The Parish Church of Magheragall

SOME EXTRACTS

FROM THE

RECORDS OF

OLD LISBURN

AND THE

MANOR OF KILLULTAGH.

-- -- -- --

 Edited by JAMES CARSON. 

-- -- -- --

CXXXIII.

-- -- -- --

THE PARISH CHURCH OF MAGHERAGALL.

By Rev. W. H. DUNDAS, B.D.

The Parish of Magheragall appears in a document of the year 1306, and also in one which purports to have been drawn up in 1210 under the name of Drumchale, which is like that of the townland of Drumsill or Drumcill, though it is not known at present whether there is any connection between them. It is spoken of as a "part of the endowments bestowed on the Bishop by an ancient chief named "Engusa MacMailraba" (O'Laverty's Down and Connor). This arrangement continued until 1848, the Bishop receiving the rectorial tithes, the incumbent being his vicar. On the death of Bishop Mant in that year the parish became a separate and distinct rectory, and the rent of the rectorial lease renewed in 1847 to Thomas Johnston, Esq., of Ballymacash, became payable to the rector, who at the termination of the lease was to receive the entire rent charge, rectorial and vicarial. The Church Act of 1870, of course, took away all this endowment.

The Earliest Church

of which there is any trace was in the townland of Ballyclough, at Mr. Davidson's, on a mount beside the road leading to the Horsepark. The remains of it consist of a portion of the north wall, about fifteen feet and three feet eight inches thick, which has long formed a side wall of an outhouse. To the north of it is a field in which bones were found, evidently the graveyard. The following information about this church and the vicinity is taken from O'Laverty's Down and Connor:-- "A cineary urn was found in the site of the graveyard, which proves that the church occupied a site which had been sacred in the times of paganism. There formerly stood in the graveyard a round tower of considerable height (as also Trummery); it was taken down in the year 1790 by Mr. Redmond (? Redman), who used the stones in the erection of Springfield (old) house. In Brookmount (? Brookhill) demesne there is a great funereal mound such as is to be found near many of our ancient churches. The ancient Holy Well, which is now called the Boiling Well, is between the site of the church and the mound. It was called in the memory of old people. Sunday Well, which is the ordinary popular translation of Tubber Doney (Dromhnach—Sunday). On the opposite side of the road from the funereal mound there are several large stones, which are said to indicate a giant's grave. On ploughing the ground near these in 1837 several urns were found, which contained human bones." If the above is true about the destruction of the Round Tower it is another example of that wanton carelessness which has swept away so many interesting monuments of ancient times.

The Boiling Well has long ceased to deserve its name, as its feeders have been tapped by a pipe,, and the water is now brought to the side of the road. This church is described as a ruin in the Visitation of 1622; it had been allowed to decay or had been wilfully damaged in the troubled times of Elizabeth and James I. In this it was no exception, for the same document, out of 126 churches in Down and Connor, describes about 110 as in a state of decay or ruin. Probably it was repaired when the parish was planted with English and Welsh settlers. Soon came the Rebellion of 1641, followed by the Commonwealth and Cromwell. Under his rule the worship of the Church of Ireland was prohibited, and the use of the Book of Common Prayer was punished by severe penalties. If the Restoration of Charles II. had not changed the aspect of affairs the parish of Magheragall would have completely disappeared, according to a scheme set on foot for re-arranging parishes by uniting and dividing them, the purpose being that the ministers introduced might have a salary of £100 or £80 (the income of Magheragall was then £10 a year), yet that no part should be above three miles from the church. Cromwell's ministers were to be well provided for, since, according to Reid's History of Presbyterianism, these sums must be multiplied by ten to get their present value. An inquisition was held at Antrim in 1657 to arrange how this might be carried out, and among the recommendations of the Commissioners was the following -- that part of Magheragall Parish be added to Lisnagarvey (Lisburn), viz.: "two towns on the east side of the little brook that descends from the Lymekill, and the town of Magheragall by the mill there, the boundary to run between Edendrumsilla and Mullicarton to Lurganure, Broaghmore, and the brook at the bruan hedge, an so to the Lagan river." The remainder was to form part of a new parish called Lackey, for which a new church was to be built at that place to serve for Aghalee, Aghagallon, the Choppellry of Maremeske, also the towns of Brookhill, Mullaghcarton, Magheresmiske, Morruske, and Bonalargy. Brookhill is not a townland, but the lease of it in 1649 included the townlands in the upper part of the parish. The Lackey is marked on the map as on the road from Megaberry corner to Ballinderry. Happily this proposal was not carried out, as the Church of Ireland resumed her rightful position at the Restoration in 1660.

The Church of 1676.

Soon after that date a new church was built on the present site, the exact time is not known, but its bell, still in use, bears the date 1676, and in the graveyard are three stones recording deaths in 1684, 1687, and 1688. It stood until 1830, and is thus described by Rev. John Mussen (vicar 1825-1864):-- "It was a rude building with a small belfry tower immediately over the doorway in the western end. There is at present a board over the communion table of the old church of Ballinderry exhibiting the King's arms, with C. on one side and R. on the other, and the resemblance which the late church of Magheragall bore to that one they may be supposed to have been erected about the same time. The roof was covered at first with shingles (i.e., thin pieces of wood used instead of slates and of about the same size). Inscriptions on the three ancient headstones referred to:--

Skull and Crossbones, Coffin, Hourglass.

HEAR . LIETH . THE . BODY
OF . ROBERT . TOPIN . OF
MAGHAGEL . YEMON
WHO . DEPARTED . THIS
LIFE . THE . 8 . DAY . OF
JENVERY . ANNO DOM
IN . 1684 . OF . EGE
61 . YEARS.

Skull and Crossbones.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

HERE LYETH
THE BODY OF
ISEBEL . WIFE . TO . JAM
TAYLOR . WHO . DEP
ARTED . THE FIFTENTH
OF . JULY . 1687.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

JAMES
BEATY DEPART
ED . THE . 4th OF JULY
AND . HIS . WIFE . THE
8th OF AUGUST
1689
SAMUEL BEATY
DEPARTED THE 14th
OF FEBRUARY, 1689.

