■ I ■ ■ ■ ■ I *.*:.> ■ I I ■i ■ ^^m m m Book , K flSQiG STATISTICAL SURVEY OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH, WITH OBSERVATIONS ~ ON THE MEANS OF IMPROVEMENT ; ■DRAWN UP IN THE YEARS 1802, AND 1803, ■ FOR THE CONSIDERATION, AND UNDER THE DIRECTION OF CDe SDuWin ©octetg. BY SIR CHARLES COOTE, BART. Terra suls contenta bonis, non indiga mercis. LUCAN. FRINTED BY CRAISBERRY AND CAMPBELL, JC, BACK-LANE. 1804, o^V 5^ ** TO THE READER, This Report is at present printed and circulated for the purpose merely of procuring further infor- mation^ respecting the state and husbandry of this district ', and of enabling every one interested in the welfare of this country ', to examine it fully, and contribute his mite to its improvement. The Society do not deem themselves pledged to any opinion given by the Author of this Survey ; and they desire, that nothing contained in it be con- sidered as their sentiments ; they have only pub- lished it, as the report of the gentleman, whose name is affixed, and they publish it for the com- ments and observations of all persons, which they entreat to be given freely, and without reserve. It is therefore requested, that the observations on reading this work may be returned to the Dublin Society, as soon as miry be convenient, and which will meet with the fullest attention in a future edition* DEDICATION. TO THE RIGHT HON. JOHN FOSTER, LATE SPEAKER ov THE HOUSE OF COMMONS OF IRELAND, AND PRESIDENT OF THE FARMING SOCIETY OF IRELAND, fcfc, 60* fcfc I had already been honored with your permission to commit to the public, under the sanction of your patronage, my observa- tions on the agriculture and commerce of another county; so am I again solicitous of the like favour and countenance, in preparing this vo- lume for press. I feel it, at all times, an additional value to my statistical enquiries, to be honored with your protection ; but to whom else, Sir, could I so properly offer my labours in this fine county, so superior to all others in the great staple of the nation, as to the friend of the a linen iv DEDICATION. linen trade of Ireland, and the framer of those wise laws, which have fixed our manufacture on the surest basis, and established a system of commerce which defies all competition ? I do not presume, Sir, to convey a mere compliment; your exertions, for the interest and prosperity of Ireland, are superior to my panegyric. Permit me to have the honor of assuring you, how sincerely I am, With the most profound respect, and truest attachment, Your most faithful, obliged, And obedient servant, CHARLES COOTK. DUBLIN, June i, 1803. PREFACE* PREFACE A Work embracing such various subjects, as are suggested for the statistical enquiry of a county, should doubtless have the assistance of many. I have heartily to lament, and feel it a presumption, that I must lay be- fore the public the following sheets, which I cannot boast have had that advantage. Pecu- liar circumstances, and unfortunate casualties, precluded me the information and co-operation of those resident gentlemen, who were willing to give their cordial aid, and of others, who could also have furnished me with very in- teresting matter. From so learned and respectable a body as the clergy of this county, surely, much information might have been expected, for a work intended a 2 to vi PREFACE. to effect such public service. Had these gen* tlemen contributed thereto, I should not now have to complain of any deficiency of materials. It is necessary for me to state, that I took the best pains I could to obtain information, and duly apprized the resident gentry of this district of my intended tour by a circular letter, in which was enclosed a detail of the subjects to be investigated ; I thought it the surest means of obtaining their remarks. Four times I tra- versed this county, at a considerable expence, and I oftentimes called on many of them at their houses, but had not the good fortune of meeting them, nor have I since been furnished with any observations towards the proposed enquiry. I have, therefore, only to hope, that a candid allowance will be made for the errors and omis- sions, which must necessarily be found in such a laborious work, compiled from my own obser- vations, PREFACE. vii vations, with very few exceptions, which are tnankfully acknowledged as they occur. It is indeed to be regretted, that the illiberal jealousies, which have been roused by the ac- tive endeavours of the Dublin Society in their institution of Statistical Surveys of counties, have not yet subsided; and it is strange, that the example of this truly respectable body should not have expelled the prejudices, which yet pervade some ranks of society, with whom ignorance cannot be a plea for their groundless fears. Perhaps in the next edition of this vo- lume they may please to give their assistance, this attempt being only intended as a ground- work, or a systematic arrangement, of the sub- jects necessary to be examined. SUGGESTIONS SUGGESTIONS OF ENQUIRY FOR GENTLEMEN WHO SHALL UNDERTAKE THE FORMING OF AGRICULTURAL SURVEYS. GEOGRAPHICAL STATE AND CIRCUMSTANCES. Situation and Extent, Divifions, Climate, Soil and Surface, Minerals, Water. AGRICULTURE. Mode of culture, Extent of it, and of each fpecies of grain fowed, Courfe of crops, Ufe of oxen — how harnefTed, Nature and ufe of implements of hufbandry, Markets for grain, Ufe of green food in winter, PASTURE, * SUGGESTIONS PASTURE. Nature of it, Breed of cattle — how far improved, — — how far capable of further improvement, Markets or Fairs for them, General prices, Modes of feeding — how far houfed in winter, Natural grafTes, Artificial grafles, Mode of hay-making, Dairies, their produce, Prices of hides, tallow, wool, and quantity fold. FARMS. Their fize, Farm houfes and offices, Mode of repairing them, whether by landlord or tenant, Nature of tenures, General (late of leafes, ■ of particular claufes therein, Taxes or CefTes paid by tenants, Proportion of working horfes or bullocks, to the fize of farms, General fize of fields, or enclofures, Nature of fences, Mode of hedge-rows, and keeping hedges, Mode of draining, Nature of manures. GENERAL OF ENQUIRY. xi GENERAL SUBJECTS. Population, Number arid fize of villages and towns, Habitation, fuel, food and cloathing of the lower rank — their general coil, Prices of wages, labour, and provifions, State of tithe, its general amount on each article- — what arti- cles are exempt, and what charged by modus, Ufe of beer and fpirits — whether either or which is increafing, State of roads, bridges, &c. of navigations and navigable rivers, of fisheries, State of education, fchools, and charitable institutions, — of abfentee and refident proprietors, — of circulation of money or paper, 1 of farming or agricultural focieties, of manufactures, whether increafing, — — of encouragement to them, and the peculiar aptnefs of the fituation for their extenfion, ' ■ of mills of every kind, • of plantations and planting, *** — of the effects of the encouragement heretofore given to them by the Society, particularifed in the lift annexed, ■ of any improvements which may occur for future en- couragement, and particularly for the prefervation of the trees, when planted, j— — of nurferies within the county and extent of fales, Price xii SUGGESTIONS, &c. Price of timber andftate of it, in the county, Quantity of bog and wafte ground, Pofiibility and means of improving it, Obftacles to it and beft means of removing them, Habits of induftry, or want of induftry among the people, The ufe of the Englifh language, whether general, or how far increafing, Account of towers, caftles, monafteries, ancient buildings, or places remarkable for any hiflorical event, Churches — refident clergy, glebes and glebe houfes, Whether the county has been actually furveyed, when and whether the furvey is publifhed, Weights and meafures, liquid or dry — in what inftances are weights afligned for meafures — or vice verfd, The weight or meafure, by which grain, flour, potatoes, butter, &c. are fold. CONTENTS CONTENTS OF THE CHAPTERS. PART L CHAP. I. GEOGRAPHICAL STATE AND MODERN CIRCUMSTANCES^ WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE COUNTY. J Sect. 1. Situation and Extent 1 2. Superficial Appropriation 5 3. Civil Division - 7 4. Ecclesiastical Division 9 Alphabetical List of Parishes within the County ~ 10 Parishes which branch into this County >- 15 fleferences xiv CONTENTS. Page References to Ecclesiastical Denomi- nations, which are not distinct parishes - 17 Archbishoprick, or province of Ar- magh - - 18 Table of extent of Archbishoprick 1 9 Table of first fruits - -20 SECT. 5. Climate - - -22 6. Soil and Sw face - - 25 Mountains - - 33 Woods - - - 46 Bog and Moor - 72 7. Minerals - - 84 Fossils, native, and extraneous - ibid. Mineral Waters - - 86 S. Waters - - 8S 77/£/d o/* ffo Distance which each River runs, and the course it takes through this County - 94 Lakes - - 9$ Lough- Neagh - - 96 Navigations - - 104 Newry canal - 106 Fish - - - 111 Aquatic Birds - - 1 1 2 Amphibious animals - - ibid. Aquatic Plants - - 113 CHAP. CONTENTS. xv CHAP. II. STATE OF PROPERTY. Page Sect. 1. Estates - - - 117 2. Tenures - « us 3. Rental - ' - - 120 4. Landed Proprietors - - 122 CHAP. III. BUILDINGS. Sect. 1. Public Buildings ~ - 130 2. Houses of the Gentry - - 13il 3. Farm-houses, and Offices - 132 4. Manufacturers' Houses, and Cottages 133 CHAP. IV. MODE OF OCCUPATION, Sect. l. Size of Farms - ' » 136 2. Character of Farmers - - 138 Sect, cvi CONTENTS. Page Sect. 3. Rent 141 4. Tithes 142 5. Leases 144 Clauses in Leases ibid. CHAP. V. IMPLEMENTS. Prices of Implements 147 CHAP. VI. INCLOSING. Sect. 1. Thorn fences, hedges 2. Paling .3. Walls 4. Water fences 5. Ditches 6. Gates 149 153 155 157 158 159 PART CONTENTS, **ii PART II. CHAP. VII. AGRICULTURE. Page Preliminary Remarks - - 161 Parochial Queries suggested by the Dublin Society - 163 Sect. 1. Mode of Culture - 167 Defects in the Plough, and remedies proposed - - 168 Defects in the Harrow, and remedies proposed - 169 2. Extent of Culture, and of each spe- cies of Grain sowed - 171 3. Course of Crops - 172 4. Use of Oxen, how harnessed - 177 5. Nature and use of Implements of Husbandry - - ibid, 6. Markets for Grain - 181 7. Use of Green Food in Winter - 182 8. General observations on the modes of Agriculture, as practised in the coimty, with remarks on drill husbandry - - ibid, Wheat culture - 183 Barley XV 111 CONTENTS. Page Barley culture - - 187 Oats culture - - 189 Potatoc culture - - 191 General hints on Potatoc culture 195 Flax culture - - 197 Crops not commonly cultivated to anij r extent - - 198 Turnips fas food for cat tie J - 201 Rape - ditto - - 205 Cabbages ditto - - 209 Carrots and parsnips ditto - ibid. Potatoes ditto - - 210 Tares and vetches ditto - ibid. Peas - ditto - - 214 Beans - ditto - - 215 Hemp „ . 216 CHAP. VIII. PASTURE. Sect. 1. Nature of it - 217 2. Breed of Cattle — how far improved? 220 3. How far capable of further improve- meat? - ibid. 4. Markets or Fairs for them - 22 1 Alphabetical CONTENTS. xix Page Alphabetical List of the Fairs of this County - 222 Sect. 5. General Prices - - 223 6. Modes of Feeding — how far housed in Winter - - 224 Sects. 7, &( 8. Natural Grasses — Artificial Grasses - - - 225 Sect. 9. Mode of Hay -making - 226 10. Dairies — their produce - 229 1 1 . Prices of Hides, Tallow, Wool, and quantity sold - - 230 CHAP. IX. FARMS. Sect, l . Their size - 232 2. Farm Houses and Offices - ibid, 3. Mode of repairing them - 233 Sects. 4, 5,6. Nature of Tenures; General state of Leases; of particular Clauses therein - - ibid. Sect. 7. Taxes or Cesses paid by Tenants 234 8. Proportion of working Horses, or Bullocks, to the size of Farms 235 b Sects, *x CONTENTS. Page Sects. 9, 10, 11. General size of Fields, or Enclosures; Nature of Fences; Mode of Hedge-rows and keeping Hedges - - - ibid. Sect. 12. Mode of draining - - 236 13. Nature of Manures - - 238 CHAP. X. GENERAL SUBJECTS. Sect. I. Population - 243 2. Number and size cf Villages and Towns - - 247 Table of Towns and Villages - 24$ Sects. 3, 4. Habitation, Fuel, Food, and Clothing of the lower Rank ; their general Cost ; Price of Wages, Labour, and Provisions ; and ge- neral View of the Rural Eco- nomy of the County - 249 5. State of Tithe ; its general amount on each article ; what articles are exempt, and what charged bij modus - - 2.57 Sect, CONTENTS. XXI Page Sect. 6. Use of Beer and Spirits — whether either, or which is encreasing 258 Sects. 7, S, 9. State of Roads and Bridges, of Navigations and Navigable Rivers, of Fisheries, and of Ma- nufactures ; or a general view of Political Economy, as affecting Agriculture, or connected with it ibid. Sect. 10. State of Education, Schools, and Charitable Institutions - 274 1 1 . State of Absentee and Resident Pro- prietors - - ibid, 12. Circulation of Money or Paper ibid. 13. Farming or Agricultural Societies 275 Sects. 14, 15. State of Manufactures, whether encreasing ; of encouragement to them, and the peculiar aptness of the situation for their extension ibid. Sect. 16. Of Mills of every kind - ibio\. Sects. 17, 18, 19, 20, & 21. State of Plan- tations and Planting ; of the ef- fects of the encouragement hereto- fore given to them by the Society, particularized in the list annexed* Of any improvements which may occur for future encuuragement, and particidarly for the preserva- b 2 tipn KXU CONTENTS. Page tion of Trees when planted. Of Nurseries within the County, and Extent of Sales. Price of Tim- ber, and state of it in the County 276 Premiums adjudged by the Dublin Society, for planting in the county of Armagh, since the year 1786, where security has been given to preserve the same for ten years from the date of the grant - 2S0 Sects. 22, 23, & 24. Quantity of Bog ; pos- sibility and means of improving it; obstacles to it, and best means of removing them - - ibid. 25, 26. Habits of Industry, or want of Industry among the People. — The ■use of the English Language, whether general, or how far en- creasing? - - 282 Sfct.27. Account of Towers, Castles, Mo- nasteries, Ancient Buildings, or places remarkable for any histori- cal event - 283 . Ch urc h cs — Resident Clergy — Glebes, and Glebe Houses - - ibid. 29, Whether the County has been actu- ally surveyed; when ; arid whether the Survey is published f - 284 Sects. CONTENTS. xxiii Page Sects. 30, 31. Weights and Measures, liquid and dry ; in what instances are Weights assigned for Measures, or vice versa ? — The Weight or Measure, by which Grain, Flour, Potatoes, Batter, Uc. are sold 285 Sect. 32. Of Mines within the County <* 236 CHAP. XL LIVE STOCK. Sect. 1. Horned Cattle * - 288 2. Horses - 290 3. Sheep - 292 4. Goats - 293 5. Hogs ... 294r 6. Rabbits - 295 Sects. 