Dufferin Chronicles

Ulster Towns Directory 1884

Killyleagh

A market and seaport town, formerly a Parliamentary borough, in the County Down, about sixteen miles S.E. from Belfast, situated at the head of a creek on the west shore of Strangford Lough, on the road from Downpatrick to Belfast.

There are two extensive linen-yarn spinning mills, containing 40,000 spindles, and employing 1,500 hands. The Hamiltons, created Lords Clandeboye, and subsequently Earls of Clanbrassil, formerly resided in an ancient castle at one extremity of the town. It is now residence of the Hamilton family, who, with Lord Dufferin, own the town and estate contiguous.

The magistrates assemble in Petty Sessions monthly. The church is a handsome cruciform structure, with a tower, surmounted by a spire of good proportions. It was originally erected in 1640, in 1812 was rebuilt, and has lately been much extended. There are two Presbyterian Churches, a Methodist Chapel, a Roman Catholic Chapel, and two National Schools.

Sir Hans Sloan, the celebrated naturalist and physician, was born here on the 16th April, 1660, and the house in which he was born in Back street is still habitable.

The market was formerly held every Friday; fairs, April 10th and October 11th. Shrigley Mills and the town contained, 1869, 2,730 inhabitants.

Shrigley Mill, the state of one of the flax spinning mills adjoining Killyleagh, has a population of 1,021; former proprietor, John Martin, Esq., J.P., now owned by a Limited Liability Company, under the title of John Martin, Limited. There is attached to the mill an infant school, male school, and a female school, under the National Board. Patron, Lachlan MacLaine, Esq. The income from house property alone at Shrigley Mill is upwards of a thousand pounds annually. This village was erected by the late J. Martin, Esq., and the houses are all occupied by the workers of John Martin, Limited. The mill, schools, and dwellings would well repay the inspection of visitors; they are, indeed, an ornament and credit to the neighbourhood. Population 1881, 1,835.

Places of Worship

• Church of Ireland – Parish Church, Churchill St. – Very Rev. E.B. Moeran, D.D., Dean of Down; Rev. Rochard Ray, A.B., curate.
• First Presbyterian Church, Plantation Lane – Rev. J. R. M’Cleery; residence, The Manse, Back St.
• Second Presbyterian Church, Cross St – Rev. A. M’Creery; residence, The Manse
• Primitive Methodist Chapel, Shore St – Ministers various
• Roman Catholic Chapel, Irish St – Rev. James Campbell, P.P.

Public Institutions

• Young Ladies’ School, Front St – Miss Caroline Martin, Teacher
• National School, in connexion with Second Presbyterian Congregation, Irish St – William Davison, teacher
• National School – Robert Thompson and Mrs. M’Meekan, teacher
• Killyleagh Gas Co. (Limited) – Capital, £2,000
• Stamp Office, Front Street – H.S. Guiney, distributor
• Constabulary Station, Back St
• Masonic Hall, Cross St
• Orange Hall, Irish St

Nobility, Gentry, &c

• Bailie, Major James, J.P., Ringdufferin
• Douglass, Captain, Ballymacarron
• Dufferin and Clandeboye, Right Hon. Earl of
• Gordon, Alexander, Delamont and Florida
• Hamilton, Gawn R., J.P., D.L., Killyleagh Castle
• Heron, Francis, J.P., Irish St and Ardigon House
• Hind, Joseph G., Director, Killyleagh Flax-spinning Co. (Limited)
• Howe, Thomas H., agent to the Dufferin Estate
• Lindsay & Sons, horticulturists and nurserymen, Killyleagh and Downpatrick
• Maclaine, Lachland, director, of John martin (Limited), Killyleagh.
• M’Cleery, Rev. J.R., Manse
• Mcreery, Rev. A., Manse
• Orr, Adam, M.D., surgeon, Catherine St
• Ray, Rev. Richard, M.A., Shrigley
• Shaw, Wm. C., surgeon and apothecary, Front St
• Sheil, R. G., M.D., and surgeon, medical officer of dispensary
• Shires, Rev. Mr.

Traders, &c. Black Street.

