Lecale

Review
A journal
of Down
history

Number 6

2008

Lecale Historical Society

Lecale Review
No 6 (2008)
published by
the Lecale Historical Society

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior Photography:
written permission of the copyright owner and publisher of
this book. Mrs Hugh Baird, page 86
Edward Carr, pages 14 and 15
Patrick Clarke, page 37
© The Lecale Historical Society and contributors Patrick Devlin, page 96
Down County Museum, page 54
Berkley Farr, front cover, pages 34, 36, 64, 65, 69, 72, 75, 85 and
93
ISSN 1741-7872
Mary Farr, page 70
Mathew Forde, pages 38, 40, 41 and 43
Bobby Hanvey, page 44
Editorial Arrangements:
Mike Hartwell, page 7
This edition has been produced by the Editorial Committee.
Alan Johnston, pages 62 and 87
Berkley Farr (Chairman)
Mary Laird, page 10
Mary Farr (Secretary and layout) Linen Hall Library, pages 6, 51, 57, 78 and 83
John Killen Joan Magee, pages 60 and 61
Sinead McCartan Finbar McCormick, page 63
Patricia Magennis Emily Murray, page 20
Wendy Osborne Mourne Observer, page 41
Patricia Pyne S Munsen, page 19
National Museums Northern Ireland, pages 53, 54 and 56
The Editorial Committee wishes to thank Pat Devlin, William National Trust, pages 19, 71 and 73
Stranney and Dr Brian Gaffney for their assistance. Northern Ireland Environment Agency, back cover and pages 25,
47, 48 and 49
Alan Patterson, pages 35 and 36
Printed by Priory Press, Holywood Parliamentary Archives, page 42
Public Record Office, N.I., page 18
Patricia Pyne, page 4
Front cover: Quoile Bridge Colm Rooney, pages 28, 29, 30, 31 and map page 27
Back cover: Lecale section of 1755 map of County Down William Stranney, maps pages 5 and 9
 Contents
The Quoile James Connor 1877-1918
Berkley Farr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Malachy Ellesmere & Joan Magee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
The Old Quoile River SeaGen
Laura Plummer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Alan Johnston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Whiterock Dance Hall (1931-1950) A Cuckoo in the Tomb
William Stranney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Trouble at the Wallace Mausoleum, Downpatrick 1861
Finbar McCormick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Excavations at Castle Ward
Emily Murray, Philip Macdonald & Malachy Conway . . . . 18 Townland Victory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
What I Never Knew About John de Courcy Lady Bangor’s Memories of China 1906
James Fitzsimons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Raymond Atkinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

A Moment Frozen in Time The Ingenious Innings of Inspiration

Strangford, Sunday 31st March 1901, Part 2 Amanda McKittrick Ros Revisited
Colm Rooney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Peter Cavan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

A Footnote Downpatrick’s Architectural Heritage

Sean Nolan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Peter Rankin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Omer Pasha Journal of Liberal History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

David Maxwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Minnie McGee
Berkley Farr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
The Fordes of Seaforde
Patrick Clarke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
A Rare Map of County Down
Frederick Pyne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
D J McNeill Collection
Lesley Simpson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Francis Joseph Bigger - Ireland’s Cultural Crusader
Roger Dixon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Frank Maxwell - A Tribute
Ronald Buchanan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
The Mournes
Alan Johnston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Book Notices
Gordon Wheeler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Review of the Year
Berkley Farr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Notes on Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Lecale Historical Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Lecale Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Membership List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Photograph by Patricia Pyne

The Quoile
Saint Patrick is known to have travelled along the Quoile. For centuries the Quoile was a link between Strangford
Lough and Downpatrick, a tidal estuary which often flooded. This was finally resolved with the creation in 1957 of
a tidal barrier, creating the Quoile Pondage, now a wonderful freshwater wildlife habitat. It is hard to believe that
this peaceful spot was once a bustling area, part of an important transport route.

4
The Quoile
Berkley Farr

Most people going to and from

Downpatrick and Lecale have to
cross the River Quoile. The Quoile
flows into the south-western
corner of Strangford Lough
forming the northern boundary of
the Lecale peninsula and
separating it from the main area of
County Down. It drains a
significant part of east and central
Down but only uses the name
Quoile for the final few miles of its
journey.

The waters of the Quoile

originate in the inter-drumlin lakes
and marshes of mid-Down
between Hillsborough and
Ballynahinch. They form the
Ballynahinch River which winds
its way eastwards between the
drumlins for over a dozen miles to
Kilmore, where it meets the smaller This map shows the course of the Quoile River from its origin as the Ballynahinch River through the Annacloy
River to Strangford Lough
south-flowing Glasswater River.
Both the name and direction change as it becomes the meaning ‘narrow’.1 The river varies in width as it passes
Annacloy River flowing south through a broadening through marshland and between steep-sided drumlins.
valley for the next five miles. It has now reached the flat It is particularly wide to the west of Downpatrick but it
marshlands west of Downpatrick where it changes again is noticeably narrower to the north of the town in the
towards the north-east as the River Quoile for the final stretch leading to the Quoile Bridge.
four miles to Strangford Lough.
The Quoile was a tidal estuary rather than a
The name Quoile is derived from the Irish caol freshwater river for most of its life. The Quoile and its

5
This photograph of the foundations of the Quoile floodgates, downstream from the Quoile Bridge, was taken on 26th July 1933. It is interesting to note the use
of manual labour with planks and wheelbarrows
marshes, along with the Blackstaff River and Inner
Dundrum Bay, meant that Lecale was almost an island
cut off from the rest of County Down. Until the first
floodgates were constructed in 1745 the sea came in to
cover the marshlands west of Downpatrick as well as
parts of the present town such as Market Street. (See 1755
map on back cover of this journal) The floodgates were
reconstructed in 1933.
The creation of the tidal barrier at Castle Island in
1957 marked the final transformation of the Quoile to a
freshwater river and virtually ended the seasonal
flooding of the marshes.
6
The river/estuary was a waterway for man until
recent times. St Patrick himself was one of the most
famous voyagers to arrive by boat in the estuary on his
way to Saul but the early Christians were to be followed
by others in later centuries. The Vikings made use of the
Quoile from the ninth to the eleventh centuries although
King Magnus Barelegs of Norway was unable to make
the return journey. De Courcy and the Normans soon
followed with Inch Abbey being one of the best buildings
to survive from this period. It was founded at its site in
1177 because of the adjoining river which provided easy
communication and it still has a unique monastic
tranquility.
By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries trade and
This aerial view, looking north across the Quoile estuary from the former Quoile Quay (bottom left) to the tidal barrier with Strangford Lough (top right), shows
the Quoile Pondage National Nature Reserve which was tidal before the construction, in 1957, of the tidal barrier across Castle Island and Hare Island
commerce were well established on the Quoile with the
Quoile Quay and Steamboat Quay catering for ships
from Britain and beyond. Navigation on the Quoile was
however dependent on high tides and larger ships
encountered difficulties. The arrival of the railway
provided competition in goods traffic and larger ports
like Belfast grew as ships got larger and small ports
declined. The 1957 tidal barrier marked the end of the
quays and even the Quoile Yacht Club moved.
The narrow width of the river to the east of Portulla
was the site of a ford and it provided Thomas Cromwell,
Viscount Lecale, with the opportunity to build the first
Quoile Bridge in 1640.2 This wooden bridge replaced the
earlier ferry, and in turn it was replaced by a stone bridge
in the 1680s. It was described by Harris in 1744 as having
six arches and a gateway over the end of it.3 The gate was
a tollgate which was removed in the nineteenth century.
The bridge is still in use but, since the construction of the
new Belfast Road near Inch Abbey in the 1960s, it only
carries the Killyleagh and local traffic. (See photo on
front cover of this journal)
Notes and References:
1
Kay Muhr, An Elizabethan map of north-east Down, Lecale Review,
No.3 2005
2
Anthony M Wilson, St Patrick’s Town, p99, The Isabella Press, 1995
3
Walter Harris, The Ancient and Present State of the County of Down,
Dublin 1744
7
 2/ The tide flows in from Strangford Lough
Where the Vikings once held sway
And it greets the Slaney River where
They say that Patrick sailed
Old churches nestle in the green
Of the drumlin and the brae
The old stones keep their secrets still
In this corner of Lecale
3/ The sun sinks low behind the hills
As I turn to wander home
A lonely swan glides softly by
And the small birds sing their song
The twilight casts its magic spell -
Reflections of the moon
I stop a while along Quoile Bridge
The stars will follow soon

Chorus Chorus:

This song about the walk along the Quoile River from Steamboat Quay to the Quoile Bridge was written by Downpatrick-based
folk singer Laura Plummer. It is from her album ‘This corner of Lecale: a journey round St Patrick’s country’ released in March
2008. There are 12 tracks of original and traditional songs & music inspired by the history and landscape of Lecale area. For further
information visit: www.lauraplummer.com

8
Whiterock Dance Hall (1931-1950)
William Stranney
‘Come, let me sing into your ear;
Those dancing days are gone …’,
(W B Yeats, 1933)1

Origins

In the Spring of the year 1931, a

small number of men and women
in the townlands of Ballylucas and
Rathmullan Upper, including the
small village of Scollockstown,
decided it was time they did
something to improve the
recreation facilities for the people of
the area. They were driven by the
need to provide entertainment for
the many holiday visitors who
came to stay in the surrounding
area each year, attracted by the
proximity of Tyrella Beach. The
First World War was long over and Fig.1 Map showing part of Ballylucas and Rathmullan Upper townlands and the location of the Whiterock
Hall 2
the troubles surrounding the
creation of the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland in for, and a decision was made to purchase one of the huts
1922 had diminished if not quite gone away. Perhaps it with a view to starting up a dance hall in the area.
was the improvement in the ‘troubles’ that meant the Although, in the years to follow, it became popularly
administrators of Ballykinlar Army Camp, situated just known as “Scollockstown Hall”, its proper title was, in
three miles from Ballylucas, did not need so many army fact, “Whiterock Hall”. It was located about 100 yards
huts. After all, the internment section of the camp had from a local quarry called the “White Rock”. The name
been closed now for about six years. may have been chosen by John Joe Laverty who
purchased the hut and whose farm and property was
A number of local people have always been employed situated close to this quarry.
at ‘the Camp’ and it was probably through these
contacts that the impending sale became widely known. John Joe Laverty was also a shopkeeper and was in a
This was the opportunity the local people were waiting better position than most to gather together the necessary

9
funds to purchase a second-hand army hut. He bought
one of the huts and transported it home, in sections, on
a large trailer drawn by a tractor. My father, John
Stranney, who was 11 years old at the time, remembers
it being driven past his home in Scollockstown. Its arrival
caused great excitement in this quiet country area. John
Joe had it assembled in one of his fields at the side of the
road now known as the Ballylucas Road. The location
was just a quarter of a mile from Scollockstown and
about four miles from Downpatrick. It stood on a
foundation of stone blocks in the corner of one of
Laverty’s fields, just a few yards from the passing road
(see Fig. 1). A gap approximately four feet wide was cut
in the thorn hedge and two concrete posts were erected
enclosing a small iron gate. Seven concrete steps, each
about four feet wide, were built leading to the lower
ground of the field close to the hall entrance door.
Fig. 2 The Whiterock Hall in August 1932
Description
The hall was most likely a dark green colour; of note
are the two little spirelets (probably wooden) on the ridge
of the roof, one at each end (Fig. 2). The hut was built of
10
sheets of corrugated iron on the outside walls and roof,
nailed onto an inner wooden frame. The inside walls and
ceiling were finished with tongue and groove panelling.
There was a small stage at the end of the hall furthest
from the road. The floor was a wooden one, which had
a good spring in it (important for dancing) due to the fact
that it was raised up from the earth, as mentioned
previously. It was approximately 16 feet wide and 40 feet
in length. There were four windows on each side. There
was a small room, sometimes referred to by committee
members as a ‘kitchen’ at the end of the main building,
beside the small stage. This room was used to store
confectionery and soft drinks which were sold to the
public.
First Committee
According to Peter Clarke of Erinagh the following
people were on the first committee: Joey Deegan and
John Foy both of the Glen, and Vincie Dobbin of ‘up
Ballylucas’ (now the Corbally Road). He thought that
Felix Dobbin, father of Austie Dobbin of Marshallstown,
may have also been a foundation member.
Preparations for Opening
Whatever the membership of the committee, it
certainly was very active. They rented the hall from John
Joe Laverty and eventually paid back to him the full
purchase price of the hall over a period of years. The
committee immediately made preparations to get the hall
up and running. There was no electricity, running water,
central heating or toilet facilities. Lighting was most
likely provided by the use of one or more oil lamps such
as the Tilley lamp which was in common use at that time.
This may have been supplemented by the use of carbide
lamps. Evidence for the use of both of these types of lamp
appeared in the account books of local shopkeeper, John
Joe Laverty in August 1931.
 The following entries appeared on the 8th and 11th of
August:
‘W. R. Hall. Paid: 1 tin oil jar - 1 shilling; 1 qt (quart)
oil - 3d; 1 chimney - 4d.’
and, ‘W. R. Hall. chambers - 1-11-0’.
The ‘chimney’ referred to was the glass shade of a
Tilley or Hurricane Lamp. The ‘chambers’ purchase may
have been the purchase of calcium carbide to put in the
chamber of a carbide lamp, as such lamps were in use at
the time.3
Water was needed only in small amounts for tea-
making by and for the hall committee. This was obtained
from a spring well located in the field behind the hall
close to the boundary hedge between John Joe Laverty’s
and Stephen Stranney’s fields.4 This water was not
required for dancers, visiting bands or other visitors as
soft drinks would have been made available at the
various functions. These light refreshments, lemonade,
crisps etc. were supplied by my grandmother, Mary
Stranney who also ran a small shop in her front garden
in nearby Scollockstown. I have heard it said she was not
averse to supplying ‘something stronger’ to those
visitors who didn’t fancy soft drinks!
I have no information about heating in the hall. In the
warmer weather it would not have been needed. It is
likely that one or more paraffin heaters were used at
Christmas and during the winter.
Opening Ceremony
The official opening of the Whiterock Hall took place on
Friday, 21st August, 1931 (Fig 3). Although located in
Ballylucas, the hall committee knew it would be wiser to
include the much better known name (at the time) of the
nearby village of Scollockstown in this and all future
advertisements. No
details of the
Opening Ceremony
exist. However,
between 7.30 and
9pm, one can
imagine a hall
Fig. 3 Ad. in Down Recorder 15-8-1931
packed with local
people, delighted at the arrival of this first ever
‘community centre’ dedicated purely to their
entertainment. Other visitors to the hall, from further
away, may also have arrived, filling up any remaining
spaces on the long forms provided for seating. In the
warm summer evening, the crowd would probably have
spilled outside to the surrounding field and roadside. I
would not be surprised if Brennan’s ice-cream van was
parked at the side of the road outside the hall. For many
years after that it was to be seen parked there late into the
night seeking the custom of the thirsty late night
dancers. Inside, the first committee would have been
standing proudly on the stage. A local dignitary, possibly
John Joe Laverty himself, would have been making a
speech to loud applause and cheering. The Harmony
Dance Band members would have been standing in the
wings, having a last smoke perhaps or even
surreptitiously snatching a last wee drop of ‘courage’.
Peter Clarke knew their names:
‘That was James Higgins and Willie... Wee Willie Higgins
and James… Joe Cassidy played the drums for them. They
used to go around the country. James and Willie played
accordions’.
James Higgins of Ballynewport played the accordion.
Apparently, William ‘The Wag’ Higgins, his brother,
played the banjo and mandolin (although, no doubt he
was also able to play the accordion). They were
accompanied by brothers Paddy and John Carr of
11
Ballylucas on the fiddles. They were cousins of James
and William Higgins. Gerald (Gerdie) Sharvin of
Scollockstown sometimes played the drums.
An accordion and other musical instruments might
have been strategically placed on the floor at the back of
the stage. A set of drums would have stood there too in
readiness for use.
The admission price was two shillings and six pence
for ‘Gents’ (just over £6 in today’s money). ‘Ladies’, at
that time often employed at home and therefore
unwaged, were charged six pence less. The dance was
advertised as an ‘All-Night Dance’, but with a finishing
time of 3am.
Informal Activity
During the warm dry weather of the summertime the
‘Four Roads’ and the ‘Range Wall’ at Scollockstown
probably continued to be the most popular meeting
places for the large number of people who would gather
in the area on a good evening. Some walked or cycled
from as far away as Ballykinlar and other places just ‘for
the crack’ and a bit of ‘carry-on’.
The following little anecdote suggests that the Four
Roads still had its uses even after the hall was opened.
Henry Starkey and Felix Burns, of Rossglass and
Ballygilbert, respectively, had the following to say:
Henry to Felix: “Felix, you mind the ‘Moonlight
Samba’?”
Felix to Henry: “Aye, the Belfast girls … they learned us
to dance up at the corner. And then when we went to the
dance… we were fit to do it!”
The ‘corner’ is Felix’s name for the Four Roads.
Dancing at the Four Roads (crossroads) used to be
12
common before the hall opened.5
When the weather was colder, or wet, the hall would
be used for indoor activities such as card games. Whist,
‘45’ and poker were popular. Surprisingly perhaps,
money was rarely involved. Darts was also popular.
Often too, individuals brought in an accordion and the
sound of the music would then attract others. A bit of a
dance or a sing-song might ensue. Hughie Smyth from
the Flying Horse (in Downpatrick) was one of these
musicians. It is almost certain that the musically
talented Higgins family of Ballynewport also made a
contribution to these informal sessions.
Organised Activity - Overview 1931-50
The Whiterock Hall Committee advertised its dances
and other activities in the local Down Recorder
newspaper. What follows is a summary of its activity
based on information gleaned from these advertisements.
The adverts sometimes simply stated something like,
‘The usual Wednesday Evening Dance will commence
on…’ These regular dances were only advertised once,
perhaps at the start of the summer holiday period. It is
likely, therefore, that the figures I provide below are an
underestimate of hall activity over the twenty year
period.
The first advertisement inserted by the committee
was about the opening ceremony which took place on
Friday, 21st August, 1931. During the twenty years of the
hall’s existence one hundred and sixty-three
advertisements appeared in the Down Recorder. Ninety-
five of these were exclusively for ‘Dances’. However, a
Dance was also frequently advertised to follow
immediately after a drama production. Thirty seven
advertisements were for Ceilidhs. Ceilidhs were not
advertised before January of 1942. Many of the ceilidh
advertisements were clearly for functions being run by
Scollockstown Gaelic Athletic Club. Perhaps this club
underwent a revival in 1942. Thirty one advertisements
were for dramatic productions, which were often
followed by a dance. The category, ‘drama production’
includes a small number of variety concerts which often
included a small play or a number of sketches.
Activity in the hall was relatively intense throughout
the first three years of its life, 1931 to 1933, (5, 14 and 14
advertised events, mostly dances). From 1934 onwards
there was a gradual dip in activity until 1938 where there
were no advertised events at all. The War years brought
a revival which peaked in 1944 (16 advertisements - 3
dances, 9 ceilidhes, 2 plays, 1 meeting of Scollockstown
GAC, 1 dancing class - every Wednesday night).
Ceilidhes were the most frequent form of dance activity
advertised from 1942 onwards.
A feature of hall use over the years was the occasional
booking of it by people from outside the immediate area.
Between 1932 and 1949, Tyrella and Ballynewport
Football Clubs (Soccer), Aughlisnafin Gaelic Athletic
Club, Minerstown Cricket Club and Strangford Sailing
Club all held at least one function in it.
A scan of Down Recorder advertisements of the later
period (1945-50) shows that the local Scollockstown
Gaelic Athletic Club was now using the nearby Ballynoe
Hall for its functions. Peter Clarke was sure this was
because the Whiterock Hall was now considered too
small for the large crowds attending the Club’s events.
Ballynoe Hall was much larger. It was in fact two large
army huts joined together. It also had Ladies and Gents
toilets installed!
Music and Dancing
Twenty-five different bands appeared in
advertisements by the hall committee over a twenty year
period. Four of these were listed as being from Belfast
(e.g. Donnelly’s Famous Caporal Band and Paddy
Diamond’s First Class Dance Band). As for local bands,
there was a Whiterock Ceilidhe Band and Whiterock
Dance Band. Other bands had more romantic names,
such as the Moonlight Rhythm Band, the Serenaders and
the Columbia Dance Band. For local readers, it’s not too
difficult to guess where the musicians in the Ballynagross
Dance Band came from! The proximity of the Ballykinlar
Army Camp is hinted at by the presence of Ballykinlar
I.T.C. Military Dance Band on four occasions between
November 1940 and February 1941.
As to the type of music played, we have to rely here
on two sources. One is the advertisements and the other
is the anecdotal evidence provided by my informants.
The advertisements constantly use the words ‘Dance’,
‘Ceilidhe’ and ‘Ceilidhe-Dance’. My own feeling about
this is that, regardless of the word used, the music played
would have been a mixture of ballroom dancing and
‘Irish’ or ceilidhe dancing. This is supported by the
memories of my informants. Here are a couple of
examples which give us a little flavour of the fun and
frolics which took place in the Whiterock Hall.
Henry Starkey:
‘Oh, there was Irish dancing … 4 hand reel and the 16 hand
reel… Waves of Tory and that sort of thing, you know. Annie
Tumelty would have been swinging you and when you got up
to a certain pitch, Annie would have let you go and you would
have crashed through the crowd. If the side wall hadn’t been
there you would have landed out in the field!’
Felix Burns (on the type of dancing he took part in):
‘Oh, English dancing, all English dancing… was in
Scollockstown. …16 hand reel, the Waves of Tory … Foxtrots
and Waltzes. I was never at the Ceilidhes.’*
*Felix is well aware of the difference between Irish (Ceilidhe) and
ballroom dancing. I think this off-the-cuff remark is simply a reflection
13
of the fact that his experience at ‘Dances’ in the hall was always a
mixture of the two.

Drama

Based on advertisements which appeared in the

Fig. 5 O’Callaghan’s
Down Recorder, Scollockstown Dramatic Club survived Adventures and some
as a going concern for 14 years, from 1932 until 1946, sketches. D. R. 20-5-1933
when it seems to have been replaced by the rather
strangely-named and short-lived ‘Viators Comedy
Company’. Scollockstown Dramatic Club (variously
titled, ‘S. D. Players’, ‘S. D. Society’, ‘S. D. Company,’
‘Whiterock Players’ etc.), were undoubtedly an
enthusiastic group of
local men and women
who put on a wide
range of Irish plays.

The names of
almost 50 plays are
advertised over that
14 year period. Many,
such as “The
Shaughraun”, were
well-known in the
field of Irish Drama.
Others, such as
“Caught in
Scollockstown” and
“The Oul’ Orange
Flute” were ‘dramatic
Fig. 4 John C. Magennis - a multi-talented
farces’ or ‘sketches’
individual. Seated on a grass bank in front of written by John C
Carr’s in Ballylucas, Cassidy’s cottage is in Magennis, who, quite
the background. literally, was to the
Whiterock Hall what Shakespeare was to the Globe
Theatre! Like Shakespeare, ‘J.C.’ often chose to act in his Fig. 6 Review of
own plays as well as write and direct them. He is warmly Drama in
Whiterock Hall.
remembered by older folk in the area. D.R. 27-5-1933

14
 photograph of the local
people who took part in this
production (Fig. 7).

Visitors

It will not surprise the

reader to hear that many
visitors to the hall came from
the surrounding townlands.
They walked or cycled from
as far away as Killough,
Rossglass and Ballykinlar.
These small villages and
townlands were situated
along the east Down coast
and were that little bit further
away from the larger centres
of entertainment such as
Downpatrick and Newcastle.
Fig. 7 Cast of ‘The Shaughraun’, 1937
Visitors to this hall also
Back Row L to R: John Stranney, Paddy Carr, James Higgins, John Carr, Gerardy Sharvin, ? Smith, Peter Deegans,
Freddy Laird, Willie Smyth (hidden), Pat Deegans, Bridie Carr (half hidden). came from much further
Three people in middle right of photo: L to R: Marie Norton, Joey Deegans, unknown. away. Advertisements in one
Front Row L to R: Joe Hanna,? Deegans, Annie Tumelty, John C Magennis (Producer and Director), Jim Fitzpatrick.
local newspaper show clearly
that special buses were often laid on to bring people from
On the 20th of May, 1933, notice of a play appeared in
places like Kilkeel, Glasdrumman, Belfast, Killyleagh and
the Down Recorder (Fig. 5, previous page).
Strangford. Holidaymakers, who came from Belfast,
Liverpool and various parts of south-west Scotland,
Magennis was known to write occasional reviews of
stayed in Scollockstown and Killough and walked or
the plays he was involved in. Only about half a dozen
cycled to the hall to enjoy the dancing.
have ever been published in the Down Recorder.
Fortunately, one of them was of the above production in
the Whiterock Hall. (Fig 6, previous page). Felix Burns gave his perspective:

‘The Shaughraun’6 was another play put on by the
Scollockstown Dramatic Club. John Magennis took the
role of ‘The Shaughraun’ in this production (Irish
seachránaí - wanderer, errant person). Here is a
‘There was a hell of a lot of women stopped at your father’s
house in Scollockstown.
There was Scotch women and they went to the dance. And

15
 then there was hell for leather who could give them a dance.
And there was women down the road here beside us in
Rossglass over from Scotland and they went to the dance.
They had two pair of shoes, one pair in their handbag or
over their shoulders. They would have walked. Sure, the
half of us hadn’t bicycles then.’
Belfast Blitz
Belfast is about twenty five miles by road from
Ballylucas. Belfast suffered terribly during the Second
World War. Felix Burns remembers a small, but
significant, incident which occurred in east Down at the
time of the ‘Belfast Blitz’. The incident brought the war
that little bit closer to the people living there.
‘I could hear the bangs of the bombs going off during the
Blitz in Belfast. You could see the planes going over. I saw
two planes between the clouds. One of them came over St
John’s Lighthouse. They dropped a flare over the lighthouse
and you could have seen the whole countryside with that
flare. They were getting their bearings. And then all the
people in Scollockstown Hall that night, (was it Easter
Sunday, or Easter Monday?) all come running out, “Oh
my God, my mother and father’ll be killed!” They all come
running out of the hall.’
Stumbling in the moonlight, some scrambled up the
adjacent low-lying hills (in Dromore, Co. Down) to gaze
helplessly and expectantly in the direction of Belfast’.
The dancers in the Whiterock hall that night would
have heard the same noise of aircraft and watched
anxiously as the planes flew overhead. Not long after
they would have heard the sound of the explosions in
Belfast.
Closure
The last advertised dance of any kind was a ‘Ceilidhe-
Dance’ which took place on 17th September, 1950. In
December of the same year there were two further
notices for the commencement of dancing classes and a
whist drive. However, there is then nothing for seven
months before the following notice appears in the
Recorder:

Felix was referring to the alarm of the young Belfast

holidaymakers who were at the dance. On Easter
Tuesday, 15th-16th April, 1941 there was a major air raid
in Belfast. The Whiterock Hall would have had dances
every night of Easter Week and it is very likely that it is
one of those, unadvertised, dances that Felix is referring
to above. Brian Barton, in his book on the Belfast Blitz7,
describes what was happening at this time.
‘… the unsynchronised drone of approaching aircraft could
be heard over Carlingford Lough in South Down. ……….
Fig. 8 Closure Meeting. Down Recorder 28-7-1951
This notice was inserted by John Foy8, Chairman of
the ‘Scollockstown Recreation Club’ which was, in fact,
run by the Hall Committee. The hall, it would appear,
was now owned by this Club. Sometime after this date
a decision was made to sell the hall. This group, with

16
their Scollockstown Recreation Club hat on as it were,
must have decided to continue for a while as the next
significant advertisement after that was by this ‘Club’
who were holding a ‘Grand Dance’ on ‘Hallowe’en
Night’ in the Arcadian Café, Tyrella. It appeared in the
Down Recorder on 27th of October 1951, just 90 days
after the above ‘closure notice’. This recreation club had
previously held all its functions in Whiterock Hall, so it
is likely that the holding of official public functions in the
hall had now ceased.
The hall was purchased by Mrs Laverty, widow of
John Joe, and dismantled by Rabbie (Robert) Trainor and
either John Foy or Joey Trainor (a brother of Rabbie). The
tin was used to repair roofs on outbuildings on the
Laverty farm property. The wood was used for other
repairs.
Reasons for Closure
Sometime soon after the War was over, the Committee
must have reviewed the future of the hall and decided
that its time was up. It was now a very old army hut,
with none of the facilities now expected by dancers and
other visitors. Even those people who remained loyal to
the local country dance hall now preferred the likes of the
nearby Ballynoe Hall, which could cater for larger
crowds and offer better facilities. The big showbands
were becoming very popular and the large crowds they
attracted necessitated much larger dance halls. The era of
the small dance hall was passing away.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all those people who shared
their memories of the Whiterock Hall with me. I would
also like to make a special mention of the excellent
research facilities at Ballynahinch Library Headquarters.
Their microfilm holdings of the Down Recorder
newspaper provided much long forgotten detail about
the Whiterock Dance Hall.
Notes and references:
1. W B Yeats, ‘Those Dancing Days are Gone’ in The Winding Stair and
Other Poems, (Macmillan, 1933). For complete poem see also:
http://www.eliteskills.com/analysis_poetry/
2. This outline map shows the location of some of the key places
mentioned in the article. The Hall was dismantled sometime after
July, 1951. Of the seven family names used on the map all but two
are still the same. Cassidy’s is now O’Hanlon’s. John Joe Laverty’s
Shop & Farm are now Dorans. John Joe died in 1935. His widow,
Mary then ran the shop and farm for about thirty years. To locals it
was then known as “Mrs Laverty’s”. The shop closed sometime in
the late sixties or early seventies. She left the farm to her nephew
Michael Doran who is the current owner. The shop in Scollockstown
has gone. Scollockstown G.A.C. merged with Bright G.A.C. many
years ago.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbide_lamp
4. Michael Doran, who now owns John Joe Laverty’s farm, showed me
this spring well in May, 2008.
5. For more details on dancing at the crossroads see ps. 116-119 of Helen
Brennan’s ‘The Story of Irish Dance’, published by Brandon, Co.Kerry
(1999).
6. For a summary of the plot see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shaughraun .
7. B Barton, The Blitz - Belfast in the War Years (Belfast, 1989),
Chapter 5.
8. John Foy of the Glen, Ballylucas (latterly of Scollockstown), died in
1990. He was the only man I know who could rival Willie Smyth of
the Glen with his knowledge of local history.
17
Excavations at Castle Ward
Emily Murray†, Philip Macdonald† and Malachy Conway*
† Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, Queen’s University, Belfast
* Project Archaeologist, The National Trust (Northern Ireland)

Introduction The Wards and their building schemes

Recent archaeological investigations at Castle Ward The Ward family, who hailed from Cheshire,
have provided a glimpse of a missing architectural link purchased the Castle Ward estate from the Earl of Kildare
circa 15703. Not long thereafter the family constructed
in the Ward family’s building schemes on their demesne,
their first home, a modest tower house now known as
just outside of Strangford, Co. Down1. In 2007 the Centre
‘old Castle Ward’ and located in the farmyard. The
for Archaeological Fieldwork (CAF) at Queen’s demesne is,
University, Belfast carried out a soil resistivity survey however, best
across the site of the earlier Queen Anne period house known for a
and this was succeeded the following year with a small Ward edifice of
excavation. Both seasons’ fieldwork were supported by two centuries
the then Environment and Heritage Service (EHS): Built later: the eccentric
Heritage2 in collaboration with the National Trust for two-faced
Northern Ireland and coincided with the EHS’s annual eighteenth
century mansion
Archaeology Days events.
house, half
Classical and half
The 2008 excavation facilitated public participation Gothick, which
throughout the three-week dig and a total of 43 was built by
volunteers took part ranging in age from 8 to 87 years. Bernard Ward,
Volunteers travelled from as far as Derrylin, Co. the first Viscount
Fermanagh, Sion Mills, Co. Tyrone and Dublin along Bangor, between
with those from closer-by who included twelve members 1761 and 1767.
Fig. 1 Detail from a navigation chart by George
of the Downpatrick branch of the Young Archaeologist’s Less well known Johnson dated 1755 and showing a front elevation
Club (YAC) who participated for a day. The excavation perhaps is that of the Queen Anne house at Castle Ward
the present house (PRONI D/671/P10/1).
received wide media coverage; articles featured in the
is a successor to
local press, while the BBC got heavily involved with
an earlier Ward residence of which no visible trace now
interviews on Radio Ulster’s ‘Your Place and Mine’ and survives.
‘Evening Extra’, and live bulletins on BBC1’s ‘Newsline’
at both the start and end of the excavation.