1, 8. Poultry, Pigeons ~ - ibid. Sect. 9. ifa?s - 296 CHAP. XII. general observations, 2m PART xxiv CONTENTS. PART III. CHAP. XIII. BARONIAL SURVEY, INCLUDING THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE COUNTY." Page Preliminary Observations - 301 Sect. 1. Barony of Armagh - - 302 2. Barony of Turenny - - 328 3. Baronies of Upper and Lower Fews 331 4. Baronies of East and West O'Neiland 335 5. Baronies of Upper and Loicer Orior ; including some curious and interesting particulars of the Lordship of Nexvry - - 349 CHAP. XIV. CONCLUSION. - 394- APPENDIX. CONTENTS. xxv APPENDIX. Page Extracts from Harris's Hibemica, and Captain Pynnafs Survey of Ulster \ in which are given the Names of the original Patentees of the forfeited lands of this County, and their de- nominations, with preliminary ob- servations - - i Religious Houses of the County, from Ware's Antiquities of Ireland - 28 Religious Houses of the County, from ArchdalVs Monasticon Hibernicum 29 STATISTICAL ., k STATISTICAL SURVEY OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. PART I. CHAP. I. GEOGRAPHICAL STATE AND MODERN CIRCUMSTANCES, WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE COUNTY. Sect. 1. Situation and Extent. .RMAGH, which is an inland county of Ulster, lies between fifty-four degrees four minutes, and fifty-four degrees thirty minutes, of north latitude, and six degrees five minutes, and six degrees forty- five minutes, of west longitude from Greenwich : its form is rather oblong, stretching considerably in an angle, both on the north-east, and western ex- tremities ; these narrow tracts, in the aggregate, will be found to add more than four minutes of lon- gitude to the superficies of the county ; for, taking the average breadth of the surface of Armagh, it b is i STATISTICAL SURVEY is not more than twelve Irish miles, but its actual breadth from the two most distant extremities is full sixteen* miles ; that is, from the bounds of Mo- naghan county on the west, near the village of Glaslough, to Scarvagh village on the east, which touches the Newry canal line, where it is separated from Down county ; the variation of its length does not any where exceed much above one mile, the average extent of the county, in this direction, being very nearly twenty-four Irish miles ; the most distant extremes, from Maghery village on the shore of Lough-Neagh on the north, to the town- land of Dromlece near Foxfield on the south, join- ing the county of Louth, in a direct line, are but twenty-five miles asunder; the circumference of the county is about eighty Irish miles. The superficial contents are 283 square miles, or 181,450 acres plantation measure; this in English measure will be 290.JSG acresf . It * Doctor Beaufort, in the Memoirs of his map of Ireland, states this county but fifteen miles in breadth; but, by the actual survey, which was taken in 1778, it is laid down to be sixteen miles broad. f In the rules and conditions for the plantation of Ulster, published by royal authority, anno 1608, it is asserted, that the whole county of Arm.igh contained but 77,800 English acres : in this was meant, arable, pasture, and forfeited lands only, so that the difference, being 212,986 acres, were then the OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 3 It is bounded on the north-west by Tyrone coun- ty ; on the west by Monaghan ; Louth ranges the southern, as does Lough-Nea^h the northern ex- tremity ; and Down, the full extent of the eastern confines. From the south-western point of Lough-Neagh to Caledon, on the borders of Tyrone, the line of se« paration between Armagh and this latter county is the Black water river ; another stream, which we also trace in a retrogade course, joins this river, marking the boundary on Monaghan side, from hence to a mile beyond Middleton village in the barony of Turenny, and is the same river, or rather chain of lakes, which runs through Castleshane vil- lage in that county. An angle of this river forms the point of junction with Armagh, Monaghan, and Louth counties, and touches the bounds of Cregan parish, near the village of Culloville. The western limits are continued by poor fences, and naked ditches, for about four miles further, where a small stream, in some places but a ditch of water, is the line of division, passing through a bleak and wild country, and intersecting the Fews mountains in the same direction, until it meets a b 2 very the unforfeited and church lands, and also waste or unprofi- table scopes which were never rented. See Harris's Hibernica, part 1st, pages 60, 62, Dublin edition, printed anno 1 747, 4 STATISTICAL SURVEY very rapid river, the Fane, which passes near Cul- loville on the south-western point, and from thence, touching on the south-eastern extremity of Mo- naghan, runs into Louth county, and is discharged into the bay of Dundalk. The line on the southern boundary towards the shore opposite to Warren Point, which separates this county from Louth, for the greater way, is but imperfectly traced, through a very wild, and in some places a barren district, and in this bleak region can be, but with difficulty, if at all, truly ascertained, where nothing is presented, but the immense rocky mountains, which stretch onwards towards Carlingford ; but the eastern limits, from the tide water to Knock bridge, within a few miles of the south-east angle of Lough-Neagh, are doubly marked by the line of navigation, which se- parates this county from Down, and the river it adjoins, and runs parallel with, in some places, but a few yards asunder ; from the point where the canal meets the Bann, at Knock-bride, near Carrick demesne, the remaining part of the boundary is through a very beautiful and highly improved coun- try, extending considerably in an eastern direction, and from hence to Lough-Neagh forming an obtuse angle, in which the town of Lurgan is included : the entire northern limit is the shore of Lough- Neagh ; so that, on the whole, the bounds of this county OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 5 county are well marked, and for the most part distinguished by strong and natural features. Sect. 2. Superficial Appropriation, The superficial appropriation of Armagh may be thus estimated : Acres. Arable lands, pasture, and meadow, . . 157,450 Rivers and lakes* ....... 1,000 Koads, towns, and villages, .... 2,000 Woods and plantations, ..... 1,000 f Mountain, bog, and waste, .... 20,000 Total plantation acres 181,450 Inequality * There is no part of Lough-Neagh comprehended in tliis calculation, which covers an immense tract, not less than an area of above one half the extent of the smaller counties of Ireland. Louth, which is the smallest, does not con- tain more than 1 10,750 acres of every description, and Long- ford has but 134,152. The area' of Lough-Neagh has been in all the old maps laid down as containing nearly 100,000 acres, but the late surveys deny that it covers quite 60,000 acres. If the lands around this lake, which are subject to its floods, should be taken into account, the product would even exceed the greater calculation ; for in Down county, where the land lies on the shore of Lough-Neagh, at no less distance than eight miles from thence, its waters have frequently overflowed to a very alarming degree. f A considerable quantity of land, which formerly was rated as mountain and waste, does not now come under that denomination. 6 STATISTICAL SURVEY Inequality of surface is a predominant feature through every part of Armagh, except in the northern district, where it gradually terminates in a plain, and is there a fine fiat champaign country. But though the greater part of the country has an undulating surface, it serves to add to its beauty, as those hills are mostly very gentle, and possess a very generous and fertile soil ; in many places, judicious plantations and comfortable orchards highly enrich the scene. Contrasting these cultivated lands, and their neat inclosures, with those of the like na- tural feature in some neighbouring counties, we cannot attribute the bleak and inhospitable appear- ances of the latter to any thing but a neglect of that industry, which here has so conspicuously beauti- fied the country ; and these natural features must every where be considered as a great capability, towards the actual, as well as the ornamental im- provement of a country. This irregularity of surface is obvious through the interior. I have already shewn that the mountain- ous district, which in some places is beautifully picturesque^ lies on the borders of the county. Sect. denomination. In the midst of the wildest districts, are large tracts of good pasture and arable land. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. Sect. 3. Civil Division. This county formerly consisted of five baronies,* three of which have been subdivided ; it therefore now contains eight baronies. 1. Armagh, 1. Armagh. 2. Turenny or Tyranny, 2. Turenny. S.O'Neiland, now diiid- ( 3. O'Neiland E. ) ed into \ 4. O'Neiland W. f 4. Fews, iioxv divided i 5. Upper Fews. } into \ 6. Lower Fews. } 5o Orior, * In the survey made by Pynnar, in 1618, it is to be observed, he divides Armagh into three baronies only, viz. O'Neiland, Fews, and Orior ; I could not ascertain whether Armagh and Turenny had been at that time distinct baro- nies ; if they were forfeited lands, doubtless their deno- mination, as separate baronies, had not then existed, as his survey relates particularly to the lands, which were escheated to the crown ; but in the project, which was published by order of James the ist. setting forth the intended plantation of Ulster, and also the rules and conditions to be observed by undertakers, (which was of the date of i <5o8, and of course ten years prior to Pynnar's survey,) it is stated, that Ar- magh county was at that time divided into denominations of land termed Ballyboes, each of which contained about sixty English acres, on an average; but, as these deno- minations were not found to be of equal quantity, or num- ber of acres, it was judged proper to abolish this distinction, and 3 STATISTICAL SURVEY 5. *Orior, now divided ( 7. Upper Orior and ) into \ 8. Lower Orior. j It is very strange, there is no County book in Armagh, nor could I, on enquiry, discover the cause of the neglect, or whether such ever existed. Of course, the contents of the baronies cannot be as- certained. The treasurer of the county, in his applotment, is guided by a solitary record, which is called the key of the county. By this key, he applets the pro- portion, which each barony is to pay of the sum presented on the county at large. This key was found in the papers of the late treasurer, and seems to have been sanctioned by the Grand Jury so far back as the year 1758. There are applotters in each barony, who re- gulate the acreable proportion, which each deno- mination is to pa}'. The and in its place substitute acres only ; so that it is very pro- bable, it was in the intermediate time, prior to Pynnar's survey, that the county was first divided into baronies. See Harris's Hibernica, Page 112. * A small parcel of land in the lordship of Newry is included in Orior barony; the almost entire of the lordship is in Down county, and there constitutes a half barony in itself. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. The annexed is the key of assessment. Proportion of every 'pound sterling, raised off the Vo. Baronies, county at large. £. $. 4. 1. Armagh, ] pays at the rate of . 4 . 8i 2. Turenny, ditto, . 2 . » 3. O'Neiland, E. ditto, . 1 . > H 4. O'Neiland, W. ditto, . 4 . % 5. Upper Orior, ditto, . 1 , si 6. Lower Orior, ditto, . 2 8 7. Upper Fews, ditto, . . 9 §. Lower Fews, ditto, . 1 . 7 .£.1.0.0 Sect. 4. Ecclesiastical division. In this county are twenty-one parishes, seventeen of which are entirely within the county, two partly in the county of Tyrone, and two branching into Down. Of these twenty-one parishes, three are in the diocess of Dromore, which have each parish churches, and the remaining eighteen, with twenty- seven churches, are in, and make a part of, the archbishoprick of Armagh. The churches are in excellent, indeed, mostly, in elegant repair. Alphabetical I© STATISTICAL SURVEY Alphabetical List of Parishes within the County. 1. Armagh, a rectory united with the deanery, in the diocess of Armagh, and baronies of Armagh, Upper Fews, and O'Neiland west. Yearly value 1400/. Lord Viscount LifTord, incumbent, who re- sides. The parsonage and glebe are both excellent. A considerable quantity of deanery lands are let at low rents, and renewed like bishops' leases. Four perpetual cures are annexed to this parish, which have small glebes and parsonages, l. Lisnadill, 2. Grange, 3. Newtown-Hamilton, 4. Eden. Eglish is annexed to the choir of the cathedral. The church and parsonage of Lisnadill were erected by the late Lord Rokeby during his primacy, in a style truly characteristic of their noble founder. The first fruits of this parish are 25/. 2. Ballymoier, alias Ballywire, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and barony of Upper Fews. Yearly value 1 80/. The Rev. Mr. Paul, incum- bent, who resides. This parish has a handsome par- sonage, and small glebe, and the entire parish was originally a part of Armagh parish. 3. Bally more, alias Tanderiigec, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and barony of Lower Orior. Yearly value 900/. The Rev. Doctor Leslie, who died lately, was presented to this benefice by his OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. ix grace Doctor Sterne, primate, anno 1757, and was forty-five years rector of this parish. He discharged the duties of his situation in so exemplary a manner, that his memory will be revered by every person who knew him. An elegant parsonage and glebe is contiguous to the town of Tanderagee. The Doctor procured a second church to be built in this parish, as a chapel of ease, at Poyntz's pass, and established a perpetual cure with a neat house, and a small glebe for the curate. The late incum- bent constantly resided. First fruits, 13/. 6s. &d. 4. Cregan, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and baronies of Upper and Lower Fews. Yearly value 700/. The Hon. and Rev. Percy Jocelyn, in- cumbent, who resides. In this parish is a good parsonage, and extensive glebe, but the land is in- different. A charter school was established here for thirty children, anno 1737, and endowed with three acres of land in perpetuity, one by the late Rev. Hugh Hamill, D. D. when incumbent, who also subscribed 5/. annually ; another by the late Francis Hall, Esq. and a third by the late Thomas Ball, Esq. First fruits of parish 25/. 5. Derrynoose, alias Madden, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and baronies of Armagh and Turenny. Yearly value 700/. The Rev. Mr. Staples, incum-* bent, who resides. In this parish is an old, but neat parsonage, and a glebe. First fruits 20/. 6. Drumcreei 12 STATISTICAL SURVEY 6. Drumcfee, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and barony of O' Neil and west. Yearly value 450/. The Rev. Mr. Maunsell, incumbent, who resides. In this parish is an old parsonage, and some glebe. First fruits, 18/. 7. Fork/nil, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and barony of Upper Orior. Yearly value 250/. The Rev. Mr. Atkinson, incumbent, who resides. In this parish is a neat small parsonage, and a small glebe ; a very considerable charity has been estab- lished under an act of parliament, springing from a most extraordinary will, made by the late Richard Jackson, Esq. of Forkhill. For particulars, see chap. 13, sect. 5. Orior. 3. Ready, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and baronies of Armagh and Fews. Yearly value 200/. The Rev. Mr. Close, incumbent. The curate resides in the small parsonage, to which there is a glebe annexed. This parish was formerly part of Armagh parish. 9. Killevy, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and barony of Upper Orior. Yearly value 1300/. The Rev. Mr. M'Cleland, incumbent, does not re- side here, but in the town of Armagh, where he has a parsonage, as precentor to the cathedral. No parsonage for the rector in this extensive parish ; but at Camlough near Newry a new church has been lately built, as a chapel of ease, and a small house OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 13 house for the curate who resides ; a small glebe has also been laid off. The rector's glebe lands are ex- tensive. First fruits, 20/. 10. Killmore, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and baronies of O'Neiland west, and Lower Orior. Yearly value, 1 100/. The Rev. Doctor Lodge, in- cumbent, who resides occasionally here in summer, and in Armagh city in winter, at the public library ; he is librarian. In this parish is an excellent new parsonage, and a fine glebe. It has also a chapel of ease at Mullavilly, near Tanderagee town, called New church, which was built about the year 1755, at the sole expence of the Rev. Doctor Brandreth, Dean of Emly, the then incumbent, and the ground was given by the then Lord Viscount Fane, on whose estate it was built. First fruits of this parish 18/. 1 1 . Loughgall, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and barony of O'Neiland west. Yearly value 450/. The Rev. Mr. Bissett, incumbent, who resides oc- casionally here, and also at the parsonage and glebe of his other parish in the county of Louth, near Drogheda. In this parish is a very neat par- sonage, and good glebe, and a new and very hand- some church has been lately built. 12. Loughgitilly , a rectory in the diocess of Ar- magh, and baronies of Lower Fews and Lower Orior. Yearly value 750/. The Rev. Dean War- burton i 4 STATISTICAL SURVEY burton, incumbent, Avho resides in an excellent par- sonage, to which a good glebe is annexed. It has also a chapel of ease at Drumbanagher. First fruits of parish, 20/. 13. Mullabrack, a rectory in the diocess of Ar- magh, and barony of Lower Fews. Yearly value, 1 100/. The Rev. Doctor Hamilton, incumbent, who resides occasionally here, and at the observatory, near Armasrh, of which he is astronomer. In this parish is a good parsonage, and a glebe of about }200 acres. A chapel of ease has been lately built at Kilcloney, between Keady and Market-hill. First fruits of parish, I6l. ; of this sum 6/. for Kil- cloney, which was united. 14. Segoc, a vicarage in the diocess of Dromore, and baronies of O'Neiland, east and west. Yearly value, 500/. The Rev. Mr. Blacker, incumbent, who resides. This parish has an excellent parsonage and glebe : it has also a perpetual cure at Muntuaghs, alias Mointagles, value, 120/. Part of the emolu- ment of this cure arises from the first fruits office. First fruits, 4/. 