DONAGHADEE

DONAGHADEE, a sea-port, and post-town, and a parish, in the barony of ARDES, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 14 and a half miles (N. E. by E.) from Belfast, and 94 and a half (N. N. E.) from Dublin, containing 7627 inhabitants, of which number, 2986 are in the town. It is situated on the coast in lat. 54° 38' 20" and lon. 5° 31' 50", and is one of the three principal stations for post-office packets. It anciently belonged to the monastery of Black Abbey, in the county of Down. The town comprises several streets, which are wide and well kept, and contains 671 houses. From being the point of communication between Ireland and Scotland, as it is only 22 miles distant from Portpatrick, it has been a packet station from a very early period. The voyage across the channel is generally made by steam vessels in about three hours. Its natural harbour is small, but has lately been greatly improved by the erection of two large stone piers carried out on ledges of rock to a depth of sixteen feet at low water, and enclosing a space of about 200 yards each way outside the original harbour. A great part of the interior has been excavated to the same depth as the entrance ; the original estimate for the improvement of this harbour, which commenced in 1821, was £145,453 of which up to Jan. 5th, 1834, £143,704. 5. 8. had been expended. When finished, vessels drawing 16 feet of water may safely enter it at any period of the tide. The stone of which the piers, lighthouse,etc. are built, is the Anglesey marble. The lighthouse, at the extremity of the south pier, is a stationary red light. Donaghadee is a creek to the port of Belfast, and has a harbour master and one custom-house officer. Its principal imports are coal and timber, and its principal exports, live cattle and pigs. Nearly all the poor females are employed in embroidering muslin, chiefly for the Glasgow manufacturers : above £20,000 per ann. is paid as wages for this work, which was introduced in 1805. There are many wind and water mills, several of which are employed in dressing flax. There is no regular market ; fairs are held on June 13th, Aug. 16th, Oct. 10th, and on the second Saturday in December. It is a constabulary police station, and the head of a coastguard district, under the control of a resident inspecting commander, which comprises the twelve stations of Hollywood, Bangor, Crawfordsburn, Orlockhill, Groomsport, Donaghadee. Millisle, Ballywalter, Ballyhalbert, Cloghy, Taragh, and Strangford, The parish comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 9593 statute acres, which, with the exception of 32 and a half of water and about 1000 of bog, marsh, and waste land, are all arable : the land is in general well cultivated, producing very good crops. A considerable tract of bog, and part of Gransha moss, in this parish, are valuable as fuel, but are fast diminishing by cultivation. Slate of inferior value is obtained, and at a considerable depth is abundant and of excellent quality. Clay-slate is some- times used for repairing the roads. A court of record is held by the seneschal of the manor, which has jurisdiction by attachment to the extent of £20, and by civil bill to the extent of 40s., over this parish, the district of Black Abbey, and the townland of Killyvalgen, in the parish of Ballywalter. It is held in the court-house once in three weeks, where also a court-leet is held annually in May, for the election of officers for the town and manor ; and petty sessions are held every Wednesday. In the town are the handsome residences of D. Delacherois, Esq., its proprietor, and of S. Delacherois, Esq., Capt Leslie, R. N., Mrs. G. Leslie, Mrs.Vaughan, and others ; and near it are Carrodore Castle, the seat of N. D. Crommelin, Esq.; Ballywilliam Cottage, of Lady Charlotte Jocelyn, and the glebe-house, of the Rev. J. Hill. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of the Lord Primate ; at its institution it was endowed with all the alterages, and one-third of the tithes of corn and hay, and one-half of the townland of Mulletullenagh- ragh, as a glebe : the rectory is appropriate to the see of Armagh. The tithes amount to £720, of which £480 is paid to the lessee of the appropriator, and £240 to the vicar. The glebe-house was built in 1816 ; the glebe comprises 13 acres. The church is a large, ancient, cruciform structure, for the repair of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £200. A lofty tower was built at its western end, in 1833, at the expense of D. Delacherois, Esq., aided by £50 bequeathed for that purpose by the late S. Delacherois, Esq. In the R. C. divisions the parish is in the union or district of Newtown-Ardes. There are two Presbyterian meeting-houses in the town, one of which is in connection with the Synod of Ulster, also one at Millisle of the third class. At Ballycopeland is one in connection with the Seceding Synod, of the second class, and one in the same connection at Carrodore, of the third class.The Primitive Methodists also have a meeting-house in the town. The parochial school was founded by Lady Mount-Alexander, for the education of 30 boys ; there are two schools under the National Board at Carrodore, one of which is aided by an annual donation from Mrs. Crommelin ; a school of 70 girls is supported by subscription, and there are three others in the town : there are also an infants' school and 10 private schools in the parish. A dispensary and infirmary are supported in the customary manner. Lady Mount-Alexander, bywill dated 1769, bequeathed aperpetual annuity of £120 payable out of her estates in this parish to charitable purposes. Dr. Sempil bequeathed £20 per ann., and S. Delacherois, Esq., gave £100, the interest of which, with the former bequest, is annually distributed among the poor by the vicar. Close to the harbour is a rath, seventy feet high with a large platform on its summit commanding a fine view of the channel and surrounding country. A castellated powder magazine has been erected on its top which is approached by winding roads cut round the sides. Many smaller raths are scattered over the parish.