Soon after Rev. Francis Patten became vicar a subscription list was opened in 1780 for slating and repairing the church, which amounted to about £40; the vestry book contains the names of all the subscribers. But the building was evidently in a bad state, and was a source of continual expense, as the annual Easter accounts show. In the beginning of the nineteenth century the parish shared in the increase of population which was general throughout Ireland, and a necessity arose for supplying more accommodation for the parishioners, who, in 1834, numbered 2,184 members of the Church of Ireland out of a total population of 3,191. Accordingly, in 1826, the vestry enacted that "forums" be provided at a cost of £1 10s, and in 1828 the sum of £50 was assessed for improvements of the church. At first the proposal was to build a new aisle, and for this another £50 was assessed in 1829, but in 1830 the larger scheme of a new church was taken up. The Board of First-fruits granted a loan of £1,000 for the purpose, and at a vestry held on the 11th of January of that year "the majority of the parishioners agreed to assess themselves at the rate of £40 per annum for a period of twenty-five years in order to repay the loan, which was evidently given free of interest." Towards this Lord Hertford consented to give £20 the first year, and said that he would probably continue to do the same, but would not bind himself, still less his successors. No mention is made of these instalments after 1833. It may be presumed that the same arrangement was continued until the loan was paid off.

On the same day a committee was appointed for conducting the building, consisting of -- James Watson, Esq.; Captain Houghton, Messrs. Patterson, Dickey, Garrett, Jas. Greer, Alfred Gill, William Gill, Val Gill, Higgins, C. Greer, Fisher, James Meharg, Cinnamond, Thomas Hall, and Rev. John Mussen.

The Present Church, 1831.

Rev. J. Mussen inserted some very interesting memoranda in the vestry book:--

"The following is a copy of a writing on parchment deposited in the south-eastern groin of the church, at present in building, beneath the base course." (The writing is in Latin, which I here translate.)

Q. B. F. Q. S.

James Watson, Esq., of Brookhill, laid the first stone of this sacred building on June 25th 1830, whose grandfather's many gifts conferred upon the Church can still be seen or heard of in conversation.

At that time George IV. was in the eleventh year of his reign, and was suffering from a severe and fatal disease. The Very Rev. Richard Mant, D.D., was most worthily occupying the Episcopal See, and was remarkably adorning it by his character, piety, watchfulness, and learning. He was a vigorous defender of this Anglican Church, and constantly preserved its ancient prescribed laws, both by his authority and example. But he has left a perpetual memorial of himself in his books, which will be always carefully preserved in the shrine of the Christian temple among the most renowned of the sons of the Reformed Church. He also perpetuated the memory of his care for the diffusion of true religion throughout his diocese in the very many churches which were erected and consecrated by his help.

Ye who may afterwards dig up the foundations now laid, see that the cause of piety be not injured by negligence or profane hand and that these walls be not removed for any other cause than they be rebuilt wider, at least not more narrow.

The most noble Marquis of Hertford promised that he would probably contribute half the expense, which is estimated at a total of £1,000 British.

Some memoranda were also written on the back of the parchment, viz.:-- The south wall of the new church stands in the aisle of the old. The aisle of the old church was found to be full of coffins of black oak. A coin of Queen Elizabeth, perhaps a groat, dated 1572, was found nearly under the place where the communion table formerly stood. The architect of the Board of First-fruits, who superintended the building of the new church, was William Farrill, Esq. The contractor who built it was Mr. Paul M'Henry of Lisburn. The new church will be eight feet wider than the old one, and nearly as long.

The inscription over the doorway of the new Church bears the cypher adopted by the Roman Emperor, Constantine, for the shields of his soldiers after his conversion to the Christian religion, 312 A.D. This cypher (XP) together with the letters on each side of it (Alpha and Omega) was used by his son Constantius as an impression for his coins. As they express the fundamental principle of Christianity they were judged not improper for the purpose to which they are now applied (XP are the first two letters of the Greek word Christ).

The motto from St. John's Epistle, "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith," was chosen in preference to that warfare under Christ's banner to which we are enlisted in our baptism -- and the ultimate triumph of His soldiers under the shield of Faith -- "Who is he that overcometh the world but he that beliveth that Jesus is the Son of God?" The new church was consecrated by Dr. Richard Mant, Bishop of Down and Connor, on Thursday, the second day of June, 1831.

We should be very grateful to Mr. Mussen for having made such a careful record. We have as links with the old church the bell, the communion plate, the font (which is probably that referred to in the minutes of 1771, when 10s was assessed for a new pillar and a new bason for the font), and perhaps the old copper "Shovels." The communion plate is of Irish marked silver, and consists of a chalice (inscribed Magheragall 1705), a flagon and two patens, each of which bears the inscription, "Given by Mr. Watson of Brookhill, to Magheragall Parish, Anno Dom. 1796. A second chalice is now being presented, which is an exact copy of the one in use for 206 years.

It is interesting to compare the list of seatholders in 1831 with that of the present day, and to note what changes had taken place in the last eighty years. There were then thirty-two pews in the body of the church, the first on each side being square, and eleven (with, I suppose, one for the choir) in the gallery. There are now thirty-six below and twelve on the gallery, these latter being unappropriated. James Watson, of Brookhill, occupied the first seat on the right aisle, and Captain Houghton, of Springfield, the second; the third was assigned to Miss Sarah Patten (daughter of Rev. Francis Patten, who was vicar 1778-1825). Captain Crawford, of Red Hill (or Lissue), was given a seat in the gallery "as a matter of grace," he not being resident in the parish, on condition of giving it up if the accommodation of the inhabitants required it. The list of 1831 was altered from time to time in the years immediately following; taking it as it stands corrected, it contains the following names, which still appear in our list of subscribers (though not always representing the same families):-- Watson, Mackey, Balmer, Campbell, Quinn, Murphy, M'Court, Hill, Lackey, Greer, Higginson, Garrett, Branagh, Hall, Euert, Clarke, Rollins, Law, Anderson, Fletcher, Gill, M'Knight, Johnston, Martin, Thompson, Thomson (of Horsepark), Culbert, Kelly, M'Cluskey, Gordon, Blythe, Abbott, Lorimer, Brown, Stewart, Harrison, Stuart, Spence, Connor, M'Bride, Patterson, Buntin, Weir, Burns, Tolerton, and Taylor.

An organ was provided in 1875, and smaller repairs and improvements were effected from time to time. In 1887 portions of the townlands of Ballyclough and Ballinadolly and the whole of Aughacanan were given to form part of the new Parish of Stoneyford. The new chancel and graveyard were consecrated in 1898, and in March, 1906, the church was reopened after the complete renovation of the interior at a cost of about £500; in the same year the church clock was erected by Mrs. Richardson and family in memory of the late Mr. Joseph Richardson, of Springfield. The portion of the cost of the renovation, which led as a debt, was paid off in 1911, nan nothing is now wanting in the furnishing of the church for the seemly worship of God.

