ANTRIM

In 1868, the parish of Antrim contained the following places:

"ANTRIM, a parish partly in the barony of Upper Antrim, partly in that of Upper Toome, in the county of Antrim, province of Ulster, Ireland, 22 miles to the N.W. of Belfast by railway, and 106 miles to the N. of Dublin. It is situated at the north-eastern extremity of Lough Neagh, at the mouth of Six-Mile Water, which discharges itself into that lake. It has a station on the Belfast and Northern Counties railway. A monastery appears to have been founded here as early as 495, by Aodh, a disciple of St. Patrick, which became subsequently subordinate to Woodburn Abbey. A sharp encounter took place here, between a large body of natives and a party of the English settlers, under Sir Robert Savage. It is said that 3,000 of the Irish fell in the fight. In 1616 the town and a large part of the parish of Antrim were given by James I. to Sir Arthur Chichester. In 1643 Lough Neagh was the scene of an engagement between the English and Irish, in which the latter were defeated, and their ships taken to the town of Antrim. The town was burnt in 1649, by General Monroe. It was attacked by the insurgents in 1798, who marched on it in four columns. After a severe conflict they were dispersed, leaving 900 dead in the town. The town is situated in one of the most fertile and agreeable districts in the county, the wide valley of the Six-Mile Water. There are two principal streets. The houses are mostly modern and built of stone; but the town contains only 421 inhabited houses, with a population of 2,131. According to the census of 1861, 524 belong to the Established Church, 965 are Presbyterians, and only 493 Roman Catholics; the remainder are Protestant Dissenters of various denominations. There is a handsome court-house and a market-house, part of which serves as a bridewell. Paper making has long been carried on here on a large scale. The first mills were erected in 1776. There are several bleach-greens, a large brewery, and flour-mills. Many persons are employed in their own houses in the linen manufacture. Antrim was formerly a parliamentary borough. Under letters-patent of Charles II., it returned two members to parliament, from 1666 till the time of the Union, when it was disfranchised; £15,000 being granted as compensation to the Earl of Massereene and the Skeffingtons. The quarter sessions for the county are regularly held here, and petty sessions once in three weeks. Antrim is the seat of a Poor-law Union, and a chief station of the constabulary police. It has a dispensary and a loan fund bank. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Down, Connor, and Dromore, value £235, in the patronage of the Marquis of Donegal. The church, which was rebuilt in 1720, having been burnt down seventy years before, has a fine square tower and octagonal spire. There are two chapels belonging to the Presbyterians, two to the Primitive Methodists, and one to the Unitarians. Near the town stands Antrim Castle, the ancient seat of the Massereenes. It was erected in the reign of Charles II, and has been since enlarged. It is situated on high ground above the Six-Mile Water. Shane's Castle, 2 miles N.W. of the town, was the seat of Viscount O'Neill. It was burnt by accident, in 1816. The people of the neighbourhood say it is visited by the "Banshee." There are several other seats in the vicinity. In the plantations connected with Steeple stands a round tower, one of the most perfect in Ireland. It is of unhewn stone, and 95 feet in height. The walls are nearly a yard in thickness. Over the door-way is a cross, cut in relief on the stone. It is conjectured that this tower occupies the site of the ancient monastery. -Antrim gives the title of earl to the Macdonnells. It was the residence of the ancestors of the distinguished surgeon, John Abernethy. A market is held on Tuesday and Thursday. Fairs are held on the 1st January, the 12th May, and the 12th November."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2018