All Lewis entries for Loughgilly

BALEEK

BALEEK, or BELLEEK, a parish, partly in the baronies of UPPER and LOWER FEWS, and partly in that of LOWER ORIOR, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 6 miles (S. E.) from Market-Hill; containing 3396 inhabitants, of which number, 129 are in the village. In the reign of Elizabeth an English garrison was stationed at this place; but it was besieged and taken by O'Donnell, of Tyrconnell, who put every individual to the sword. The village is situated on the road from Newry to Newtown-Hamilton, and contains about 20 houses. The parish was constituted in 1826, by the separation of twelve townlands, comprising 5509 statute acres, from the parish of Loughgilly, of which eight pay tithes to the perpetual curate, and four to the rector of Loughgilly. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Rector of Loughgilly: the tithes amount to £331. 3., of which £179. 3. is payable to the curate, and the remainder to the patron. The church, built in 1827, is a plain small edifice in the ancient style, with a lofty square tower. There is no glebe-house: the glebe comprises 20 acres in the townland of Lisnalee. In the R. C. divisions the parish is one of three forming the union or district of Loughgilly, and contains a chapel. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians. Two schools afford instruction to about 160 boys and 110 girls; and there are also two hedge schools, in which are about 50 children, and three Sunday schools.

LOUGHGILLY

LOUGHGILLY, a parish, partly in the barony of LOWER FEWS, and partly in that of UPPER FEWS, but chiefly in the barony of LOWER ORIOR, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Market-Hill, on the road from Armagh to Newry ; containing, with the district parish of Baleek and the village of Mountnornis (which see), 10,198 inhabitants. This parish, which takes its name from the lake on which it is situated, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 16,029- statute acres, including 80- of water ; of these, 5299 are in Lower Fews, 2289- in Upper Fews, and 8441- in Lower Orion. The lake extended several miles in length from Pointz-Pass to Mountnorris, forming a continued morass and fortified by a military post at the former, and at the latter by another erected by Gen. Norris, from whom that station had its name ; but with the exception of about 5 acres of water near the glebe-house, the whole has been drained and brought into cultivation. The land is fertile ; about three-fourths are under tillage and in a very high state of cultivation ; the remainder, though in some parts rocky, affords good pasture. Slate is found in the parish, but the quarries are not at present worked. There are several substan-tial and some handsome houses, of which the principal are Glenaune, the elegant residence of W. Atkinson, Esq. ; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. Dr. Stuart. In the southern part of the parish is a small lake, called Loughshaws, from which a small stream flowing through Glenaune affords a convenient site for some extensive mills that have been established here for spinning cotton and weaving calico, in which are 170 power-looms, affording employment to nearly 300 persons ; and also for bleach-greens and other mills, in which the manufactured goods are finished for the English markets. Since the establishment of these works, the proprietor has planted a great portion of mountainous and rocky land, introduced a good practical system of agriculture, and greatly improved the entire neighbourhood. A manorial court for the district of Baleek is held here every month, in which debts to the amount of 40s. are recoverable. The district of Baleek was separated from this parish in 1826, and erected into a perpetual curacy. The living of Loughgilly is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate ; the tithes amount to £926. 18. 4. The glebe-house was built in 1782, at an expense of £923. 1. 6-., and subsequently enlarged and improved at a cost of £1819 ; the glebe comprises 500 statute acres, valued at £585. 11. 8. per annum. The church is a spacious and handsome edifice with a tower, originally built at an expense of £1384. 12. 3-., a loan from the late Board of First Fruits, and rebuilt in 1828 by aid of a gift of £830. 15. from the same Board. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Ballymoyer and Baleek, in each of which is a chapel. There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster and the Seceding Synod, also for Covenanters. About 350 children are taught in four public schools, of which the male and female parochial schools are supported by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's fund, and one by Lord Gosford, who has endowed it with an acre of land. The parochial school-house was built on the glebe in 1813, at an expense of £250. There are also a private school, in which are about 60 children, and seven Sunday schools, A school-house is being built at Killycarran by the Education Society, who intend endowing it with £30 per annum from the surplus funds of the collegiate school at Armagh, which latter was founded by Chas. I., who granted seven townlands in this parish for the foundation of a school at Mountnorris, but which was some years afterwards established at Armagh, Four unendowed almshouses were built by Dean Dawson, in 1811, for four aged women ; and the late Lord Gosford bequeathed a sum of money, of which the interest is annually distributed among the poor. During the rebellion of the Earl of Tyrone, the garrison of this place was put to the sword by the O'Donells ; it also suffered greatly in the war of 1641, when a dreadful carnage took place. There are several remains of fortifications in the neighbourhood ; the "Tyrone Ditches" are near the junction of the parish with those of Killevy and Ballymore ; but of the extensive fortress of Port-Norris, or Mount-Norris, not a vestige can be traced.

MOUNT-NORRIS

MOUNT-NORRIS, or PORT-NORRIS, a village, in the parish of LOUGHGILLY, barony of UPPER ORIOR, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 5 miles (S. S. E.) from Markethill (to which it has a penny post), on the road to Newry : the population is returned with the parish. The village is situated at the southern extremity of a morass extending from Pointz-Pass, a distance of five miles, and at the foot of the Balleek mountains ; it derives its name from an important fortress erected in the reign of Elizabeth by Gen. Norris to protect the pass between Armagh and Newry ; and on the plantation of Ulster by Jas. I. received a charter of incorporation and a grant of 300 acres of land. In the reign of Chas I. it was one of the strongest fortresses in this part of the kingdom. That monarch conveyed to Primate Ussher six townlands, comprising 1514 acres, for the purpose of founding a college here for the classical education of Protestants : this college was afterwards founded in Armagh, which was considered a more eligible situation : the income arising from these lands is £1377 per annum. The village contains 10 houses, mostly well built. Fairs are held on the second Monday in every month, for the sale of live stock, which are well attended.