisfied with :ny c hoi ce, for though I was infor:ne d I could have a good dinner, I was infor med vli th equal c andour that I c ould not ha ve it for a long ti me . The careful widow it seems had gone to a great p reachin g and carried all the keys , even the one of the corner cupboard wi th her, and as I had no other alternative I went there to o''.
The pla ce we are told wa s a g reen field - accordin g to Gamble nothing else could have co ntained the large congre ga tion. The people were well -dre s sed - the wo:nen with great neatness and their rank of life c onsidered, he added 11 ·with elegance'' as cri bing it to the diffusion of the cotton manufacture. Despite the views of St. Paul the preacher was a woman. He states that 11 though she migh t have inspired the male p art of the audien ce with
heaven ly, she was little li k el y t o d o it vli th earthl y love, for she was by no :-.u eans h a ndso me and upwards of f ift y yea rs'1, and continued -
"Sh e ga v e us a t l east an · t an i !Ila ed dis cours e bu t her actio n wa s s o ext rava gant and she r oc ked so :nu.eh from side to side that it migh t be said of he r as of an orator of old tha t she had l earn ed to spea k in a boat".
The meetin g over he returned to the h otel and after di nner asked for a book expectin g to be e iven one of a type nearly always to be found in I ri s h in ns . He wa s given Ma dame de Stael's Germany but found it unintelligible , so c ast it aside and took refuge in t h e gard en. Lur gan app ealed to him so he resolved to extend his stay .
The close of day brought a wandering har p er to the inn, and he k ept him pl ayin g for t he whole of the eveni ng .
Eventually he r eac hed Belfast, a town li k e Liver p ool or Glasgow, in either of which one mi gh t fanc y oneself, only that the accent was a little too English for one and a g reat deal too Scotch for the other. It was a co m:n ercial tovm in countryside under the highest state of cultivation, bu t not so rich in natural beauty as either the nei gh bourhood of Lurgan or Ar mag h.
The Ord nan ce Survey Memoirs of 1837 are a valuable source of information . The greater pa rt of the houses
2 s h i ngled vii t h bo g - wood and
ere then old, and consisted of l ~O of one storey, 224 of two, 92 of three, and 2 of four - in all 43 8 h ouses. Of those 242 we re sl a te d '
t b e re:nai nder thatc he d.
At that time th e principal amus ement of the inhabitants is said to ha ve been the attendin g of ma r ke ts and fairs in ne arb y tovms. There was then an excellent News Room over the Ma r k et House.
By 1 840 the Ulster Rail wa y was approaching t h e tovmit act ua lly reached it in Nove~ ber 1841. It then contained four banks - Provincial (1 834), Northern (1 835), Belfast (1 836), and Ulster (1 83 7) - a flourishing distillery, two breweries, and two tobacco manufactories. By then t h e old Brownlow mansion had been demolished , and the p resent structure designed by Playf a ir, a celebrated Scotch architect , was in the occupa tion of the first Lord Lurgan.
Brownlow House was then a-buildin g but its ver y fine library had been sold some years previous. Th e Prison at the N . W. end of the town was a small neat buildin g built in 1831 with all acco m~ odation for seven prisoners. the p eriod was evidently one of progress for we learn that the R. Cat h olic Church had been completed by 1 833 , - a methodist Me etin g House in 1825, the Lurgan Free School in 1812. By then the Police had arrived in the tovm, the force consisting of a sergeant and four privates.
In 1 81.tO t h e Lur g an Unio n wa s bu ilt, an d in 1 8 46
th e ma r k et d ay was c h an g ed fro m Fr id a y to Th ursd a y.
Th e town see:ns to h ave been s pa red the calamiti e s t ha t :n a k e the Famine Year so tra g ic a memor y . In 1 8 4 8 Gas
Has . introduced and by 1 857 was in use as stre e t li gh tin g In 1 8 50 a Cricket Club was f o r :n ed. Fo ur y ears l a ter
t h e To vm I :np rove ments Act was ado p ted. In 1 85 5 the first power 100:11 factory was built b y the Malcolm s who, i n the d ays of handloom weavin g , h a d been eng a g ed in the ~ anufacture of cambric. Th e n e w venture was un p o pular with the hand loom weavers who g athered t o g et h er on one occasion to wreck the plant.
The Mechanics Institute was op ened in 1 8 58 a nd in 1 865 the Linen Hall was abolis h ed. Owi ng to industrial ch an g es it had outlived its usefulness. In 1 86 6 the Malcolms took over the Macoun business and established the first hem stitching tchin g factor y in t h e tovm.
Johnston, Alle n & Co . was set up in 1 86 7 for the :n anufacture of linen and ca mbric by handloom but transferred to power-loom weaving in 1888. In 1868 the Town Hall was built a n d in the following year the celebrated Master McGrath won his fa :ll ous race. In 1873 the Lur g an College was e rected out of fun d s provided by the will of Hr. samuel Watts who died about 1 8 50.
In 1 876 the Lur gan Rugby Football Club was f ound ed and in the following year a Boat Club was organized_. In 1878 a Societ y of Be ll Rin g ers was established and two yea rs later a Tennis Club ca me into bein g . I n 1881 the Lurgan weaving Co mpany was for21ed wi th the object of purchasing the Ma c oun interests.
In 1 88 4 the Toim Co mmissioners pur chased Lord Lur gan 's interest in the fai rs and markets. At that time all produce seems to have been exposed for sale in t h e same place. The Lur g an Mus ical Society was established in that year and the Lur gan Dra ma tic Society in 1 88 5. In th e next yea r a Rifle Association was for'Iled and in 18 88 John S. Brown & Sons, the successors of Ja mes Brown ·who founded the business in 1795 were one of the most flouris hing co n cerns in Lur gan . At that time the Johnston Br ewer y was still in existence.
TH E PAi,"qJ SH oF SHANKILL
Th e earl y nam e o f th e pa ris h is s hrou d ed i n 3y s t er y .
It h as b een ass e rted th a t Shan k ill was ori g inall y lmo 1·m
a s Kil wi l k e, wh ic h so me aut hor iti e s bel i e v e t o be a
v a riant of Kil milcon. To add to t h e c on f u sio n the re is
a re p uted c h urc h s ite at Oxford Is la n d in Arma l o i s t in
t i1a t pa rt of t h e t ovm la n d kno vm a s Ki lwil ke Gleb e, bu t as t h at was p art o f Sea g oe P a ris h u p u n til 1 78 0 o t he r
co ~p lic a t i o n s ari s e. Fo r i n s tan c e , t h e pa ris h e s o f
Se ag oe and Enachloiss y , b ein g at a mo de r a t e d i stan c e fro m
e ac h other a nd b ei ng i n su ff ici e nt for th e su pp o r t o f t v-ro :n i n isters, were united in 1444. A t axa t ion o f ab out 1304 actually g ives Kil milcon but Shankill do es n ot a pp ear until the o p enin g ye ars of t h e 17th ce n t u r y an d it would t h us seem t h at we must loo k else wh ere t h an in
Annaloist for the mother-c h urc h of t h e p arish.
Th e f irst use of the present n a'.n e that I a m aware of occurs in a Survey of the Count y of Ar magh, ta k en at t h e Moyry Castle on 2nd Aug ust, 160 8 , in which it is recorded that there was in OI Neiland Barony 11 a chapel of Shank ill belongin g to the c h urch of Kilmulchan but who t h e l• ilcho was fro :n who m the p arish d erived its name , I do n o t know. There was a St. Fintain of Killmilcon in Cail lmore of whom nothing much can now be ascertained
except his associ a tion with Kilmore and it is a 711att er of s p ecial interest that churc h s ervices ar e t o this da y held in tha t particular t ownla nd . Th e assoc i a tio n , wh en coup l ed with the fa ct that t h ere is a kn.ovm church site therein, is su g g estive of a lon g conti nued knowledg e of t h e sanct i t y of the p lace.
But to return to Shankill - th e oldest c hur ch of t h at na!D.e t ha t we de finitel y know the situation of wa s that within t h e old bu r ia l- g r ound adjo in ing t h e rectory . Th e ma u s of 1609 s h ow a roofless chu rc h the re. We :n ay, t he refore, assume that the church wa s of so:ne an ti qu ity then . It was knovm by its p re sen t name a nd its rui n ed st ate was no d ou bt due to t h e wa rs be t we en Elizabet h and the O' Ne ills. Whet he r that c hurch wa s repa ired or a new one built on the sa'Jle site is a ma tter of conj e cture.
One t h i ng we d o know and that is, t l1a t follo1.-Ji11 g the Plantation of Ulster in 1 61 0 a chur ch again came i n to u se on t ha t sit e t h rou gh t he exerti on s of the Brown low fa!ll ily and t h eir ten an ts. The actual s p ot on whi c h it wa s built is :n ar lrnd by the Br own low vaul t , no1.v c overin g t he resting - p lace of early :n embers of t he fa mil y buried in t h e bo dy of t h e o l d church itself.
I n t he Civil War of 1 641 th e church is said to h ave suffered at the hand s of t h e Ir i sh by use as a barra cks for troops . At the same ti me Sir Wi lliam Brownlow 's
castle wa s c aptured and certai n inhabitants ~u rdered. fany depositions survive relatin g to that p eriod - if ti :n e per:ni ts we may examine t h ose later. At an y rate they co ntain eviden ce that tbe "Sac k of lurgan d i d not result in g reat loss of life, in co:npari son with t h e casualties elsewhere in the count y . He kn ow that by 1654 the town was a g ain in o ccupation of the Brownlow tenants. Tney must have s p eedily re p aired the damage done to the town in 1641 and 1642 or it "'.ll ay be tha t some hou ses escaped t he then g eneral destruction. In tbat year William Edmundson, the Quake r, said to have b een the first of that sect to arrive in Irelan d, reached Lurgan and h aving settled do1,-m was - I a :n now quoting Quaker records11 ':llo ved to go to the parish chur ch and inter rupt the service" for which b reach of g ood 1anners we are told he was 'Jl uch beaten by one of t h e pa rishioners, a certain Col. Stewart.
Three ye ars later in 1657 an I nquisition relative to the parish was ':ll ade by order of the no torious Oliver Cromwell. It is an interestin g document giv in g old spellin g s for tovmland na:ne s and mu ch i n ci d ental ma terial. Tne chu rch was t hen in go od repair and a pa rish school in existence in Lurgan of which a certain Mr . Lawrence Swellbarke was ma ster.
In 1660 a Poll Tax was taken that g ives numbers of
tenants of Bri tish and Iris h extra ctio n in tne various townlands of t he pari s h and for 166 4- 65 there is a Hea rth moneyRoll givin g t h e n ame s of all the inhabitants of the pa rish wh o paid t h e tax i n that year.
In 1675 , according to Vestr y r e cor d s the chur ch wa s without a bell and we find that the par is hione rs were then sum~ oned t o ser vices by t h e bea tin g o f a d rum.
Shortly afterwards a sum of \n oney wa s vote d for the pur chase of a bell. Arran g eme nts were ma de that i t shoul d hang on the Ma r ke t Ho use and be avail abl e for use as a Mark et si gnal al so, but this h ad v a rious di sadv an ta g es so the bell was later ta ke n to the c hur ch .
A font was pr esented in 16 84 by Le ga rd Bl a cker, the then rector. It is no w preserved in the pr esent c hurcl1.
The Vestr y minutes of Ap ril 21, 169 0, sh ow t h at p art of the Williami te army was qu a rtered in the pa rish in 16 89 -1690 and t h at th e highway had been in g reat pa rt amended by order of Gen e ral Scho mb erg.
In 1695 a chalice and paten were purchased by the pa ris h ioners and are still in use. Four y ears later bad g es for the p oor were issued - there is a s p eci men in the Armagh museum - th e earliest dateable County issue 0 of wh ich we have any record. It is inscribed Shankill Poor 1699 11 • An Easter Vestry minute of the follo1.·r.i.ng year gives a short list of persons to wh om such badges ' ad been gi ven.
By the closin g years of this century t h e Ch ur ch was be c oming too s mal l fo r the increased p o pul ation and uas beginnin g to fall into de c ay . In 1710 an Act wa s pass ed fo r the reJ1oval of the Church to a new situ a t ion but not ' until 171 8 was the ma tter finally a p proved of by the p a ris h ioners, some of i.vl.10!11 were no doubt war11ly atta c he d to the old site. The new c h urch was be gun in 1720 and co nse crated in 17 25. In 1734 the timber of the old c hur c h wa s so ld and its walls dis :U antleo., the stones being used to build a stee p le or tower for the new church, a work carried out in 1737.
The new c hur ch was, of c ourse, much larger than its pr edecessor and for a lon g ti21e wa s known a s the 11 Big Chur c h 11 • It wa s enlarged in 1832 and was practically rebuilt in 1 86 1 - wi th the exce ption of the tower. Wnethe r the bell that re p l a ced t he drum i n the old ch urch found a ho::ne in the new building we do not know. If so, it was destroyed in 179 2 wh en the spire of the 11 Big Church II was accidentally consumed by fire. Th e incident is noted in the Blacker Manuscripts and reads as follo,.-1s:111 t was a lofty s p ire and coated with shingles made of boq oak like most of the houses of its day. 0 A plumber h aving g one up to repair the lea d s at its base appears to h ave for g otten a small bit of lighted turf which he had o ccasion for in the c ou rse of his o pe rations - the
consequence was the s p ire takin g fire. It happened du rin g the ni g ht and the p illar of flame wa s see n fro:n t h e op po site side of Lou gh Neagh, occasionin g no little sensation.
As the fire was :nak in g its way downwards and all n ope of saving the bell was at an end, a nur.1ber o f men cut a quantity of thick sods in the nearest field and u laced them inside the door directly underneath the belfry, and it was well judg ed of the ~ , for after so ~ e ti ~ e the bea~s yielded to the fire and down ca me the bel l c a rr y ing the 1ork s of the clock and ali gh ted in pe rfect safety on the mass of sods . But wh at fire failed of effecting water acco~plished. It was red-hot and wtnen the sexton or, as some say, his wife brou ght a c ouple of lar g e bu cket s of water and threw them upon it the bell crac k ed li k e a glass and had to be reca st 11 •
A new bell wa s hung in 1794, inscribed"I to the Churc h the living call, And to the gr ave do sum mon all".
A new s p ire of co ppe r was erected almost i mm ediately but it p erished in the Big Wind of 1 839. We are told that on t h e mo rnin g of 6th January in that year the p arishione rs awoke - that is the few who dared to g o to be d - to find it blown co~p letely off the tower with its po inted end penet ratin g the roof of the nave, lookin g for
al
ti.1 e u orld li ke a frn1 n el in a jar. P eople fro:n di stant
t o,-ms visited Lur g a n in l ar g e nu11 be r s to see th e al:nost unbelievab l e si g ht
Chu rc h an d s tee o le were soon re p aired and i n 1 86 1 t h e
c hu rc .1 ( Hi t h t h e exce p t ion of the t owe r ) wa s p racticall y rebuilt. Twe n ty - six y e a rs later a pea l of ei gh t bel ls : ra s i n stalled c hiefly throu gh the exer t ions o f the l at e
Mr J a:n es Us he r, makin g hi :n self pe rs onally r es p o n sible for raisin g t h e sum ne c essary for their p urchase .
T..nere ha ve been :nany improvments sin c e t h en, and it is to be feared that I have o~ i tted ~u c h o f interest . I h ave not ~ad ti me for i n s t a n ce to c o nsult the Vestr y Boo.CS and the y be g i n in t h e da y s 1Jhen the pari she s we re
res p o n s ib le for ro ads e tc. with in their oM.1 are as and othe r tas ,rn now the du ties of county and Rural councils
The old c hur c hy ard has a l wa y s been t o -:n e a p l a c e of inter es t. T'n e e a rli e st tombstone t ha t I lrno .-r o f is one s e t up t o james douglas uho d ied in 1 656, aged 57 a nd, of c ou rse , I a l ways loo l( wi tb int er es t a t th e to111b o f
J an e Reilly 1-;ho d ie d in 1 715, t l1 e ,-,ife o f Myles Rei lly, Senes c hal of Lur gan, a n c e st o r o f the Rei l ly s o f Sc a rva t b t t h l" ddle of "t..·h e l on t l1 o , ur c h ased th at esta e a ou e ce nta ry, Lut viao are n ow , ac c ord i ng to Scarva t radition, :aid to ha v e rec e ived it as a g ift fr o:n Kin g William
'1 t' er i n ter e stin g stone '.nark s the burial p la c e of John Walker
I t r e ads: -
11Here ly e s an honest g ardener I s du st, .ho in his calli ng was so just That b is g reat God did hi :n re:-:1 ove Fro :n servin g her e to serve above. 11
Tn e o. s. maps o f 1 s 3 c:; s ·_ O ' ·l t ' / , ea r ~en r inged forts in the townl an ds of -
Killa ghy
Tullydagan
Clankilvooragh voo r agh
Lu r gan t arry
:;: Knocknashane
Tannaghmore
Lis c orran
Clanrolla
L e Legahory,et c.
The ~ ost in ter esting st r u c tu r e in t : e :roup is th e earthwor k in Cla n rolla n e ar toe Lu r gan waterworks It is mound shaped and en clos ed by a tren c h . Po::tion of t h e mound has sli pp ed on t he i·re s t o r s~10re sie:. e e~) osing
a blac k is h la y er at f ro:n two t o three feet belo -.-r su r f ace level, fr'o m wh i e h bro Ke n p otter . 1 and bones of various ani mals are obtai n able. It s ee~ s to na ve been built up i n to a mote-like motteerect ion o f 1.-,,h ic h th e t o p is pe r : ap s now somewhat de n uded. Hist o rica l l y th er e i s no r ef e re n ce
other than a visit p aid by t 1e fa: 10us Jo hn Wesley in 175 8 .
Ap art from native use it :n a y well h av e b een occup i ed b y Viking raiders durin g t h eir occ1-rp ation of L ough Neagh
Few finds of archaeological i n terest h ave been
recorded from t h e area. One d iscover y of s p ecial i mportance was made in 1913 at Annesboro' d ur ing t h e excavating of a hole for a gate - p ost. Tn e i te -.:i s f o und
~ay be briefly listed.
1 . Bronze torc Ve r y rare. Pres u:ne d to da te to about 1000 B.c.
2. Palstave of a t yp e dateable to abou t 1000 B.C.
3, Fibula or bro oc h . Possibly seco n d or third century A.D.
4. Three b rac e lets, all of wh ic h were · and lost. gi ve n away
No bones, burnt or unburnt, were found 1.vith the·:n so it is unlikely that they c ould h ave been ot he r t h an p art
o f a hoard colle c ted at so ~ e pe riod later than tne date of the brooch .
So far as I am aware there are no re ~nains of pr eh istori c buria l ca irns of the types represented in the southern pa ris h es of Co. Ar magh , and a round Armagh Cit y bu t finds of sepulc h ral po tter y have turned up in recent yea rs, the ~ ost interestin g discovery being the re main s of t hree such vessels excav a ted durin g the raisin g of gr avel on Mr . Dan McC orry ' s farm in Killaghy in 1937, and reported by Mr . P. J. Kev ille , wh o, unfortunately, l ost his life in the late war . Several bu rial p its were foun d. One co n tained a roughly mad e p ot of the late n eolit h ic p eriod, whilst a no ther p roduced t h e cr e ma ted remains of an adult ma le of the mi d -l a te Bro nze Ag e.
Another p ot of the food vessel type wa s found in 193 8 in Lis sacurran on the far m of 11r . Wi lson Boy ce in a sand-
pit • The p ot was nearly co mplete when found but :ne t with an accident whilst on loan to the Lurgan model Sch ool. It has rat he r unusual de c ora tio n an d is somewha t later than t h e Killaghy p ot. in the Coun ty museum Both are now
Mi scellanea
The Ordnance Surve y Place Nam e Boo ks and memoirs circa 1835-1837, give so me interestin g d etails regarding local townlands, but, of c ourse, we can only note a few .
1. Turmoyra. Wind:n ill and embankment on no rth desi g ned f o r the drainage of t h e bo g It did little good and wa s then useless
~. Derryta gh . About three year s a go a steam en g ine wa s ere ct ed for pumping the water fro:n Lou gh Gullion The engin e is in Derrytrasna which was affect ed but t h e flood in t he river in the winter of 1833 brok e in a nd fi lled it up again .
3. Derrytrasna. Windmill and steam engine. mill for pumping water from the bo g s and flat land and en g ine for pump i ng Lough Gullion into Derryetta - ot henvis e Derryta gh .
4. Bocombra . Then notable for orc h ards.
5. Lylo . A Roman Cat hol ic Chapel erected in 1814.
6. Lisnamintry An old fort. School built 1 833 .
7. Moyravert y . Qu aker burial g round .
8. Clanrolla. An old mound.
9. Derry. Roman Ca tholic Chapel in South , and p ound a little north of chapel.
10. Dougher. Old Roman Cat holi c Chapel an d burial g round on sout h .
11. Kno c kna s hane . Fort near south e r n boundar y .
12. Killaghy . Fo rt in sout h west.
13. Le gah ory. Fort in south.
14. Lissa curra n . Fort.
15. Lur gan tarry. windmill
16. Tana ghm ore. Fort near Mile House .
17. Derryadd. Chu rc h and glebe of ardmore windmill an d cornmill Cornmill o u t of use owing to draining of bogs
18. Kilmore Corn and flax mills. At sout h another corn mill.
20. Toberhewny. I n t his townland there was a well to .,,.Jh ich p il g ri ma g es were made but it is a site now for g otten. It was dedi c ated to St. Win noc and g ave na :ne to the townland.
21. Clankiloora gh Windmill stump.
An xamination o f the De po sit ion s of 1641
There is confusion as to t l1e actual da te of the tra gedy . It see'll s that the tovm wa s fi rst attacked, and the castle the next day or pos sibly two days later It ha s been asserted on the authority of Carte's 11 Life of Ormonde t h at at the outbreak of t he Civil War Sir William Brownlow was given powder for t h e d e fen ce of his castle, t ha t it stood a fortnight 's sie ge and was delivered up to the Irish on Sunda y , October 31. Sir William made no 'llen tion of those facts i n his If so, de p ositions. He states th e Macans Magennises and O'Hanlons burned the town of Lur ga n wi th fire and sword on October ~3 and that o~ the next day he surrendered hi s c as tle upon con di tio n s. I n a second account h e places t h e event as having taken place on t h e first day of lfove:nber but fro m other sources it see ms just as likely that the actual d ate was November 2nd. That t he burning of the town took pla ce upon a Sunday is borne out by th e de po sition of Alexander Gill . William N Guin dep osed tha t a s ki r mish had ta k en place with the inhabitants of the town before t h e takin g of t h e c a stle at whi c h the Ir i sh were near 1000 strong Wi lliam Code tells us of the burnin g of the town and states that
following a parley at the castle he was sent as a hosta g e to the Irish. Henry Oghull affir:ns that he was at Sir William Brownlow ' s house n.ear Lurgan on the ni ght the town was burned and that the event took pla ce on "November 2 or thereabouts 11 •
One fa ct emerges and t ha t is that the Castle 1,,-,as given up under condition that its occupan ts should b e conveyed to safety, but it is quite clear that for so:ne reason not yet discovered the Irish forces failed to im.ple:nent their bargain . James Bradley states tha t the castle Has surrendere d on the assuran ce that those wh o Hi shed should have safe c onvoy to Li sna g arvey and those who desired to stay :nigh t safely re:nain in their houses . Nob·Ti thstanding that prom ise so me were stripped and plun dered, a fact borne ou t by various acc ounts.
Will Codd who was a hostage in the hands of the Irish gives the date of the taking of the Castle as r ovember 1st and p laces it as tbe day followin g the ca ptur e of t he towD. He wa s pres ent in the Castle when conditions were mad e but no sooner was the mansion occupied than he and his wife and children were stripped naked. He also mad e an earlier deposition in ·whi ch it is reported that a day or two after Lurgan was burnt there came a messenger fro m the Irish to Sir William Brownlow ' s Castle demanding both town and castle.
Nicholas Williams on the breaking out of the war, came from his dwelling-house a mile and a half distant from Lurgan to Sir WilliamI s Castle together with 11 any others. The house wa s afterwards rendered up on con dit ion that they should have safe conduct to Lisne g arvey but instead they were stripped.