(To be continued.)

(This article was originally published in the Lisburn Standard on 16 May 1919 as part of a series which ran in that paper each week for several years. The text along with other extracts can be found on my website Eddies Extracts.)

Jeremy Taylor and Killultagh (pt2)

SOME EXTRACTS

FROM THE

RECORDS OF

OLD LISBURN

AND THE

MANOR OF KILLULTAGH.

-- -- -- --

 Edited by JAMES CARSON. 

-- -- -- --

CXXXII.

-- -- -- --

LOCAL CONNECTION OF 

BISHOP JEREMY TALYOR 

WITH KILLULTAGH.

(Continued.)

Rev. W. H. DUNDAS, B.D.

Gosse says that Bishop Taylor probably lived at Hillsborough till 1663, when Col. Arthur Hill died. He is said to have occupied, and even to have built, a house in Castle Street, Lisburn, opposite to the entrance to the Cathedral. Canon Lett discovered that Homra House, near Lisburn, belonged to him, and that in the latter part of his life he often resided there (Gosse, Jeremy Taylor). The author of the Concise History of Lisburn (1906) says that Lord Conway fitted up for the Bishop at Magheraleave, a charming residence. The cottage is still to be seen, and the study in which he composed some of his later works. It is situate near "Duncan's Dam," off the Magheraleave Road, and is now occupied by a Mr. Beckett.

In the Ulster Journal of Archæology New Series, Vols. III. and VIII., there are full articles on the buildings associated with Jeremy Taylor by Mr. Bigger and Mr. Fennell. Portmore Castle was a magnificent house, erected in 1664 by Earl Conway, after plans of Inigo Jones, on the site of an old castle of the O'Neills. It was certainly not completed at the time of Jeremy Taylor's residence if the date be correct. The stables (140 feet by 35 by 40) had accommodation for two troops of horse; water was supplied by pumps to a series of marble cisterns.When the Lords Conway became extinct its glories departed. The Castle was dismantled about 1761 and the material sold. The remains consist at present of a parcel or two of brickwork, and the wall enclosing the bowling green. The great oak of Portmore was blown down in 1760. Its circumference was 14 yards, and it measured 25 feet to the first branch. The Deer Park, to the north of the lough, contained about 2,000 acres (Mr. Bigger says 1,000). Sallagh Island lies close below, surrounded by marshy land. It is entered at present by walking along the trunk of a fallen tree; here tradition says that Dr. Taylor had his study.

The remains of the old Church of Ballinderry are situated to the south of the Castle, which at present can only be reached from it by the lane past the mill. These ruins consist of two gables 63 feet apart and 29 feet wide. There is a window in the east gable, five feet by fifteen inches, with moulded top, and splayed inwards. This is given from notes by Canon Lett, but it is now completely hidden by the ivy. The graveyard (sometimes called Laloo) appears like an island in a bog, surrounded by a fosse and a double hedge. In it are to be seen two rude basins hollowed out of boulder stones.

This was without doubt the "half-ruined Church Of Kilulta," in which Dr. Taylor is said to have often preached to a small congregation of loyalists during the Commonwealth period, and where no doubt he used the Book of Common Prayer when it was forbidden by law. By Kiltulltagh is not meant a parish, but the manor or territory of that name. There is a townland of Derrykillultagh near the old churchyard of Templecormac to the east of the road from Magheragall to Ballinderry, which old church some have thought to be the place referred to, but a view of Portmore Castle and Portmore Church is sufficient to decide the matter. That Kilulta was used in a loose way for Ballinderry appears from a letter of Rawdon in 1666:-- "We want a a new minister in place of Mr. Evans, removed out of Kilulta." George Evans was admitted Vicar of Ballinderry in 1661. David Hardy, a Commonwealth minister, was in possession of Ballinderry Parish from 25th June, 1658, at a salary of £80.

The Middle Church.

Bishop Taylor wished to remove the church to a more convenient site, and accordingly arranged for the building of what is called "The Middle Church." It was not ready for consecration until 1668, a year after his death. It had a narrow escape in 1823 when it was agreed to build a new church on this site; however, this was subsequently annulled after much discussion, "the question being three times put" (Vestry Book), and the new church was built more to the east. By the end of the nineteenth century the Middle Church had fallen into a bad state, and the ivy threatening to destroy it. But it was restored in 1902 by Mrs. Walkington at great expense in memory of her husband, Mr. Samuel Walkington, of Oatlands, Ballinderry. The architect was Mr. Fennell, who followed the old lines exactly, and added no new feature to the building. The old oak roof was believed to have been brought from the old church by the lough, and it had to be replaced by a new one. It consisted, like the present one, of oak rafters four inches by four inches, framed and trussed together and held with strong oak pins. The trusses are two feet apart. In earlier times it had been covered with shingles instead of slates; the present slates are new, as the old ones could not be made watertight. Here, then, can be seen a country church just as it was two and a have centuries ago, with its circular-headed mullioned windows, its old "three-decker" (pulpit, reading-desk, and clerk's desk) placed on the side of the church, its high, uncomfortable pews with no fixed seats, but only forms, which could bo sup, II plied according to the number required. A space at the west end was left unpewed, for general use, as was customary in old churches.

The two front pews are larger than the rest; tradition says that the one opposite the pulpit was Lord Conway's pew. Before the restoration most of the doors had been removed; one still remains, with the carving, A.B. 1668 A.H. This was the date of consecration, and the initials may be those of the first churchwardens. It is probable that some of the fittings may also have been brought from the old church. No provision was made for heating in winter. A plan given by Mr. Bigger shows the vestry as extending from the north side behind the pulpit, and the position of the old door on the south side. He thinks the church was at some period lengthened by nine feet, when the gallery, with stairs leading to it from outside, was added.

The bell cot on the west side is now empty. The bell, which weighed 13¼ cwt., was taken down in 1869 by Rev. Jos. M'Cormick, and sold in Dublin for £6 10s 6d. The metal was recast into the bell now in Gilford Church. It bore the following inscription:-- "This Bell is cast for Portmore by order of Sir George Rawdon, AN. 1681." (It is a great pity that such a relic was destroyed; an old bell should be carefully preserved when a new and more sonorous bell is provided; Magheragall Church has probably the oldest bell in the diocese; it bears the date 1676, but has no inscription.)

