GERNONSTOWN

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

"GERNONSTOWN, a parish in the barony of Ardee, county Louth, province of Leinster, Ireland, containing its post town, Castle Bellingham. It lies along the banks of the river Glyde, near Dundalk Bay. The surface consists of a well-cultivated clayey soil, and is traversed by the road from Drogheda to Dundalk. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Armagh, value with Kilsaran, £394. The church of the united parishes is situated near Castle Bellingham. In the Roman Catholic arrangement this parish is united to that of Kilsaran."

"CASTLE BELLINGHAM, a village in the parish of Gernonstown, barony of Ardee, in the county of Louth, province of Leinster, Ireland, 8 miles to the S. of Dundalk, and 42 miles from Dublin. It is pleasantly seated near the coast of Dundalk Bay, on the banks of the river Glyde, and is a station on the Dublin and Belfast Junction railway. In the village is a large ale brewery. The parish church of Gernonstown is an old stone edifice with a fine font and several monuments. There are chapels for Roman Catholics and Presbyterians, almshouses for four widows, endowed with about £60 a year, and a dispensary. Next the village is Castle Bellingham House, the seat of Sir Allan Bellingham, Bart. There are still remains of a castle near the Glyde, which belonged to the Bellinghams, and gave name to the village. It was burnt down before the battle of the Boyne. Fairs are held on Easter Tuesday and the 10th October."

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