Sir William, instead of being sent to Lisne g arvey, was taken with his wife and family to Armagh - on that there is agreement. His Castle was near the tovm of Lurgan - not in it - from whi ch it would see m that he preferred his own house and was, therefore, not then resident in the ba:wn built by his father. 11he Castle was surrendered and quarter p ro mised but not kept. There now remains the task of trying to arrive at so:ne conclusion as to the number of unfortu~ate people killed, and that we can only do . by studyin g depositions of casualties pr ovided with names. Such a me t ho d will not gi ve a pr ecise number but it will pro vide a very near esti:na te. They yield the followin g names. Th e matter in brackets g ives the name of the person deposing and the date on which recorded.
1. John Davys. Said to ha ve been the most important inhabitant . ( Sir W!ll Brownlow 26 Feb. 1642 and 24 Hay 16 53. Alexand er Gill 20 May , 1653. Willia m McGinn 2 May, 1653. Owen Roe McK eene 5 Mai, 1 65 3. William Code 3 Nay, lti53, Hen ry Og le 2 May~ 1653. Will Codd 3 June, 1653), ·
2. ·chard Ridedalls p?l t Richell and Rudsell also . ( _Si r \:n . Brownlow 26 Feb . 1642 . Alexander Gill 20 I,~ay, 1653. William 1• cGinn 2 May 1653 Henry
3 . Thomas Ward
4. Leonard Riggs.
5 . thomas Hawker.
6 . James Horsley.
7 . James Tann er
8 . John Rogers.
9. Gyles Calvert. 10 . 1 1 MarySadler, widow 11. 'illiam Ja c k s on .
Thomas Do a te lJ . Edward Robin s on. 14. Gyles Whitehead. 15. John Allen. 16. Thomass Martin 17. Roger Birchall.
Ogle 2 May , 165 3 ) . ' '
( Sir Wm . Brownlow 26 F eb 1642 an d 24 hay 1653. Alexa nd er · Gill 20 May , 1653. William McGinn 2 Hay 1653. Henry Og le~ May , 1653. ' Will Codd 3 June, 1653).
( Sir William Brownlow 26 Fe b . 164~ and ~4 Hay , 165 3. Alex ande r Gill' 20 Hay, 1653 , William McGinn 2 May , 1653 . Henry Ogle 2 May , 1653).
( Si r W:n . Brownlow 26 Feb . 1642. Ale xande r Gill 20 May, 1653 .
(Sir W:n . Brownlow 26 Fe b ruary, 1642 . Alexander Gill 20 ~ay, 1653).
( Ale xand er Gill 20 May , 1653 ).
(Ale x a nde r Gill 20 hay, 1653. Katherine Cooke 24 Februar y, 1643) .
( Ale xand er Gill 20 May, 1653) .
(Alexander Gill 20 May , 1653) .
(Alexand er Gill 20 May , 1653. Ca therine Cooke 24 Februar y, 1643) .
( William NcGinn 2 1fay, 16 53) .
(J ames Bradley 21 May , 1653) .
( Will Codd 3 J une, 1653) .
( Katherine Cooke 24 February, 1653) .
( Katherine Cooke 24 Febr u a ry , 1653) .
( Katherine Co o1rn 24 February, 165 3) .
18. John Rogers. (Katherine Cooke 24 February, 1653).
19 . . Jac k son. ( Kather i ne Cooke 24 February, 1653) . o. John Ward. (Willia m Duffield 9 Aue ust, 1642).
21 . Richard Duffield. (Willi am Duffield 9 Augu st , 1642).
According to Duffield above, Ward and Richar d Duffield's wi ves and children were stripped and left to die of hunger and cold - he esti mat ed the n"Lt21ber ca p tured by the Irish in Lurgan at 200 but the figure see ms too lar ge unless, pe rchance, so:n e refu g ees from Ta nde ra ge e and POrtadownhad taken shelter there also. Th e comp lete Mu ster Roll of all t h e tenants fit to bear ar~s survives for t h e year 1630 and gi ves a total of 42 p ersons, so :n e of vmo~ were youths and p robably unmarried. Some may have esca pe d but it must be assumed that those who were stripped and turned adrift had little hope of winning through to safety, though sur p risingly enough :n any of them managed to do so. Two of his older ch ildren had died of that cruel treatment but his vrife and two others had, through the aid of frien d s , escaped to England . His statement that :nany thousands of Protestant men, women and children 11 being stript of their clothes dyed also of want in several parts of the country" cannot be accepted as fact as regards numbers .
The circumstances surrounding the fall of the castle are c ertainly curious . One would have expected t h e Irish to have kept their pr omises to Sir William . He was one
of the few r~agh undertakers wil11·ng to set lands to the natives and he was ma rried to I an rishwoman, a lady of the O Dogherty's, a fa~ous Donegal clan and had himself leased portions of his estate to t· na ives though Plantation agreement forbade such lettings.
Sir William does not come out of the affair very satisfactorily. One ca nnot help wondering what he was doing whilst the I r ish were raidin g his town and his tenants. It ~ ay be that followin g t h e burning of the to~m certain people escaped to the c a stle an d that it actually stood a fortnight's sie g e, but, i f so, neither Sir Will iam or any other p erson who had taken refuge the re ~entions any such defence. Then there is the vexed question as to the actual date. Owen Roe McKeene a pri so ne r in the hands of the English, deposed on 5 May , 1653 1 "within two days after the taking of Tanderagee the Irish encamped within less than a mile of Lurgan, and the next day broke Sir William Brownlow 's hous e or castle upon promise of quarter 11 • From O'Mellan's 11 Narrativfi 1 we know that Tanderagee was taken by Patrick Og e O Hanlon on th e nigh t of October 23rd. If Keene can be relied upon we Yust also consider October 26th as a po ssible date for the handing over of the castle. Keene's account further states that "the same evening after they had burned Lurgan they dispersed in search of the cattle and goods ·of the
English" but all o ther de p ositi o ns p lace the burning of t h e town as havin g h a p pened :p revious to t h e surrender of the c astle .
One p erson , a lfr Gy les Whiteh ead (see No .14- ) who wa s in Sir Willia m Brownlow ' s house wh e n it was ta k e n was afterwards killed in p resence of Wi ll Co d d . 'le are left in doubt as to ·whether h e was a resi d ent of the tovm of Lurgan. No .13 was k illed at Tyrmiry n ear Lur ga n, Hos. 15, 16, 17, 1 8 and 19 near Lurgan wood. No locations are given for Nos . 20 and 2 1.
William Duffiel d estimated that ;,.Jl.1 e n t h e rebels atte::npted or surprised the town of Lurgan ten Protestants (as he verily believed and had cre dib l y heard) were eith er wounded so t hat they quickly ci ied or were sl ain outri ght .
By collatin g the individual de p ositions we find a total of twelve per sons and there we leav e the '.n atter for th e pr esent.
THE BROWNLOW ELECTIONOF 1753
This was a keenly contested election by which it was intended to halt the Brownlow influence in Co unty Armagh . Besides press re fe rences there was an issue of pamphlets . ::."ro!':l the latter source we learn that the writer of one of the tract S in que stion 1 T,ra S moved to t 1 h - " Ji a~e up is pen because of a series of reasons.
1. The election had not been carried ou t in a fair and open ~ anner and t h e ~ethods used by Caulfield supporters were mean and low.
2 . The c hief slan de rs on Brownlow had been published in print in t h e for.n of me:no rials and letters .
3. Caulfield had not a sin gle freehold in the coun ty and wa s a me re yout h , not twenty years of age, lately taken from school and just entered Colle g e. Brownlow had a g oodly residence in the coun ty woilst his opponent had not a house to live in nor an acre of g round or authority.
From the pamphlet we g at h er that Caulfield ' s p arty had been busy circulating stories to the effect that 11 Arthur Brownlow, g ra n dfather of this gentleman, was cho sen one of the representatives of this county in the last Parliament called by King Ja me s (as inde e d he had been chosen unanimous ly in every other Parlia men t ) and it was also true in fact that he had sat in that Parlia ment for some time, so long as he
1. Seasonable Advice to the Freeholders of the County AI'Jlagh . By a Brother Freeholder. Second edition Printed 1753 , Halliday Pamphlets, R. I . A. Library, Box ~l~, Tract 11 .
could wi t h safety or success oppose the violent measures were whi ch taken in it, but indeed th at was not for very long, for it was well knoi..m that h e had to fly ou t of the House because of the opposition he gave to c er tai n a peti ti on , preferred by one Magin a Popish Dea n, whereupon in a moment a numbe r of furious zealots cried out to sacrifice the heretica l dog for daring to oppose their 'Jlea sure and not less than ten or twelve swords wer e instantly drawn against h i :n , whi ch :nade the honest man !ll ake the best of his way out of the House fro!Il when ce he was safely conducted ( th ough at p eril of his life) in the disguise of a Quaker's cloa k and hat ..... . He afterwards retired to his seat in the country and there lay quiet until such times as King Wi lliam's affairs delivered him . . . . . . Art hu r Brownlow chose to stay in his country rather than flee from it as many others were doing. He consented that his wife should go and she set out with her young family, herself at the ti me great with child, and wen t some miles upon her journey, but soon after changed her mind and returned to share the dangers with her husband . The sa!Ile Arthur Brownlow sat in William I s Parliament and was there called to account for his sitting in that of James, by certain gen tlemen who looked ·with greedy eyes upon his fair estate. He was, however, acquitted of the charges brought against him.
late i•:r . lived in i~itation of his fathe r' s vir t ue. Hj_ s a ct ions, ro,mlow, son of this great and wis e wan , met:ier in Parlia' ent, in the Linen Board . , or as ~agistrate, w re achira ble . He was an en co uraging landlord to all hi s i m. r o vin g tenants, a kind one to t ho sewho'.il ~aisfor tune s had brough t to distress and a p ious and sincere ~ e~ber of the e st ab l ished c hur ch. 11
Caulfield ' s supporters had tried 11 to blast the reputation of the presen t fr Brownlow by fixing up on hi m th e c ha r a cter of a J a cobite and Papist, be cause his yout hful day s were s en t in -"ran ee and I ta l y and be caus e · his :no t ne r was unha pp ily pe rv er te d to popery Taken to th e s out h of France .by the advice of do ct ors, he stayed th ere t wo or three yea rs i.Ji th his :no t he r and sisters. bout that time his mot he r began t o di scov er an a ffe ction for popery with the result that his sisters and hi:ns elf took al a r m and from an aversion to po p ery en tered in to th e wise resolution of removing th e'.TI. selves fro:n th e infl uen ce of their mother. His sisters immediately retur ned to Ireland but on medic a l a dvice h e was sent to Italy, to whi ch country he pr oceeded i·Ji thout his mother. There he wa s in charge of a young gentle:nan , the son of a pious clergyman of family and fortune who attended him until he returned home . 11
Brownlo w' s opponen ts de scr ibe d h. 11h• · 1~ as 1gb and haughty, reserved and un s o ciab l e , abo v e ke e pi ng co mpany or conversin g wit h ne i gh bour s diffi cu lt f t 11 , - - o a cce s s e c but t h e writ e r of th e p amph l e t p ainted a di f fe r en t picture, stress i n g t h e fa ct tha t Brownlow had a lar g e propert y in t h e c oun t y and th at Ca ulf i el d po ss e s sed n o land wi thin it or else wh ere. ttT h e an c es t ors of one ha d been consistently ch o s en, t h e head of th e ot h er be cau se of his title mu st e v e r be ex cl uded fr om a sea t in th e Co m:n ons and t h e lo wer bran c h es of his house ha v e ne ve r yet bee n tried or tho ugh t wo r t hy of so grea t a t rus t as t h e County. 11
This particular el e ction wa s one of the ".!10 st exciting that ever took p lace in Co . Ar ma gh . Th e · a ct u al
Poll Book (i n duplicate ) p as s ed i n t o the hand s of th e
Acheson fa mily and wa s in p ossessi on of Lord Gosf ord previous to the sale at Gosford Castle . Th e ori ginals are presumably still amon g st the Acheson ar c hives an d copies made by Lieut.Col. G. H. J ohnston of Kilmore in 1898 are preser ved in Ar magh Library. The election ,began on Friday October 26, 1753, "at a County Court held for ele cti n g a kni gh t for t h e s hire for the said county. Th e writ being read, be ginnin g at on e o ' clock in the afternoon, Mr. Blacker obje cts to p r o c e edi n g to poll this day it being p ast eleven o'clock
in th e morning, a t whi ch ti ~e he al le g e d the sheriff ough t to have begun to pol l. Tho!lJ.as Verner, agent f or Hr . Caulfield, objects against the sheriff to s sin g up in po int of p lace between the candidates _ and started up . The candidates to chang e p lac es ea ch day by agree :n ent . The candidat es tossed up who should poll f · t 1· _ irs, ~r . Cau l field won the toss. Before any Free:nen were polled Hr . Brownlow objected against Mr . Caulf ie ld being under a g e. Si r Archibald Ac h eson on beha l f of the freeholder s obje ct ed to t h e hour of op enin g t h e po ll, it being after eleven o 'c lo ck , now a quarter after on e o'clock. Sir Arc hibald obje cted that the Sheriff pro ceed to po ll without op ening the court, this after the poll be gan , but Mr . Caulfield h aving po lled a freeholder previou s to the object ion the court pro ceeded. From the Poll Book we le arn t ha t the e lection co n ti nu ed daily, Sundays exce p ted, f rom Friday, October 26, until Friday, November 9th, on whi ch evening the cou rt adjourned until the next morning, Satur day, October 10, at eight o'clock. We are told that 11 after the Sheriff had declared Mr. Brownlow duly elected, Mr . Caulfield demanded a scr u tiny. The She riff thereupon told Mr . Caulfield t ha t he would attend at eight o'clock the following :norning which he accordingly did and sat until ten o'clock and then sent word to Mr . Caulfield to know if he would attend . The said Mr. Caulfield sent a messenger who told the Sheriff
h oul d no t 1 • Thi s was si gned by ri eredi th Wor km an as l riff.
Th ere is n o c lu e as t o how th e Po l l Books be c a:n e
lod g ed at Gosf ord. T~ey a re of great in terest in that t h ey are al:n ost a co mp lete c en sus of t h e freeholders of t :1 e County, a ll of wh om are en tered i ndividually with the ob·ecti o~s raise d b y t h e can didates and their friends.
Y.~ey also s h ow who eac h p erson voted for.
Si:r Arc h ibald Ac b eson voted for Cau lfield and was one of his chief su pp orters. A note in on e of the Poll Books reads as follows11 At the election for t h e County of r :nagh in October 1753, t h e candidates were William Brownlow of Lurgan, g ran d father of t h e 1st Lord Lurgan, a nd the iionble . Francis Caulfield, br o ther of James 1st Earl of Charlemont . Mr . Brownlow being returned, Mr . Caulfield petitioned against the return and t h e petition was considered by a committee of the ,-mole Irish House of Comm ons on the 6th to 8th December, 1753 . It then a ppe ared from the constitution of the Act of Parliament relative to the registerin g of freeholders that Mr .
Caulfield had an undoubted majority of 352 uninfluen ced vot e s, yet the Castle pa rt y turned it into a minority and upon a di vision Hr . Caulfield lost the election by 4 votes, t h e n um bers being 122 to an 118 - wherefore the Sheriff ' s r e t u rn was in committee declared legal . \~1ile the report
was made to the House , Mr . Preston, M.P. for Navan, voted against r. Ca ulfi eld co nt rar y to hi· s r . p omise. Had he kep t his p romise the numbers on each s ide would have been equal, viz. 119, and it was expected that th e Sp eaker , Hen ry Boyle, would ha ve given his casti ng vote to Nr . Caulfield . The ele ct ion cost Lord Charlemont up wards of 1,000 pound s."
The loss of the e lection was a severe blow t o the prestige of t h e Caulfie ld f ami l y locally. Francis Caulfi e ld later became Me:n ber for the Borough of Cha rlemont, toe pr esentation of whi ch wa s in th e hands of his brother, the fa mou s Volunteer Earl . Mr . Caulfield married a daughter of Lord Eyre a nd wit h his wif,e and two daugh ters was drowned on his passage fro m England to Ireland in 1775. It is very p robable that the Arm a gh election cost th e
Caulfiel d s more than £ 1,000 . William Brown lo w's expenses wer e £5 ,~56.18.9½ and the account gives d etails as to the various expenditures.
For instance freeholders c oming fro!Il a d istance had board and lodgin g s allo wed, and so me sort of " mu sic carriage ' was a feature of t h e proceeding s"places in the Belfast sta ge for :nu sicians 11 also ap p earing. His ele ct ion colours seem to ha ve been blue as t he re is a note of cash paid fo r riband of that colour. At that date the Brownlows were p robably the l a r gest landowners in the c ounty , ha v ing acquire d by p urch a se,
earlier in that ce n tury , the manor of Richmount , thus widening their sphere of influence and gainin g extra political pull .
BROWNLOW ELECTIO N 1753
References to the p arties me ntioned i·n - -_ pa!DJ;l hl e t.
William Brownlow wh o came to I r eland == with his father John Bro wnlow and was granted_an adjoinin g portio n of la n d in O' Neiland Ba rony, Kni ghted Dec 15 1622. Re p resented Ar ~ag h Co . in · Parliament in 163 9 a n d d ied 1 6 60.
rLettice Brownlow eldest daughter. Patric k Chamberlain of Niselrath Co . Louth.
IEli n or, dau. of John 0 1 Dogh ert y of Derry, Co. Derry.l 17
Ros e == Ca p t. Draper Elinor == Major F. Martin.
1667
Arthur Chamberlain of Niselrath \·Jho = . J a n e , d au. assU!Iled t h e na me of Brownl o w in accordance wi th his g r a ndf a ther's will. Born 1647, M.P. for Co. Armagh in Parliament of King Ja~ es II in 1689, and afterwards fro m 1692 to 1710.
William 'b.1683. High Sheriff of Co. Ar magh in 1711. Succeeded his f a ther in the representation of the County and held the seat until his d eath in 1739.
o f Sir Stand ish Hartst on g e , Bart. 1711
I I I Art hur Phi lemon El inor
== Elizabet h , dau. of Ja mes, 6th Earl of Ha milton. Sh e md. secon d ly Count de Kernaic. 3
William b.1726. M.P. for Co. Ar magh 1753-17 9 4, father of William Brownlow M.P. f or Co. Ar :D.a gh 1794-1798 and grandfath e r of Charles Brown low M.P. for Co. Armagh 1 818-1 833. Created Baron Lurgan 1839 (Lord Lurgan was the son of Col. Charles Brownlow, 2nd son of William above M.P. 1753-1794 ) .
l.John o•O'Dogherty, s~ sister Margaret was _ married to Hugh Oge O'Hanlon son of Sir Oghie O'Hanlon, Knt. of !anderagee. L ady Brownlow sister, Rose 0'Dogherty, married Roger Lyndon or Carrickfergus. . 1 John O'Dogherty elder brother, Sir Cahir o O'Dogherty Innishowen was defeated and slain by the English in •
2. The Chamberlain f?mily was established in Co. Louth at s?me date previous to 1312. Patrick Chamberlain of Niselrath the husband of Lettice Brownlow was involved in the Civil War of 1641-42 but died soon afterwards. This resulted in his widow and children claiming his Louth property as 11 lnnocent Protestants 11 •
Lattice Brownlow second adventure in matrimony was with Christo pher Clinton of the sa.:ne county, member of an old Roman Catholic family of AngloNorman origin by whom she had further issue. Following his death (about 1658) she took to her self yet another Louth husband, one Alexander Aston, younger brother of Sir William Aston, an officer in Cromwell's Army. The marriage took place before 1664 and he wa s dead before Mar ch 26, 1668. She later ma rried a Mr. Beversham, and dying at Lurgan was buried there January 27, 1699.
3.
The Lady Elizabeth Hamilton was commonly knovm in Lurgan as Lady Betty, and there is no doubt but that she had the interests of t he te nan ts at he art. Whilst she was abroad there was a po tato failure and she sent home a gift of £440 for re lief purposes . Her secession to the Roman Cat holi c Chu rch was mu ch regretted locally. Her father had been in ~he military service of King J ames_II _but_ espousing ~he cause of King William took a distinguished part in the siege of Londonderry. He was ancestor of the Dukes of Abercorn.
.A12stract fro:n 11 County 1 A . Louth Archaeological Journal"; Paterson 1 G F v 1 ,...,_ • • • .;_ 0 -· XI, No, 3; 1947.
TH BROWNLOl::£S
The account of the fa :n il v a s 00 l. ven i·n J Peera ge s under Lurgan is so:newha t defe ct ive so it beco,,.,es .u necessary to a~plify it fro:n other sources.
I. II. William, of whom presen tly.
John6 sho vm on the Subsidy Roll of Co . Ar "'.!l a gh ~n 1 J43and as a tenant on his father 's p roperty in 1635. Ancestor of the Brownlow of Kilmore Parish, Co . Ar~agh and of Dublin.
III. Richard, witness to an estate lease January 20, 1654, and again No vember 30, 1659, who :narr ied and had issue at least three daugDt ers.
1 . Jane, alive in 1653 (Chancery Bill Decree of August 25, 1653, John Brown v. Sir Brownlow).
John Brownlow of Not ti ngham i·n ,;i... 1 JJ..u g and appears on a "tabular view of such as offered to beco".ll.e underta ke rs in Ulstel and on May 29, 1610 2 he was granted the ::cid6. le prop ortion of Doughcorn in O'Neilland Barony, Co . Armagh He was then :n arried and had issue at least three sons and one daughter1. 2. 3.
Cal. State Papers, Ireland, 1608-1610, p .549 . Peerages say he was of Epworth Co . Lincoln. Pat. Rolls, 8 James I IV-12. . Both John and his brother Richard are shown 1 11 current Peerages to have died unmarried. This was due to the fact that their descendants were un lmoi.-m to th e person s t-Jho compiled the pedigree of the family, fo l lowing the creation of Charles Brownlow as Baron Lurgan of Lurgan in 1839.
•
2 . ~lizabeth, alive in 1671 and entioned t~e an es~ate lease with her sister Hary th ma ~rited Mr . Co p eland, a tenant on . - e es a e and had with other issu e a son, Brownlow Co peland of Lurgan. '
3 • Mary ,. who married Wi lliam Taylor at Shankill Septe:n ber 9 1685 and had W l th th . ' ' ' ,? er issue a son, Brownlow Taylor, who Qled young and was buried at Shankill August 28 , 1700.
I. A daughter ·who married Tho-:nas Taylor of Shankill by whom she had with other is sue a son Brownlow Taylor, murdered in the troubles'of 1641.4
Wil liam Br ownlo w came to Ireland with his father and was granted the adjoinin g proportion of Ballyne:n oney in the sa-:ne bar ony and county on June 16, 16105. He was knighted by Sir Henry Cary, Viscount Falkland, LordDeputy o f Ireland, Dec.15, 1622, served as High She riff of Co. Armagh in 162 3 and on June 29, 1629 6 had a re - gr ant ( hi s father having died in the mean ti':Ile) of the lands of Doughcorn and Ballynemoney whi ch lands were erected into the Manor of Brownlows Derry. He represented Co. Ar magh in Parliament in 16 39 and died Ja nuary 20, 16607 leaving issue by his wife Elinor, daughter of John Dogher t y of Derry, Co. Londonderry8, at least three daughters.4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Depositions of 1641. Co. Ar.nagh_, F. B.7 6 T.C.D. Examination of Thomas Hayward Feo.16, 1 52 - also various other deposition s in s ame volum e. Patent Rolls 8, James I, V-16. Calendar of Patent and Close Rolls, Morrin, p.4z4. Inquisitions of Ulster, Co. Arm agh, 7 Charles Il. Peerages are in error in saying that he was of Derry, Co. Armagh.
I.
II. III . Lettice, for whom see b 1 e o w.
Rose, who married c t w- . Ty.llydegany c A ap · WilliamDra p er of sons, Valentine a ~m~?h,. by who:n she ha d two Rose and Mary n William and two daughters
Elinor :nar ried (1-'IS. Jul y 8 , 1652) Ma jor Fulke Martin of Lur gan ( son of John Martin 1 : p fo r Ch arlem o nt , Co . Ar.nagh in 1639) '· 1 • 1- · t· . - aJor 11ar 1n was ur1ed at Shankill, Lurgan De ce~ ber 4 1 6 679, and ~is i;~f_e a! the sa:n e' pla ce 1•1a r c h' 18, 1 90, leaving w1tn ol,her issue two sons -
1 . Robert, born 1653, died 1717 who married Alice Warren . '
2 . Miles born 1660, an officer in the Army of Wi lliam III, for "i:Jh ose descendants see Martin of Wi ehe in B . L . G.
