KILBRONEY

KILBRONEY, a parish, in the barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, on the road from Newry to Kilkeel; containing, with the town of Rosstrevor, 4257 inhabitants. According to the Ordnance survey it comprises 13,208 and a quarter statute acres, of which 275 are woodland, about 5,000 arable, and the remainder bog and mountain, the latter of which affords excellent pasture. Here are some large bleach-greens, and some lead mines. The principal seats are the Lodge, the residence of D. Ross, Esq.; Brandensburg, of Mrs. Ross; Carpenham, of H. Hamilton, Esq.; Green Park, of Mrs. O'Brien; Amos Vale, of the Ven. Dean Carter; Ballyedmund, of A. Stewart, Esq.; Woodhouse, of Mrs. Reynell; Old Hall, of Smithson Corry, Esq.; and Crayfield, of W. J. Maguire, Esq. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, and in the gift of the Bishop, to whom the rectory is appropriate: the tithes amount to £155. 6. 6., of which one-third is payable to the vicar, and two-thirds to the Bishop. The church, which is in Rosstrevor, is a handsome cruciform edifice, with a lofty tower and pinnacles: it was built at an expense of £2000, of which the late Board of First Fruits, in 1814, gave £200 and lent £1100. The Board also granted £450 as a gift, and £120 as a loan, for the erection of the glebe-house, in 1821 : the glebe comprises 11 acres. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains two chapels, one in Rosstrevor, the other at Killowen. About 600 children are educated in six schools, to one of which Mrs. Ross contributes £13. 16. 11., to another Mrs. Balfour contributes £20, and to a third the R. C. clergyman contributes £5, annually. On the acclivity of a mountain is a very large stone, called Cloughmerne, which was formerly part of a cromlech; and near Killowen are the ruins of Green Castle. It was built by Walter de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, destroyed by the Irish in 1343, rebuilt soon after on a large scale, and dismantled by order of Cromwell. Here are also the remains of Castle Roe, or Ross Trevor Castle. On the Hillstown road are the ruins of Kilbroney church, in which a clogh-ban, or "white bell," was some years since discovered; also an ancient stone cross and a holy well. In 1834 a spacious cave was discovered, containing broken urns filled with calcined human bones and ashes. A chalybeate spring was formerly much resorted to, but is now almost neglected.-See ROSTREVOR.

KILCLIEF

KILCLIEF, a parish, in the barony of LECALE, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (S.) from Strangford; containing 841 inhabitants, of which number, 351 are in the village. Here was formerly an abbey under St. Eugene and St. Neil, disciples of St. Patrick; also a hospital for lepers, of which there are still some small remains. The castle of Kilclief, of which also part remains, was anciently the palace of the bishops of Down, to whom the manor belongs. According to the Ordnance survey, the parish contains 2424 statute acres: there is no waste or bog, and the land is extremely well cultivated, furnishing much wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes for exportation. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £216. The church is a small plain building on an elevated spot near the sea-shore. There is a glebe-house, for the erection of which £450 was given and £50 lent, in 1816, by the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises 10 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, including also the townland of Ballyargan, and two others in Ballyculter, and containing a small chapel. About 90 children are educated in the parochial school, which was built in 1804.