DONAGHCLONEY

DONAGHCLONEY, a parish, in the barony of LOWER IVEAGH, county of Down, and province of ULSTER, 2 and a half miles (S. by E.) from Lurgan, on the road to Banbridge; containing 5657 inhabitants. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 6698 statute acres, of which 6384 are very fertile and principally under tillage : there is also a considerable tract of valuable bog. Waringstown House, the residence of the Rev. Holt Waring, is a spacious and handsome mansion, erected in 1667 by William Waring, Esq., and situated in an extensive and richly planted demesne embellished with stately timber. During the war of l688, a party of the Irish adherents of Jas. II. took possession of this house, which they garrisoned and retained till the arrival of Duke Schomberg, in the following year, when they were driven out by that general, who slept here for two nights. There are several other seats, of which the principal are the Demesne, the residence of J. Brown, Esq.; Tullycarn, of H. Magill, Esq.; and Donaghcloney, of J. Brown, Esq., and also several residences of merchants and manufacturers. The manufacture of linens, lawns, cambrics, diapers, sheetings, and other articles is carried on to a great extent. The weaving of diapers, on its introduction into Ireland, was first established in this parish by the spirited exertions of Samuel Waring, Esq., who brought over a colony from England, and with his own hands made the first spinning wheel and reel on improved principles, from drawings which he had procured while travelling in Holland, and similar wheels are now universally used throughout Ireland. There is a very extensive bleach-green at Donaghcloney, in which 8000 pieces are annually finished; and there is scarcely a house in the parish that is not, in some way, connected with this manufacture. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, formerly united by charter of Jas. I. to the rectories of Segoe and Moyntaghs, and part of the rectories of Magherally and Tullylish, together constituting the union of Donaghcloney and the corps of the archdeaconry of Dromore : but on the resignation of the Hon. and Rev. Pierce Meade, in 1832, the union was dissolved ; Segoe alone became the corps of the archdeaconry, and this parish was constituted a separate and distinct benefice, in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £261. 6.: there is neither glebe-house nor glebe. The church, situated in the neat village of Waringstown, near the mansion, is a very respectable edifice with a curious oak roof, and has been lately much enlarged at the joint expense of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and the proprietor of the estate : it was originally built at the expense of Wm. Waring, Esq., who presented it to the parish, about the year 1680. Divine service is also performed in four school-houses in the parish, every Sunday evening and every alternate Thursday. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Tullylish. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Seceding Synod, of the first class. The parochial school is aided by an annual donation from the rector, and there are four other schools; in these together about 200 boys and 140 girls receive instruction : there are also five pay schools, in which are about 130 boys and 60 girls. The extensive cemetery of the parish is situated on the shore of the river Lagan; but there is not a vestige of the ancient church. A large bell was found in the bed of the river, and is now in the tower of Waringstown church; engraved upon it, in rude characters, is the inscription, " I belong to Donaghcloney."-See WARINGSTOWN.

DONAGHMORE

DONAGHMORE, a parish, in the barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 5 and a quarter miles (N. by E.) from Newry, containing 4463 inhabitants. It is situated on the great road from Dublin to Belfast, and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 8396¼ statute acres , there are 110 acres of woodland, 499 of bog, 16 of waste, and 48 of water ; the rest is arable and pasture land, generally good and in a high state of cultivation. Many of the inhabitants are employed in the weaving of linen for the merchants of Banbridge. Fairs are held on the first Friday in every month for cattle, sheep, and pigs, at Sheepbridge, which consists of only two houses, on the Newry road. Drummantine, the seat of the late Arthur Innis, Esq., Beech Hill of E. Curteis, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. M. J. Mee, are the principal residences in the parish The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate, to whom the rectory is appropriate : the tithes amount to £451 of which £251 is payable to the Lord-Primate, and £200 to the incumbent. The glebe-house, which is large and handsome, was erected in 1786, on a good glebe of 36 Irish acres, comprehending the townland of Tullagh or Tullynacross. The church was built at the sole expense of Primate Boulter, in 1741 : it is a small handsome edifice in good repair, with a lofty tower ornamented with buttresses, pinnacles, and finials, whicha was erected, in 1828, by voluntary contributions. The| R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church : a handsome chapel is now being built at Barr, and there is a small one at Ballyblaw. A meeting-house for Presbyterians, in connection with the Synod of Ulster, stands on the borders of this parish and that of Newry; and at the Rock is a large meeting-house for Seceders. There is a parochial school on the glebe, built in 1818, and principally supported by the vicar, who gives the master one acre of land rent-free ; also a school at Derrycraw, built, and supported by Trevor Corry, Esq., and there are five private schools. In the churchyard is a remarkable old cross ;beneath it is the entrance to an artificial cave, which extends a considerable distance, the sides being formed of loose stones, covered over with large flat stones; near the centre is a cross or transept, forming two distinct chambers ; the cave is about 3 feet wide, 5 feet high, and 62 feet long, and, at the cross, nearly 30 feet broad. The Dowagh, or Danes' Cast, passes through the western extremity of the parish, and in some places forms the boundary between it and Drumbanagher, and between the counties of Armagh and Down.

DOWNPATRICK

DOWNPATRICK, an unincorporated borough, market and post-town, and parish, in the barony of LECALE county of DOWN, (of which it is the chief town), and province of ULSTER, 18 miles (S. E. by S.) from a Belfast, and 74 (N.) from Dublin ; containing 9203 inhabitants, of which number, 4784 are in the town.