Lettice Brownlow of Brownlows Derr y married firstly Patrick Chamberlain of Niselrath, Co . Louth, by wh o:n she had issue -
I. Arthur Chamberlain of Niselrath, Co . Louth, and afterwards of Bro wn lows Derry, Co . Ar 'll agh, of whom later .
II . Philemon Chamberlain buried at Shan ki ll, Co . Armagh, July 5, 1681.
I. Elinor Chamber lain who :u arried Capt . William Jones of Lurgan, Co. Ar mag h . Her husban d was buried at Shankill, Ap ril 1, 16 81, and she was interred at the same pla ce, Februar y 5, 1720 . Issue -
1. Brownlow Jones , born 1657, entered T.C.D. 1675, buried Shankill .
~ - Roth ( als . William Jones, High Sheriff of Co. Armagh 1712 . Will may 1~, 1725, proved June 3, 1725 .
3. Arthur Jones .
4. - enry Jones, buried Shanlri·11, 1681. .~ re b ruary 9,
1. Eliza Jones , buried har ch 16, 1678.
2 . Lettice Jo nes who ;:narried lstly in 1682 i•ill~a:il As~on, ana secondly in 16 96 T'1o:nas 1,.orris of iountJ·o,; ,., m , , _ ., , vo . Tyrone by ivi10::u sne 1:ad inth other ::..ssue a son '-'-ill ia::a · or!i s , :vh'? as su:ied the sur n a:u~ ~f Jones on inheriting the pro· er t y of his un cle oth Jones abov.:3, and for who:n and his' descena~nts s~e Hamil ton Jo nes of ~oneyglass, .o L . G.'1
3 . ne Jo ne s married at Shankill Eove :.1b er 8 , 1683, to Patrick Morris of Silverwoo d, Lurgan, Co . Ar n agh, and had issue .
4 . ia ry Jones, vrho mar ried Francis Courtney of Carri c kbroad, Co . ar ~ agh .
I I . Jane Chamberlai n who :narried Tho:nas Cli nton and had issue .
Mrs . Lettice Chamberlain married second l y, befo re 1652, Christopher Clinton of County Louth, resi den t at Lurgan, Co . Armagh, 2 February , 1651 , when he si gned a lease in that year as I.
II.
late as 1656, by who:n she had issue: -
William Clinton, born 1654. ii tnes s to leases at Lurgan in 1675 and 1680 .
Arthur Clinton of Dublin .
III. Christopher Clinton of Lurgan .
9. William Morris Jones married Anne Dobbin and ciied in 1735 . In Burke he is incorrectly shoi•m as Harres Jon es , gran dson of MorresJones of Ystrad . J onesborough, Co . :nagh , derives its name from Roth Jones above .
LetticeCli nton married t h irdly, before 1664, Captain AlexanderAston of Willistown Louth, who see~s to h ave taken up residence at Lur gan followin g the marriage and a pp ears as witness to a lease in 1 666 . At his decease she ~ arried fourthly a r . Beversham . She died at Lurgan and was buried in Shankill, Januar y 27, 1699 .
Arthur Chamberlain, eldest son of Lettice Brownlow by her first husband, Patrick Chamberlain, assume d the surname of Brownlow as dire cted by the will of his grandfather, Sir illiam Brownlow He was born at Ardee, Co . Louth, in 1645 and married about 1667, Jane, daughter of Sir Standish Hartstonge, Bart., Hho survived hi:n and was buried a t Shankill, arch 12, 1720. He was Hi gh Sheriff of Co . Armagh in 1679 and 1686 and H.P. for County Armagh 1692 - 1710 . He died and was buried at Shankill. Issue:I. II. III . IV. v.
William, baptized Shankill December 31, 1683, of whom presently .
Stan di sh, baptized Shankill Mar ch 24, 1684 . Entered T.C. D. April 17, 1701, B.A. 1705. Called to Irish Bar 1711. Inherited Ni selrath under hi s father ' s will .
Shankill 11 February 19, 1692 . John, baptized l 'hi·s brother Standish . Inherited Nis elrath from Philemon , baptized Shankill, July 15, 169~. Ent d TC D J une 30 1712 . Ca lled to ~h e ere • • · ' • 1 th f h" Irish Bar 1724. In he rited Niselrath ra rom is brother John.
Arthur, buried Shankill, June 4, 1689.
I. Ann , born Dublin, January 19 16 91 m r . d atthew Forde of Seaforde C~ D ' i~ Prie for D Downpatrick • ' • 01m , u . • 0 , and had issue for who:n see orde of Seaforde, B.L.G . ·
II. Lettice who married a t Shankill, Se -o te:nber 71, 1707, ob ert Cope of Loughgall and had issue for who m s ee Cope of Loughga ll , B. L.G.
Wil lia!Il Brownlow bap tiz ed S11anki ll, Dece".ll ber 31 , 1683 .
Entered T.C.D. Jul y 8 , 1699 , B.A. 17 02 . High Sheriff of Co . Ar!Il agh in 1711. Har ri ed Ja nuary 2 , 1711, the Lady Elizabe t h
Ha:n ilton, daugh ter of James 6th Earl of Hamilton. He succeeded his father i n the representation of County Armagh in Parliamen t and retained the seat until his dea t h . Died Augu st 27, 1739. Buried Shankill. He was survived by bis wife ( who married secondly Coun t d e Kearnic) and left, with other issue for whom see E.slfil:~, a son:William Brownlow , baptized Shankil l Ap ril 25, 1726.
High She riff of Co. Armagh , 1750 . Married firstly ay 24, 1744, Judith Letitia, daughter of t he Very Revd. Charl es
Mer edy th, Dean of Ardfert, and s eco ndly, in 1765, Cat herin e, daughter of Roger Hall of Mount Hall, Co. Down for descendants of which marriage see Peerage. He was M.P.
for Co. Ar !Il agh 1753-1794 and Ca p tain of the Lur ga n Volunteers 1778-1793. Died October, 1794. Buried Shankill. Le ft wi th
othe r issue:-
I. William, High Sheriff of Co. Arm agh, 17 87. H.P. f or County Ar magh 1794-1798. Died 1815.
II. Charles, born 30 Ap ril, 1757 . Lieutenant Col. in the Ar:ny. Married 17 85 , Caro li ne, dau . of Benja~ in Ashe of Bath by whom he had wi t h othe r issu e a so n , Charles Brown low, born Ap Til 17, 1795 , High Sheriff of Co . Ar".D. a gh, 1834, M. P. for Co . Ar".D.agh 1 81 8 - 1833, cr eate d Baron Lurgan o f Lur gan May 14, 1 839; ancestor of the pr esent Lord Lur g an
LURGAN. LINEN
In 1216 the linen manufacture was in a flourishing co ndition in Ireland, one of the principal seats of the northern trade being Ardmacha ( p .10-11 ) .
Manufa cture of li n en in early ti.rnes essentially domestic in all its details . Farmers raised the flax on their own lands, the straw was scutched at home, their daught ers and servants spun the yarn, the sons wove the linen and the bleaching was effected by the same hands .
Linens of forty inches broad and twenty yards long to be sol d in markets such as Lurgan ( p . 36 ) 1711. F-lrst fine cambri c produ ced in distric t woven by a wea ver na med Moane of Donag h clo ney in 1714.
Act passed in 1719 authorizing appoint ment of fit and proper persons in marke t towns to examine linens offered for sale (p.43 ) and stamp with seal.
Much progr ess made up to 1760 when in co nsequen ce of irregularities that crep t into Brown Linen Trade a considerable reaction took place in home and foreign markets ( p .45).
A law of 1762 appointing proper persons to attend markets (p.47).
achinery for beetling introduced into Ulster in 1725. PreV1ously done by women armed with beetles ( p. 58).
In 1784 Lurgan ma rkets £2,500 for brown linens ( p . 65).
Invention of fly-shuttle. Previously two persons required ( p .86).
The Kelly family of Lurgan famous shuttle- make rs (p.86).
James Quinn of Carlow induced by William Brownlow to settle in Lurgan in 1712 where he commen ced the man ufacture of damask on a pretty extensive scale (p. 92) .
James Bradshaw ' s visit to Holland in 1728. (p. 96) .
Markets of Lur g an attended by Henry Monroe and Bartholomew Teeling (p . 127) .
Lisburn's Linen Market once second only to Lurgan (p . 50).
Lurgan linen market still in existence in 1865 (p.151).
In the latter part of the last ce n tury a bank of discount and deposit was in full work in Lurgan and for ~any years enjoyed a large share of prosperity ( p . 155).
Hr. Brownlow Cupp age, Magee Malcolmson di r ectors . Most of the business done in the bank was transacted by linendra pe rs and bleachers .
Lurgan markets on Fridays, buyers on horseback ( p . 176) .
In 1794 William Mc Caw sold in Lurgan market a piece of cambric at £1.2 . 9 per yd . ( p . 182).
In 1809 a web woven by Moses Falls sold in Lur g an ~arket at 2.20 per yard, one of the finest flaxen articles
ever seen in Uls ter. Wh en bleached it was se nt to London and pr esented to Pr in cess Ch ar lo t te. Yarn spun by Sa rah
Hau ghey who wi th Falls be c am e a l ocal celebrity ( p . 187).
Hand scutc h in g ( p . 265).
Mr s. Turtle of Agh oyallon near Lur gan s pu..n. f ro m her
own flax some fi n e yarn, t h ree of whi ch could be pass ed through a wedding rin g . It was afterwards wo ve n by a cambric weaver near Lurgan a nd sent to Queen Victoria.
Wheelwrights made no more s p i nn in g wh eels wh en spinnin g mills ca ~e into being ( p .305 ) .
Cotto n s p inning co mm enced in Be lfast 1778. ( p . 355) •
(McCall's book on Linen).
LURGAN
Sour ces for Genealogical In far~ati an .
Shankill is ver y l ucky in re ga rd t o 'na terial relative to t he fa milies of t h e pa ris h from the 17th c entury onward s. So ur c e s ma y be li sted as under: -
1. Mu ste r Ro l l of 1 6 30.
2 . Subsid y Roll of 1 6 34.
3. Lur g an Estate Rentals .
4. Cr om wellian I nquisition of 1657 .
5. Poll Tax 1 6 60 .
6 . Hearth Mo ney Rolls 166 4 and 1 66 5 .
7. P a ris h Registers from 167~ t o da te.
8. Protestant Househo l d ers 1740.
9. Househo l der s of 17 60 . All d e nomination s.
10. Directories fro m 1 81 9 .
11. Bassett's "Co. Ar ma gh" 1 888 . 12. Atkinso n 's Dromore Diocese 11 • 13. Swanzy' s 11 Succession Lists of Dromore Diocese".
Interesting Names Associated with Lur~an.
1. Arthur Brownlow, alias Chamberlain Born 1645. High Sheriff 1679 and 16 86 . M.P. fo r Ar ::n a gh in Parlia ment of James II, again fro::n 1692 un til his death in 1 710. In the last quarter of the 17th ce n tury, th e famous 11 Book of Ar magh 11 , a manu scr ip t co mpiled in the year 807 in one of the mona stic houses in Ar ma gh Cit y , was pawned by its last Keeper, the notorious Florence McMoyer It is very probable t ha t it would ha ve been lost for ever if Arthur Brownlow had not redeemed it and thus ensured its p reservation. The man uscr ip t fortunately survives and is a copy of an older comp ilation that possibly p erished in a Viking r ai d. It is, however, the earliest of the Iris h manuscripts that can with absolute certainty be dated, a nd Irela n d in general, and Ar:nagh in parti cular, re me mber 1,-Ji t h gratitude that Lurgan p rovided it with a safe h ome in a most critical p eriod of its history.
2. Laurence Swellbarke, schoolmaster of Lurgan in 1657, ~morn we should perhaps honour as founder of thDse later Lu.rgan schools whose achievements have made Lurgan famous at home and abroad and remind us of present day celebrities like Sir Robert Gardiner, Sir Winstown Dugan, etc.
3. J ames Lo gan, American states man . Born 1674 . Uen t to kneri ca with Willia m Penn in 1699 . Late r Chief Justice of Pennsylvania , May or of Philadel phia and St at e Governor in 1736. Retired 1747. His library, now ho used in Philadelphia , is a lasti ng me2 orial to a great :n a n who de v oted the re mai ning yea rs of his life to literature and science. Died 1751 .
4. Jame s Brad s haw of Lur ga n who wen t to Holland i n 1717 and stu di e d Dutch methods so that the inhabitants of his h ome t own and t h e linen trade generally i n the North might benefit. Bor n Annsboro' 1679. Harrie d Anne Turner of Lurgan, and had a son obert ( born Lur g an 1722) who settl e d near Newtownards and wa s the g randfat h er of the cele brated l madBradshaw of Milecross.
5. Rev. James Kirkpatrick, son of the Rev . Hugh Kirkpatri c k of Lurgan. Educated in Glas gow. Ordained in 1699 for Templ epatrick. Removed t o Be lf as t 170 6 . Wrote "Historical Essay on Lo ya lt y of P r esb yterian s 11 published Belfast 1713 - a valuable acc oun t of the beginnin g s of that body in Ireland - and ot he r wor k s. Die d 1743.
6 • Jame s Ogl e, descendant of a na tive of Lurgan who c am e to Ar:nagh after the Restoration; was Sovereign of Ar ma gh in 1716-1717. Thomas Ogle, his so n, filled the same office in 1729, and ten times be t we e n t ha t
dat e and 1763. In 1751, during his ter:n of office, he d ecided on a new line of communic a tion between Scotch Street and Ir ish Street, the opening of whi ch has been o f mor e dire ct use to the Cit y of Ar magh than any impr ovement since . The new road wa s opened in great state in 1759 by Thomas Macan the then Soverei gn , acco mpanied by the Bu r ge sses and pr eceded by t h e Ma ce Bea re r s. At the ce r e:nony the new line of app r oach and exit was di vi ded into two stre e ts nam e d Thomas and Ogle Streets thus perpetuating h is memory in Ar rn a gh City . Portrait in Count y Mus eum.
7. In t h e scholastic world the Tennant brothers , Gilbert and Willia m, born nea r Ardrn ore in t he opening day s of the 1 8th ce nt ur y, founders of t he oldest Presbyterian Colle g es in America.
8 . Thomas Ma can. Representative of the Macans of Clanbrassail, and a n ce st or of the family now s ettled a t Dr um cashel, Co. Louth, and of Lu rgan des ce nt . First s e rved as Soverei gn of Armagh in 1759 and betwe en that year and 1775 n o less than five times . Again ch osen in 1777 and remained Sovere ign until his death in 1795. Succeeded in the Soverei gn ship by his t h ird son Arthur Jacob Macan who served 1795-1798, from whom
the 1acan Asylu:n for the blind derives. Thomas Macan married Anne, daughter of Jacob Turner of Lurgan and had v.ri th other issue a son Major -General Richard Ma can, a distinguished soldier d ro-wned on his passage to St. Hel ena in 1812.
9. The Rev. Daniel Kelly, Vicar-Choral of Ar magh Cathedral, son of Rev. Thomas Kelly of Dawson's Grove and direct descendant of Cornelius Kel ly _ of Lur g an. Became Sovereign of Armagh in 1799. His brother, Arthur Irwin Kelly, served in same office 1805, 1806, 1821, until 1833 and from 1833 until 1 837, a p eriod of great activity in the City of Ar magh, resulting in the development of the Mall as a residential centre and the building of the presen t Court House .
10. William Miller the builder of a famous s p eaki n g clock mu ch admired by John Wesley on his visits to Lurgan in 1762 and 1763 and :nentioned by various w-riters of the period (including James Stuart in his II Iemo irs of Armagh") as one of the wonders of the times.
11. Dr. John Douglas, born Lurgan 1778. Co m:nen ced practice in Dublin in 1808 - who wi th Clarke laid the found ation of high repute of Dublin as a school of midwifery -. A Fellow and President of the College of Physicians . Died 1850.
1
• Jame s Seaton Reid, D.D. Born Lur gan 1798. Author of "The Pr esb yter ian Chu rch in Ireland' . Died 1851 .
13. Mrs. 1': artha lage e who d ied in 1 84 6, leaving £60,000 to various s o ciet ie s and institutions, one bequest resultin g in the foun d ation of an i mpo rtant educatio n al establishment, the Ma g ee Colle g e, Londonderry.
14. George Russell, one of the great fi gures of modern times. Born Lurgan 1867. Artist, mystic a n d poet. Published twenty volll!l1es of p rose a n d verse since 1894. Represented in County Museum by a fine collection of letters, p aintin g s and drawings, and most of his published works.
15. Dr. Annie Patterson, the well - kn own mu sician, author of several works on music and many original compositions. Died 1934.
16. The army Figures like Major General Sir Burges Camac, Major General Cuppage, Field Marshall Sir John Dill, etc.
17. Miss I. J. Ferguson of the women I s Volunteer Air Force, one of the first women pilot s to be co mm issioned in that corps.
Links BETWEEN ARt,iAGH Lurgan
Finance and ad'.i1ini stration bind all parts of our county into a sin g le entity ui t h headqua rters in Ar:nagh, but it is n ot :2atters such as those that I wish to discu ss. They are, of c o urse, very important but they lack personality - the connections that I have in 11ind are hunan and bind us together in a close relationship that we citizens of Ar 11 agh re::ne 'TI. ber 1.•lith 11uch affection . To - night I intend to enu'1l.erate briefly a few of those ties .
In the second half of the seventeenth century the famous Book of Armagh, a 11anus cri pt c o11piled in the year 807 in one of the monastic houses of our city, ,.-1as pawned by its last keeper , the notorious Florence Hacl-loyer and it is very probable that it would have been lost for ever if Arthur Brownlow of Lurgan had not redee:ned i t a n d. t hu s ensured its preservation . Th e manuscript fortunately still survives and is a co py of an older co mpilation that possibly perished in a Vi king raid. It is, howeve r, the ear iest of the Irish , anuscripts that can 1.•lith absolute certa i nty be dated and we Ar achians do not forget that Lurgan : ave it shelter in a most ctitical period of its history
T'n e savi ne of that p recious herita g e of p ast days
P ovides on 0 ti1 .JOI e i :np ortant lin l-s be tween Armagh and Lur gan out it i s no t by any ~ean s t he only one in ur c. ain o "riendsbiu . For al:nost two centuries there -.-as a Brownlow of Lurgan re resen ti ng the c o1mty in Parliamentnt , a h PlJY state of affairs that began 1,-r.i. th the election of Sir William Brownlow as :n e11ber in 1639 and co ntinued down until 1833, in whi c h year the first L ord Lurgan r si g ned after ha vin g served in that office for over fifteen · ears.
Your toun uas created a Borough in 1949, a d isti n ctio n that gave the inhabitants of Ar ~agh J UCh gratification . ur earliest Ar.il agi.1 Charter is a co nf ir.:n ation of 1467 by Edward IV of a then existing gran t, and our last that issued b Jame s I in 1613. The latter, by the way, was dissolved by Ja mes II in 1689 but re - affir!lled in its original for:n by King William in 1690. By tbe Charter of 1613, the Seneschal of our city wa s replaced by a chief citizen, ter~ed the Sovereign. Unf ortunately in the Civil ·1 ar of 1641-42 and a g ain in the troubles beb.\reen 'illia and James, the city suffered severely with the result that the Corporation re cords of those years are no\/ is sing . Th ere is , howeve r, reason to believe that in the closing years of that century the office of sovereignof Armagh was filled by an Ogl e, a member of an old Lurgan family that c ame to Ar magh after the
- estor t::..on a : id ua s the a n cestor of a t le ast two o t he r S v r sovereign i n the followin g c entu r y
J a es gl e was Sovereign in 1716 and 1717, and Thomas Ogle 17 ~9 , th e l atter ho l d in g th e off ice ten ti_es betue e n that dat e a nd 176 3. It ~ay interest you to mow that Thomas Oglee ' s ~Prv 1 - ces 1· n A , - - r magn u er e :1.mch
a p reciated. T-1ere Ha s i nd eed g ood reason for the ci~ize n s ' gratitude . He was our first to1m planner . I n 1751, dur in g h is ter :n of office, he d eci d ed on a new line of c om'11 unicatio n between Scotch St reet and I ri sh Street, tne ope n i ng of wh ic h bas been of '11 ore direct u se to t e city than any si milar improvment since. Th e new road was opened in g reat st a te in 1759 b y Thomas Macancan, the then Sovereign of the cit y, a ccompanied by the burgesse s and pro ceeded by t he mace# bearers. The silver maces used on that occa sio n still survive - they were made in 1657 to re p lace t h ose destroyed in 1 641 - 42 .
t the cere '11ony the new line of ap p roach and exit wa s divided into two streets, na'11ed Thomas streetand Og le Streets, t h us continuing Og le ' s :a. emory in our city. He is also pe rpetuated by a portra it in the County museum
Thomas Macanacan whom I h ave p reviously mentionedwas also of Lur g an descent and the a c knowledged re pr esentative of the Ma c ans of Clanbra ssail and Cla n can, a family now settled in England but unti l
rec tl of Drumcashel in Co. Louth. He first served as verei gn of our city in 1759 an d b etween that year and 1775 he filled t h e p ost of chi"ef ci•t izen no less tan five ti:nes. He wa s a gai n ch osen in 1 777 and re".11.ained Soverei gn unti·1 hi" d th s ea in 1795. He was succeeded by his t h ird son, Arthur Jacob aco !'' Macan who served fro~ 1795 until 1799, and fro m wh om the Macan asylum for the Bli nd derives, an institution still in being in our city.
I n 1799 Iacan wa s succeeded by the Rev. Daniel Kelly, Vicar choral of Armagh Cat h edral, son of the Rev . Thomas Kellyof Da wson 1 s Grove, Co. Ar magh, and dire ct descendant of Cornelius Kelly of Lur ga n. Th e Rev. Daniel Kelly 1 s brother, Art hur Ir win Kelly also served as Soverei gn , first in 1805 and 1806, t hen from 1821 to 1833, and finally from 1 833 until 1 837, a time of great building activity in our city and t h e p erio d of the develo p~en t of the Mall as a residential ce ntre .
I should pe rha p s add that Thomas Macan was Sovereign of the city during t h e Archbishopric of Baron Rokeby and therefor e directly concerned vdth the buildin g of the County Infirmary, t h e Prison, the Library, t he Observatory and othe r publi c buildin g s erected during the Pri ma cy of t· at ~st gene rous pr elate. He married in 1741 Anne,
daughter of Jacob Turn er of Lur g an, and was the father ' ,rit ot h er issue, of ajor Gen e ral Richard Macan, a distin guished soldier drowned on his passage to St. Helena in 1812. As Soverei gn of Ar:n a gh, Thomas Macanmarched to Belfast in February 1760 at the h ead of a body of one hundred horse -:n en when that town was threatened with invasion by the French. At the sa me time Lurgan sent uu a force of "' one hundred and forty horse men. Needless to relate they reached Belfast in advance of our conting ent owin g to receiving the call for assistance earlier and having fewer miles to mar eh.
Apart from lin k s such as those there are many other aspects tending to confirm us in our admiration of your most prosperous town. It has been the birthplace of many notable people but I shall only recall to your re~embrance a few of the names that we associate with Lurgan. James Logan was born in Lurgan in 1674- and went to America with William Penn in 1699, later to become Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, Mayor of Philadelphia and eventually State Governor. His library, now housed in Philadelphia, is a lasting memorial to a great statesman who, whe n retired, devoted the remaining years of his life to literature and science. Lurgan and Armagh are co~m8!Dorated in Pennsylvania by having townships named in t h eir honour.
In the scholastic world there were the Tennant brothers , Gilbert and William born · th . , in e opening days of the 18th ce n tur y , the fathers and f d f t oun ers o h e oldest Presbyterian C 11 · f Am o eges o erica. Essayists and writers include the Rev. James Kir kpa trick wh ose "Historical E ssay on t he Lo ya lt y of t h e Presbyterians11 wa s published in 1713 ; the Rev. Jame s Seato n Reid, D.D., the historian; and that g reat fi gure of mo de rn ti mes, Geor g e Russell, co mm only knovm as AE artist, my stic and poet, re pr esented i n the County Mu seum b y a fine collection of letters, p aintin g s, drawings pastels and p ractically all his p rinted works.
And speaking of scholastic Lur gan it is of i nt erest that Ar'.llag h , Lurgan and Portadown were amon g st the very few towns in t h e coun.ty t h at '.nan a ge d to re-or g anize their schools i mm ediately followin g the Ci vil Wa r of 161+1-1+2. By 1657 the Lurgan School was a g ain open under the care of Laurence Swellbarke, whom we should perhaps honour as the founder of those later Lur g an schools whose pupils' achieve:nents have made Lur g an reno wne d at ho me and abroad, and remind us of p resent day celebrities like Sir Robert Gardiner and } ajor General Sir Wins ton Du gan who, when raised to the pe erage, beca me Lord Du gan of Lur g an in Co. Armagh.
