BALLYSCULLION

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

"BALLYSCULLION, a parish mostly in the barony of Loughinsholin, in the county of Londonderry, and partly in the barony of Upper Toome, and county of Antrim, in the province of Ulster, Ireland, 8 miles to the N.W. of Randalstown. It is situated on Lough Beg and the banks of the river Bann, and includes the village of Bellaghy. Above a fifth part of the parish consists of lake and bog; the remainder is fertile and cultivated. There are some flax mills. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Derry and Raphoe, of the value of £365 11s. 9d. gross income, or £210 7s. 11d. net, in the gift of the bishop. The church is at Bellaghy. The palace erected here by the Earl of Bristol (who was appointed to the see of Derry) was, taken down, unfinished, at his death. The fine portico now adorns the parish church of St. George, Belfast. Ballyscullion House, a noble mansion recently erected by Admiral Bruce, Moyala Park, the seat of Captain Robert Peel Dawson, Bellaghy Castle, and Bellaghy House, are among the chief seats. There are ruins of an old church on Church Island, or Ynis Teda, in Lough Beg, where also a monastery was early established and flourished for many centuries."

"BELLAGHY, a village in the parish of Ballyscullion and barony of Loughinsholin, in the county of Londonderry, province of Ulster, Ireland, 35 miles to the E. of Londonderry. It is pleasantly seated near the western shore of Lough Beg, and was the site of a fort erected by the Vintners' Company, to whom the district was granted by James I. The castle was burnt in 1642. The parish church stands near the village, and there are chapels belonging to the Wesleyans and Presbyterians. There are several seats in the vicinity, of which the principal are Bellaghy House and Bellaghy Castle. Fairs for the sale of cattle are held in the village every month."

"CASTLE-DAWSON, (or Dawson's Bridge), a village or small market town, in the parishes of Magherafelt and Ballyscullion, barony of Loughinsholin, in the county of Londonderry, province of Ulster, Ireland, 2 miles to the N.E. of Magherafelt, and 118 miles from Dublin. It is a station on the Corkstown branch of the Belfast and Northern Counties railway. The village is pleasantly seated in a fertile and cultivated country on the banks of the river Mayola, which falls into Lough Neagh about 3 miles below the village. The river is crossed by a handsome stone bridge of one arch, erected by the Dawsons. The village consists of two principal streets with many well-built houses. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the manufacture of linen, checks, and ginghams, and the corn and provision trades. Coarse earthenware and bricks are made, and there are large corn-mills. The village contains the parish church of Ballyscullion, a chapel for Presbyterians, and a National school. There are a police-station and a market house. Petty sessions are held fortnightly. Near the village is Mayola Park, the beautiful seat of the Right Hon. George R. Dawson, which extends to the shore of Lough Neagh, and is crossed by a fine ancient avenue 3 miles long. A handsome obelisk in honour of the Dawson family stands on a hill near the village. It was set up by the Earl of Bristol. There are several other residences of the gentry in the vicinity. Saturday is the market day. Fairs for cattle, sheep, pigs, &c., are held on the last Saturday of every month.

"NEWFERRY, a hamlet in the parish of Ballyscullion, in the barony of Loughinsholin, county Londonderry, province of Ulster, Ireland, near Bellaghy. It stands on the river Bann, not far from Lough Beg."

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