This place, which was anciently the residence of the native kings of Ullagh or Ulidia, was originally named Aras-Celtair and Rath-Keltair, one signifying the house and the other the castle or fortification of Celtair, the son of Duach , by Ptolemy it was called Dunum. Its present name is derived from its situation on a hill, and from its having been the chosen residence of St. Patrick, who, on his arrival here in 432, founded in its vicinity the abbey of Saul, and, shortly after, an abbey of regular canons near the ancient Doon or fort, the site of which was granted to him by Dichu, son of Trichem, lord of the country, whom he had converted to the Christian faith. St. Patrick presided over these religious establishments till his death in 493, and was interred in the abbey here, in which also the remains of St Bridget and St. Columbkill, the two other tutelar saints of Ireland, were. subsequently deposited. The town was constantly exposed to the ravages of the Danes by whom it was plundered and burnt six or seven times between the years 940 and 1111 ; and on all these occasions the cathedral was pillaged by them. In 1177, John de Courcy took possession of the town, then the residence of Mac Dunleve, Prince of Ullagh, who unprepared for defence against an invasion so unexpected, fled precipitately. De Courcy fortified himself here and maintained his position against all the efforts of Mac Dunleve, aided by the native chieftains, for its recovery. In 1183, he displaced the canons and substituted a society of Benedictine monks from the abbey of St. Werburgh at Chester. Both he and Bishop Malachy III., endowed the abbey with large revenues , and in 1186 they sent an embassy to Pope Urban III. to obtain a bull for translating into shrines the sacred reliques of the three saints above named, which was performed with great solemnity by the pope's nuncio in the same year. De Courcy having espoused the claims of Prince Arthur, Duke of Brittany, assumed, in common with other English barons who had obtained extensive settlements in Ireland, an independent state, and renounced his allegiance to King John, who summoned him to appear and do homage. His mandate being treated with contempt, the provoked monarch, in 1203, invested De Lacy and his brother Walter with a commission to enter Ulster and reduce the revolted baron. De Lacy advanced with his troops to Down, where an engagement took place in which he was signally defeated and obliged to retreat with considerable loss of men. De Courcy, however, was ultimately obliged to acknowledge his submission and consent to do homage. A romantic description of the issue of this contest is related by several writers, according to whom De Courcy, after the termination of the battle, challenged De Lacy to single combat, which the latter declined on the plea that his commission, as the King's representative, forbade him to enter the lists against a rebellious subject, and subsequently proclaimed a reward for De Courcy's apprehension, which proving ineffectual, he then prevailed upon his servants by bribes and promises to betray their master. This act of perfidy was 492 carried into execution whilst De Courcy was performing his devotions unarmed in the burial-ground of the cathedral: the assailants rushed upon him and slew some of his retinue; De Courcy seized a large wooden cross, with which, being a man of great prowess, he killed thirteen of them, but was overpowered by the rest and bound and led captive to De Lacy, who delivered him a prisoner to the king. In 1205, Hugh de Lacy was made Earl of Ulster, and for a while fixed his residence at the castle erected here by De Courcy. In 1245, part of the abbey was thrown down and the walls of the cathedral much damaged by an earthquake. A desperate battle was fought in the streets of this town, in 1259, between Stephen de Longespee and the chief of the O'Neils, in which the latter and 352 of his men were slain. Edward Bruce, in his invasion of Ulster, in 1315, having marched hither, plundered and destroyed the abbey, and burnt part of the town : he again plundered the town three years afterwards, and on that occasion caused himself to be proclaimed King of Ireland at the cross near the cathedral. To subdue the opposition raised by the wealthy abbots of this district, under Primate Cromer, against the spiritual supremacy of Hen. VIII., Lord Grey, then lord-deputy, marched with a powerful army into Lecale, took Dundrum and seven other castles, and in May 1538, having defaced the monuments of the three patron saints and perpetrated other acts of sacrilege, set fire to the cathedral and the town ; three years afterwards, this act was made one of the charges on which he was impeached and beheaded. On the surrender of the abbey in 1539, its possessions, with those of the other religious establishments in the town, were granted to Gerald, eleventh Earl ofKildare. In 1552, the town was plundered and partially destroyed by Con O'Neil, Earl of Tyrone ; and two years afterwards it was assaulted by his son Shane, who destroyed its gates and ramparts. During the war of 1641, the Protestants of the surrounding district having fled hither for protection, the town was attacked by the Irish under the command of Col. Bryan O'Neil, who burnt a magnificent castle erected by Lord Okeham, and committed a great slaughter of the townsmen ; many that escaped were afterwards massacred at Killyleagh. The town is built upon a group of little hills, on the south shore of the western branch of Lough Cone or Strangford Lough, and consists of four principal streets rising with a steep ascent from the market-place in the centre, and intersected by several smaller streets and lanes : on the eastern side the hills rise abruptly behind it, commanding views of a fertile and well-cultivated tract abounding with richly diversified and picturesque scenery. It is divided according to ancient usage into three districts, called respectively the English, Irish, and Scottish quarters, and contains about 900 houses, most of which are well built : the streets are well paved, and were first lighted with oil in 1830; and the inhabitants are amply supplied with water. An ancient ferry across the western arm of Strangford lough connected this town with the neighbourhood to the north until a bridge was erected about one mile from the town, with a tower gate-house upon it, which was destroyed and the bridge itself greatly damaged in 1641. A public library and news-room was erected by subscription in 1825 ; and races are held in July alternately with Hillsborough, under charter of Jas. II., on an excellent course one mile south of the town. The mem bers of the Down Hunt hold their annual meetings in a handsome building in English-street, called the County Rooms, which is also used for county meetings, &c. The barracks are an extensive and convenient range of buildings, formerly the old gaol, in which a detachment of two companies from the garrison at Belfast is placed. The only article of manufacture is that of linen, principally yard wide, for the West Indies and the English market, and drills for Scotland, in which about 700 weavers, are employed. There are two ale breweries in the town. On the banks of the Quoile, one mile distant, are excellent quays, where vessels of 100 tons' burden come in from Strangford lough: the principal imports are iron, coal, salt, timber, bark, and general merchandise : the exports are wheat, barley, oats, cattle, pigs, potatoes, and kelp. Formerly the tide flowed up close to the town, but in 1745 an embankment was constructed across the Quoile water, one mile distant, by the Rt. Hon. Edward Southwell, lord of the manor, which restrained it to that point, and about 500 acres of land were recovered: this embankment was swept away by a storm, and a second was formed by Lord de Clifford, with floodgates, &c., but after much rain a considerable portion of meadow land in the neighbourhood of the town is yet inundated. The market is on Saturday, it is large and well supplied with provisions of all kinds, and with pedlery. Brown linen webs were formerly sold on the market day in the linen hall, but the sale has of late much declined. The market-house is an old low building, containing some good upper rooms, in which the petty sessions were formerly held and public business was transacted. Fairs are held annually on the second Thursday in January, March 17th, May 19th, June 22nd, Oct. 29th, and Nov. 19th. This is a chief constabulary police station, with a force consisting of one officer, one constable, and seven men.