18
 In 1710 Judge Michael Ward (1683–1759), Bernard’s
father, married Lady Anne Hamilton of Bangor and
around 1714 he built a new home on the grounds just
north of the family’s tower house. Little is known of the
appearance of Judge Michael’s house though we know
more about the formal gardens he laid out around the
house as vestiges of these survive. There are no plans or
detailed elevation
drawings of the
house although it
is shown, in small
scale, as a two-
storey square
building on a pair
of 18th century
navigation charts.
(Fig. 1)
one of the three principal country houses in Ballyculter
parish5. The date of demolition is unknown, but by the
time of the second Ordnance Survey in 1859 the house
had been levelled. It is probable the demolition was
carried out as part of Major Nugent’s landscaping
activities undertaken in the 1840s and ‘50s.
Geophysical prospection
The approximate location of the Queen Anne house is
known from the early demesne maps which indicate that
it was situated on the raised plateau between the Temple
Water canal and the farmyard. In the late 1950s and early
1960s the Trust’s estate staff referred to this area as ‘the
cellars’ and they noted that on the felling of a number of
the larger specimen trees the roots often dragged up

Two estate maps

drawn up around
1800 show that
the house had
been extended
sometime in the
intervening years
with the addition
of wings to the
northwest and
Fig 2 Extract from the demesne map of Castle southeast sides.
Ward of 1813, surveyed by James Boyd (National
Trust Collection at Castle Ward).
(Fig. 2)

The house continued to be lived in well into the

nineteenth century and one of the occupants, an Edward
Wolstenholm, spent over £4000 on improvements
between 1820 and 18244. These are probably the
alterations indicated on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map Fig 3 Plot of the soil resistivity survey data recorded by the CAF in 2007
overlaid with the excavation trenches from 2008. Areas and features of high
and in The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, 1844-5; resistance are depicted in dark grey-black and the white dots represent trees
the house, now called the ‘Green House’, is identified as (annotated map prepared by S. Munsen, CAF).

19
building debris6. Until recent years a rectangular
depression also marked the former site of the house but
this was repeatedly filled in with topsoil to level the site
and there are currently no discernible surface indications
of the structure. To ascertain the precise location and
scale of the building a soil resistivity survey was carried
out across the area in 2007 by the CAF. The survey
produced some promising results including a
subrectangular anomaly, aligned east-west (approx.
40.5m by 8m), not dissimilar in size and alignment to the
house as depicted on the estate maps.

In order to qualify these results it was decided to

undertake a small evaluative excavation the following
year.

The excavation

The excavation in 2008 set out to reveal part of the

building foundations of the house and was successful
with the discovery of walls and basement in the main
trench. It was also hoped that some trace of the formal
gardens laid out immediately around the house by Judge
Michael would be found. To this end a second trench was
opened over angled linear anomalies suggestive of
possible terraces or paths, southeast of the main trench
(Fig. 3). Unfortunately, no garden features were
uncovered though artefacts from a much earlier era were Fig 4 Photo of the main trench taken towards the end of the excavation
found. These comprised two early prehistoric flints showing the three parallel walls: the wall in the foreground, at the northern
end of the trench, is the cellar wall (E. Murray).
identified by Brian Sloan, of the CAF, as a flint blade and
a Neolithic flint arrowhead.
walls had been levelled to the same height, 0.30-0.35m
The building foundations below the modern ground surface. The northernmost of
the three was the cellar wall, which was 0.60m in width
Three closely set parallel walls aligned east-west were and survived to a depth of 1.67m. The cellar appears to
uncovered towards the middle of the main trench (Fig. 4) have been built by the excavation of a large hole with the
and these correspond with the high-resistance linear construction of a retaining perimeter wall against its
anomalies detected in the geophysical survey. All three edge. The cellar was filled with demolition rubble and a

20
small section, close to the wall, was cleared back with a
mechanical excavator to reveal a brown humic earth
underneath. This indicates that the floor of the cellar no
longer survives. It is probable that it was flagged but the
tiles or flagstones were salvaged before the house was
demolished. The corresponding northern wall of the
cellar was not found, nor was it located in either of the
two test pits (2m x 2m), opened 2m and 9m north of the
main trench respectively, although the nature of the
excavated deposits in these two pits suggested that they
straddled the probable location of the wall. The central
wall of the three uncovered was set 1.7m south of the
cellar wall and was also 0.6m wide. It was built directly
on the subsoil without a foundation trench or plinth and
survived to a height of 0.5m. The third wall, 0.9m south
of the central wall, was the most insubstantial of the three
with dimensions of 0.36m (width) by 0.28-0.30m
(surviving height). The slight nature of this wall suggests
it probably supported a minor architectural feature at the
front of the house.
The cellar (i.e. north of the northern wall) was infilled
with loose demolition rubble comprising predominantly
roughly quarried greywacke along with handmade
bricks, decayed mortar and lumps of plaster. A piece of
carved carboniferous limestone, most probably from a
fireplace, was also recovered from the rubble along with
corroded iron nails and wall brackets. Fragments of
purple-coloured Triassic sandstone, sourced from at least
two locations in the Scrabo-North Ards region, along
with faceted blocks of oolitic limestone, probably from
the Bath area, were also found in demolition rubble north
of the foundations7.
Reconstruction of the house in plan
The excavation has verified the precise location and
alignment of the house, while also providing some
insight into certain aspects of its construction including
building materials. However, it must be acknowledged
that a limited area, just 2m by 25m, was opened over the
foundations and as such it would be difficult to give
precise architectural definition to the house. It is also
unfortunate that despite the wealth of letters left by
Judge Michael few contain useful details about his house.
The most intriguing aspect of the excavation was the
discovery of three parallel walls in such close proximity,
and, assuming either the middle or northern wall acted
as the main load-bearing wall of the house, their relative
narrowness at just 0.6m, or 2 feet, each. The latter,
according to the architectural historian Maurice Craig, is
not exceptional as he has noted that walls of Irish houses
can vary in thickness ‘from two feet upwards, according
to the size of the building’.8 The most plausible
interpretation of the arrangement of the walls must be
that the cellar wall continued upwards to form the front
wall of the two-storey house. Again Craig has noted that
when there is a basement it is invariably co-extensive
with the house above it and that in Ireland it was ‘more
nearly universal’ for houses of any size to be built over
a basement. The primary function of a basement was as
a damp proof course and they could be set either totally
or partly below ground9. Presumably this convention also
held for the Queen Anne house at Castle Ward, in which
case the wall south of the cellar probably functioned as
a retaining wall for a light well. Light wells are relatively
common in houses of the eighteenth century although
unfortunately few architectural drawings, original or
modern, illustrate them in plan or section10. The proposed
light well for the Queen Anne house measured 1.7m in
width, or slightly less if the southern aspect of the cellar
wall was faced, and at least 1m in depth. The height of
the cellar wall below ground indicates that if it was
illuminated with windows that these would have been
set high up and close to the ceiling. In the absence of any
evidence for vaulting the excavation has also
21
demonstrated that what survives is below ground level
and that the ground floor of the house must have been in
an elevated position relative to the contemporary hilltop.
This also implies that traces for internal partitions or
features indicative of function, such as fireplaces or the
stairwell, are unlikely to survive.
The third wall, south of the light well, was
insubstantial and comparisons with broadly
contemporary houses suggests that it may have
supported steps leading from the garden over the light
well to the front door of the elevated ground floor. If
correct this would indicate that the excavation trench was
located close to the main front door of the house making
it more likely that the features excavated are those of the
original house, and not the later eighteenth century
winged extensions. An alternative possibility is that the
southern wall supported a low garden wall running
parallel to the front wall of the house.
In terms of dimensions, the negative evidence from
the two test pits opened north of the main trench suggest
that they straddled the probable location of the north
wall of the house. This would indicate that the overall
dimensions, north-south, range between 17.1m and
21.1m with an added 2.3m at basement level on one or
both sides for the light well. As a comparison, the
drawings for the Queen Anne period house of old Castle
Coole, Co. Fermanagh by John Curle in 1709 and designs
for a proposed replacement of the building which was
destroyed by fire in 1797 by Richard Castle, measure
18.3m by 15.2m and 18.1m by 15.4m respectively11.
Reconstruction of the house in elevation and detail
Both Mackenzie’s and Johnson’s charts of 1755 and
1775 respectively depict a two-storey square house with
a hipped roof and chimneys set at the hip ends. There is
22
also a suggestion of an overhanging wide bracketed eve,
an architectural feature that was not uncommon by 170012
and the two charts show the house with a plain front
door facing southwards. The drawings appear to differ
in the fenestration with Johnson’s map suggesting five-
bays and Mackenzie’s just three, though the scale and
detail of buildings on the charts do not permit such
scrutiny.
In terms of materials used, the quantity of quarried
stone and decayed lime mortar found in the cellar would
indicate that Judge Michael’s house was probably
constructed of rendered rubble stone and this was the
norm for Irish buildings up until the middle of the
nineteenth century13. Plasterwork, some with faint traces
of pigmentation, also survived and presumably this
derived from the interior of the house. No decorated
pieces of plasterwork were found. The few blocks of
dressed ‘Bath’ limestone that were found were probably
employed around the window or door frames while the
plain terracotta tiles and flags of Scrabo sandstone are
likely to have been used as paving either internally or
externally. Slates were the most common roofing material
used at this time and the fragments found at Castle Ward
include Bangor blue tiles and other, probably locally
sourced slates.
Unlike slate, the use of brick at this time was not
common and they were generally employed in the
vaulting of cellars, chimney stacks and for internal
linings, as a form of damp proofing. The use of bricks
was also largely confined to coastal towns where it was
imported, sometimes as ballast, or made locally14. It
seems probable, given the generally poor quality of the
bricks found at Castle Ward that they were made locally
either on the estate or possibly in Killough where there
was a brickyard, at least in the 1730s if not earlier15.
 The range of stonework found during the excavation
provides some flavour of the detail and colouring of the
house and also indicates the wide network of trade
involved to furnish what Mrs Delaney described as
‘altogether one of the finest places I ever saw’16.
Plans for further investigations
There are proposals to return to the site again next
year with a view to exposing the entire layout of the
structure. Such a project is unlikely to provide much
more information about the superstructure or façade of
the house but it would help resolve many of the
unanswered issues about the scale and plan of the house
and how it was extended. It would also allow a greater
appreciation of the formal landscaping in this part of the
demesne as the yew terraces and Temple Water canal,
along with the old canal, now infilled but demarcated by
the lime walk, were laid out by Judge Michael around his
house.
The Queen Anne house at Castle Ward belongs to a
period of expansion in building activity in Ireland
although relatively few houses survive and it is not well
documented17. The excavations at Castle Ward, and the
proposals for further investigations, have provided
some valuable insights into the architecture of the early
eighteenth century, especially as to how houses were
constructed and laid out at foundation level.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Maybelline Gormley, Paul
Logue, Terence Reeves-Smyth and Brian Williams of EHS
for their support; National Trust staff for facilitating the
excavation; site supervisors Harry Welsh and Brian Sloan
of the CAF; Alastair Ruffell and Miguel Gomez-Heras of
QUB for their identification of the geological specimens;
and most especially, all of the 43 volunteers who took
part.
Notes and references:
1. The property is in the care of the National Trust who acquired it in
lieu of death duties in 1951 following the death of the sixth Viscount
Bangor in 1950. In T.E. McErlean and T. Reeves-Smyth 1990 An
Historic Landscape Survey of Castle Ward Demesne, County Down, Vol.
1 (Unpublished report on behalf of the National Trust), 101.
2. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) was launched
on the 1st July, 2008 and this replaces the Environment and Heritage
Service (EHS).
3. The land which now forms the estate was originally called Carrick-
na-Shannagh. In Historic Landscape Survey, op cit., p 6.
4. The expenses covered included brick, slate, glass, mahogany, stucco
work, paint, tiles, lime burning and Bathhouse alabaster. In Historic
Landscape Survey, op cit., p 4.
5. The two other houses that are listed are Castleward and
Templemount. In, Anon 1846 The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland:
adapted to the new poor-law, franchise, municipal and ecclesiastical
arrangements, and compiled with a special reference to the lines of railroad
and canal communication, as existing in 1844-45, Vol. 1, A. Fullarton &
Co., Dublin 1846 p164.
6. Information provided by Michael Davidson, estate foreman (now
retired).
7. The stones were kindly identified by Drs Alastair Ruffell and
Miguel Gomez-Heras of the School of `Geography, Archaeology
and Palaeoecology, QUB.
8. M. Craig 2006 Classic Irish Houses of the Middle Size (Ashfield Press,
Dublin), p19.
9. Classic Irish Houses, op. cit., pp24-26.
10. See for example Classic Irish Houses, op. cit., or, M. Craig The
Architecture of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1880 (B.T. Batsford
Ltd., London, 1982
11. D.J. Griffin 2003 Richard Castle’s designs for Castle Coole, Co
Fermanagh. In T. Reeves-Smyth and R. Oram (eds), ‘Avenues to the
past: essays presented to Sir Charles Brett on his 75th year’, in Ulster
Architectural Heritage Society, pp135-142.
12. Architecture of Ireland, op. cit. ,p177.
13. Architecture of Ireland, op. cit. p176.
14. Architecture of Ireland, op. cit. p145.
15. Traces of probable brick-burning kilns, of unknown date, were
uncovered in the 1960s when the stick yard at Castle Ward, was
being cleared out and restored (M. Davidson pers. comm.). In a
letter from Frances Lascelles in Killough to Judge Ward (27th March
1736) he wrote that; ‘I agreed with one McCullagh for burning 3000
bricks and has the clay thrown up in the old brick yard a month
ago. The 10 tons of coal are for them’ (PRONI D.2092/1/4/134).
16. Historic Landscape Survey, op cit., p25.
17. Architecture of Ireland, op. cit., p180.
23
What I never knew about John de Courcy
James Fitzsimons
“When did you come about these parts?” This was
the question that one of the founder members of the
Lecale Historical Society asked me when I introduced
myself and reminded him of his days playing cricket,
starting up the yacht club at the Quoile Quay, and
attending Down High School in its opening years along
with my father. At first I thought that he was referring to
the fact that I had returned to the Downpatrick area after
many years away, so I ventured an answer of 2003. “No,
no” he responded, with mock impatience, and informed
me that I came to Lecale in 1177. At last, I realised that he
was having a little joke with me and was referring to the
often made claim that the Fitzsimons family along with
the Audleys, the Russells, the Savages, the Walshes and
others came to Lecale as part of the Norman conquest of
Ulster under John de Courcy.
I was not aware of where the evidence for this claim
came from, so I decided to make an effort to find out. One
of the original sources that I consulted was the Annals of
the Kingdom of Ireland (the Four Masters), but it didn’t
help very much. For the years 1177 to 1204 they trace the
exploits of de Courcy, but there is no mention of the
names of the twenty two knights and three hundred
soldiers who fought with him at the battle of Down in
1177 and still less the names of others who may have
come subsequently to settle in Lecale. However the
Annals, and in particular the footnotes written by John
O’Donovan, the editor of the 1851 version, provide some
interesting speculations on the life of John de Courcy:
what was the precise year of de Courcy’s defeat by Hugh
de Lacy; was John de Courcy, or a contemporary of the
same name, the ancestor of the de Courcys who became
Lords of Kinsale; did he have any legitimate heirs and
24
what became of him after his defeat by de Lacy.
O’Donovan believes that it was around 1204 to 1207 that
we lose sight of John de Courcy and that there are no
trustworthy records to prove what his ultimate fate was.
He does, however, relate a story from the Book of Howth,
claiming to be the authentic subsequent history of John
de Courcy. What follows is O’Donovan’s summary of the
story.
‘Immediately after his defeat at Down, de Courcy offered the
combat to Hugh de Lacy, which this cowardly knight
refused, alleging that as he was the representative of the
king in Ireland, it would be beneath his dignity to enter the
lists with a rebellious subject. De Lacy next proclaimed de
Courcy a rebel, and offered a large reward to any who would
seize him and deliver him into his hands. This, having
proved ineffectual, he next bribed the servants and
followers of de Courcy, and held out great rewards to them
for betraying him. To this they agreed, and gave de Lacy the
following information: that de Courcy was a man of such
gigantic strength, and always so well armed in public and
private, that no one man didst lay hands on him. However,
that upon Good Friday yearly as he wears no arms, but
remains alone , doing penance, in the church yard of Down;
that if de Lacy would have a troop of horse in readiness near
Down, he could, by their (the betrayer’s) directions,
apprehend their master. These directions were followed. De
Courcy was attacked unarmed: seeing no other weapon at
hand he ran to a wooden cross that stood in the church yard,
and, tearing its shaft from the socket, he dealt such powerful
blows of it upon his enemies, that he killed thirteen of them
upon the spot. He was, however, finally overpowered,
fettered, and delivered a prisoner into the hands of de Lacy,
who conveyed him to London, where he was condemned to
perpetual imprisonment. For this service King John
conferred the Earldom of Ulster upon de Lacy, who, instead
of rewarding the betrayers of de Courcy, caused them to be
hanged.
In this condition would de Courcy have passed the
remainder of his life, had it not been for some difference that
arose between John, king of England, and Philip, king of
France, about the right to some fort in Normandy, who, to
avoid the shedding of Christian blood, agreed to put it to
single combat. King Philip had in readiness a French knight
of so great prowess and renown, that King John found no
subject of his realm willing to encounter him. At length he
was informed by one of his officers that there was a mighty
champion confined in the Tower of London, who would
prove more than a match for the French knight. King John,
right glad to hear this, sent to de Courcy, calling upon him
to support the honour of England, and who, after repeated
denials, is at last prevailed to accept the challenge. He sends
for his own sword to Ireland, which was a ponderous
weapon, of exceedingly good temper, and which he had often
imbued in the blood of the men of Ulster. The rigours of his
imprisonment were softened, and his strength restored by
proper nourishment and exercise. The day came, the place
is appointed, the list provided, the scaffolds set up, the
princes with their nobility on each side, with thousands in
expectation. Forth comes the French champion, gave a turn
and rests him in his tent. De Courcy is sent for, who all this
while was trussing himself with strong points, and John de Courcy, as depicted in the Exhibition in Portaferry Castle
answering the messengers, that if any of them were invited whereupon the English sounded victory, clapped their
to such a banquet they should make great haste. Forth, at hands and sent up their caps.
length, he comes, gave a turn and went to his tent. When
the trumpets sounded to battle the combatants came forth The two kings, disappointed in their anticipated pleasure of
and viewed each other. De Courcy looked his antagonist in seeing a combat between mighty champions intreated de
the face with a powerful stern countenance, and passed by. Courcy to give them some proof of his bodily strength.
The Frenchman, not liking his grim look, gigantic size, and Complying with their request, he ordered a strong stake to
when the trumpets sounded the last charge, de Courcy drew be driven into the ground, on which he placed a coat of mail
out his ponderous sword, and the French knight, seized and a helmet. He then drew his sword, and looking with a
with a sudden panic, ran away, and fled to Spain; frowning and threatening aspect upon the kings, he cleft the

25
 helmet and coat of mail, and sent the weapon so deeply into
the wood, that no one but himself could draw it out. Then
the kings asked him what he meant by looking so sternly at
them, and he answered in a sullen tone, that had he missed
his blow he would have cut off both their heads. His words
were taken in good part on account of the services he had
performed. King John gave him his liberty as well as great
gifts, and restored him to his possessions in Ulster.
He then sailed to England (the combat must have taken
place in France) and coming to Westchester, committed
himself to the mercy of the sea, but was put back again by
contrary winds, which rose upon a sudden at his
embarkation. This he did for fifteen days successively, and
upon every repulse he was admonished at night in a vision
that all his attempts to cross the sea to Ireland were vain,
for that it was preordained that he should never set foot
upon Irish ground, because he had grievously offended these
by pulling down the master and setting up the servant. De
Courcy recollected that he had formerly translated the
cathedral church of Down, which had been dedicated to the
Holy Trinity, into an abbey of black monks brought thither
from Chester, and that he had consecrated the same in
honour of Saint Patrick. On being driven back the
fifteenth time his visions had so powerfully wrought upon
his imagination, that he submitted to the decrees of heaven,
passed sentence upon himself and returned to France, and
there died about the year 1210.’
I still haven’t found the source of the claims that my
family came to Lecale with de Courcy. On the contrary,
there is strong inferential evidence that they did not. It is
much more likely that the Fitzsimonses are a branch of
the Savage family. In ‘The Ancient and Noble Family of
the Savages of the Ards’ there is an illustration of Kilclief
Castle with a subtitle stating that it was for a time the
stronghold of the Fitzsimons branch of the Savage family,
and elsewhere (p155) it states “They (the Savages) appear
also to have held from time to time the Castle of Kilclief.
Of Kilclief the Fitz Simondses or Fitz Simonses, said to
have been a branch of the Savage family, descended from
a Simon Savage, subsequently became temporarily the
Lords.”
Doing this little piece of research has been very
enjoyable, and I must thank Mr Dick Gifford, whom
many readers will have recognised as the founder
member of the society referred to in the introduction, for
giving me the motivation to do it.
Notes & references
1. John O’Donovan. (Ed) The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four
Masters Dublin: 1851.
2. G.F. Armstrong (Ed) The Ancient and Noble Family of the Savages of the
Ards London: Marcus Ward, 1888

This makes a fine tale, and indeed some of it may be

true, but O’Donovan is adamant that it stands on no
original authority but is a mere story invented in the
fifteenth or sixteenth century to flatter the vanity of the
Howth family, whose ancestor Sir Armoric Tristeram,
had married de Courcy’s sister. So, although I have
discovered something I hadn’t known about de Courcy
it turns out to be no more than yet another unproven
legend surrounding his life.

26
A Moment Frozen in Time
Strangford, Sunday 31 March 1901, Part 2
Colm Rooney

In the previous volume of the Lecale Review I used

information from the 1901 Census (available on our
website: www.lecalehistory.co.uk) and from Griffith’s
Valuation (local taxation records available at the Public
Record Office for Northern Ireland, Belfast) to take a
journey around part of Strangford and see it as it was
on the night of the Census in March 1901. In this
article I now continue that journey.

Throughout the text I will use 1901 Census

reference numbers to identify buildings/gardens
on the accompanying map. These are in no way
related to modern street numbers. All names are
spelt as shown in the Census records.

The Quarry Hill/Downpatrick Road

As one enters Strangford from

Downpatrick the first building one sees on
the right-hand side is the Presbyterian
Church (1) built in 18461. The next building
along (Rosebank) (2) was the house for the
Divisional Officer of the Coastguard. On
Census night, that Sunday evening of the
31st March 1901, it was occupied by George Horner, 48,
Inspecting Chief Officer; his wife Susan, 47; sister-in-law
Emma Jane Fleckney, 49; niece Annie Gill, 18 and servant
Isabella Hanna, 22. The Horners had all been born in
Jersey. Griffith’s Valuation shows that prior to the
Horners a John McCullen had been resident there in 1899
and later, William Allen. It also records that Robert
Kallaway2 was living there by about 1920, when its
Fig 1 Map: Quarry Hill/Downpatrick Road, Strangford, 1901
Simplified hand-drawn map showing the 1901 Census reference
numbers of buildings and gardens mentioned in the text. Not
intended to show detailed outlines of buildings.
official function had ceased and it had become a private
residence.
Adjacent to the Coastguard house were three small
houses with long, narrow gardens to the rear. The first
(3) was occupied by James Taggart, 28, agricultural
labourer and his wife Mary, 30, a seamstress. Next door
(4) lived Jane Hanna, 57, a cook and domestic servant.