KILCOO

KILCOO, a parish, in the barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (S.) from Castlewellan, on the road from Newry to Downpatrick; containing 6520 inhabitants. It is situated on the eastern coast, at the base of Slieve Donard, and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 18,205 statute acres, of which 15,741 are applotted under the tithe act. The surface is very uneven, and the land, with the exception of that around the village of Bryansford, cold, wet, and unproductive; its cultivation is also much impeded by the great number of stones which are scattered over it in every* direction. The mountains of Slieve Donard (which has an elevation of 2796 feet above the level of the sea) and Slieve Bingian, of 2449 feet, are within the parish, forming part of a chain rising at Newcastle and extending to Rosstrevor, a distance of 20 miles; the northern sides are here covered with verdure, but the south and west sides present chiefly large tracts of bog. The principal seats are Tollymore Park, the elegant residence of the Earl of Roden, situated in a richly wooded and well watered demesne Donard Lodge, the handsome mansion of the Earl of Annesley, erected in 1830 on the acclivity of Slieve Donard, and commanding some fine views; Brook Lodge, of W. Beers, Esq.; and Burren Cottage, of the Hon. Gen. Meade: there are also many very good houses at Bryansford and Newcastle (which see), and at Drumlee is the neat cottage of the Rev. J. Porter. The parish is in the diocese of Down, and the rectory forms part of the union of Kilkeel and corps of the treasurership of the cathedral of Down; the tithes amount to £300. The church, with the village of Kilcoo, was burnt in 1641, and in 1712 a church was built at Bryansford, which, being too small for the congregation, was considerably enlarged in 1806, when a handsome tower was added to it; and was repaired by aid of a grant from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1812. There is also a handsome church with a lofty tower at Newcastle, built in the year 1833, at the expense of Earl Annesley, who appoints the minister and pays his stipend. In the R. C. divisions the parish includes the districts of Bryansford and Kilcoo; there are three chapels, situated respectively at Bryansford, Newcastle, and Ballymony; and at Newcastle is also a place of worship for Wesicyan Methodists. A school at Fofeny was founded in 1822, by the Earl of Roden, who also built another for boys, with a house for the master, in 1826, and by whom both are supported. A school for girls at Bryansford, with a cottage for the mistress, was built in 1822, and is supported by the Countess of Roden; and there are schools at Lower Kilcoo, Ballymoney, and Ardaghy. About 650 children are taught in these schools, and there is also a private school, in which are about 40 children. On the western side of the parish, at Lough Island Reavy, a reservoir has been constructed for supplying water to the river Bann in dry weather; it covers an area of 255 acres, and when filled will contain a supply for 13 weeks; the expense to the river Bann Company has been estimated at £20,000. A new quay has been erected at Newcastle, to afford shelter to vessels passing the channel in stormy weather; the expense was defrayed by a grant from government, aided by a subscription from Earl Annesley.

KILKEEL

KILKEEL, a post-town and parish, in the barony of MOURNE, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 15 miles (S.E) from Newry, and 65 and three quarters (N.N.E.) from Dublin; containing 14,806 inhabitants, of which number, 1039 are in the town. According to the Ordnance survey it comprises 47,882¾ statute acres, of which about 11,000 are arable and 12,000 pasture; the remainder consists of the Mourne mountains. The only creek in the twelve miles of coast that bounds the parish is Annalong, where a small dock for fishing-vessels has been excavated out of a rock. There are coast-guard stations at Annalong, Cranfield, and the Lee Stone, all in the district of Newcastle; also a constabulary police station. Fairs are held on Feb. 8th, May 3rd, Aug. 2nd, and Dec. 8th; and a manorial court is held in the sessions-house at Kilkeel, once in three weeks, for the manor of Greencastle and Mourne, by a seneschal appointed by the Earl of Kilmorey; its jurisdiction extends over the whole of the barony of Mourne, which is included in this parish, and is the property of his lordship, arid pleas to the amount of £10. are determined either by attachment or civil bill. The principal seats are Mourne Park, the splendid residence of the Earl of Kilmorey; Shannon Grove, of J. S. Moore, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. J. Forbes Close. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, united, in 1809, by charter of Jas. I., to the rectories of Kilcoo and Kilmegan and the chapelry of Tamlaght (a small townland in Kilkeel), which together form the union of Kilkeel and the corps of the treasurership of the cathedral of Down, in the alternate patronage of the Marquess of Anglesey, and the Earl of Kilmorey. The tithes amount to £800, and of the entire benefice to £1600. The church was rebuilt in 1818, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £2160. The glebe-house is situated on a glebe of 30 acres, valued at £37. 10. per annum, but subject to a rent of £19. 7. 9., payable to the Earl of Kilmorey. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms two districts, called Upper and Lower Mourne, the former containing a chapel at Ballymaguagh; the latter, one at Glassdrummond and one at Ballymartin. There are a Presbyterian meeting-house in connection with the Synod of Ulster, and one of the third class in connection with the Seceding Synod, also meeting-houses for Wesleyan Methodists, Baptists, and Moravians. About 770 children are educated in eight public schools, to one of which the Earl of Kilmorey contributes £31, and to another, Mrs. Keown £10. annually. Needham Thompson, Esq., built and principally supports the school at Mullartown; and that for girls, at Ballinahatton, was built by the Rev. J. F. Close, who clothes and educates 65 children there. About 450 children are taught in 10 private schools; and there are six Sunday schools and a dispensary.