Downpatrick had a corporation at an early period, the existence of which is recognised in 1403, when letters of protection were granted to it by Hen. IV., under the title of the " Mayor, Bailiffs, and Commonalty of the city of Down, in Ulster." The borough returned two members to the Irish parliament, so early as 1585 ; this privilege was exercised till the union, since which they have returned one member to the Imperial parliament. The right of election was vested in the pot-wallopers, but under an act of the 35th of Geo. III. it was limited to the resident occupiers of houses of the annual value of £5 and upwards, who have registered twelve months before the election : the number of qualifying tenements under the old law was estimated at about 650. The act of the 2nd of Wm. IV., cap. 88, caused no alteration in the franchise or in the limits of the borough, which is co-extensive with the demesne of Down, containing 1486 statute acres : the number of voters registered, in 1835, was 525. The seneschal appointed by the lord of the manor is the returning officer. The manor, which is the property of David Ker, Esq., is very ancient, its existence being noticed in a record dated 1403. A patent of it was granted to Lord Cromwell by Jas. I., in 1617, whereby sundry monasteries, lands, and tenements, including the demesne of Down, were erected into the manor of Downpatrick the manorial court, in which the process is either by attachment or civil bill, is held by the seneschal every third Tuesday, and has jurisdiction to the amount of £10 over 67 townlands in the parishes of Downpatrick, Saul, Ballee, Bright, Ballyculter, and Inch. The seneschal holds a court leet for the manor in spring and at Michaelmas. Petty sessions are held on alternate Thursdays : the assizes are held here ; and the quarter sessions for the division of Downpatrick are held in March and October, the two other sessions being held at Newry. The county hall, or court-house, which was considerably enlarged and improved in 1834, occupies an elevated site in English-street, it is a large and handsome edifice, consisting of a centre and two wings, approached by a fine flight of stone steps ; the centre is appropriated to the criminal court, the eastern wing to the civil court, and in the western are preserved the county records, &c., it also contains a suite of assembly-rooms. The county gaol is a very commodious building, erected in 1830 at an expense of £60,000, and occupying an area of one acre and a half: the internal arrangements and management are calculated to carry into the best. effect the improved system of prison discipline, and have been recommended as a model for similar establishments by the inspector-general of prisons. The SEE of DOWN is supposed to have originated in the abbey founded here by St. Patrick, but St. Carlan is said to have been the first bishop. Its early prelates are called Bishops of Dundalethglass, but it is probable that this see was generally included in the diocese of Connor, prior to the episcopacy of Malachy O'Morgair, who Arms of the Bishoprick. became bishop in 1137, and separated it from Connor; his immediate successors are called bishops of Ulster by some historians. John Cely was the last bishop who, in modern times, held the bishoprick of Down separate from that of Connor : he was deprived of it tor his crimes and excesses in 1441. Archbishop Prene recommended William Bassett, a Benedictine monk, to the Pope, as a successor to Cely, but the pope added this see to that of Connor, and they have remained united to the present time. John, the first bishop of Down and Connor, was not, however, allowed to enjoy his united bishopricks in peace ; for Thomas Pollard claimed to be Bishop of Down, and is supposed to have been supported by the archbishop, but, lost his cause in 1449. John was fined shortly before his death for not appearing upon summons in Parliament. Bishop Tiberius, who is stated to have very much beautified the cathedral, was succeeded, about 1526, by Robert Blyth, abbot of Thorney, in Cambridgeshire, who held these, bishopricks in commendam, and resided in England. The last bishop before the Reformation was Eugene Magenis, who was advanced to these sees by Pope Paul III. ; and although John Merriman, chaplain to Queen Elizabeth, was consecrated bishop in 1568, the pope appointed Miler Magragh to the united see : he, however, never had possession of the temporalties, and subsequently becoming a Protestant was made Archbishop of Cashel. John Tod, who had been educated at Rome, but had renounced popery, was nominated bishop by Jas. I., in 1604, and held the see of Dromore in commendam : he was tried before the High Commission Court, which deprived him of the bishopricks, and afterwards poisoned himself in London. From 1660 to 1667 these sees were held by the celebrated Jeremy Taylor, who had also the administration of the see of Dromore, and was a privy counsellor and Vice Chancellor of the University of Dublin. Bishop Hutchinson, whose episcopacy commenced in 1720, had the church catechism translated into Irish, and printed in English and Irish, primarily for the use of the inhabitants of Rathlin, and hence it is called the Rathlin Catechism. Under the Church Temporalities Act, when either the bishoprick of Down and Connor, or of Dromore, becomes vacant, Dromore is to be added to Down and Connor, and the surviving bishop is to take the title of Bishop of Down, Connor, and Dromore, and the temporalities of the see of Dromore are to be vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The diocese is one of the ten that constitute the ecclesiastical province of Armagh : it comprehends part of the county of Antrim, and the greater part of Down, extending 52 British miles in length by about 28 in breadth, and comprises an estimated area of 201,950 acres, of which, 800 are in Antrim and 201,150 in Down. The gross annual revenue of the see of Down, on an average of three years ending Dec. 31st, 1831, amounted to £2830. 16. 8 and a half; and there are 6411 acres of profitable land belonging to the diocese. The entire revenue of the united sees of Down and Connor averages £5896 per annum, and the see lands comprise 30,244 statute acres. The chapter consists of a dean, archdeacon, precentor, and treasurer, and the two prebendaries of St. Andrew's and Dunsford. The abbey founded by St. Patrick appears to have been the first cathedral of this see ; it was several times plundered and burnt by the Danes. It was repaired by Malachy O'Morgair, in 1137, and by Malachy III., aided by John de Courcy, in 1176, and was burnt in 1315 by Lord Edward Bruce. Having been repaired or rebuilt it was again burnt, in 1538, by Lord Leonard de Grey. In 1609, Jas. I. changed the name of the cathedral from St. Patrick's to the Holy Trinity, which was its original designation; and on account of its being in a ruinous condition, Chas. IL, in 1663, erected the church of Lisburn into a cathedral and bishop's see for the diocese of Down and Connor. It continued in ruins till the year 1790, when it was restored by a grant of £1000 from Government and liberal subscriptions from the nobility and gentry of the county ; and in the same year a rent-charge of £300 late currency on the tithes of the ancient union was appropriated by act of parliament for its repairs and for the support of an organist, three vicars choral, and six choristers. It is situated on an eminence to the west of the town, and is a stately embattled edifice chiefly of unhewn stone, supported externally by buttresses, and comprising a nave, choir, and aisles, with a lofty square tower at the west end, embattled and pinnacled, and smaller square towers at each corner of the east gable, in one of which is a spiral stone staircase leading to the roof. The aisles are separated from the nave by lofty elegant arches resting on massive piers, from the corbels of which spring ribs supporting the roof, which is richly groined and ornamented at the intersections with clusters of foliage. The lofty windows of the aisles are divided by a single mullion ; the nave is lighted by a long range of clerestory windows, and the choir by a handsome east window divided by mullions into twelve compartments, -which appears to be the only window remaining of the splendid edifice erected in 1412, and destroyed by Lord de Grey. Over the east window are three elegant niches with ogee pointed arches, containing on pedestals the remains of the mutilated effigies of St. Patrick, St. Bridget, and St. Columbkill. The choir is handsomely fitted up with stalls for the dignitaries. The cathedral was opened for the performance of divine service, after its restoration in 1817: the tower was completed in 1829, at an expense of £1900. It contains a monument to the memory of Edward Cromwell, Baron Okeham, who was proprietor of nearly all Lecale, and who died and was buried here in 1607 ; and another to his grandson Oliver, Earl of Ardglass, who was interred in 1668. The cathedral service is not performed, the building being used rather as a second parish church. The consistorial court of the united diocese is at Lisburn : it consists of a vicar-general, two surrogates, a registrar, deputy-registrar, and several proctors. The registrars are keepers of the records of the united diocese, which consist of the documents relating to the see lands, benefices, inductions, and wills, the earliest of which is dated 1650. The number of parishes in the diocese is 43, which are comprehended in 37 benefices, of which 6 are in the patronage of the Crown, 2 in that of the Lord-Primate, 12 in that of the Bishop, in the gift of the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin, 13 in lay patronage, and the remainder are perpetual curacies, in the. gift of the incumbents of the parishes out of which they have been formed. The number of churches is 40, and there are 2 other episcopal places of worship, and 25 glebe-houses.

In the R. C. divisions this diocese is united as in the Established Church, forming the bishoprick of Down and Connor: in the Bishoprick of Down are 18 parochial districts, containing 37 chapels served by 28 clergymen, 18 of whom are parish priests and 10 co adjutors or curates. The cathedral of the united diocese is at Belfast, where the R. C. bishop resides.