27
Next door lived the Jackson family (5) headed by Joseph,
28, coachman; his wife Mary Anne, 27 and their two
children Margaret, 2 and Robert, 1. Then came two larger
houses, in the first of which (6) was to be found Francis
Curran, 60, an agricultural labourer. Beside him (7) lived
blacksmith Bernard Laverty, 36 with his wife Rose, 40, a
seamstress and sons John Joseph, 7 and Bernard, 5. The
next two houses were larger still. The first (8) was the
home of widower, Captain William Polly, 68, sailor ; his
son William John, 29, labourer and daughter Sarah Anne,
22, servant. Next door (9), in the last of the row4 lived
Robert Seed (or Seeds), 69, domestic servant/gardener;
his wife Annie, 65 or 55 and their three daughters Agnes
Jane, 24; Charlotte, 22, both seamstresses and Margaret,
19, shorthand writer and typist5.
Fig 2. Photo: Top of the Quarry Hill today showing the effect of the
lowering of the hill in 1859
Beside this first row of houses was a large garden (10)
which was let to the National School (153) across the
road.6 The teacher’s house beside the school was
occupied in 1905 (according to Griffith’s Valuation) by
Thomas Nunan. It is notable that even the smallest
houses along the Quarry Hill/Downpatrick Road had
28
either attached gardens or had nearby gardens rented.
Growing one’s own potatoes and other vegetables and
keeping hens were common practices that only gradually
faded out by the 1960’s. Local walled kitchen gardens at
Strangford House, Cooke’s (Nugent’s) and Castle Ward
provided a useful supplement right up to the 1950’s.
Until 1859 the Quarry Hill was steeper than it is today. In
order to make it easier for horse-drawn loads to pass the
hill was dug away and lowered by about 2 metres (7
feet). The previous entrance to the Dufferin Avenue, with
its delightful gate lodge, was thus left ‘high and dry’ and
so a new gate lodge and entrance were built a few
hundred metres further out7.
As one moves from the top of the Quarry Hill towards
the Square the houses were all on the right-hand side.
Apart from the National School there were only gardens
to the left until one reached John’s Lane. Let us now
continue down the right-hand side towards the present-
day entrance to the Links. This row of houses has been
substantially altered and some demolished and rebuilt so
it may not be possible to identify specific dwellings in
1901 with today’s houses but it is at least possible to have
a fairly accurate idea of where they were.
The house (11) beside the large garden was the home
of widower Thomas Travers, 55, a carpenter who had
been born in Co. Kilkenny and his sons Thomas, 17, also
a carpenter and John,11, who had both been born in Co.
Down. Living next door (12) to them that Sunday
evening in March 1901 were William J. Hinds, 57, a car
driver8; his wife Mary, 58; daughter Mary Parker, 29;
granddaughter Christina Parker, 6 and brother-in-law
Patrick Fitzsimons, 76, sailor9. Beside them (13) lived
Edward Carson, 40, stonemason; his wife Hannah, 34,
seamstress; son John, 11 and daughter Sarah, 13. Next
door (14) to them lived another Carson family (probably
Edward’s parents): John, 62, an agricultural labourer;

Fig 3. Photo: Quarry Hill towards the Links entrance
wife Ann, 61; daughter Ann, 30, a dressmaker and
granddaughter Mary, 15, also a dressmaker. The
occupants of the next house (15) are recorded as labourer
John Doherty, 57; wife Sarah Jane, 52, seamstress; their
sons John, 27, labourer; Patrick, 21, car driver and
daughter Sarah Jane, 14, seamstress. Griffith’s Valuation
shows that the large gardens (15a) were used by James
Murphy and Roland J. Savage. The next house (16) was
occupied by Walter Quayle, 40, herd (cattle herder?); his
wife Sarah, 31 and their children Charlotte, 10; Walter, 8;
William, 7; Maud, 5; Reginald, 2 and 8-month old twins
Glory (Gloria?) and Herbert. Next door (17) lived Sarah
Jane Teer, 53, a dressmaker and beside her (18) lived John
Hinds, an agricultural labourer and his wife Catherine,
both 30, with their children Patrick, 6; John Joseph, 4;
Mary Brigid, 3; Maggie, 1 and 2-week old infant Peter
Joseph. Their neighbours (19) were William John
Murphy, 40, car driver; his wife Mary Ann, 37,
seamstress; daughter Mary, 15; son William John, 13 and
nephew Hugh Gordon, 14. Adjacent to them (20) lived
Thomas Corrigan, 39, farm servant; wife Ann, 36;
daughter Jennie, 9; sons Willie, 7; James, 5 and daughters
Nora, 2 and Kathleen, 10-months. The next house (21)
was on the corner of what is now the entrance to the
Links and was unoccupied on Census night 1901. The
dwelling beside it (22) further up the lane was in ruins.
Griffith’s Valuation gives the owner of these houses back
to Sarah Jane Teer’s as Francis Quail. The rest of this lane
consisted of gardens (23) and (24) used by the Church of
Ireland rector, Rev. E. B. Ryan who lived in the Rectory
nearby at the top of the Shore Road and a garden (25),
yard (26) and office (27) used by Francis Quail. The
owner of these properties (23-27) was Lord de Ros. Many
local people will remember this large yard better as
‘Polly’s Yard’ which existed right up until the 1980’s
when it was developed for housing.
As we start to move on down Downpatrick Road
again the large corner house (28), still a distinctive feature
and listed in Griffith’s as ‘house, outhouse, yard and
garden’, was occupied by Mary Moore, 64, of ‘private
means’ and her niece Elinora Moore, 11. The smaller
house next door (28a) was let with part of the garden
(149) opposite and was occupied by Susanna Rooney,
47?, shopkeeper10 and a boarder, Gertrude Kerr, 23?, a
teacher. Next door (29) lived Eliza J. Brickley, 65, widow
and retired farmer; her daughter Elizabeth11, 24, school
teacher and nephew James J. Murphy, 8 who had been
born in Co. Donegal. They also had use of part of the
garden (149) opposite. In the adjacent house (30) lived
Bernard Curran, 70, farm servant; his wife Mary, 66;
daughter Margaret, 26, seamstress and son John, 24, car
driver. Griffith’s Valuation shows that this house was
owned by Eliza Brickley and the house where she lived
was owned by Richard Murray. These two houses are
now the Spar shop. The amendments made to the
Griffith’s Valuation books show that people moved quite
frequently and relatively short tenancies seem to have
been common. For instance Bernard Curran and his
family had lived at this house for only a year or so. It was
29
occupied by John McDonald from 1899 and by Andrew
Smith in 1898. The house also had the use of the garden
(148) across the road. All the gardens from John’s Lane
up to the National School were owned by, and rented
from, Lord de Ros. The houses had a much wider variety
of owners as I have occasionally shown.
Fig 4. Photo: From the Links corner to the old Police Barracks
Beside the Currans’, in a slightly larger house (31)
owned by John Sweetman and with the use of a garden
(147) , lived Alexander McCurdy, 39, a Police Constable
in the R.I.C (Royal Irish Constabulary); his wife Susanna,
35, a dressmaker and their children Susan Matilda, 9;
Jane, 7; Mary Ann, 5 ; William Alexander, 3 and George,
1. As Susanna and most of the children were born in Co.
Donegal it seems likely that 10 or so years previously
Constable McCurdy (a native of Co. Antrim) had been
stationed there and met his future wife. Next door (32)
in a small house, also owned by John Sweetman and now
incorporated into the ‘Hole in the Wall’ pub, lived
widowed seamstress Jane Stitt, 76 and her daughter Ellen
Mary, 32, also a seamstress12. Along from the Stitt’s, then
as now, was a pub (33). Although now known as the
‘Hole in the Wall’ it will be better remembered by older
30
folk as Ranaghan’s. In 1901 the publican was Henry
Hinds, 60, who lived there with his wife Catherine, 58,
and his sister Mary Ann, 62. The pub is described in the
Valuation books as ‘Licensed House, yard and garden’;
the owner of the property was James Denvir and the
Rateable Annual Value was £5. They too had the use of
a garden opposite (146) and part of another garden (145).
Across the narrow entryway at the side of the pub
was a large single house (34) which is now two
dwellings. This was the home and workplace (forge) of
John English, 56, blacksmith and his wife Jane, 53,
seamstress. They used part of the large garden (145)
across the road. The house, forge and garden were all
owned by Lord de Ros. Beside the smithy was a garden
(39) which existed right up until the 1970’s when the
present bungalow was built on the site. The earliest
Griffith’s Valuation book (VAL12B/18/25A) from 1863-
4 indicates that there was a ‘Primitive Wesleyan
Methodist Meetinghouse’ here and this continued until
188013 when the use changed to ‘small garden’ associated
with the Constabulary barracks next door (40).
The ‘old’ Police Station building14 remains whilst its
successor, built across the road in the late Fifties/early
Sixties, was closed and later demolished (around 2000) to
make way for Kildare Street. We have just seen that
Constable McCurdy, about 50 metres up the road, did not
live in the barracks, but most officers and their families
did. A separate Census form (Form H) was used for
returns of ‘Military, R.I. Constabulary or Metropolitan
Police in Barracks’ which only gives their initials rather
than full names; however their families are listed in the
main Census forms with their full names! Hence we can
identify Acting Sergeant J.F. as Sergeant Farry, 39, a
farmer’s son from Fermanagh. His wife Elizabeth, 24,
and 5-month old infant son Patrick Joseph lived here
also. The other police staff resident were Constable W.J.,
37, a farmer’s son from Co. Leitrim and Constable E.W.,
described as a shopboy and from Co. Donegal. So a
sergeant and three constables kept order in Strangford!
I can only hope, and presume, that they were not terribly
busy15.
The next house (41) is listed in the Valuation as
‘house, yard and small garden’ and also had the use of
the garden (143) opposite. Its occupants on Census night
were James McDonnell, 70, boatman; wife Mary Jane, 40
and their two sons Joseph, 10 and Hugh, 9. The
McDonnell family have been associated with boating in
Strangford for generations16. Next door (42), more or less
opposite the entrance to John’s Lane lived Richard
Murphy, 75, a labourer. Across a narrow entryway, in the
larger house (43) where the Duffy family now live and
occupied in my childhood by Johnny Polly and family,
lived Andrew McFall, 56 and his wife Agnes, 47. It is
listed in the Valuation as ‘house, office and yard’ and as
a shop by 1904. Agnes McFall is shown as the sole tenant
by 1908. Further along there were two dwellings in what
would be, much later, Polly’s shop and, for the past few
decades, Duffy’s. The first house (44) was unoccupied on
Census night (Sunday 31st March, 1901) but Griffith’s
Valuation shows a Mrs. McCartan as living there around
1898-1900. The smaller house right on the corner (45)
was lived in by two elderly sisters, both seamstresses,
Jane and Cathrine (sic) Finigan, 66 and 60 respectively17.
All these houses following on from the Police Station
were owned by Lord de Ros. Opposite them, from John’s
Lane until the ‘curved’ house that leads into the Square
were four Victorian style terraced houses (139-142)
owned by Lord de Ros and used by the Coast Guard.
Their occupants also had the use of the large garden
(144).
Fig 5. Photo: towards the Square, showing the ‘Coast Guard Row’ of
Victorian houses with their decorative brickwork.
The first house in the row (142) , adjacent to John’s
Lane, was occupied by Charles Frederick Hubberd, 31,
coastguard from Somerset; his wife Ethel S., 29,
seamstress and daughters Ethel E., 4 and Edith K., 1.
Next door (141) lived John O’Sullivan, 45, coastguard
from Cork City; his wife Ellen, 33 and their children
Elizabeth, 13; Annie, 11; Mary Ellen, 8; Denis John, 6 and
Master Thomas O’Sullivan, 1 day old! (so he was born on
Saturday 30th March, 1901). The Census helpfully
indicates that he cannot read and is not married. Their
neighbours (140) were John Mahony, 38, coastguard from
Co. Cork; his wife Ellen, 39, seamstress and children
Dora, 7 and Victor, 3. In the ‘curved’ corner house next
door (139) lived George Codner, 35, coastguard
divisional carpenter. What a busy little place it must
have been. No wonder the McFauls opened a shop
across the road.
As dusk falls on that Sunday evening, 31st March
1901, let us leave the good citizens of Strangford to go
quietly to bed. No doubt they will be waiting for us next
year when I hope to conclude my journey by surveying
the Square, Shore Road and Ferry Quay areas.
31
Notes and references
1. Now disused (since 2003). See articles by Rev. W.D. Bailie in
Lecale Miscellany No.15 (1997) and by Wendy Osborne in Lecale
Review No.3 (2005).
2. As noted in my previous article in Lecale Review No.5 (2007). In
1901 Robert Kallaway was living in the large 3-storey Georgian
house in the middle of Castle Street. See Robert Sloan’s article in
Inverbrena (Strangford) journal 2005 p48.
3. A photograph of Captain Polly at the Old Quay in Strangford,
and some family information, can be seen in the Inverbrena
(Strangford) journal 2005 p23 together with excellent views of the
Quarry Hill and Police Barracks in the 1920’s on pp24 and 25.
4. This row of houses still exists substantially unchanged and is well
described in the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (UAHS)
survey ‘Portaferry and Strangford’ by G.Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett and
Sir Robert Matthew, 1969 p30 (ref. no. 137).
5. Apart from the high levels of literacy indicated by the Census this
shows that specialised vocational education for women was
beginning to make its impact felt.
6. See ‘Memories of School Days in Strangford’ by Harry Burnett in
Lecale Miscellany No.7 (1989) and No.8 (1990) and articles by
Patricia McCullough in Lecale Miscellany No.18 (2000) and Vera
McCann in Inverbrena (Strangford) journal 1999.
7. The new gate lodge (Down lodge) was demolished around 1980
and replaced by the present, much larger, house. This entrance to
Old Court has also recently altered once more and new entrance
gates with substantial pillars can be seen nearby. The material
quarried out in 1859 to lower the hill was used to fill in and raise
the new shoreline entrance and possibly also, I believe, to help
improve the Black Causeway at the bottom of the Doctor’s Hill.
There had long been a watermill at this location and vehicles
bound for Downpatrick would have veered left here along the
‘back road’ (Blackcauseway Road). In any event the Doctor’s Hill
is so steep that it would have been an extremely difficult path for
horse-drawn loads of any weight. I have heard that the Doctor’s
Hill got its name from the nearby home of a doctor and this may
be so, but I wonder (as someone who cycled up it many times) if
it is not an example of drily humorous wit expounding upon the
necessity for medical aid upon reaching the top!
8. A horse-drawn carriage or buggy rather than a motor vehicle. We
will meet a few other ‘car drivers’ as we go along.
9. It is worth remembering that in 1901 there was not even a basic
State Pension , let alone occupational pensions. The first Old Age
Pension was introduced in 1909 by Lloyd George for persons
32
aged over 70. Many older people did not have birth certificates
and so the Night of the Big Wind, the huge storm in 1839, became
a significant reckoning point.
10. It may have been a small shop of a kind we would hardly
recognise as such today. In the Inverbrena (Strangford) journal for
1997-1998 there is an article ‘Country shops and packmen’ by
Leslie McKibben which mentions a Mrs.Rooney – The Row,
Kilclief in the late 1800’s: She ‘sold sweets. Children from the
Coastguard Houses at Killard, returning from the old Ballycottin
School at Kilclief, called in to buy black balls which she sold at a
penny each’. Perhaps this is the same person, having moved to
Strangford a few years later.
11. This is the Miss Brickley who later (1930’s-40’s) ran a
confectioner/newsagents shop next door in the house owned by
her mother.
12. Jane, at 76, would have been born around 1825 and so have been
in her early twenties when the Great Famine was at its height. If
any of these people could come back and see us today it is hard
to avoid the conclusion that, for all the problems we think we
have, they would consider us to be living in almost unimaginable
luxury.
13. The meetinghouse, having dropped the term ‘Primitive’ then
moved to Castle Street (No.21 in modern street numbers) where it
remained until 1885 when that building became a sort of village
hall called the Assembly/Meeting Rooms. I hope that in this and
in last year’s article I have been able to shed at least some light on
the questions raised in Rev. W.E. Kennedy’s article ‘Early
Methodism in Strangford’, Lecale Miscellany No.2 (1984).
14. Reference no.131 p30 in the UAHS 1969 survey. They praise its
‘splendid bargeboards in what the Dutch call timmerman’s
bloemkool (= carpenter’s cauliflower)’, now sadly replaced by
plain versions. See photograph in Inverbrena (Strangford) journal
2005 p25. The building was constructed after 1859 as it is shown
as a shaded outline, added later, on the 1859 Valuation map.
15. It would be interesting to know if any sort of official ‘incident
book’ had to be kept and whether such records might still be in
existence. If you’re interested in local history why not pick up
this ‘lead’!
16. When I conclude my journey around Strangford in 1901 next year
by covering the Square and Ferry Quay areas we will find a few
other McDonnell families, all boatmen.
17. Neither could write. Their name is spelt as Finnegan in the
Valuation Records.
A Footnote
Sean Nolan

Colm Rooney’s interesting contribution to the 2007 debt or Loan’ more than the vendor had an interest in the
Review ‘A Moment Frozen in Time, Strangford, Sunday transaction with Patrick McMullan. Hereafter in the
31 March 1901’ prompted an examination of the document there is a listing of other indentures the earliest
documentation relating to 4, Castle Street which my wife of which is dated 14 September 1801.
and I presently own. As the article records, on Census
Day 1901 the occupants of the house were the Swail Subsequent indentures provide a list of notabilities
family consisting in total of four adults and six children. acting as guarantors for successive mortgages largely,
How they disposed themselves for sleep that evening is one must assume, on the estate itself as some of the
unknowable in what was then a ‘two up, two down’ amounts are quite large for the times.
house. Samuel Swail, a fisherman, was a tenant of the de
Ros estate but is not listed in the various indentures 10 September 1840 William Lennox Lascelles Lord de
relating to the property. Ros (grandson of the Duke of
Leinster and 23rd Baron de Ros),
An indenture dated 24 March 1925 records that the
Rev Edward Bullock, The Most
property was sold to ‘Patrick McMullan of Strangford in
Honourable John, Marquess of
the County of Down, Schoolteacher (Hereinafter called
Queensberry, The Rev. Stair
the Purchaser) of the fifth part’ for the sum of £375.
Douglas ‘in the sum of £25,000 and
While the vendor is listed as the ‘Right Honourable Mary
interest’
Frances, Countess of Dartrey’ there follows a list of others
with an interest in the property which includes ‘Lady
Una Mary Ross (sic), Horace Peel of 13 Laurence 20 May 1842 Rt. Hon. William Lennox Lascelles
Pountrey Lane in the City of London Esquire, Anthony Lord de Ros, The Most Noble
Lucius, Earl of Dartrey of 22 Wellington Court Charles, Duke of Richmond and
Knightsbridge, George William Finch of 18 and 19 Pall Lennox, The Rt.Hon. Francis
Mall in the County of London Solicitor, The Honourable Egerton Lawrence Peel, George
George Arthur Crichton MVO of Old Institute House, Vesey
Windsor in the County of Berks, a Lieutenant Colonel in
His Majesty’s Army and Reginald Boyle of the Grove 13 April 1875 Dudley Charles, Lord de Ros,
Cheddon Fitzpaine Taunton (hereinafter called the Arthur Edward Holland Grey
Mortgagees)’. (commonly called Viscount Grey
de Wilton), The Hon. Arthur
Since a mortgage is defined as ‘the grant of an estate Walsh, The Rev. Henry Mildred
or other immovable property in fee as security for the Birch ‘to secure the sum of £2987-
payment of money, to be voided on the discharge of the 15s-8p’

33
 Omer Pasha’s Chaplain
David Maxwell

Extract from a letter written in March 1854 to Georgiana,

who was at home at Old Court Strangford, by her husband
Major General Lord de Ros (William) who was in Turkey at
Varna. It was during the build up to the Crimean War.

“Bye-the-bye, when I returned the call of Omer Pasha (the

4 Castle Street, Strangford
7 August 1876 Dudley Charles, Baron de Ros, The
Hon. Mary Frances Fitzgerald de
Ros, Charles Lennox Peel
much respected Turkish General) I found him to have a Dervish
as a Chaplain, such as is not often found among our Clergy.
The Chaplain wears two brace of pistols, a dagger, a scimitar,
and a huge blunderbuss hung over his shoulder, with a large
pouch-belt full of ammunition. He is a great fierce, tall fellow,
nearly black, and one of his
chief duties is to break in
young horses for the
Pasha!”

13 October 1907 Arthur Walsh (by his then name

and description of the Right
Hon. Arthur Baron Ormthwaite),
The Hon. Edward Dawson,
The Right Hon. Victor Albert
George, Earl of Jersey, The Hon.
Somerset Richard Hamilton Ward

20 April 1920 G W Finch, Hon George Arthur

Charles Crichton Reginald Boyle

While these names are listed with regard to legal

transactions they demonstrate as well the range of
Drawing of an
contacts the de Ros family enjoyed and are also an armed Dervish
indication of its place in society down through the years. by Jenny Rowden

34
Minnie McGee
Berkley Farr
Fig 1. Minnie in July 1961 aged 93 with her cousin Beattie Simpson
Minnie McGee was one of the great characters in the
Parish of Inch. Active nonagenarians were more scarce in
the 1950s and 60s but age and agility were just two of
Minnie’s characteristics.
In appearance Minnie was small and stooped with
distinctive horn-rim glasses. She lived in the stone house
in Dunnanelly that her father had built after being given
the tenancy of the rocky farm by the local landlord, John
Waring Maxwell. Little changed in the two-storey house
during Minnie’s long life. Her kitchen had a large open
fire, and a pot at the side of the fire was the means of
cooking. A large metal plate was lowered at night to keep
the fire going, but the most memorable feature of the
Fig 2. Minnie McGee’s house on Rocks Chapel Road, Dunnanelly
room was the huge pile of whins which she had gathered
to provide fuel. Minnie did not indulge in creature
comforts. The house was full of boxes of unopened gifts
and carpets would be kept rolled up, rather than being
put to use.
Minnie was an active gardener growing her own fruit
and vegetables. She climbed plum trees at an advanced
age and was generous to neighbours with her produce.
She knew the lanes and stiles of the area and walked to
Annacloy and Crossgar across country. She had a sharp
mind and was famous for her quirky retorts, particularly
to clergy and officialdom. She refused to contribute to a
collection for the installation of curtains in the church hall
35
 on the grounds that only was listed as 321 West 15th Street in New York City.
decent things should be
happening in the hall and Minnie died in 1966 at the age of 98. She was born two
there was no need for decades after the Famine and less than ten years after the
curtains! When asked new railway passed her land on the way to Downpatrick.
why she was digging Gladstone was starting his first ministry and the
potatoes at the age of 90 unification of Germany and Italy was still in process. It
she said her father (long was only three years since the end of the American Civil
dead) was unable to dig War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Minnie
them. In a common retort lived through enormous changes in two very different
to get rid of people she worlds but ended her days where she had started her life
would say she had to go with modern ways having a minimal effect upon her.
and make her father’s tea.
Fig 3. Patrick McGee – Minnie’s father

Appearances can however be deceptive and there was

more to this old lady than first impressions would
indicate. Minnie was born on 23rd April 1868, the eighth
of eleven children of Patrick and Martha McGee. Patrick
was a carpenter and the house was one of the few new
houses to be recorded in Dunnanelly in the period
following the first Ordnance Survey in the 1830s. Many
of the family went to America and Minnie earned her
living in New York making dresses for the wealthy. This
was the Belle Epoch era before the First World War when
families such as the
Vanderbilts displayed
enormous fortunes and it Fig 5. Downpatrick Civic Week, late 1960s. Pamela Hayes, Marian, Joan
and Hugh Edgar make use of Minnie’s clothes for the Fancy Dress Parade
was rumoured that
Minnie had made dresses
for Lady Astor. Minnie Acknowledgements
crossed the Atlantic a
number of times and an I would like to thank Alan Patterson and neighbours
Ellis Island record1 shows for their help in the preparation of this article.
her making the 8 day
voyage from Liverpool to Notes & references
New York in June 1907.
She was 5’5” tall with 1 Ellis Island Website

Fig 4. Minnie in Dec 1929 aged 61 grey hair and her home

36
The Fordes of Seaforde
Patrick Clarke

Introduction Francis, Mathew and Luke. He died in 1605. In 1612 his

Patrick Mathew Desmond Forde, JP, DL, who died on
1st March 2008 aged 67, was the 12th generation of the
Forde family to be associated with Seaforde. Patrick
Forde, as most people better knew him, was one of Down
District’s most respected citizens. His sudden and
untimely death left the beautiful and leafy village of
Seaforde without one of its most well liked and colourful
characters.
fifth son Mathew was appointed to the offices of Clerk of
the Court; Prothonotary and Keeper of all Writs and
Records of the Commissioners; Clerk of the Crown and
Peace; Clerk of the Peace and Assize and Clerk of Nisi
Prius before the Commissioners of Ulster.4 Three years
later he received from James I a grant of a chief rent of £10
per annum out of the townlands of Drumcaw and
Drumanaghan.5 This appears to have been the first
property acquired by the Forde Family in Co. Down.

For nearly four centuries the
Forde family name has been
synonymous with Seaforde.
The name Seaforde means
Seat of Forde.1 The family
motto is ‘Incorrupta Fides
Nudaque Veritas’ - Brooke of Summerton, Co. Dublin in 1864.7
Incorruptible Faith and Naked
Truth. 2 Throughout the
centuries the Forde family
Forde Coat of Arms
has provided a long
succession of High Sheriffs, Deputy Lieutenants,
Foremen of the Grand Jury and Members of Parliaments.
First generation associated with Seaforde: Mathew
Forde (d. 1652)
The earliest known member of the Forde family in
Ireland, Nicholas Forde of Dublin and Dunboyne, Co.
Meath, was a man of considerable substance. He was a
contractor for the supply of the army and Deputy
Victualler at Cork in 1580.3 Nicholas married Catherine
White and had six sons, Clemente, Andrew, Christopher,
In 1621 Mathew and his colleague, Sir George
Sexton, purchased from Walsingham Cooke parts of the
plantation lands in County Wexford, which had been
granted to Cooke in 1617.6 These lands formed the
Coolgreany Estate in County Wexford, which remained
in the Forde family until it was sold to George Frederick
In 1636 Mathew purchased from Thomas Cromwell,
Viscount Lecale, his interest in the lands of Kinelarty for
the then huge sum of £8,000.8 Mathew’s title to this
property, which now formed the chief part of the
Seaforde estate, was confirmed in 1637.9 The twenty-four
townlands in the grant became the Manor of
Teconnaught.
Mathew sat in the Irish House of Commons in 1642.10
He married Eleanor McCartan, believed to be a member
of the McCartan family which had long been the
hereditary chieftains of the territory of Kinelarty.
Mathew and Eleanor had four children, two sons
Nicholas and Henry, and two daughters Catherine and
Anne.