From the roof of the Middle Church, over the east window, the two irons still remain from which hung the "Royal Arms," which were removed in 1859 and placed on the west gallery of the modern church. They show the lion and unicorn, etc., complete as represented during all the Stuart period, and the Royal monogram C.R. They may have been erected at the instance of the garrison in Lord Conway's Castle when it flourished in all its glory. They are painted on a heavy oak panel, with deep oak moulded frame, and weigh 2 to 2½ cwt. The old oak communion table is still preserved, and an oak chest (4ft. by 1ft. 5in x 1ft. 5in.) divided into three compartments, the centre having a slit for coins in the lid, and the date 1706. The Middle Church has also an old font, which consists of a circular stone basin on a pedestal of one solid piece of oak, with a cover of oak. One new thing alone has been added -- a funeral hatchment of Bishop Taylor, suspended on the south wall, his arms being impaled with those of the diocese.

Death and Burial.

Bishop Taylor is locally believed to have wished to be buried in this church, and that a grave was prepared for him. It is said that his will contained a provision that he should be buried here "in case it should be consecrated before his death"; but it was not to be. On his deathbed he said, "Bury me in Dromore," and there, in 1667, he was buried in the vault beneath the chancel. The Middle Church of Ballinderry was not consecrated until 1668. Yet in this church before the restoration there was a depression before the communion table about the length of a coffin, which an old woman used to point out as Jeremy Taylor's grave, and said she knew it because she saw his shin bone!

There are some interesting references to the last days of the Bishop's life in the State Papers. On January 16, 1667, Rawdon writes from Lisburn:-- "The Bishop of Down lives very well here, and says he will build a dining-room next spring"; but on August 10th he writes that the Bishop of Down is very ill; he has made his will, not in all above £2,000 to dispose of, of which £600 is for his lady and two daughters. On February 9th, 1667, he had written:-- "There is a rent of £40 a year to the Primate out of the Rectory of Derryaghy, which is leased to your Lordship (Conway) for 60 years from about 1638. The Bishop of Down refuses to pay this rent, since your bargain with him . . ." (Probably the Bishop received the rectorial tithes as in Magheragall, the resident clergyman having the vicarial tithes.)

On August 14th Rawdon wrote from Lisburn:-- "The Bishop of Down died about 3 yesterday afternoon. His Lordship desired to be buried in the church he built at Dromore, or at Ballinderry if it should be consecrated before his death," but it is not so. And on August 31st he says:-- "The news about removing trees at Portmore House a mistake. . . The good lady has asked me to put one of your servants into the house to preserve it, for the very night the Bishop died the orchard was broken into and the fruit all taken. . ."

"The funeral is to be on Tuesday, and the body was sent in my old coach to Dromore Church."

Bishop Taylor's sons all predeceased him. In 1661 the Cathedral Register records the burial of "Edward, son of Jeremy, Ld. Bp. of Down and Connor and Dromore." The last one died in London on Aug. 2nd, 1667. Soon after the Bishop fell ill of fever, caught in visiting in Lisburn, and died at his house there on August 13th, 1667, being about 54 years of age. A daughter, Joanna, was married to Edward Harrison, of Magheraleave, M.P. for Lisburn during many Parliaments. Their second son was Jeremiah Taylor Harrison, Commissary-General of Ireland, M.P. for Knocktopher, who is said to have been most like the Bishop of all his grandchildren in person, countenance, and disposition. Being a Whig, he fell under the lash of Swift in the "Legion Club" --

"There sit Clements, Dilkes and Harrison,
How they swagger from their garrison;
Such a triplet could you tell
Where to find this side of hell?"

He married Mary, daughter of the Secretary Vernon and sister to the Admiral of the same name, and died at Brookhill, near Lisburn (in Magheragall Parish) without issue. His brother inherited the property, and died intestate in 1729. (Heber's Life of Jeremy Taylor.)

Mary Harrison, a daughter of Edward Harrison and Joanna Taylor, was married to Col. Francis Columbyne, and through her Mr. George H. Clarke, J.P., of Rosevale, Lisburn, is connected with Bishop Taylor.

(Next week. -- The Parish Church of Magheragall.)

(This article was originally published in the Lisburn Standard on 9 May 1919 as part of a series which ran in that paper each week for several years. The text along with other extracts can be found on my website Eddies Extracts.)

Jeremy Taylor and Killultagh

SOME EXTRACTS

FROM THE

RECORDS OF

OLD LISBURN

AND THE

MANOR OF KILLULTAGH.

-- -- -- --

 Edited by JAMES CARSON. 

-- -- -- --

CXXXI.

-- -- -- --

LOCAL CONNECTION OF 
BISHOP JEREMY TALYOR 
WITH KILLULTAGH.

Rev. W. H. DUNDAS, B.D.

In this paper are collected some notes on places connected with the residence of Bishop Jeremy Taylor in Killultagh. He was born in Cambridge probably in 1613, in which year he was baptised. Having graduated at the University of Cambridge, he became Rector of Uppingham in 1638. During the Civil War he took the King's side and was expelled from his rectory, a "preacher" being put in his place. He was prisoner of the Parliament in 1645, and afterwards found refuge with the Earl of Carbery at Golden Grove, in South Wales, where, with two friends, he conducted a school.

In 1658 Lord Conway, the third Viscount and first Earl of the name, was anxious to strengthen the influence of the Anglican Church in his Manor of Killultagh, which included the parishes of Blaris (or Lisburn), Magheragall, Ballinderry, Aghalee, Aghagallon, Magheramesk, and Glenavy. At that time the Episcopal clergy had been dispossessed, and an Independent -- Andrew Wyke (or Weeke) -- was in possession of Blaris, having been appointed by the Commonwealth in 1651. Conway, by the advice of Evelyn, invited Dr. Taylor to come over, and offered him the post of assistant lecturer at Lisburn. Taylor, however, was not willing to come; he was not attracted by the prospect of lecturing under Wyke, and the stipend was very small. Further, the trouble and expense of moving his family to Ireland would be considerable. He also had a very unfavourable report of the social conditions of this part of Ireland from Major George Rawdon, Lord Conway's brother-in-law, who commanded the garrison at Lisburn. However, Conway was not to be refused, and at last Dr. Taylor consented to come. The Calendar of State Papers gives some interesting letters in this connection.