KILLINCHY

KILLINCHY, a post-town and parish, partly in the barony of DUFFERIN, but chiefly iii the baronies of UPPER and Lower CASTLEREAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 9 miles (N.) from Downpatrick, and 92 (N. N. E.) from Dublin, on the road from Downpatrick to Belfast: containing 7820 inhabitants, of which number, 199 are in the town. According to the Ordnance survey it comprises 13,686 statute acres, of which 6437½ (including the islands of Duncey and Island More, in Strangford Lough, and 75¾ acres in that lough), are in the barony of Dufferin; of the remainder, 3281 are in Lower Castlereagh and 4147¾ (including 5O½ of water) are in Upper Castlereagh. The land is chiefly in tillage, and in a high state of cultivation; there is no waste land and but little bog; clay-slate abounds, and a thin seam of coal is visible at the lough. There are several corn-mills, and fairs are held in the town on Jan. 5th, April 6th, July 6th, and Oct. 5th. It is a constabulary police station, and has a sub-post-office to Comber and Killyleagh. Petty sessions are held in the court-house on alternate Saturdays. At the White rocks is a small but excellent harbour and a small pier, at which vessels of 80 tons can load, and from which a considerable quantity of agricultural produce is exported. Here is Ardview, the residence of T. Potter, Esq. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, and in the alternate patronage of Viscount Bangor and the Earl of Carrick: the tithes amount to £800. The church, a large and handsome edifice with a square embattled tower, situated on an eminence, was built in 1830, at an expense of £900, above half of which was raised by subscription. There is a glebehouse, with a glebe of 12 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Saint-field and Killinchy, and has a chapel at Carrickmannon. There is a meeting-house for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the first class. The parochial schools, in which are about 140 children, are principally supported by the rector; the school-house, built in 1825, is a good plain edifice, containing separate school-rooms for boys and girls, and residences for the master and mistress. There are also eight other public schools, some of which are aided by annual donations from Lord Dufferin, D. Gordon, Esq., and the rector; they afford education to about 600 children; and about 70 children are educated in a private school. The Earl of Limerick, about 1730, gave part of the townland of Killinchy, which now produces £300 per annum, to the Incorporated School Society; and in 1810, Major Potter bequeathed £100 to the poor members of the Presbyterian meeting-house, among whom the interest is divided every Christmas. Here are the remains of Balloo fort, near which many silver coins of the reigns of John and other monarchs were found in 1829. The ancient castle of the family of White stood on the site of Killinchy fort, and in 1802 many silver and copper coins were found in its vicinity. In the churchyard is the tomb of the ancient family of Bruce.