15. Shank/iill, alias Lurgan, a rectory in the dio- of Dromore, and barony of O'Neiland east. Yearly value, 500/. The Rev. Mr. Waring, incum bent, resides on his- estate in the county of Down, There is no parsonage or glebe in this parish. First fruits, 6L 16. Tarttn^aghan, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 15 16*. Tartar aghan^ a rectory in the diocess of Ar- magh, and barony of O'Neiland west. Yearly value 300/. The Rev. Mr. Jephson, incumbent, who has a parsonage and glebe. 17. Tynan , a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and barony of Turenny. Yearly value 900/. The Rev. Mr. Quin, incumbent, who resides. In this parish is a very elegant parsonage and glebe, and it has a perpetual cure at Middleton, where a very handsome new church and extensive parsonage has been lately built; a small glebe is annexed. For particulars of an extensive charity, affecting the lands of Middleton, bequeathed by Archbishop Sterne, see chap. 13, sect. 2, Turenny. First fruits of pa- rish, 20/, Parishes which branch into this County. 1. Clonfeacle, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and the counties of Armagh and Tyrone. The greater part is in Tyrone, and barony of Dun- gannon ; the lesser in Armagh, and baronies of Ar- magh and O'Neiland west. The parish church is at Benburb, on the borders of the two counties ; the parsonage and glebe in T}-rone. The Rev. Doctor Richardson, late a Fellow of Trinity College, Dub- lin, incumbent. The value of this living in Ar- • magi 16 STATISTICAL SURVEY magh county is very small. The patronage is in the College. First fruits, 16/. 2. Killyman, a rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and counties of Armagh and Tyrone ; the greater part is in Tyrone, and barony of Dungannon ; the lesser in Armagh, and barony of O'Neiland east. The Rev. Mr. Caulfield, incumbent. The church, parsonage, and glebe, are in Tyrone county. The value of this living in Armagh is very small. 3. Magheralin, a rectory in the diocess of Dro- more, and counties of Armagh and Down. The greater part is in Down, and barony of Upper Ive- agh. The lesser part in Armagh, and barony of O'Neiland east. The church, glebe, and parson- age are in Down county. The value of this living in Armagh is very small. First fruits, 5l. 4. Newry, a lay-rectory in the diocess of Armagh, and counties of Armagh and Down. The greater part is in Down county, and the entire parish is in the lordship of Newry, which extends into Upper- Iveagh in Down, and into Upper Orior and O'Nei- land west in Armagh. The church is in Down county. The lord of the manor is rector, and his vicar is the Rev. Doctor Campbell, who resides ; but there is no glebe or parsonage. Grange, near Loughgall, is a part of this parish, and was formerly the grange of the old abbey of Newry. For cu- rious ecclesiastical privileges, and immunities, which the OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 17 the rector of this parish enjoys, see chap. 13, sect. 5, Lordship of Newry. References to Ecclesiastical Denominations , which are not distinct parishes. • Ballvwire, see Ballymoier parish. Benburb, See Clonfeacle parish. Cam lough, see Killevy parish. Drumbanagher, see Loughguilly parish. Eden, see Armagh parish. Eglish, see Armagh parish. Kilcloney, see Mullabrack parish. Lisnadill, see Armagh parish. Lurgan, see Shankhill parish. Madden, see Derry noose parish. Middleton, see Tynan parish. Mointagles, see Segoe parish. Mullavilly, see Kilmore parish. Muntuaghs, see Segoe parish. New Church, see Kilmore parish. Newtown-Hamilton, see Armagh parish. Poyntz's Pass, see Ballymore parish. Tanderagee, see Ballymore parish. Archbishoprick, it STATISTICAL SURVEY Archbishoprick , or province of Armagh. The archbishoprick of Armagh is one of the four ecclesiastical provinces of Ireland. The archbishop is styled Lord Primate of all Ire- land ; he has in his province seven bishops, whom he presides over; as to his own see of Armagh, he holds his visitation annually, but as to his suffra- gans, triennially only. The following tables are taken from Doctor Beau- fort's memoirs of his map of Ireland. In the province of Armagh are 10 dioceses. 1 . Archbishoprick of Armagh. 2. Bishoprick of Ardagh.* 3. ■ Clogher. 4. Connor. 5. _____ Derry. 6. Down. T. Dromore. 8. Kilmore. 9, Meath. 10. •— . . Raphoe. The * Ardagh, though in this province, h now annexed to the archbishoprick of Tuam. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. *9 The archbishoprick of Armagh extends into five counties, is fifty-nine miles from north to south, and, in breadth, from ten to twenty-five miles, or, in English measure, seventy-five miles long, and from twelve and a half to thirty-two broad. li- « u E « * • e u t« Counties. < 04 c 2Q a Glebe houset Glebes £ g c E. U Armagh, 170,850 17 17 2.1 23 I I Londonderry, 25,000 5 5 6 4 1 O Louth, 108,900 61 28 20 11 5 l 3 12 9 Meath, 13,300 p.of 2 O Tyrone, Total 162,500 2C '9 6 9 20 69 13 6 «4 O 12 9 468,550 IO3 5 l *3 The average number of acres to each church, in the archbishoprick, are 6,761, and the proportion of impropriations 4,90. The average number of acres to the ecclesiastical province of Armagh, are 9,684, and the proportion of impropriations 3,43; the total number of acres, in the ecclesiastical province, are 4,3 19,250 ; of pa- c 2 rishes * Four of these glebe-houses are in the perpetual cures, into which the parish of Armagh is divided, and there are five more appropriated to the choir. It is at present in contemplation, to have a glebe and par- sonage appropriated to every church in this diocess 5 or, at least, to every benefice. *© STATISTICAL SURVEY rishes 663; of benefices 419 ; of churches 446 ; of glebe-houses 212 ; of parishes with glebes only 156; of benefices without glebes 83; of rectories impro- priate 133; and of parishes wholly impropriate 60. The crown has the patronage of thirteen parishes, the Lord Primate of sixty. The university of Dub- lin presents to three, and the remainder have lay patrons. Table of first fruits of the ecclesiastical benefices of the archbishoprick of Armagh, from the original record, copied in a tract which has been published entitled, Valor Beneficiorum Ecclesiasticorum in Hibernia. Dioecesis Armachana. Extenta et taxatio dignitatum et beneficiorum spiritualium in dioecesi praedicta, facta per Georg. Miden, et Fran. Aungier, Commissionarios Regis Jacobi primi 15mo Anno Regni. Archiepiscopus OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. *i Archiepiscopus Armach. ita taxatur, ultra omnia onera et reprisas. S. s. d. Maner. Termor) feighan, - - - - - 23. 18. 6 Dromiskin, - - - - ' - - 14 . 1 . 6 Kilmoone, ------ 5.0.0 Eniskeene, ------ 10. 0.0 Turlough, - 0.0.0 Donoughmore, in Com. Dunen. 10 . . O Ardtra, --------98.0.0 Donoughmore, in Com. Tyron. 70 . . Armachan. - - - - - - -140. 0.0 Duae teniae manerii de Nobber, - - - 5.0.0 K. impropriate de Athboy,in Com.Miden. 10 .0.0 Castrum et terra? de Concestor, - - - 2.0.0 Priorat. Sti Andreoe, vulgo de Black Abbey, 0.0.0 Messuagium cum gardino in villa de Drogheda, -------2.0.0 Proficua spiritual, jurisdict.archiepiscopat. 10 . . In toto .£400 . . a Arcbiepis. taxat. alibi, 30 Hen. VIII. Decanatus Armach. - - - - - *Archidiaconatus Armach. - - - Sect. * Note : here follow the sums annexed to each parish in the diocess; in the tract, the first fruits of this county are marked in the alphabetical list of parishes, ut supra* 183, 17 . l\ 35 . . 2.0. i *2 STATISTICAL SURVEY Sect. 5. Climate. In this district, the climate is perhaps more fa- vourable than in most of the other counties in Ulster. First, from the nature of its soil, which, in general, is not retentive, but tilly and warm ; se- condly, because the north-east winds, which blow in spring, have no mountains to interrupt thrir passage, until they arrive at the further verge of the county, where, for the first time, the clouds are impeded by the Fews mountains, whose falls are rather to the western side of the mountain ; thirdly, the gentle undulation of the surface with regular falls to the valleys, where there are numerous ra- pid streams to carry off all superficial water ; fourthly, the substratum being gravel or limestone, in many places ; and fifthly, because there is little or no marsh in the county. To these causes may also be taken into account, the great temperature obtained by partial and judicious shelter, and, per- haps, no where in Ireland, is this improvement more eminently conspicuous, than in the greater part of Armagh county, where, for a very extended district, few even of the peasants' houses, but have the shelter of an orchard, to protect them from the cold blasts of winter, and their little farms are admirably OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 23 •admirably fenced with great care and neatness. The lofty mountains in the county of Down, from Mourne to Slieve-Croob, which extend in a south- eastern direction from Carlingford Bay, so as to completely shelter Armagh, from north to south, arrest the heavy clouds, and violent gales, which are impregnated with moisture from the channel, and the whole southern extremity is shut out by that range, from Slieb- Guillen to the Fews. The south-east winds are always most violent and lasting, and accompanied with torrents of rain, nor can fair weather be expected from this quarter; these winds are prevalent during the winter months, nor do they abate oftentimes till the spring is far advanced; but from the good tilth of the soil, the business of agriculture is seldom impeded by them. This cause, together with the warmth of the soil, may be alledged, why the harvest is earlier here, by perhaps ten days or a fortnight, than in some neighbouring counties ; the difference of forward- ness in the seasons, between the more northerly and southerly extremes of this small county, proves, that it is elevation of surface, and a retentive soil, which retards the harvest, and not the trifling difference of latitude, which could exist in a tract of twenty- five miles distance. The foliation of trees, if exposed, is a good criterion of climate 5 but in plantations those trees best sheltered will many * STATISTICAL SURVEY many days sooner expand, than the same genus in a very remote and more southerly latitude, which have not the advantage of shelter. A continuance of north-easterly winds in March is most pernicious, and very materially retards ve- getation ; to fruit-trees they are most hurtful, and indeed to every kind of horticulture ; it has been remarked, that these winds are of late years more severe, than have been remembered : until lately, the best agriculturists have agreed, that they were propitious both for vegetation and for rural labour, but it is very certain, that our climate has latterly been more harsh, and our seasons less steady ; and this same variability and severity is complained of in every northern latitude, and even in countries more southerly than the British isles. Perhaps, this change has been gradual, though latterly more ra- pid ; for it is well known, that on some of our high- est mountains trees will not now flourish, although in removing but a little soil we find immense trunks, which prove these lands to have been formerly in forest. If the soil in such places was invariably boggy and antiseptic, we could account for its change to that property, which must have been imparted to it from the timber ; but I have seen va- rious kinds of elevated soils, where no antiseptic or boggy particle existed, and which had formerly been in forests, yet no tree would now thrive in such places, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 25 places, though attended by judicious and careful planters; this remark is strongly justified by many reports of the like failure of plantations, in more northern countries of Europe, and that some delicate plants, which were once indigenous, must be now sought for in more temperate climates. That our climate is considerably altered, is very certain, and it is no less so, that we have not pro- fited by the change. Fevers are more prevalent than formerly ; chronic complaints are more nume- rous and violent, and a long train of nervous dis- orders have been engendered, which but lately have had a name. In a variable climate, that district must be most favoured, whose soil is warm and tilly, and which has natural barriers to defend it from the inclemency of storms. Both of these advantages Armagh hap- pily possesses, nor are numerous instances of lon- gevity wanting, to prove that its climate is not less salubrious, as its soil is unquestionably far more fertile, than we find in the greater part of the sur- rounding districts. Sect. 6. Soil and Surface, This county has, generally speaking, a very fer- tile soil, in a great portion of its land extremely so; but t6 STATISTICAL SURVEY but there is some variation ; yet very few tracts are unfit for the purposes of husbandry, and the pro- portion but very trifling, where tillage could not be successfully prosecuted. Taking a distinct view of the soil of this county, and commencing northward at the barony of O'Nei- land east, we find the superficial stratum a rich brown loam, which is tolerably deep ; the substra- tum clay, or gravel, but little or any calcareous matter, except it is very deep, and only partially found. On the estate of William Brownlow, Esq is a lime- stone quarry, but in a flat low country, very little elevated above the level of Lough Neagh; but there is so heavy a bearing of soil over the quarry, and so great a flow of water when this is removed, that this fossil will not repay the expence of work- ing it ; so that there is no limestone raised in this part of the country, though much is brought in for manure from a considerable distance. The soil, when assisted with this powerful manure, will produce any crop in great abundance ; here, it is principally under wheat tillage, which it yields very amplv, though their system of farming is not to be recommended, as they almost invariably sow their wheat in a potatoe fallow. The surface of some marshy tracts is a light moor, covering a whitish or a yellowish clay equally bad, which OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 27 which they have not materials to effectually im- prove, as limestone-gravel, &c. but yet there is a sufficient fall for draining, and it has capability of being converted into good pasture. In this district, there is also a considerable quan- tity of bog, which yields red ashes, and is very reclaimable. In that part of this barony, which lies towards the town of Armagh, the soil is a rieh limestone. The general description of Orior barony, or the eastern district, is a light soil, and has a stony earth, which is friable, but no limestone; varying from a siliceous schistus to an argillaceous stratum, and frequently a slaty subsoil. All these soils are improveable by lime, which is the great and effectual manure, and although it is at a considerable distance from some parts of the barony, yet by the Newry canal, which ranges this whole district, they can easily be supplied ; the cost of the stone at Carlingford is 4s. per ton, and the expence of freight is very trifling ; there is no toll on the navigation for manure, the property of the canal not being vested in a private company ; but this will be particularly explained under the head of navigation. Neither has the southern part of this county any calcareous matter, excepting on the borders of Louth, where the country is rocky, barren, and mostly a8 STATISTICAL SURVEY mostly unfit for the uses of husbandry, and is well defined as barren mountain ; here, huge rocks of hard grit are seen promiscuously mixed with blocks of limestone, as if by some convulsion of nature they were accidentally thrown together ; nor is it easy to distinguish the difference in these rocks, without breaking them, they are so alike in their exterior appearance; but the limestone is only found on the verge of the county, for there is none in the interior of these mountains, nor from thence to Slieve-Guillien, and throughout the Fetvs, the stone of these districts being either a very brittle and decayed freestone, with a ferruginous tinge, or a hard stone, which is of a shade between dark blue and green, and, when viewed in different lights, seems to change from one to the other colour, and which has the general name of whin-stone through this county, and many other parts of Ulster, where it is found : this stone, therefore, probably is not ho- mogeneous, but in its analysis it contained a very small particle of calcareous matter, only 4 parts in 100, nor will it give fire when struck with the steel, though it has all the hardness of flint. If whin-stone is the proper name of this fossil, it dif- fers from that which is so called in Scotland, as described in Williams's natural history of the mi- neral kingdom. He calls this species of fossil the roof of coal mine ; that it is of a flinty hardness, is OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 29 is black, blackish grey, brown, and red ; he also distinguishes another kind of this fossil, whose co- lours are grey and black, and are actual basaltes ; the grey receives the highest polish, and the black takes a good polish, and is unfading : this species, he tells us, is called skurdy in the north part of Scot- land, and cockle in Cornwall; but the 'best mi- neralogists deny that cockle or shirl should be ranged under basaltes. The gentleman, who favoured me with the ana- lysis, his modesty not permitting his name to be mentioned, lest he should be inaccurate, says, that in 100 parts of the whin-stone, of this county, he found it to contain, Siliceous earth 46 Argillaceous 22 Iron 28 Calcareous 4 100 It is to be remarked, this fossil is not found in regular strata like quarries, but in large blocks and boulders, and frequently huge long stones, per- haps of some tons weight ; and of such nature are those great stones, that are set upright, which fre- quently encircle a Druids temple, or support the altar or sepulchral flag. Except on the borders of Louth 3© STATISTICAL SURVEY. Louth county, I never saw limestone in the same district with this fossil. The western borders, and the middle district of the county, are of a limestone soil, on the line from Monaghan county towards Armagh ; it is of a very good quality and white colour ; from thence to the town, it is tinged with red, and gradually possesses that colour very strongly ; the redder it becomes, it possesses the properties of marble still more, taking a polish, but is less calcareous than the white limestone. Almost the whole of the barony of Armagh pos~ sesses this valuable fossil, and in many partial spots are very great quarries of the white species, but it is never found in pebble or boulders in that dis- trict, where the red colour is predominant : some limestone of a pearl colour is also found in loose masses, and a great deal which is variegated with many colours, which is very good marble, and is that description which is called plumb-pudding mar- ble, from its similitude to it in its spots and dapples. All this region is very grateful in tillage, and also in meadow, when manured, but the best na- tural meadows are on the banks of rivers, and have a very deep brown loam, yielding great crops without any manure. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 31 The natural herbage of the soil is, Poa pratensis, or, meadow grass. Alipecurus pratensis, or, meadow foxtail. Poa trivialis, or, rough stalked meadow grass. Avena flavescens, or, yellow oat grass. Festuca ovina, or, sheeps fescue grass. Cynosurus crystatus, or, crested dog-tail. Anthoxantum odoratum, or, sweet scented spring grass. Festuca loliacea, or, darnel fescue grass. Triticum repens, or, couch grass. Trifolium pratense, or, red clover. But a very few noxious weeds are seen, as the constant tillage, and corn crops generally succeed- ing potatoes, keep their fields tolerably clean, con- siderably more so than in great com countries, where the enclosures are large ; they seldom weed up any but nettles and thistles ; if a stubble field should be left a year in cashier fallow, which is sel- dom the case, the crow-foot and tansy soon over- spread it, and are very difficult to be eradicated ; these matters will, however, come under considera- tion more particularly in another section. The hilly district is generally of a deep and re- tentive soil ; yet the substrata are frequently gra- vel, which, though not calcareous, would by pro- per application effect all the mechanical assistance, which would so abundantly improve the soil, by rendering $2 STATISTICAL SURVEY rendering it more tilly and open : a decayed free- stone gravel, and highly tinged with ferruginous ore, is partially found in this region; and here are frequently slaty subsoils. Heath is particularly vi- gorous in these places, nor have many years elapsed, since the hills between Tynan and Keady, now in such good culture, were entirely covered with this plant, which was destroyed by liming, and this manure was carried from a good distance. There are few moory hills, I mean of turf-moor, but abundance are yet clothed with heath-moor, and wild pasturage, ferns, small whins, &c. The valleys have naturally a rich and loamy soil, very grassy, though neither marshy nor yielding many aquatic plants ; the poa fiuitans, or, water fescue grass, is most luxuriant and rampant. The south side of the hills have the best natural grasses, and farmers assert, that cattle will reluct- antly leave this aspect, for a fresh pasture on the north side. This description of the soil of this county must only be considered as applying generally ; w here there is so great a variety, it would be an endless task to enumerate distinctly : a sand)- loam is per- haps less met w r ith throughout, than an}" other kind of soil, though, in general, loam is predominant ; fortunately, its subsoil is not retentive. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 3$ The surface, which is beautifully irregular, points out the easiest method of draining, and has great capabilities in various places for the most approved methods of irrigation. As yet, the treasures, which may be embowelled in the hills, have been, if at all, but very superficially explored. The best criterion to judge of the fertility of the soil must be the general produce, which in this county has a very high reputation, and on the average return will not be found inferior, after a judicious culture, to that of the best counties of Ireland. Mountains, The principal mountains in Armagh, in point of extent, are the Fews, which range the southern and western limits, stretching into the interior ; the highest mountain in the county is some miles from the borders ; it is called Slieb-Gullyn, or Slieve- Guillien. It is considered the loftiest in Ulster, ex- cepting Slieve-Donard in the neighbouring county of Down, and viewing the latter from Slieve-Guil- lien it does not appear so high. As Slieve-Donard stands so abruptly on the sea coast, its apparent height must be considerably encreased, and Slieve- Guillien from its interior situation, amongst other lofty mountains, must in the like ratio be reduced B in. 34 STATISTICAL SURVEY in our sight : from the eastern part of the county of Cavan, the latter is distinguished almost every day in the year, from a distance of ahout thirty miles ; yet Slieve-Donard, which in a right line is but nine miles further distant from the same place, cannot be discerned even with a good telescope. I have been told that, from another point of view, the summit of Slieve-Guillien is easily seen with the naked eye, though at a more considerable di- stance from the place of observation than Slieve- Donard, when this latter mountain cannot be dis- tinguished but with a glass ; this, if correct, which I do not assert to be so, is a certain proof of the su- perior elevation of the Armagh mountain ; snow will remain for months on this, after the former has resumed its verdure, but this is certainly no proof of greater height, as the saline particles will natu- rally dispel the snow. From Slieve-Guillien to the Fews, the country is bleak, wild, and hilly, and in many places may be truly termed mountainous, and, in this sense, may be considered as connected to the Fews by the chain of abrupt hills from Forkhill to Crossmaglin ; but by being more lofty, it of course displays more of the nature of primitive mountain, and we can safely pronounce the greater part of it can never be brought into cultivation, but must eternally re- main in its natural sterility. Yet OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 35 Yet in these wild and romantic scenes, there is something very interesting, awful, and grateful to our senses, elevating the inquisitive mind, and in- spiring a strong desire to explore their inmost re- cesses, and an anxiety to become familiar with so sublime a solitude. It requires but little attention to its examination, to pronounce Slieve-Gullien under that description, which naturalists term primitive mountain, or of that kind which possesses a majestic eminence, and covers so immense an area, as to date the origin as certainly antediluvian. These properties are emi- nently attached to this celebrated mountain ; its contiguity to the neighbouring chain of the lofty Mourne mountains, its connexion with those of the Fews, which have so vast an area, and more particularly the nature of its soil, all concur to rank it under the distinction of primitive mountain : here we see no rounded pebbles, sand, or marine par- ticles, no accumulation of foreign substances, ex- cept probably they may be at the base, which does not contradict the assertion. Rocks, caverns, glyns, from a bold ascent, are the features of the summit of the mountain, with- out the smallest appearance of any calcareous mat- ter ; and although there have not hitherto been any minerals discovered here, yet there is a strong pro- bability of their existence, from the metallic tinge D 2 of 36 STATISTICAL SURVEY of the waters, which burst from its sides, and ooze in plentiful discharges in times of the greatest drought. The granite argillite, which generally indicates a metallic district, and is peculiar to primitive moun- tain, is found here, and also a brown freestone de- cayed on the surface, where the torrents have de- nuded the rock and carried off the soil ; mica and feltspar, in small quantities, are frequently inter- mixed with the fossil. The general character of the soil is deep and boggy, yet firm in the surface, highly antiseptic, and covered thickly with heath ; the substratum, a loose, decayed, brown freestone gravel, pretty regular, except when sudden torrents or subterra- neous waters have discomposed it j in general their strata are of equal thickness and lie in parallel di- rections. The plain, from whence the ascent of Sheve-Guil- lien commences, until the summit is gained, is, pro- perly speaking, from the valle} r , wherein the town of Newry stands ; and in support of what I have al- ready surmised as tending to confirm its primitive claim, it is from hence also, that the ascent is gradual to the Mourne mountains on the eastern extreme ; nor is it a very distant period since all the lands around Newry, excepting only the town parks, exhibited a wild and uncultivated waste, yielding OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 37 yielding spontaneously nothing but heath, coarse grass, and mountain plants. This valley forms an ob- tuse angle with these two ranges of mountain, and is above four miles distant in gradual ^ascent, until the acknowledged base of Slieve-Guillien is arrived at, where the region around fully corresponds with our ideas of wild and awful scenery. From this base, the ascent is tedious, in some parts very steep and abrupt, and above two miles distant from the summit. Before the main point is gained, another pinnacle, which very much re- sembles it, is presented to view; from hence to the main point is a range of elevated ground in a circular direction, serving as a barrier to a small am- phitheatre, within which is a lake of tolerably good water ; its shore clearly proves, that it is subject to swells of some feet perpendicular height above the usual level. We cannot conceive, that such great floods could be soon occasioned by the rain water 3 which may fall on the small portion of surface, that is above the level of this lake, and it is a matter of curiosity, how they are supplied :|there is> redun- dancy of water-courses towards Camlough lake, which is at the foot of Slieve-Guillien, and is the reservoir of that stream, which works so many mills in the vicinity of Newry, as will be more par- ticularly detailed in the thirteenth chapter, fifth section. The 38 STATISTICAL SURVEY The pinnacle, or capital pofnt of Slieve-Guillien is a cairn of stones, which form the roof of a ca- vern, that, at first view, appears to be natural, but on minute examination has very evident testimo- nies of the work of art ; perhaps it is indebted to both for its appearance. The cairn is rather convex at top ; in the cen- tre is the mouth of the cavern ; the roof is formed by large flat stones, regularly placed to support the incumbent weight, and in the descent lapped over each other with a sufficient bearing. I have been told that within is a specious apartment, and that, but a few years ago, it was easily entered ; but now there are such huge blocks rolled in, and the entrance is so very narrow, that they could not be removed but by mechanic powers. From the mouth of the cave there extends a wide and regular range of flagging to the edge of the lake, evidently the work of hands ; it is said by the peasants in this district to be the roof of a covered passage, but this seems very improbable, as the soil here is a deep wet bog, which could not bear an excavation to support so great a weight as these flags must have ; it rather appears to have been a dry passage outside from the cave to the lake, though, indeed, the magnitude of the stones, and the same kind not being found in other parts of the mountain, render it vrey improbable that they should be car- ried OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 39 ried up this long and steep way for any secon- dary or immaterial purpose. There is no doubt, but this cavern and others, which are in the same- district, were once the abode of robbers, who plun- dered the surrounding country, and long evaded the military by their retreats and concealments in those formidable places ; nor was it until barracks were erected in the heart of the country, and re- gular troops constantly stationed, that they could be driven from the caverns ; many of them paid the forfeit of their lives for their offences, and their caves will long be remembered as the retreat of the celebrated O'Hanlon,* who was long the scourge and terror both of farmers and travellers, who were met in those solitary wilds. Whatever were the original purposes, for which our pagan ancestors had piled these great heaps of stones, called cairns, they can only be conjectured, as we have no authentic tradition of their design. It seems generally allowed, that they are the most ancient relicks in existence, and were long prior to those formed of earth, or earth and stones, which were constructed as man became less savage; and that, long subsequent to both, buildings of lime and stone * This robber was said to have been a lineal descendant of the O'Hanlons, who were originally the lords of this county, which he used to alledge as a right to his rapaci- ous demands. 40 STATISTICAL SURVEY stone were erected, which strongly mark the pro- gress of civilization. That these cairns were in- tended as places of worship, which lias been sup- posed, wants confirmation ; it is, however, more certain they were appropriated as sepulchres, but there is no determination that this was their original purpose; perhaps they might have been appro- priated to both, so naturally does a religious awe alike accompany the place of worship and the tomb : the devotion of the people to their departed bards or druids, as well as to their kings and heroes, "was as sacred, and held as indispensibly necessary a point of duty, as their addresses to their god, nor was the altar of Baal esteemed more sacred than the sepulchre. These cairns are always composed of the natural stone of the district where they stand ; their ori- ginal formation, we are told, was conical, and that the apex was covered with a flat stone. Some writers have been of opinion, that they were places of justice or tribunals ; others have asserted, that they were the places of. election, whereon the chief stood who was to be chosen their leader ; and again it is stated, they were monu- ments of sacred covenants ; perhaps, whatever was desirable to have been commemorated, was distin- guished by a heap of stones, or a mound of earth, which was the most durable mode in that early age. In OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 41 In many of those cairns, human bones, and clay or stone urns have been found, after removing the stones, an incontestable proof of their uses as se- pulchres ; this description of cairns are most com- monly the artificial green mounds, which are but a heap of stones sodded over ; but there are also many instances of these mounds having been opened and searched to the bottom, where nothing ap- peared to warrant an opinion of their purposes as sepulchres. The cairn on the summit of Slieve- Guillien seems as if it was never sodded, and a si- milar one of stones, heaped in a conical pile, crowns the lesser pinnacle, which lies below the principal one. Some writers have confounded cairns and crom- lechs* under the same denomination, but these on- ly require to be seen to convince us they were for distinct purposes : it is certain they served as altars, as well as sepulchres ; a narrow channel was made in the slab for the blood of the victim to flow when they offered sacrifice, and from which the druids or priests took their auguries. Druidical temples are those low oblong mounds of earth, which nar- row to either end, and seem to swell to the centre, inclosed with huge stones set on an end, and with- in * Druidical temples and great sepulchral stones are term- ed crom-techs. 