On April 2nd, 1658, Major Rawdon wrote to Lord Conway from Carrickfergus: -- "On 23rd ministers of these parts are appointed to attend at Dublin to be placed and receive their maintenance in tithes and not by salaries; but I hope it is only where the Commonwealth hath the patronage. I am told that you have assured Dr. Taylor £200 a year for his own life and his children's. You should not be mistaken in your expectations. Captain Roma's part of Ballinderry and Portmore yields now only £22 10s at 2s 6d per acre; if let at 4s an acre, as rest is, it would amount to no more than £36 a year. The cess is paid by your Lordship for those tenants that pay 4s. Sam Dawson and four English farmers have the rest of the lands of Ballinderry in leases for 41 years. The tithes do not come to above £80 a year."

Preparations were being made for his comfort at Portmore Castle, where he was to reside, for on May 26th Rawdon wrote from Dublin:-- "I have had the ill way paved from the mill at Ballinderry to the house that Dr. Taylor may pass the winter." He also says:-- "I have withheld the tithes of Lisnagarvy from Dr. Wyke, and took the land from him, and petitioned the tithes might go towards building a free school at Lisnagarvy. He went up with the 3rd Chief Baron . . . but prevailed not and now does not make account he can stay at Lisnagarvy."

On June 2nd he wrote:-- "The idea of Dr. Taylor coming over is much disliked by all the ministers in their assembly here lately. At dinner on Saturday at Chappellizard Dr. Hamilton, who sat next me, told me what offence it would give. There is great crossness among the ministers, but they are all agreed in this. If, therefore, he comes, he must he well provided with His Highness' pass or some other, that he be not subject to the trouble of petulant spirits. The ministers are now settling to receive their tithes themselves and not salaries."

The Lord Protector was induced to give him a pass, and a protection for himself and his family, and Conway helped turn to acquire a farm of 40 acres at Magheralin "at great advantage."

Before the end of the summer of 1658 he removed to Portmore, from which probably once a week he went to Lisburn to give his lecture. He also occasionally visited Hillsborough. Rawdon writes from that place on October 15th, 1658:-- "Dr. Taylor preached excellently this morning. Dr. Tandy is also considered a rare preacher, and is liked in the parish."

Imprisonment.

Tandy was destined to give Dr. Taylor trouble in the near future. He was, I believe, the Philip Tandy who was instituted as Vicar of Magheragall in 1638, and also of Glenavy in the following year, just as John Wilkinson was admitted Vicar of Magheragall and Glenavy about 1616-18, and Meredith Gwilliams Vicar of these two parishes, with Ballinderry also, in 1623. Tandy had previously held the position of schoolmaster in Lisburn, and also of agent or librarian to Lord Conway. In 1635 he wrote to Rawdon: -- "I am setting Lord Conway's books in alphabetical order, and give all the time to them that I can spare from my school. I classify them also by volumes and sciences. In the Christmas holidays I unchested the chested books and put then into the drawing-room, where they often aired by good fires. I lately tried to have an usher, but my school is not large enough to maintain one." In a letter of 1636 he says he is sending some books which Major Rawdon had asked for, and among them are a number of Latin works. This valuable library was burned at Brookhill House in Magheragall Parish by the rebels in 1641, to which place it had been moved for safety.

Tandy seems to have been removed from Magheragall by 1650, for Dr. Weeke begins to receive the tithes in that year. The reference above cited may point to his having been Commonwealth minister at Hillsborough in 1658. There is a note in the Commonwealth Papers in the Record Office, Dublin, that he was to receive £60 as schoolmaster at Lisnagarvy from 10th of July, 1658 "as an addition to his tithe." It looks as if he was a "trimmer," and tried to keep in the good graces of the Government of the day.

Taylor wrote to Evelyn on June 4, 1659: "I fear my peace in Ireland is likely to be short, for a Presbyterian and a madman have informed against me as a dangerous man to their religion, and for using the sign of the Cross in baptism. The worst event of the information which I fear is my return to England." The use of the plural "have" in the above, seems to imply two accusers, so we cannot be sure whether Tandy was the "Presbyterian" or the "madman." A letter of Lord Conway mentioned him by name in this connection:-- "I received a letter yesterday from Dr. Taylor which hath almost broken my heart. Mr. Tandy hath exhibited articles against him to the Lord Deputy and Council, so simple (as Col. Hill writes) that it should come to anything, the greatest scandal being that he Christened Mr. Bryers' child with the sign of the Cross. I have written to Hyrne to supply him with money for his vindication as if it were my own business. I hope, therefore, when you come over you will take him (Tandy) off from persecuting me, since no one knows better than yourself whether I deserve the same at his hands . . . The quarrel is, it seems, because he thinks Dr. Taylor is more welcome to Hillsborough than himself."

Elsewhere he says:-- "Mr. Tandy may have enough of these (Annabaptists and Quakers) to set himself against, without troubling his peaceable and best neighbours." (quoted in Heber's Life of Jeremy Taylor.) Hence it seems likely that Tandy was the "Presbyterian."

The Hearth Money Rolls for Magheragall Parish in 1666 give's Mr. Edward Brears; he is the only person in the parish who had more than one hearth (he had two), and, therefore, was most likely living at Brookhill, and the father of the child whose baptism is referred to.

In a copy of Harris' Ware in T.C.D. Library there is a MS. note taken from the "Book of General Orders by the Commissioners of the Commonwealth for ye Govt. of Ireland" from 22 June to 12 Dec., 1659. It inns:-- "Ordered that Lt.-Col. Bryan Smith, Gov. of Carrickfergus, do forthwith upon sight hereof cause the Body of Dr. Jeremy Taylor to be sent up to Dublin under safe custody, to the end he may make his personal appearance before the sd Commrs. (of Govt.) to answer unto such things as shall be objected agst. him in behalf of the Commonwealth. Dated at Dublin 22 Aug. 1659."

Dr. Taylor was sent to Dublin according to this Order, but as no further entry appears in the minutes. "it is probable that his friends had power to obtain his speedy discharge." (Heber.)

Lord Conway's character appears in a pleasing light when we read that Rawdon found a note among Tandy's papers (apparently after his death) that he (Conway) intended to give him £400 of his "arears." Rawdon adds-- "This will be a charity to his children, as his adventure land being put under the Doubling Ordinance will be cut short." The Cathedral Register of Lisburn records that Mrs. Mercy Tandy (probably his wife) was buried in 1703, aged 85 years, close before the Castle seat. She had been a member of the congregation, for in 1698 Mrs. Dorothy Lovel was "buryed before Mrs. Tandy's Pew in the old Ile."