KILLOUGH

KILLOUGH, or ST. ANNE'S PORT, a sea-port and post-town, in the parish of RATHMULLEN, barony of LECALE, county of Down, and province of ULSTER, 5 miles (S.E.) from Downpatrick, and 78¾(N.) from Dublin; containing 1162 inhabitants. This place is situated on the harbour to which it gives name, on the eastern coast, in lat. 54º 15' (N.) and long.5º 37' 30'' (W.) The town contains 247 houses, built along the margin of the bay, and carries on a considerable coasting trade with the principal ports in the Irish channel. The chief exports are corn and live cattle, of the former of which very great quantities are shipped; and the principal imports are coal and salt. A lucrative fishery is carried on off the coast; haddock and whiting are taken in great quantities, and from 12 to 20 boats are daily employed during the year. The manufacture of salt is also carried on upon a small scale. The harbour is about half a league to the east of St. John's Point, and affords safe shelter for coasting-vessels and for merchant-ships of 150 tons' burthen; there is a good roadstead in off-shore winds for vessels navigating the channel, and it is the rendezvous of a considerable portion of the numerous fishing-vessels that frequent this part of the coast. The pier and quays extend on both sides of the entrance to the bay, and have been greatly improved by Viscount Bangor, at an expense of more than £18,000. Fairs are held on the first Friday (0. S.) in February, June 9th, Aug. 17th, and Nov. 12th, for live stock and pedlery; and a manorial court is held on the first Tuesday in every month. The living is an impropriate curacy, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of the Incumbent of Rathmullen. The church, which had been rebuilt in 1716, and had subsequently fallen into a state of dilapidation, was again rebuilt in 1802, by the munificence of the Rev. J. Hamilton, who died in 1797, and bequeathed £1200 for that purpose. It is a neat edifice, on the site of the former, in the early English style, with a tower surmounted with an octangular spire, affording an excellent landmark for mariners entering the port. The glebe-house, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits granted £450 as a gift and £50 as a loan, is a comfortable residence. The stipend of the curate is £100, of which £20 is paid by Lord Bangor, as impropriator of Rathmullen, and £80 by the trustees of Primate Boulter's augmentation fund. The R. C. parochial chapel is in the town, and there is also a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. At St. John's Point are the ruins of a preceptory of Knights Hospitallers; and about a quarter of a mile from the town, on the shore, is a beautiful grotto, in which is a well, seven feet deep, supplied with water oozing through a mass of tufa at the top of the cavern. About half a mile from the town, on the road to Downpatrick, is a copious spring, the water of which is specifically lighter by one-fourth part than spring water in general; and close to the shore is St. Seordin's Well, issuing from a rocky bank, and discharging at the rate of one hogshead per hour, without any diminution in the driest weather. Not far from this is a hole in the rock, which at the ebbing and flowing of the tide emits a sound resembling that of a huntsman's horn.