The parish comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 11,484 and a half statute acres, of which 125 are water, and there is neither waste land nor bog within its limits ; the land is very fertile, and, with the exception of some marshes, is all arable, and in an improved state of cultivation. There are several quarries of rubble stone, which is used principally for building. The scenery is enriched with numerous gentlemen's seats, of which the principal are Hollymount, the beautiful residence of Col. Forde, situated in an extensive demesne, richly planted and well watered, Ballykilbeg House, the residence of J. Brett Johnston, Esq., and Vianstown, of Mrs. Ward. About two miles from the town is the beautiful lake of Ballydugan; and near it is Ballydugan House, memorable as the residence of Col. White, who was murdered, and the mansion burnt in the war of 1641. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, formerly united, by royal charter in the 7th of James I., to the rectories of Saul, Ballyculter, Ballee, Bright, and Tyrella, which together constituted the union and corps of the deanery of Down; but under the provisions of the Church Temporalities Act, the ancient union lias been dissolved, and by act of council, in 1834, the rectories of Down and Tyrella, seven townlands in the parish of Ballee, one in that of Kilclief, and four in that of Bright, have been made to constitute the incumbency and corps of the deanery, which is in the patronage of the Crown.The gross income of the present deanery amounts to £1554. 15. 11 and a half., of which £1078. 11. 3. is paid by the parish of Down, £164. 15. 9. by that of Tyrella ; £6. 6. is the rental of a small glebe of la. Or. Tp.; £146. 7. is received from the townlands of Ballee; £148. 2. 8 and a half from those of Bright, and £10. 13. 3. from that of Kilclief. Out of this Income the dean pays £6 to the diocesan schoolmaster, £12. 16. for proxies, a quit-rent of £7. 9. 4 and a half £100 to a curate, &c., £100 for a residence (there being no deanery or glebe-house), and £127. 7.10 and a half as a contribution to the cathedral. The parish church, a neat edifice in the Grecian style, was rebuilt on an enlarged scale in 1735, partly at the expense of Mr. Southwell, lord of the manor, and the Rev. - Daniel, then Dean of Down, it was repaired and newly roofed in 1760 and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted £200 for its further repair. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains two chapels, one in the town (built in 1790) and the other at Ballykilbeg, three miles distant. There are also two places of worship for Presbyterians, one in connection with the Synod of Ulster (completed in 1827, at an expense of £900, and now about to be enlarged), and of the second class; and the other -with the presbytery of Antrim of the first class ; and one each for Wesleyan Methodists, Methodists of the new connection, and Primitive Methodists.

The diocesan school, founded in the 12th of Elizabeth, appears to have fallen into decay until the year 1823, when it was united to that of Dromore, and an excellent school-room and residence for the master were erected at the end of Saul-street, in this town, in 1829, at an expense of £1000, defrayed by the county at large, on a site given by Lord de Clifford. It is free to all boys of both dioceses, and is endowed with £50 per annum from the diocese of Dromore, and £40 from that of Down, of which one-third is paid by the bishops and two-thirds by the clergymen, being a percentage on the net value of their livings ; it is also further supported by a contribution of £10. 10. per ann. from the lay impropriators, a rent-charge of £20 on the estate of the late Lord de Clifford, and the rental of the land on which the school premises at Dromore were situated, amounting to £4. 4. The master is appointed by the lord-lieutenant, on the recommendation of the bishop. A parochial school conducted on the Lancasterian plan, and an infants' school, established in 1832, are supported by voluntary contributions; in connection with the Presbyterian meeting-house of the Synod of Ulster, is a large school-house for girls, and tlie trustees intend immediately to erect another for boys ; at Hollymount are schools for boys and girls, supported by Lady Harriet Forde; and there are other day and Sunday schools supported by subscription. The number of children on the books of these day schools is 646, namely, 440 boys and 206 girls , and in the private pay schools are 340 boys and 200 girls. On a gentle eminence, a short distance southward from the town, stands the county infirmary, a large and handsome building erected in 1832, comprising a centre and two wings, which extend rearward, and containing 11 wards, in which are 40 beds, 20 for males and 20 for females. Near it is the fever hospital, also a large and well-arranged building, erected in the same year, and divided into 8 wards, containing 20 beds : these two buildings cost £6500. In English-street is an hospital founded in 1731 by the Rt. Hon. Edward Southwell, ancestor of the late Lord de Clifford, who endowed it with £237 per ann. payable out of the lands of Listonder and Ballydyan, in the parish of Kilmore, now the property of David Ker, Esq. The building, which is of brick, underwent a thorough repair in 1826, at, an expense of £1000, defrayed by Lord de Clifford: it comprises a centre and two wings, the former occupied as an asylum for six aged men and six aged women, who have two rooms and a garden and £5 per ann. each ; and the latter as schools for ten boys and ten girls, who are clothed and educated for four years, and receive £3 per ann. each towards their support, and on leaving the school at the age of 15 are apprenticed: the school master receives a salary of £15, with house, garden, and fuel, and the schoolmistress £12, with similar advantages. In the same street are four good houses for clergymen's widows of the diocese, of which two were founded in 1730 by the Rev. H. Leslie, Rev. J. Mathews. and Rev. J. Hamilton, who endowed them with £40 per annum from lands in Ballybranagh , and two in 1750, by the Rev. Edward Mathews, D. D., who endowed them with £42 per ann. from lands in Tubermony, Grangetown, and Ballywarren, all in this parish : the management is vested in the Dean and Chapter. John Brett, Esq., in 1810, bequeathed £300 in trust, the interest to lie distributed annually among the poor of the town. A society for clothing the poor in winter, and a mendicity society for assisting the aged and infirm and preventing vagrancy, have been established. Besides, the abbey founded by St. Patrick, there were, prior to the dissolution, a priory of regular canons, called the priory of the Irish, founded in honour of St. Thomas. in 1138, by Malachy O'Morgair, Bishop of Down ; the priory of St. John the Baptist, called the priory of the English, founded by John de Courcy for crossbearers of the order of St. Augustine ; an abbey of Cistercian monks, founded in the 12th century by - Bagnal, and a Cistercian nunnery, of both which no further particulars have been recorded, a Franciscan friary, founded about 1240 by Hugh de Lacy, or, according to some writers, by Africa, daughter of Godred, King of Man, and wife of John de Courcy ; and an hospital for lepers, dedicated to St. Nicholas, which in 1413 was, with the hospital of St. Peter at Kilclief, granted in trust to certain individuals by royal charter : there are no remains of these ancient establishments, even their sites can scarcely be distinctly traced. There are several forts and raths in the parish , the most noted are the large rath or doon near the cathedral, which gave name to the town and county, and one at Ballykilbeg, finely planted by J. B. Johnston, Esq. In 1825, the head and horns of an elk of large size, the latter measuring 5 feet 11 inches between their extremities, and the head of a spear, were found in a marl-pit near the town. The celebrated Duns Scotus was born here in 1274 : he was educated at Oxford, and in 1307 was appointed Regent of Divinity in the schools of Paris ; his works are very voluminous. For a discription of the Struel wells, see the county article.