4* STATISTICAL SURVEY in this is frequently seen the cromlech or altar for sacrifice ; some account, accompanied with a drawing, of a very remarkable one near Newry will be given in the thirteenth chapter, fifth section. From the many invincible obstacles to its being ever reclaimed, Slieve-Guillien is only to be ad^ jnired for its natural beauty ; it covers a great and extensive area, and is the estate of several proprior tors, though not a shilling of rent is paid for any part of it, being enjoyed in common by the peasants, who live in. thi vicinity. Perhaps, a bolder pros- pect is not presented in ou island thai) from it* summit, comprising a great extent of country ; the lakes and streams, the several towns and well-cul* tivated demesnes, together with the bay of Dun- dalk, where the declivity -is terminated ; these, with a thousand other natural 1 beauties which are presented to view, will repay the fatigue of the ascent, and an awful and impressive pleasure is afforded in contemplating the bold promontories and rugged cliffs bared by the tempests, and arrest- ing the floating meteors, affording ample resources for the contemplative philosopher. Very fully as this celebrated mountain possesses those pleasing and awful views, yet these natural beauties are con- fined to this district, or just adjoining in the vici- nity of the Doobrin mountains and Forkhill, where some majestic rocky prominencies, and other bold and OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 4$ and interesting scenery, correspond so fully with the sublimity of those we have described : though this county is, for a considerable part, inclosed nearly with a belt of mountains, yet they have too great a sameness and want of variety to engage admira- tion, but they possess a soil, which is capable of being rendered highly fertile. The Fews mountains are an extensive range of this description, running from south-east to north- west, where numerous herds of young cattle are reared, the soil being much inclined to grass, which is less coarse than is usually met on mountain ground: though this is highly stocked, yet they have always a full pasture, and the cattle are never foddered but perhaps for a few days in a lasting snow, and ia open winters not at all. This is the only part of the county where grass farms are large and extensive ; very little care and labour will prepare the soil for successful tillage, as is evinced by the large haggards, which are filled with a small portion of this reclaimed land : a slender capital in the hands of an industrious farmer has produced extraordinary improvements ; an attention to draining only is re- quired as the preliminary step, and the manure of lime insures a high fertilization. The great population in the most improved parts of Armagh, and the limited size of farms, accounts for the small proportion of pasturage; in these mountains, where the inhabitants are fewer, and less 44 STATISTICAL SURVEY less engaged in manufacture, the tillage farms also are considerably larger ; their produce is principally oats and potatoes, which there is a steady demand for in Newry market: the farmers of this district also cultivate more flax than they manufacture, and the redundancy is sold in the neighbouring towns. These mountains, though more remote from the sea coast than Slieve-Guillien, yet never retain the snow for so long a period, nor are they so re- tentive of water ; for the rain runs in natural chan- nels along the surface till it finds the valley, and is there discharged into a stream : heath is much less found on these hills, but whins, fern, and those, plants, which flourish in a, warm soil, are in abun- dance. It is very probable, that valuable minerals are within these mountains, of which there are se- veral indications ; in the inferior minerals it par- ticularly abounds, for in the banks of the streams, which flow from hence, we see rich ores, potter's clay, soapy earth, and manganese, the latter so good, as to be reputed by the potters to be in no wise inferior to the best which is imported : a substance resembling chalk is frequently found, but it does not possess any calcareous quality. Iron- stone is also met, and is of that sort, which gene- rally constitutes the roof of coal mines ; in the streams are reddish flints, and iron-stone of the same colour, M OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 4; As to valuable fossils I do not learn there has been any trial made, but there are good appearances of slate quarries in several places ; and, here, heath is more prolific than elsewhere in the Fews moun- tains ; whenever lime is applied it effectually de- stroys this plant. In some of these hills we find a moory soil co- vering a slat}'' subsoil ; this has no appearance of solid quarry, but is a compound of loose, brownish, and decayed particles. The south side of these hills has often a porous argillite soil, and reddish ; this, when covered over with a small quantity of lime, is peculiarly fertile, and yields excellent crops of oats. The valleys have a very rich soil of various depths, and are always grassy : the overflowing of the streams gives the best manure, nor is any other ever applied; black vegetable mould is the superficial stratum, but is shallow ; this is not a little extraordinary, for, on examining the higher grounds, from w r hence the superficial water flows over the valleys, there is no appearance of this soil, though we should ima- gine it was carried down with the floods and sub- sided on these level places. In several spots, red clover spontaneously grows, though the farmers deny, that any grasses either natural or artificial have ever been sowed. Sm ■ \6 STATISTICAL SURVEY Such is the general description of these moun- tains ; perhaps, there is not any uncultivated range in this island, where capital could be more suc- cessfully employed, or a more rapid return in- sured. Woods. Though Armagh possesses a sufficiency of wood for ornament, yet it is by no means a well wooded country. The full-grown timber, which yet re- mains, is principally confined to demesnes. The population is so great, the linen manufac- ture so universally engaged in, and land in such request, that every spot in all but the mountainous districts is employed in tillage and pasture for milch cows, so great a supply of food is necessarily rais- ed for the inhabitants. This may in a great mea- sure account for this defect, if it merits that appel- lation ; but a fine soil, as in the interior, under judi- cious culture, and supporting a numerous and in- dustrious people, is surely more profitably occu- pied, both for the nation at large and the proprie- tor of the land, than in the growing of timber. It was doubtless a mistaken policy to reserve none of the woods, and to oblige tenants to clear all away, as appears in the old leases, many of which yet OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 47 yet exist : some mountainous land, which yields but a trifling rent or none at all, might else be in the most vigorous oak forest, and by judicious cutting and copsing would be a lasting and valuable pro- perty to the proprietor ; but, unfortunately, this mistaken zeal for improvement was carried here to an excess, and the tenant fulfilled his contract, if he levelled the timber, which he had no demand for ; no great works, which required furnaces, were ever attempted here, so that this great fall of tim- ber lay useless ; much went to decay, and much of it is yet found very near the surface. I have seen a letter from a farmer to his landlord, written nearly 150* years ago, in which he says, he should have bad a hard bargain of his farm, if it had not been that a memorable storm, which happened at that time, had levelled an extensive forest and saved him the expence of cutting it. This farm was in * In times still more remote, we see the legislature paid a due attention to the preservation of woods ; for in the thirty-fifth of Henry the eighth, which is above 260 years past, a law was made, that any person, who should destroy any quantity of wood exceeding two acres, should be fined 40s. per acre, for every acre so destroyed ; by destroying was meant, not copsing, or* converting the ground to the purposes of agriculture ; and in subsequent reigns, we find several laws for the preservation of woods ; but the laws of England, which relate to improvement, have been too slowly adopted by our legislature, which leaves us so far behind in this particular. 48 STATISTICAL SURVEY in perpetuity, and is now a considerable property to bis descendants. The fossil-woods which are found are, oak, fir, yew, and holly ; the first is always in best preser- vation, and altered only in colour, which is a deep black : firs are more partially met, and though constantly soaking in water or in very moist soils, are extremely bituminous and inflammable ; holly and yew roots are found pretty deep in the marshes, and coast of Lough-Neagh, which are generally more or less petrified from that extraordinary pro- perty, which both the soil in the vicinity of this ce- lebrated lake as well as its waters are known to possess. If proprietors of waste or uncultivated lands were sensible of the value of plantation, we should not see so many naked soils ; many of these could not possibly be so profitably occupied, and land, which does not now yield five shillings per acre, would be soon made to produce, by judicious clearing, per- haps four or five times that amount, after deduct- ing the interest of the capital so employed : but this return, though certain, is slow, and requires capital, which can be the only reasons assigned for its not being generally adopted in such soils as I allude to. If useless commons and extensive tracts of waste were planted, we should less depend on foreign countries for our supply of timber, and a great OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 49 great and encreasing revenue would be added to our finances. Oak woods are the most profitable, for although the timber does not arrive to full perfection in less than a century, yet from the great value of its bark in tanning, it comes much sooner into profit than any other tree. It has been asserted on good au- thority, that an oak wood cut and copsed every forty years will give the most profitable return. A thriving wood of this description and age, of 100 acres, will be worth to the proprietor from 9,000/. to 10,000/. exclusive of the profit to the purchaser: let the value of this sum at simple interest be com- puted, and at no other periods of cutting will it be found to give so great a return : if this is again copsed and judiciously thinned and cleared, it will be worth from 20s. to 305. per acre, after all ex- pences, much above the average rental of any con- siderable landed property in Ireland. Nor in the business of tanning is the oak bark only used ; it is found to be an excellent dye-stuff, producing a fine brown colour, and, when mixed with copperas, gives a lasting and beautiful black. The superior strength and durability of the oak, in architecture and ship building, is so well known, as not to require any remark ; but, perhaps, there is no timber more liable to warp ; a very extraor- E dinarv $e STATISTICAL SURVEY ♦dinary instance of this may be seen in Leap Castle*, near Birr in the King's county. Some * Leap Castle was the seat of the late Jonathan Darby, Esq. who ornamented this edifice, which is the family man- sion, and built two. very elegant wings in the same style of architecture with the castle. In order to preserve the an- tique appearance, the sashes of the windows, and the floors of the best apartments, were cut out of great oak beams, which had been supporting the principal story in the old castle, and had remained there since it was built, which must have been for some centuries, as Mr. Darby possessed some documents, which showed that the castle was repaired in Queen Elizabeth's reign, above 230 or 240 years ago ; yet, before the sashes and flooring were twelve months in use, the timber in the latter shrunk half an inch in four inch plank, though laid down and doubled with the greatest care, and it warped in the sashes, though counterlined with iron plates, and extremely well screwed together, insomuch as to force the iron, and bend it in the position of the warp, and to break the glasses to pieces. In strengh of materials, perhaps there is no greater proof of the superiority of this article. Should the eluci- dation of this extraordinary circumstance engage the at- tention of any ingenious person, it may assist the solution to acquaint him, that these beams had not previously been barked, as one side of the square had yet retained it, and was as hard and sound as the heart of the tree : the prin- cipal floor of the old castle, which these beams originally supported, had no windows, but spike-holes, which had long since been stopped up, and thus became a complete dungeon : the walls of this building were also extremely gross ; one of them, about the centre of the castle, which was pierced OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 51 Some oak trees in great perfection, of uncommon size and highly ornamental, are to be seen in the demesne grounds in this county. This tree, with its varieties and uses, will - be found in botanical tracts under the head of zluercus; in deep clay soils it grows to the greatest dimensions. * • The ash, (fraxinus) has the grossest dimensions, when in a deep rich soil ; the common species of this tree is the most useful; it becomes most valuable, when in clumps or plantations, and much quicker comes to perfection than in the open fields, because of the underwood, which brings a considerable in- come, and is fittest for cutting every seven years. This wood is the best of all for implements of husbandry, as being tough, hard, and very elastic. The bark of ash will tan delicate skins, but it is scarcely ever used in this process. This timber also grows to a great size, and is irregular in its surface, particularly so, when planted in hedge-rows and exposed to the weather : the ridges, which run longitudinally in the trunk, form a channel for the rain to descend ; where this is remarked by any change in the co- E 2 lour pierced for a large gothic window, which Mr. Darby in- troduced, was fourteen feet thick ; the apartment they were taken from was always remarked as being the warmest,. an4 freeest from damp in the whole building. £ STATISTICAL SURVEY lour of the bark, that part of the tree is certainly rotted by the water, and it frequently pierces to the heart. Some ash trees will have their entire surface from root to branch with this columnar appear- ance, and will be perfectly sound ; by a particular attention to the colour of the bark, or a small fissure in the furrow, the decayed will be easily distin- guished from the sound timber.* Ash, which has grown in woods and best sheltered, is freeest from this defect. In thinning ash woods or plantations, great care should be taken not to leave the remain- ing trees too bare, or they will certainly rampike. It often occurs, even in small clumps, that in clearing away some misshapen trees, to shew a beau- tiful spreading ash to advantage, it has quickly after ram piked. The largest tree of this species in Ireland stands at Lea village, in the Queen's county, on the road side between Portarlington and Monasterevan, and is said to equal the girth of six horses 1 bodies. The * I lately saw a particular and invariable proof of this in many ash trees, cut in the county of Cavan, and in no one instance was the woodman, who pointed it out, mis- taken. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. $t The mountain ash (sorbus) is a beautiful tree in ornamental plantation, but its timber is not so much esteemed, as being considerably lighter.