KILLYLEAGH

KILLYLEAGH, a market and post-town, and a parish, partly in the barony of CASTLEREAGH, but chiefly in that of DUFFERIN, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 5 miles (N. E.) from Downpatrick, and 78¾ (N. by N.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road from Belfast to Downpatrick; containing 5712 inhabitants, of which number, 1147 are in the town. This place, which is situated on the western shore of Strangford Lough, was a port of some eminence previously to the conquest of Ireland by the English; and, with the adjoining barony of Kinalearty, formed part of the territories of the native sept of the McCartans. It was afterwards granted to De Courcy, who, in order to protect it from the attacks of that powerful chieftain, erected castles on every advantageous site round the shores of the lake, among which the principal was the Castle of Dufferin. In 1356, Edw. III. appointed John De Mandeville, warden of this castle, which subsequently fell into the hands of the O'Nials, who maintained possession of it till 1561, when the adjoining territory was by Elizabeth granted to Hugo White, who shortly afterwards erected a castle at Killyleagh, into which he removed his warden from Castle Dufferin. Shane O'Nial besieged the newly erected castle in 1567, and meeting with a powerful resistance, set fire to the town; but a league being subsequently made between the McCartans and the O'Nials, they jointly attacked the castle, dispossessed the family of White, and usurped the uncontrolled dominion of the entire country. On the suppression of the Tyrone rebellion at the close of the 16th century, the possessions of the McCartans were confiscated, and the manor and district of Killyleagh were subsequently granted by Jas. I. to Sir James Hamilton, who restored and considerably enlarged the castle, which, after his elevation to the peerage by the title of Lord Claneboy, he made his principal residence. The castle was besieged and taken by Gen. Monk for the parliament, in 1648, and was partly demolished in the war of that period, but was substantially repaired in 1666, and in it was born Archibald Hamilton Rowan, Esq., whose grandson, a minor, is now the proprietor. It is a large and strong pile of building, in the later English style, occupying an eminence which commands the town, but affords no protection to the harbour. The town is pleasantly situated on a gentle eminence on the western shore of Strangford lough, and consists of two nearly parallel streets, intersected by a longer street, which forms the principal thoroughfare; it contains 207 houses, built principally of clay-slate found in the parish, and is the property of Lord Dufferin and Archibald Hamilton, Esq. The cotton manufacture is carried on upon a very extensive scale. Some large mills were built upon a copious stream, in 1824, by Messrs. Martin and Co., and were greatly enlarged in 1828: in these works are 13,798 spindles, employing 186 persons, and 244 power-looms attended by 156 persons, constantly engaged in weaving printers' cloths for the Manchester market; and connected with this manufactory are more than 2000 hand-looms in the neighbouring districts. The buildings, which are very spacious and six stories high, are lighted with gas made on the premises, and the proprietors have erected a steam-engine of 35.horse power. The trade of the port is limited, and consists principally in the exportation of wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, butter, kelp, and cotton goods; and in the importation of cotton, wool, coal, iron, salt, and general merchandise. The harbour is well sheltered, and is accessible to vessels not drawing more than 10 feet of water. The quay and basin are very commodious, and were completed in 1833, at an expense of more than £1000, defrayed solely by Lord Dufferin. The market is on Friday, and the fairs are on April 10th, Trinity-Monday, Oct. 11th, and Dec. 11th. A constabulary police force is stationed in the town, and there are barracks for the North Down militia, of which this place is the head-quarters. The inhabitants received a charter from Jas. I., in the 10th year of his reign, by which they were incorporated by the designation of the "Provost, Free Burgesses, and Commonalty of the Borough of Killileagh." By this charter the corporation consists of a provost (annually elected), 12 free burgesses, and an indefinite number of freemen, assisted by a town-clerk, two sergeants-at-mace, and other officers, all of whom are chosen by the provost and free burgesses, by whom also freemen are admitted. The corporation, under their charter, continued to return two members to the Irish parliament till the Union, when the borough was disfranchised, and the £15,000 awarded as compensation was paid to Sir James Stevenson Blackwood, Bart., now Lord Dufferin. The court of record for the borough, which had jurisdiction to the extent of five marks, has long been discontinued. The seneschal of the manor, who is appointed by Mr. Hamilton, holds a court every three weeks, for the recovery of debts not exceeding £10, and a courtleet annually; and a court of petty sessions is held every alternate week. The parish, according to the Ordnance survey, comprises 11,759¼ statute acres (including 123 and a half under water), of which 988¼ are in the barony of Upper Castlereagh, and the remainder in that of Dufferin. The soil is generally fertile and the system of agriculture improved; there is very little waste land, and the bogs are productive both of turf and of bog fir. There are extensive quarries of basalt and clay-slate, from which has been taken the whole of the stone of which the town is built. The principal seats are Delamont, the residence of R. Gordon, Esq.; Ringdufferin, of J. Bailie, Esq.; Killyleagh Castle, of Mrs. Hamilton; Tullyvery House, of J. Heron, Esq.; Ardigon House, of R. Heron, Esq.; Shrigley, of J. Martin, jun., Esq.; Goseanof A. H. Read, Esq.; and the handsome residence of the Hon. Hans Blackwood, in the town. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin: the tithes amount to £795. The church, a handsome cruciform structure, with a tower surmounted by a spire of good proportions, was built in 1640, but becoming dilapidated, was rebuilt, and the tower and the spire added, by Lord Dufferin, at an expense of more than £5000, exclusively of a loan of £2000 from the late Board of First Fruits in 1812. It contains some handsome monuments to the Blackwood family, including one to the memory of Capt. Blackwood, who fell at Waterloo; another to Capt. Blackwood of the North Downshire militia, and a third to the Rev. James Clewlow; and in the churchyard is the sepulchral vault of the Dufferin family, recently erected, in which Admiral Blackwood was interred, and near it a monument erected by the parishioners to the Rev. Peter Carlton, the late rector. The glebe-house, towards the erection of which, in 1815, the late Board of First Fruits contributed a gift of £100 and a loan of £1350, is a very handsome residence; the glebe comprises 14 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Kilmore: the chapel, a small neat building, was erected in 1832. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the first class. About 450 children are taught in six public schools, of which three were built and are supported by Lord and Lady Dufferin, B. Gordon, Esq., and the Rev. A. R. Hamilton; and there are four private schools, in which are about 140 children, and three Sunday schools. The remains of the ancient parish church are still visible in a low marshy meadow to the north-west of the town: the eastern gable, perforated with two narrow lancet-shaped windows, is yet standing. Sir Hans Sloane, the celebrated physician and naturalist, was born here in 1660. The barony, of which this place is the head, gives the title of Baron to the family of Blackwood, Barons of Dufferin and Claneboy.