Lurgan adventure rs include James Bradshaw, a linen manufa ctUTer of y our tovm who obtained trade secrets in Hol land in the early ye ars of t h e ei gh tee n th century, and bar ely escaped from that country alive. He reached Holland in 1717 and studied Dutch methods, later on his return to Ireland improvin g upon t h em considerably. He was born at Annesboro ' in 1679 an d was probably a school friend of Logan, at anyrate both were of Qu aker stock. He married Anne Turner, also a memb er of a local Quak er family, and had a son Robert born at Lurgan in 1722, who settled at Milecros s, near NNewtownardsand was t h e grandfather of the famous Robert Bradshaw, b etter v,.n own as ''Mad Bradshaw", who commonly drove about t h e countryside behind a pair of bullocks vnth a servant p erched on one as outrider, his carriage being a sort of van of hi s ovm invention with a stove inside and a funnel cut through the roof, whi ch belched forth smoke. His bullocks had t h eir tails docked, because he believed that they wasted their stren g th by switc h ing the m. He invented a method of attracting rooks and was successful therein. To en courag e the birds to settle around his house he transplanted fully g rown tre e s from a neighbour's rookery and fed the birds so well they became too lazy to forage for themsel ves.
Inventors brin a to n · d W u min William Mi ller, the builder of a celebrated s p eakin 1 • · g c oc mentioned i n We sley I s Journals in 1762 and 1763, and by Stuart in his "Historical l'- emoirs of Ar-.i1a gh 11. In medicine you produ ced Dr. Joh n Dou glas who, with Clar ke , laid t h e foundation of high repute of Dublin as a sc hool of midwifery
T'oe army is re pr esented by Ma jor Ge ne ral Sir Burges Camac, K. C.B., Major Gen e ral Cuppa ge , the three Kelly brothers - Sa mu el wh o fo u gh t in India, and in co n sideration if his services was appointed Co m~ an d er of the British at Mulocco Isles; William whose services extended to the four quarters of the globe and brought h i m the publi c t h an k s of his Co mm ander-in-C h ie f ; and Dawson 1,vh o served in the West In dies and Mediterranean and wa s We llington's Assistant Quarter - Ma ster Ge ne ral at Waterloo. By that ti me the Kellys were seated at Da wson 1 s Grove, Co. Ar ~ a gh, and in Armagh they are co mme!ll orated by an elaborate mural monument in the Cat hedral recording their many militar y distin ctio ns and reminding u s of their earlier Lur g an co nne ction. Nor do we forge t in AF.11agh that Field Ha rshal Sir John Dill, one of the g reatest military co m~and ers in t h e late war, as hJ.·s bi"rthplace. was proud of Lurgan
Certain ladies of y t our own deserve :n ention. Hrs. MariaMarthaMagee died in 181.i-6 leavin g £60,000 to various societies and institutions, one bequest resulting in the establishment of the lv agee co11_e g e, Londonderry.
Hrs . Annie Patterson th , e well - known mu sician, authoress of ~any musical works and of ~any original compilations was also a native of your tovm of whom you may justly be proud.
In drama too you are well represented. In 1759 the first private theatricals to take p lace in Ireland were held at the seat of the Right Honble . William Brownlow in Lurgan. Love of music a n d of dramatic art continued in the family do¥m the years. The present Lord Lurgan because of health reasons lives in South Africa, consequently we seldom hear of him. He is, however, an accomplished singer, a lover of mu sic and a keen supporter of the Drury Lane Theatre, as indeed his father was before him.
In Macqueen Pope's "Pillars of Drury Lane", published in 1955, Lord Lurgan's father William · 3rd Baron Lurgan is described as a most distinguished chair~an of that told that he loved the celebrated theatre and we are famous pl ayhouse, was able to conduct a ~eeting with grace, charm and a persuasive tongue - when needed. Besides that eloquent testimony to his abilities as
Chairman he actually attended rehearsals. of great tact and an old-world courtes y he wa s indeed Possessed appreciated and respec ted. Born in 1858 he married in 1893 th e Lady Emily Julia Cado gan, elder dau ghter of the 5th Earl of Cado g an a for me r Lord Lieuten an t of Ireland. He died in 1937 and was succeeded by his son wh o is unmarried and is now aged 59.
In passing I migh t also me ntion that in 1949 Miss I. J. Fer gu son was grant ed a commi sion in the Flying Section of the Women 's Volunteer Air Force thus bringing to Lur gan the honour of having one of the first wo:uen pilots in that Force.
Time doe s not perm it a further investigation of our mutu al links or a more detailed exa mination of the long list of the '.llany eminent peop le connected with your town.
In conclusion may I hope that some evening in the Summer you may find time to visit Ar magh. Such a visit would give me great pleasure, allow you an opportunity of exploring our city and incidentally more fir mly cement an old friendship between our two towns that began almost two and a half centuries ago.
One thing you can be assured of and that is that you liill find a warm welcome awaiting you in our ancient city,
whose link s with our island g enerally, are such a pleasant feature of its heritage as the ecclesiastical Capital of Ireland .
Lurgan ' i ELI CS I H COUI TT.{_, :U SEUH
Potter y fro '!Il Killa ghy . Neolit h ic.
Pottery from Lissacu r r an . Bronze Age .
Potter y fro m Clanrolla. Pr obabl y Iron Age .
Sword and Sp ear. Iro n . Probably 10th c en tur .
Par is h Constab le's Baton . I ns cribed an d dated 1681 .
Beggar's badge issued 1699 _
Portrait of Th oma s Ogle of Lur gan, sovereign of Armagh many ti es between 17 29 an ci 1763.
J our na l of the Lur g an yeomanry Cor p s - pe r iod 1796 - 1 343 .
Portrait of t he Right Honble . ·b . Brownlow l: • . , Co . Armagh, 1753- 1794 .
Lur ga n Academy Medal 1 852 .
Photo g ra ph of 'Wh i te Thorn In n .
Bill head of Black Bull Inn .
Photograph of Mid dle Row .
Photo gr aphs of master McGrath cGr a th memorials at Dun garvan and Lurgan .
A large c olle c tion of AE pi ctur es and manus cripts .
THE REV. Richard BARTON
The eccentric and learned curate of Shankill
The Rev. John Barton D D D , • ., ean of Ar dagh , marrie d 4 March, 1701 , Elino r, daughter of Henry Jenny, D. D. , Archdeacon of Dromore, by his wi fe Douglas, daughter of Major Fulke Martin o f Lurgan, by his wif e Eli nor, d aughter of Sir William Brownlow.
Dean Barton h ad with ot he r issue the above Richard, who was born at Painsto wn , Co . Meath and educated in Dublin by the famous Dr. Sheridan, later entering Trinity College on 9th February, 1721-22. He was then aged 15, and beca me a Scholar 1724, Ba chelor of rts 1726, aste r of Arts in 1731, wa s mad e a Deaco n in 17~8 , Priest in 17~9 , served as curate of Donaghclo n ey from 17;::8 until his appointment to the curacy of Sh ankill i n 174~, holding the latter up to his death a t Lur gan 6 th August, 1759 . He was the author of many tracts on Philosophy and atural History but so eccentric in his manne r that, d es pite his family connections, he failed to secure p ro motion i n the church - it is possible indeed tha t h e would h ave d ecli n ed advancement had it been offered.
A distinguished churchman had said of Lurga n i n the beginning of the 18th century t hat the town vrou ld have been a pleasant place to live in if it h ad not been for the Quakers, Presbyterians and Papists then b eginning to
inhabit it. He was evidently inclined to s pea k his mind so one feels sorry he was gone bf e ore Barton rea ched Shankill
I n 1751 Barton p rinted bis "Lectures in Natu ral Philosopby 11 which he dedicated in the fulsome 'll anner of t hose days to the universities of Great Britain and Ireland and to the 11 learned and inquisitive ::n embers of the Royal Society 11 signin g himself a "fellow labourer in Literature and Religion 11 • The lectures dealt chiefly with the Lough Neagh petrifi catio n s and were l) Ublished by subscription. Local subscribers included the Archbishop of Armagh, Sir Archibald Ac he so n, Bart., Sa muel Bl a cker , Esq ., William Brownlow Esq., Dean Brandreth, Mr . Hen ry Corner (Schoolmaster of Lur g an), the Rev . Anthony Cope, Bishop of Dromore, Rev. A. Forde, Rev. Arthur Grueber (Headmaster Ar magh Royal Sc h ool) , Sir Ca p el Mo lyneux, Rev . Michael Obins, William Waring, Esq., Me re dith Wor km an, Esq ., etc. The list is a long one and bears a large s p rin kling of the peerage and the church. The book itself is now comparatively rare, but occasionally turns up in the dispersal of a library when older count ·ry houses and their contents are being disposed of.
When the famous John Wesley arrived in Lur gan on JUly 27th, 1756, he preached in the Market House and the next day read "Mr. Barton, s in g enious lectures on Lough
Neagh which turns wood into stone and cures the King's evil On a later visit ( 17 Nay , 175 8 ) the great evan g elist was taken to see an eminent scholar ne a r the town who ~ ay have been the curate of Sh ankill. The description of the resi d ence is of i nterest. We sley tells us that they found the do or i nto t he yard nai led up but they got in at a gap stopped wi th thorns. He took the house for a barn but was infor med that it was only five years built and that it ha d b een erected to the owner's design. The walls were part :nud, bric k, stone, bone and wood. It had four windows bu t glass in none lest the pure air should b e k ept out. The house was two-storied but had no staircase o r door . Wi t h his friend be entered by an upper windo w whi ch they reached by the aid of a ladder - the lower wind ows we re used in the same way. The upper floor had three rooms, one three-square, one five sides but t h e s h ape of the third he could not remember. His comment was "there is no f 1 t f a. man O f sense if he resolves ol y too grea even or to follow his own i magination".
Coursing in County Arma~h in the 17th century.
There is a background of coursing in County Armagh that se•s to have had its origin ( or revival) in the years tollov.Lng the Restoration of Charles II and was certainly popular in the days before the Battle of the Boyne. At that time a county gentleman was known "by his hawk his horse and his greyhound".
The earliest documentary evidence of coursing in the county that I am aware of is preserved in the muniment room or a well-known Irish family and has been published by Mr. Colin Johnston Robb in the form of a letter to the Belfast News Letter dated February 12, 1937, wherein he mentions a coursing meeting held at Richmount, near Portadown, in lovE1Bber 1684. At the meeting in question, a dog named irt belonging to Arthur Browlow of Lurgan was the w.inner d the next best greyhound a bitch, the property of Sir lrtbur Rawdon, Bart. , of Moira, known as ''Moyra 11 •
Just previous to the fixture there had been a severe frost tor over tour weeks (winters came earlier in those s) resulting in the river Bann being so well frozen that a troop ot Dragoons was enabled to cross over on the ice.
r. Anthony Obins ot Portadown we learn held the stakes and • gather that RichardWorkman's lands were chosen for the Obins deerpark were used instead of
bares and that the event took place on a bright and sunny day.
strangely enough the Manor of Richmount was acquired by the above Arthur Brownlow in the first decade of the 18th century, and was by 'Will conveyed to bis son William in 1710. He was the eldest son of Lattice Brownlow, daughter of Sir William Brownlow of Lurgan, by her first husband Patrick Chamberlain of Nizelrath, Co. Louth, manber of an old Anglo-Norman family that had been settled in that county from at least 1236.
Arthur Chamberlain was born in 1645 and entered T.C.D. in 1660 in which year Sir William died, bequeathing to him bis Co. Armagh property on condition that he and his heirs should in future bear the Brownlow arms(l) and name.
Sir William came to Co. Armagh with his father John Brownlow in 1610. Both acquired grants of land in O'NeillandBarony and following his father's death be fell heir to the paternal lands also. In 1623 he served as High Sheriff of Co. Armagh and from 1639 until his death in 1660 was a representative of the county in the old Irish House ot Commons.
(l) Sir William bore a greyhound as a crest and when Charles Brownlow was created Lord Lurgan he added a greyhound as supporter to the shield. These are by local tradition linked with the celebrated Master McGrath but, of course, pre-date him.
Arthur Chamberlain (his grandson) having duly taken the naa• of Brownlow, was appointed High sheriff of the county 1D 1679 and again in 1686. He was chosen M.P. for Armagh in 1689, in the so-called Parliament of King James II, managed to again secure the representation in 1692 in the reign of William III, and hold it until his death in 1710. From him descend the Browlows now represented by the present Lord Lurgan.
But to return to the coursing account. Three other naaes are mentioned therein - Anthony Obins, Richard Workman and Sir Arthur Rawdon. They are easily identified. Anthony Obins a descendant of Michael Obins the founder of the town of Portadown who died in 1629, having had issue a son John who died in 1635, leaving a son Hamlett aged six months.
Hamlett served as High Sheriff of Co. Armagh in 1688 and died intestate in 1712. He was survived by two sons, William who died in 1731 and bequeathed his share of the property to bis brother and Anthony who made his will 16 May 1754, proved 6 December 1751+. -
Anthony Obins above resided at Castle Obins, following bis brother's death and was a well-known sportsman. The last m•ber of the Obins family to reside therein was the In. Archibald Eyre Obins, born 1776, educated Armagh Royal school and t.c.D. who had a parish in the south of England. le 10l4 the property to Robert Sparrow in 1820, whose
grlXld-daugbter Millicent Sparrow of Tanderagee carried the estate in the Montague family through her marriage in 1822. Archibald Eyre Obins died at Bath, 6 January 1868 aged 92 years.
The Workmans of Mahon, Co. Armagh, settled there in the opening days of the 17th century, survived the Civil War of 1641, the Cromwellian occupation and the conflict between James and William. They acquired various other townlands in the neighbourhood of Portadown and frequently served as High Sheriffs of the county.
Richard Workman on whose lands ( at Richmond, commonly called Richmount the coursing took place, died before . 1714, leaving a wife and children. In 1821 Caroline Workman, the heiress to the Mahon estate, was living at Mahon. She died intestate in 1822 whereupon the property descended to Sir Francis Workman Macnaughten of Bushmills. We shall now deal with Press Accounts concerning the celebrated Master McGrathArmaghGuardian, March 1871.
master McGrath was brought to Windsor Castle by desire ot the Queen where be was petted and made much of by the lo7al family. A similar account evidently a re-print of aboye appeared in the same 'paper on March 13, 1942.
Belfast Telegraph, Feb. 10, 1937.
Lord Lurgan, the Irish Sportsman Peer who controlled luxurY hotels all over the world, died in a London Nursing home on Tuesday evening. He had been seriously 111 for some time • He would have been 79 on Thursday.
.
Lord Lurgan was State Steward at Dublin Castle and was made a Knight Commander of the Victorian Order. He was the owner of the famous greyhound Master McGrath whose stone effigy stands outside Brownlow House.
Jobn o•London, June 11+, 1946.
master McGrath - The verses were written by an unknown balladmonger about 1870. The dog spent most of its unhappy life in Lurgan. The funeral was a most touching scene" writes s. H. Aughnacloy. 11 In front of Brownlow Castle at Lurgan is a large greensward, at the left of which is a small wicket gate. When the dog was to be buried, the tenants and retainers of the Brownlow Estate, gathered together, each man with a greyhound in leash. Slowly each one passed in through the little wicket gate, across the main hall entrance, where Lord Lurgan stood, circled round the lawn and round the little oaken coffin,
Placed in the middle of it, pausing for a moment at the cottin. So out again by the same little gate, while the trainer earned the coffin away to be buried in the laurels
••• tev 7ard1 avq in the shrubbery.••
p. J. McConville. The Lurgan Mail Dec.27, 1941.
The Wonder dog - Master McGrath
If perchance you had been wandering along a leafy lane in the townland of Ballinacouch, near Dungarvan in the eounty Waterford on a certain sunny afternoon, in the autumn of the year 1867, you would in all probability have met a young lad with a little pup. Despite the beautiful day the boy's heart was sad. His load of sorrow increased with each step he took along the road and as he became more conscious of the pitter-patter of four tiny feet at his side. Strange how he had never paid much attention to the little pitter-patter before. Now and again he paused in his walk and through misty eyes looked down at the little dog. It in turn stopped and looked up at him in that peculiar way in which dogs look, when something foreboding is in the air. Young McGrath, for that was the 11 ttle boy• s name, wept and why wouldn't he when they were going to drown his little pup. His uncle had told him so that very day and now they were taking their last stroll together. It vasn•t really McGrath's own little dog but during the aany days in which he had taken 1 t for long walks across the fields, a strong friendship had sprung up between them. An1vay, va1 it not he who always fed it, and looked after it, wben nobody else seemed to be very much interested in 1tt D14 not John Harney, Mr. Galway's trainer, call it
master McGrath II after him T • rue it was not a very nicelooking dog as far as greyhounds go. Mr. Galway had always been very disappointed in it It h d • a an ugly little head, and a little tail .~. h . , ~iic was more like a rat's, but it was his chum.
When Young McGrath returned with the pup to his uncle's home, he put the dog into its kennel and gave it something to drink. Then he went into the house and sat down without a word to anybody.
John Harney called later with Thomas Ducey, McGrath• s uncle to see how the dogs were getting on, as some had been sent to Ducey to rear for their owner, Mr. Galway of Colligan Lodge. Harney heard, of course, how young McGrath had taken the news about "the Master", and being perhaps a bit sentimental he decided to have another look at the pup. The dog should have something in it, for it vas one of a litter of a well-bred bitch named Lady Sarah, vho had a reputation for holding on to a hare, and v:io had been mated to a stud-dog called Dervock, a dog of tranendous speed and also very well bred. The Master vas the smallest of the litter which had been whelped in Pebruary 1866, and in addition he looked the worst of the lot. Harney decided to waive the death penalty which had bND issued by Mr. Galway ltlen he told him to put the puppy a-, and decided to train the dog for a few weeks. Young
McGrath had probably overfed him but he would soon put that right.
A very prominent gentleman in the coursing world at this time was Lord Lurgan and he and Mr. Galway were great friends. Lord Lurgan frequently held Coursing Carnivals at Lurgan Castle and an important event at these Carnivals was the competition for the Visitors Cup, which was usually subscribed for by the Castle's visitors. It so happened that at this time, Mr. Galway sent Lord Lurgan a leash of greyhounds and along with than Master McGrath, who had during his training given a bad show with his first hare. However, Harney when despatching the dogs had suggested that Master McGrath should be nominated for the Visitors Cup (32) which was to be held in October 1867.
The Master was entered and did two good first rounds and beat the favourite 11 S. S. 11 in the third round. He led her by three lengths, went in like a rapier thrust and took his hare.
A dog named "What's the tip" owned by a Mr. F. G. Wise, lost the final to Master McGrath and thus began a meteoric career that made coursing history.
At an open meeting at Creagh the next week, he made four brilliant trials and divided the honours with another doc bi1 own kennels. He began to show terrific
speed and to display an aptitude for fencing. His death stroke was the last word.
The following description of him is interesting. It was made up by a bystander who watched him pursuing a bare 1n Lurgan Demesne_ "hi _ s eyes were like two living balls of fire~• he said. "The muscles of his back sprung and twitched like whalebone The d 1 k d • og oo e as if he were supercharged with electricity. I knew at once that the hare had no chance. McGrath swept round her when she broke, and crashed into his game as if shot from a gun. I can never forget it 11 • How significant that last sentence is.
It may be wll here to give a more detailed picture ot him before following his ascent to stardom. 11 A little ;It- lb. dog with a sour-looking plainish head. He'd look at you as if he owned the universe" once said an old greyhound trainer who kennelled dogs \lith him. "He had a good killing neck that ran into muscular shoulders. His chest was of fairish depth; but he had a wonderful spring of rib and the best muscled back I ever saw. He had strong quarters and the neatest legs and feet that ever set under a dog. He had the shortest and finest of rat tails, 1011etille1 you• d think he hadn I t a tail at all. He had a lone vbit• streak on bis chest and a small white patch over •• ot bi• moulders, carrying two white toes on all his
teat. Over his back he wast· k d . ice with 'White, as if a shower of hail fell on .him 11.
The event par excelle~ce in th e coursing world was the Waterloo Cup, run at Al tear ne 11 , ar verpool on the estate of Earl Sefton. Lord Lurgan•s nomination form was completed and the Master was entered for the 1868 competition. He had good support, despite the fact that the favourites, Lobelia and Brigade were previous winners. McGrath opened very well with Bells of Scotland and ran "undecided".
After his first round he got into form and gave a display of how drains and dykes should be taken. Kalista, Maronette, and Brigade went down before him. The Scottish crack, Bab-at-the-Bowater, went down to Lobe1ia in the third outing. On the morning of the final the course was between Lobelia and McGrath. They ran level until McGrath took the lead over the trench and obtained the first and second. Lobelia, nothing daunted, narrowed the points between her and McGrath until she drew level. It vas than McGrath shot out and finished the contest with Lobelia, by a nashing kill. With brilliance he disposed ot Cock Robin and won the Waterloo CU.p for Ireland for the t11'1t tille. Hurrah for old Ireland and Master McGrath! In October 1868 be coursed for the Brownlow cup and in a 1o1Dtillat1Dg company of 32 dogs, divided the honours. •_.DOW ooaan41DI some attention.
Ha was entered in the following 6 year (18 9) for the Waterloo Cup and on the night of the draw he stood 6 to 1. Bis rival in the first round was a bitch named Borealis, wbo had enviable reputation. McGrath led her 8 lengths and dumbfounded his spectators. His speed bewildered them and his death-stroke left them amazed. Randolph, Hard Lines and Charming Mary never stood a chance with him. He met his old rival ·Lobelia in the finals. She was losing nothing by being another year older and was still a rising hope. Both raced along together and like a breeze rippling across a field of wheat, they flashed towards the stream, Lobelia taking the lead. The Master's supporters sickened with the dread that he was beaten. Suddenly he got into his stride, leapt the drain like an uncanny thing, and wrested the lead from Lobelia. In a few moments he was in v.l th that lightning thrust that never failed and he was second in the finals.
hci tement was at fever pitch as McGrath and Bab-atthe-Bovster entered the slips for the final. The Scottish bound had three open cups and twelve courses to its credit 11Dce 1868. Both dogs left the slips a.s if they had only bND bald in check by floating gossamers. For hundreds of Jar41 thq raced in the le4 the way as the bare greatest final of all time. flew over the path. McGrath Bab tlalbed into the next tield, w1 th the hare just ahead and
took the second score. Both sent up their points with •azing rapidity and left th e crowd spellbound. McGrath got ready, and those who knew him, knew what was coming. Wrenching quickly _ once _ t . wice - and he was in for his stroke! Once again victory hi was s.
the
The "immortal black" now rested on his laurels, until following Spring of 1870 when he was taken to the Altcar course again. H· b ki is ac ng was down to 7-2 in a stake in which 64 dogs took part. on the morning of the course he was only 3-1.
The year 1870 was a year of sensations not only in the political world but in the coursing world as well. Fate took a hand in McGrath's career and marred that glorious rise to fame.
Liverpool was in the grip of a terrific frost and when the weather changed and a thaw set in the course at .Al tear was in bad condition. The first round saw McGrath opposed by Lady Lyon. McGrath lost his feet and lost his stride. Pandemonium seized the onlookers. He paced the hare to the river Alt and crashed through the broken ice. !he great dog was doomed. Wilson, his trainer, rushed to the r1Yer and just succeeded in pulling out his charge. !he dog 1181 bundled off and wrapped in rugs. Sympathizers 1atbered round Wilson and they remarked that McGrath' s Lord Lurgan vowed that the dog would Jinn a,a1D take the course.
It was a sad party that arrived back in Lurgan after the calamity. Wilson tended the dog with infinite care and in October he was frisking about again like a young Pup, although in his sixth year. H e was tried for the Brownlow Cup and swept the decks by winning his first five courses.
McGrath proved in his trials that he was still something to be reckoned with and it was decided that in fairness to him be was worth the chance he had earned. On his sixth birthday be was taken across the Irish Sea again. His supporters were in a state of trepidation as to the outcome or the last great adventure. Veritably the climax to a dashing career was at hand. Would McGrath retrieve his position as the wonder dog, or crash from the pedestal of fae to which he now clung insecurely but nevertheless tenaciously. Interest in the event became intense. The dog's name was a by-word. He had been idolized in song and story. The course saw people in thousands who had never seen a coursing event before and each of these newCOilars knew that the greatest race in history would be Vitnessed _ or the greatest 11 flop 11 • · McGrath was ready.. 111 9781 still flashed fire as in the former days of his llol'J. Let than bring out their best, the Lurganman would 11•• tb• tbe race of their lives.