Jeremy Taylor was consecrated Bishop of Down and Connor on January 18, 1661; he was also Administrator of Dromore, the election of a Bishop being temporarily suspended. He had removed to Hillsborough in the previous year, as a letter from him to Lord Viscount Montgomerie of Ardes shows. (Transcripts of Carte Papers, xxxi. 36. Record Office, Dublin.)

Letter to Montgomery of Ards.

Hillsborough. Jeremy Taylor to Lord Viscount Montgomerie of Ardes, General of the Ordnance in Ireland, Oct. 27, 1660.

My Lord, -- You are truly welcome to Ireland; your presence gives life to us in the North already, for the very expectation of your Lordship here puts sober thoughts into the heads of many, but your presence here would enable yr Lordship to give to his Majesty a better account of this country than I can yet doe, but our state is --

Here follow some very severe strictures on Presbyterians, ministers and people. No doubt the Bishop was writing under considerable provocation, but no good purpose would be served in recording here the animosities of the ancient feud. Proceeding, he says:--

I was a week since treated at Carrickfergus with great civility and nobleness by the officers, civil and military, and with great ceremony received. The delay of the consecration of the Bishops makes the ministers fancy that the King intends no Bishops in Ireland, and that keeps them off from complying. But they generally say that if they must have Bishops they are very glad they have fallen into my hands. I do not doubt, if God give me blessing and his Majesty any countenance to me and assistance by his civil officers, I shall reduce this Diocese to good temper and quiet uniform religion according to the lawes. But our delay does all the mischief that is done.

My Lord, concerning your son I remember my promise, and am very ready to perform it, and shall esteem it a blessing to me if I might have the supervision of all the young nobility of the North, and much more of your son, whom for his father's sake I must diligently serve and take care of. In order to which I must tell your Lordship my present condition. I am shut up in a little house, where I have not room for my servants to lodge, but I am close to Hillsborough Castle, and it your Lordship will be pleased to let your son have a lodging in the Colonel's house with my chaplain, who lives there and who shall teach him under my eye and perpetual conduct, and this only till the Colonel or myself or your Lordship cause a chamber to be built for Mr. Hugh at my little house -- I will then send for him speedily and take the same care of him as of my owne. This winter I am forced to this bad shift, but as soon as I can get a house convenient I shall then put your Lordship to no further trouble, but be answerable to God, the King, and to your Lordship for the education of the child, and shall esteem it a favour that your Lordship will trust me with your jewel, whom I will keep and, I hope, restore to you with lustre and advantage . . . .

(It is said that the house in Hillsborough at present used as the curate's residence was at one time occupied by Jeremy Taylor.)

(This article was originally published in the Lisburn Standard on 2 May 1919 as part of a series which ran in that paper each week for several years. The text along with other extracts can be found on my website Eddies Extracts.)

A Famous Lisburn Teacher - John Gough

Biography is one of the most interesting departments connected with the republic of literature. The life of Lord Byron, by Thos. Moore, which came out in 1830, and the first edition of which appeared in two quarto volumes at two guineas each, became very popular, and the extracts from it, as given in the newspaper press, were read with an interest that had never before been equalled. Sir Walter Scott's biography, written by his son-in-law, J. Gibson Lockhart, was published in seven monthly volumes in 1837-38, at half-a-guinea each, and was hailed with acclamation throughout the literary world.

Similar works, regarding the lives and labours of lesser lights in the firmament of authorship, have since been published, but how rarely do we meet with any biography of the school Teacher? Yet, who should have a higher seat in the social synagogue than the man or woman that sows the seed of mental thought and general education in the minds of juveniles? A very distinguished member of the old race of schoolmasters was John Gough, the sturdy Quaker, who spent the last sixteen years of his busy life as head teacher of the Friends' School, at the handsome range of buildings situate on the picturesque mound in the immediate vicinity of Lisburn, and known as Prospect Hill.

He was descended from an English family, all of whom for some generations were followers of the creed of George Fox, and first saw the light in the town of Kendal, County of Westmoreland, on the 21st of March, 1721. His father, who was a very well-to-do business man, but not overburthened with brain power, went on his way rejoicing, and as if he considered the turning of a shilling into eighteen pence was an act worthy the special blessing of Providence.

On the other hand, the lady of the house held very different opinions. Possessed of considerable intelligence -- natural and acquired -- she entertained very extended views on mental culture, and determined that her son should have the best education to be had in her locality and, until eight summers had passed over the head of the lad, Mrs. Gough taught him herself. He was then sent to school, where he continued as one of the pupils until he was half-way through his teens. She was very forward in her idea about the dignity of a school teacher, but considered that as her son had all the advantages of a preliminary education he should do the finishing work by careful study.

Young Gough did not forget his home lessons; he was still under twenty when he got an engagement as assistant at a Friends' School in Wiltshire, where he continued till 1750, and had gained a high name, not only as a superior scholar, but for the ability of being able to impart to others all he knew himself. About the close of that year he was induced to cross over to Dublin, and became head master of the Chief School in Dame Street.

The Irish capital was then, as it has continued to be since, the home of sterling hospitality. Its kind-hearted and pleasure-loving citizens delighted in carrying out the National Ceade Mille Failthe in a spirit which the colder blooded denizens of the northern province rarely value its full estimate. For some weeks after having settled in the city watered by the Liffey, the staid sober-minded English Quaker seemed as much at sea as if he had migrated to Timbuctoo.

There was a ray of social sunshine over every face he met, and the musical ring of the Celtic brogue that fell on his ear as he passed through street or square charmed, while puzzling him as that of an unknown tongue. Widely, however, as the society into which he had been thrown differed from any he had ever before encountered, his genial disposition soon led him to value the hearty welcomes he had received, and in some months caused him to feel fairly at home.

At one period of the four-and-twenty years John Gough spent in Dublin, the Earl of Hertford, who had been appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, delighted the gay citizen by the number of entertainments given at the Castle. To one of these the Head Teacher of the Dame Street School was invited. As a man, he felt honoured by the kindness of His Excellency, yet, with his peculiar opinions of society, he could not avail himself of it, but he wrote a reply to the Chief Secretary, requesting that high official to convey his thanks to the Vice-Regal-ruler for his kind attention, but added that the tenets of his Church did not admit of Quakers attending entertainments.