KILMEGAN

K1LMEGAN, a parish, partly in the barony of KINELEARTY, partly in LECALE, but chiefly in UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER; containing, with the post-town of Castlewellan (which is described under its own head), 6921 inhabitants. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 13,971¾-statute acres, of which 1793 are in Kinelearty, 5983½ (of which 22¼ are water) in Lecale, and 6195¼ (of which 107 are water) in Upper Iveagh. Of these about 500 are woodland, 800 pasture, 150 bog, and the remainder arable land. The greater part of the townland of Murlough is covered with sand, which is constantly drifted in from Dundrum bay: the land near Castlewellan is stony, cold, and marshy, but in other parts of the parish it is rich and well cultivated. There are several quarries of granite; lead ore has been found in different parts, and there are mines of lead and zinc in Slieve Croob and the hill above Dundrum, which see. Slieve Croob, situated on the northern boundary of the parish, rises, according to the Ordnance survey, 1755 feet above the level of the sea. The principal seats are that of Earl Annesley at Castlewellan lake; Ballywillwill, the residence of the Rev. G. H. Mc Dowell Johnston; Mount Panther, of J. Reed Allen, Esq.; Wood Lodge, of H. Murland, Esq.; Woodlawn, of J. Law, Esq.; Greenvale, of J. Steele, Esq.; Annsbro', of J. Murland, Esq.; and Clanvaraghan, of T. Scott, Esq. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, forming part of the union of Kilkeel; the tithes amount to £500. The church is a large handsome edifice, for the repairs of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £109 : divine service is also performed in the market-house at Castlewellan. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, called Castlewellan, and has chapels at Castlewellan, Aughlisnafin, and Ballywillwill. At Castlewellan is a meeting-house for Presbyterians of the Seceding Synod, of the second class, and one for Wesleyan Methodists. The parochial school, near the church, is supported by the Marquess of Downshire and the rector; his lordship has given the master a house, a garden, and an acre of land; he also supports a school at Dundrum. There are four other public schools, one aided by Earl Annesley, and three in connection with the National Board of Education, one of which is patronised by J. B.. Allen, Esq., another by J. Murland, Esq., and the third is under the charge of trustees: there are male and female teachers in each school. There are also five private schools, in which latter about 360 children are educated. At Sliddery ford, near Dundrum, is a cromlech, of which the table stone is flat on the upper surface, and convex beneath, resting upon three upright stones, each four feet high; near it is a circle of upright stones, of which the entrance is marked by two stones larger than the rest. On a hill called Slieve-na-boil-trough, and near a small lake, is another cromlech, consisting of a table stone of rough grit, in the shape of a coffin, ten feet long and five feet in the broadest part, resting on three supporters, about 6½ feet from the ground.

KILMORE

KILMORE, a parish, partly in the barony of KINELEARTY, but chiefly in that of UPPER CASTLEREAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (E. by S.) from Ballinahinch, on the road from Downpatrick to Belfast; containing 6602 inhabitants. According to the Ordnance survey it comprises 12,854 statute acres, of which 6387¾ are in the barony of Kinelearty, and 6466¼ in Upper Castlereagh. Of these, 94 are water, 60 bog, 400 waste, 250 woodland, 600 pasture, and the remainder arable land in a high state of cultivation, and producing a great quantity of barley. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is appropriate to the see. The tithes amount to £714, of which £394 is payable to W. Sharman Crawford, Esq., lessee under the bishop, and the remainder to the vicar. The glebehouse was erected in 1794, at an expense of £461. 10., towards which the late Board of First Fruits gave £92. The glebe comprises 29a.1r. 17p., statute measure, valued at £22 per ann., and subject to a rent of £8. 5. The church is a small edifice, built about 1792, principally at the expense of the family of the present W. S. Crawford, Esq. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising the parishes of Kilmore, Inch, and Killileagh, and has two chapels in Kilmore, and one in each of the other parishes. Here is a meeting-house for Presbyterians in connection with the Remonstrant Synod, of the second class, in the burial-ground of which Dr. Moses Nelson, who was minister here, and his son, Dr. William Nelson, are interred; also meeting-houses for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the first class, and with the Seceding Synod, of the second class. There are four public schools, in which about 360, and nine private schools, in which 310, children are educated; also seven Sunday schools, one of which, held at Crossgar House, is supported by Miss McNeil Hamilton.