37
 Mathew outlived his wife Eleanor and four children,
dying in March 1652 without surviving issue. He was
succeeded by his great nephew Mathew Forde, who was
the son of Luke Forde, who was in turn the son of
Andrew Forde of Dunboyne, Co. Meath. Andrew Forde
was the older brother of Mathew Forde (1st) and a son of
the first Nicholas Forde. Mathew Forde (1st) left his
properties to the senior surviving male line in the Forde
family because his own son Nicholas predeceased him
without any issue. Throughout the centuries the name
Mathew became traditional for first-born sons of the
Forde family.
Second generation: Luke Forde
Luke Forde, nephew of Mathew Forde (1st), resided
at Coolgreany Estate, County Wexford. Very little is
known about Luke Forde except that he was alive in 1651
and had two surviving issue: Mathew and Andrew.
Mathew Forde (1st) settled his properties on the eldest
surviving son of Luke Forde, namely Mathew Forde (b
circa1651). Due to Mathew Forde being a minor when he
inherited properties in 1652 it is highly likely that the
estates were managed by his father Luke together with
the trustees, until his coming of age. Luke Forde was
buried in the family burial ground at Kilnenor in the
Coolgreany estate as is revealed in the last will and
testament of Mathew Forde (2nd) who requested that he
was to be laid to rest beside his father in that graveyard.
Third generation: Mathew Forde (c. 1651/52 – 1708)
Mathew Forde was born circa 1651. In 1674 he
married Margaret Hamilton, who was sister of “La Belle
Hamilton”, Comtesse de Grammont, and the youngest
daughter of Hon. Sir George Hamilton, Bt., (the fourth
son of James, 1st Earl of Abercorn), and Mary Butler, his
wife, who was daughter of Thomas, Lord Thurles, and
38
sister of James, 1st Duke of
Ormonde. 11 Through this
marriage the Fordes trace
direct descent from Edward
I of England, and Robert
Bruce, King of Scots.12
Mathew was appointed
Justice of the Peace for Co.
Down in 1673 and the same
Office for Co. Wexford in
1678. He was also Sheriff
and High Sheriff of County
Wexford in 1678 and 1679 respectively.13 He was also
appointed Free Burgess of New Ross in 1686, and was
MP for Co. Wexford 1695-9, and 1703-8.14 In 1686 he was
Captain in Colonel Richard Hamilton’s Regiment of
Dragoons. Mathew and Margaret had three children,
Mathew, Lucy and Jane. Margaret died circa 1733.
Mathew Forde died in January 1708. He was interred at
Kilnenor, County Wexford, and was succeeded by his
only son Mathew.15
Fourth generation: Mathew Forde (c. 1675 – 1729)
Mathew Forde was born at Enockaroon, County
Tipperary about 1675, and entered Trinity College
Dublin in 1691, gaining a BA in 1693, and an MA in
1707.16 Mathew married Anne Brownlow, daughter of
Arthur Chamberlain Brownlow, of Lurgan, Co. Armagh
in 1698. The couple had twelve children: Mathew,
Arthur, Standish, Nicholas, Robert, John, Francis, Jane,
Margaret, Lettice, Frances and Elizabeth.17
Mathew was MP for Downpatrick between 1703 and
1714 and High Sheriff of Co. Down in 1702 and 1706. He
was appointed trustee of the linen manufacture for the
province of Ulster in 1711.18 During the reign of Queen
Anne Mathew was a consistent Tory, being recorded as
a Court supporter in 1706.19
Mathew Forde moved from his Coolgreany Estate in
County Wexford in the early 1700’s and built the first
mansion house and the village of Seaforde in the
townland of Naghan where descendants of the family
have lived ever since.20 In 1720 he provided the site for
the Seaforde Parish Church.
Mathew Forde died in 1729 and was succeeded by his
eldest son Mathew. In his will he bequeathed the sum of
£8 to the poor of the Manor of Teconnaught.21 His wife,
on her death in 1768, left £30 to be distributed by her son
Mathew among the poor of their County Down estate.22
Fifth generation: Mathew Forde (1699 – 1781)
Mathew Forde was baptised at Lurgan on 10th
October 1699, and entered Trinity College Dublin
graduating with a BA in 1719.23 He married Christian
Graham, daughter of John Graham, of Platten Hall,
County Meath on 24th November 1724.24 Mathew and
Christian had ten children: Mathew, William, John,
Edward, Arthur, George and Pierce, Charity, Anne and
Elizabeth. Christian died in July 1766 and was buried at
St. Anne’s Dublin.25 In 1774 Mathew married Dame Jane
Allen, widow of Sir Timothy Allen and daughter of
Robert Issac, of Holywood, Co. Down.
Mathew was High Sheriff of Co. Down in 1729.26 In
1751 Mathew received the support of his neighbour,
Judge Ward, to replace Sir Robert Maude as MP for
Bangor. He was elected in November of that year and
continued to serve until 1760.27 He was a member of the
Whig Club of County Down and a member of the Down
Society for Promoting Agriculture.28 Mathew died in 1781
and was succeeded by his eldest son Mathew.
Sixth generation: Mathew Forde (1726 – 1795)
Mathew Forde was born at Seaforde in 1726, and
entered Trinity College Dublin in 1743. In 1750 he
married Elizabeth Knox, second daughter of Thomas
Knox, of Dungannon, and sister of Thomas, 1st Viscount
Northland.30 Mathew and Elizabeth had seven children:
Mathew, Thomas, Mary, Anne, Elizabeth, Jane and
Charity.31
Mathew was MP for Downpatrick 1761 to 1776 in the
first two parliaments of George III. Downpatrick was a
pot-walloping borough with an electorate of about 250,
which was large for eighteenth-century Ireland.32
Mathew, being a local and resident landowner, was well
connected to the northern gentry. His grandmother was
a Brownlow of Lurgan, Co. Armagh, and two of his
children married Brownlows; his mother was a Graham
of Drogheda and his wife a sister of Thomas Knox, Lord
Welles, afterwards Viscount Northland of Dungannon.33
Mathew was considered to be an independent country
gentleman and, although he seldom attended
parliament, when he did, according to the 1774
opposition list, he ‘votes honest and free’.34 The 1775
government list described him as an: ‘independent country
gentleman of the North. Unconnected and always in
opposition’ He was a prominent Volunteer and a delegate
to the Volunteer National Convention for Co. Down.
Mathew was a member of the County Down Whig
Club. A local land agent provides a picture of life at
Seaforde - ‘our neighbour young Forde has brought home his
bride. Nancy is now at Seaforde where the hounds circulate
briskly in the morning and the bottle in the afternoon’.35 In
1776 the agent complained that ‘Our Castlewellan races
commence this evening and what with our Downe races and
assizes we have three weeks continual hurry politely called
entertainment’.36 Mathew died in 1795 and appears to
39
have been the first of the family to be buried in the
Seaforde churchyard.37 In his will Mathew bequeathed a
sum of £100 for distribution amongst poor housekeepers
on his County Down estate.38 His son Mathew succeeded
him.
Seventh generation: Mathew Forde (1753 – 1812)
Mathew Forde was born at
Seaforde circa 1753. He
entered Trinity College
Dublin in 1770, graduating
in 1774 with a BA.39 In 1782
he married Catherine
Brownlow, eldest daughter
of Rt. Hon. William
Brownlow, MP of Lurgan.40
Catherine and Mathew
had eleven children:
Mathew, William
Brownlow, Thomas Arthur,
Arthur Nicholas, John, Francis, Catherine, Anne Sarah,
Isabella Jane Octavia, Margaret Selina Caroline and
Catherine Georgina.41 Catherine was believed to have
had no less than twenty-five children, many of whom
died in their early infancy.42 Catherine, pregnant and
accompanied by her sister, the Countess of Powerscourt,
died suddenly on her way home from visiting Mrs Loftus
Tottenham in Dublin.43
Prior to 1797 Forde was a critic of the Government’s
policy of refusing to consider demands for a reform of
parliamentary representation during the period of the
war with France. Forde politically was a Whig, and
believed that the threat of revolution in Ireland would
ease if the Government addressed some of the people’s
demands for change.44 This stance did not sit well with
the arch conservative Marquis of Downshire who, when
40
first mooting the idea of raising a yeomanry corps in
1796, was bitterly opposed by the liberal gentry.
In January 1797, shortly after Wolfe Tone and the
French invasion fleet failed to land at Bantry Bay, Forde
applied to raise his yeomanry corps at Seaforde and
Kilmore. This was a Government scheme to oppose the
dual threat presented by the United Irishmen plans for
insurrection and France’s determination to invade
Ireland.45 Through his position as County Governor,
Lord Downshire then began a plan to undermine Forde
through the ears of the military commanders, by making
it appear that Forde’s yeomen were not only disloyal, but
sworn United Irishmen. This resulted in a letter from
Dublin Castle to Forde requesting an inspection of his
Seaforde and Kilmore corps.46
With the proclamation of martial law in May 1797 an
effort was made to smash the United Irishmen by taking
their arms. Forde, like other reforming Whigs, saw this
as anti-constitutional and coercive. Forde with other
similarly minded gentry such as Gawen Hamilton of
Killyleagh, (father of the United Irishman Archibald
Hamilton Rowan), Eldred Pottinger, John Crawford of
Crawfordsburn and Southwell Trotter of Downpatrick
held meetings and circulated petitions calling for reform
in order to stabilise the country.47 This further angered
the conservatives and Lord Downshire, who as County
Governor then worked through General Lake and local
district commander General Nugent. In June 1797
General Lake wrote to Thomas Pelham, the chief
secretary at Dublin Castle, claiming that Forde’s men,
except for two, were sworn United Irishmen.48 Pelman’s
reply advised him to go cautiously as Forde was a very
respectable gentleman. Despite many attempts by Lord
Downshire to continually undermine and publicly
embarrass him, right up to the rebellion of 1798, Forde’s
Seaforde and Kilmore Yeomanry corps were not
disarmed and subsequently fought in the Battle of
Ballynahinch losing one of their men.49
In 1811 Mathew Forde married Sophia Blacker,
second daughter of Very Rev. Stewart Blacker, of
Carrickblacker, Dean of Leighlin.50 Mathew was High
Sheriff of Co. Down in 1803. Mathew died at his house
in Rutland Square, Dublin on 31st March 1812. He
bequeathed £300 to the poor on his estate in County
Down. He was succeeded by his eldest son Mathew.51
Eighth generation: Mathew Forde (1785 – 1837)
Mathew Forde was born
in 1785. He entered Trinity
College Dublin in 1801 and
Magdalen College Oxford
in 1804.52
Mathew married Mary
Anne Savage, only child of
Francis Savage, of
Hollymount and Ardkeen,
Co. Down in 1814 at
Hollymount. Following a
fire on the evening of 19th
June 1816, which completely
destroyed the Forde family
mansion, Col. Forde rebuilt the present day family
home.53 Mary Anne died in 1826 aged just twenty-nine
and was buried at Seaforde.54
In 1828, in pursuance of a request made by his late
wife, Mathew built six almshouses in Seaforde for
widows of men who had lived on the estate for five
years.55 He also endowed each with an annual annuity
of ten pounds, and ten pounds for the repair of the
almshouses.56 In 1829 Mathew married Lady Harriet
Seaforde Almshouses in 1972 (Courtesy of Mourne Observer)
Savage, widow of Francis Savage and third daughter of
2nd Earl of Carrick. She died at Folkestone in 1865.57
Mathew was a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the
Peace, a Colonel of the Royal North Down Militia, High
Sheriff of Co. Down and MP for Co. Down from 1821 to
1826.58 Mathew was the first member of the Forde family
to become an MP at Westminster, as previous members
of the Forde family who were MP’s sat in the Irish
Parliament. In one of the most memorable and hotly
contested elections in 1830, he unsuccessfully contested
the county, his opponents being Lord Castlereagh and
Lord Arthur Hill, both of whom were elected. The voting
was: Lord Castlereagh 930, Lord Arthur Hill 837 and Col.
Forde 766.59 Mathew Forde died without issue in 1837
and was succeeded by his brother Rev. William
Brownlow Forde.60
Eighth generation: William Brownlow Forde (1786 – 1856)
William Brownlow Forde was born at Seaforde in
1786. He entered Trinity College Dublin in 1803 and
gained an M.A. in 1813.61 Having taken holy orders, Rev.
William was made Prebend of Dunsford, in 1812.62 He
resigned this Office on becoming Rector of Annahilt in
1817, in succession to the Rev. John Dubourdieu,
41
remaining there until 1839. From 1824 to 1837 he also
held the Vicarage of Carlingford in the Diocese of
Armagh.63
In early December 1846, following poor weather in
County Down and the continued failure of the potato
crops across the country, Rev. William and his neighbour
David Ker met their tenants to discuss the demand for
better drainage. Forde and Ker jointly proposed to the
Board of Works a drainage scheme encompassing both of
their estates. All 33,000 acres of estate fell within the
barony of Kinelarty, making the Kinelarty scheme one of
the biggest of its kind in Ireland. Their application was
successful, attracting a £7,120 loan.64
In 1812 Rev. William married Theodosia Helena
Douglass, second daughter of Thomas Douglass, of
Grace Hall.65 They had fourteen children, six sons and
eight daughters: Mathew Thomas and William Brownlow
(twins), Francis Savage, Thomas, Charles Arthur, Thomas
Douglass, Catherine Elizabeth, Elizabeth Georgina,
Theodora Anne, Catherine Mary Anne, Isabella Octavia
and Selina Charity (twins), Elizabeth Theodosia
Catherine, and Harriet Anne. Theodosia Helena died in
1875. Rev. William was a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice
of the Peace.67 He died in 1856 at 59 Dawson Street
Dublin and was buried at Seaforde. His second son
William Brownlow Forde succeeded, as the eldest son
Mathew had died on 14th May 1847 after catching
typhus while assisting in the famine relief in 1847.68
Ninth Generation: William Brownlow Forde (1823 – 1902)
William Brownlow Forde was born at Annahilt
Rectory on 5th November 1823.69 He entered the Army in
1843, joining the 67 Foot, as an ensign. On the death of
his elder brother Mathew in 1847, he resigned his
Commission and returned to Ireland. In November 1854
42
he became Lieutenant
Colonel of the Royal South
Down Militia, and from
1868 to 1881 was in full
command following the
sudden death of the
Marquis of Downshire.70
In March 1857, the
Liberal Prime Minister,
Lord Palmerston, was
defeated on the issue of war with China and
subsequently called a snap general election.71 Both Lord
Edwin Hill and David Stewart Ker stood again for
County Down, Hill as a Conservative, and Ker
surprisingly as an Independent.72 In the 1852 general
election David Stewart Ker had stood as a Conservative,
but decided in the 1857 general election to run as an
Independent supporter of the Conservative Government
and issued a Liberal election address. The Conservatives
reacted promptly and within days Colonel Forde had
been brought forward to unseat Ker. At the polls in April
1857, Hill received 5,839 votes, Forde 5,341, Ker 3,735.73
Forde retained his seat until 1874, when he was defeated
by the Liberal James Sharman-Crawford.74
During his seventeen years in Parliament, William
proved to be a useful member of the Conservative Party.
He had a remarkable aptitude for the transaction of
public business, and was for many years Foreman of the
Grand Jury of County Down. He was also Chairman of
Downpatrick Board of Guardians from 1876 to 1902.75 On
the passing of the Local Government Act, he was elected
first Chairman of Down County Council; he was also
associated with many other public boards, and for a long
period was treasurer of the County Down infirmary, to
which he bequeathed one thousand pounds.76 Colonel
Forde was Privy Councillor, Deputy Lieutenant, Justice
of the Peace, High Sheriff in 1853, and Master of Lecale
Harriers 1848-88.77
William Brownlow married Adelaide, fifth daughter
of Gen. Hon. Robert Meade, second son of the 1st Earl of
Clanwilliam, on 25th October 1855. Adelaide died in
1902. William Brownlow Forde died at Seaforde on 8th
February 1902 without issue, and was buried with his
wife on the north side of the Churchyard at Seaforde. His
nephew, Major William George Forde, succeeded him.78
Tenth generation: William George Forde (1868 – 1922)
William George Forde was born at Pembroke Dock on
the 7th March 1868. He
attended Clare College
Cambridge, and
afterwards joined the 5th
Royal Irish Rifles, serving
with that battalion during
the South African War,
1901-1902, from which he
returned with the rank of
major. At the start of the
Great War he volunteered
for active service, but
owing to the state of his health he was obliged to accept
a home service appointment, and was attached to the
depot of the 19th Royal Irish Rifles.79 In 1898 he married
Sylvia Dorothea, only daughter of Major Alexander
Frederick Stewart, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, of
Ballyedmond, Co.Down. He was Deputy Lieutenant,
Justice of the Peace, and High Sheriff 1909. William and
Sylvia Dorothea had two sons and two daughters:
Thomas William, Desmond Charles, Sylvia and Cynthia
Dorothea. William died on 25th December 1922 and was
succeeded by his son Thomas William.80
Eleventh generation: Thomas William Forde (1899 – 1949)
Thomas William Forde was born at 15 Earlsfort
Terrace, Dublin on 11th February 1899 and was educated
at Eton and Royal Military College Sandhurst. He was
a Deputy Lieutenant, and also High Sheriff 1934. Major
Forde was in the Coldstream Guards, retiring in 1928. He
was recalled in 1939 and served in World War II. He was
Master of the East Down Harriers 1931-46. Thomas
Forde died unmarried on 20th December 1949, and was
succeeded by his brother Desmond Charles.81
Eleventh generation: Desmond Charles Forde (1906 – 1961)
Desmond Charles Forde was born 26th February
1906. He was educated at Eton and Royal Military
College Sandhurst. He served in the Coldstream
Guards in World War II, being awarded US Bronze Star.
Desmond married Hon. Margaret Bertha Meriel Ward,
youngest daughter of 6th Viscount Bangor in 1938.
Desmond and Margaret had two children, Patrick
Desmond and Sylvia Helena. Their marriage ended in
divorce. Lt. Col. Forde married again on 7th October 1948
to Kate Alexandra York (The Lodge, Seaforde, Co.
Down), widow of Lt. Col. William Panter, MBE, of
Enniskeen, Newcastle, Co. Down. Lt. Col. Forde was
High Sheriff in 1950 and Master of Foxhounds of the East
Down 1946-49. He died on 31st January 1961, and was
succeeded by his son Patrick Mathew Desmond.82
Twelfth generation: Patrick Forde (1940 – 2008)
Patrick Mathew Desmond Forde was born on
December 12th, 1940 in Belfast during the war. He held
the title of Lord of the Manor of Teconnaught. He was
educated at Eton. In 1965 he married Lady Anthea
Geraldine Lowry-Corry of Castle Coole, Co. Fermanagh,
elder daughter of 7th Earl of Belmore. They had four
children, Emily, Mathew, Charles and Finnian .
Patrick was elected as an Alliance Party councillor to
43

Patrick & Lady Anthea Forde in the late 1990’s
Down District Council in 1977 and 1981. He stood as a
Westminster candidate for South Down and in the 1982
Northern Ireland Assembly election came within a few
hundred votes of taking the last seat.
Patrick will be remembered for his horticultural skills
and the transformation of part of the Forde estate into a
nursery garden business, maze and tropical paradise.
His visionary skills during the 1980’s saw the creation of
the first tropical butterfly house in Northern Ireland
which he opened in July 1988, and which has now
become a popular tourist attraction.
Patrick was a member of the Royal Horticultural
Society, a former chairman of Down Museum, President
of Seaforde Working Vintage Club and Master of East
Down Foxhounds. He also held the office of Justice of
the Peace for County Down and was Deputy Lieutenant
of the County. In later years he welcomed various
members of the Royal family to events in Northern
Ireland including, in 2002, the Queen’s golden jubilee
garden party at Hillsborough Castle.
44
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the following:
Patrick Devlin and Berkley Farr for taking the time to
assist in editing the article; Mathew Forde of Seaforde for
assisting with information on the Forde ancestors and
providing relevant photographs; Mary Bradley, Local
Studies Librarian of Local and Irish Studies Department,
South Eastern Education & Library Board; the Deputy
Keeper of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland;
Ulster Museum; and the Parliamentary Archives section
of the Houses of Parliament.
Notes and references
1. Patrick McKay, A Dictionary of Ulster Place-names, 2nd. Ed., Belfast
2007
2. R.S.J. Clarke, Gravestone Inscriptions County Down Vol. 9, p26-29.
Belfast 1984
3. Calendar State Papers Ireland 1509-73 – Elizabeth, p292, 12
March 1581
4. Calendar of Irish Patent Rolls of James I – Irish Manuscripts
Commission (Facsimile of the Irish Record Commissioner’s
Calendar) Dublin Stationery Office 1966, p.238 Patent 10, James I
5. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
Memoirs of the Forde Family
6. Calendar of Irish Patents of James I – Irish Manuscript
Commission (Facsimile of the Irish Record Commissioner’s
Calendar) Dublin Stationery Office 1966, p.573 Patent 21, James I
7. MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical Memoirs of
the Forde Family
8. Ibid.
9. Sir Bernard Burke, Burke’s Irish Family Records, 5th Edition, p438-
439, London 1976
10. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
Memoirs of the Forde Family
11. Sir Bernard Burke, Burke’s Irish Family Records, 5th Edition, p438-
439, London 1976
12 PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical 41. Ibid.
Memoirs of the Forde Family
42. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
13. Edith Mary Johnston-Liik, History of the Irish Parliament 1692 – Memoirs of the Forde Family
1800, Vol. IV, p.204, Belfast
43. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
44. Alan Blackstock, Down Survey, Pictures of the past: some Forde
15. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
documents, p.27 – 33,
Memoirs of the Forde Family
16. & 17 Ibid. 45. - 49. Ibid.

18. Edith Mary Johnston-Liik, History of the Irish Parliament 1692 – 50. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
1800, Vol. IV, p.204, Belfast Memoirs of the Forde Family
19. Ibid. 51. - 56. Ibid.
20. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical 57. Sir Bernard Burke, Burke’s Irish Family Records, 5th Edition, p438-
Memoirs of the Forde Family 439, London 1976
21. Sir Bernard Burke, Burke’s Irish Family Records, 5th Edition, p438- 58. Gerrit P. Judd, Members of Parliament 1734 – 1832, London 1955
439, London 1976
59. Lanktree, Henry, The Down squib-book: containing an impartial
22. National Archives of Ireland Prerogative Will Book/F/299B account of the contested election for the County of Down, in May 1831,
23. MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical Memoirs of between Lord Arthur Hill, William Sharman Crawford, Esq. and Lord
the Forde Family Viscount Castlereagh. Also the addresses and squibs which were issued
24. & 25. Ibid. during this interesting struggle, Belfast 1831
26. Edith Mary Johnston-Liik, History of the Irish Parliament 1692 – 60. Sir Bernard Burke, Burke’s Irish Family Records, 5th Edition, p438-
1800, Vol. IV, p.204, Belfast 439, London 1976
27. & 28. Ibid. 61. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
29. Sir Bernard Burke, Burke’s Irish Family Records, 5th Edition, p438- Memoirs of the Forde Family
439, London 1976 62. & 63. Ibid.
30. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
64. Proudfoot, Lindsay. Down History & Society, p355-375, Dublin
Memoirs of the Forde Family
1997
31. Sir Bernard Burke, Burke’s Irish Family Records, 5th Edition, p438-
439, London 1976 65. Sir Bernard Burke, Burke’s Irish Family Records, 5th Edition, p438-
439, London 1976
32. Edith Mary Johnston-Liik, History of the Irish Parliament 1692 –
1800, Vol. IV, p.204, Belfast 66. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
Memoirs of the Forde Family
33. & 34. Ibid.
67. - 70. Ibid.
35. PRONI, W. H. Crawford, Irish Agent’s Letters, pp. 16-17
36. Ibid. 71. Carr, Peter, Portavo: an Irish townland and its people Part Two, p416
- 421, Belfast 2005
37. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
Memoirs of the Forde Family 72. - 74. Ibid.
38. & 39. Ibid. 75. PRONI MIC/315/9/61 Blackwood Pedigrees, Genealogical
40. Sir Bernard Burke, Burke’s Irish Family Records, 5th Edition, p438- Memoirs of the Forde Family
439, London 1976 76. - 82. Ibid.

45
A Rare Map of County Down
Frederick Pyne
At a meeting of the Lecale Historical Society in March
2008, the speaker Rhonda Robinson brought along an old
map in the hope that someone could assist with its
identification. It was entitled A Map of the County of
Downe with a Chart of ye Sea Coast done from Actual
Surveys and accurate Observations 1755 (Fig.1). Stored
in a leather pouch this large-scale map was printed quite
distinctively on separate panels to enable it to be folded
without undue wear to its edges.
The map was unsigned and not listed in any directory
of Irish maps, therefore quite a challenge. However, I
believed that this was the Dr Kennedy map of County
Down I had often heard of but which one rarely comes
across. My initial belief was confirmed through my
correspondence with J H Andrews, until recently
Professor of Geography in Trinity College Dublin and a
great authority on old Irish maps. He agreed that it was
indeed the elusive Dr Kennedy map1.
At the start of my research very little appeared to be
known about Dr Kennedy even though he made
considerable advances in the mapping of County Down.
In 1802 with reference to the 1767 revision of the map, the
Rev. John Dubourdieu, in his Statistical Survey of the
County of Down described Dr Kennedy as an “ingenious
gentleman” whose map was “very much esteemed”.
Professor Andrews pointed me in the direction of Dr
James Kennedy Bailie some of whose family adopted the
surname Bailie instead of the single surname Kennedy.
He was the son of the Rev Dr Gilbert Kennedy of
Tullylish, Co. Down who in 1738 married his second
cousin Sarah, and later married Margaret Bailie2.
46
Former Chairman Fred Rankin and his wife Kathleen
told me that Dr Kennedy may have had a connection
with the house ‘Woodbank’ located nearby at Gilford3.
According to archives in the University of Glasgow
Dr Kennedy matriculated in 1735. This institution
attracted many Ulster students prior to the establishment
of the Queen’s College in Belfast. Having chosen
Physics, he studied for his MA in Natural Philosophy,
though there is no record of a graduation.
RSJ Clarke, until recently Professor of Clinical
Anaesthetics at the Queen’s University of Belfast, and an
authority on the biographies of Ulster doctors, very
helpfully revealed that from 1740 Dr Kennedy studied
medicine at the University of Leyden. It is quite possible
that his interest in mapping began in Holland, as at that
time this country had long led the world in the field of
cartography. In 1741 he obtained his MD from the
University of Rheims. He afterwards became a general
practitioner in Downpatrick. For six months in 1767 he
became the first surgeon (honorary) at the Downe
County Infirmary. He died in 1769.
His son, the Rev. Thomas Kennedy Bailie was rector
of Christ Church in the Parish of Kilmore, County Down.
That church has since been removed and rebuilt at the
Ulster Folk & Transport Museum.
The development of cartography in Ireland often
needs to be treated sensitively as it was frequently
associated with the mapping of forfeited and escheated
lands that later became colonised. I had always been
aware that by the 1750s, for the majority of baronies,
Fig 1. 1755 Map of County Down

47
there was little county mapping to compare to the
significant advances made by Sir William Petty some
considerable time before. However, later, in certain parts
of Ireland, due mainly to the efforts of learned academic
societies and a few gentlemen such as Dr Kennedy, some
considerably improved county maps were produced that
were not directly associated with conquest.
The fact that previous Irish maps were often either
wholly or partly derivative did not seem to prevent
many cartographers from claiming them as their own
original work. Dr Kennedy, a man of perhaps greater
integrity, may not have attached his name because he
was not totally involved in the associated fieldwork, the
material coming from local landlords and others such as
the surveyor John McClatchey.
In this map of the county Dr Kennedy clearly
delineated the baronies, the market towns, the general
location of townlands, and some of the sites of
antiquarian interest such as ‘Shrule Well’. He was,
however, more than a little reticent in not highlighting
the ruined abbeys of the County. As the map predated
the use of contours, the Mournes and other hills are
drawn fittingly, but maybe a little obtrusively, as large
molehills. Of particular interest to the Lecale Society, the
old Race Course to the south of Downpatrick is
identified. The former higher water levels around and
downstream from the town are clearly brought out by the
use of shading and merging lines
Hand-written all over the entire map both front and,
thankfully, mostly on the back, is a vast amount of data
and geographical information. For example, it describes
such matters as the deployment of troops, and in another
instance, lists clergy and applotment incomes that had
just recently replaced payments in kind as the form of
tithes. Somewhat spoiling the overall appearance of the
48
Fig 2. Key to additional handwritten information added in 1830s
map, all this information was added by someone in the
1830s and should not in any way be attributed to Dr
Kennedy (Fig. 2).
As well as being a statement of contemporary
geographical knowledge and achievement, this map is
also a record of the values of its cartographer and his
clientele and as such it is in part a political and
philosophical statement. In the mid-eighteenth century
the landed gentry, the judiciary, the established church,
and the military when needed, were very much in
control of most aspects of life.
I feel that some of these influences reveal themselves
in much of the construction and content of this map as it
highlights many houses of the gentry together with their
demesnes and the boroughs that were the seats of
constitutional power. Dr Kennedy highlighted the
churches and parishes of the Church of Ireland, but made
no reference to any places of worship connected with
Roman Catholics and Presbyterians. This reflected the
attitudes of the time.
Though some historians and cartographic
commentators continue to one-sidedly criticise the
eighteenth century ascendancy and establishment for
being over-privileged, oppressive, class based, oligarchic,
and exclusively Episcopalian, I feel that in not all
situations and instances should such opinions be so
universally and stridently applied, as many of these
people often had a very positive influence on various
aspects of Irish life. Viewed this way the map can be seen
to reflect and incorporate many of their finer points,
amongst which was their influence on some very
significant advances and achievements associated with
this period when, for example, learning, craftsmanship,
aestheticism, architecture, town planning and taste
reached cumulative heights that may never be surpassed.

At this time, maps such as this were drawn with

considerable flourish. This work of Dr Kennedy further
confirmed my belief that maps of all periods can be
viewed as a distinctive and marvellous kaleidoscope of
shape, line, shading and at times art itself. The overall
appearance of this map, which was especially well
engraved by John Ridge, is very pleasing to the eye. The
original colouring is superb: the boundaries of the
baronies are a particular delight with their sensitive,
subtle shades. It has two most striking compass roses,
and a marvellous rococo cartouche by John Gillies,
alongside which is an Irish harp and two quite delightful
vignettes: on one side an idealised representation of two
farmhouses and a spinning wheel, and on the other a
drawing of a keep overlooking a boat being pulled by a
horse along a river or canal, possibly representing the
Newry canal, all symbols of a historic Irish county with
an increasingly productive economy (Fig. 3).
The few other county maps then in existence
undoubtedly influenced the selection and presentation of
many of the features shown on the map. I feel,
however, that the overall arrangement and its content,
including much navigational information with the
wonderful use of form lines to delineate the coastline, all
Fig. 3 Decorative cartouche and vignettes
clearly demonstrate Dr Kennedy’s considerable
cartographic knowledge and his originality.
Not unlike the understanding gained from the
reading of landscapes, an examination of old maps can
reveal some of the important as well as the often
forgotten or hidden influences that were involved in their
construction. Fascinated by maps since my student days,
I was very interested in this rare example. With its multi-
faceted geographic and historical detail brought together
by such a multi-talented cartographer, this map has
indeed an interesting tale to tell. It should be of great
interest to County Down readers of the Lecale Review.
Notes and references
1. J H Andrews, Plantation Acres Ulster Historical Foundation
1985.
2. J H Andrews, Shapes of Ireland Geography Publications Dublin
1997.
3. PRONI T/1744, Pedigree of the Kennedy Family.
4. Kathleen Rankin , Linen Houses of the Bann Valley Ulster
Historical Foundation 2007.