DROMARA

DROMARAGH, or ANNESBOROUGH, a post- town and parish, partly in the barony of KINELEARTY, partly in that of LOWER IVEAGH, but chiefly in that of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER ; 5 miles (E. S. E.) from Dromore, and 72 miles (N. by E.) from Dublin, on the road from Banbridge to Ballynahinch ; containing, with the district of Maghera hamlet, 10,129 inhabitants. It contains part of the lands granted by patent of Queen Elizabeth, in 1585, to Ever Mac Rorye Magennis, which were forfeited in the war of 1641, and afterwards granted by Chas. II. to Col. Hill; they are included in the manor of Kilwarlin. According to the Ordnance survey, it comprises 21, 192 and three quarters statute acres, of which 6027 and a quarter are in Lower Iveagh, 7024 and a half are in Kinelearty, and 8141 are in Upper Iveagh. The greater part is arable land, and about 91 and three quarter acres are under water; considerable improvement has been made in agriculture, and many even of the mountain tracts have been brought under tillage. The village, which is small, is called Annesborough, or Annesbury, in a patent, which granted a weekly market on Thursday and a fair for three days in Sept., the market has been changed to Friday, and is held chiefly for the sale of butter and linen yarn, and the fairs are now held on the first Friday in Feb., May, Aug., and Nov., for farming stock and pedlery. Petty sessions are held in the village every fourth Monday : here is a sub-post-office to Dromore and Comber. Woodford, formerly the residence Jas. Black, Esq., has extensive bleach-works, and was once the seat of a flourishing branch of the linen manufacture. Dromaragh, with part of the rectory of Garvaghey, constitutes a union and the only prebend in the cathedral of Christ the Redeemer at Dromore, in the patronage of the Bishop : the tithes of the parish amount to £620. 17. 5., and of the union, to £937. 4. 3. The glebe-house was erected in 1821, for which a gift of £100 and a loan of £1125 was obtained from the late Board of First Fruits. The ancient glebe, consisting of one moiety of the townland of Dromaragh, which way granted to the rector in pure alms by Jas. I., is now in the possession of the Marquess of Downshire , 20 acres of the same, held at a rent of £42 per ann., constitutes the present glebe. The church is a small handsome edifice, with a tower and clock in good repair, built in 1811, at the expense of the parishioners. The Ecclsiastical Commissioners have recommended that this union be dissolved on the next avoidance of the prebend, and that Garvaghey be separated from it, and consolidated with its vicarage, and the 9 and a half townlands now forming the perpetual cure of Maghera hamlet be constituted a distinct parish, leaving the remainder of Dromaragh to form the corps of the prebend. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, with the exception of the district of Maghera hamlet, which is united to the R. C. parish of Magheradroll: the chapel is a large handsome edifice at Finnis, built in 1833. At Artana is a meeting-house for Presbyterians of the first class, in connection with the Synod of Ulster. Here are 10 public schools, two of which are aided by an annual donation from Capt. Maginnis ; also 11 private and eight Sunday schools. On the mountain of Slieve Croob is a cairn, having a platform at the top, on which eleven smaller cairns are raised ; and in the townland of Finnis is a remarkable artificial cave, 94 feet long, 6 feet wide, and upwards of 5 feet in height, with a transept near the centre, 30 feet long, the walls are rudely arched near the top, which is covered with slabs of granite : in 1833, the Rev. H. Elgee Boyd, rector of the parish, caused it to be cleared out and an iron door fixed up to protect it from injury.

DRUMBALLYRONEY

DRUMBALLYRONEY, a parish, in the barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER; on the road from Newry to Downpatrick, containing, with a part of the market and post-town of Rathfriland, 8544 inhabitants. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 12,338 and a half statute acres, of which 1896 are bog, 80 mountain and water, and 10,445 are applotted under the tithe act, all of which is arable or pasture land in excellent cultivation. Here is a lake, called Lough Ballyroney, in the centre of which is a small island. The manufacture of linen and drugget is extensively carried on. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, united from time immemorial to that of Drumgooland, and in the patronage of the Bishop , the rectory is part of the corps of the deanery of Dromore. The tithes amount to £482, of which £321. 6. 8. is payable to the dean, and the remainder to the vicar ; the gross tithes of the benefice amount to £630. 9. 9. The church, a small neat edifice with a tower, was erected by aid of a gift of £500, in 1800, from the late Board of First Fruits. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £200, and a loan of £300, in 1821, from the same Board : the glebe, given by the Countess of Clanwilliam in 1820, comprises 20 acres, subject to a rent of 15s. per acre. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union of Annaghlone, and has a small chapel near the Diamond. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians of the first class, in connection with the Synod of Ulster, and one for Covenanters. About 170 children are taught in two public schools, and there are eight private and four Sunday schools. The fine ruin of Seafin castle, which was for ages the strong hold of the Magennises, is situated on the Bann , and there are several other fortresses.

DRUMBEG

DRUMBEG, a parish, partly in the barony of UPPER BELFAST, county of ANTRIM, but chiefly in that of UPPER CASTLEREAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, three quarters of a mile (N. E.) from Lisburn, on the road to Belfast; containing 2883 inhabitants. According to the Ordnance survey it comprised 2704 and three quarters statute acres, of which 1186 and three quarters were in Down, and 1518 in Antrim, of these, 2627 were applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £3367 per ann. : but a portion of the parish of Drumboe having been lately added to it under the Church Temporalities' Act, it now comprises 6868 acres. The soil differs greatly in quality, from a sandy loam to a stiff clay, but is very fertile. The Lagan navigation from Belfast to Lough Neagh passes through the parish. The principal seats, besides those noticed under the head of Dunmurry (which see), are Glenburn, the residence of F. Crossley, Esq.,; Wilmont, unoccupied; Finaghey, of J. Charley, Esq. ;Larkfield, of Henderson Black, Esq. ;Drumbeg Rectory, of the Rev. J. L. M. Scott; Drum House, of W. H. Smyth, Esq.; and Belvidere Cottage, a neat and commodious residence, lately built on the property of A. Durham, Esq. Ballydrain, the beautiful demesne of Hugh Montgomery, Esq., though not in this parish, is within 200 yards of the church, and with the adjoining grounds of Lakefield, the residence of Miss Richardson, and Lismoyne, of Mrs. Callwell, presents one of the finest landscapes in the neighbourhood of Belfast. A court leet and court baron are held every third week at Four Land Ends, for the manor of Drumbracklin, by a seneschal appointed by Narcissus Batt, Esq., lord of the manor, with jurisdiction for the recovery of debts under £20, extending over the townlands of Doneight and Lisnoe in the parish of Hillsborough, Ballyaulis in this parish, and Ballycairn, Ballylesson, Molough, and Knockbreccan in Drumboe. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, and in the gift of the Bishop , a part of the rectorial tithes is impropriate in W. Charley, A. Durham, and Narcissus Batt, Esqrs., as lessees under the Marquess of Donegal. The tithes now amount to £336. 16. 6., of which £94. 13. 6 and a half is payable to the impropriators, and the remainder to the incumbent : the glebe-house was built in 1826, by a gift of £415 and a loan of £46 (British) from the late Board of First Fruits, exclusively of £450 expended by the incumbent in building and improvements , the glebe comprises eight statute acres. The church was rebuilt by subscription in 1795, by aid of a gift of £461 (British) from the same Board: it has a tower surmounted by a spire, which having been blown down in 1831, was rebuilt at the expense of J. Charley, Esq. About 300 children are educated in five public schools, two of which are on Erasmus Smith's foundation.