* The beech (fagus). No tree is more easily raised, nor is any more beautiful in forest scenery ; yet it is surprising, that Gilpin denies its claim to a forest tree, and ranks it very inferior. It more justly may be said to vie with the oak in stateliness, and the spreading of its branches ; and the beautiful variety of hue in its leaves, through the autumn, is un- rivalled by the foliage of any tree. The beech delights in a high soil, and if calca- reous the better; it is also valuable as an under- wood, and can be transplanted after many years growth. As much injury is frequently done to the seed of this tree, when sown in the mast, it is more ad- viseable to seek for beech quicks in the woods, and remove them to the nursery. If raised in the seed- bed, they should remain two years prior to their removal to the nursery. The * It is a general principle, that the heavier the timber* so much the stronger is it, for which reason iht inost ex- perienced authorities now recommend barking the tree completely, particularly the oak, at least three years before it is cut down, which adds extremely to its weight and solidity. J4 STATISTICAL SURVEY The beech leaf is said to make the best pallisses for beds, and is preferable to straw. The timber is soft and used mostly in furniture ; its uses in bleach* mills are too well known to be particularly recited. From the beech-nut oil is extracted, and this is used as butter in some countries iu Asia. From this nut, it is also said, that a very good bread is made, first being carefully kiln-dried. The chesnut tree (castanea) ranks under this genus, and is only a species of beech, the second in its order. The dwarf chesnut (pumila) is the third and last of this species. The nuts of the chesnut-tree are also greedily sought for by swine and vermin, which is. a good objection to their being laid in drills in the seed- bed ; here they should remain two years, and four years at least in the nursery ; and if after the first year they are cut down, they shoot more vigorously, and thrive, considerably better. This tree delights in a dry and high soil; its •timber has so little toughness, that it is very unfit to support weights, but it has the property of never shrinking, and from the nut it is well known that bread can be made. The sycamore or maple tree {acer) is denied tp be indigenous to the British isles, and is said to be a native of Germany ; however it agrees with our soil ■ OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. ft soil extremely /well, and is frequently found in great vigour in demesne lands in this county. This exceeds all other timber for its uses in the beam of the beetling engine in the bleach-mill, as it never splinters, and need not be covered with horse-skin, which even beech requires for this pur- pose. In so great a manufacturing country, it must be ever in high estimation, and a beam ten feet and a half long, and eighteen inches in diameter, is of treble the value of any timber of the same di- mensions. This tree, when tapped,* yields a saccharine juice, from whence a wholesome wine is made. Its wood is superior to any other for turning, and is valuable for inlaying ; as an underwood for fuel it is more desirable, by its very rapid growth. The leaves of this tree become ragged and full of holes, by means of an insect, which greedily destroys its beauty in ornamental grounds. If this tree be well weeded in the seed-bed, whose soil is common mould, it will shoot twenty inches in twelve months, if sowed in autumn ; it should remain in the seminary but eighteen months, and ought then to be removed to the nursery ; it can be also propagated by layers, graftings, and cut- tings, and is generally esteemed as one of our hardiest trees. The layers may be laid at any time of the year, and will strike root 'in three months. Cuttings should 56 STATISTICAL SURVEY should be of the last shoot, and the thick part put in the ground ; they require great attention to wa- tering, and should be made before the autumn is far advanced. The lime tree (tilia) is not generally esteemed as good timber for uses out of doors ; but I have seen gates and gateposts of it, of many years standing, ancl in great preservation. I could not learn of what di- mensions the timber was when cut, or the season in which it was felled. It is a soft wood, useful in inlay- ing, turning, and carving ; of the outer bark ropes are made, which are said not to decay by damp, and the inner rind is so pliable and tough, that neat and very durable mats are made of it. The fir tree (pinns) has no less a variety than twelve different species, most of which are found in vigour in this country. The Scotch fir is planted most com- monly ; not only for beauty, as an evergreen, and ra- pidity of growth, but it is also valuable as a nurse by its shelter to young deciduous trees; its timber is esteemed excellent in outside work when painted, but it decays quickly in a damp situation as in roofing*. This tree, when standing in hedge-rows or in fields, loses all that beautiful effect it possesses in plantations. The contrast of its shade, as it waves with the breeze, is very pleasing in the fo- rest, * I not long *ince saw a capital and extensive concern roofed with this timber, and the rafters of uncommon dimen- sions, yet in fifteen years they were completely rotted, though the slating was always in the best repair. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 57 rest, where the ground is of an undulatory surface, or covering the face of a hill, and nothing seen but the green branches ; in this point of view, when full grown, it is only to be admired as ornamental timber. The larch, whose value has been until lately little known, and is now so universally a favourite, both as a profitable and ornamental tree, is indigenous in America and Asia, though it has thriven here with great success. In masts of ships it is preferable to other timber ; nor is it less valuable in building ships of war ? as it does not splinter, and has the peculiar virtue of resisting the worm. It is also preferred in house-build- ing, in beams, lintels, &c. : it thrives in a dry soil, and which has been condemned so sterile, as not to be worth the culture, so that there is no tree more hardy, or better calculated to protect more tender plants : the tops of the larch very early get an in- clination from that point, where storms mostly pre- vail, but this does not hurt their growth, which will sometimes arrive at fifty or sixty feet. It pro- duces cones, which hold the seed, and there is but little trouble in their culture. Its uses are numerous and increasing in proportion with its demand, so that we may expect to have other discoveries of its value, in addition to those we already are in possession of. The silver fir and the balm of gilead, are only ornamental in a low plantation ; they become very ragged $S STATISTICAL SURVEY ragged, as they get up, and do not thrive after a certain growth. Of these two species the silver fir is considerably the most hardy, and thrives in a rich earth ; the balm of gilead will only thrive in a good mould, or a deep sandy soil. The Weymouth pine (strobus) is very beautiful ; though planters agree that it thrives in most soils, even in slaty, stony, and stiff clays, yet it does not seem to flourish in this county ; this pine may be 'transplanted at a very great height with safety, if it has been carefully attended to in the nursery. The seed of all pines is found in cones, and by keeping those close and free from damp, they will be sound for several years. The seed is sown in March. From the fir-tree, and the varieties of its genus, is extracted that viscous substance turpentine, which is valuable for its resinous and unctuous uses, and can be extracted by tapping the tree, as well as by its own spontaneous discharge. The elm tree (ulmus) has a variety of species, one of which only, the common elm, is indigenous ; the timber is always best in a stiff adhesive soil, though not of the most rapid growth ; when it springs quick- ly it is very light, and not esteemed ; it is cultivated from suckers, and also from layers. The heart of this wood is very heavy and close, and extreniely hard, for which reason it is pecu- liarly OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 59 liarly useful in conveying water from reservoirs, and of this timber are all the pipes made, through which the water is conveyed from the bason to the several streets of the city of Dublin : for the same reason, it is preferred for the naves of carriage wheels, no timber being equal to it for this pur- pose. The elm is also very beautiful in plantation, and is a tree peculiarly deserving our attention, both as ornamental and useful. Of the walnut-tree {juglans) there are five species, the common kind being the best both for fruit and variety of veins and shade in the timber : it thrives in greatest vigour in rich garden moulds, though there is no soil, in which it will not grow: its culture is from the nut, which should be sown early in spring, having been kept dry in thehusk; it is not to be removed to the nursery for two years ; when the nuts are gathered for sowing, they should be spread out on a dry loft, but not heaped , because then they heat and sweat throwing off the husk, which should not by any means be removed. The fruit of this tree also makes a good pickle, and from it a valuable oil is extracted. The timber is capable of taking a good polish, if cut in winter, and improves by age ; in plank only it is desirable, as in small scantling it is brittle and weak j for this reason it is better adapted for tables than &> STATISTICAL SURVEY than chairs ; it is much esteemed in farm-house fur- niture, and particularly so in the stocks of guns and pistols ; the most knotty is the most valuable to inlay ers. Few trees are more irregularly beautiful in its branching than the walnut, or afford a closer shel- ter : its leaves are esteemed useful in dyeing. The cherry-tree (primus) has a great variety in its species, and is particularly esteemed for its fruit, though formerly it was cultivated very much for its timber, of which the best furniture was composed, improving in beauty with age, and by constant unctuous application, as cream, oil, &c. Many old pieces of this furniture are fully equal to mohogany, though they are very rarely met with, since the importation of the latter wood; it is now greatly neglected, and few people have the knowledge of polishing or preserving it. Whether we admire this tree for its wholesome fruit, or its variegated timber, for its delightful blossom in the spring, or luxuriance and variety of colour in full bearing, we must allow it claims our best attention. It delights in rich garden soils, which have been well manured, and distils a clear gum. Its usual culture is from the stone of its fruit; but to produce the best fruit it must be grafted, and it is recommended that the old stock shall be the wild cherry-tree. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 61 The sallow, or willow-tree, (salix) has a variety of species, but confined with us principally to three kinds, the sallow, the willow, and the osier. The first has a very different texture from the other two, its branches being brittle, and never arriving to that stan- dard, which merits the title of a forest-tree ; it will however yield poles and fire-wood ; its timber is light and is used by inlayers, but it is only good when it grows in a dry soil. The willow is particularly useful for baskets, and is also highly ornamental near a sheet of water, particularly the weeping-willow, which also in plan- tations is so beautiful and pleasing under the shade of a lofty tree. The stately Virginia, or black birch, would here form a fine contrast. The wil- low delights in a moist soil, as does the osier, which is so valuable for hoops and basket-makers' use. A o-ood osiery, which is carefully attended 3 and the soil'perhaps not capable of any other culture, as in low moist bottoms, marshes, and small tracts of island, subject to floods, will return every three years to the value of 60/. per acre. I have seen an osiery in the vicinity of a good trading town, which was fully equal to this, or 20l. per acre per annum. • The salix is therefore considered of the aqueous tribe, but every species of it will grow on upland. \ as 62 STATISTICAL SURVEY as well as in moist or watery soils : when allowed to run in standards, it has a most rapid growth ; when set in cuttings, it soon forms a thick fence, and is exceedingly ornamental if plaited in net meshes, as it gets up, enclosing screens or plan- tations ; its branches being so tough are very fit for this purpose, and it becomes, in a year or two, an impenetrable fence: if the shoots are nipped, it throws all the growth in the swell of the stake. In this neat fence, the red and golden osier form a beautiful contrast, and should be planted alter- nately. The poplar-tree (populus) is of little estimation for jts timber ; the black poplar is the most useful, and sometimes used in inside work ; it is also fit for the manufacture of lasts and patterls. The poplar forms the most beautiful scenery of all other aqueous trees, and is extremely rapid in its growth. The aspen-tree (tremula from the tremulous mo- tion of its leaves) is of the poplar kind, and is very hardy, growing in almost every soil. The poplar and its varieties may be propagated from cuttings, and also from layers and suckers; the latter mode is now preferred, and it is trans- planted early in autumn, when the leaves decay. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 63 The bark has the property of tanning leather, but is by no means so astringent as the oak, or even the birch bark; it is also esteemed by dyers, and im- parts both a fine yellow and a variety of light drabs : the former is from the Italian, the' latter from the black, white, and virginian poplars* The birch-tree (be tula) has a variety of spe- cies, from a very humble to a majestic growth ; it will thrive in a poor, shallow, or chilly moun- tainous soil, or in a rich calcareous gravel; turners, hoop-makers, cart and heel-makers use its timber, and its branches are slender and make the most durable brooms; but it is particu- larly valuable for its bark, whose astringent prin- ciple ranks next to that of the oak, and is esteemed in northern climates as incorruptible : the inner rind of the birch is of an inflammable nature, which, when twisted together, makes good torches. This tree is very juicy, and, when tapped, will distil a sac- charine substance, which is said to correct a scor- butic habit; of the timber can be made most ex- cellent charcoal. The birch is highly beautiful in plantations > by the contrast of its silver bark, and almost purple branches, and it forms a good screen to; protect less hardy plants: It is propagated from layers, or from seed ; if from the latter j it- must be carefully weeded 64 STATISTICAL SURVEY weeded, and watered in dry seasons ; and a due attention paid to earthing up, after being put in the nursery, which should not be till two years old. The alder-tree (alnus) is also of the species of be- tula ; it thrives best in low and marshy soils, is an aqueous tree, and is said to injure any soil it grows in, by making it rotten, wet, and rendering the pasture poisonous ; its bark is particularly useful for dyeing a high red colour, which with copperas makes a lasting black ; the bark is also medicinal, highly astringent, and is used successfully in fevers and agues -> it is also a strong purgative, when given to cattle. The timber is sometimes used for pipes, to convey water under ground, as it long resists decay ; a range of these trees, at proper distances and allowed to furnish a full head, is highly orna- mental. The general properties of the betula are bitu- minous, warm, and astringent in its bark. A fun- gus proceeding from this tree, when burnt and pow- dered, is a good styptic. Its leaves are medi- cinal in the dropsy, and wine is made by ferment- ing the saccharine juice, which it yields, when tapped. Of the holly - tree {ilex) the most common species, the aquifolium, thrives best in this country, is OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 65 is frequently seen in shrubberies and sometimes grows naturally to a great size. It has a variety of species, and forms a beautiful effect in the win- ter season, interrupted with other evergreens, and bears a red berry. The wood is white, is used in fineering, and is close and hard as to be with difficulty discerned from ebony, when stained black and finely polished. This tree is excellent in fences, and ought to be transplanted in the spring, delighting in a cold and moist soil, but the plants must be young or they will not thrive. This plant is raised from the berry, should not be removed to the nursery till after two years, and requires much attentive weeding and watering; it should not be suffered to remain longer than two years in the nursery until transplanted. It