49
The D J McNeill Collection
M Lesley Simpson

The D J McNeill Collection forms a

significant part of Down County Museum’s
Photographic Archive 1 and it is therefore
important that it is better known. Publishing
‘Our D J’ last year was a major step forward in
this direction. 2 Some images in the collection are
familiar to local people as they have appeared in
newspapers. Others are photographs of the
extended family but there is a wealth of so far
untapped information contained in other
images, covering the daily lives of the people of
Down. There are over 10,000 images of
Downpatrick, 4500 of Dundrum and 7000 of
other places in County Down. Ardglass, Bangor,
Newcastle, Portaferry and Strangford are well
illustrated. In addition, there are nearly 5000
covering the history of the Technical College, nearly 400 A rare photograph of D J himself, posing here beside a replica of Harry
of the Belfast and County Down Railway and another Ferguson’s aeroplane, in a procession in Newcastle, 1980.
6000 of individuals and groups of people. has a very personal and direct link. As ours is a
community museum it is important that we do know the
The collection has been indexed, and during the past people behind the objects and photographs and that
year the bulk of the black and white negatives have been these connections are maintained. We are currently
transferred from their original envelopes and boxes to preparing another book, this time about farming, to be
archival quality pockets and containers. They are published in 2009, which will include yet more
available for viewing by appointment at the museum. photographs taken by D J. The museum staff appreciates
The museum holds copyright of all photographs taken the generosity of the McNeill family for their gift and we
by D J himself; older photographs, copied by D J, pose will continue to make use of such a valuable resource.
issues of copyright ownership and this may take some
time to establish. Notes and references

1. For an overview see ‘Down through the Lens’, by M Lesley

I was fortunate enough to have known D J McNeill,
Simpson and Allen Thompson, in Down Survey, 2001.
albeit for only a short time, and his son Dan and
daughters Elizabeth and Frances, so that this collection 2. Our D J, edited by M Lesley Simpson, 2007

50
Francis Joseph Bigger of Belfast and Ardglass
Ireland’s Cultural Crusader
Roger Dixon
Francis Joseph Bigger is chiefly remembered today as were increasingly
a prominent Belfast Protestant who very publicly archaeological and
supported Irish Nationalism but he was also a highly historical. He was soon
successful solicitor, an enthusiastic archaeologist, a corresponding with an
writer, and a tireless promoter of all aspects of Irish older generation of like-
culture. An article written about him in 1916 described minded antiquarians
him as ‘Everywhere and always the enthusiastic, apostle of such as the Rev. George
Ireland’s ancient customs and traditions, of her language, Hill and Rev. James
music and pastimes, and the earnest and successful promoter O'Laverty. Maybe they
of the development of our industries, he is comparable with St. encouraged him to
Patrick himself.’1 This is perhaps a little exaggerated but revive the Ulster Journal
is typical of the kind of reverence Bigger inspired in his of Archaeology. This
admirers who ranged from politicians such as Roger distinguished periodical
Casement to writers like Joseph Campbell. had not been produced
for thirty years when
He was born in Belfast in 1863 to a wealthy Bigger formed a committee of enthusiasts to re-launch it
Presbyterian business family and was educated at the in 1894. It was originally edited by Bigger and Robert M
Royal Belfast Academical Institution before going on to Young but after a couple of years Bigger became sole
study Law at Queens University and at Kings Inn in editor and remained so until the Journal’s second
Dublin. On being admitted a solicitor in 1887 he demise in 1911. It was at this time that he acquired a life-
returned to Belfast and set up a legal practice in Royal long interest in the Irish Language and the Gaelic League.
Avenue with his life long friend George Strachan. In 1892 P.J. O’Shea, an Irish speaking Customs Officer
from Munster, introduced Irish classes for members of
Obviously the work of building up a new practice the Field Club and Bigger became an enthusiastic
was not challenging enough for Bigger. He was soon member. Classes were held at the Belfast Arts Society
deeply involved in the cultural life of the city. He joined rooms with excursions organized usually by Bigger to
the Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club and became the club Irish speaking areas in Donegal and the Glens of
secretary, a position he was to hold for ten years before Antrim.
becoming its president. The club made excursions all
over the north of Ireland and if Bigger discovered that the When the Gaelic League was formed in Belfast in 1895
area they were visiting was of historic interest he would Bigger was appointed to the Executive Committee. In
give a talk about it or invite another scholar to do so. 1905 he went on to found a Belfast College of Irish at St
Although the club’s interests were mainly botanical, his Mary’s Hall and he remained its patron until the

51
college’s closure in 1923. It was largely through his
involvement with the language and the League that he
was to meet some of the most influential people in his life
including Sir Roger Casement.
All these activities, coupled with the task of building
up his successful legal practice, are an indication of his
formidable energy and ability.
Opinions on his ability as a practical archaeologist are
divided. He spent his weekends exploring Ireland,
particularly in the counties of Antrim and Down,
investigating all possible archaeological sites. In County
Down he had some success in identifying a number of
previously unknown sites, and having them surveyed
and protected. In Ardglass Golf Course he unearthed the
remains of a pre-Reformation Statue of the Virgin and
Child. This statue much restored stands above the
entrance to Dunsford Church. Bigger used his position as
editor of the Ulster Journal of Archaeology to publicise and
raise funds for the projects he organised. Not all of these
were strictly archaeological as in the case of the marking
of the reputed grave of St Patrick. In this case Bigger used
the journal as a means of appealing for funds to erect a
memorial to the saint in Downpatrick. In 1900 he was
able to report that
‘The editor is pleased to be able to state that all
arrangements have now been made for putting a suitable
monument over the grave of St Patrick in the cathedral
yard at Downpatrick. All parties are contributing to the
work which will entail considerable expense. Subscriptions
for this object should be sent to the editor who will give a
full account in a subsequent number of the journal.…When
the town cross of Downpatrick was restored a few years ago
the necessary sum was subscribed and expended by the
editor and he feels assured a similar result will ensue in the
present instance.’
52
As usual, Bigger was highly successful in raising the
funding. The subscription list included the aristocracy,
local landowners and the Belfast & Co. Down Railway
Company as well as local people. The memorial, as
devised by Bigger himself, took the form of a massive
block of Mourne granite, weighing well over two tons. It
took twelve men fourteen days to cut and transport it to
the chosen site. The monolith was described by Bigger as
having upon its surface ‘a deeply cut early Celtic cross, full
size copied from a rude sixth or seventh century grave slab,
found by the writer on Iniscleraun, in Lough Ree on the
Shannon.’ He went on to say that ‘The response to my request
for funds was spontaneous and generous, I feel very proud that
this journal has so largely been the means of carrying out this
praiseworthy object.’ 2
Bigger was also instrumental in recovering three
broken fragments of a Celtic cross from the grave site. He
had them removed to the cathedral with the intention of
raising funds to have the cross reconstructed using the
fragments. Archaeological fragments in themselves had
little appeal for Bigger, who usually wanted a complete
object even if the majority of it was a reconstruction. He
applied the same principal to all sorts of objects in his
possession from furniture to volunteer trumpets. This
was, of course, a common enough approach in the 19th
century when whole castles were imaginatively
reconstructed from romantic ruins.
His most ambitious project involved Jordan's Castle
at Ardglass which he purchased in a derelict state in 1911
and set about repairing and furnishing. Bigger's work at
Jordan's Castle was full scale restoration rather than an
archaeological investigation and the project had
enormous impact on his contemporaries. Writers who
were sympathetic to Bigger, viewed this not as the rescue
of an old building but as a political act. Alice Stopford
Greene, the historian and nationalist, gives a vivid and

Jordan’s Castle
emotional account of the opening of the castle to the
people of Ardglass for the first time.
‘A little platform was set against the sheltered west wall of
the castle. A beacon flamed on one of the towers, and the
ceremony began with a display of limelight pictures on the
wall. Then there was Irish dancing and singing on the little
platform, with the grey wall of the castle as a background
and waving ivy branches and tree shadows in the
limelight, a scene of marvellous light and shade. But the
great moment of all came when a huge Irish flag was flown
out on the night wind from the Columba tower. I have
never seen so magic a sight. For hours crowds climbed and
descended the narrow winding staircase in the castle turret,
lighted by candles fixed in old Ulster iron holders.
Strangers dispersed about eleven o'clock but men of the
village sat round the fire of the old guardroom for hours
after, singing songs of Ireland endlessly..’3
Banqueting Hall at the Castle
Bigger frequently used the castle at weekends to
entertain friends and to hold festivals of Irish music
and dance. There was always an element of fancy
dress in Bigger's antiquarianism and he and his guests
would often dress up in Elizabethan or medieval Irish
costume for the entertainment. It says much for
Bigger's power of persuasion that he often managed
to persuade local musicians and dancers to join in the
fancy dress.
If Bigger's archaeological work was well regarded by
the scholars of his day, subsequent generations of
archaeologists have been less enthusiastic. Essentially
53

Musicians on the ramparts of the Castle
Bigger's approach was that of a romantic historian not a
scientific archaeologist, and in this he was a man of his
time. His numerous articles on archaeological subjects
clearly illustrate this point. The following extract is from
his published archaeological survey of the Friary of Bun-
na-Mairghie near Ballycastle,
‘We can readily picture the friars, on a bright Easter
morning, trooping out of the beautiful church after the early
service, with the resounding Te Deum and the Music of the
songs of exultation still ringing in their ears, to gaze up at
the great dome of Knoc-lade clearly cutting into the blue
sky, the fleecy clouds chasing each other like lambs across
the valley of Glenshesk, with the winding waters of the
Margie dancing over their pebbly bed in the sunlight close
at hand, the deep pools sheltered by the hazel woods, or the
overhanging banks affording ample shelter for the speckled
trout which largely supplied the table of these Franciscan
brothers.’4
54
Although this extract has a certain charm,
it is unlikely that many modern researchers
would read forty pages of purple prose in
order to discover a few salient facts. This is
undoubtedly one of the reasons why his
writings have been largely neglected over the
past fifty years. Bigger did attempt a more
systematic survey of archaeological sites and
there is evidence among his collected papers
to suggest that he intended to survey and list
all the ancient sites in the north-east of
Ireland. As well as his own work he collected
the manuscripts of other archaeologists and
local historians. Although Bigger researched
information on some hundreds of sites, it was
never catalogued or published. Bigger's
notes give not only written descriptions and
measurements but interestingly record any local folklore
or legends covering the site including the names of his
informants. These frequently unfinished notes are often
of considerably more use and interest than the scores of
learned articles that Bigger produced over the years.
Bigger's reputation as an archaeologist and historian
did not survive his death. In 1931 we find H. C. Lawlor
of the Royal Irish Academy attacking Bigger’s reputation
as a scholar in the Glensman. He suggested that Bigger
was one of the ‘Charlatan historians who, when they did not
know or were too lazy to find out facts invented them.’ He
adds ‘Perhaps the worst offender in this respect was the late
Mr Bigger.’5 He then goes on to systematically denigrate
Bigger's work on Bun-na Mairghie. However Bigger was
still highly respected in the Glens, a number of
correspondents suggested that Lawlor had waited until
Bigger was safely in his grave to attack him. Bigger’s
defenders tended to admire his character rather than his
scholarship; for in his efforts to make history popular and
exciting he often treated the facts in a cavalier fashion.
Lawlor was not moved and in a reply in the Glensman he
defended his criticisms and issued further ones,
‘Can Mr Allen (he writes) excuse Mr Bigger for writing
a little history of Layde church pasted up on the notice
board at the gate stating that it also was a Franciscan
house? or the mutilation of history in his attempt to
connect Shane O'Neill's name with Jordan's Castle,
Ardglass.’
Perhaps in an attempt to placate Bigger's many
admirers in the Glens the Journal followed Lawlor's
attack with a long article on the Glens Feis. This praised
Bigger's work in organizing it,6 suggesting that Bigger's
strength lay not in his scholarship but in his ability to
organize and inspire others. Bigger's writings have not
entirely been forgotten and interestingly one of his
articles was reproduced in the Journal of the Clifden and
Connemara Heritage Group I 1995. Bigger would have
been delighted but not surprised by the introductory
paragraph, which reads.
‘In accordance with our policy of re-printing articles on
Connemara we have chosen a text by F.J. Bigger, M.R.I.A.
published in 1896 in the Journal of the Royal Society of
Antiquaries of Ireland. We consider this one of the best
descriptions ever given of the island's archaeological
heritage.’
An interesting feature of the many books and articles
which he published are the large number of illustrations
and photographs included in them. Without doubt one
of Bigger's most important legacies was his photographic
collection. He was a keen amateur photographer and
brought his camera with him on the Belfast Naturalists’
Field Club excursions as early as the 1890s. The Ulster
Museum holds some five thousand photographs taken
by him which have recently been catalogued.
By the early 1900s Bigger’s influence went far
beyond academic and cultural circles. This was partly
because of his reputation as a successful lawyer but also
because he was known as a man who could get things
done. In many ways his house Ardrigh on Belfast’s
Antrim Road had become an Irish Cultural Institute
where those interested in Irish culture and nationalist
politics could meet. Young poets, playwrights and
musicians exchanged ideas with politicians such as
Roger Casement and Bulmer Hobson while Francis
McPeake entertained them on the Irish pipes. This was
to be the busiest and most successful period of Bigger’s
life. Two events in particular occupied a great deal of his
time namely, the Glen’s Feis and the St Louis World Fair.
Bigger’s involvement with the Irish crafts section of the
St Louis World Fair was originally his mere agreement to
lend examples of Irish crafts such as painting and clock
making from his own collection. However, once his
abilities were recognised by the organisers he became
increasingly involved and eventually commissioned
works for it from local artists. One such exhibit was a set
of Irish pipes commissioned by Bigger from the Belfast
pipe maker O’Meala. After the exhibition was over they
were to play a famous part in the folklore of Irish music
because Bigger gave them to Francis McPeake and it was
on these that he first learned to play, tutored at Bigger's
expense by O’Reilly, the blind Galway piper. The Glen’s
Feis grew out of his desire to hold a series of large Gaelic
cultural events at home in Ireland. Bigger was nominally
the treasurer of the Feis Committee, but his wide network
of contacts and his considerable organisational skills gave
him a far more substantial role and the event’s success
was largely due to him. He did not invent the tradition
of the Feis, but in 1904 he was to build on that tradition
and expand it beyond music and language to include
every aspect of Irish folk art and culture. Years later
Benmore writing in the Glensman in 1932 looked back on
that day as one of the greatest the Glens had ever known.
55
 ‘Mr Bigger spared no expense to make the scene a brilliant
one, that lives still in the memories of many. The splendid
unselfish enthusiasm of those days in the Glens shines
down the years. There was no strife; all creeds, all classes
were there. It was a great day! Words mere words cannot
describe how young Ireland’s pulse beat. It left a memory
that will never be forgotten.’
This was Bigger at his enthusiastic best stage-
managing a huge successful event and most importantly
getting a sizeable section of the Protestant community to
take part in a festival celebrating Irish culture.
Pubs and Cottages
Two other enterprises demonstrate Bigger's unique
blend of romantic nationalism and common sense
practicality. They were the Ulster Public House
Association and the movement to provide improved
housing for labourers in rural Ireland.
The impetus for Bigger's involvement with public
houses was his horror at the squalor, both moral and
physical, of the average public house in Ulster. Perhaps
inspired by inns he had encountered in his travels
elsewhere he decided to do something to improve the
standards of the Ulster public house. It is typical of
Bigger's energy and determination that if he could not
make others act by exhortation and complaints then he
would act himself, which is exactly what he did in this
case. The first pub to come to his attention was the tiny
but notorious Ballyvesey Spirit Grocer sited near the
Antrim Road between Glengormley and Templepatrick,
not far from the old Bigger lands at Mallusk. It had a
reputation for drunkenness and brawling and was a
constant source of embarrassment to the freeholder of the
property who happened to be the local Church of Ireland.
With the support of the Church, concerned local residents
56
and his own influential friends he took over the lease of
this very unpromising property. The lease was taken out
under the name of a new body founded and largely
funded by Bigger himself, called the Ulster Public House
Association. Its mission was to acquire run down,
disreputable pubs and turn them into convivial inns,
where good food and drink could be consumed in
pleasant, clean and safe surroundings. The whole
building was restored, repainted and fitted out with local
wooden furniture and renamed the ‘Crown and
Shamrock’. Bigger chose the name which he hoped
symbolized the amalgamation of the two political
traditions which would enjoy hospitality there. The
venture was a success and led to further acquisitions, the
most ambitious of which was the rebuilding of the
‘Templeton Arms’ in Templepatrick. This was a larger
building than the ‘Crown and Shamrock’ and a great deal
of care went into the interior fittings. Not only were the
best local craftsmen employed in the work, but Bigger
chose antiques and prints of local interest to decorate it.
In Bigger's estimation this was to be much more than a
wayside inn, he hoped it would be a centre of village life.
The only other two pubs created by the Association were
Dunleath Arms Hotel, Ballywalter
the ‘Dunleath Arms’ in Ballywalter and the
‘Mermaid’ in Kircubbin. Both were fitted out
by local craftsmen, but in the case of the
‘Dunleath Arms’ a completely new building in
the Arts and Crafts style was commissioned
which survives to this day as a listed building.
Typical of Bigger’s attention to detail were the
pub signs designed and painted by Bigger's
friend, John Vinycombe, the renowned artist.
The sign at Kircubbin depicted appropriately
the Mermaid of Mahee. The work of the
Association, however, did not lead to the
general rise in standards in local public houses
as Bigger had hoped. Commercially the
venture was never a success and with Bigger's
numerous other interests calling on his time
and money the Association was wound up.

His involvement with labourers’ cottages

began when an open competition was
organized by the local Government Board to design
suitable and cheap dwellings for agricultural labourers.
In 1907 the winning design was published in the Irish
Independent. Bigger was outraged at the outcome and
soon put pen to paper in reply, stating that
Bigger’s design for a ‘labourer’s cottage’
plans and illustrations of interiors. His ideal cottage was
a typical mixture of practical ideas coupled to a romantic
view of Irish peasant life.

‘I have seen three newspaper sketches of plans, arranged in
their order of merit according to the Board's award. I
consider them unfitted for a poor man's dwelling in Ireland,
and it appears regrettable that an Irish Board should have
awarded the first place to an unsuitable plan for an Irish
cottage to a Manchester man, plus £50 of Irish money.’
The obvious reply from a number of critics was ‘if you
are so clever Mr Bigger why don't you design a better one
yourself?’ This he promptly set out to do. In a pamphlet
published by the Irish Independent in 1907 he expressed
his views on the Irish cottage, complete with architect's
The pamphlet however was not the end of the matter,
for Bigger was no academic handing down theories of
living to the working man; he was a man of action. As
he had done with the public houses he set out to lead by
example. At his own expense he began to erect a series
of labourers’ dwellings around Glengormley. Four
charming little cottages were built by him in a field
adjoining the ‘Crown and Shamrock’. Another row,
named ‘Sally Gardens’ after the poem by his friend Yeats,
was built beside the Ballyclare Road in what was then
open country.

57
Cultural Politics
For Bigger, reviving Irish Gaelic Culture was not an
end in itself but a way of uniting those of different
religions in a shared pride in their own country. His
promotion of local arts and crafts was all part of that
vision; for it was not just about encouraging local skills,
but about creating a proud and united community.
Bigger’s vision was essentially that of a European 19th
century romantic; he distrusted cities and fostered a
dream of a thriving rural Ireland freed of squalor and
sustained by local crafts and industries. This vision was
set out by him in a pamphlet published in 1907 in which
he states that with the right encouragement
‘rural sports, pastimes, and cottage industries will grow up
as of old in Ireland, and the land will again be filled with
newness of life, and social joys will increase, and the people
will depend upon themselves and their own efforts and
aspirations , then, indeed the life blood of Ireland will begin
to course again through the nation’s veins.’7
Bigger's ability to organise and his renowned
influence in legal, academic and local government
circles in Belfast were to be of great value to the Gaelic
League in the North. Indeed Bigger was constantly at
work on behalf of the League organising increasingly
large gatherings culminating in a huge event at the Ulster
Hall. Cathal O'Byrne recounts that
‘During his term as President of the Gaelic League in
Belfast, Mr Bigger decided that the Gaels had stayed quite
long enough in the lanes and back streets and as nothing
was too good for the Gaelic League they should have a big
show in the Ulster Hall...A big success is proved.’8
In addition to his abilities as a general organiser he
also had considerable talent for rousing others in
support of the cause by both writing and lecturing. In his
58
political writings he preferred to deal with the past rather
than attempt to analyse the contemporary political
situation; the Land War, the Plantation of Ulster and the
1798 Rebellion were among his favourite subjects and he
covered them on many occasions in publications such as
Sinn Fein and The Gael. Although probably not actively
involved in the organising of the 1916 Rebellion himself,
a number of his very close associates, particularly Roger
Casement and Denis McCullough were. For Bigger
however, seeing his dreams of romantic nationalism turn
into the reality of civil war in the South and full scale
sectarian conflict in the North must have been
devastating.
Despite the upheavals following 1916 and the trauma
of partition, life at Ardrigh continued much as before
although he did spend increasing amounts of time at
Jordan’s castle to escape the sectarian atmosphere of
Belfast. He remained a cheerful, generous and sociable
man filling both Ardrigh and Jordan’s castle with young
people and holding evenings of Irish music and dancing.
All who knew him spoke of his unfailing kindness. If
anyone was ill he would be the first to visit always
arriving laden with fruit and flowers from his gardens
and honey from his bees. He also continued with his
interests in archaeology, raising money and initiating
numerous projects including the restoration of St
Patrick’s Church at Raholp. By this stage both Ardrigh
and Jordan’s Castle were practically museums, for as
well as books Bigger collected all manner of Irish artistic
and historic artefacts from death masks to Belfast glass.
A visitor to the castle in 1921 reported that
‘Castle Shean under the occupation of Mr Bigger has
become a most interesting museum of Irish ethnographical
objects, so numerous and detailed that we regretted lack of
time prevented full justice being done to them’9
 When he died in 1926 his beloved home Ardrigh did
not long survive him. Initially, it was acquired by his
friend and admirer the Belfast Nationalist M.P. Joe Devlin
who perhaps hoped to keep something of the spirit of
Bigger's hospitality alive, but he was never really happy
in this big house and soon gave it up. After the war the
once splendid gardens were sold off as building plots
and in the 1970s the house was demolished to make way
for a block of apartments named Ardrigh Court. Jordan’s
Castle at Ardglass fared much better because it was given
over to the care of the Northern Ireland Government by
Bigger’s heir, J. Warwick Bigger.10 However, even this
generous gift was not received without controversy. The
Government initially appeared reluctant to accept the
donation of the castle. Warwick Bigger was forced to
write to the Permanent Secretary of the Department of
Finance in 1927 expressing his frustration and anger over
the process,
‘The failure of the Government to accept this donation could
not, I think, fail to be attributed to a spirit of bigotry…I
should be sorry to believe that the conduct of the
Government in relation to the history and antiquities of
Ulster should be swayed by any such spirit.’11
Luckily the government relented and accepted the
castle into its care where it still remains, well maintained
and open to the public as Bigger would have wished.
In a sense his death in 1926 marked the end of an era
of great hope for those who believed that Gaelic culture
could unite Protestants and Catholics in Ireland. In the
end, Bigger’s real achievement was his ability to
communicate and inspire ordinary people with his own
love of Ireland's culture and history, even if it was to an
extent a fictional history. Bigger's work at Ardglass and
elsewhere may have left a good deal to be desired as far
as the archaeological profession was concerned, but as a
way of interesting people in their own past and actually
involving them he was spectacularly successful. Also
remarkable was his ability to win respect and even love
from such a wide variety of people. Books and articles
of the period are littered with references to him, and few
men have had more books dedicated to them. Despite
this and the hundreds of articles he wrote his influence
was very much a personal one, so with the death of those
who had known him the memory of his life and
achievements faded. Despite his many failings as a
scholar and his often misguided romantic nationalism he
deserves to be remembered as a man who made a
significant and praiseworthy contribution to the cultural
life of Ireland.
Notes and references
1 Quoted by J.S. Crone in Francis Joseph Bigger in Remembrance,
(Dublin 1927), p27
2 F.J. Bigger The Grave of St. Patrick, Ulster Journal of Archaeology,
Vol.6 No.2 1900, pp61-64
3 Alice Stopford Green, The Old Irish World, (Dublin, 1912) p152
4 F.J. Bigger, The Ancient Friary at Bun-na-Marghie, Belfast, 1898
5 H.C. Lawlor, Bun-na-Mairghie, The Glensman, Vol.1 1931, pp3-5
6 Benmore, Founding the Glen Feis, The Glensman, Vol.1 1932, pp30-
32
7 F.J. Bigger Labourers’ Homes Suitable for Ireland Dublin 1907
8 Cathal O’Byrne, As I Roved Out, Belfast, 1946, p201
9 S.A. Bennett Ardglass Belfast Naturalists Field Club Proceedings,
Vol.8 1922,p152
10 Bigger caused some confusion by naming the building Castle
Shane after his hero Shane O Neil. After his death it reverted to
its historic name of Jordan’s Castle.
11 Bigger Archive, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
59
James Connor, 1877 - 1918
Malachy Ellesmere and Joan Magee

‘CONNOR – November 28, 1918, relatively young age of 52. Jane was left to bring up their
at his residence, John street, four children alone and, as the eldest boy, James became
Downpatrick, James Connor, late of the man of the house. According to the 1901 census Jane
Belfast Celtic Football Club. – R.I.P. and her family were living in Mary Street in
His remains will be removed for Downpatrick; Ellen (13), Annie (10), James (22), and
interment in the Killough-road David (20). By this stage James was already playing as an
cemetery to-morrow (Sunday), at outstanding centre-half, having begun his career with
two o’clock.’ (The Down Recorder
Celtic in the late 1890s. Celtic had been formed in 1890-
30th November 1918).
91 as the Celtic football team, and in 1896 the club was
admitted to the Irish Football League, winning the
Photo courtesy of “Jonny”, League Championship in 1899-1900, with Linfield the
http://nifootball.blogspot.com runners-up. The players on the winning team were
‘James Connor occupied a place Maginnis, Fleming, Doran, Nicholl, Connor, McConville,
unique in the annals of the game in McGarry, Abraham, Dorrian, Anderson and Dornan. In
Ireland, and though principally 1899-1900 the team’s title was altered to that of “Belfast
identified with Irish club football, he Celtic” and in 1901 it was the first club in Ireland to be
was recognised throughout England incorporated as a Limited Company. When a corrugated
and Scotland as amongst the half- iron roof was erected in 1905, it became the first club in
dozen best all-round players to be An Irish Football League Ireland to provide shelter for unreserved spectators.1
met with. It was as a centre-half that medal received by James
he made his name, graduating out of Connor in 1905.
James joined Glentoran football team for the 1900-01
Rathkeltair Club, Downpatrick, into Belfast Celtic, with which season. He then returned to Belfast Celtic for the 1901-02
organisation he was associated during the greater part of an season but rejoined the Glens 1902-03 until 1904-05.
unusually long career on the field. He played for Ireland in a During his footballing career he earned 13 caps in total
number of international games, always with distinction, and
and 2 of these were secured while he was playing for the
he was a gentlemanly, clean footballer, who knew the art of the
Glens. On the first occasion Scotland defeated Ireland in
game thoroughly and practised it in a manner that will long
Glasgow on the 23rd of February 1901 with a score of 11-
serve as a model to be followed.’ (Irish News 29th November
1918). 0, while the second cap was acquired on the 9th of March
1901when Ireland lost to England at Southampton, 0-3.
One of two sons born to Edward and Jane Connor, In the Irish League Glentoran finished as runners-up and
James was only 15 years old when, owing to heart on defeating Cliftonville 2-1 they claimed the County
disease and bronchitis his father died in 1893 at the Antrim Shield.

60
 James played for Belfast Celtic from 1904-05 until the days into the tour realised that their supplies of “fags”
end of the 1912-13 season. On his return after an absence were running low. From that point on they were all on
of four years, he retrieved his place on the team and won the look-out for a shop that sold “Woodbines” or
his first cap for Ireland, while playing for Belfast Celtic, “Players.” While in Prague the team received an
when they drew 1-1 with England on the 25th of invitation from students of one of the local literary
February 1905 at Ayresome Park, Middlesborough. He societies, who felt it would be an opportunity to
achieved another two caps in 1905; first on the 18th improve their English by conversing with the team
March when Ireland lost to Scotland 0-4, and again on the members. ‘It was a regular scream when the late Jimmy
8th of April when Ireland drew with Wales 2-2. The Irish Connor, with his broad Scotch dialect (Downpatrick) and
News of the time reported that; “The game all through is Bobby Norwood, in the pure Lisburn dulcet tones, endeavoured
rather a difficult one to criticise, as both teams made to educate them in English as it should be spoken, and the poor
brilliant spurts, and looked all over their opponents; then students drank it all in.’ 3
a complete change would come over the scene, and
exactly a different complexion would take
place…Connor tackled and worried in his usual style,
being brilliant at intervals, and then resting for another
flash,” (Irish News, 10th April 1905). Subsequent caps
were won in the ensuing matches: 16th February 1907
Ireland lost to England 0-1; 16th March 1907 they lost to
Scotland 0-3; 15th February 1908 Ireland lost to England
1-3 and again on the 14th March they lost to Scotland 0-
5; 20th March 1909 Ireland lost to Wales 2-3; 28th January
1911 Ireland lost to Wales 1-2; 11th February 1911 Ireland
lost to England 1-2 and finally on the 18th March 1911
when Ireland lost to Scotland 0-2.
Belfast Celtic - Prague 1912

James was known to have walked some twenty miles

The influenza epidemic of 1918 claimed the life of
to Belfast to play his games, before making the return
James Connor, who died on Thursday 28th November,
journeys home again on foot. ‘It was quite a common thing
only 5 years following his retirement from football. He
for the late Jimmy Connor to walk to Celtic Park from
was 41 years old. The following Saturday the Belfast
Downpatrick, “play a blinder,” and then walk back again, and
Celtic Club flag was flown at half-mast as a mark of
he was some player.’2 Belfast Celtic became the first club in
respect, and a lightning ballot was organised in his
Ireland to send a team to the continent when a series of
memory. Some years previously, a benefit match had
matches were played in Bohemia during the months of
been played, and twelve medals had been specially
May and June 1912, and James participated in this
struck on the occasion, eleven being for the winning team
continental tour. All the team members carried billheads
and one for the ‘beneficiaire’. James did not accept the
of the hotel in their pockets in case they got lost. Many
twelfth medal at the time, but left it in the safe hands of
of the party were cigarette smokers and about four or five

61
Mr R. Barr, the secretary of the Celtic Club, and it was this
medal that was balloted, the proceeds being forwarded
to his mother Jane.
James was laid to rest on Sunday the 1st of December
1918, and among those attending his funeral, the Belfast
Celtic Club was represented by Messrs. D McCloskey,
J.P.; Austin Donnelly, R. Barr, M. Hamill, W. Parker, Peter
O’Hagan, W. J. Donnelly, J.P.; M. J. McCann, J.P.; T.
Hanna, J. McSorley, and J. Keenan. James is buried in the
SeaGen - A World First
Alan Johnston
The SeaGen Marine Current Turbine is seen here
against the background of Strangford village where the
strong tides of the narrows of Strangford Lough will
generate ‘green’ electricity to feed into the grid for 1,000 local
homes. It is planned to be generating electricity before the
This is from the second of two postcards produced by Alan Johnston and distributed locally. The first postcard recorded the earlier installation of SeaGen
62
Killough Road graveyard, Downpatrick, alongside his
parents and his brother David.
Notes and references
1 Padraig Coyle, Paradise Lost and Found, (Mainstream Publishing,
1999).
2 Author unknown, History of Belfast Celtic Football Club, (Dormann
& Hodgett, 1929).
3 Ibid.
end of the year. In such an environmentally sensitive area
the effects of this world prototype are being closely
monitored. The turbine blades on the crossbeam, normally
submerged and driven by the current, are pictured here
briefly in raised position for maintenance. The colours (black
and orange stripes) are dictated by international maritime
regulations. The figure in the doorway indicates scale.
A Cuckoo in the Tomb: Trouble at the Wallace Mausoleum,
Downpatrick 1861
Finbar McCormick
Introduction one’s family, separate from those of strangers. The
sentiment is expressed in an unpublished tract written by
There is scarcely a town in Ireland that has more William Montgomery, of Rosemount near Greyabbey, in
mausolea in its churchyards than Downpatrick. about 1700. In A treatise of mens right to dispose of tombes
Mausolea, generally, are only occasionally found outside which themselves have made and dedicated3 he defends his
large urban cemeteries. Where they occur, there are right to build a vault in Greyabbey. He argues against the
usually only one or two present in a graveyard. The burial habits of the ‘Vulgar’ who ‘make a charnel house
fashion of raising these ‘houses of the dead’ was of his burial place’. He ordains that ‘other bones shall not
particularly popular in east County Down and especially be put in it [his vault] to mingle with my dear wives, and
in Lecale where most graveyards can display at least one my own’. On the basis of Corinthians 6:19 he argues that
of these structures. Many, such as Ballyculter, Ballee, as ‘Bodys were once Temples of ye Holy Ghost they are
Kilmore, and the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian and much more to be
Church of Ireland Parish churchyards in Downpatrick respected than ye
boast several examples. The recently constructed stones and Dust of
Hastings mausoleum in the cathedral graveyard in King David’s Citty’.
Downpatrick continues this local tradition. He quotes Psalm 141
in which David
While mausolea have an ancestry going back to derides the occasion
antiquity, their revival in more recent times was a where ‘our bones are
consequence of the reformation in Scotland. Calvinist scattered at the graves
attitudes led to the prohibition of burial within churches. mouth, as one cutteth
The Church's attitude at the time is succinctly and cleaveth wood
summarised on an inscription on the 1609 Melville upon the earth’ and
mausoleum in Collessie, Fife: 'Defyle not Christs kirk argues that 'no man
with your carrion'1. Aristocratic families, on being forced hath right over
to be buried among the commoners in the graveyard, another ’s bones or
reacted by building vaults and mausolea2. The fashion of Dust, or any way to
building mausolea did not begin in Ireland until the later displace (or mingle
eighteenth century with the main period of construction with) them, much less
occurring during the following century. to scatter them (as K.
David bewails) at ye
One of the objectives of building a vault or Grave’s mouth like
The Pilson Memorial
mausoleum was to keep one’s remains, and those of chipps'.