DRUMBO

DRUMBOE, a parish, in the barony of UPPER CASTLEREAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (N. E.) from Lisburn, on the river Lagan, and on the old road to Belfast, containing 6429 inhabitants. Twelve townlands of the ancient parish having been lately annexed to Drumbeg, it now comprises 9629 statute acres, chiefly arable, with a very small proportion of woodland, and, except lands belonging to gentlemen who farm their own property, in a very indifferent state of cultivation, though lately much improved : there is a large tract of bog. The weaving of cotton is carried on for the manufacturers of Belfast; and at Edenderry is a bleachgreen. The Lagan opens a communication with Belfast, Lisburn, and Lough Neagh. The principal seats are Eden derry, the residence of W. Russel, Esq. ; Edenderry House, of C. Dunlop, Esq. ; Belvidere, of A. Durham, Esq., New Grove, of J. Russel, Esq.; and the elegant lodge and greater part of the demesne of Purdysburn, the splendid residence of Narcissus Batt, Esq. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of the Bishop, the tithes amount to £517. The glebe-house was built in 1816, by a gift of £415 (British), and a loan of £46, from the late Board of First Fruits, exclusively of £200 expended by the incumbent: the glebe comprises 6 and a half acres. The church, a handsome Grecian edifice with a lofty tower surmounted by a copper dome, was erected, in 1788, by subscription, aided by a grant of £500 from the same Board, a donation of 150 guineas from Mr. Hull, of Belvidere, and of 100 guineas from the Marquess of Downshire. There are places of worship for Presbyterians, Independents, and Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists. Nearly 600 children are educated in the several public schools of the parish; that at. Purdysurn was built at the expense of Mr. Batt, who supports the school and also provides residences for the master and mistress, who have about 150 pupils, and the master of a school at Ballymacbrennard receives £20 per annum from the trustees of Erasmus Smith's fund, and has an acre of land given by the Marquess of Downshire. There are also six private schools, in which are about 400 children. Not far from the church is the Giant's Ring, a circular entrenchment enclosing more than 8 plantation acres, perfectly level ; in the centre of the enclosure is a large cromlech, or Druids' altar, consisting of seven upright stones supporting a table stone of nearly circular form and sloping towards the east: the land is now let, and the earth-work is being removed for the purpose of cultivation. In the burial- ground close to the supposed site of the ancient church was an abbey, said to have been founded by St. Patrick, and of which St. Mochumna was the first abbot, there is also an ancient round tower. In the parish are eight large raths, the most conspicuous of which, on the summit of Tullyard, is constructed of earth, loose stones, and vitrified substances, similar to the cairns of Scotland. It is supposed by some writers that there was anciently a fortified town here.

DRUMGATH

DRUMGATH a parish. in the baronv of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, on the road from Downpatrick to Newry, containing, with the greater part of the post-town of Rathfriland (which is separately described), 4448 inhabitants. According to the Ordnance survey, it comprises 5330 and a half statute acres, of which about 100 are bog. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, and patronage of the Bishop, the rectory forms part of the union of Clonallon, and corps of the chancellorship of Dromore cathe- dral. The tithes amount to £258, of which £168. 13.4. is payable to the chancellor, and £89. 6. 8. to the vicar. There is a glebe-house, with a glebe of 150 acres. The church, which is in Rathfriland, is a neat building, for the repair of which the late Board of First Fruits lent £150, in 1829, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently given £119. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and has chapels at Rathfriland, Barnmeen, and Drumgath. In Rathfriland is a large and handsome meeting-house for Presbyterians, in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the first class, and a second is now being built, there is also one in connection with the Seceding Synod, of the second class, and one each for Covenanters, Wesleyan Methodists, and the Society of Friends. About 350 children are educated in two public and two private schools. Some ruins of the ancient church exist in a large burial-ground, and a curious antique bell was found in a bog in 1764.

DRUMGOOLAND

DRUMGOOLAND, a parish, in the barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (N. E.) from Rathfriland, on the road from CastIewellan to Banbridge, containing 10,281 inhabitants. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 19,653 statute acres, of which, 133 and three quarters are under water,. 3240 are mountain and bog, and the remainder is cultivated with great labour and expense, and in some parts is very productive : many of the inhabitants are employed in linen- weaving. Ballyward, a large handsome house, situated in a beautiful demesne, is the residence of C. F. Beers, Esq. ; the Cottage, of Capt. Tighe, and Ballymacaveny, of the Rev. J. B. Grant. The parish is in the diocese of Dromore: the rectory is partly appropriate to the see and partly to the deanery of Dromore, and partly consolidated with the vicarage, which, from time immemorial, has been united to the vicarage of Drumballyroney, together forming the union of Drumgooland, in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £495.3. 0 and a half., of which £380. 2.8 and a half is payable to the incumbent, £59 to the bishop, and the remainder to the dean, and the gross value of the benefice, tithe and glebe inclusive, is £570. 16. 0 and a half. The church is a large handsome edifice, in the early English style, erected, by aid of a gift of £900 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1822 ; it contains a handsome monument erected by the parishioners to the memory of the Rev. T. Tighe, forty-two years rector of this parish. There is another church in Drumballyroney, where there is a good glebe-house, and a glebe of 20 plantation acres, valued at £30 per annum. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms two unions or districts, called Upper and Lower Drumgooland : the chapel for the former is at Leitrim , in the latter there are two, one at Gargary, the other at Dechamet. There are two meeting-houses for Presbyterians in connection with the Seceding Synod, one at Drumlee (of the first class), the other at Closkilt. There is a school for boys and girls at Ballyward, built and principally supported by C. F. Beers, Esq.,;the parochial school, adjoining the ruins of the old church, is supported by the vicar and Miss Beers; and there are six other public, and five private, schools, also three Sunday schools. In this parish are several large and nearly perfect raths and forts, at Legananney is a large cromlech, of which the table stone is supported by three large upright stones; at Mullaslane are four large upright stones, a fifth, but smaller, stands not far off, and in the adjoining field is a single upright stone of enormous size. In the gable of the school-house at Drumgooland is a large, perfect, and ancient stone cross, which formerly stood in the churchyard, but, having been thrown down and broken, it was built into the wall by the late rector : the shaft and cross are of porphyry, and the plinth of granite.