The course was on 'With Dervockervock's Son sweeping all betore him. Course after cour h . se e ran, winning by big aargins. Dogs like Black Knight, Letter T. , Rocket er, were disposed of by this Wharfinger and Eyes of Fire ' wizard with comparitive ease.
McGrath was matched 'With no mean rival, a dog named Pretender, who was as swift as the wind itself. The old veteran _ from Ireland only weighed 52 lbs. as he entered the slips. On being released he led with Pretender on his heels. The crowd went frantic as excitement was fanned to a white heat. The battle was on in earnest. It was the race of the champions. Everyone waited for that decisive stroke. Suddenly it came as a bolt from the blue. McGrath braced himself for his greatest effort and launched in tor the kill! Victory was his and the blue ribbon of the coursing world braced his shoulders. He had won the Waterloo Cup for the third time. He proudly paraded his colours before Queen Victoria at her ezpress command and as he did so he ·looked "as if he owned the universeu as indeed he did.
Tvo years later he was dead and it was found that his heut was ot an abnormal size. Some think he was a freak, and vbat it he was. Speed, power, dash and precisionthat was McGrath the immortal black. Monuments have been 1'a,H4 to bis ••ory, but who bas forgotten him. He had
no peer and never will. He only lost one course in a record never yet approached H · e made Lurgan and 37, Lurganmen known the wide world over.
Such is the story of Master McGrath ' the story that bas its appeal for everyone. The story would never have _ been known had not a little boy named McGrath broken his little heart at the threat to drown an ugly little unpromising puppy.
Stewart Mackay. B.N.L. Feb.11, 1965.
A Portadown man tells me that when Master McGrath died his body was sent to Dublin. The po stmortem was carried out by Dr. Haughton of Merrion Square, a medical practitioner. 11 There was some reason 11 says my correspondent [ naae not givm~ '~hat the examination was carried out by a practitioner rather than a veterinary surgeon 11 • 1'be examination proved that the dog had an extra large heart and was not poisoned as some had thought when he succumbed so suddenly.
Photograph shows Master McGrath with his first owner .T••• Galway ot Colligan Lodge, Dungarvan.
StewartMackay BJf.L. Feb.16, 1965.
Well, at least one of the mysteries surrounding the ...tb ot Master McGrath has been solved. Last Thursday I aae4 w1a7 a medical practitioner - it was Dr. Haughton
of Dublin - had performed a post m t - or em. on the famous racing greyhound rather than a veterinary surgeon.
Nov I know - thanks to a phone call from Mrs. Rosemary Clarke of 29 Castlehill Road, Belfast_ Dr. Haughton apparently was a very close friend of Lord Lurgan and his special study was the working of the muscles. He thought therefore it would be a good idea, if the body of the dog could be sent to him for examination. After all with his ~pecialized knowledge of muscles he might be able to discover how the dog ran so fast.
Lord Lurgan sent the dog to Dublin and Mrs. Clarke thinks that as the two men were friends the body was most probably returned.
Irish Sunday Press. May l+, 1952.
"Speaking of dogs. It was John Murray of the Lurgan Mail who told me all about one of the most wonderful dogs that ever lived. I noticed a pub in Lurgan called the master McGrath Arms and that started me off.
Master McGrath's father was from Lurgan, his mother
~OIi Dungarvan bis eventual owner from Lurgan again, and tbougb be ran thirty seven courses in public he only lost one.
!bq 1&7 tbat be got his name from an orphan boy who _, bi• attenda11t while the puppy was being_ exercised in
Lurgan, and th at he was one of the few dogs ever to have been reared in a flat• For the ower Lord Lurgan reared eighteen dogs in the top floor of the house which is now an Orange Hall - Brownlow House.
lllhen this incredible dog died they found that his heart was one and a half times as big as that of a normal dog, and maybe that is \!by he won the Waterloo Cup three times! !nd what did he look like - here's a description -
"A little 51+ lb. dog, with a sour-looking plainish head. He'd look at you as if he owned the universe. He had a good killing neck that ran into plaini sh shoulders - the best muscled back I ever saw and the shortest and finest of' rat tails.
Over his back he was ticked with white as if a shower of' rain had fallen on him. That was the wee fellah who t U II hit the world headlines away back over seven Y years ago.
A very handsome memorial to Master McGrath stands at a fork on th e roadside, 2½ miles north-west of Dungarvan.
Left It bears a number of inscribed tablets.
(Won the Victors Cup at Lurgan, October 1867 and (the Creagh Cup same month, the Waterloo and Brownlow Cup 1868, Waterloo Cup 1870 and Waterloo ( Cup 1871.
(Master McGrath bred by James Galway Esq. of Top (Colligan Lodge. Sire Lord Lurgan'; Dervock. (Dam, Mr. Galway• s Lady Sarah.
(This memorial erected by subscription of a few front Centre ( admirers of Master McGrath and the private friends (of Mr. Galway, March 1873.
Base
(This monument was originally erected at Colligan (Lodge. It was transferred to this site by the (Irish Coursing Club in August 1933. Master McGrath (was reared in this townland. T.M. Morris, (Secretary, Irish Coursing Club.
(Ran 37 courses in public and lost only one when Right (he was amiss ·and beaten without a struggle in the (first round of the Waterloo Cup 1870.
T.G.F. Paterson).
1. Ballymacmague townland • (Visited memorial Easter 1955.
Monuments at Culford Hall and Dungarvan
Photograph. Shows the grave of Master McGrath at Culford Hall Lord Cadogan's Seat near Bury St. Edmunds.
Description. This monument was brought from Lurgan in Ireland by Lord Lurgan and erected at Culford Hall. The inscription reads -
Though thrice victorious on Altcar plain, McGrath's fleet limbs can never win again. Stay man thy steps; the dog's memorial view, Then run thy course as honest and as true.
The statue of the dog stands on a tall plinth with the above verse at the base and above a shamrock leaf also inscribed but not readable from the photograph.
LURGAN
Cucking stool
Barbers ten!llt ·
The fronstead and g arden p lot over ag st · ye CuckingStoole wth ye apperte n ances XY...XXXXXX
To John Hoile for 21 years fro'.ll l•iichael:u as Da y at ye rent of ten shilli ng s xxxx...uc
To build a house thereon within seven yea rs in all respects as good as the house he now lives i n xxx 4 Sept. 1666. Pat Carroll. Witnesses Alex. Gill, b . Copeland,
See Survey of the Manor of Brownlowsderry A.D. 1667. By Arthur Brownlow als Chamberlaine page 12.
LU GAN
Brownlow House
Built to t he d esi gn o f Wi lliam Hen r y Playfair son of Ja me s Pla yfai r, an arc hi tect of so ~ e re pute in London, in whi ch c i t y he wa s bo r n in 1789 . 1 , en t as a young man to Edinburgh to resi d e with his un c le, Professor John Playfair, and wa s l a ter res p on sible for many fine buil dings th ere.
1. See Frazer's Handbook for Travellers in I rela nd , p.622. Erected of Scotch freestone.
"THE LURGAN SPADE 11
There is an old pro verb whi ch d escribed a doleful countenance as bein g as 11 long as a Lurgan spade 11 , and it has often been asserted that Lur g an was a s pad e ~aking centre s pe cia lizing in s pe ci ~ ens pa rticularl y long of t h e blade. There is no evidence for that assertion but it is true t ha t the turf -s p ade in co 2mon use east of the Bann was lon g er than its c ount er pa rt on the west bank of the river, but turf spades of that type were common enough else-whe re and it is well knovm that certain s p ade manufactories on the Armagh - Tyrone border were responsible for spades for mo st of the surrounding counties - one su ch mill still exists near Killyman In the old spade mills there were samp le spades for the various district, all of which were different in shape, lengt h or de si gn . Led g ers have indeed survived giving such information in detail and in one Tyrone spade-mill there is an old manuscript catalogue showing that spades were supplied to practically every county in the north besides others that are now in that part of Ireland knovm as 1 the Republic" . Lurgan streets once resounded to the old cry"Lough Neagh hones, Lough Neagh hones, Put in sticks an' pull out sharpin' stones 11 •
nat was a n allu s i on to t h e old be li ef a s t o t h e qualities of i ts \Ta ters as a :n ea n s of pe trific a tion . There was a tradition t h en t h at certain Lough Nea gh fishermen ,1h o s p ent too 111uch ti111 e wadin g had t h ei r +urn to ston e . legs u Locall y it was beli eved t hat wh en they wanted to shar p en t h eir razors all th e y ha d to do wa s turn up their trousers an d use t h eir s' i n s as h ones. And you all Know, of course, t ha t th e Lough Neagh fisherfol k h a d t h eir own toast - it was:
11Heal th to en, a nd death to f i sh , The wa ggin 1 of t h eir tails will pa y f or t is"•
Benburb I
Mar Marshallhis "H• t i s or y of Benburb" states that the ~ate of the first for matio n of . a congre gat i on i s unc e rt ain, but assumes that the p a rson who enjo yed t he rectory i n t Commonwealth period must h ave been Calvanistic i n his theology. That View i s undoubtedly correct. we Imo that in 1660 the Rev. Archibald Hamilto n was Com· Commonwealth Minister ot Clonfeacle and t ha t i n t he f oll owi ng year h e was ejected for refusing to conform. He cont i nued, however, to reside in t h e dist ri ct a nd ten years later wa s ordained minister of Benburb, by which time i t , as probable that t he re was a Presbyterian Church i n being.
~• community was the n in a f a r from f lourishing condition and the income being in sufficie nt f or his sup port he was compelled in 1672 to seek leave to settle elsewhere. !his was granted and in the followi ng year he became minister ot First Armagh. At that time we are told ordinations and installatio.ns usually took pl ace at night and aa a rule at some distance .from the future location of the minister a precaution arising from the change over troaa tbe Republicanism of Cromwell to the Sovereignty of CharlesII., and the return to power of the Establ i shed Clnarob and consequent expulsion of Commonwealth pastors ,._ Nnetlo•• held by them in those years .
Benburb
We hav e already dealt with Mr . Hamilton's career under First Armagh, but before passing on to the Roll of his succ essors i t may be of interest to reti·a ce our s t p s
a lit t le. Twc othe1• historians of Benbur b, the Rev. John Elliott and t he Rev ,. As ton Robinson, the latter probably quoting from the former, suggest that t l1 e Wingfield estate was plante d by English and Scotch settlers and t ha t after the Batt le of Benburbin 1646 the ntll!lber of Scotch greatly
increased and thus a church became necessary . The settlement of Scotch tenants on the Wi ngfield est ate i s not, however, borne out by the Muster Ro ll of 1630, and it 1 s highl.y imp robable that any Scot is likely to have taken up residence in the district im ediataly after the famou s conflict in which Munro 's army suffered so bitter a defeat. That being so we must conclude that the introdu ction took place after 1657, a nd that Mar shall's account is therefore the more accurate.
Of the next two ministers of Benbu r b little is knolm .
A Mr. Walkinshaw is named as successor t o Mr . Hamilton, but dates are wanting and the same applies to the t h ird lletnber on the Roll, the Rev. James Johnston. In July 17o6 the Rev. John Boyde was installed. He died in Ootober 1 712 , and was followe d in July 1714 by the Re ve John Kennedy who left behind him a most interesting diary,
Benburb
which besides giving m hi uc nformation on ministerial duties tells the story o:f' the bu i l d:! ng of' h · · a new o urchin 1725.
The first Benburb Meetin g House th t h a we ave any tradition regarding is said t o have been at Lisnacreevy and is believed to have been a mud-walled erection. From there they eventually moved to Liscroy where a second Meeting House was built that was ln use in 1721+, when Mr Kennedy decided to build anew owing to his fe ar that the older building might collapse. The roof actually fell in on Sunday, 17 July, 1726, but fortunately there were no unpleasant resuJ.ts other than confusion and fright. He prepared tor a new Meeting House by cutting the foundations in June 172,. It was completed and seated by 17~7 - most or the work seemingly the effect of his own labours.
Mr. Kennedy was a cadet of the Kennedy family who as Earls or Cassil .s exercised much i nfluence over a large territory in south-west Scotland, and was the most notable minister of Benburb 11 He was Moderator of the Synod of Ulster 1n 1749, and dying in June 1761 was buried in the graveyard of the parish church under a Latin inscribed armonial stone that still remains though yearly becoming more difficult to decipher.
In Ma7 1763 the vacancy was filled by the Rev. Alexander Johnston. He died in August 1771, and was
buried in t he pa ris h chu r chy ar d.
James Whites i de , held the ch a rge
His succes s or, the Re v . fro m De c ember 1772 unt il bis death in 1822 . He se em s to ha ve been the fir st ministe r to be buried in the grav d tt ey ar a a ched to the meeting House at Lisduff He was in feeble health in 1815 when the Rev .
Joshua Willi s was a ppoint ed as assistant and succes sor . 1'hree years l a t e r Mr . Willis was sus pended for celebr a ti ng an irregular marr i a ge . He wa s aft erwards disannexed and deprived for fu rt he r f aults, being followed in December 1836 by the Rev. Jam e s Fulle r ton. He resigned in June of the followin g ye ar and emigrate d to Australia.
In June 1838 t he Rev . Hugh Mont gomery was or dained i n the Meeting House at Lisduff Immediat ely after hi s arrival he set about t he ere ction of a new church , and Lord Powerscourt offering a s 1 te in t h e vill age at a nomi nal rent ot 6/.... per annum, and an annual subs c ri ptio n of £12 , the gift was accepted despit e t he fac t tha t the older ••bers would have preferred t he re t ent i on of t he older aite. 1'he church was accordingly erected i n 1839 . Mr. Montgomery died 1n 1873, and was succeeded by t h e Rev Gawn Malcolm in August 1871+. He demit t ed in Ap r i l 1876 for
Newcastle on Tynearterwa~ds settling i n Au stralia.
In June 1876 the Rev. William Clements became pastor and dminl bis ministry the present manse and farm were
puch s~d nth Benburb e tate as sol t o the tenants,he bed r nt old burying round at Lisduff we r e later secured in 191~. Mr. Clements died in October 1919. His IUOOelsor , t h R v. W . A. Nisbet, was install din April 19,0 and was r placed by the Ra v. Thomas Rowan in pr1l 1923, who retired in June 1944, whe r eupon t he Rev . J . w. Wetherup Weatherupthe new past or.
PETITIONS OF PROTESTANT DISSENTERS
IN OC TOBER AND NO VEMBER 1zz2
Parliamentary Papers in Re cord Offi ce, Dublin.
Bundle 28. Nos.1-42 (5. 0 _ 195 _ ll ).
Bo,11, Benburb
James Holmes
James Kennedy
Robert Lennan
Israel Sterling
William McCleave
William .Starlin
George Irwin
Wm. Oliver
JoshuaJ. Acheson
James Hanna
WilliamDixon
Tom Gerneen
David Holmes
Vance Holmes
William McDowel
James Whiteside
James Hannah
JamesMcCleave
Joseph Orr
David Smithth
John Kirkland
William Ha rper
Andrew Ferguson
John Rean ey
John Jackson
William Abe rnethy
Leonard Rea d
J am es Walker
William McWhoore
George Gillaspy
John McNight
Joseph Orr .
William Tate
Moses Frizzell
James Smith
Andrew McMillin
Andrew McCleave
CLARE,
lbe village ot Clare for ms part of the Manor of the
--• name granted to Sir Francis Cooke in 1610 who married
•• his secono. Wife Anne, daughter of Sir Tristram Beresford ' founder ot the Beresford family fortunes and ancestor of the Marquess of Waterford, At the time of the marriage the J,a4y waa the Widow of Sir Edward Doddington whose chief claim ,o tame lies 1n the fact that he superintended the building of the val.ls ot Derry He was also agent of the church lands of the Lord Primate and acquired the Manor ot Dungivenven in the 18118 ooun1y in 1616. · During the term of his agency he II0\11'84 s1x townl.ands in the immediate vic1n1 ty of Armagh oitJa land that pa8sed to his widow and are known to this 4IJ •• .Lady Anne Cooke's Plantation.
Sitt Francis is said to have come to Ireland as an officer 1n Queen Elizabeth's army. By his marriage with Lady Doddington be aaaumed that he would control her estates but lb••••• to have been a rather shrevd individual and very
0Clllpeten1: to look after her own affairs. At anyrate she toun4 bill too extravagant a partner so a deed of separation
•• baa .llP in 1627 t by wbieh they agreed to live apart, .. pQiac bill an amm1 t)' ot £150 ptr year. There was, ..._.,.,, a lawsuit between t?ie two ot them in 161+1, but it l'ellll.'94 lJl the charl• btilll liade payable out of his
Clare
v1t••• estate - in oth
er words h,e wa a sure of the £150 per annum tor ao long as ho lived H • 8 died shortly afterwards blll Lady Cooke lived to a ripe old age d b , an Y hor will made 1D 1679 bequeathed her estates to her nephew, Tristram Beresford son o! her brother Sir TristramBeresford , · am s ord ot · Coleraine.
With the J Manoro Clare in 1610, Francis Cooke, then a captain 1n the army and not yet a knight, received a licence to hold. a Sat\U'day market and a fair on eve, day, ar1d morrow of Saints Phillip and Jacob At that time it bore the prefix "ballyt' but tbai was soon dropped. In the same year John Bouchier W&I assigned the adjacent manor ot Tawnavaltinny or Tamnaghvelton lie was subsequently knighted and about the eame time purchased the Manor of Clare from Cooke. Sir John died in 1613 owning both Manors and was succeeded in the 0011b1ned land• by his brother Henry, later Earl of Bath.
Henry Bouchier according to Pynnar s Report of 1619, had bJ then built a bawnot lime and stone at Clare 100 feet lone by 80 feet broad with walls lit feet high, defended by '• flanker and was building a good stone house, two storeys bilb on wuob workmen were then busy. Lord Bath died in 16;tt hann, beto~• hil death perfected an agte8!Jlent whereby his W14ov Rachel countess of Bath, became owner. She died in 16,0 1ean,nc tile tvo 1u1nor1 to her brother Sir Henry Fane,
third on or her father, Francis Fane, Earl of We st morland . Sir Henry died in 1705. Hi s son, Charles Fane, create d Viscount Fane in 1718, died in 1744, leaving a son Charles, 2nd Vi soount Fane, who died without i ssue in 1766, and tw daughters, Dorothy, wife of John, Earl of Sandwich, and ary, wife of Jerome, Count de Salis, whereupon the manors passed to the two sisters , the Countess de Salis inheriting Tamnaghvelton velton and the Countess of Sandwich inheriting Clare.
The Bouchier bawn and house were destroyed in the Civil War of 1641-1642 and we know that the mill of the manor of Clare was then in use as a p riso n. The property ·which was a small one of 1,000 acres seems to have been sparsely inhabited for the Mu ster Roll of 1630 only lists ten men ca pable of bearing arms.
But to r eturn to the Depositions - they make no reference to a P res byterian Meeting Hou se, nor the burning of sueh. Th mill of Clare whilst in use for detention wa s guarded by Brian Oge o Hanlon and his sons, and there is 1V1dence that t he wife of John Bo omer of Clare was taken out of Lord Bath's mill and drowned in the Cu sher by Ferdo ragh
0 O'Hanlon
How then has the tradition as to Cl a r e ha vi ng had a congregationtion in those days arisen? To be quite frank I do not know nor can I believe that it has any foundation in d Bouchier were English s o we may suppose tact. Both Cooke an
the t1rat se1tlers were of a like nationality. It is very probable, however, that after 1641 th • ere was a re,ettlcement ot the lands ot th.e manor and that by 1660 some taa111•s trorn the neighbouring and exclusively saotch plantations at Markethill and Hamiltonsbawn Bawn had secured ta:mt there. Th.e Hearth Money Rolls of 1661+ do not, however, show or suggest a Presbyterian element sufficiently numerous to support a pastor. That being so we must asSUllle th at there could bave been no great necessity fo r such a ccommodation 1113.til even later, and therefore it see ms doubtful that there ner was a . chl.U'ch until about 1679, the year in whioh the Rev.John McBride the f'irst minister, turns up. At anyrate ibere is ® ev1denet for an organized congregation of earlier date and personal.ly I cannot accept the folk tale that there vaa a Presbyterian place ot worship in the village in 1641, and that it was burned 1n that year with several ram111es vbo had taken refuge in 1 t, nor am I convinced that charred VOOd 8a14 to have b•en turned up in the present gtaveyard
oan be aoc•pted as proof for such a statement. I do feel that 1t 8Uoh a tragedy had occurred it would have round •nt1on in the ••1'1 deta1l.$d atf1dav1 t sworn by Mrs. ElizabethRolleston (widow of the Rev. Richard Rolleston, lftnff of the nearbf Manor of Teemore whose house vith ita IODlent1 of book• and furniture and its store or provisions
•• dedl'OJN by the O O'Hanlon who also deprived her or her
Clare
oaHl• and took her prisoner · t ner w1 h her children to Clare mill vtiere she was for some time confined c\.. , uue a.xplicitly records the burning or the Earl of Bath I s castle at Clare whiob was surprised, many people killed there in as uall as the des tr uction ot the churches of Ballymore and Mul labrack, bu t there is not the slightest hint re ga.rding a Presbyterian settlement or the burning of a Meeting House.
I am aware that my conclusi ons are not supported by the Rey. R.J. Porter, D D. If Rev . Stanley H. Wi lli am son, writing 1n 1948 and quoting from a "History of Cl a re Presbyterian church is correctly reported, Dr. Porter was his authority tor dating that "the first Presbyte rian Church at Clare was erected lither 011 or adjoining the present church about the year 1633, In 1639 the Rev, James Stewart, a Presbyteri an minist er from Scotland conducted a Communion Service somewhere in the Deichbourbood ot clare probably in the home or one of the Scotoh settlers. In the Roman Catholic Rebellion or 1641, Clare t1rtt little kirk was burned t o the ground. When the rebellion had been quelled by General Munro s Scottish army, the Scottish eettlers returned to Cl are and soon built their 1 •oond ehuob which stood for ltO years. Between 1670 and 1678
th t McBride was ordained for Clare lb• J>Ji. Porter a•~apiion batoo vague a statement -he was nveen 1670 and 1 7 1 Killyleagh h Co Down in June 1679, so ~U schoolmaster at his trarisfer to Clare took ••n 1a .1ust the poss . 1680 as recorded by Dr. CroneCrone in ,~.. in tbe latter year,toirish Biography". Illa "Cono1•• .Dictionary o
,he .RtV • John McBridewas " · ordained in Clare and during the . early part of his u1in1stry a new church was built. This church ,,ood for onG hundred and fifty ye a rs_ that is until l8~B when 1t vas replaced by the present building".
~ere is no confirmation in the Presbyterian llistorioal Society Records that I can find th at bea rs o t t he tra itions embodied in Dr. Porter's account, and th e statement that the Rev. James Stewart ad.ministe.red Communion in the district 1n 1639 111ore likely refers to s~ r ~ices in the home of a fruni ly on the Acheson estate; besides it is absurd to write of the Civil War ot 1641 being crushed by General Munr o whom we all know to have been ·soundly beaten by the Irish Forces at Benburb, an •ncacement involving him 1n heavy losses and from wich he bartlf escaped with his life.
At anyrate until actual documentary support for the story become s available we are compelled to pla ce t he birth ot the congregation a bout the year 1680, a date that agrees very well with the facts before us. In that year Cl are was aupplied with a first pastor, the famous Rev. John McBride father of an equally distinguished son, th e Re v. Robert McBride born in Clare in 1687, whose son DaVid was a ·ce in oelebrated phyi,ioian and surgeon in the Navy, a sel'Vl.