KILMUD

KILMUD, or KILMOOD, a parish, in the barony of LOWER CASTLEREAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, contiguous to the post-town of Killinchy, on the road from Belfast to Downpatrick; containing 2219 inhabitants. This parish, called also Killmoodmanagh, together with an extensive manor having various important privileges, formed part of the possessions of the ancient monastery of Comber. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 4634½ statute acres, of which about 34 are water, 38 consist of plantations in the demesne of Florida, from 40 to 50 are bog, and 3613 are applotted under the tithe act. The soil is generally fertile, and the land in a high state of cultivation: there is very little waste land; and the bog, as it becomes exhausted, is brought into cultivation. In almost every part of the bog are found numbers of oak, birch, and fir trees of full growth, which last especially are in high preservation; they are sawn with difficulty, and the timber, said to be more durable than oak, is much used in building. The oaks are large, some measuring 30 feet in girth, and are found beneath the fir at a depth of 26 feet, but in general much decayed. Florida manor-house, the elegant mansion of David Gordon, Esq., D.L., is the principal seat in the parish. A court leet and baron is held every third week by the seneschal of the manor, at which debts under 40s. are recoverable, and of which the jurisdiction extends over the whole of this parish and the townland of Drumreagh in the parish of Killinchy. Petty sessions are also held on alternate Saturdays in the manor court-house, a handsome building erected in 1822. During the disturbances of 1798, the manor of Florida raised a battalion of yeomanry; the men still retain their arms and accoutrements, but of late have been seldom called out by government to exercise. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Down, and in the alternate patronage of the Marquess of Downshire and David Gordon, Esq., in the latter of whom the rectory is impropriate. The tithes amount to £151. l2. 8., of which £65. 12. 8. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. A handsome glebe-house has been erected by the patrons, aided by a gift of £415 and a loan of £129 from the late Board of First Fruits; and Mr. Gordon has given 10 acres of land as a glebe, and endowed the vicarage with a rent-charge of £40 payable out of his estate of Florida. The church, after the dissolution of the monastery of Comber, fell into decay, and the tithes were annexed to those of the parish of Hillsborough, 14 miles distant; but in 1819, the present church, an elegant structure in the later English style, with a handsome tower and spire rising to the height of 120 feet, was erected near the site of the ancient ruins, at the joint expense of the lord of the manor and the Marquess of Londonderry, aided by a gift of £900 from the late Board of First Fruits. The interior is handsomely fitted up with Riga oak; the east window, of large dimensions and elegant design, appears to have been copied from that of Salisbury cathedral, and in the churchyard is a splendid mausoleum belonging to the Gordon family. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Saintfleld. About 200 children are taught in four public schools; of these one, for which a handsome school-house was erected by Mr. Gordon and the Marquess of Londonderry, is supported by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity, who pay the master £30 per ann.; and one at Drumnahirk was built and is supported by Lord Dufferin. There are also two private schools, in which are about 150 children. A mendicity society has been established, for raising funds to be applied to the relief or maintenance of the poor, which are distributed at their own dwellings monthly; and an extensive religious lending library is kept in the court-house for the use of the poor.

KIRKUBBIN

KIRCUBBIN, a market and post-town, in the parish of ST. ANDREW, barony of Ardes, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 8¾ miles (S. E.) from Newtown-Ardes, and 96¼ (N. by E.) from Dublin, on the road from Belfast to Portaferry; containing 537 inhabitants. This town, which is situated on the shore of Strangford lough, is of very recent origin, having been built since the year 1790, previously to which time there were not more than five houses in the place. The present town contains 117 houses, for the greater part neatly built, and the inhabitants carry on a small but prosperous trade. The manufacture of straw hats and bonnets, of which great numbers are sent every year into the interior, affords employment to most of the industrious female population of the town and adjoining parishes; great quantities of kelp are burned and sent annually to Liverpool, and corn and potatoes are shipped hence for the Liverpool and Glasgow markets to a considerable extent. The situation of the town, close to which is an excellent landing-place, affords every facility of conveyance by land and water. The market is held every third Wednesday, and is well supplied with provisions of every kind and with brown linens. Fairs are held on the 28th of April, May, Aug., and Nov. A neat market-house, with a brown linen hall in the rear of it, was erected by the late Hon. Robert Ward; the same family are about to expend a considerable sum in the erection of quays for the greater convenience of shipping the produce of the neighbourhood. A court leet and baron is held every three weeks by the seneschal of the manor, in which pleas are entertained to the amount of £20, with jurisdiction over all the parishes of the union; and the magistrates hold a petty session here every alternate Monday.