63
 When mausolea or vaults were built it was sometimes
the custom for the builder to exhume a parent, or close
relative, and reinter them in the new tomb. This ensured
that the builder would have company when they finally
took up residence therein. While this might simply have
entailed digging up a person, or persons, previously
interred at the site of the new mausoleum, sometimes the
disinterred would have to be transported a considerable
distance. When Dr Alexander Gracey, formerly of
Ballyhosset House, Co. Down4, bought a burial plot for
himself at Lindisfarne in Northumbria, he had his father
disinterred and brought from Ireland to the new grave.
On a more local scale Aynsworth Pilson built a new vault
for himself in the Parish graveyard in Downpatrick in
1826. On the 20th of December, a few weeks after
building work finished, his diary records that “I had the
remains of my dear mother removed from the cathedral
yard to the cemetery in the Churchyard that was lately
made for me”. Aynsworth, himself was not to occupy
the tomb for another 36 years. The Wallace Mausoleum

The Wallace Mausoleum
This article, however, focuses on the Wallace
mausoleum which is located next to that of Pilson. Little
is known of the Miss Wallace who erected the
mausoleum beyond what is outlined in the letters
reproduced below. She was unmarried and her siblings
had pre-deceased her, so she regarded herself as the end
of the family line. The monument bears the following
inscription:
‘Erected by Amelia Wallace of Downpatrick over the
earthly remains of her father John Wallace of Hollymount,
who died 14th of November 1807 aged 89 and of her mother
Susanna Wallace who died 24th of September 1808 aged 59.
Here are also interred the children of John and Suzanna
Wallace, viz. Mary who died in infancy 1791, Elizabeth
Doherty who died 8th of April 1817, Cromwell who died
14th July 1829, John who died 5th January 1852, William
who died 26th of February 1858’.
Upon her death, Miss Wallace was interred in the
tomb and would have remained there undisturbed
except for an incident, that went on to precipitate a row,
that is recorded in three letters published in the
Downpatrick Recorder in 1861. The drama began with
the sudden death of the Rev Horatio Moffatt, then
incumbent of Hollymount church. On 16 November 1861
the newspaper records that “he retired to rest on
Saturday night to all seeming quite well, but when the
servant went to call him next morning, it was found that
life was extinct …the cause of death being an apoplectic

64

Detail of the mausoleum showing the Wallace Coat of Arms
fit”. The report concludes by recording that “his remains
were interred on Wednesday morning in the vault of
Mrs. Moffatt’s family in Downpatrick Parish
Churchyard”.
The Letters
The following week the Downpatrick Recorder
printed two letters referring to the late minister’s
funeral. A further letter was published a week later:
Sir,
Some time since, I erected a monumental stone to the
memory of a beloved mother. Can you inform me if the
minister of the church to which the graveyard is attached
has the legal right (in justice, I know he can have none) of
removing that stone and of desecrating the grave of the dead
by opening it to receive the remains of any person he may
choose to put in it? I am led to make this enquiry from a
paragraph which appeared in a Downpatrick paper of the
16th inst, respecting the particulars of which I have made
some inquiries. The late Miss Wallace of Saul Street,
Downpatrick, erected, with the full cognisance of the Dean
of Down, a vault, which is an ornament to the Parish
Churchyard, at an expense to herself of nearly 200l. (approx
£200). Report says that she expressed the desire that no
interment after her own should take place in that vault, and
it is stated that an injunction to this effect was laid by her
on the executor of her will, and there can be no doubt a
promise was given that her wishes in this respect should be
attended to. Report also states that the Very Rev. Thomas
Woodward, Dean of Down, was appraised of Miss
Wallace’s desire. Notwithstanding, he has forcibly broken
open the vault and caused the interment of a corpse in it,
in direct violation of the injunction of the lady who erected
it, and whose property it was. If the Dean of Down was
justified in this, I suppose he can do the same with every
vault and grave in the Parish Church-yard. If so, an end
will be put to the beautifying of churchyards by the erection
of vaults; for, where the freehold is in the hands of such a
clergyman as the Dean of Down, no one would think of
erecting a vault where the rector usurps the right of opening
it for anyone he wishes to put into it. I always considered
the graves and vaults of our deceased friends as sacred, and
that, being enclosed in burial grounds, they were safe from
violence or injury. But, from the powers claimed by the
Dean of Down, this, it seems, is a very mistaken notion, for
it appears that, at the whim of the rector, and for the mere
sake of showing his power, the just wishes of the living may
be disregarded, the memory of the dead be outraged, and
places of burial be used for persons and purposes for which
they were never intended by those who erected them. If this
be the state of the law, it cannot be too soon or too
extensively made known that such is the case, and an appeal
should at once be made to the Legislature to change a law
of which so tyrannical a use may be made, and which
65
 confers on certain clergymen a power so obviously unjust.
There is not a person in the community who has the spirit
to think for himself, and to express what he does think, who
does not feel that an outrage has been committed on what
has hitherto has been considered as sacred, and a wanton
outrage too. Let every owner of a vault make the case his
own, and just answer this question – would he wish that
his vault should be broken open by any clergyman and a
person interred in it, not only without his consent, but
against his urgent remonstrance? If the Dean had a vault
of his own, would he wish that such a thing should take
place with respect to it; and, if not, should he not do to
others as he would wish them in similar circumstances to
do to him?
I am, sir, your obedient servant
‘A Lover of Justice’
Sir,
Having read in your publication of this day a letter signed
“A Lover of Justice,” headed “Extraordinary Proceedings
in Downpatrick Churchyard”, I think it is right to state
that the facts of the case have been very disingenuously set
forth in that letter. I have no doubt the writer knew all the
facts; and if he had been what he signs himself, “A lover of
Justice” he should have not put forward such an exparte
statement. Perhaps the Dean of Down himself may reply to
the letter; but, should he not, I think it is only a matter of
simple justice to him to place the whole facts before the
public.
About a year before her death the late Miss Amelia Wallace
– who is no relation whatever of a solicitor in this town
bearing that name – erected a vault over the grave of her
ancestors in the Parish Churchyard here. These ancestors
were also the ancestors of Mrs Moffat, relict of the deceased
66
gentleman who was to be interred. Most naturally, Mrs
Moffat expressed a wish to have her husband placed where
she herself desired to be – mingled with the ashes of her own
relations – and, accordingly, that lady gave directions to
have the remains of her beloved husband interred in the
vault of her family, the Miss Wallace here named being the
aunt and nearest relative. On inquiring for the key of the
vault it was found to be in the hands of Mr John Warnock,
solicitor, who is an executor under the will of the late Miss
Wallace, but no relative whatever. That gentleman
positively refused to give the key, notwithstanding the
express wish of Mrs Moffat, in her deep affliction at so
sudden a bereavement, to have her husband buried with her
own relatives. An individual, who is no relation, refused to
give the key of a vault to the niece and nearest relative of the
person interred in it!
The Dean of Down, as rector of the parish, having been put
in possession of the facts, expostulated with Mr Warnock,
through one of his curates, but all to no purpose. His reply
was “I will give the key to neither bishop nor dean”. But
thanks to the enlightened Dean Woodward, who, by his
firm and manly course of proceeding, vindicated the
supremacy of the law, the remains of a worthy and excellent
clergyman were properly interred, at the request of his
sorrowing widow, in the vault which was erected over the
place that had been the burying ground of her fathers for
many years. If ever there was a case which required the
interposition of a rector to give rightful and legal
possession of a vault to the nearest relative of the last person
interred in it, against the opposition of an utter stranger in
blood, who would withhold the key under such
circumstances, it is the one in question.
The nearest male relative of the late Miss Wallace called
upon the dean after the funeral, and, in the presence of
several individuals, personally thanked the very rev.
gentlemen on behalf of himself, the relatives, and
 connexions of the deceased Mr. Moffat, for the very kind
and handsome part which he (the dean) had taken in this
painful matter. To this gentleman, I understand, the dean
handed the keys of the vault. Thus ended an affair which,
but for the wisdom and integrity of the dean: which might
have terminated very differently indeed. The deceased
clergyman was highly respected. His remains were followed
to their last resting place by a very large concourse of
sorrowing friends, among whom were many of the elite of
the county.
I have the honour to be, &c.,
‘A Parishioner of Down’
The solicitor John Warnock felt that his reputation had
been attacked so replied in the following week’s
newspaper under the heading “The ‘Vault’ Affair
Again”:
Sir,
I have read in your publication of Friday last a letter signed
“A Parishioner of Down” in which the writer professes to
place the whole facts of a recent occurrence in Downpatrick
before the public. “A Parishioner” appears to have written
with a twofold object – that of lauding the Dean of Down,
and placing my name invidiously before the public. To his
lauding the dean I have not any objection, if that be the
writer’s wish, and if it suits his purpose; but I ask is it
“simple justice” in a parishioner, even to accomplish that
object, to attempt, by a dishonest statement of facts and
suppression of truth, to vilify me? To give the “whole facts,”
the writer must know them. He either knew them all or he
did not. If he did not know them, then he has in his letter
written a wilful and deliberate falsehood, for he professes to
give the “whole facts.” If he did know them, then he has in
his letter written a willful and deliberate falsehood, for he
professed to give the “whole facts”. If he did know them, and
has not given the “whole facts,” he is guilty of what is
equally bad, for he has wilfully and deliberately suppressed
facts and truth. Is it “simple justice” to try to deceive the
general public by falsehood and suppression of truth?
Many of the parishioners he cannot deceive, for they know
more of the facts than he had the honesty to place before the
public. With your permission, sir, I shall now give a few
further facts, which the truthful narrator of the “whole
facts” has carefully abstained from mentioning “A
Parishioner’s” letter does contain some truths. For
instance, he states, that the late Miss Amelia Wallace was
no relative of a solicitor in this town bearing that name, and
that I am “no relation” and an “utter stranger in blood” –
quite true – but, notwithstanding, the deceased lady and I
stood in the relationship of old friends, acquainted for over
thirty years, and for upwards of twenty years of that time
there existed between the late Miss Amelia Wallace, myself,
and family the tie of friendship and esteem, stronger,
perhaps, than sometimes exists between “nearest relatives”
and “blood relations.” Few acts of the deceased lady for the
last several years of her life were unknown to me, save her
acts of charity and benevolence which were dispensed in a
liberal and Christian spirit, and still fewer matters of
business were transacted by her without my being first
consulted. I am the sole trustee and executor of her will, and
was her sole trustee in all her matters of business where the
intervention of a trustee was necessary; that while
relatives she had never seen, a personal friend and her niece,
Mrs Moffatt, were the chief objects of her bounty, she, at the
same time, showed her regard for me, having by her last will
made substantial gifts to two of my children, and her trust
and confidence in me were well known to her nearest
relations. When the late Miss Wallace determined on
building a vault she consulted another gentleman, also an
“utter stranger in blood” to her, and myself, who procured
a plan which pleased her. In 1859, I made a contract on
behalf of Miss Wallace with a builder, for the erection of the
67
 vault, the gentleman before referred to having undertaken
another duty in regard to it. By Miss Wallace’s desire, a
shell was made in which were placed all the bones which
had been found in the grave in which the remains of her
father had been interred in 1807, her mother in 1809, an
infant sister in 1791, a married sister (the mother of Mrs
Moffatt) in 1817. This shell and the coffins containing the
remains of her brothers, Cromwell, John and William, at
Miss Wallace’s request, and with the sanction of the proper
party, were placed temporarily in an adjoining vault, for
which I had and still have the key. Miss Wallace’s vault was
built to contain five coffins – three on the floor and one on
a shelf on each side of the door. These shelves were built into
the wall. On the completion of the vault, the shell and
coffins were removed to it, three being placed on the floor
which they covered, and one on the shelf to the right of the
door, the shelf opposite being reserved for the remains of
Miss Wallace. This was Miss Wallace’s own arrangement.
I alone received instructions from Miss Wallace for her
funeral, and, to prevent interference by any party, it was
stated in her will that I had received such instructions. Part
of her instructions were that her remains should be placed
on the then unoccupied shelf, and that the vault should then
be closed against further interment in my time. This
injunction I undertook to perform, and, so far as in my
power, I felt, and feel it my bounden duty to fulfil. In Miss
Wallace’s last illness, by her desire, I saw her almost daily
– sometimes more frequently. The burial service was, by
Miss Wallace’s desire, performed by the Rev. S.C. Nelson
– much, I know, to the annoyance of some parties. When
Miss Wallace’s remains were deposited in the vault, every
available space, unless placing one coffin on another, was
occupied.
Sometime after the interment, I had the door of the vault
painted, and the escutcheon over the keyhole screwed down,
in expectation that the dying wishes of the lady who built
the vault would, in an enlightened community, be
68
respected.
Before, I believe, that Mrs. Moffatt gave the directions
which “A Parishioner of Down” states she did, I must have
more reliable authority than the truthful narrator of “whole
facts,” because I know that Miss Wallace’s intentions were
not unknown to her nearest relative.
On the day after the death of the late lamented Rev. Mr.
Moffatt (who was a client and friend), I was called upon by
the party having charge of his funeral arrangements for the
key of the vault. I told him the reason why I could not
comply with his request. He observed, in reference to Miss
Wallace’s wishes, “I always understood so”. I have reason
to believe that my position in regard to the matter was
communicated to Dean Woodward, who is rector of the
parish; for, near to ten o’clock at night, when engaged in my
office, I was called upon by the curate, who, it is stated,
“remonstrated with me,” accompanied by the party who
asked for the key in the morning. The remonstrance was
short and decisive, for I was soon told that, if I did not give
the key, the Dean would break open the vault. I still refused
the key, and gave my reasons for doing so. I was then told
that the Dean had read the law to them before their coming
up to me, and he had said that I, as a lawyer, would know
he had the right to break open the vault. I did not question
his legal right, but repeated Miss Wallace’s directions, and
my engagement, adding that I did not understand the
religion or Christianity which taught that my promise to
fulfil the dying request of the lady was not to be regarded,
and that I would not “give the key to Dean or Bishop”.
From what fell from one of the deputation who called on me,
I have reason to believe that arrangements were in progress
for the interment of the late Rev. Mr. Moffatt’s remains
with those of his father’s family, in their burying-ground
at Clough, where were interred the remains of the late
respected clergyman’s grandfather, grandmother, father,
mother, and three aunts, when a communication from the
Dean to Mrs. Moffatt, after the “remonstrance” was over,
put a stop to them.
Early on Tuesday morning I saw at Miss Wallace’s vault
a whitesmith and the sexton, the former with his tools, busy
at work. The smith, on my speaking to him, collected his
tools and left the vault. I met the Dean outside the
graveyard. The Dean and I had some talk as to the vault,
when he observed that neither of us had any personal
interest in the matter. I told him I had none, save to carry
out the directions of Miss Wallace, and I refused to give him
the key. The Dean then desired the smith “to go and open
that vault”. Having explained the circumstances which, I
believe, the Dean knew very well before, my
“remonstrance” was to no purpose, and the Dean,
advancing into the graveyard, observed, “You may go
about your business, I will show you the value of your key”,
for which permission I thanked him.
Hours, I understand,
were spent in
endeavors to affect an
entrance, first by the
use of a “pick lock”,
next by crowbar, and
finally the drill and
punch.
Miss Amelia Wallace
believed that her dying
wishes and directions
in respect to the vault
and future interments
in my day would have Door of the Wallace Mausoleum
been attended to and
respected, although she was not a member of the section of
the Church to which the dean and his curates belong.
The circumstances compelled me to be absent from the
funeral of Mr Moffatt (by whom I was favored with a visit
the day preceding his decease, and whom, I esteemed as
much, perhaps, as “A parishioner of Down”), as I felt that
I could not in any way sanction the intrusion of any body
into the vault contrary to the express directions of Miss
Wallace.
As to the statement of a “Parishioner of Down” that the
nearest male relative of the late Miss Wallace called upon
the Dean after the funeral, and to whom the Dean is said
to have handed the keys of the vault, I think he has made a
mistake, as, if I have been correctly informed, there was not
a male relative of the deceased lady in Ireland at the time of
Mr. Moffatt’s funeral.
“A Parishioner” writes:- “Thus ended an affair which, but
for the wisdom and integrity of the Dean, might have
terminated very differently indeed.” What does the writer
mean to insinuate by this? If violence, surely any violence
that was committed was by the use of the crowbar and other
tools, in forcibly breaking open the last resting place of a
lady of unostentatious charity, who was highly and
universally respected, against the known dying wishes of
that lady – a lady, too, who in her last moments
remembered the poor by a bequest of 300l. (approx £300) for
their use.
Out of the respect to the memory of that deceased lady and
the rev. gentleman so recently called from amongst us, as
well as to the feelings of the lady who has met with so
sudden a bereavement, I have hitherto abstained from all
comments upon this most extraordinary case; but the letter
of “A Parishioner of Down” imposes on me the necessity,
however reluctantly, of laying these statements before the
public.
I have to apologise to you, sir, for the length of this letter,
the first I have, and I trust the last I may have occasion to
69
 trouble you with on this painful matter.

I am sir, your obedient servant,

John Warnock

Downpatrick 27th November 1861.

The “Parishioner of Down” replied with a short note Townland Victory!

stating that “In the whole of the irrelevant and very Following pressure from the Lecale Historical Society,
indiscreet letter Mr. Warnock has not refuted a single fact Down District Council has agreed to put townland
contained in my communication”. There the case rested. names on new road signs. New signs bearing townland
The Rev. Horatio Moffatt presumably also still rests in the names have begun appearing throughout the Down
Wallace mausoleum overlooking the busy traffic of District.
Church Street, oblivious to the row that his interment had
caused. It seems that his family decided not to further
antagonise the sensitivities of Mr Warnock as an
inscription commemorating Rev Moffatt was never
added to the monument.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Seamus Gracey for bringing the

newspaper obituary of Dr Alexander Gracey to my
attention.

Notes and references

1. Howard Colvin, Architecture and the After-Life (London 1991)

2. Finbar McCormick, ‘Reformation, privatisation and the rise of the

headstone’ in A. J. Horning, R. O’Boyle, C.J. Donnelly and P.
Logue The post-medieval archaeology of Ireland, 1550-1850, (Bray
2007), 351-366.

3. PRONI B/552/B/4/14

4. Richard Clarke, ‘De Alexander Leslie Gracey - Victorian Doctor’,

in Down Survey, 2001,15-20.

70
Lady Bangor’s Memories of China 1906
Raymond Atkinson

Agnes Elizabeth Ward, 6th Viscountess Bangor, was

born in 1878 and was the daughter of Dacre Mervyn
Archdale Hamilton and Helen Nugent of Cornacassa,
County Monaghan. She married Maxwell Richard
Crosbie Ward, son of Henry Ward, 5th Viscount Bangor,
on 5th January 1905 in Monaghan, County Monaghan.

At the time of their marriage Maxwell Ward was a

soldier serving as a captain with the Royal Artillery in the
Institute School of Gunnery in the South of England.
Later, Maxwell Ward was appointed to a further posting
with the Royal Artillery in the Isle of Wight.

One year later, in 1906, Maxwell Ward was posted to

Peking in China to command the British legation guard
there. Agnes accompanied her husband to China leaving
their one year old son, Edward (the future 7th Viscount
Bangor) to stay with his nanny at his grandmother’s
house in County Monaghan. Agnes Ward had a great
affection for China. During their time in China she and
Maxwell made two visits to the Great Wall of China. The
couple travelled on ponies and donkeys with their
provisions being carried in carts.

Maxwell Ward became the 6th Viscount Bangor in

1911 after the death of his father Henry, the 5th Viscount,
and Agnes became the 6th Viscountess. Some years later,
in 1960, Agnes Ward, 6th Viscountess Bangor, spoke of
her time in China in a BBC radio interview of which the
following is a transcript.
(Interview begins) Agnes Ward said she and Maxwell
thought China would be very interesting and it was.
China, she found very social and gay. They were
Lady Bangor
thrilled when the time came for them to give their first
party – they felt very responsible and somewhat proud
of their position as hosts, in the midst of all the guests
who attended.
After being in Peking for only a few months, Agnes
mentions that all the ladies of the Legation were invited

71
 On a platform in the middle
sat the Dowager Empress on a big
yellow throne. As she was a
widow, she wore no make-up, as
was the custom of a Chinese
aristocratic lady. The Dowager
Empress was a domineering old
woman and Agnes Ward
remembers she felt very sorry for
the poor little Emperor who sat
beside her, but lower - on a little
golden stool.

The Dowager Empress sat

The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity in the Summer Palace was used by the
Dowager Empress to give audiences
by the Dowager Empress of China to attend an audience
in the Summer Palace, about twelve miles outside the
city. They travelled in carriages along a splendid road
made especially for the Emperor and Empress. At
intervals along the road were large tanks holding water.
The ladies arrived at the Palace during the morning
and were shown into an outer room, where they were
given tea. They waited a short time there before being
taken across a kind of parade ground, then through a
gateway into a large inner courtyard covered with a kind
of brown and very soft hair matting. There were
buildings all around and facing them. They entered into
a large audience hall. The hall was a fine building – it was
roofed with the imperial yellow tiles; had enormous
pillars and was rather dark inside.
there very impassively with her
hand in her lap; her nails were
quite two inches long and encased
in gold. She notes of course, this
was a sign of high class Chinese
ladies as it showed they did no
manual work.
The ladies spoke to the Dowager Empress through an
interpreter. When the interpreter spoke to the ladies, he
stood up; but when he spoke to the Dowager Empress,
he lay down on his face. (Chinese custom demanded that
everyone had to ‘Kowtow to the Emperor’ – lie flat and touch
the ground with their forehead).
After the audience, the ladies were taken to another
part of the Palace where they were given luncheon in the
presence of several little princesses. A great number of
courses were served including ‘birds nest soup’, ‘bamboo
shoots’ and so on.
Agnes Ward sat beside one of the princesses and from
time to time the little princess took what she considered
a choice little piece of food from her plate and put it on

72
 One of the vases in
Castle Ward

hers. Agnes said it was very nice of her to do this, but she
was afraid she simply hated her kind attention. However,
she had one great comfort – they didn’t have to eat with
chopsticks.

Some time after visiting the Summer Palace, the

Dowager Empress sent Agnes Ward four beautiful
porcelain vases. These vases are now in the Victorian
Porch in ‘Castle Ward’, the National Trust House in
County Down.

The Dowager Empress also sent Agnes Ward some

large lacquer boxes full of sweets, but it seems these were
only for the household, not for her. As Agnes Ward was
ignorant of Chinese customs and not wishing to offend
them, she somewhat sorrowfully handed them over to One of the cupboards in Castle Ward
her household staff.
Forbidden City, but alas, she (Agnes) never went there as
At the time of her stay in China, the City of Peking a woman was forbidden to go.
was divided into three Parts – the Chinese City, the
Forbidden City and the Tarter City. Because the Empress In China, Maxwell Ward discovered you could tell the
was a Tarter they had various concessions, one of them rank of Chinese officials and mandarins by the colour of
being extra sacks of rice. Maxwell was invited to the the buttons on their caps; red being number one.

73
Maxwell was asked by one of the mandarins if Agnes’
father-in-law (Henry Ward 5th Viscount Bangor) was a
number one mandarin – to which Maxwell replied
“undoubtedly”.
One night while in Peking, Agnes and Maxwell Ward
went out to dinner. While out, thieves broke into their
home and stole all of Maxwell’s clothes. He had no
clothes left except for the evening clothes he was
wearing. The thieves also took some of the silver, which
the 5th Viscountess Bangor had loaned to them. After this
incident, Chuza, their cook had the silver copied – crest
and all, so that no one could tell the difference.
At that time in China, the head boy was responsible
for anything stolen in the house and as he was unable to
replace Maxwell’s clothes – uniform included – he gave
them two beautiful carved doors. These doors were
made by the couple into two cupboards, which are on
each side of the hall door in the Victorian Porch at Castle
Ward House.
Agnes Ward says they didn’t want the poor man to
give them anything, as they were fond of him, but the
British Legation people insisted they must allow this, as
it was the Chinese custom.
Agnes Ward said that shopping in the east was very
different. It sometimes might take a week to buy what
you wanted, as you had to bargain and were expected to
do so. She got into such a habit of never giving the price
asked, that she remembers going into a shop in London
where she astonished the salesman by saying she would
give him less than half of what was asked for his table
clock. (Interview ends)
After their return from China, Agnes and Maxwell
Ward had three children – Mary Helen Kathleen Ward,
born 2 April 1909; Helen Elizabeth Ward, born 9 May
74
1912; and Margaret Bertha Ward, born 29 September
1914. Mary and Helen were born in Plymouth in Devon,
and Margaret at Castle Ward House in County Down.
Agnes Ward lived at Castle Ward from 1911 until 1968
(apart from a time during the First World War, when the
family lived at Blandford, in Dorset, England). In 1968
she left Castle Ward and went to live in a nursing home
in England.
She died in England on 12th May 1972, aged 94 years.
The Down Recorder dated 19th May 1972 stated:
‘The ashes of the Dowager Lady Bangor, who died in an
English nursing home, will be scattered at Castle Ward,
Strangford – the family’s former home. Aged 94, she was
the widow of the 6th Viscount Bangor, Speaker of the
Northern Ireland Senate, who died 22 years ago’.
The Down Recorder also noted:
‘Lady Bangor had a great love for Castle Ward which was
her home for nearly fifty years’.
Agnes Ward, 6th Viscountess Bangor, was the last of
the family of the Wards to actually live at Castle Ward.
The House and demesne have been owned by the
National Trust since 1953.
Sources
1. BBC Radio Interview, 15th November 1960. Title: ‘Memories of
China in Early Years of the Century’.
2. Down Recorder, 19th May 1972
3. Number One Boy, Edward Ward, 7th Viscount Bangor
4. Biographical Material: Linenhall Library, Belfast
The Ingenious Innings of Inspiration
Amanda McKittrick Ros Revisited
An edited version of a paper read to Lecale Historical Society at Down County Museum on Monday
17 December 2007
Peter Cavan

‘I write as I feel and as I don’t feel. My works are literature, she confidently
expressly my own – pleasingly peculiar – not a borrowed stated that her photo-
stroke in one of them’, a typical pronouncement by Mrs graph was a silent
Amanda McKittrick Ros, author. ‘My writings are reminder that she was the
wholly different from the common-place every-day notorious boil on the tip
novel…absolutely different from any known writer or of the critics’ tongues and,
organiser of prose… I am my own publisher and shall be furthermore, that she
to the end of time. I don’t believe in publishers who wish expected to be talked
to butter their bannocks on both sides while they’ll about at the end of a
hardly allow an author to smell treacle. I consider they thousand years.
are too grabby altogether and, like Methodists, they love
to keep the Sabbath and everything else they can lay Although a thousand
hands upon’. In these few words Mrs Ros conveys her years have not yet passed,
spirited attitude to those tempted to criticise either her Mrs Ros, no doubt, would
writing style or her professional dealings, and indeed be gratified to know that
anyone foolhardy enough to question her absolute not only is she being
authority. talked about but, in
addition, presently
features on at least one Irene Maxwell of The Iddesleigh
Appreciated in her lifetime by a discerning band of portraying Amanda McKittrick Ros at
admirers, and ridiculed by an equally devoted band of internet website, an the Lecale Historical Society
critics and detractors, she became a byword for rudeness invention undreamt of
and eccentricity, feared as well as revered and, almost when she was at the height of her powers.
seventy years after her death, still an object of interest
and curiosity as succeeding generations are introduced Allegedly, her literary career began precociously early:
to the story of her life and works. ‘When baby young I tried to write
upon a slate from morn to night -
Never one to underestimate her talent and I got a pen and wrote within a little page
importance in the world of letters, to considering I’ll write a book when I’m of age’.
whether she ought ‘to have a dart’ at the Nobel Prize for