Vbicb hi1 younger brother John rose t ·o the rank of Admiral, •Del va1 the father of John David McBride, Professor of: Arabic
., Oxford and Principal 01' M. d l MagdalalenCollegeCollege for fifty years. Clare has indeed reason to be proud of its first minister and his descendants. Mr McBri.de whilst t Clare t , a are, seems o have taken no part in public affairs. He was admitted to Borgue Congregation in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, in 1689. Following his transfer to Belfast in 1694 he qUiokly beoane a notable tigure and a wr1 ter of pamphlets on rights and priv1leges ot Presbyterians. He died 1718. See Appendix. He was followed in Clare by the Rev. Moses Cherry in 1697, vbo, in tum, was succeeded by his son, the Rev. George Cherry who became assistant in 1725 and preached before the Synod in Armagh in July 1736. At his father's death in 1727 he was appointed minister and so continued until May 1765', in which year he was buried in Belnabeck in his fathers plot in the old graveyard of the pre-Plantation oburch of the district. In August 1765 the Rev. Samuel Livingston was ordained. Later at the formation ot the Irish Volunteers he acted as Chaplain to the Clare Company 1n which he held the rank ot Lieutenant in 1779, and on 9 January, 1780, preached a ••non ent1 tled tt1'he Obligations Men Are Under to Exert !bem1elve1 In Defence Of Their Count1'111, an address t t the Clare corps. In that capacity published by reques o · h 1n tb. tootsteps of his predecessor, the • va1 tollowinl
BIT• George Cherry, who on Saturd ay, 23rd February, marched troa Tandragee to Belfast when th t t · a own was threatened vith invasion, arriving in Belfast Su on nday morning with one hundred good men and true all on foot.
Mr. Livingstone died in February 1803 and unfortunately a long vacancy followed, during which unpleasant feelings arose in the congregation. At length i n June 1807 the Rev. Robert Adams was installed, His ministry was an unhappy one both as reg a rds the people and himself, and as a oonsequence bis services were disp ensed with in 1816. He lived, however, until 1840 and received a proportion ot the ministerial income but discharging no duties. During thut troublesome period a part ot the people withdrew from the ~U1'18d1otion ot the Synod of Ulster and joined the Secession synod
Mr. Adams successor was the Rev., James Gardiner. He
vaa ordained in March 1817 but was disannexed in June 1824, vhereupon the Rev. John Bell was appointed to the pastorate.
Dluing his ministry the church was rebuilt and new schools were oonetructed with r•s1dences tor the teachers.. Mr. Bell lived in tanderagee and during his early tenure of Clare held N"1o•• there, 8 custom that later brought about the foundation of an ott-sboot in that place. After e busy and dWctnt 11in11tl'J ot tifty-six years he retir~d in 1876 and
died som six years later at a meeting of the Dromore Presbytery.
1'he next minister, the Rev . David Wilson, was placed in charge 1n November 1877, but resigned in October 1881. Bis successor was the Rev. R.J. Whan, who officiated rrom 1881 until 1928 9 in Wich year he retired. He died in 1928 having f'aithf'ully served his flock for a period or fortyseven years, and there we leave our survey ot Clare Cotlgl'egation.
APPENDIX.
Rev. John McBride of Holywood, Co. Down, who F ,1gned the Solemn League and Covenant there 8 April, 1644. ,---
7!he Revd. John McBr ide,. Presbyterian Minister of Clare, Co. Armagh circa 1680-1689, and afterwards of 1 elfast vhere he was installed 3 October, 1694, and died 21 July, 1718.
Robert The Revd. of Ballymoney = 1716-175'2. Born at Clare, Co. irmagh 1687. Died 2 September, 17,9. Tombstone Ballymoney Churchyard.
David, Surgeon in the Royal Navy.
John David Principal of Magdalen Hall Died Oxford 21 January, 1868. ·For ovei- years Principal or Magdalen. ·
Prano1s (only child). Died Oxford 3 July, 1878, aged 72.
= 4argaret, daughte r of William Fairley, Tullyveery.
Alexander David 2 daughters.
John1 Admiral in Ithe Royal Navy. _
Presbyterian Historical Society Records provide the undernoteda-
Vb McBride prob. son of John McB ride or Holywood, Co. Down, 1 16e,. signed the Solemn Le,ague and Covenant there on 8 April, ""• Born 16;0. Educated Glasgow; M.A. Glasgow 1673; ~•P4orted aa Schoolmaster at Killyleagh, Co. Downt June 1679; 1' a1ned Clare Tandragee date unknown; admittee1 Borgue, Kirkcudbrightshire 1689-lo91tJ Called to Ayr June 1691, but ~~bJt•~ r!tused translation; A Member of the General AssemblJ tla.nd) 1092; Instituted Belfast 3 October, 1694; Refused :?3u:ra.t1on Oath and had to flee 1703; Otf1o1ated Blackfriars, U •acov, 170S-17O9J in 1706 Rev. James Kirkpatrick chosen •acue 1n his absence; Congregation d1 vided a nd made tvo on 1 l'eturn1 died .Belfast 21 Jul7, 1718 1 aged 68."
OT Protestant DI SS ENTERS
BER 1772
a r l i a e n t a ry Pa p e r s i n Re cord Office, Dublin.
dl e 28 . No s .1 - 42 (5.0 -1 9 5 - 11) .
lare Congreg atio n in Bal lymore Parish, Co.._Armagh.
Jo n Young
AlexanderPatton
Sa uel Li vi ng sto n e
Jno Montgomery
Ch a rles Meins ei n s
Thomas c urney
Thomas Ferris
Geor g e Craige
Rober t Boyd
James Orr
Robert McKelvey cKelvey
Hugh Wallace
James Purdy
John Girvin
WilliamMcDonnell
ThomasBeggs
rchd. Girvin
Alexder English
HughMorrison
John Morrison
J am es Lewis
Tugwel l Black
Dan iel Ma cKel v ey
Robert Cockburn
Jo hn Maffe t
Samu el Parker
Joh n Hear
David Geddis
Tho mas Lewis
Thomas Gree naway
Jo hn Ast on
John Moore
William Cr a i g e
Willia m Crozier
David Par k er
Ja mes Fryer
Thom as Fryer
John Black
William Strong
Robt . McMahon
.
1 ThomascRay
illia Borne t
William Montgomery
Christo pher Monson
John McConvall McConville
John Kirkwood
Robert Campbell
John Greasy
John Otterson
John Pool
William Young
James Pool
John Little
John Fryer
John Nelson
Francis Steele
John Euens
Adam Thomson
William Thomson
Samuel Harvy
John Ferris
John Snowden
John McCallan
James Brown
John Ewart
Robert McClure
Ste phen Marshallshall
William McBurney
Sa muel Ferguson
Josh McKee cKee
Jno Har vey
David Alexander
Robert Redpath
Thomas Redpath
Wm. Bla ck
John Fleck
Thomas McClelland
George Fleck
Richard Stot
James Wear
John Geary
Thomas Kelly
John McDowell
Philip Graham
Robert Fryer
Richard Aston
Joseph Douglass
Sam Petegrue
John Stot
John McBurney
Robert Moore
Thomas Hodskis
Harry McGarrah
James Gillesp ie
John Neil
John Nepper
John Stevenson
John Bran
George Crai g e
illiam McCallancCallan
Thomas Snodden
Thomas Howem
James Craig
James Heair
Robert Greenlee
Samal Pettecroo
illiam Whitten
Na thael Wilson
Sanders Locheed
illiam Martin
Georg Boadl e
illiam Finlay
Alex McCutcheon Cut cheo n
Hugh l cMulbrogh
William McKindry
John Freeburn
John Whi te
MauriceHar t
Joseph Jenkins
William Clark
William Snowden
James Li gg et
Thomas Aston
Daniel Thomp son
John McMollen
illiarn Gordon
Thomas Best
Valentine Bla ck
George Craig, Junior
Robert Mar tin
William l McMulan McMullan
David McCalion
George Lawson
Jno McClellan
Matthew Greenlee
John Kelly .
DRUMHILLERY,
Meaning of place-name doubtful but probably 11 ridge of the sallows 11 •
Drumhillery as a congregation owes its origin to the Rev. Thomas Clark of Cahans, Co. Monaghan, whose labo~rs on the behalf of the Secession Church in Ireland resulted in him establishing mission stations
in counties Armagh and Monaghan, amongst them Derrynoose, now better known as Drumhillery.
Before dealing with the history of the congregation we should perhaps say a few words about its founder. Thomas Clarke was born at Paisley in 1720 and was educated at Glasgow University. He was indeed a student there in 1745 when he ·took up arms against the 11 Young Pretender", and on the cessation of hostilities returned to his studies. Three years later he was licensed by the Glasgow Presbytery and came to Ireland to settle at Cahans in Co. Monaghan where •he remai~ea:; until 1764. On the 10th May of that year in company with 300 Presbyterian emigrants mostly from his own congregation, and possibly including some Drumhillery families, he sailed for the United States of America. The party embarked at NarrowWater near Newry and on 28th July reached New York where he settled for a few years, later moving to South Carolina where he became minister of Long Cane Congregation, and died 26th September, 1792.
Drumhillery
Drumhillery under the appellation of Derrynoose was joined with Cahans when Mr. Clark was ordained for that congre gation on 23rd July, 1751, and in the following year an. entry occurs in the Cahans Session Book relating to the 11 new me~ting house at Derrynoose 11 • We can, therefore, be certain that Drumh illery as a co n gregation dates back two hundred years.
Tradition states that the first meeting-house was very small, its walls made of sods and its roof thatched. The seating we are told was fashioned from bog-wood.
That may seem strange but in those days much land that is now meadow was peat bog and besides yielding turf cont~ned buried tree-trunks that were found useful for various purposes.
In 1755 Derrynoose was transferred to Castleblayney and the Rev. John McAuley was ordained minister of the united charge in July of that year. The change was due to the great distance from Cahans, the close proximity I of Blayney making the new amalgamation much more conve nient. The association, however, only lasted for a sh ort period ~ In 1764 Mr. McAuley moved to Dublin whe r e upon Drumhillery (by that time the older designation ot De rrynoo s e was falling into disuse so I shall not continue to u se it) dissolved the union and allied itself Vith Taasagh und er the Re v. Wm . He nry who was called to
Drumhillery
the double office in 1771. He, however, resigned Drumhillery in 1796, and at that point it became a separate congregation.
Mr. Henry was succeeded by the Rev. George Augustus McAuley Henry :Pl:e had formerly been minister of Richhill and was installed in Drumhillery in 1797. He was, we may assume, well-known to the congregation, being a son of the Rev. James McAuley of Castleblayney. His rather odd combination of Ohristian names was due to him having the same birthday as the King. He died 16th May, 1808, and during the vacancy that ensued the congregation was distracted for a season over two candidates whom the Synod in 1811 thought it prudent to set aside.
On 21st September, 1813, the Rev. Edward Jardine was ordained. During his ministry in the year 1829 it was decided to withhold all church privileges from members of the congregation who neglected to cmntribute towards its support -a ruling again ordered into operation in 1837. No doubt that state of affairs was caused by the events that preceded his appointment as minister. He died 9th May, 1838.
The next minister, the Rev. John Lyons, was ordained 27th March , 1839, by which time the earlier differences that made Mr. Jardine' s pastorship so difficult, we .re forgotten. Tbe Seesions Book contains an account of the
ordination dinner. It was held in the school-room where according to the reference us1 persons dined comfortably, drank he artily and parted friendly'' -a very pleasant party for which tic k ets were issued at 3/- per head. Later for some unstated irregularity Mr. Lyons was suspended by the Presbytery and disannexed 22nd March, 1844, by the General Assembly.
Mr. Lyons was followed by the Rev. James McAuley. He was ordained 19th March, 1845. During his ministry a new chu rch (probably the third) was erected and by his exertions the congregation was induced to double the stipend forr-..a.erly paid and similarly increase its contributions to missions.
r. cAuley died 4th April, 1874, and was succeeded by the Rev . William Ingram who was ordained 16th December, 1874, and re mained at Drumhillery until 1905.
Mr. Ingram•s successor was the Rev. Vernon Corkey. He was installed 27th September, 1906, He was a son of the Re v. Joseph Corkey of Glendermott, one of eight sons, all of whom entered the ministry of the Presbyterian Church.
Mr . Corkey was held in high esteem and, incidentally, two of his sons also became ministers. He resigned Drumhillery 7th October , 1912, for a County Derry congregation, and 1 d 25th Janua ry, 1940.
A ut 1912 or 1913 the Rev. D.S. Boyd demitted the pot Middletown so as to bring about a union of
Drumhillery ( 5)
that congregation with Drumhillery, whereupon the Rev. J.K. Currie was ordained to the charge of the joint congregations. He resigned 6th March, 1923, following which Drumhillery combined with 2nd Keady under the Rev. S.H. Martin who was installed in Drumhillery 3rd May of same year. Mr. Martin retired in 1946 and the association with Keady ceased.
On the 1st September, 1948, the Rev. C.A. Meldrum was ordained but re signed 25 July,= 1951, for First Monaghan. He was followed on 2 July, 1952, by the Rev. S.H. Williamson wo happily is still with you. Mr. Williamson was ordained for Clare, Co. Armagh, 7 March, 1946, remaining there until 28 September, 1950, at which date he resigned for Loanends, Co. Antrim, which charge he held until 30 June, 1952. He was, as you know, installed in Drumhillery 2 July, 1952. By then Drumhillery had completed its second centenary as a congregation, a fact which you may all well be proud of.
In the two centuries that have passed since its foundation the pattern of country life has changed completely but the spiritual beliefs of the founders of Drumhillery remain the same. ..
DRUMM OND , a ridge.
Two forts shown on Maps of 1835. Very large but g reatly destroyed fort on farm of Mr. Smyth. The second enclosure on the farr~ of Mr. Mitchell comm ands a magnificent view of Ca rrickatuke, the Derry and Tyrone Mountains, Dungannon and Monaghan towns, etc. and is a much more interesting example being much better preserved.
DrumgrennaghSummer ridge or sunny ri dge .
ap s of 183 5 show a Rope Walk wi t h a flax mill adja c ent . Flax and corn- mills comm on in the area a ce n t ury ago . 11Rope walk were usua lly sit e d i n to wn s. r:nagh h ad a celebrated 11Rop e walk in use until about the y ear 1850. One still su r vive s a nd operates in Dungannon
DRUMNAHAVIL.
(The ridge of the orchard) (Abhaill apple tree or orchard).
The
Cairn,
A small cairn . on the farm of Mr. Ja.mes Kinney. Formerly situate on an old road now closed. Local tradition says it marks the stte of the spot on wich a man was found dead about a couple of centuries ago whose name is now forgotten. It seems to have been raised by passing people throwing stones upon the place where he died. It is also said that the cairn was once larger and higher. It is now about 6 feet in height and has a circumference of 51 feet.
(The black tate). Doohat
A pillar-stone on the march ditch bet ween the Bennett and Hughe s farms and a soute·rrain on the Robb farm knovm as the Fairy Cove. The latter is a sim p le p assage about twenty feet long by four feet six inc he s high and roughly four feet seven i n ches wide with a chamber off about 12 feet long varying from four to five feet in width •
DR Drumeland (Druim Fa olan or Fhaoilin - Fe l an ' s ri d ge) .
The Blest Well. Associated with St . Mochua.
At one time an i mp ortant place of pil g rima ge . Custom revived in recent years . A wishing or cursing stone that formerly adjoined the well was broken u p and buried nearly a century ago.
Maps of 1835 show sites of ol d mines.
LI Lislooney
Kinnaird se s to have been the official name for the congregation 1n its early days, and there is evid nc th t t h e original Meeting House was situate 1n L Lemnagor betwixt the Villages ot Tynan and Caledon. In Ashe' s survey ot the see Lands of Armagh co iled in the year 1703 it is described as "a large Meeting House 11 , and although its position 1s not clearly defined its p roximity to the "Mill ot Tynan agrees very well with the tradition that it waa located north or the Lemnagore entrance to TynanAbbey Demesne.
It comprised a very large district containing many townlands in Monaghan and Tyrone besides Armagh,and its vast aize must have been a source of worry to both minister and people!t At anyra.'lle in the ea:rly 18th century it became neoeaaary to divide into new congre gations of which l ter • .Prom the tact that Lemnagore was 1n Tynan we might 1apl7 that tbe Commonwealth Minister ot that parish would hay, been a Presbyterian but that does not see to have been the can. A commonwealth Minister, the Rev. John Ayton was oerta1nlJ inducted in 16~6-67 but as he had •• 1Yed Episcopal ordination in 165; and in 1660 became Archdeacon ot Ardagh we mu.et believe that though he ,eci tbe Coaaonvealtb government he retained the
Lislooney
CllUNb ot Irel~ service - therefore the introduction of presbyterianismmust have taken place tollowing the Restoration. %he exact date, however, remains to be 41,oovered.
there is a tradition regarding a Presbyterian c,oaaunit7 at Tynan in the· days before the battle ot the Boyne and fortunately some supporting proof 1 s available tor th• elaim • "A list of Presbyterian Ministers in Ireland in 1689" shows John Mitchell ot Tynan11 • 1'he document1n question was presented to the General Assembly 1a Edinburgh 1n tbat year and from it we gather tbat he va1 ae1t11aJl7 then in Scotland He does not appeai- to ever b••• returned to Irelalld.
ho years later 1n 1691 e.ttorts were being made to ••ou• npplies ot preachers until it became possible to ottt~ a proper aaintenalloe to a minister a matter further
•XJ>loncl 1n the aext year. In 1702 when the Presbytery ot Tyrone va1 1eparate4 into the Presbyteries ot Monaghan and Tyrone it 1• reoo1'4ecl with ihirteen other congregations. ln l"/01 an entry oonrs in the Sessions Book ot First Armagh "-lb vblOb ra,ber suggest• that Kinnaird was also known U Tynan !be innnion tells us that Armagh paid a sum et •to George Cochran tor renewing h1a lease ot ft P.-. Oil wblob 1• meeting House ot Tynan 11•. B)' the
Lislooney
vorilnl w• must suppose a ohu:rch 1n actual use and the reference must, therefore, relate to Lemnagore.
!bough we do not know the actual date of the erection of a Meeting House at Lislooney we ha'Ye an indication 1n Ille before-mentioned Sessions Book where disbursements show that on 16th Ifovember, 1718, Armagh paid "Francis Scott £2 . tor wilding ye Meeting Bouse or Tynan 1'hat coupled w1 th an ob1ervation in the 1'ynan Vestey Book referring to "the road from Breaghy to the new Meeting House" confirms that the second ohurch was built before 19th April, 1720. 1'bree )'tara later the Vestry Books designate the same building as lht •aev meeting house ot Lislooney but the latter name 414 not _come into general use tor many years atter. Strangel7 tllOuah the meeting house ot 1'ynan does not figure 1n
SynodicalMinute• so the use of that name must have been punl.J looal.
!be t1rat 111Dister ot Kinnaird of llhom we have aDJ reool'd wa, the Rn. William Ambrose, a County Dow man •duea,ed ·•t 0la1govt at which university be took out his II.At 1n 167\. He wa1 not, however, licensed by the Down PrtlbJ'e17 until 1691. In the following 7ear whilst lllpplJ1nc a vacency at Annahilt he was imprisoned by ol'der ot Archdeacon Matthews bllt was quickly set tree b7 1-nnettou fND tbt Lord.• Justio••• On 30th Maroh 1 1693,
Lislooney be vas ordained for Kinnaird, and in 17ll was nominated tor the Moderatorship of the Synod.
During his ministry it became apparent that the old area was much too large for one man to have pastoral oversight or and that the people were not satisfied with arrangements as they then stood, This resulted in the con,ideration of a proposed division at a General. Synod 1n 1713 at which two ministers and two ruling alders from the Presbyteries of Monaghan and Tyrone were · emp owered to act as a Committee on the matter, They met in the Meeting House Kinnaird supposedly the old church at Lemnagore, aDd it was dec1d•d that separate congregations should come 1.n,o being a'ti Glennan and Minterburn The proposal came be~ore the General. Synod in 1714 and after the persons oonoerned had been heard and papers examined, tho Coautte••s suggestions were amended.
1'he alteration ot plans proved very unsatisfactory and Mr. Ambrose complained that the change would take him ••1 horn bia friends and those who adhered to him, and ~laoe him with people with. whom he anticipated little ease or comfort It was clear that his heart was 1n Kinnaird 1D4 ffentual.17 1 t was agreid tha.t he should stay w1 th that »-n ot hi• tlook and continue to reside in his own house ' -U.ye4 '° bue been 1n or near Tynan If he had not been
Lislooney
80 attached to that district we can be sure tha t Lislooney would never h ve come into bei ng, f or t he Synod in its wisdom had ord red that the n scattered ,.;,1,ngs in County Armagh sh ould be joined t o adjacent congregations at Armagh, Minterburn, Keady an d Glennan ... a pl an that would have meant a complete break with th e old order. The Meeting House i n '.rynan Parish known as Kinn aird would very llkalr have been closed and the old congregat1onal name wiped out.
Mr. Ambrose died in December 1714, and fo r some years after there was no settled minister. It was not in a proaperous conditio n owing to the reduct ion in its bounds and consequent increased financial burdens, and so not untJ.l 1718 was a new pastor appointed, by whioh year the new Meeting House at Tynan, presumably Lislooney, had been erected.
In October ot that yea~ the Rev. Samuel Irvine was 0 1'da1ned and 80Ble members liVing on the Blackwater between Caledon and Benburb petitioned to be linked with the latter. !hie vaa duly granted by the Synod but the p etitioners were lollewbat dilatory in paying arrears due by them to Kinnaird "11hout vhioh they could not proqure the necessary transfer 0 en1t1oat •• Two yaare later 1t was reported to the Srnod lbat the 11111 were ltlll unpaid and at the same time ther-e
IJ.•\OODIJ•
va• a teeling that Kinnaird should apply to the Armagh presbytery for some of the Armagh Congregation to make good the deficiency. ibis had been previously recommended but not carried out, and even then seems to have come to nought.
Hr. Irvine died in October 1729 and was succeeded 1n AugUlt 1732 by the Rev. William Ambrose ( son of his predecessor) who held Kinnaird from that date until his death in December 176,. Ke served as Moderator of the General Synod in 1756 and during his ministry the change o-ret fl'Olll linnaJ.rd to Lislooney seems to have taken plaoe.
~, aDJJ'ate a petition by William Maxwell supplicating the synod to give him liberty to leave the ministrations of 'b• Rey. Wllliam Ambrose survives and shows that the . 10DCN1at1on va1 known by its present name in l7lt-2.
J'ollovinl Mr. Ambrose's death in 1765 no minister •• oboHD until Augun 1768, on which date the Rev. George Harris M.A. vaa ordained. Mr., Harris was a very publ1olp11'1ted un, and be11dta acting a.s Chaplain was Captain ot tile Lislooney Volunteers He died at Lisglin 1n February l18J and•• buried at Lislooney being acoompam.ed to the Plft bJ the ftrlt Armagh Companr of Volunteers and the Lislooney Volunteers the member1 ot which we are told 11 1111.ft.t lbeir •nov by tear• and sighs,
Lislooney
The Rev James MacAdam took over in March 1787 but wa• disami .xed 1n July 1788. He took out a doctor• s degree at Glasgow Uiµvers1ty in 1790 and practised in Monaghan until his death 1n l82S.
Mr. MacAdam was tollowed in August 1789 by the Rev. Joseph Lawson who resigned in 1796, whereupon there was a Yaoancy tor some years. !?he next minister, the Rev. James Gibson, remained trom August 1801 until compelled by bodily infirmity to give up active work in l83lt-, dying at Manooney near Tynan in 1866.
Hr. Gibson retired in 1835' and in September 1836 the Rn. R.P. Boreland became assistant and successor. He was a brother ot the Rev. Paul Boreland of Markethill and died 1n Jul.7 186c. In the following year the Rev. James Carson •• ordained but demitted the congregation 1n March 1866, 111b1equently settling in Queens1and,
In Sept•bff 1866 the Rev. E. F. Simpson became the new minister bu.t be exchanged for Ballymena in August 1876 foJ.l.ov1na vbiob the Rev. Thomas Irvine became pastor in 1877. Be can up dut1•• in 1922 and died May 1930.
In July 1923 Knappagh Wal united to Lislooney and in l@p-n of the .... year the Rn. f. McKinney beoame tbe 11hl panor 1D the Joint oharge ancl so continues.
Lislooney
Knappagh a1 a congregation dates back to the year 1837. It• t1r1t minister, the Re•• Hugh Magill, was ordained in June 1839• He resigned in 1841. Xhe sucoession 11st was •• undei-1-
I • Rey• DaVid Coote, March l8lt2 .. to his death in December 1883.
II. Rey. William Waddell, May l88lt - to his d.eath in February 1895.
Ill. Rev. Martin Rea., June 1895' to December 1900~
IV. Rev. D.J. Blain February 1901, to his death in March 1919, fol owing wllieh Knappagh was united vith Caledon under tbe Rev. George Faris who vaa released from the combined charge in June 1923 to enable a union w1tb Lislooney.