DUNDONALD

DUNDONALD, a parish, in the barony of LOWER CASTLE REAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (E.) from Belfast, on the mail coach road To Newtown-Ardes, containing 1669 inhabitants. This parish, which is called also Kirkdonald, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 4635 statute acres of fertile land, principally under tillage and in a high state of cultivation. Every improvement in the mode of tillage and the construction of farming implements has been eagerly adopted, there is neither bog nor waste land in the parish. The principal seats are Storemont, that of S. Cleveland, Esq. , Summerfield, of R. Gordon, Esq., Rose Park, of Major Digby, Bessmount, of T. S. Corry, Esq. , and Donleady, of A. McDonnel, Esq. Near the village is an extensive bleach-green, where 5000 pieces of linen are annually finished. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of S. Cleveland, Esq., the tithes amount to £205. The glebe-house, a handsome residence, was built in 1820 by a gift of £300 and a loan of £500 from the late Board of First Fruits, the glebe comprises 15 and a half acres. The church, a small edifice, was rebuilt on the site of a former church in 1771, and a tower was added to it in 1774. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union of Newtown-Ardes. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the second class, to the poor of which congregation Mr. John Crane, of London, bequeathed the interest of a sum of money. About 50 children are taught in the parochial school, which is aided by the rector, and there is a private school, in which are about 45 children. A large and handsome school-house has been built and endowed at Church Quarter, by David Gordon, Esq., the principal proprietor of the parish. In the demesne of Summerfield is a chalybeate spring, and close to the church is a large circular fort surrounded by a moat, from which the parish is supposed to derive its name. A little below, in the same ground, is a cave continued to the fort and passing under its base. Near the bleach- green is a conical hill, or rath, contiguous to which, at the mouth of a small rivulet, is a stone pillar 10 feet high. Gilbert Kennedy, a distinguished Presbyterian divine, was interred in the church in 1687.

DUNDRUM

DUNDRUM, a maritime village, in that part of the parish of KILMEGAN which is in the barony of LECALE, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 1 ½ mile (S.) from Clough, on the road from Newry to Downpatrick : the population is returned with the parish. This place is situated on an inner bay, about 1 ½ mile long by a quarter of a mile broad, at the head of the larger one to which it gives name; and was distinguished for its ancient castle, of which though twice besieged and taken by the lord deputy, and finally demolished by Cromwell, there are still considerable and very interesting remains. It is said to have been built by Sir John de Courcy for Knights Templars, who kept possession of it till the suppression of their order in 1313, when it was transferred to the Prior of Down. On the dissolution of the monasteries, the castle, with several townlands, was given to Gerald, Earl of Kildare, and subsequently to the Maginnis family, on whose attainder it was forfeited to the Crown and granted to the Earl of Ardglass, it afterwards became the property of Viscount Blundell, from whom it descended to the Marquess of Downshire, its present proprietor. The village, which previously consisted of one narrow street, containing only a few houses very indifferently built, has been recently much improved by the Marquess of Downshire, who has widened the old street and opened several new lines of road, and has promoted the erection of many neat and comfortable dwelling-houses. He has also built a spacious and commodious hotel, hot and cold baths, and adjoining the latter a lodging-house for himself, which is occasionally let to strangers during the summer. The principal trade is the export of grain, for which a small but convenient quay has been constructed by his lordship, who has also built warehouses and stores for grain. Fairs are held on Jan. 3rd, Feb. 5th. May 12th, Aug. 6th, and Oct. 10th. The larger bay, which affords great facilities for bathing, extends from the foot of the mountain of Slieve Donard to St. John's Point, a distance of nine miles, and nearly four miles inland. The ground is mostly clean and the depth moderate , but the bay is exposed to severe gusts of wind from the Mourne mountains, the south and south-east winds send in a heavy sea, and vessels should never remain here unless when the wind is from the north or north-east. The ground immediately outside the larger bay is said to be one of the best fishing grounds in the British seas, affording always in their respective seasons large supplies of excellent haddock, cod, whiting, plaice, sole, and turbot. The western shore is a continued range of sand hills, through which is an inlet deep enough to admit vessels of 50 tons laden with coal, lime, and slate to the quay at the village. In the inlet, during the summer months, there are large shoals of sand eels, to take which several hundreds of the neighbouring peasantry assemble every tide, and provide themselves with an abundant supply for some months. The remains of the castle consist chiefly of a lofty circular tower of more than 30 feet internal diameter, built on the summit of a rock overlooking the bay, the walls and the winding staircase leading to the battlements are nearly perfect, but the roofs and the floors of the several stories have fallen in, and the vault or dungeon, deeply excavated in the rock, is exposed. The tower is surrounded by a deep fosse hewn in the solid rock, and on the east are the remains of two lofty bastions : the walls of the ancient gatehouse are still standing. Dr. Thomas Smith, consecrated Bishop of Limerick in 1695, was a native of this place. -See KILMEGAN.

DUNSFORD

DUNSFORD, or DUNSPORT, a parish, in the barony of LECALE, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 3 ½ miles (E. S. E.) from Downpatrick, containing 1680 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated near the southern entrance to Strangford Lough, comprises, with Guns island, according to the Ordnance survey, 4239 statute acres, all under cultivation, except 40 acres of bog, and very fertile, much grain being exported from the stores at Ballyhornan, where small vessels land coal. Guns island lies off the coast, which is bold and rocky, and includes Killard Point. The parish is in the diocese of Down, and is a rectory, forming the corps of the prebend of Dunsford in the cathedral of the Holy Trinity, and in the patronage of the Bishop : the tithes amount to £382, of which £263 is payable to the incumbent and £139 to the impropriators. The church is a small plain edifice with a bell tower. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district comprising this parish and Ardglass, and containing two chapels, of which the one for Dunsford is at Ballydock. About 350 children are educated in four public schools.