Very peculiar were the ideas of John Gough on the administration of the school room. Corporal punishment was then considered as necessary for the furtherance of education as the reading book or the grammar, but he taught and ruled without the exercise of the rod. Stranger still was his request to the parents of his pupils to let the young people get their lesson at home without coaching, and thus to cause them to depend on self-study and self-reliance.

In the spring of 1774 he accepted the offer of Teacher-in-Chief of the Friends' School at Prospect Hill. We may here state that there was then considerable numbers of Quakers resident in and around Lisburn. George Gregson, a native of Lancashire, had settled there about a century before, and carried on the manufacture of linen in a two-storey thatched house, situate on the site now occupied by the local branch of the Northern Bank. A great many Quaker families that had suffered from persecution in England were living in Lisburn in June, 1690, when William the Third received the troops there, and parsed on to Hillsborough.

John Gough's fame as Teacher-in-Chief at Prospect Hill brought many new scholars to the institute; several of these were from the South of Ireland and a few from England. It was while there that he published his "Teacher of Arithmetic," a work that went through numerous editions, and was the most popular school book that had ever appeared on that subject in Ireland. It was, however, by his final effort in authorship, entitled a "History of the People called Quakers," that John Gough rose to eminence in the literary world.

The work appeared in 1784 in four large octavo volumes, and was hailed with enthusiasm not only by the quiet and worthy people whose annals form its subject but by hosts of readers far outside that sect. It has long been out of print. So far back as 1825 the late John Rogers, who was an extensive grocer, and had a great love of collecting scarce literature, paid two guineas for a copy of the history.

John Gough, in breadth of opinion, and the ability to take extended views on public questions, was considered by some stereotyped members of his church as being rather inclined to heterodoxy in certain subjects outside the Quaker creed. He held a town park, situate on the lands that lay below the schoolhouse, and that field he lent to Captain Ward, of the Second Company of Lisburn Volunteers, where, during the summer season, the men were paraded on Saturday afternoons. For that act of liberality he was severely censured by many of his brethren, who maintained that Quakers should not recognise soldiers, all of whom were only to be looked upon as human instruments of war.

John Gough defended himself by stating that the Volunteers were military citizens, enrolled not as aggressive troops, but as the local power of defence in case of foreign invasion, and in this argument John Hancock, Thomas Lamb, and other Friends joined with him. The field alluded to, now a portion of the Wallace Park, was long known as "Gough's Hill."

About the end of December, 1790, it became evident to the friends of the famous teacher that his end was not far off. Seventy summers had then passed over his head, and illness set in, against which he battled for several months; during that period he continued attending his pupils, as well as to speak at the Society's meetings. In some time, however, he became unable to move about, and in the third quarter of the following year he was attended by Dr. Crawford, the far-famed medical practitioner who resided at the pretty villa near Millbrook. Professional skill, however potent, could not prevail against the fatal disease, and on the 25th of October, 1791, John Gough passed peacefully into the world of spirits.

Three days afterwards a general meeting of the local and many distant members of the Society was held, and the interment took place, in the burial-ground attached to the Meeting-house. Considerable numbers of the inhabitants of Lisburn who were not connected with the people called Quakers attended the funeral; but, as no monumental stone marks where the ashes of the great teacher mingle with their kindred dust, no one at this day knows aught of the spot in the little cemetery sacred to the memory of John Gough.

[Reprinted from the "Lisburn Standard" of thirty years ago.  A memorial stone has since been erected in the Friends' burying-ground, Railway Street. -- Editor.]

(This article was originally published in the Lisburn Standard on 25 April 1919. The text along with other extracts can be found on my website Eddies Extracts.)

First Lisburn (Market Sq.) Presbyterian Church

SOME EXTRACTS

FROM THE

RECORDS OF

OLD LISBURN

AND THE

MANOR OF KILLULTAGH.

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 Edited by JAMES CARSON. 

-- -- -- --

CXXX.

-- -- -- --

FIRST LISBURN -- MARKET SQUARE -- PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

If antiquity lends distinction, then First Lisburn may justly claim such, as it is one of the oldest congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The year in which the congregation was founded cannot now be ascertained, but it is known that it existed in 1687, and from the session records, which are practically intact from the year following, it is evident the congregation had a much earlier existence. These records, with baptismal and marriage registers, form a valuable link with the past, and reveal the quaint methods of church management by our forefathers, as well as the strict discipline exercised towards wrongdoers.

The marriage and baptismal registers have proved of great value in establishing the genealogical trees of families of distinction whose ancestors were formerly worshippers, and in many instances have been the means of determining the rightful heirs to valuable inheritances. Letters are occasionally received from different quarters of the globe requesting extracts for various purposes. It is worthy of note that a gentleman now resident in London, Sir Theodore C. Hope, recently visited Lisburn to glean some information regarding his forebears from these old records, and was so struck with their great historical value that he kindly proffered to have them restored and rebound. Through his influence they were placed in the hands of experts in the British Museum, and the result has been eminently satisfactory, as they are now preserved in a number of richly-bound volumes.

The exact site of the original Church or Meeting-House is uncertain, but it was in that part of the town now known as the Longstone, the building being of primitive design, with thatched roof. It is said King William worshipped in it while his troops were encamped at Blaris. This building is believed to have been burnt down in the great fire which broke out on Sunday, the 20th April, 1707, and destroyed the town. The church was rebuilt on the present site at a cost of £400, and in 1768, sixty-one years later, it was again rebuilt on a larger scale, the accommodation having proved insufficient for the membership. The new edifice cost above £600, and it is on record that the members of the Established Church subscribed £120 to the building fund, which is abundant testimony to the high estimation in which the Presbyterians of Lisburn were held by the members of the sister Church. It speaks volumes for the Christian brotherliness existing between different denominations at this period. No further change appears to have been made in the church buildings until the year 1873, when they were enlarged and remodelled.

From 1688 until the present time thirteen ministers have occupied the pulpit of First Lisburn, some of whom took a leading part in the affairs of the Synod and Assembly. The names are as follows:-- Alexander M'Cracken, 1688; Gilbert Kennedy, 1732; William Patton, 1736; Patrick Buchanan, 1747; James Bryson, 1764; George Kennedy, 1775; William Bruce, 1779; Andrew Craig, 1783; James Morgan, 1824; Alexander Henderson, 1829; William Breakey, 1856; John L. Rentoul, 1872; J. J. C. Breakey, 1886. The Rev. Alexander M'Cracken, 1688, was one of the deputation to King William III. at Hillsborough, which was successful in securing an increase to the Regium Donum. It will therefore be seen that this congregation holds a very unique position in the history of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in relation to this National Fund through the personality of one of its ministers.