Lislooney Fort
Lislooney contains one of the finest treble-ringed earthworks1n the county. Its innel' and second trenches haw, bovenr, been greatly filled in and the third or outer trench 1• perteot on the west only. It se.,ms to be prehistoric in origin but was occupied in late medieval times ror 1D1tanoe a letter survives dated 24th Maroh 1 139,, fl'OII Niall Og O O'NeillCaptain of nation, 'Written ,._ b11 bouN ., L11l.U.on1, on the Vigil ot the atlon ot tbe Blessed Virgin, offering suit and llftl • lo lb• Uni, but oompla1n1ng or the treatment
Lislooney Fort e
a•t•d out to his young son Felimy then a hostage in the castle of Trim and requesting that he be taken under Ro7al protection. Historical connections w1 th earthworks are aom•vhat rare so Lislooney thus becomes of particular 1ntere1t aa a link with the O O'Neillsthough they cannot veey veil have baen the builders of the rath.
Loughgall
Zb@ Presbyterian Congregation
It is usual when dealing With the story ot a 00ng,egation to study to some extent the historical background ot the area in which it i s situate, tonight, owing to the Um1ted time at our diapoeal, I must omit references to ev14enoes of early human settlement in the district, i 1t1enctary event• associated with the region• and the Yarious relics within the neighbourhood that may be ascribed to Prepre-Christian tilles. I mu.st, however, briefly refer to tbe anoient parish ot Loughgall which appears in Irish Annals 1n lts present tom as early as the year 802 A.D. and to tilt Cope familJt the owners ot Cloveneden in the days when the Presbyterian families on that and ad3oining properties appealed to the Genenl S,nod to<t aid in the erection of a meetinghouse and the pl'Ov:lsion ot a minister • · a top1a that , I lbaU 41acuaa later•
1 baye aen,1oned that Loughgall as a place-name 11 of "a,ena1>1e antiquity . 1'he parish was earlie,; know ••
O ONeillan a derivation al'ising trom 1ts oonnection with Ille Ua Niallans the tribe who gave name to the bal'ODJ ot
O ONeilland a 1ept that must not be contused witb. the more tllanaW O O'Neillsot later t1me1, tvo ot whom ate stUl
Loughgall remembered with horror because of the cruelties of their followers in the Civil War of 161+1.1t2, wherein Loughgallall suffered most severely, especially in May of the latt r year. Depositions made by local inhabitants of Planter stock regarding the tragic evants of that unhappy period still survive. Examined in conjunction with a uster Roll ot the Cope estate drawn up in 1630 we have no difficulty 1n arriving at a fairly acQ.Urate estaate of t h then Protestant population. From those two sources we learn that the numbe:ss reputed slain in the years under consideration have been grossly exaggerated. By 1657 many of the tenants on tbe Cope estate who had nect at the beginning ot the civil War had return d to their tarms, and seven years later, in 1664, a Hearth Tax eame into being, trom 'Which we glean a census of the householders ot ill• parish, &mongst wom we find many new names 1Dd1oat1ng further settlers, possibly remnants from the Cromwellian ocoupation, a state of . affairs that again t1'0ppecl up tollo'Wing the Revolution or 1688.
Having reached so far I should like to devote a tew ainatt•• to the Cope family. Anthony Cope or Hanwell 1n Oxfordshirevaa created a baronet in 16l1 and in the same . 1tar aoqutred the Manor ot Derrycreevy and Drumillyby purchasefrom Lord Sayeand Sele to whom they had been
Loughgall granted by James I at the Plantation or Ulster. On the tormer be built the mansion we now know as Castle Raw of 111bioh same fragments of walls ~111 stand, and a bawn at Drumilly that remains in tolerable condition, but the house that it once enclosed is long since demolished.
ftle Copes were a family of long standing in Oxfordshire and the grandfather of the first bar onet ( also an Anthony) served Katherine erine Parr ( sixth wife of Henry VIII) as ViceChamberlain a d was latGr knighted by Edward VI" The founder or the Loughgall branch died in 1615 and very likely navar visited Ireland. The acquisition of t he lands 1n Co. Armagh vas clue to a wish to establish his younger sons. His eldest son Henry predeceased him and he was succeeded in the baronetcy his second. son William 1rmo thus became po ssessed ot th e ancestral estate in England as well as certa.1-ll lands in Co. Tyrone The third son Anthony inherited Castle Raw and va the cestor or the Copes or the Manor, in lllhich family an heir to the baronetcy was found when tb.e English line failed in 18~1 in the person of the Rev, William Cope, 1 direct descendant of Sir Ant hony of Castle Raw. Xhe fourth ton Richa rd was given Drumilly and had besides a ber ot tovnland1 in Seagoe Parish He w-aa 1n Ireland at the t1ae ot the civil War and was tak9n prisoner with his "1fe and two sons
Loughgall
Di• Copes ven good landlords and are credited with ban.DI introdUced apple growing to th.e barony ot O ONeilland !hi cult of th• apple was, however, known much earlier - tor w1anoe, in the year u;; the head of the Macans the then rulingofseptthe tel'l'itory, died. His obituary bas been pN1•n•d and in it he is pr a ised tor the strong drink made tor the uae ot the clan from apples grown i n his orchards. that suggests that even then the soil ot o ONeillandhad . been found IUitable tor apple culture. It was not until the plantation ot Ulster that a systematic method ot planting fruit tne1 was thought ot and, of cour,e, only the freehold tenants were at first affected, We have little 1ntormat.1on on the aubjeat but ve do know that on certain properties 1n Co. Armagh- ot vhioh the Cope estate was one -- olauses were ln1med 1n lea••• requiring tenants to plant so many fruit trees aoool'd.1ng to the aoreages held. In the CiVil war 111oh ••JJ orchud1 •• had ~•en planted were probably destroyed but 1n ~• aore settled period of the Restoration theN 11 proot tor ~• mamtaoture ot cider especially in this westel'D hall ot O ONeilland We know that in 1679 1 t wa1 pl'oCJ\U'able at lO/. per hogshead and that in the wai- between James II and 1111 11 , Prince ot Orange 1, va1 being made in quant1,y tor 'be ue ot William 1 army We an aware that much cider vaa bJ Id.I IOWUI 1n the 1pr1ng ot 1690, but I heaita,.
lo aicribe th Victory at the Boyne too ONeilande1derl
I 11Ust pologise tor my lengthy introduction and hasten on th story ot this congregation. It has been stated that the cone gation was rounded in the year 1704 but I must oonte1s tb t I can find no confirmation for that particular ••••rtioD. 1"he first note that I can discover is in the aimltes ot the General Synod of June 19th, 1711, in 'Which year a supplic ation from "Venni Cash" Vinecashpresented to the 8Jnod setting forth its deplorable circumstances and stating that it• minister could not subsist unless a former grant va1 prolonged. The Presbytery of Armagh affirmed the ,rutb ot the oomplaint and said that 1ts wea.kened state was due to the part taken ott to form the new erection at Loughgall At the same Synod 1t wa s agreed that Loughgall lbould be supported and a grant of £12 per annum was voted • ordingl7. Bearing those tacts in mind we must, unless tYidenoe to the contrary is found, fix the date ot foundation on the Synod record ot that year. Later indications are Plentitul but before proceeding turther I should like to say 1 tev vord1 about Vinecash the parent body of Lougbgall. Vinecash o e into being shortly atter the Battle ot lhe Boyne and 1 t, t1rat minister was the Rev. Alexander Bruce a lineal de1oendant ot David Bruce, King of Scotland (lJ 1310). He va1 1n1talled 1n 1697 and married a daughter
• ThomasKennedy ot Carland nd Congregation, Oo •
• ev ot lb• tben arl ot Cassilis one of the lay
Loughgall
1111110r1 aent by the Church ot Scotland to the West minster assembly t ha t compiled the confession of Faith and the Shorter cathecism Her father came to Ireland originall7 as a c,baplain to General Munro s army and was present at the Battle of Benburb in 1646. Like the Bruces she also had Ro7al blood in her veins.
In 1701, during Mr. Bruce• s ministry, some members ot the Clare congregation applied for leave to join Vinecash bllt Clare objected on the grounds that it would weaken the latter congregation. He died 16th April, 1704, and I have a tnllng that it was immediately after his death that the 14•• ot a new congregation at Loughgall was first mooted, llllt •• I have said bttore we have no direct proof as to that. Vinecash~a without e. minister from April 170a. until the o1dinat1on ot the Rev. William McKayon 25th Beptember, 1107. Be retired tram active duties 1n 1726 and it waa dunnc h11 oharge in the year l7ll that the formation of \be Loughgall congregation actually took plaea. I do not bovewer to continue turther with the history ot Ybeoalb • . I lhall nov return to Loughgall known under its au. .. , ot Cloveneden and Cockle Hill the latter a corrupt ft,a ot Cuckold Hill. . ln the be11no1n1 ot the 18th eentu17 moral conduct waa ' lax, po11ibl7 an atteraath ot the Revolution ot
1688, Unfortunately no Loughgall records are arulable tor 1t1at oenturr, but from sul'V1ving Sessions Books of other oo111n1ationa we leam something ot chureh d1 soipllne 1n lho•• dqa. i1hose whose mildeeds were more serious were IGIIP•lled to appear before the assembled oongngation draped 1D llbi.t• sheets, there to confess their indiscretions. More dllple baoksl.1cl1ng like beating the Wife on Sunday, or indeed the chlldren, would also have resulted in delinquents being publlo].J admonished. i'be elders were then more autocratio than the ministers, and it was their duty to see that turt, water, and other incidentals were bro~ght into the house mttioient to serve from Saturday night until Monday morning. !hey also saw to it that tbe houses were swept on SaturdaJ llilh'• and the ashes removed ea11ly, so that f amiliee could go lo l'eat at reasonable hour and thus be fit for the stra1D ot the Sabbath - on which day childNn might not play games or th•u parents frequent cockfights attend dances or loin IDJ ot the native patrons such aa visits to Holy Wells or Garland Sundays It 1s a pity that we are deprived ot , ••a.ona1 reool'ds. They would havG been a guide to the -,._lding ot the olmroht Nnts and repairs, the edUoation of JOor children alms to needy widows and other Dlisoellaneoua
•---•• Pr -OOIIIIUD1on services took place on the Saturda.7 P'"1ou1 and on the SWJdar many tables each covered VS.th a linen cloth were 1D use. !hose who came tl'OUl a «tn .....-.uaat too4 With them and it is qUite likely that
~•,rbft 11 •
lJl tb• ncin1 ty or the meeting house there were rough and rt•41 places of refreshment for man and beast, all of which ver• well patronized and though most ministers objected to tilt use ot intoxicants on those occasiQns their wishes were not easily enforced. At such assemblies collections were both on Saturdays and Sundays.
We shal.l now consider the Succession List or Ministers.
1r<Y:J>. General Synod minutes of let June, 1709, we learn that tbt Armagh Presbytery entered upon first trials Mr. Hugh Wallace and from the same source we know that he entered upon second trials, or trials in order of ordination 17th lune, 1712, and was ordained tor Loughgall on 10th October ot 1a11e 7ear. Born near Loughbrickland, Co, Down, and tduoated at Glasgow be remained only eight years, resigning 1D 1720 tor Dawson's 1 Bridge and Magherafelt In 1736 he rt11.nqw.lbed Dawson's s Bridge but retained Magherafelt In l?'Jl he was Moderator of the General Synod. He died 1761.
Some trouble in securing a successor was eXperienced
Ind tbe congregation vas vacant from Septembor 1720 until the JOth Olduned. 1, 17~2, on which date the Rev. James Orr was In hi• term ot ottioe in the year 1739 the tollpiecation had to apply to the Synod for assistance"1, •• granted and inarea1ed in 1760. Mr, Orr died 10th '11, 1715, leanna a 'Widow.
AaaiD there waa ome delay in finding a minister, but on a6th June, 17,S, the Rev. Robert Peebles w~s ordained. He was 1 1-1,tel' op ponent of the Seceders and indulged in a paper wa r a1a1D•t the Rev. D. Clarke ot Cahans, a zealous support r of Ua• seceding movement. Be died at Cuckold Hill 31st July, 11'1, leanng a widow who afterwards married Mr. Wm. Wood ot Newtownstewart
On the 2,th August, 1762, he was followed by the Rev. MosesHogg an ardent supporter of the United Irishmen vho ill thl troubles of 1798 was actually taken into custody by Capt. John Giffard ot the Dublin Militia and eontined tor a fortnight 1n a V81'1 cramped space underneath the stairs in Henry Welch s inn at Portadown then the Obins Arms and stUl t\meUoning under the name of the Imperial. Mr. Hogg died
2]1i4 loT•ber, 1802, leaVing a widow and son, The Beltast ltva-Letter ot 3rd December published an obituary describing b1a •• "d1stin.gu11htd tor easy diction in the pulpit, for a IDllloien,1ou1 d11charge ot pastoral duties, tor regularit7
ot llnal oonduot an4 tor ltriot adhel'ence to the discipline ot tile Presbyterian Church
Be vaa aucoeeded by b11 son Robert who, like his tatbel',
•• tduoated at Glasgow Born 1n 1769 and licensed by the 'n.111 Pre1i.,te17 1n 1792 be 1Nm1 to have acted as assistant nn t about '118, 4a,, until his father• s death. He
JaAtldlf 811 • ,,. 1 ordained tor Loughgall at Cloveneden 16th Mareh, 1803, wa• Moderator of the General Synod 1823-24. Apart trom his 00ngregat1onal duties he .filled the post ot Assistantastronomer t Armagh Ob.servatory, from 1799 until his death on 19th January, 1830. He was living in Armagh when
appointt to Loughgall and seems to ha°'e resided there until at least l+. e built an astronomical quadrant tor Amagh observatory in 1818 to which t ere is an allusion in Stuart' 1 Memoir of Armagh' and a manuscript of astronomical calculations tor the period 1799-1830 is still to be seen 1n tha't 1nst1 tution. He was a personal f'riend of Dr. J .A.
Armagh's first astronomer and of Archbishop Newcomen Newcome 1'he latter died in lSOO. A story has been banded 4oYD amongn Robert Hogg' e kinsmen to the etteet that vhen •b• Hon. William Stuart, D.»., reached Armagh as Newcome s 1W1oe1aor in the arobb1shopric, be inVited the clergy ot the 41ooe1e to a reception ot some kind at which the sta.tt ot the library and Observatory wel'e also prGsent. During the pro••dinc• he 1n41oated that l'!e would be glad to consider 8JlY' hque1t1 h11 gue ta might wish to make, whereupon Mr. Hogg •lke4 that h llicht not be 1nter-tupt,c1 at tb.e Observatory
11 he had t1n1ahed certain tasks that he w,e then working 11• lbe Arabb1abop gladly gave the neoe1,a17 perm1ss1on
4 t , r. Hoag 1hould not be diaturbed in h1a
wcbc•J}e
,1"1ation". 1'hat, no doubt, was a -·rellei' to the applicant .-io va• suspected on good grounds of having earlier had 4,a1su1• with t h e United Irishmen.. At various General s,no4, tram 179q until 1802 he ap peared with bis rather in Ill• capacity or an Elder, a strange appellation tor a m1n1sterdtli1J11l,e• Tradition says he was an indiffe rent preacher. 1o001'd1ng to the "Northern Whig'* of l+th February, 1830 "he
n• a profound mathematician possessed an inexhaustible fund of anecdotes whioh he occasionally narrated in a style ot buour and originality peculiar to hims~l!11 •
The nc.xt minister was the Rev. William Henry. He was born near Stewartstown Co. Tyrone, and educated at the Old College, Belfast, where he obtained a General Certificate in 1822. Th.re• years later he was licensed by the Tyrone and on 22nd December, 1830, he was ordained tor Loughgall 1n vhiab congregation he ministered taithtully until b.11 death 20th January, 1880. During bis pastorate extensive repairs were made to the chureh,
!be Dex1: pa1to:r, the Rav, William Smyth, was installed ln•bel', 1880, ot vhom an entry in General Synod
••It'•• that he waa noted for "his earnest preaching
On the 19th January, 1861, the Rev. Edward Kimmitt was lanaue4, Deaoribed a1 "a man of wide culture and genial tbu1crter and a most eloquent and impressive pl'eaoher", he " 11111ec1 b1a abur• in 1880 and died 18th June, 1900. .,
•n, b111inoel'1 piety, his unwearied attention to
th• you.DI in th adYOC ay or t December, 1908 . S bb th and Day Schools and his life-long temperanceHe retired in 1902 and died 9th
He wa fo llow by the Rev. John Wilfred Wa tt, ordained loth D ce bar, 1 90', 'Who resigned 3rd September, 1907, and ~oined the Church ot Irel and, a decision that wa s not looked upon w1 th any re at tavour here.
rhe Rev. AndrewHamiltonton ?; McFarlandsuc ceede d Hr . Watt and was orda1ne 18th January , 1908µ, He died 16th June, 193~, and wa followed by the Rev. W.R. Rodge rs . Mr . Rodgers was ordain d 18th Jsnuary , 1935, an d resigned 26th May, 19lt6. Rt 11 well-known poet and now writes scri pts tor the B•• c.
1'he Rev. H HenryHouston Aitchison, a man of many congregation, was installed 18th September, 1946, and resigned 1st January, 19~9. On the 21st July of same year the Rev. Alexander Jenkins was installed and happily 1s still Vith 7ou.
With r. Jenkins the Suocession List of ministers ot the 00ncreaat1on end• tor the present. I sincerely hope he will 'be long spared to Loughgall. I must apologise for the ••V1t1 ot biographical details ot pastors from 1830 onwar«a . 1 1'144en17 realized at that point that it was neoessary to '-it Pla • ot eduoat1on, marriages and other miscellaneous tat, otbe H th11 vould be my ti:st and last appearance
Lo all.
In conclusion I woul like so .ng o b r o th ,ngi-eg tion to make a study of such e cords as still xi t •
Lnutes of th Gonaral Synod, for nstan oe, d p y t ames of many Elders ers ... a hasty, and I fe inco pl , s r tYtals the rollo ng names.
1723 Robert Brady.
1725 John Nicholson
1726 William Dickson.
1727 William Rea
1728 James Murray
1729 John Anderson.
1736 John Cherry.
1739 Thomas Gillespy
l7ltO Thomas Gilpin.
l?lt2 David Young.
1750 John Blayney.
1760 William Lawson.
1762 Tobias Gillespy who in that year pres nted a sup plicatio n from Loughgall to the Gen ral Synod intreating that the ~und onoy for.n.erlr granted by the Synod should be co ntimi
l?63 Gorge White.
1766 Geor e White
1m John Lawson
1'178 RobertKennedy
1785 Richard White•
1786 J lln L Lawson
1791 William Gillespie
1796) 1797) 1798) Robert Hogg
1799) 1800) 1801) 1802)
18-03 Richard White
l805 George White
1812 James Lawson
1820 Nathaniel Beggs
Vinecash
!be history ot Vinecash is somewhat obscure but the 11•tiee nt may be earlier than is generally assumed . The 88118 itself is also provokingly ambiguous . It 1s a placenaa• only and represents neither townland nor parish . On '11• Ordnance Survey Maps f or the county com piled in the year 1831 it appears as Minnacash, a deseriptive term aeaning a causeway over the bog, a physical characteristic that seems to fit in very well with the ground. It has, however, been known from the late seventeenth century onwards by its present appellation and there is a tradition, tor vhich I oan find no veri!ication,that one of Cromvell'• otticera, a certain Captain Vinny, made a kesh or causeway OYtr ground here in those days and continued the road troa thence to Armagh. ~e Crom.wellians are also or1d1ted with haVing OOll\pleted the destruction ot Mulladey
Caat1e, a structure damaged in the Civil W&~ some years ••rUer, and the "Great Protector" himself is kept in llind by Oliver's Hill nearby, an eminence so called in lli1 honour.
!here waa much coming and going ot armies through th • 41nr1c• in the period tollowing the Civil War, and bo,b CaaaaoDVealth and Scotch soldiers thus became 11111111u Vitb ono ot the most prosperous areas in the
oountJ• It seems reasonable therefore to suppose that later when the wars were past that soldiers from those armies decided to settle in the neighbourhood. At anyrate bf the time of the Battle of the Boyne there seems to have been the nucleus of a congregation. Not, however, until June 1697 was a minister appointed.
In that year the Rev~ Alexander Bruce, a Master ot Artsot Edinbllrgh University, deserted Donagbadee for Vinecash Lineally descended from King David Bruce ot Scotland he vae by birth and aristocratic connections the ao1t d1st1ngu1shed figure in Presbyterian circles in his da7.
The congregation then served a large area covering the parishes ot Loughgall, Kilmore and Drumcree, but the Presbyterian population vas small and very scattered. In 1101 it petitioned the Synod to allow some members from Clare to ~o1n them but the latter assembly firmly withstood the propo &al, declaring that Vinecash and Markethill bf llloh •etbod1 voUld weaken them .,
Mr. Bruce d1•d in April 1704, and for soma Vinecash had to be content with ·supplies. In Sapt811ber 1707 the Rn. William McKay was installed, We know little ot b11 exaept1ng that he was born near Clare, was
~p•oeeb, educated at Edinburgh, acqUired his Master of Arts degree there in 1701 and was Clerk of the General Syno d from 17211723. During his ministry a h andsome pewter Communion flagon and cup were p rocured. Dated 1729 they still survi-ve and are t h e oldest relies of Vinecash now re maining.
Mr. McKayretired from active duties in 1726 and in rebruar7 1727 ;the Rev., William Dick was ap pointed as a1sistant and su~eessor. Mr. McKaydied in November 1733 and Mr. Dick in December 17>.to. Again Vinecash was vith out _ a pa1tor tor a period, but in July 1747 the Rev. James fodd wa nominated. A Master of Arts or Edinburgh and a nat1•e ot Dervock, Co,. Antrim, he was the first minister ot the congregation to be described as ot Vineoash and Richhill At the beginning of his p astorate the Presbyterian tallies of that part of Kilmore parish situate in and around Richhill worshipped at Vinecash but at some date prenous to 1788 it had become oustomary to hold services in both places, On the 7th August of that year Messrs. Thomas Greer and John Moore at a meeting or the Tyrone Presbytery petitioned that Mr, Todd should divide his services between Richhill and Vinecash as tol"Dlerly • a 111PPUoa1i1on that pre-suppo1e1 an earlier community at Richhill NrYed trom the parent body at Vinecash as had te • lJ been the oa•• v1 tb r egard to Loughgall erected as
w,c,eh, 1 ,eparate charge in 1711.
The Richhill request was supported by the Presbytery vao resolved that, Mr. Todd should preach there every fourth swidaY and that a probationer should supply Vinecash on the 4a)'I on which he should be absent. The proposal was objected to at a later assembly of the same Presbytery held on ll+th October and successfully evaded by a deputation trom .Vinecash who asked that Mr. Todd should preach constantly at Vinecash as formerly and that Richhill should not enjoy part ot his labours unless they would return and worship at Vinecash as before the 3o1nt~re took place. John Moore, honYer, again appeared and requested that the union should not be violated• His request was acceded to upon due Oona1derat1on and orders were g1 ven that 1t should be maintained aa then arranged but that Vinecash should be vacant on the Lotd' a Day in vb1ch Mr. Todd preached at Richhill Vhioh vaa to b• every fourth Sabbath and thus the matter 111414 , · o the advantage ot Richhill Mr.- Todd severed his IOllneotion in Mq 1791 owing to age and inf11'0li ty and 1n Aucun ot that year the Rev. Henry Mcllree was appointed hti 1111•tant and succeesor. Mr. Todd died in JanuUJ 1795 1114 two J••r• 1a,er 1 in March 1797, Mr • . Mcllree removed to Keady*•N • d11pu•• aro•• resulting in the formation ot 1 11 114 OOD1n1at1on.
)i#'Ctlb•
tbt nut a1n1ster, the Rev. William Reid, vas ordained 11 JlaJ 1198, and died January 1824, whereupon the aommuu1 ty 11 Richhill sought and obtained recognition as a district o1tart•t the union being dissolved at a Synod in July 1824.
Jlr, Reid's successor was the Rev. Thomas Dugal wo took oYlf in November of that year, and who demitted in June 1837, and proceeded to New South Wales. He was followed in June 1839 by the Rev. William Cromie, who retired in 1874 and died 11uab 1876. In October 1854 he aoqUired as an assistant the R1T. Charles Cowden who in June 1881 exchanged for Glenarm Ann pastor, the R~. John Forsythe, was installed 1n Oflober ot •am• year,. lie retired in July 1910 and was noote41d 1n December by the Rey. 1:homas Rowan who resigned 1n Xuab 1923, ~:rom wtuoh 4af.t1 until 1939 there was a vacanq. la the latter real" the lev.- w.w. Pyper became minister.