• Clerk, Henry, shoemaker
• Dick, William, grocer
• Gordon, Arthur, mechanic
• Magilton, Henry, baker
• M’Cardell, John, haberdasher
• M’Crea, Wm.
• Patterson, John, boatman
• Police Barrack
• Scott, John, machinist
• Thompson, Robert, schoolmaster

Catherine Street

• Boyd, J., boatman
• Fury, James, hotelkeeper
• Keenan, Patrick, grocer
• Kelly, John
• Magrath, Mrs.
• Morrison, Michael, baker
• M’Causland, John, merchant
• M’Causeland, James, spiritdealer
• M’Coubrey, William, mason
• Ogle, John, carpenter
• Patterson, The Misses, milliners
• Tweedie, F., carpenter

Churchill Street

• Gibson, James, carpenter, &c
• Holland, James, tailor
• Holland, Joseph, porter
• Moeran, Rev. E.B., D.D., Dean of Down
• Watson, T. & J., slaters

Cross Street

• Bain, James, hairdresser
• Hamilton, Geddis, posting establishment and spiritdealer
• Moore, Robert, scutcher
• Morrison, Mrs.
• Morrow, Alex., butcher and spiritdealer
• M’Iihone, William, horse-breaker
• M’Kee, Mary, grocer
• M’Knight, John, carpenter
• Neill, John, grocer and nursery
• Shaw, Finlay, shoemaker
• Skillen, Mrs.
• Sutherland, Alexander, carpenter
• Yeates, Nathaniel, weighmaster

Front Street

• Bell, Robert, spiritdealer
• Calvert, Thomas, grocer
• Carlisle, Robert , grocer
• Clelland, George, spiritdealer
• Coghrin, Moses, tinsmith
• Davison, Mrs., grocer
• Donnan, Robert, tailor
• Falkner, James, hardware merchant
• Ferguson, John, grocer
• Field, John, shipowner
• Field, Mary, haberdasher
• Furey, Francis, merchant
• Furey, James, haberdasher
• Furey, Wm., grocer
• Guiney, H.S., postmaster and haberdasher
• Irvine, Susan, grocer
• Jamison, Frederick, saddler
• Lawther, The Misses, milliners
• Lowry, H., haberdasher
• Magreavy, Miss, grocer
• Martin, Alex. (high constable) merchant
• Martin, Lizzie C., milliner
• Matthewson, John, tailor
• Millar, John, poster
• Moore, Mrs. seamstress
• Morrow, John, tailor
• Morrow, Charles, grocer
• O’Halloran, Miss, haberdasher
• Patterson, James, spiritdealer and grocer
• Scott, Andrew, shoemaker
• Skillen, Robert, boatman
• Stotharts, Alexander, posting establishment
• Watson, Thomas, Killyleagh Spinning Company (Limited)
• Watson, Robert, spiritdealer

Plantation Street

• Adams, James, carpenter
• Adams, John, carpenter
• Allen, James, gardener
• Bruce, William, hackler
• Edgar, Hamilton, hackler
• King, George, reelingmaster
• Martin, Henry, butler
• Morris, Miss

Irish Street

• Davison, John, schoolmaster
• Durphy, Henry, stonemason
• Greer, David, carpenter
• Hamilton, John, stonemason
• Heron, Francis, gentleman
• M’Connell, John, farmer
• National School
• Rea, James, grocer
• Scott, Wm, John, machinist
• Sullivan, Edward, butcher

Shore Street

• Beattie, John, carter
• Bell, Andrew, millworker
• Bell, Robert, millworker
• Blakely, James, carter
• Bennett, William, boatman
• Boyd, William, boatman
• Carr, Mrs. John
• Carson, James, labourer
• Cochran, William, boatman
• Dines, James
• Field, The Misses, dressmakers
• Fleming, Wm. John, porter
• Galway, James, gasman
• Gilmore, Joseph, shipowner
• Gordon, John, mason
• Ingram, James, shoemaker
• Johnston, Samuel and John, boatman
• Lowry, Wm., carpenter
• Lowry, Robert, carpenter
• Magill, John, labourer
• Magill, Samuel, labourer
• Maginn. James, boatman
• Martin, Robert, labourer
• Megrady, James, shoemaker
• Moore, John, carter
• Morrow, James, boatman
• M’Clurg, A., grocer and pedlar
• M’Clurg, Adam
• M’Clurg, Wm., labourer
• M’Clurg, John, millworker
• M’Cloy, Hugh labourer
• M’Conville, John, tailor
• M’Coubrey, John, millworker
• M’Cune, David, labourer
• M’Donald, Mrs.
• M’Kaige, James, boatman
• M’Meekin, Mrs., schoolmistress
• M’Millian, Thomas, boatman
• M’Mullan, John, millworker
• M’William, Wm., boatman
• Nicholson, John, labourer
• Nicholson, James, pedlar
• Nicholson, Wm., labourer
• Roy, Hugh, boatman
• Skillen, Mrs.
• Skillen, James, shoemaker
• Smith, Samuel, boatman
• Stothart, Henry, carrier
• Strutt, George, pedlar
• Sturgeon, James, boatman
• Sturgeon, George, boatman
• Thistlewhite, Alexander, coastguard
• Totten, Henry
• Wightman, John, millworker
• Young, Thomas, mechanic

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