75
 Surprisingly, given the reputation she earned over the
years, her published literary output was small – two
novels, three slim volumes of ‘poetry’, several
broadsheets as the occasion arose, mostly to generate
some ready cash in lean times, and a third novel,
discovered in manuscript after her death. This was
completed by Jack Loudan and published in 1969. He
also wrote her biography which appeared under the title;
O! Rare Amanda, in 1954. He edited the manuscript of
Helen Huddleson, adding a final chapter in a style he
imagined to be true to the author’s inimitable original.
What Mrs Ros would have thought of that remains a
matter of conjecture but, sadly, we shall never have the
pleasure of her opinion, as she was long dead when it
appeared. Her works, as well as their contents were
highly alliterative with such titles as: Irene Iddesleigh,
Delina Delany, Poems of Puncture, Fumes of Formation, The
Bayonets of Bastard Sheen, St. Scandalbags and Donald
Dudley.
It was her reaction to criticism of her novels as much
as the novels themselves, and her local reputation as a
serial litigant which established her reputation and fame;
perhaps notoriety would be more appropriate, for her
hatred of critics and the legal profession became an
abiding passion, amounting almost to paranoia,
propelling her to ecstasies of loathing which even the
most fiery tempered would consider somewhat beyond
the bounds of reasonable behaviour.
Her use, or misuse, of language is inspirational. She
is the natural successor to Mrs Malaprop and the
precursor of George W Bush in her ability to mangle the
English language and invent words that approximate to
a meaning she has in mind. It’s as though her hand could
not keep up with the speed of her active brain, or, maybe,
she was what is now termed dyslexic. Her intoxication
with words and the power they gave her, lead in many
76
instances to sentences of Dickensian prolixity, the
meaning of which remain a mystery even to the most
diligent reader. At least Dickens, for the most part, was
comprehensible.
Her approach to life, as revealed in correspondence,
was contradictory; on one hand she appeared narrow-
minded and strictly moral: on the other hand, bawdy and
coarsely irreverent. But she was consistent in her
censorious attitude to the failings of others and quick to
correct their faults in a forthright and uncharitable
manner. Often in the wrong but never, ever, in doubt, she
comes across as being devoid of a sense of humour
although, at times, unintentionally highly comical.
Naïve, but cunning, vindictive, savage, abrasive, bigoted
– terrifying in fact, yet she exerts a certain fascination and
those who fall under her spell usually become addicted.
To a degree she was religious, in a conventional,
Presbyterian way, consistent with attitudes prevailing at
the time but displayed anti-clerical tendencies, especially
towards Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Methodists
who were all suspect and best avoided whenever
possible, though they could be abused in appropriate
time and circumstance. Purveyors of the gospel, other
than Presbyterian, she regarded as shams and self-
serving proselytisers. All that is, with one notable
exception, the Rev John Davis DD, of Third Ballynahinch
Presbyterian Church. ‘A great and good man, no
clergyman occupying a pulpit in the British Isles could
toe the line with him at offering up prayer’. No amount
of praise, adulation even, ever seemed sufficient to heap
upon this Divine, who appears in his own right in Helen
Huddleson as a paragon of virtue, a pillar of rectitude and
a shining example to us all. When he died, Mrs Ros
promoted him immediately to eternal rest on the ‘roosts
of righteousness above’.
 Mrs Ros had a vivid, sometimes lurid, imagination
and a pleasing facility for spinning romance and reality
in a single thread, virtually impossible to unravel. Fact
and fiction are frequently indistinguishable, particularly
in regard to her personal affairs and the truth is often
hard to come by, disguised as it is by an overlay of
romance and social elevation, achieving a deliberately
misleading result.
Her origins were simple enough, though presented to
those whom she considered too inquisitive, in richly
decorated and high-flown terms. She was born in
Drumaness, Co. Down, on 8th December 1861. Her
father taught in the local National School, but was, of
course, ‘Head Teacher’ at Drumaness ‘High’ School and
traced his descent from Sitric, King of the Danes. He
could speak German, French, Norwegian, Italian, Greek,
Irish and English. Reportedly, she was taught French and
German but ‘once I finished with them, I sorrowfully
relate I never followed either language from that day to
this; I stuck chiefly to the English language, nor do I
regret it one bit’.
She was baptized in Third Ballynahinch Presbyterian
Church on 27th January 1862, and named Anna
Margaret. ‘My name is Amanda, Malvina, Anna,
Margaret, McLelland McKittrick Ros. My mother called
me after the heroine in The Children of the Abbey by Regina
Maria Roche, a book dearer to me than any other work.’
Whilst a student at Marlboro Street Training College,
Dublin, she spent a brief period as monitor at Millbrook
National School, near Larne, and it was at Larne
Railway station that she first set eyes upon Andy Ross,
a widower of 35, who had recently been appointed
station master and whom, almost immediately, she
determined to marry. He began his working life at the
age of fourteen, as porter at Ballymena, ending as station
master at Larne harbour, a fairly prestigious position
within the LMS railway company’s network. As usual,
the received version is more entertaining, ‘I became
principal of a school at the age of seventeen, a short
distance outside Larne, but just taught a few years before
I married one Mr Ros, who held a very responsible
position in the Northern Counties Railway. He was also
manager of a steamship company and had been
educated for a doctor but disliked the profession and
took a railway appointment, in which he remained for
forty years, retiring two years ere he died in August 1917.
He was a perfect gentleman in every way, manner and
character; one of the most genial of men, he never
showed ruffled temper, kind and courteous to a stroke
both in his home and abroad…a fine English scholar, he
could speak Russian, French and Norwegian fluently’.
Useful attainments for a station master at Larne Harbour
in the 1880’s, no doubt.
She burst on the literary scene in 1897 when W & G
Baird published Irene Iddesleigh. At first, it didn’t attract
much attention, apart from a passing reference in The
Magpie, a local weekly paper, Belfast’s equivalent to
Private Eye of the time, which ventured: ‘..it can be
recommended as an antidote for a dull Sunday, but as to
what it is all about, God alone knoweth, for The Magpie
staff hath given it up’. However, worse was to follow.
Barry Pain, the London critic, reviewed it in Black and
White, a contemporary London periodical ‘…the book
has not amused me, it began by doing so, but its
enormities went on getting more and more enormous in
every line…I shrank before it in tears and terror. It is a
thing that happens once in a million years…it sits alone
as the nightingale sings. The words that would describe
it have not yet been invented’. As might be imagined, an
immediate response followed: ‘This so-called Barry Pain,
by name, has taken upon him to criticise a work, the
depth of which fails to reach the solving power of his
77
borrowed, and, he’d have you believe, varied talent. I Iddesleigh and Delina Delany, the Prime Minister, Asquith,
fear not for the opinion of half-starved upstarts….’ The and several members of parliament were acknowledged
flood-gates opened, when Thomas Beer, another critic admirers and Amanda Ros Clubs met in London and at
wrote: ‘I hope you won’t stop to investigate this St John’s College, Cambridge, where members
book…for if you do stop to find out what it is all
about, it will come to you that this is a poor tame
woman, wife to a workman, escaping on paper
from the knowledge that things had always
been dour and plain around her, and that things
would never be anything else’. ‘Thomas Beer is
a bastard!’ Critics in general were referred to as:
drunken ignorant dross, poisonous apes, or
random hacks of illiteration and myriad other
uncomplimentary names.

In the accepted sense, Amanda Ros was

neither novelist nor poet, nor even a competent
‘organiser of prose’, to use her own words. Her
novels are a shapeless collection of random
ideas, the product of a fevered imagination;
there is a beginning, confusion in the middle
and an ending which rewards the virtuous and
damns the wicked. There is a profusion of
extraneous characters who manage to obscure
any hint of plot or progression, and the reader,
like Barry Pain, is bemused, bothered and
bewildered. It is as though she sets out on a
journey without a map, taking first one side-
road, then another and any number of cul-de-
sacs. The appeal, and what makes one
persevere, is the attractive, addictive alliteration
and the improbability of it all. Not for nothing
has she been referred to as the world’s worst
novelist and, by Mark Twain, as the Queen of
Hogwash.

She became something of a cult figure and, J. Carey’s illustration drawn on his own copy of Irene Iddesleigh, in the
in the decade following the appearance of Irene possession of the Linenhall Library

78
entertained each other with readings from the books and
devised games, such as one in which the writer posed a
series of questions and was answered in the Ros style:
Question: In what words did he recognise the body of
Miss Mattie Maynard? Answer: O God! It is true! This
is my cousin, Lady Mattie Maynard. She has six toes on
her right foot!
With the perception of established success and fame,
Amanda decided to live up to her newly-acquired status.
Her house at Larne she named Iddesleigh, after the
heroine of her novel which, allegedly, paid for the cost of
its building. Cards were printed announcing:
At home always to the honourable Mrs Amanda M Ros,
Authoress
Iddesleigh, Ireland Telegrams: Iddesleigh, Ireland.
She bought a small phaeton and a young man,
dressed in a livery coat with brass buttons, accompanied
her when she drove abroad, especially on Sundays going
in state to Gardenmore Presbyterian Church. Andy Ros
went on foot.
By far the most entertaining novel is Helen Huddleson,
but it is a story of the utmost complexity, difficult to
follow and even more difficult to précis but the language
and alliteration are most felicitous. Some of the
characters bear the names of those real-life people she
most admired, notably Revd John Davis, DD, of Third
Ballynahinch Presbyterian Church, and Norman
Carrothers, a confidant and adviser in her later years.
Other names have a preposterous fruity ring; the
villainous Lord Raspberry and his sister, Cherry; Sir Peter
Plum, Madam Pear, the Earl of Grape, Sir Christopher
Greengage and the vegetarian maid, Lily Lentil. A
hint of anti-clericalism, already referred to, may be
detected in the character of the Reverend Bradley Meek,
a complaisant and palely loitering Anglican, and Father
Guerdo, a defrocked priest atoning for unmentioned past
misdeeds, and now acting as gate-keeper at the Convent
of St. Iscariot. Helen Huddleson, the heroine, a simple
country girl of Crow Cottage near Ballynahinch, ‘whose
cleanly vessels had never been smeared with the
abominable phlegm of the profligate, whose tiny feet had
always pattered on the pavements of purity’, is abducted
and forced into marriage by Lord Raspberry while on
her way to join her fiancé, Maurice Munroe, in Australia.
She is freed from Raspberry’s clutches with the assistance
of a woman of ill-repute, eludes her pursuers, defends
her honour at the hands of Father Guerdo, and
manages to free herself from his unwanted attention,
escapes once again, is recaptured and taken off to Dublin,
escapes yet again by the providential and unexplained
appearance of her long-lost uncle who takes her to his
home in Canada, from where she eventually returns to
marry Maurice Monroe at the much vaunted Third
Ballynahinch Presbyterian Church.
A highlight is the veritable tour de force of alliteration,
declaimed by the distraught Maurice Munroe lamenting
his, temporarily, lost love: ‘Standing on the steps of Crow
Cottage, he slowly withdrew the bowler from his head
and held it in a trembling hand as he continued to
speak…what care I for all the world and its sections of
shams? What care I for its halls of hilarity, Its congested
clubs of contamination, Its showrooms of sacrilege, Its
dining-rooms of danger, Its tea-rooms of test, Its lounges
of lust, Its suppers of slander, Its inglenooks of ill, Its
forcing beds of fornication, and all other enticing
etceteras that go to shatter and crooken the straight lines
of honest endeavour, when my Helen’s absence is ever
present? Nothing whatever. Ah, God no! He replaced
his bowler’.
Her love of litigation and hatred of lawyers reached
its zenith following a disputed will, brought about
initially, by her inability to resist interfering in the affairs
79
of others. A friend of Andy’s, Hugh Crawford, owner of
a lime-kiln, in failing health came to live at Iddesleigh.
Unwisely he allowed, or couldn’t prevent, Amanda’s
management of his affairs, to the annoyance of his
nephews who worked in the business. Angry words
were exchanged and the community around Glenoe was
soon in an uproar. To make matters worse, Crawford
died at this point and the situation was further
aggravated when it was revealed that Amanda was the
main beneficiary of his will, which was placed in
Chancery and a series of law-suits ensued, involving six
firms of solicitors, in Larne, Belfast and Dublin. In the
course of the following five years Amanda was a
frequent attender at Crumlin Road Courthouse. Two of
the Larne solicitors had their offices in the same street
and, when the legal battle was at its height, it was her
pleasure on market days to drive there and display in her
trap a banner advertising the iniquities of the principals
of each firm, whom she had christened ‘Mickey Monkey
Face McBlear’ and ‘Jamie Jar’. Before departing she blew
a toy trumpet outside one office and then outside the
other. In the summer this performance was much
appreciated by tourists, who, mistaking her for a
suffragette, shouted abuse, which seldom went
unanswered. On occasion the police had to be called to
regulate the traffic.
In the main, Mrs Ros used her versifying for a very
specific purpose: to castigate those whom she
imagined had transgressed her strict, and entirely
personal, moral code thereby, incurring her displeasure
and dislike; also those who, in her opinion, had wronged
her in some real or imagined way, almost exclusively
literary critics and lawyers. Her mocking, self-
righteously indignant tone is amusing at times but
becomes tedious and repellent when taken as a
collection. Her main objective seems to have been the
need to avenge a wounded spirit, hurt pride and to
80
humiliate the subject. That she did so in many instances
after her victim had died makes them unattractive. Her
most detested lawyer:
Readers! Did you ever hear
Of Mickey Monkey Face McBlear.
Six feet and a half of lies and fraud
Ten bob to the pound – one devil no God.
A legal log who would grab your Gold
And for which he’d sell his soul I’m told.
His snout is long, with a flattish top,
Lined inside with a slimy crop.
His mouth like a slit in a money box
Portrays his kindred to a fox.
Of another she wrote:
His head, shaped like a rotten pear
Has bumps stuck round it here and there,
Stuffed with muddy brains and batter
With a slit in front whence oozes clatter.
When Andy Ros died in 1917, the manner of his being
laid to rest was unusual, to say the least. Amanda, not
approving of many of those who had turned up to pay
their respects, instructed the driver of the hearse to
proceed at a fast trot once the coffin had been placed
inside. Indeed, the driver’s daughter told me her exact
words were: ‘Drive like hell!’ The mourners, unable to
keep up, went home. Later in the day Amanda got a man
with a handcart to return many of the wreaths which had
been sent by people who were out of favour with her.
The Station Master at Greenisland had in some way
offended her and her manner of showing displeasure
was characteristic. She took a train to Belfast and, as it
was drawing out of Greenisland station, she leaned out
of the carriage window and placed the wreath he had
sent around his neck.

Andy’s death prompted one of the very few poems
which did not criticise or wound the subject. It is, in fact
quite tender and the imagery is appropriate:
The Engineer Divine
Across the deep chasm which nothing can fill
Since man was from Paradise driven,
The Great Engineer, with remarkable skill
Constructed a Railway to Heaven
The span of the Bridge is a wonder of strength
And of sightless beauty combined.
Its dimensions in breadth and ditto in length
The Master of All hath designed.
The wires of communion, extended with care,
From earth to the Station above,
The current of faith from the battery of prayer
Can act on the magnet of Love.
With movements produced by a Motor Divine
Which matchless perfection displays,
The Engine of Truth as it runs up the line
The train of Salvation conveys.
In 1922 Amanda married for the second time, a
prosperous farmer from Ballynahinch. It may have been
this change in circumstance and surroundings which
prompted her to reflect:
Love
Love is pleasing – more so money
Powerful factor – life’s best honey.
Super far the gift of God
To a world of sin and fraud.
She was now able to devote more time to literary
pursuits and published Fumes of Formation, a slim
volume of verse, the title page of which states: ‘This
inventive production was hatched within a Mind fringed
with Fumes of Formation, the Ingenious Innings of
Inspiration and Thorny Tincture of Thought’. Its chief
delights are Eastertide which begins:
Dear Lord the days of eggs is here
Which many sinners shall revere.
Your second coming, might I say
Is hailed by all this Easter Day.
And, the incomparable On visiting Westminster
Abbey:
Holy Moses! Have a look!
Flesh decayed in every Nook!
Some rare bits of brain lie here,
Mortal loads of beef and beer….
…Famous some were – yet they died:
Poets, Statesmen, Rogues beside,
Kings, Queens, all of them do rot,
What about them? Now – they’re not!
After the death of her second husband, Amanda
returned to ‘Iddesleigh’ where she died, after a fall on
3rd February 1939, aged seventy-eight years. ‘The
Notorious Boil on the tip of the Critics’ Tongues’
subsided for ever. Mrs Ros could very easily have been
a character in one of her own novels; complex, enigmatic,
capricious, an original, very much larger than life.
Certain reservations aside, she is good value and, with all
her faults, should be considered a National Treasure. One
can only hope that, in company with that great and good
man, the Reverend John Davis, DD, of Third
Ballynahinch Presbyterian Church, she too reposes
forever on the roosts of righteousness above.
81
Downpatrick’s Architectural Heritage
Peter Rankin
To mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the
Ulster Architectural Heritage Society at a meeting in
Belfast Harbour Office on 17th November 1967, the
Society put together a touring exhibition, ‘Defend &
Inspire’. The purpose of this exhibition was to record
Society successes and failures throughout the nine
counties of Ulster in defending Ulster’s built heritage of
buildings and townscapes. Downpatrick was the first
town on the tour. At the exhibition’s launch in Down
Civic Arts Centre on 17th January 2008 Professor Ronnie
Buchanan referred to a few of the Society’s failures, and
some of its successes, in Downpatrick over those 40
years: as we were reminded at the launch, when
considering the built heritage of Downpatrick we must
remember that there was no statutory listing of buildings
in Northern Ireland until, under pressure principally
from the Society, the necessary legislation was passed in
1972, and implemented in the following years.
As it happens, one of the first ‘Lists of Historic
Buildings, Groups of Buildings and Areas of
Architectural Importance’ the Society produced was for
Downpatrick, prepared between June 1969 and January
1970 by Dorinda, Lady Dunleath, Professor Alistair
Rowan and me. So a record (if sometimes a little brief
and sketchy, by later List standards) does exist of
Downpatrick’s more notable buildings very soon after
the Society’s founding in 1967. In writing this short
contribution to the Review I have had the benefit of
consulting Dorinda, her memory being a useful and
accurate record of early battles fought by the Society, her
interest in all things Downpatrick-related never flagging.
Perhaps one of the greatest single losses is one of
82
townscape – an area of townscape in the north-eastern
part of the town, together with one building of merit. I
refer to the construction of Saul Way, the semi-by-pass
route that branches uphill halfway along Church Street,
cutting a swathe through Saul Street to carry on by Scotch
Street and Fountain Street to come out eventually at the
Ardglass Road cross-roads below the Downshire
Hospital.
Now I do admit that Downpatrick does have traffic
problems, I also go some way towards agreeing that Saul
Way does do something to relieve those problems. But
that relief has been gained at the expense of a sorry
breaking up of a whole area of townscape character. Saul
Street, and the outer end of Scotch Street, have both lost
their connection to the fulcrum of the town, William
Batt’s Assembly Rooms of 1882, now the Civic Arts
Centre, a connection that still existed when the List was
prepared and is so appositely captured in W R Gordon’s
drawing (right).
Further, the Carnegie Public Library of 1908, by the
Belfast arts and crafts architects Blackwood & Jury, being
in the way of the by-pass route, was demolished. Church
Street itself is also the poorer - the Telephone Exchange,
already there by 1970, and an overscaled intrusion in the
street, now faces the vacuum that is the absence of
streetscape all around the by-pass junction. Indeed the
ill-effects of the construction of this junction and by-pass
road make themselves felt also, not only in Saul Street,
where still-abandoned ground replaces what were then
the houses numbered 6 to 12 (below the Old Infirmary at
14 to 18 Saul Street); but, immediately below Saul Way,
on the north side of Saul Street, where decent,

W R Gordon’s illustration of Scotch Street The Tree 1936
unpretentious late 18th century houses and shops still
stand semi-derelict and unwanted.
A disgraceful loss was that of the Old Cavalry
Barracks in Fountain Street. No matter how it happened,
to permit such a building, dating from the 17th century
(and included in An Archaeological Survey of County Down,
1966), to be demolished, simply because over the years
ad-hoc alterations and other undesirable ‘improvements’
had been made, would now I believe simply not be
permitted: our perceptions of what can be conserved and
given a new use have moved forward. The Barracks may
over the centuries have been carved up into separate
dwellings and visually tinkered with, but if no single use
could have been found for the whole building, then
surely, as happened later at the Southwell Charity
building, a re-division into a number of dwellings could
have been made? But despite Society protests, that was
a battle not won; and not very distinguished housing
replaced the Barracks. On higher ground in this part of
the town, the elongated ‘sub-Corbusier’ block of flats,
that for so long dominated the skyline when approaching
Downpatrick from the Belfast road, has now largely lost
to tree foliage its once-questionable prominence.
Nearer to the town centre, seemly smaller buildings
on the east side of Irish Street below Mary Street, where
the Housing Executive building was subsequently
erected, would I feel now also have been retained in the
interests of the inherited townscape, even should they
have been converted internally to office or flat
accommodation. (The more recent conversion of the
upper floors of part of the terrace at the bottom of English
Street, just at the traffic lights where the street curves
round to ascend to Denvir’s Hotel, has been an excellent
example of how earlier 18th century town-centre
properties can be taken in hand and find a new useful life
in a sympathetic conversion to attractive, idiosyncratic
town flats or apartments). Where Irish Street merges into
Stream Street the new-ish Convent building at the crest
of the hill, too long and unbroken in its horizontality, its
alien brickwork of too forbiddingly dark and gloomy a
red-brown, is not of the streetscape quality of the houses
and buildings it replaces, nor in my view of an
architectural quality to match the beautiful 1870s
Convent of Our Lady of Mercy building, beside St
83
Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, to which the newer
building is attached.
One short-term loss or deprivation, which I hope may
be rectified soon by its removal – the massive excrescence
in front of the police barracks in Irish Street, causing the
(temporary, I hope) hiding of its later-18th century
doorcase. Although, I think, the stone-fronted arched
railway store in Market Street has quite disappeared;
and the Corn Market, also in Market Street, which had
for a time after 1970 been given its architecture back, has
now been demolished to make way for the Lidl store;
what were thought to be impending losses can
sometimes turn out not to be such. The Gas Works
building, assumed to be awaiting demolition in 1970, was
subsequently taken down and rebuilt to assume its
present role as a station, the ornament (perhaps the only
ornament) of the open area south-west of the Downtown
shopping centre.
There have been other success stories. To St Patrick’s
Church a splendid transept has been added on the south
side, enhancing not only the interior of the church but
also adding greatly to the presence and drama of the
building when seen from the lower end of Stream Street,
opposite Collins Pub, itself an endearing and unique
small building; the former Assembly Rooms now play
an important part at the centre of town and district life
as Down Civic Arts Centre; the Court House in English
Street has been entirely renovated; the Great Hall at the
Downshire Hospital now makes an excellent opera and
concert hall, a welcome addition to the town’s facilities;
and, not least, Down County Museum, in the Old Prison
on the Mall, continues to be an example, in Ireland and
beyond, of how a knowledgeably- and enthusiastically-
run county Museum can enhance and give new
relevance to a group of historic buildings, and be in itself
a beacon for what conservation and new use can
84
achieve – the giving of pride in itself to a whole
community and county.
At the Cathedral, washroom and lavatory facilities for
the many visitors have been accommodated in a discrete
addition, achieving something of the feel of having been
hidden around the corner from the entrance to the church
in the west tower. Hitherto the interior has been
successful in resisting attempts to have it re-pewed (or
worse, de-pewed as some sort of ‘worship space’, to
adopt current banality): removal of those dark
mahogany serpentining pew fronts, so much of a piece
with the organ screen and its case above, and indeed with
the county families’ achievements of arms (even though
of later date), must simply not be so much as thought
about. The inherited late 18th century Georgian gothick
character of the Cathedral’s interior is all so much of a
piece (a case of the whole being so infinitely much more
than a simple sum of the parts, in this case all the parts
being also in themselves items of the highest quality, in
conception and execution) that a removal of or
interference with any one constituent element would so
absolutely compromise the whole that the interior
would be irrevocably mutilated for all time.
Of course, a ‘scheme that never was’ never has been
– as yet, anyway, namely a full by-pass of the town.
When I was a member of the Society’s committee many
hours over several years were spent debating and
discussing proposals made for by-passing the town by
means of a road running, from somewhere about where
the Belfast road comes into the town at the Strangford
road roundabout, along the bottom of the northern and
western sides of the Cathedral hill, to meet the Clough
Road at about the present town boundary. Opinions are,
and probably always will be, divided as to how
Downpatrick might best be by-passed. But, whatever (if
anything) may ever be done, nothing (either visually or,
as importantly, by resulting traffic noise, which will Journal of Liberal History
travel for miles across open country) can be allowed to
disturb the special quality of withdrawal and A Lecale Review article has been reproduced in a leading
timelessness of the Mall, the Southwell Charity and the UK historical journal.
Cathedral, or to intrude into the splendour of the
Berkley Farr’s article on James Wood, East Down’s
panorama of drained marsh, farmland and mountain
Liberal MP, was the leading article in the Spring 2008 issue
beyond.
of the Journal of Liberal History. This quarterly journal is
published by the Liberal Democrat History group which
Downpatrick is perhaps not the unique Irish town it
promotes the discussion and research of topics relating to the
was when the Society was formed in 1967 and prepared
histories of Liberal Democrats, Liberal Party, SDP and
its List in the following years. In many ways it may seem
Liberalism.
the better for the changes. But for those who knew it as
it used to be there must be regret, a nostalgia, that so James Wood was MP for East Down from 1902 to 1906
many houses and neighbourhoods (that gave to all parts and was a supporter of T W Russell’s campaign for land
of the town its 18th century character, where those who reform. The original article appeared in the 2006 edition of
worked and lived there, and enjoyed the amenity of the Lecale Review
living in a place whose past was still part of its present,
savoured that character as part of daily living) were
allowed, for want of sufficient consideration or foresight,
to disappear. It is only essentially English Street and the
Mall, and in part Saul Street, that retain what was that
strong, unspoiled former character, now only suggested
here and there elsewhere in the town, by small, still-
remaining groupings of houses and buildings.

85
Frank Maxwell: A Tribute
Ronald Buchanan

Frank Maxwell, who died this year at the age of 97, ready to discuss the
was a founder member of the Lecale Historical Society, latest article he had
the first Chairman, later President and Honorary read, or the pottery
Member who continued to attend meetings and field found on walks through
trips almost to the end of his long life. Born in the City of neighbouring fields. He
Armagh, he was educated at Campbell College in Belfast, became the acknowl-
and had a long and successful career in the linen edged expert on the
business. During the 1930s and 1940s he worked for the nineteenth century
Ulster Weaving Company, becoming manager of the pottery of Castle Espie
Company’s bleach green and farm at Annsborough. in north Down, and his
Later he joined his father in the family firm, the Durham extensive collection is
Street Weaving Company, remaining there until the now in the Down
Company’s premises were compulsorily purchased to Museum. Writing did
make way for road widening schemes and urban not come easily to him,
development in the 1960s. Subsequently the family but he was always eager
purchased Ballee House, formerly the home of many to share his knowledge
generations of the Stitt family, and began a new way of with friends and
life; Frank now had time to develop his interest in local neighbours, and with
history and apply the skills of farming and land academics like Finbar
management he had learned at Annsborough, and his McCormick of Queen’s
wife Joy, with son Jeremy, turned her attention to horse- or Robin Glasscock of Cambridge. Brian Turner and
breeding. Lesley Simpson were ever grateful for his interest and
support in Down Museum, and for many years he was
Frank loved Ballee, the house, the farm and the an active member of the Museum’s Advisory Committee.
surrounding countryside and the parish church. He took He was also a long-time Governor of the Linen Hall
great delight in living in a house whose core was almost Library in Belfast, and an interest in manuscripts led him
certainly a seventeenth century tower-house, and he to prepare a transcript of the diaries of Aynsworth Pilson,
showed great care and skill in restoring it and the resident of Downpatrick in the early nineteenth century.
associated farm buildings; he took particular pride in the For Frank this was a major undertaking, providing an
pigeon-house, a rare survivor of a building once common important resource for local historians.
on many of the large farms in the district. Frank enjoyed
the farm and the garden, but even more he enjoyed his Frank spent the last few months of his life in the
well-stocked library, sitting in comfort beside the fire nursing home at King’s Castle in Ardglass, once the
with the dog at his feet. He was great company, ever home of another Belfast family, the Gaffikins, who settled