KNOCKBREDA

KNOCKBREDA, or KNOCK-with-BREDA, a parish, partly in the barony of LOWER, but chiefly in that of UPPER CASTLEREAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 2¼ miles (S. S. E.) from Belfast, on the road to Downpatrick; containing 3900 inhabitants. The ancient fortress called Castle-Reagh, or "the royal castle," which gives name to the barony, was formerly the baronial residence of a branch of the O'Nials. It is said to have been erected in the reign of Edw. III. by Aodh Flann, whose descendants possessed the Great Ardes, Toome, Massereene, Shankill or Belfast, and Carrickfergus. By inquisition in the reign of Elizabeth it appeared that Con O'NiaI, the last of that powerful sept, possessed this castle, together with 224 townlands, which were all freehold, and also many others held by various tenures. In 1602, O'Nial having exhausted his cellars during a grand banquet which he gave here, sent some of his soldiers to Belfast to procure more wine ; and there meeting with a party of the Queen's soldiers, a battle ensued, and O'Nial was sent prisoner to Carrickfergus castle, but was liberated the year following by the master of a Scottish trading vessel and conveyed to Scotland, where Sir Hugh Montgomery, in consequence of a surrender of most of his lands, obtained a pardon for him from Jas. I., who had just ascended the English throne. After the decease of O'Nial, the castle fell into decay, and with the adjoining lands was purchased by the Hillsborough family; there are now no vestiges of it. The parish is bounded on the north and west by the river Lagan, over which are two bridges connecting it with the parish of Belfast, and is intersected by the great Scottish road by way of Donaghadee. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 8098½ statute acres, of which 6968¾ are in the Upper and 1129½ in the Lower barony; the lands are chiefly under tillage, and in a high state of cultivation; there is neither bog nor any waste land. Large quantities of tobacco were grown previously to its cultivation being prohibited. There are extensive quarries of clay-slate for building and for repairing the roads; and on the townland of Gillinahirk has been opened a fine quarry of basalt, of which a bridge is now being built at Belfast over the river Lagan, which is navigable along the whole boundary of the parish. The surrounding scenery is richly diversified, and within the parish are Ormeau, the seat of the Marquess of Donegal; Belvoir Park, the residence of Sir R. Bateson, Bart.; Purdysburn, the splendid mansion of Narcissus Batt, Esq., built after a design by Hopper, in 1825, in the Elizabethan style; Orangefield, of J. H. Houston, Esq.; Fort Breda, of W. Boyd, Esq.; Cherry Vale, of J. Stewart, Esq.; and Ravenhill, of H. R. Sneyd, Esq. Previously to 1658 there were two separate parishes, called respectively Knock and Breda, both rectories; but the church of the latter being in ruins, they were united into one rectory at the restoration of Chas.II. The two villages have long since disappeared, and a parish church was, in 1747, built in the village of Newtown-Breda, which see. The rectory is in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of Sir R. Bateson, Bart., who purchased the advowson in 1825; the tithes amount to £586. 5. 7½. The glebe-house was built in 1816, by a gift of £100 and a loan of £825 from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises nearly 20 statute acres. The chapel of Ballymacarrett was formerly in this parish, from which that townland was separated by act of parliament in 1825, and made a distinct parish.' There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, Covenanters, and Seceders. About 130 children are taught in three public schools, of which one is supported by Mrs. Blakeston; and there are fIve private schools, in which are about 170 children, and four Sunday schools. Six almshouses, built by subscription in 1810, are endowed with £100 by the Rev. Mr. Pratt, late rector, who also bequeathed £100 to the poor, to whom Lady Midleton, in 1747, left £50. On an eminence near the south-eastern extremity of the parish are the picturesque ruins of Knock church; and near them are the remains of a cromlech, consisting of five large stones, and a Danish rath of conical form. Of Breda church there are no remains, except the cemetery enclosed with a high stone wall in Belvoir park, in which is a small mausoleum built by Arthur Hill Trevor who was created Viscount Dungannon in 1765.