RICHHILL•
,, Richhill once formed part of Vinecash it may best bi dealt with in connection with the parent congregation. Vt ban already seen that 1 t figured as a rather 1U1lat11tactory union from about the middle of the eighteenth oenturf until 1824, whereupon it became separate and distinot.
According to the Ordnance Survey Papers of 1835 the presbyterian Church in Richhill was erected in 1780, and seated thrH hundred people, PreVious to that date services in the town of Richhill must have been confined to private houses, or it may be tha~ there was some sort ot temporal'J accommodation of which we have now no record.
Its first pastor, the Rev. James Sinclair, was appointed hcaaber 1824. He relinquished in May 1836 and Joined the Ion.Subscribing Presbytery of Bangor 1n 1839, but attiaNal'dl lttt the minis-try, He was suaceeded by the Rev, James Patterson.
Mr. Patterson was installef in Maroh 1838 and died ot ftYtr in May 1847, the year of the great famine. !le vaa foUov.4 by the Rev, Andrew McAldin who took over duties 1n Dtc..btr 18lt-7, retiring in June 1887 •· An assistant and 11110 ••eor, the Rev. George Gillespie, was nominated in October •t ••• T•ar. Mr. Gillespie resigned in April 1889, whereupon
• •-.. Andrew MacAfeebecame his successor in July ot that
&iabb1 11 •
Mr, MacAfee demitted the charge in March 1893 and in the following October the Rev. John Deans was ordained.
AH o R E Y.
By Rev. W.T. Latimer, M.A.
The Presbyterian Church of Ahorey is situated about six miles south of Portadown, and a little to the south of a direct line connecting Richhill with Tandragee. Tbe erection of this congregation is due to the old secession Church, which did so much in Ireland to bring the light of Gospel preaching into neglected districts, and to preserve the orthodoxy of Presbyterianism when the Synod of Ulster had grown careless as a result of the broad Church principles that then prevailed.
Ahorey being far from any other Presbyterian church, the Antiburgher Seceders established a preaching station in tbi s locality. For some time the services were conducted by supplies, but at last a call from the newlyformed congregation was accepted by Mr. John McDonald, a licentiate.
Mr. McDonald came from Ceres, in the Presbytery of Cupar, Scotland. On the 9th of July, 1789, he was 0rd ained pastor of Ahorey But his stipend there was exceedingly small, and the Royal Bounty then paid to the Secede rs amounted to only about £10 a year for each lllinister. In 1793 the bounty was increased by a sum 1Utt1c1ent to bring the total yearly amount to a little
under thirty pounds. In addition to this each minister had biS stipend. Some time before April, 1796, Mr. McDonald returned to Scotland, and soon afterwards became minister of Dubbieside, where a stipend of £50 was bis total income. If this were an increase to his income in Ahorey, it would prove that his stipend there ~s less than £20 a year.
His successor in Ahorey was the celebrated Thomas Campbell, who was born in County Down, on the 1st of February, 1763. His father was an Episcopalian, but Thomas, with his brothers, became Seceders. At first he was a schoolmaster. In 1787 he married Jane Corneigle, of County Antrim, and in 1788 their son, Alexander, was born. About this time, through the assistance of a Mr. McKinley, he entered Glasgow Uni ver si ty, and in 1791 became a student in the theological school of the Antiburgher Seceders at Whitburn, which was taught by Dr. Archibaldbald Bruce.
HaVing been duly licensed, and having accepted a Call from .Ahorey, he became its minister early in 1798, but the exact date is unknown. For some time he lived at Hamiltonsbawn s Bawn, but afterwards removed to Richhill, lfhere he taught a school.
on the 10th of October, 1798, he took part in the services at a meeting -of ministers and laymen in Armagh, which originated "The Evangelical Society of Ulster, 11 to the funds of which he subscribed 11s 4½d a year. This society employed English evangelists, who were Congregationalists in principle. As a result of this movement the Rav. George Hamilton, of Armagh, and the Rev. John Gibson, of Richhill, with part of their congregations, became Congregationalists. The Rev. Alex. Carson, of Tobermore, who was a member of the same society, became first a Congregationalist, and then a Baptist. The Rev. David Holmes, of Derryfubble (Eglisb), and the Rev. John Lowry, of Clenanees, were also members of the society, but they remained faithful to Presbyterianism.
On the 8th of April, 1807, the Rev. Thomas Campbell, haVing resigned Ahorey, set sail for America, where he soon left the Presbyterian Church and joined the Baptists. Afterwards he and his son Alexander, who became still more distinguished, founded the Church of the Disciples of Christ, which has now over a million of communicants.
His successor in Ahorey was the Rev. Samuel Beattie, 0rd ained on the 7th of September, 1809. Mr. Beattie taUght classics to a few boys, among whom were the Rev.
John Latimer of Ballynahatty, and his brother, Mr. James Latimer, of Marlacoo, father of Rev. James Latimer, of Groom sport.
In 1809, when the Royal Bounty was increased, the minister of Ahorey became entitled to £46 Js 6d. a year (British money), as pastor of a second class congregation. In 1832 a government return represents Ahorey as consisting of 570 members and adherents.
Mr. Beattie unfortunately took more strong drink than was necessary for medicinal purposes. As a consequence he was suspended from the ministry on the 4th of June, 1833. He died on the 9th of March, 1834.
His successor was the Rev. Joseph Hunter, son of the Secession minister of Coleraine. Mr. Hunter was ordained on the 1st of April, 1834, and he resigned on the 12th of April, 1836, having accepted the office of Agent to the Home Mission. Mr. Hunter was afterwards minister of a congregation in Belfast, from which he removed to another in Dublin.
The Rev. Thomas Kilpatrick was ordained as next •1n1ster of Ahorey, on the 29th of November, 1836. In l81+8 he ceased to be minister of Ahorey, and was succeeded by the Rev. James Forsythe, ordained on the 28th of March, 1850.
Mr. Forsythe was a native of the Route district in
co. Antrim; and was educated in the Belfast Academical Institution. As a minister he was most faithful and successful, possessing the esteem of his people and the confidence of his brethren. By his exertions a neat and comfortable manse, close to the church, was built in 1855. After the death of the Rev. Wm. Henderson, of Armagh, in 1868, Mr. Forsythe became Clerk of the Armagh Presbytery - the duties of which office be discharged with great ability, and with satisfaction to all his brethren. On the occasion of his ministerial jubilee he received a valuable presentation from his friends and brethren.
Mr. Forsythe resigned the active duties of the ministry on the 14th of April, 1903, and he died on the 3rd of January, 1910. no issue. He was twice married, but left
As minister of Ahorey he was succeeded on the 5th of August, 1903, by the Rev. George Kelly, who resigned th e congregation on the 7th September, 1909, on accepting a Call to Pomeroy, where he has proved himself an able and successful clergyman.
On the 3rd of February, the Rev. Robert James Baillie , a licentiate of the Dromore Presbytery, was 0rd a1ned to the pastoral charge of Ahorey, where we bop, h 8 Will have a successful ministry.
In 1847 Ahorey contained 170 families, paying £ 21 45 6d of stipend. Now it contains about 100 faillilies, paying £45 of stipend. The people do not lack liberality. They have recently expended about £ 250 in improving the manse for their new minister. The congregation of Aborey has given several ministers to the Irish Presbyterian Church, among whom I may mention the Rev. John Latimer, of First Ballynabatty; the Rev. William Best, of Pickford, Michigan, U.S., America, and the Rev. Robert McClean, of Castlecaulfield, Dungannon.
"The Missionary Herald of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Dec. 1, 1910 11 •
TOWNLAND OF AHOREY,
Notes from a Rental of circa 1778-1782.
Patrick Watson, 1778-1785.
Nicholas Willson, 1778-1785.
The Widow Watson shown as paying rent up to Nov., 1776.
Patrick Huse, 1778-1785.
Edward Huse Junior appears as paying rent from Sept. 1, 1778. The tenancy seems to have been held by an earlier Edward Huse Hughes name was erased when Patrick Huse paid two years rent May 1, 1778.
John Scott, 1778-1785.
On Dec. 9, 1778 rent paid by George Ewart. On Jan. 14, 1780 rent paid by Joseph Gibson. On Aug. 1, 1780. Turf was then value for lOd. per uKish 11 • This farm later passed to Joseph & John Gibson.
Robert Ballantine, 1778-1779.
Feb. 10, 1779. Tenant's son was doing labouring work probably at the building of a house for which the landlord made an allowance of £1.14.1½ with 9/9 for a "brick man I s diet 11 •
John Wallace, 1778-1785.
A(llowances 6 days drawing turf in 1779 at 6/6. Turf drawing occurs several times).
John Davison, 1778-1785.
?ristian name erased and James entered above. rn Jan. 1779 tenant received 10/8 allowance or labouring work - 32 dijys at 4d. per dayilso allowances for horse drawing turf and imber at 1/l+d. per day.
porter, 1778-1785.
JohnAllowances for 6 days shearing at 6-½d- per day. 2 days drawing of horse & car 3/-.
Thomas Neilson, 1778-1785. Allowance 10 weeks labouring work of your son at 2/- per week.
John Lewis, 1778-1785. Half an acre of meadow.
James & Robert Lewis, 1778-1785. One and a half acres of meadow.
James Scott, 1778-1785.
William McMullon, 1778-1785.
David Jeffress, 1778-1779. Meadow.
Joseph Douglass, 1778-1785.
David Jeffriss, Jeffries Junr., 1778-1785. Sept. 13, 1778 allowed for 85 days work at 4d. per day. Several allowances for work at same price.
William English, 1778-1785.
This farm may have passed to a Samuel & Mary Fitzsimons who appear as paying rent from Aug. 8, 1779.
Thomas Rush, 1779-1785.
John Wallace, 1778-1785.
James Mccan, 1779-1785.
Edwa rd Doran, 1779--1784.
William Wallace, 1778-1785. ~tHhugh and Charles Philips appear with Mccan regard to rent payments).
85 Harrison, 1779-1785.
Jam Rent on ale paid by Mark McMurray Sept. 26, 1779. Feb. 6, 1781 by John McCoo. oct. 20, 1781 allowed him (McCoo) 11/1+½ to build his house.
James Ranken, 1778-1781.
"Run a way about the 12th Oct. 1780 11 • Rent paid by William Mason in 1781.
Henry Cunningham, 1778-1781.
James Han, 1780.
Hugh O Neill, 1779-1780.
Bryan Shields, 1781.
Arthur Quin, 1778.
On Nov. 1, 1778 there was three years rent) due. This seems to have been paid in ) Arthur Quin' s full to Arthur Quinn on condition that the) Auction house and holding should be transferred ) brought 1n which it seems he held from her should be) £13.16.2. given up. )
David Wilson, 1781.
Peter Mccan, 1778-1781.
Michal Marshal, 1780.
The Meetinghouse Rent £2.0.0. per year, 1778-1779. This was paid by Mr. Acheson from July 1779 until June 24, 1780, but on Dec. 20 of that year and on Aug. 2, 1781 it was paid by Mr. Arrit.
Samuel Farguson, 1779-1781.
John Marrin, 1779-1784.
Michael Campbell, 1779-1785.
Sisley Quinn, 1780-1781.
Edward Mullon, 1781-1782.
William Wilson, 1781-1783.
In this rent book p.104 David Jamphries son David is mentioned several times. Some of the above tenants would seem to have been of Monraverty, see list p.104-105.
A RENT ROLL OF Ahorey
Gao. Ewart's Own Holding. This is One Year's Rent.
John Neill. of the whole.
Patrick Watson.
Niel.Wilson.
Edwd. Huse
John stoot
John Wallace
James Davison
John Porter
Thomas Nilson
John Lewis
James & Robert Lewis
James Stoot
William McMullon
Thomas Jeffress
Joseph Douglass
David Jeffress Junr.
William English
Robt. Donaly
Francis Nittleton
Geo. Ewart for William Ewart; Holding.
John Atkinson, 71 Acres at 15/-.
Account of Meadow Set to the Tenants of Ahorey,
MONRAVERTY RENT ROLL,
John Richey
William Fitsummons Fitzsimmons
Jas. Rusk
John Wallace
James & George Mccan
F.dwd. Doron
William Wallace
James McCoo
John Marrin
Turf Bog set in Do.
Sketch of Presbyterianism in Mourne as P.Y.Bctl v -= b y T"'le f r o"l'L..c. sP12lJ._uc1mn hl e t i n t h e ea r 1 8 9h I o~ nf Si gned William Moore.
Th e b ron of Mourn e a n d t h e P a rish of Kil k e e l a re
co-e te aiv e. The ne e 1 i Pr uo si t i on of this d istrict of Co u nty
Do wn p cc ounts fo r t h is a no ma lo us a r ran g e ment, f or the s e a on one si d e 2nd t he g r 2.n d r a n g e of t h e Mour ne mount i ns o n the ot her c o ule t e y shu t it in and f or m it n at ur l ly in t o a, d i s ti n ct
se pa r at e r eg ion. Na ture h a d t h ere f ore d one f or it ,ha t the poli t ic 2. l di vi s i on s of I re a n d afterward s a cc om"9l i shed ,,;rh e n t h is
distric t a s dign i f ied :r i t h t he n ame of " Ki ngd om".
The ncient name of Mourne wa s Ba irc he or Boirc h e, a nd t h e
eul· hi s to r y of Ir ela n d ma k es fre qu ent me ntion of t h e Kin g of B Boirchend d escr i bes t h e Y!l ount a i n s a s t he peak s of Bo irc he . In h e Book of rightso o R · h ts a re recited t h e sever al s t i p e nd s ua i d by t he
Kings o U Uldaht o those ""Jri nces who ,; ere . s ub ,i e ct to th e m, a nd
among th ese a re mentioned 3 ste e ds, 3 aa nt l es, 3 horns, a n d 3 houn ds t o t he Kin of Bo irche .
Ave r n a tur a l deriv a tion for t h e n ame Mourne •a s f ou n d in
0 I i Ph or d s meanin g the gre a t ridge a n d s u~p ose ~ t o refe r to the r, oun a i n r a n e . Harris s in the history of Co . Do ,~m, and y ,h~re h .v e i v en this d erivation, but the d isc ov e ry of a of he C McMahonin the Libr a ry of Trinit y Colle g e ,. t ,.siri e t h is ouinion., for it tells that a clan of McMahon t nh 1 in Cremorne, now a barony in the Co.
Monaghann en r~ ~h e dnpr e ssion s of their chief
emigr ted fro m Co. Monaghan and settling in Boirche g a ve then e of their old home to the ne w settle me nt. Kilkeel means h e narro churc h apnlicable to the parish which is a long na.rro"' stripe of land betvrnen rwun t a in and sea, and certainly a lie ble to t h e ua ri sh church, the ruins of wh ich form so p icturesque an object in the town of Kilkeel, and which stri k e every vi sito r as indic at in g a very nar~ow building. At ballagh in +,he most no rthern -part of Mourne, there re ruins of n old church bearing evidence of g re t antiquity, and ver y probably the mos t ancient ecclesiastical ruin i UJ st e r. In Lisn a cree at the opuosite extr e mity of the narish is a very old, graveyard in which so me d isti ngui shed personages ere buried, but of t h e Chu rch in Mourn e in those early centuries very litt le is known . The Gra.nt of the lands of o rne to the .N ewry Abbey in the year 1157 by McLoughin King of Ire,~nd and the confirming of that grant by the English ir. he year 123?, iden tif ies the history of Mou rne ith that of e yin the fortunes of hich it shared for many centuries. In he rebel 1 ion of 1641 sever al Protestants fro m Newr y and I orne o the P protestant inha itants of Mou rne ere ma ssacred he Ballagh-~h or 'P as t the nort he rn extremity of the parish,. ich ie e 111 kno s the bloody-pass or the bloody-bridge. 1. e Flf er t e q el1ing of that rebellion and restoring ,h co nty, number of presbyterianssettled in l ourne.
The Moores ho c e from Bala Fala in the Isle of Man , the McKibbinsins, Gor ons, Russells McBurney s , Steve nsons , Nicholson son s , Mitchells tc 1e l s , Davidsons a.nd many othe rs whos e descend an ts a re stil l in Mourne, were among those earli es t set ers . The f i.. rst Pre.sbyterian :Minister in Mourne a s the Rev r. Magee He was never . marrie d , but his sister ho ive ith him . as marri e d to Mr. Nicholson and their great - great -r 2nd c h i ld is still living. His residence ~a s at Drummondlane,na.ne . He is s a id to · b e on e of the ri inis ters confined in C rlingford Castle, and his ueonl e f re que ntly crosee over on th e .S bbath that they mi ght hear him and ., other ministers · pr e a ch. He was buried in a p ortion of ground h ere there is no w a small grove,nearly op u osite th e Na tion al Schoolhouse in Dunraven (Dun a van) 1 a,bout a qua rter of a mil e from Kilkeel k eel. In those early days there were t wo buildings in hi ch th e inister of Mourn e con du cted Divine Service. One as in Derryogue on the ro ad fro m Kilkeel to Greencastle 0 ~ oeite oore Lodge and the . u l a ce is still cal l ed the meeting-h ouse bog. The old walls ere cleared away by Jose ph Hann , bout 80 years since, as they obstructed him in his f O"Oeratione The sl a.tes of the roof have a lso been n skullse and other b ones. The other p l a.ce of Worship Ceh in he townland of Moneydarraghbe g , th e found a tions
of ~bicb ere erased about 40 yeRrs ag o, and are well remembered bY many of the ueo~le in the locality. No bones have ever been iscovered or anything leading to the conclusion that a buryingplace had been attached to this plac e of Worship. Religious services ha 81so been conducted for a while by Presbyterian Yi is ers at the e ss forth . In those days Presbyterians · had ~ great ifficulty in ~rocuring desirable sites, and still greater difficulty in erecting buildings for the worship of God . The Rev . Char es Wallaceas ordained minister of Mourne by the Presbyterians of Do'wn on the 21st .July, 1696. He was married to Miss Hunter hose brother was then the -o roprietor of Ballyrogan Mourne Park, Attical a n d other ~roP,erty . During the ministry of Mr Wallace a new -ola ce of orship wa s erected
Ballymageoughop-oosite the Roman Catholic Chapel (present) an i er1·8tely behin d .John Cull's house, a short distance off he ead n road from Kilkeel to Newry . He resided for many years in Ballyrogan yro an, 8.n d a small hi lJ on the road whe re he lived is still called the Minister 's brae; he afterwards lived
Ballymageough h. W Wallace di ed on the 12th .Jul y , 1?36, after of 40 ears. He was a g ood ma.n, and desired to be b~ried un d er the pulpit from wh ich during so long a ministry he bad pre ched to the people of Mourne . All the traces of the ldin in ich they orshi ped have been removed, but his ia here still . It is surround ed bra wall about 5½ feet 1 • ? fee long by 4 feet dde , the wal1 of John Cull' s house
forming one side 01 it.
Mr• Robert Wallace a son of this lH is er, ec e a reside n t in Newry and in the year 1757 presented Sundial "l, ma de by Adams of London ,to the Mourne Con re ion ith this inscri p tion: "The Gift of Robert Wallacece of Newry to the con g rega.ti on of Mourne 1757. Rev A.Keney - Minister." I n the .s ame year he presented a sun-di a made by the same maker to the con g regation of Ne r.rry , and it is not a little remar k able th a t whi 1st there is not a trace of the buildin g s which were then in existence , those sun-dials are in as good order as they were 118 years since , the one standing in the grounds of the Presbyterian Church, Mourne, and the other in the grounds of the old Presbyterian Church, High h Street, Nery . A dau ghter of Mr. Wallace 1vas
M Of Ballinahatten 1· nahatten, whose descendants rried to llr . William Moore - 0 ere stil there.
The Orrs of Benagh a re a.lso descended from him. Ko rne · M Wallacee ministered in The 40 years durin g 1'!hi ch 1 ' r • a t . for the Pres~yterian b] ,,nd p ersecu 10n ere ties of trou e , . C urchin Ire and . tak e UTI the cause of William, The first to 1:' the most steadfast in ~rose cuting to a P lnce of OrPn~e, an • ccessfu issue the Of 1690, they wer e the first to revolution and tho' each s u cceeding s !fer the new order of th ings, d ackno wledged the o reined during this uer10 OT rei ,. b . ns had rendered to hich the Presbyter1a a rv i cee d to disapuointment en .a , they VT in Ire •; er e doome · · the and
suffered gr evi ous pe n a lties f orth. e1r nonconf ormity. Besides these u ersecutions a nd disabil't• . 1 ,1es from which they suf f ered and great ~ ret a rded t he ir Dr og re • . , ss, intern a l d issensions had sprung u p a nd there p rev ail ed gre a t dif f ere n ce of opinion with reg a rd to t he l e ading do ctrines · reve a led i n the Holy res. T 1ere as a vac a.ncy of 4 years a n d '7 months after t e de a th of :Mr. Wa llace and these were tro ubl e so me ti me s in . You rne. Among those ho ~r eached a s c and idates for the Congre a tion a.s Mr. Ric ha rd Parichard a licentiate of th e presby te r of Armagh, a nd a c a ll was giv en to hi m by the congreg a tion, but when delivering his tri a l discourses he objected to certain doctrines of the Confessio n of Fa ith. After consi d er able discussion the PresbyterY. brou gh t the matter before the Synod in 1'738. No d ecisi on having been come to at the k f the synod in 1'739, wh en meeting that year, it again came ue ore his l icence as a preacher was _ withdrawn. In the . meantime ]( mat ters were likely to t a ke r. Aprichard seein g the turn ithdre from the jurisdiction of the Court. So me of the were attached to Mr. et'! ere of the congregation of Mourne ' . to which the Synod Arprichard 1. dieap~oi nted at the d ecision ha Andrew Kennedy r P..nd ..., ted into a separate o e , they memoria.led to be erec 24th February, 1'741, the Rev. At ength on the ' the Presbytery of Ar ma gh. The 1 oi-r1e.,1ned by seem to have been admirably he congregation tr• of
ged f or besides the call h. w ich he had already received on tbe orning of h is ordin a tion Mr K . ' • kennedywas handed a bond signe~ by 1 6 of the 1·eading memb ers of the congregation in nich they boun d t e mselves under a pena1ty of £ 1~0 to pay to hi . he ul amount of sti -p en d romised, a certain qua ntity of oats a d as muc h more money as could be g ott~n. There a s a lso 2 bon signed by each seat holder in which he promise d to pay yearly and every year .what was assessed on him . In t h e ye a r 1751 _ the con g regation began t o make preparations for erecting a new 1 ce of or ship in Ki lkeel on the site where the Presbyterian t:hurch no stan d s. 'l'he con g reg a tion was divided into districts, and the several t amilies seem t o have entered h e a rtil y into the project . The roof of the Old house at Ballymageou gh was sold for £11.0. 1ot. and the 1J e0Dle of Ba l l ymag eou gh subscribed lH>er 1 y to a rds tne ne w buil d-ing, as did those in th e 0th er orship of God h ad been erected districts here places tor the • by their f oref'athers .
In 1757 a new subscri p tion list was ready to subscribe as at the opened and the p eople seemed as first . th e congregation it is very To the members of &esia~nts in -r,nose 1 .,.o compare the names ot the nteres """ .. e. ., inhabitants, and when d1etr1cte 1 tn 1,ne names or' tue present, considered they need in the value of money is he difference ·b t d which their fathers contri u e ot be eh roe of the manner in 1 l 1 t h House e bri.d e on the
Mr Kennedy resided in a house d one of his mountain road•
!El her I - 8 -
s m rrie d to the Re v. Mr. M Malcolm of Hillhall the he v • Dr • Malcolm l e om of Newry a nd anothe r to the Rev f t Samuel Smart n • The la st marri. ge ·oe r f or med by ,
:'..!r . ~enne as hat of Hr George Le wis t o MaryMoore He died
0 e t r ove P"be r 2f t e r a ni nist r y of u pwa r ds of 40 ye2.rs , and
a s ried in t e old c h urc hyard in Kilke el. The follo vin g
inscri ption is on a ston e over his g r a ve:-
" Her e lieth the b o dy of Rev . Andrew Kenn edy, 40 ye rs issentin , - minister of "Mou rne, who departed this life on 6th Nove mber, 1701 , ag ed 71 ye a rs . Als o the body of r s MaryKennedy , wh o de:parted this life on the 4 th J"anu· r y , l 701 , a g e d 50 Philip Crossle
Drumbanagher CONGREGATION (F IRST )
See ms first to have been c onne cted with Newry and afterwards with Donaghmore.