86
happily in Lecale in the early twentieth century. From his
bedroom window he could see the spire of the mediaeval
parish church, and he loved to speculate about life in
those distant times, about the trade of the port, and the
town and its surviving buildings. To the end he retained
an almost boyish curiosity about the world around him,
The outline of the Mourne Mountains is a very
familiar view from Lecale but a closer inspection shows
the importance of photographing our everyday
and he had the great gift of conveying his enthusiasm to
others. Frank was a man of great integrity, gentle and
warm-hearted yet forthright when the occasion
demanded. To those who knew him, he was a valued
friend, a man who contributed much to the life of this
community.
surroundings. Alan Johnston captured this rural scene
near Clough some fifty years ago and it records a farming
practice that has now become part of history.
87
Book notices
Strangford: portrait of an Irish Lough Photographs
Alain Le Garsmeur, words Ian Hill (Belfast, Blackstaff
Press, 2007) x, 142 pp. 177 colour illustrations. ISBN 978-
0-85640-805-2. Hardback, £20.00
Put prosaically, the lough is an Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty, containing several Areas of Special
Scientific Interest and seven statutory National Nature
Reserves; it is also a Special Protection Area, and the
largest Marine Nature Reserve in the United Kingdom.
However, aesthetically it must be one of the most
hauntingly lovely places on earth. There have been
previous attempts to capture this in collections of
photographs and paintings, but it is hard to see how the
present collaborative celebration of the landscape, the
wildlife and the built heritage of the area could be
bettered.
Alain Le Garsmeur is an award-winning world class
photographer who has lived in Northern Ireland since
1990. For this book he has taken photographs during the
course of an entire year, mirroring the changing seasons
and frequently repeating the same views in the varying
light of both night and day. His superb wide-angled
panoramas in particular can only be described as
stunning.
Six chapters deal with individual stretches of the
coastline in an anti-clockwise itinerary from Ballyquintin
Point to Killard. Ian Hill’s accompanying poetic
commentary is a heady brew of hard fact and
observation of what he sees and hears, laced with the
uncertainties of mythology and folklore. In places, what
he writes is more reverie than record. Whereas Le
Garsmeur obviously delights in nuances of colour and
mood, Hill revels in language, rolling words around his
88
tongue as a connoisseur would savour a fine wine: there
are glorious alliterative litanies of names, be they fish,
birds, plants, townlands or types of small boat; and
onomatopoeic bird sounds – the ‘whaup’ of a curlew’s
wings, the ‘rroonk’ of the brent geese, the ‘knut’ of the
knots. An unusual but welcome feature is the provision
of botanical and zoological names both in their official
Latin form and in their equivalent Irish. There is much
recondite information on such matters as kelp grids and
mediaeval fishtraps, or the possible purpose of the cone-
shaped caps on stonebuilt gateposts. Did you know that
four hundred million tons of water ebb and flow through
the Narrows every twenty-four hours? If you should
require hints on cooking and enjoying shellfish, inquire
within!
Harnessing the tides: the early medieval tide mills at
Nendrum monastery, Strangford Lough. By Thomas
McErlean and Norman Crothers (Belfast, The Stationery
Office, 2007) [2], xx, 468pp, 345 colour and black and
white illustrations (Environment and Heritage Service.
Northern Ireland archaeological monographs,7). ISBN
978-0-337-08877-3. Hardback, £25.00
The site of the mediaeval monastery on Mahee Island
was first identified by the Revd William Reeves in 1844
in the course of research for his Ecclesiastical Antiquities
of Down and Connor and Dromore (1847) and it was
excavated between 1922 and 1924 by H.C.Lawlor whose
report of 1925, although now recognized as flawed, has
hitherto remained the main source for the archaeology.
Now we have this report by two principal authors and
eleven contributing experts on the Environment and
Heritage Service funded intertidal excavations of 1999-
2001 on the foreshore below the monastery, which
resulted from the Service’s new responsibilities for
marine archaeology. Two horizontal-wheel type tide
mills were indentified; the first dated by
dendrochronology to 619-621 and hence at present the
earliest known in the world. The second mill was a
replacement of about 789 and demonstrated
development in technology. The associated ponds and
dams of both mills had previously been interpreted as
typical seashore fishtraps. (At a time when we are
congratulating ourselves on the application of tidal
power in the Narrows of Strangford Lough to generate
electricity, it is humbling to realize that the monks of
Nendrum had tapped its potential almost 1400 years
ago.)
Following a general overview there are detailed
chapters on all the mills’ physical components: the dams
and millponds; the penstocks or flumes (both hollowed-
out tree trunk and stone-lined); the waterwheels (the
earlier flat-paddled and the later scoop-paddled) and
stone-constructed wheelhouse; the millstones and
millhouses; and the tailraces. There are separate reports
on the worked wood finds and on the animal bone finds.
For the non-specialist local historian the two most
interesting chapters are Thomas McErlean’s survey of the
history of Nendrum in the light of modern interpretation
of the documentary sources, and his reassessment of the
archaeology since Lawlor’s report. Although the sources
would please St Mo-Choí (or Cáelán) as a contemporary
of St Patrick in the 5th century, it must be accepted for the
time being that the early mediaeval monastery was not
founded before the early 7th century, and it disappears
from the annals in the late 10th century. The round tower
is of the 10th century or later, and the stone church, which
would have replaced an earlier wooden structure, does
not predate the 10th century. A small and short-lived
Benedictine priory was established by John de Courcy in
the late 12th century, and the enlarged stone church
became a parish church not much later.
Now, with the evidence provided by the tide mills,
some of the dates suggested by Lawlor can be revised
considerably. Even if his standards of the 1920s
compromised proper interpretation of the site, Lawlor
carefully indicated where he had not excavated, so
fortunately what remained undisturbed may eventually
reveal a great deal more, using the professional
techniques of today.
For those who may wish to follow up the subject in
even more detail than this exhaustive and most
attractively produced report, there are 22 close-packed
columns of bibliography.
Where Donard guards [A history of the Newcastle
area]. Written and illustrated by Nicholas Russell
[pseud.] (Newcastle, Ballaghbeg Books, 2007) xxii,
276pp, 168 colour illustrations. ISBN 978-0-9557922-0-5.
Paperback, £18.00
To quote from the Preface: “This account of one area
traces the arrival of the earliest settlers, the rich heritage
of churches and cashels, and charts the development of
the town from the early Magennis castle on the Shimna
river to the end of the landlord era, as well as telling the
tale of Newcastle harbour and Dundrum Bay.” As it was
written to mark the bicentenary of the building of the
harbour pier in 1807, there is a strong emphasis on the
southern end of the town around the harbour, King Street
and South Promenade; and on the seafarers, fishermen
and grim maritime history of Dundrum Bay, for long
considered the most dangerous in Ireland. The author
expresses the hope that other parts of the town will
receive full attention in the future. Judging by the depth
and quality of his research so far, it is sincerely to be
wished that he may undertake this task himself.
89
 The tower house at the mouth of the Shimna was built
by Phelim Magennis in 1588 in succession to a former
Magennis stronghold guarding the ford which may have
been as early as the second half of the 14th century and
which had come to be known as the ‘new’ castle to
distinguish it from the old Norman castle at Dundrum,
by that time in ruins. By 1616 there was already a
landing-place on the Shimna. The Magennis lands at
Newcastle were forfeited following their part in the
1641/2 insurrection and passed first to the Hawkins
family at Rathfriland and then to a lawyer, Edmund
Mathews, who in 1747 sold the estate to William
Annesley, a barrister, who was already in possession of
another Magennis estate in Castlewellan.
The Annesley family were to plan and oversee the
development of Castlewellan and Newcastle for the next
two hundred years. William’s son, the 2nd Earl Annesley,
as Chief Commissioner of the Board of Excise in Dublin,
was responsible for preventative measures against
smuggling and this was his primary reason for
persuading Parliament to fund the building of a
permanent pier at Newcastle in 1807. Although the
principal Annesley residence was the modest
Castlewellan Cottage which had been built in 1745,
younger members of the family continued to occupy the
old castle at Newcastle until its demolition and
replacement by the Annesley Arms Hotel in 1835. The
3rd Earl was responsible for the building in the early
1830s of Donard Lodge on the slopes overlooking
Newcastle. This was to remain the main Annesley home
until the construction of Castlewellan Castle in 1858. The
dowager Countess Annesley continued to live there until
her death in 1891, but it was allowed to deteriorate in the
hands of several tenants and was finally demolished in
1966. Castlewellan Castle was sold to the Ministry of
Agriculture in 1967.
90
In response to the rapid growth of Newcastle as a
watering-place in the second half of the 19th century, the
5th Earl Annesley had spent large sums on the provision
of a reservoir and waterworks, on town drainage and on
a sea wall and promenade. However, the harbour had
been badly damaged by the Big Wind of 1839. Its
replacement was finally completed by the Board of
Works in 1850, only to be the subject of such frequent
repair bills that the County Grand Jury refused any
further expenditure after 1869. To the detriment of trade,
the export of granite from the quarries on Millstone
Mountain and the fishing industry, it was to remain
much silted up and in a ruinous state until 1905. Within
50 years changing methods of transportation led even
this reconstruction to become mainly a shelter for
pleasure craft.
Many of the landscape and seascape photographs
taken by the author are of considerable beauty. The 23
pages of meaty notes should on no account be skipped.
Our DJ. Photographs by D.J. McNeill. Editor: M.
Lesley Simpson (Downpatrick, Down County Museum,
2007) [iv], 159pp. 148 black and white illustrations (Down
Survey: yearbook of Down County Museum 2007)
ISBN 978-0-9532530-9-8. Paperback, £8.00
The annual Down Survey has heretofore usually
taken the form of articles on miscellaneous items held by
the Down County Museum, or on the Museum’s
holdings centred on a single theme, and has been noticed
in these pages amongst the periodicals, but a distinctive
format and highly apposite design have been adopted for
this stand-alone volume drawn from one of the
Museum’s most important single collections.
Daniel J. McNeill, born in Dundrum in 1906, started
taking photographs as a teenager in 1922 and his love
affair with the camera was to last for nearly 70 years.
After teaching in Belfast and Bangor he came to
Downpatrick in 1944 as Principal of the Technical
College, which owed its subsequent rapid development
to his formidable energy and vision.
This selection from the approximately 40,000
negatives and prints presented to the Museum by his
family in 1988/89 has been grouped under a number of
the topics which preoccupied him most: his family, the
Flynns and McNeills, and their surroundings in
Dundrum; the physical development of Downpatrick
from the 1950s until the 1980s (he rarely missed a
demolition, and there are some fascinating ‘before’ and
‘after’ shots); his evocative record of daily life in some of
the smaller towns in County Down; the steady growth of
the courses available at the Technical College; aspects of
farming, fishing and granite working in the county; and
leisure and sporting events.
Many of D.J’s photographs transcend the mere
record and are strikingly composed works of art in their
own right. We also owe him a great deal for the work he
did in making copies of early historical photographs
which had been brought to his attention by local people.
Allen Thompson, the Museum’s photographer, has
done admirable work in preparing sometimes
deteriorating originals for publication, and there is a
wealth of informative and identifying material in the
captions contributed by members of the Museum staff.
Recent periodicals: selective contents lists
[Inverbrena No 12] Strangford: memories from
Inverbrena , 2007 (Inverbrena Local History Group).
‘Cairnashoke Academy’, Eamon McMullan [19th -
century predecessors of Kilclief Public Elementary
School (1927) and the author’s reminiscences of school
life there 1936-1939]; ‘Canon Conway’s Golden Jubilee’,
Nuala Colhoun [Summary of Canon Noel Conway’s
time as Parish Priest of Strangford from 1995, and of his
former teaching career at St Malachy’s College, Belfast,
where he was President of the College from 1983 to 1994];
‘The lad with nerve of steel’, George McKibbin [An
ascent to the top of the spire of Ballyculter Church on 9th
December 1992, accompanied by a remarkable series of
bird’s-eye photographs of the surrounding countryside];
‘Gallery’ [12-page section of old photographs 1940s-
1960s, plus school groups of Kilclief PE School ca 1900-
1950s]; ‘Ballyhornan – telephone cable’, Joan Magee [The
landfall in June 1929 of the cable from the Isle of Man laid
by the cable ship Faraday II to connect with the repeater
station at Ballyhornan]; ‘Extract from Home Words [and
Ballyculter Parish Magazine] 1878’ [Chapters 8-9 of an
account of Strangford Lough].
Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society. No 32, 2008
‘Miss Florence Irwin [1883-1965] – the cookin’
woman, D.A. Birkett [Traditional County Down recipes
extracted from Florence Irwin’s book The Cookin
Woman (1949), based on her experiences as Instructress
in Domestic Economy under the Department of
Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland and on
her weekly column in the Northern Whig]; ‘Publishing
the Rev. Dr. Steel Dickson’s Narrative’, Kenneth
Robinson [The circumstances surrounding the financing
and publication of A Narrative of the Confinement and
Exile of William Steel Dickson (1812) following his return
to Ireland in 1802 after imprisonment as a United
Irishman]; ‘Queen’s University Marine Biology Station,
a personal account – plus a little science. Part 6
continued’, P.J.S. Boaden; ‘Strangford Lough in the
Annals of the Four Masters [ca 2653 BC – AD 1543]’,
Gerard McPolin; ‘The stitching industry in Portaferry
[1895-1990s]’, Paddy Livingstone; ‘Newtownards
Chronicle and County Down Observer: extracts from
July 1907- June 1908’, Gerard Lennon.
Gordon Wheeler
91
Review of the year, 2007-2008
The Lecale Historical Society has had another
successful year. Membership of the Society continued to
expand and there was a varied and well-supported
programme of events.
The year’s programme began with a September
meeting in Strangford, where local historian Eamon
McMullan spoke on the topic Strangford – a historic village
– people and places down the years. Eamon was born in
Strangford and his deep knowledge of the village was
evident in his lecture. This was one of the best attended
meetings of the year with over eighty people present. The
meeting was the fourth of the initiative by the Committee
to broaden the appeal of the Society throughout Lecale, by
holding meetings in other parts of the barony outside the
regular Downpatrick venue.
The October lecture on the theme of The Flight of the
Earls was given by Eamon O'Huallahain, well known
folklorist and radio presenter, who had just completed a
tour of the main centres of the Flight. The large audience,
who participated in a lively discussion afterwards, was
treated to a scholarly and entertaining exposition of the
events leading up to the Flight, the Flight itself with all its
delays, detours and misfortunes and of its ultimately
tragic end, that heralded the end of Gaelic Ulster.
The launch of the Lecale Review 2007 took place in
November with Councillor Margaret Ritchie, MLA,
Minister for Social Development, and a member of the
Lecale Historical Society, as guest speaker. She spoke
eloquently about the role of local history societies in the
Community. The 100-page Lecale Review was produced
by an editorial committee and is the fifth edition of the
new-look journal. The ‘Pluckin’ Squeezers’ led by Society
member Laura Plummer provided musical entertainment
and the evening also included a short story reading and
supper. The Society is grateful to Down District Council
92
for its continuing financial support of the journal.
In December the Iddlesleigh Players presented The
Ingenious Innings of Inspiration –Amanda McKittrick Ros
revisited. This was a real treat as Peter Cavan told the story
of the famous Ulster writer and Irene Maxwell acted the
part of Amanda McKittrick Ros. We were transported
back to the early part of the last century to hear
wonderful extracts of alliteration and malapropisms from
her writing.
The artist Richard Croft was the guest speaker in
January on the subject Painting Lecale. The Dundrum artist
spoke about his life in painting and produced examples
of his work as well as the illustrations used during his
lecture. These were greatly appreciated by the audience.
He is particularly noted for some of his very large
paintings of the coast around Dundrum.
In February, Rhonda Robinson of the Environment
and Heritage Service spoke of its work in Valuing the Past
and Protecting our Historic Monuments. This was a most
interesting and illuminating account of the Department’s
work in caring for our ancient monuments and among the
interesting items that the speaker brought was a rare map
of County Down from the Eighteenth Century.
The St. Patrick’s Festival Lecture in March was held
in partnership with the Down Gaelic Society. Christopher
Napier gave the lecture on Aodh MacAingil-Scholar, Poet
and Bishop. The distinguished scholar of the Irish language
gave a fascinating insight into the life of one of
Downpatrick’s most famous sons and it was much
appreciated by the large audience.
In April, Monasteries of the North, was the subject of a
memorable talk by Tony Fleck. With only a handout as an
aid, he was able to give a vivid verbal description of the
monasteries from Norman to Tudor times, including the
everyday life of the monks who occupied them. The
Cistercian abbeys at Inch and Greyabbey were of
Eamon McMullan addressing members of the Lecale Historical Society at the Square in Strangford during the Annual Outing
particular interest.
At the Annual General Meeting in May, members of
the outgoing Committee were re-elected with the addition
of Dr Brian Gaffney and Patrick Clarke. Following the
formal business of the meeting members of the Society
produced items of interest. The number of unexpected
and interesting items continues to make this a most
enjoyable occasion. This AGM produced an exceptional
collection ranging from Maundy Money to a lost painting
by Raymond Piper.
Following the success of the September meeting,
around forty members of the Society returned to
Strangford on a dry June evening for the Annual Outing.
Eamon McMullan assembled his tour at the Square before
proceeding along Castle Street. His account of the
history of the village was both interesting and
entertaining. There was the rare opportunity to gain
admittance to both Strangford Castle and Strangford
House before close encounters in the Squeeze Gut. The
evening ended with welcome tea and shortbread in the
Cuan.
The regular meetings of the Society are held at Down
County Museum and the Society would like to thank the
Curator and staff of the Museum for their help and
assistance in the smooth organisation of the events.
Thanks are also due to the volunteers who help
throughout the year with the many and various tasks
involved in the running of the Society.
Berkley Farr
93
 Notes on contributors
Raymond Atkinson is a retired teacher and lawyer who
now works as a guide at Castle Ward.
Ronald Buchanan, Professor Emeritus of Geography at
Queen's University, Belfast. He is a former President of the
Lecale Historical Society.
Peter Cavan is a retired businessman who has been
involved in amateur dramatics for many years. He directs the
Iddesleigh Players in productions of Amanda McKittrick Ros.
Patrick Clarke is a full-time student at Queen’s University.
He is author of ‘History of the County Down Townland –
Drumaroad’, and is a keen local historian, presently
researching the Forde Family. He is a member of Lecale
Historical Society.
Malachy Conway is an archaeologist with the National
Trust based at Rowallane Gardens.
Roger Dixon is Librarian of National Museums Northern
Ireland and has written extensively on aspects of Ulster
history and culture.
Malachy Ellesmere is a retired Senior Nursing Manager
with the Southern Health Board and is a nephew of James
Connor.
Berkley Farr is a former history teacher and civil servant.
He is Secretary of Lecale Historical Society and former joint
Secretary of the County Down Museum Committee.
James Fitzsimons spent his career in further and higher
education in England before returning to County Down
where he has developed a keen interest in local and family
history.
Alan Johnston is well known as a noted photographer
and is a former Chairman of the Lecale Historical Society.
Philip Macdonald is a fieldwork director with the Centre
for Archaeological Fieldwork at Queen’s University Belfast.
Joan Magee is Assistant Librarian, Support Specialist
Local Studies, South-Eastern Education and Library Board,
and member of Lecale Historical Society Committee.
94
Finbar McCormick is a Senior Lecturer in the School of
Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at Queen’s
University. He is a member of the Lecale Historical Society.
David Maxwell lives in Strangford and is a member of the
Lecale Historical Society.
Emily Murray is a fieldwork director with the Centre for
Archaeological Fieldwork at Queen’s University Belfast.
Sean Nolan is a former Director of the Ulster Museum,
Governor of the Linen Hall Library, Secretary of the Ulster
History Circle and President of the Lecale Historical Society.
Laura Plummer is a singer and song-writer based in
Downpatrick and is a member of the Lecale Historical Society.
Frederick Pyne is a former Chairman of the Irish Branch
of the Royal Town Planning Institute. A keen collector of
antique maps of Ireland, he has established a reputation as an
authority in this field.
Patricia Pyne is a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic
Society and a member of the Lecale Historical Society. A
former Head of Modern Languages at Victoria College,
Belfast, she currently works at Queen's University.
Peter Rankin is a retired solicitor, and a former Secretary
of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and author or joint
author of a number of its publications. He is a member of
Lecale Historical Society.
Colm Rooney teaches science and is a former Secretary of
Lecale Historical Society.
Lesley Simpson is a Keeper of Records at Down County
Museum.
William Stranney is a former nurse lecturer and is an
active local historian. He is a member of Lecale Historical
Society.
Gordon Wheeler was formerly Humanities Librarian at
Queen's University, Belfast and is a past President of the Linen
Hall Library. He is a member of Lecale Historical Society.
 Lecale Historical Society
Lecale is the historic barony centred on Downpatrick, County Down, which includes
Strangford, Saul, Inch, Ardglass, Killough and Dundrum. The Lecale Historical Society
is one of the longer established and most consistently active local historical societies in
Ulster. Since 1974 it has organised events both to inform its members and to encourage
more general interest in the heritage of Lecale and adjacent areas of east Down. It is a
charity with the aim of assisting the community by promoting the study of history and
the environment. Membership is open to all who subscribe to its aims. Members are
entitled to attend the lecture programme and other events organised by the society, and
to participate in elections to the executive committee. Society newsletters and a free copy
of our journal are additional benefits of membership.

The individual membership subscription is £10.00 per year. Family membership

covering those living at the same address is £15. All those named will be full members
of the Society, entitled to attend events and participate fully. Everybody is warmly invited
to join. If you wish to do so please contact the Membership Registrar:

Mr Patrick Devlin, 18 Ardmore Avenue, Downpatrick,

County Down, BT30 6JU

For other business the Honorary Secretary of the Society is:

Mr Berkley Farr, Taughlea, 8 Rocks Chapel Road, Dunnanelly, Downpatrick, BT30 9BA

95
Lecale Review Contact: Wendy Osborne OBE, Hawthorne Cottage,
Castlemahon, Ballyculter, Strangford, County Down,
The purpose of the Lecale Review is to interest the BT30 7BB.
Society's members and friends, and to provide a
permanent historical record for general use. We actively Lecale Miscellany
invite contributions for consideration. They can range
from short notes to longer pieces on subjects of historical The Lecale Historical Society’s first journal Lecale
interest. Notes do not have to be academic in content or Miscellany was produced annually between 1983 and
tone. We also seek articles based on original research on 2002. Most of the journals are now out of print and copies
Lecale and adjacent areas of County Down, and to are almost impossible to obtain. As there is a steady
publish significant source material, making it more demand for copies the Society has reproduced the full set
accessible both for general interest and for future work. of the 20 journals on CD-ROM. The set is indexed and
fully searchable. Price is £10.00 or £11.00 including p&p.
Notes can range from 100 words to perhaps 1000.
Longer articles should not normally exceed 5000 words,
and should, if possible, be submitted for consideration on
computer disk in Microsoft Word, or in typescript. In
addition we are particularly interested in publishing
information and stories from people who might not
normally think of writing them down. Photographs that
help us to understand life in Lecale are also welcome.

Anyone who would like to contribute to the Lecale

Review is invited to make contact by post or at any Society
meeting, or by e-mail to admin@lecalehistory.co.uk

Back numbers

The following back numbers of the Society's journals

are available for sale.
Lecale Review, No 2 (2004) at £5.00 plus postage; No 3
(2005) and No 4 (2006) and No5 (2007) at £7.00 plus
postage.
Lecale Miscellany, No 1 (1983), No 6 (1988), No 12
(1994) All at £1.00 each plus postage.

CD-ROM of all 20 editions of Lecale Miscellany (1983

– 2002). £10 plus postage

96
Lecale Historical Society: Members at 31 March 2008
President: J.C. Nolan Conway, Canon FW, Strangford
Chairman of Committee: Wendy Osborne OBE Corkey, Patrick and Elizabeth, Ballynacraig
Vice Chairman: Una Fitzsimons Craig, Peter, Raholp
Secretary: Berkley Farr Crea, Willie and Mrs A, Ballyculter
Treasurer and membership registrar: Patrick Devlin Croft, Richard and Mrs, Dundrum
Committee Members: Aveen Flynn, Kathleen Gill, Ian Hill (to Croskery, Mary, Ballystokes
August 2007), Patricia Magennis, William Stranney (to Cross, Patrick, Magheracranmoney
January 2008), Roisin Wylie (co-opted February 2008) Crowle-Ellis, Anne, Strangford
Cunningham, Eamon and Sheila, Strangford
Arnold, Michael J and Phyllis, Bangor Curran, Anne, Ardglass
Arnold, Philip and Marie, Bangor Curran, Daniel, Newcastle
Cuthbert, James and Donny, Hollymount
Bayly, Rev. S. Niall M, Belfast
Beach, Simone, Ballydugan Davey, Peter and Rosemary, Belfast
Bent, Vincent and Teresa, Strangford Davies, Rosalind, New South Wales, Australia
Berner, Elsie, Ballygawley Davis, Denis A., Southport
Black, Brian, Strangford Dearden, Dr Christine & Erwin, Ann, Ballyculter
Breen, George and Elizabeth, Carryduff Denvir, Peig, Newcastle
Brown, Dr RA and Linda, Downpatrick Devlin, Pat & Sadie, Downpatrick
Buchanan, Prof. R.H., * and Mrs Rhoma, Ballyquintin Devlin, William, Magheracranmoney
Burnett, Leslie, Strangford Donnelly, Maureen, Clough
Doris, John and Mairead, Downpatrick
Carroll, Alexander, Killough Dunford, Roger and Hazel, Ballyrenan
Carroll, Dr John and Ann, Kilkeel Dunn, Ronnie and Betty, Audleystown
Carson, Edward, Ballydargan
Carson, Rachel, Rathmullan Elliott, James and Helen, Lisburn
Catherall, J.V., Lancashire Erskine, Dr RLA, Downpatrick
Clarke, Patrick, Dundrum
Cochrane, Gerard and Roisin, Downpatrick Faloona, Winifred, Strangford
Colmer, Albert, * Crossgar Farr, Berkley and Mary, Dunnanelly
Connolly, Al and John, Dundalk Ferguson, John and Joan, Portavogie
Connolly, Sean, Downpatrick Ferris, Jack, Deirdre and family, Downpatrick

97
Fitzsimons, Charles and Una, Raholp James, Sheila, Strangford
Fitzsimons, Jim, Inch Johnston, Alan and Phyllis, Cloghy
Fitzsimons, Margaret, Wirral
FitzSimons, Tim, Illinois, USA Ker, David, Reading
Fitzsimmons, Muriel, California, USA Kerr, Anne, Trevor and Family, Audley's Acre
Fleming, Elizabeth and Mr, Coniamstown Killen, Alistair, Downpatrick
Flynn, Jerome and Aveen, Dundrum King, Mike, Downpatrick
Forbes, Ralph and Deirdre, Strangford Kingsnorth, Sheila, Killyleagh

Gaffney, Drs Brian and Anne-Marie and family, Downpatrick Lannin, Noreen, Downpatrick
Gifford, Dick, Demesne of Down Lascelles, Tom and Sheila, Richmond, N Yorks
Gill, Kathleen, Killough Lewis-Crosby, Sheila, Castleward
Gill, Robin, Sheepland Mor Linley, Roger and Meriel, Annadorn
Glass, Stephen, Clough Loughlin, Marie, Downpatrick
Gracey, James, Bishopscourt
Graham, Geraldine, Dundrum McAleenan, Drs Frank & Nuala, Downpatrick
McCabe, Dymphna, Castlewellan
Halliday, Eileen, Finnebrogue McCammon, Jacqueline, Belfast
Halpin, Chris and Anne, Raholp McCandless, John, Douglas, Isle of Man
Hamill, Maud, Jordanstown McCann, Frank, Downpatrick
Hanna, Conac, Downpatrick McCartan, Michael, Newcastle
Hardy, Virginia, Strangford McCartan, Sean, Belfast
Hayes, Dr Maurice and Joan, Downpatrick McCartan, Sinead, Strangford
Hetherington, David and Georgina, Coleraine McComiskey, Mabel, Ardglass
Higgins, Sean C, Raholp McConville, Michael, Strangford
Hill, Dr Ian and Chesney, Helena, Strangford McCormick, Finbar and Hossack, Helen, Killough
Hood, John and Barbara, Killough McCullough, Patricia, * and Leslie, Strangford
Hughes, Anne, Downpatrick McElwaine,Graham & Alison, Downpatrick
Hughes, Robbie, Alex and family, Strangford McGrady, Colette, Downpatrick
Hull, Rev. Henry, Downpatrick McGrady, Eddie, Downpatrick
Hunter, Richard, York McGrady, Fintan, Belfast
Hurley, Eoin and Helen, Dundrum McGrady, Malachy, * and Colette, Downpatrick
Hussey, John, Newcastle McGrady, Paula, Ballyalton
McGrath, Desmond, Ballynahinch

98
McGrath, John, Ballyvaston
McKee, Lloyd, Inch
McKenna, Fr. Patrick, Dundrum
McKenny, Peter and Kathleen, Ballynewport
McKibbin, George, Ballyculter Lower
McMullan, Eamon, Newcastle
McMullan, Maurice and Valerie, Crossgar
McStay, Bill, Ardglass
Mack, Terence and Maureen, Strangford
Mackel, Sean, Downpatrick
Magee, Joan, Kilclief
Magee, Pat and Sally, Ardglass
Magennis, Dr Claire and Moore, Dr Paddy, Ballygallum
Magennis, Patricia, Downpatrick
Magennis, Tim, Dun Laoghaire
Magorrian, Stephen and Laura, Belfast
Manley, Jim, Killough
Marmion, Chevalier William F.K., Alicante, Spain
Maxwell, Cmdr. David, Strangford
Maxwell, Frank * (deceased) and Joy, Church Ballee
Mayne, Canon JA Brian, Cargagh
Meade, Doreen, High Wycombe
Moffatt, Dr.W. Ray, Strangford
Moore, Arthur, Downpatrick
Moore, Joseph, Downpatrick
Moorhouse, Dorothy, Newtownabbey
Morrissey, Michael and Ann Marie, Downpatrick
Mullan, Marie Lou, Downpatrick
Murray, Mary Rose, Downpatrick
Napier, JC and Ann, Carrowcarlin
Napier, Mrs Noreen, Saul
Napier, Sir Oliver & Lady Briege, Holywood
Neill, Dr Thomas K, Donaghadee
Nixon, George and Vivian, Downpatrick
Nolan, Sean and Maureen, Strangford
Odling-Smee, William & Anne, Killough
Oram, Richard, Newcastle
Osborne, Wendy and Bill, Castlemahon
Peacock, Agnes & John, Finnebrogue
Peake, Patrick & Elsie, Ballytrustan
Peters, Elizabeth, Downpatrick
Pim, John and Sheila
Plumber, Mrs Laura and family, Downpatrick
Press, Hugh, Downpatrick
Press, John and Maura, Lisburn
Price, Jack and Susan, Demesne of Down
Prytherch, Edna, Downpatrick
Pugh, Elsie, Belfast
Pyne, Fred & Patricia, Ballygowan
Ranaghan, Pascal and Rosemarie, Newcastle
Rankin, Fred, Belfast
Rankin, Peter, Saintfield
Ray, Ashley, Downpatrick
Rea, Jack and Gwen, Ballydargan
Rea, Lenore, Ballydargan
Reid, Horace, Ballynahinch
Rice, George and Maureen, Ardglass
Riddall, Bill, Downpatrick
Riddall, Richard and Alexandra, Ballintogher
Ritchie, Margaret, Dunnanelly
Rogan, V. Rev. Canon Sean
Rogers, Hazel, Strangford
Rooney, Joe, Ardglass
Rooney, Mary & Colm, Strangford
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Rourke, Connie, Downpatrick
Rourke, Martin, Claire & family, Marshalstown
Russell, Tony, Shiela and family, Carrowbaghran

Sage, Albert, Ballynoe

Samways, Claire, Raholp
Sandford, David and Alison, Audleystown
Savage, Bernadette, Belfast
Seed, Martin and Parkinson, Sarah, Ballee
Shannon, Richard and Aine, Ardglass
Sloan, Gerard, Ballynahinch
Smyth, Damian, Downpatrick
Smyth, Robert, Newcastle (deceased)
Steers, Revd David, Belfast
Stewart, Mary, Lisnamaul
Stranney, Lucy, Liverpool
Stranney, Michael, Larne
Stranney, Rebecca Jane, Newtownabbey
Stranney, William, Jane and family, Demesne of Down
Sykes, Florence, Crossgar

Thompson, John & Linda, Finnebrogue

Torney, Christina, Strangford
Torrens-Spence, Rachal M., Ballydugan
Tumelty, Jim & Paula, Killough
Turner, Brian, * and Helen, Lisban

Vaughan, Aidan, Downpatrick

Wheeler, Gordon, Downpatrick

Williamson, Dena, Indiana, USA
Wilson, Anthony, Belfast
Wilson, Joan, Downpatrick
Wylie, Martin and Roisin, Ardglass

* Honorary Life Membership

100