Session, 1906:-- Rev. J. J. C. Breakey, B.A., T.C.D.; Geo. Wilson, Patrick Gardner, Geo. A. Wilson; Wm. H. Johnston. Committee:-- Jas. Simpson, Geo. A. Duncan, David M'Clements, Joseph Kinkead, W. J. M'Murray, H. Mulholland, T. L. Boyd, J. Kenmuir, T. Malcomson, W. R. Wilson, Jas. Coulter, W. J. Gillespie, S. Coulter, Richard S. Fisher, W. Croskery, H. Kirkwood, M. B. Mackenzie, M.D., J.P.; Jas. Brown, William Patterson.

The Organ.

In 1918 an organ chamber, opening up to the rere of the pulpit through a fine arch, was constructed to receive the "Musgrave Organ," presented to the congregation by Mr. Henry Musgrave, only surviving son of the late Samuel Musgrave, M.D., Lisburn. At the same time a new pulpit was erected and other extensive repairs and improvements in connection with the church carried out at a cost of some £1,700.

Memorial Windows.

There are fourteen windows in the church. The two large ones in south gable, situate on either side of the pulpit, occupy a commanding position. One represents "The Good Samaritan," presented by Henry and Edgar Musgrave, Belfast, in memory of their parents, Samuel Musgrave, of Lisburn, physician and surgeon, who died in 1834, and his wife, Mary Riddell, who died in 1802.

The other represents "Job being comforted by his friends," and was presented by Mrs. J. D. Barbour and Mr. J. Milne Barbour in loving memory pf William Barbour, Esq., J.P., born at Plantation 1797, died at Hilden 1875; also Eliza Kennedy, his wife, born 1800, died 1873.

The window next in order bears the words "The God of Peace," and was presented by Mrs. Houston in memory of her husband, John Houston. Four windows represent "Fortitude," presented by Mrs. M'Afee in memory of Richard and Anne Foote, A.D. 1906; "Faith," presented by John D. Finlay in memory of Eliza Dickson, Anna Isabella, Maria Euphemia, and Frederick Finlay; "Hope," presented by John D. Finlay in memory of John and Christian Finlay; "Charity," presented by Miss Brownlee in memory of Alexander and Elizabeth Brownlee, A.D. 1906. Then follow "The Open Book -- God is Love," presented by Annie and Mary Davis in memory of Mary Davis and Jane Johnston, of Troopersfield. "The Rose of Sharon," presented by Miss Kenmuir, Mrs. Agnes Wilson, and Mr. John Kenmuir in memory of Alexander Kenmuir, 1825-1886, and Susannah Kenmuir, 1826-1885; "The Burning Bush," presented by Lambeg friends; "The Rose of Sharon," presented by Mrs. S. J. Pelan; "One of the Wise Virgins," presented by her daughter, Mrs. MacHarg, in memory of Elizabeth Edgar, 1812-1898. The remaining two windows, the end windows right and left of the pulpit, were presented by James Simpson and Robert Alister, of Lisburn.

In the vestibule of the church is a memorial tablet to the Rev. John Laurence Rentoul, fourteen years minister of the congregation, ordained 1872, called to Sunderland, 1886, died at Wishaw, Scotland, 1900, aged 48 years.

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Notes on Two Old Leases in Existence Relating to the Church Property.

Indenture made in 1751, between the Marquis of Hertford and Henry Bell and Francis Burden, both of Lisburn, gents. It recites a previous lease, 1741, between Baron Conway and William Fairlie, of Lisburn:-- "All that piece or parcel of ground lying on the south side of the Market Place -- the holding heretofore Levingstons -- 70 feet front -- depth backwards 216 feet, adjoining to the last passage leading to the Meeting House, and to the west to the Shambles, together with the front tenement now standing thereon, with backside and gardens and office, houses and holdings thereon, in trust for the sole use and benefit of the Dissenting Congregation of Lisburn."

Indenture dated 1827 between the Marquis of Hertford -- same holding as above -- and Alexander Williamson, Lambeg; George Whitla, and James Ward, Lisburn.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

MR. JAMES CARSON LEAVING TOWN.

After over two and a half years of continuous publication in the columns of this paper, "The Records," edited by Mr. James Carson, Parkmount, draw to a close. They commenced in October, 1916, and April, 1919, witnesses their termination. In the process of the work an immense amount of valuable and interesting information regarding the history of the town and district has been collected and collated and presented to our readers by Mr. Carson. Indeed there are few towns in the province, thanks to Mr. Carson's ability and industry, that have so complete a record of their past as that of which Lisburn can now boast.

Concurrently with the closing of "The Records," it came upon us as a shock, and a nasty shock at that, to learn that Mr. Carson was removing from Lisburn and going to reside in Belfast, in order that he might be near his son, Captain J. C. Carson, of the Indian Army, who served in the earlier years of the war with the Ulster Division in France, who has now returned home to resume his medical studies.

Since Mr Carson first came to reside in Lisburn some twenty-five years ago as manager of the Ulster Bank, Ltd., he has been very closely identified with everything that pertained to the advancement and welfare of the town. He was so thorough and practical, that his connection with any movement made for success.

In the later years hie interest in the Technical School was well known. He acted as chairman of committee during the most critical year of the school's career, and to his tact and ability at that time the school owes much.

Only those closely connected with him, for he is inclined to hide his light under a bushel, know the work be has done from the very commencement of the war for the wives and families of the men at the front. For the past two years he has acted as chairman of the local Pensions Committee, and it is enough to say that his idea of chairmanship consists in a great deal more than simply being an ornamental, figurehead. He found the committee possibly one of the most inefficient in all Ireland, and now he leaves it, with the assistance of the secretary, Mr. Woods, one of the most efficient and well managed in the country.

Somehow we do not like to think of Lisburn without James Carson, but we cannot consider him as having gone away, and will look forward with confidence to often in the future seeing his familiar figure in the streets of our town.

(This article was originally published in the Lisburn Standard on 18 April 1919 as part of a series which ran in that paper each week for several years. The text along with other extracts can be found on my website Eddies Extracts.)