frequently misses on transplanting, for which reason two or more plants should be put down where it is intended one should thrive. It is remarked that the holly-berry never shoots, till after a full year in the ground, nor is it put in the seed-bed till the shoot appears ; a heap of these terries should be buried like the haw of the white thorn in autumn ; after twelve months, they should be put in the seed-bed and raised like quicks. They require moulding and much care, and must have a well sheltered and warm aspect. JTrom the f hciiy- STATISTICAL SURVEY holly-bark possessing so much of a glutinous pro- perty, the best bird-lime is also made. The hazel ( corylus ) is an excellent plant for thickening coppices, and is propagated both from the nut, cuttings, and layers; it will thrive in any soil or situation, and is valuable for hoops, hurdles, and handles of farming utensils, but particularly so for the nuts, which are esteemed agreeable to the palate, and very mild, though possessing an oil, which is in great reputation with painters, and next in value to almond oil. As a shrub, the hazel cannot be called beautiful on close examination, but has a good etfect at a distance, thickening a copse so rapidly as to give a very woody appearance. There are tw r o species of the hazel j they are both equally hardy and of rapid growth. Theliburnum, or trefoil-tree [cytisus), though only cultivated by us for ornament, is yet a fine timber-tree, and will grow to a large size in exposed situations, and in any common soil ; the wood is extremely bard, and useful to inlayers, and is very valuable in furni- ture, taking a high polish ; it is propagated from the seed, and requires weeding between the plants. The beautiful bright yellow flowers, which hang in clusters, form a pleasing variety in the spring, and the regular unison of the oval leaves, growing in threes, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 67 threes , is peculiarly neat, and from thence it is called the trefoil-tree. This must ever be a favourite in shrubberies, and demesne grounds, for the elegant formation of its leaves and flowers, and their pleasing and enliven- ing contrast. The foregoing are the principal trees, which are found in this county, and several varieties of these species are also partially distributed in shrubberies and plantations. To encourage their culture in the mountainous parts is the principal desideratum, and this can be done at a very moderate expence, ensuring a cer- tain profit. la the brief sketch I have given of the soil and situation, in which each different species will flourish, I have consulted the best planters, and the agree- ment of authentic authorities on this head is the best proof of their correctness. If the rearing of trees, and their management and culture is so well deserving a close application, it is certainly no less a matter of moment to acquire a knowledge of the proper seasons and ages when those trees are ripe for the axe, as all the former care bestowed on them is conducive to this purpose, ornament being only a secondary con- sideration. Without a due attention to this par- ticular the best timber may be materially injured; f 2 for, 68 STATISTICAL SURVEY for, its excellence is dependant on the time of fel- ling, as much as on the choice of aspect, and the soil in which it was reared. As the timber, which retains the sap the longest, is most liable to decay, it is therefore reasonable to conclude, that it should be felled when it possesses least sap, or in the close of the autumn ; but as oak bark will strip only in the summer, this tree is felled at that time, which is a material injury to the timber, both as to quantity and quality ; the exterior coat of the oak, after the bark is stripped, is called the sap, and is that part, through which vegetation is conveyed to the branches ; this sap or juice, being in full vigour in spring, will of course penetrate deeper in the tree than at any other pe- riod, when vegetation is exhausted or dormant, until the returning season ; and as this coat of sap is always cut away before the tree is sawed up, of course there is much loss of timber ; for, that sub- stance, which was sap in spring, becomes actual timber in winter ; so far it appears, there is a loss in quantity, and, as to quality of timber, it is well known, that the oak is considerably more durable, close, hard, and its specific gravity materially en- creased when cut in winter, as all handicrafts assert who work it up, than at any other season of the year. It becomes a desirable matter to enquire and find, how the bark can be saved, and the timber OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 69 timber also preserved in the best state, and it can be very easily accomplished by barking the tree, as it stands, from the root up to the gross branches in the summer, sawing off the head, and saving the small or boxing bark in the usual way, and by letting the naked trunk remain two "or three sea- sons longer, where it will dry more rapidly than if felled ; by taking off the bark, vegetation is stopped, and no more sap springs ; the timber thus acquires considerable weight, for, it is a well known maxim, that the strength of materials must depend on their weight, or, in other words, that the heaviest timber will be able to support the great- est weight. If this process is most judicious in managing the oak before it is felled, how much more readily will it apply to other timber, when the bark is not re- quired to be stripped ? In other cases, when the bark need not be saved, it need only be cut through around the tree, and it may or may not be headed, as convenience may require ; for, the perfect sepa- ration of the bark prevents vegetation, and cuts off the sap, which is only necessary, and all timber is thus greatly increased in weight and quality. I have seen this method accidentally tried on fir^ deal, in which there is so great a quantity of sap, and the same effects followed ; a tree had been be- gun to be cut by a tenant, whose landlord stopped the 70 STATISTICAL SURVEY the felling before it was nicked around above an inch deep in the timber, and it remained in that state above two years; when it was felled, it had no sap, and even the bark was nearly as hard as any other part. Another matter worthy of notice in the felling of timber is the knowledge of the age of trees, or at what age thev arrive at vigour. An oak is said not to come to perfection until it is 100 years old, and that it will hold its vigour for probably some cen- turies more, before it begins to decay ; but, in the comparatively short period of human life, this must ever be undetermined, and is not a matter of moment to enquire ; but it is agreed, that oak ought not to be cut for gross uses under fifty or sixty years standing. An ash has nothing like so long a period ; it would be a rare matter, and must only happen from some fortuitous circumstance, which has not a tendency to decay, or perhaps it is already rotted to the heart. The proper period of the maturity of other timber is within our knowledge. Connecting the observations respecting the pro- per age of timber, when ripe for the axe, and the due season for cutting it, I shall state the following experiment, which will be found to apply more or less to every species of tree. let OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 71 Let a cross cut be made in a deal tree, in the spring season, which will measure in diameter twelve inches, we will find that the coat of bark, or sap, equals the third part of the diameter, or four inches. Let the process of nicking the bark be performed at the same time on another tree, of equal dimen- sions, of the same age, and in the same plantation, which shall be suffered to remain standing the re- quired time, and we shall find that one third nearly of the quantity of timber is added ; the sap becoming in two or three seasons equal to the heart ; thus eight inches of solid timber areencreased to twelve ; and another most material observation is, that by this means a tree can be felled, of a third space less growth, to the same advantage, as a tree of so much longer standing ; or that a tree, thirty years old, can be cut after this process, to the same profit as a tree forty -five years old, after the usual manner. Timber will sooner or later arrive at perfection, according to the quality of the soil, and the tem- perature of the climate ; as most forest trees are indigenous, or will be naturalized to our climate, it only rests for us to make choice of a proper soil and situation for their culture. Bog 7* STATISTICAL SURVEY Bog and Moor, Much has been written, and various have been the opinions on the original formation of bog. Al- though, by attaining the knowledge of this subject, it might be more easy to apply a remedy for the reclaiming of this soil, it is enough for us in this li- mited tract to consider, from actual experiments, and the evidence deduced from thence, what are the best modes of applying these tracts to profit, which have for many ages remained in a state of waste and utter neglect. It is first necessary to en- quire into the actual quantity of bog, and the uses, to which it is applied. The quantity of bog in Armagh county might be said to be equal to the demand for fuel for culinary purposes, if it was more impartially di- vided, but the case is otherwise ; rating the average cost of this fuel through the county, it is not less than one shilling and six pence per statute kish, or from two shillings and six pence to three shillings and sixpence per horse-load, including the expence of drawing ; in some seasons it is considerably dear- er : the bleach-mills consume an immense quantity, but in the vicinity where coals can be had they prefer this latter fuel, and will draw it home on better OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 7$ better terms at six miles distance, than they could lay in a supply of turf, even though the bog was at the door; this proves the extreme dearness of turf fuel. Considering the comparatively small area of Ar- magh with the great population, and the nume- rous and extensive bleach-greens where so much fuel is required, we cannot conceive there is a sufficiency of bog for the demand ; the want is already severely felt in many places ; the eastern district has the advantage of the navigation from Newry, by which sea-coal is conveyed ; and if the Tyrone collieries were worked with spirit, an abundance of fuel would be supplied from thence by the same conveyance. A very large tract of bog in the .northern part of the county, on the estate of William Brownlow, Esq. is in such demand, as to yield the occupy- ing tenant above 1000/. after paying the rent of above 700/. ; the price of turf fuel is even in this neighbourhood more than double the average cost of Leinster or Munster. However unequal may be the distribution of bog, it necessarily will be desirable to occupy that part in the uses of agriculture, which has been al- ready cut out. Drakiing is the first process, by which means the water is carried off, and the body of bog or soil naturally condensed ; this soli- dity 74 STATISTICAL SURVEY dity may be rapidly encreased by quick-lime sprea^i on the surface ; limestone gravel, when it can be conveniently procured, is much more lasting, and should be ploughed into the surface. It ; was universally agreed, before the auger came into use, that the main drain should be cut down to the gravel, if possible, to intercept the springs, in- tersecting the portion of bog which is intended to be reclaimed, and, according to the natural falls, that leading drains should be made into this prin- cipal one, but these also at a considerable width, and they should be always kept clear. If the surface is ploughed in frosty weather, after a season's draining, and calcareous manures mixed with the soil, it will soon destroy the non-putres- cent quality, and change it to a good vegetable mould. Paring the superficial sod, and burning it in heaps, produces a calcareous substance, that fa- vours vegetation ; but, though this will have the desired effect of ensuring a good crop, )-et it is not a lasting manure, and tends but little towards solidity. When bogs will bear the weight of cattle, which a short time will effect in draining, it quickly assists their density. Some bogs are so deep as to render the cutting to the gravel utterly impracticable, and may be drained at OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 75 at a very trifling expence by Elkington's boring ap- paratus, on exactly the same principle as a pump- borer's anger. It very generally happens after piercing through several strata in bogs, we find at various depths a kind of blueish clay, through which water will not pass, it is so very tenacious ; this is called in Irish tac-leagh, and it is necessary it should be pierced, either for the purpose of carrying off the superfi- cial water, or for the discharge of the springs, which are underneath the stratum ; this I have performed with great success by the auger. When we meet what we term a shaking bog, or, as it is here provincially termed a qua, the lac4eagh is near the surface, and with the bog floats on the body of water underneath, which is the cause of its undulation ; thus, in a shallow soil, all the in- termediate layers or strata serve as a sponge to im- bibe the superficial w r ater, and retain it, nor can the under-water pass off tili this lac-leagh is cut through. I would commence with this mode in reclaiming bog, and leave it in that state for some time, as the surest method of gaining solidity, by convey- ing off the under-water first ; where the natural figure of the surface favours it, the expence will not be a fourth of cutting a drain to the gravel, and will produce the same effect ; it may be ne- cessary 76 STATISTICAL SURVEY cessary to add, that a shallow drain should be cut from the auger hole, where the water springs, to the natural fall • it would be more proper to make the narrow drain first, and in the bottom of it to bore the hole, rather obliquely than perpendicu- lar ; if the intended tract to be improved is on the side of a hill, in this case the drain should be parallel to its base, or as much so as the nature of the ground will admit. I have seen this process of boring effected at an expence of about two shillings per acre, and in a few weeks the bog was capable of bearing cattle of five or six hundred weight. Moors, or land which has very light superficial bog stratum, are doubtless occasioned by the spread- ing or overflowing of water on the surface ; drain- ing in this instance is absolutely necessary, and we frequently find the substratum of such soils is gra- vel, which is so very proper a manure to correct their acidity, and restore them to every purpose of tillage. If the gravel is not calcareous, the effect, which such beneficial manures impart, will be produced in a great degree, by lightly paring the surface, burn- ing the sod, and ploughing in the ashes ; a fine crop of turnips may be yielded from this management^ and it prepares the land very well for grass-seeds. When. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 77 When marie is found in the piercing of bogs, it is a most effectual manure, and its calcareous qua- lity will be highly encreased by burning it in small kilns, which renders as quick a putrefaction as caus- tic lime ; this is particularly valuable, where lime- stone is not conveniently had, and is an excellent substitute. Much has been objected by some agriculturists to the ploughing in the gravel, and incorporating it with the soil, as they assert, that solidity will be acquired from draining only, and that also an her- bage will be produced, which will yield a whole- some pasture; this mode may answer for two or three years, and I have known it tried with suc- cess for so long ; but, except the calcareous matter is incorporated with the soil, I have found it to re- turn again to its natural coarse and aqueous her- bage ; an instance of this was proved at Monalty demesne, near Carrickmacross, in the count}* of Monaghan, about three years ago, where the late Mr. Steele had ineffectually, though very attentive- ly, followed that process ; I know man}* active im- provers in the King's county, who are sensible of the superior effects of ploughing in the gravel. The general turf-cutting season in this county, as in most other parts of Ireland, is too late by six weeks, or a month at least ; they Leldom heartily engage in this work, till the summer is far advanced, and, should 78 STATISTICAL SURVEY should the season be wet, it becomes a laborious and tedious task to save it, particularly when hand-turf is made, which is soon broken by the rain. When the month of March is dry, it is the best sea- son for turf-cutting, and it may be saved thoroughly, and clamped in three weeks. It is strange, that the linen merchants, who require so great a supply of fuel for their bleach-mills, should neglect this im- portant concern ; if it was better attended to, there might be a saving to the consumer of at least one third of the cost, and the children, whose business it is now to plunder and destroy hedges half the year, might be profitably employed ; but their whole time is spent in picking up fuel, when they might easily earn from three pence to four pence per day, in the process of the linen manufacture. It frequently happens in the deepest turf bogs in this county, that, after paring the surface sod, the first spit of slane turf is good ; the second layer loose, crumbly, and indifferent fuel ; and the third stratum, which generally goes to the depth of the lac-leagh or gravel, is best of all, and makes very firm and hard black turf. Turf ashes are so general a manure as to be adapted to every soil, but require a particular care in the different seasons, when they should be laid on, and certain quantities should be proportioned OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 79 proportioned to the crop they are meant to produce. All artificial grasses are assisted by this manure ; it should be laid on stiff strong land very early in spring, and should not exceed eight barrels per plantation acre, or 256 gallons, and about an eighth less to the statute acre ; a third less than this pro- portion is perhaps too much for light warm soils. I have been assured by an excellent experimental farmer, that ashes, put out in spring, is an excellent dressing on green wheat sowed in a stiff clay soil, and pushes it forward very soon, but must be very light- ly laid on, not exceeding two herring guages to the acre, and that having tried it on a crop of bere in winter, it had a contrary effect, and forced the corn too soon ; the consequence was, that the pro- duce of straw was great, with a small head, and a withered stunted grain. It had a happy effect on wheat land in winter, though it disagreed with the bere crop ; for further experiment, part of the wheat crop, which had the manure in winter, was lightly dressed again in spring, and the effect was still more succesful. It considerably assists this manure, if rain should come soon after it has been spread on the surface, as it warms the roots of the plants, and destroys many animalcula, which are prejudicial to crops* to 8o STATISTICAL SURVEY to turnips in particular, which never should be sowed but with this manure. On light sandy soils or light limestone gravel, ashes do not answer so well, except in rainy sea- sons ; in dry weather, they tend to burn all kinds of pasture, but if this dressing is laid on a deep soil in rainy weather, it produces a quick vegetation, and an ample recompence. When bog is burnt for manure, it is best to use the deep turf, as the ligneous particles, which it contains, are there in greatest purity, as being less exposed to the air, and containing a considerably greater quantity of salts and sulphur. Turf ashes, being of a very fiery substance, may be also happily applied in the destruction of sour bad kinds of grass, and aqueous herbage, which is not nutritious in low soils, after which, a light sur- face dressing of clay will ensure excellent grass, but small drains ought to be made to dry the surface. I think the lands beyond the bog, in the parish of Killevy, might be greatly improved by a judi- cious application of this manure, and it could be ob- tained at small expence; the first crop might be potatoes, which would yield a valuable return. I would prefer this crop, as it produces that degree of moisture, which is necessary to the soil, after this manure, both, as being a succulent plant imbibing the OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. Si the dews and retaining the moisture, protecting the surface and sheltering it, with its large spreading leaves and stalks, from the heat and power of the sun. Reclaimers in this country should commence with this crop, if they have not stock enough to consume a crop of turnips, as it is so necessary for the ac- tion of ardent and calcareous manures, that a due degree of moisture should be preserved. The potatoe will still be found a beneficial crop the second year, as corn crops very frequently fail in a boggy soil aftec calcareous manures ; the third year oats may be sown, but the land should be pre- viouslv ploughed deeply, and laid in high ridges ; from this culture a reasonable crop of twelve bar- rels of oats will be yielded in a very middling soil ; if the reclaimed land is intended for grass, it should never be laid down with a corn crop, but the seeds should be sown after a vegetable crop, as turnips, potatoes, &e. • ■ Bog, which has been reclaimed after this man- ner, will frequently yield white clover sponta- neously. The small farmer, who might gradually improve his little tract, could not cultivate a more valuable crop than cabbage plants for market ; the attend- ance they require is w r ell proportioned to the time he can spare from his loom. c The S) STATISTICAL SURVEY The wealthy proprietor of extensive tracts may more largely engage in reclaiming wastes, and should always prefer the culture of green crops ; they not only enrich the soil, but will also feed a numerous stock, which should be proportioned to their con- sumption ; the profits in this respect will greatly repay the expence, and ultimately, when the tract is reclaimed, the proprietor has not only gained so much land, but is also considerably in pocket. Improvers have naturally an anxious desire to see the wastes, which they have taken in hands, con- verted into grass ; to effect which, a great error is committed in laying it down too early, for it re- quires a long culture and frequent ploughings, be- fore the coarse sour herbage is destroyed ; the drains should also be kept open for a considerable time, and dragged of weeds, or any stuff which may have fallen in ; the property of bog- water be- ing directly opposite to that of rain or river wa- ter, any weeds, grasses, or plants, which lie in these drains, are not rotted or decayed, but rather swelled and macerated, so as to form an impedi- ment to the passage of the water, which the bog again imbibes, and sucks up like a sponge, and, wherever it prevails, destroying vegetation. Bog plants will strike root again in the bottom of these drains, which shews the necessity of their being kept constantly cleared. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 83 The advice of all improvers is unanimous in this instance : some even assert, that nothing more is necessary than to keep a strict attention to clearing and scouring up these passages for the under- water ; that, when it is discharged, the bog plants will die, and their putrescence will produce a wholesome natural herbage for young store cattle; and that afterwards the nicer modes of culture may be adopted, as leisure or circumstances will admit, always observing, when lime is applied, that the more caustic it is, so much the better, and the speedier its operation, and that it should be laid on bog while the soil is moist. When potatoes are sowed in bog, which has been manured with dung, they are never of a good qua- lity, but are watery, soft, and will not keep ; with lime manure they are in every respect the reverse. A principal matter in reclaiming bog is to pro- cure shelter ; this may be effectually had, by em- banking a long ridge between two wide drains and planting it. Firs, larch, and beech, quickly af- ford shelter, and form a beautiful and capital en- closure ; and if the sides of this bank are quicked with white-thorn, it considerably adds to its per- manency and effect. g 2 Sect, STATISTICAL SURVEY Sect. 7. Minerals. The minerals of this county, as connected with metallurgy, are so few, which have yet been dis- covered, as scarcely deserving notice, that of lead only excepted, which is confined to one particular district. Of perfect metals there is none ; some imperfect lead, and some indication of iron, semimetals, regulus of manganese, and antimony, and these only in very few and partial spots ; but of the various substrata of minerals, which have no ne- cessary metallic properties in themselves, except fortuitously, better distinguished as fossils, there is a great variety, which would afford ample in- vestigation for the natural philosopher. Fossils, native, and extraneous. All bodies beneath the surface are termed fossils in natural history, whether they have been origin- ally produced, or have adventitiously been placed there ; what we have now to consider are unme- tallic, for, although every mineral is certainly a fossil, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 85 fossil, yet no fossil can be strictly termed a mineral, but that which is found in a mine. The most valuable fossil yet discovered in this county is limestone, of numerous kinds, and more or less calcareous, under which is ranked all the variety of marbles. The fossil usually termed freestone, from the soft or easy working of that stone, but which in mine- ralogy is termed sandstone, is found in boulders and loose blocks, but I do not recollect to have seen, any quarries of it in this county ; here, it is pretty much superficial, and of course more hard, and less esteemed by stone-cutters. I have seen detached pieces of it in the mountains, very fit for grinding*, stones, but not of sufficient magnitude for mill- stones. There are also some other native fossils, as clay^ potters'-ore, soap-stone, coloured earths, and a va- riety of ochres, and also some indication of slate quarry. The extraneous fossils, which I have learned to have been found here, are confined to the vegeta- ble kingdom, as trees, and some variety of plants; of the former, the oak and the hazle, both in roots and nuts, at great depth in bogs, and the petrified woods on the banks of Lough-Neagh ; of plants, principally the fern, and, I am told, the spleenwort also, 36 STATISTICAL SURVLY also, and some mosses, which have been discovered in the heart of slaty stones. I have not heard of any shells being discovered in stone, nor any fossils of the animal kingdom, which are frequently dug out of many of the bogs of Ireland. Mineral Waters. In the mountainous district are several springs, slightly impregnated with sulphur, and chalybeate, and there are frequent ferruginous oozings, most generally on the borders of bogs ; one of these, in the midst of the Fews mountains, is said to be useful in scrophulous complaints, and operates as a purgative. I had not an analysis of it, but it was very sulphureous and cold ; silver was changed in colour to that of copper, and a glass of spirits, mixed in a quart jug of this water, turned black ; in the spring, the water looks as pure and clear as chrystal. I cannot find there is a mineral water in the coun- ty, of any eminence or well proved medicinal pro- perties, nor does Rutty take notice of such. The waters of Lough-Neagh, which border the county, are medicinal, and have been indubitably proved to cure scrophulous complaints ; on the north- west OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. $7 west side of Armagh, touching Tyrone, this virtue is said to exist principally : here is a bay, with a sandy bottom, and a gradual descent ; it is said that, by ten or fourteen days bathing in this place, and drinking the waters also, running sores will be dried and healed, and even the kingVevil ef- fectually cured. Boate, in his natural history of Ireland, relates a remarkable cure* of the kingVevil, in this place, in eight days. He remarks, that the declivity of this bay is so gentle, that a man can gradually walk out for a great distance, until he is up to his chin, and that frequently the sand changed from cold to warm, and from warm to cold ; this observation yet holds good, as also that the drinking of the waters will relieve chronic complaints, and stop fluxes. Formerly the natives considered, that this heal- ing virtue was only imparted on the anniversary of St.. John, on which day they resorted to the lake, in great crowds, and also drove in their sick and distempered cattle ; the superior efficacy of the waters, about mid-summer, must have occasioned their attributing the benefit derived to the influ- ence of this saint, whom they yet invoke, when they * In a letter from Francis Neville, Es<|. to the Bishop of Clogher, page 120, 8fr STATISTICAL SURVEY they have occasion to try the med.cinal effect of this celebrated lake. Its petrifying quality will be considered in the next section. Sect. 8. Waters. 1. The Blackwater river, forms the western bounds of Arnugh, and divides it from Tyrone, to which it is equally common with this county. This river rises in Tyrone, and is, near the foun- tain head, an inconsiderable stream, but mairy ri- vulets are discharged into it, before it touches Ar- magh county ; the point of junction is at Calcdon demesne, and from hence it becomes a very vide and beautiful river, highly adorning the spacious banks, through which it flows, and from thence, coursing* the confines, is discharged into Lough-Neagh. The towns of Blackwater and Charlemont arc on the banks of this river, as also the villages of Benburb and Caledon are just in its vicinity. 2. The Ban, flows only in the north-eastern dis- trict ; after passing through Down county, near Guilford, and from thence joining the Newry canal, it is discharged into Lough-Neagh. The neat trad- ing town of Portadown is watered by the Ban, which OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 89 which here is a spacious river ; it also flows con- venient to the town of Lurgan, and is navigable throughout in its passage through this county. 3. The Newry river, or the Newry water, as it is more generally distinguished, rises in the county of Down, flowing but a short distance, in a narrow valley, from its source to the bay of Car* lino-ford, into which it is discharged ; it is in itself but an inconsiderable stream ; its connection with the tide-water renders it of the first consequence to the trading town of Newry, through which it eourses in its passage to the sea. 4. The Callen, is said to have two sources, one of which is in the centre of the county, in the parish of Mullabrack; passing near Lisnadill church, it still keeps a central course, flowing below Armagh town, and quite contiguous to it ; thence taking a north-easterly, and, soon after, a norths westerly direction, it is discharged into the Black- water river, close to the village of Charlemont y the other source is the fifteenth river mentioned in this section. The village of Keady is on this river. 5. The Tall-water, is also a central stream rising between Richill and Hamiltons' bawn, and passes through the parishes of Kilmore and Loughgal, in a direct northerly course ; thence changing due west, it flows towards Charlemon-t, and joins the. Callen. 5© STATISTICAL SURVEY Callen river at a short distance from its union with the Black water river. The town of Richill stands on this stream. 6. The Cuskier, rises rather central near Baleek village, and flows contiguous to Portmorris in a north-easterly course; thence it changes to a northerly direction, till it meets the village of Clare, and in this course is encreased by several streams, with those which pass by the town of Market-hill, and the village of Mohan. From Clare, it again takes a north-easterly course to the town of Tanderagee, near to which it is dis- charged into the Newry canal. 7. The Tynan river, which flows near the small town of the same name, in the north-western angle of this county, rises in the county of Monaghan, flows through Castleshane, and meets this county near the village of Middleton; thence intersecting that small angle of Armagh, which runs into Monaghan, it is discharged into the Blackwater, near Caledon. 8. The Camlough stream, which is narrow, and very rapid, rises at the lake of the same name, at the foot of Slieve-Guillien mountain, in Killevy pa- rish, and is discharged into the Newry canal ; its whole course does not exceed four miles, but the astonishing business performed in the numerous mills on this small stream, of which I shall have again occasion to take particular notice, renders it of the first consequence and value to the county. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 91 The rapidity of this water towards the valley of Newry, and the many mill-scites on its banks, which are all overshot, is a very strong corroborating proof of the great elevation of ground, on which Slieve-Guillien mountain stands. The falls of this stream are so sudden, that no head of water is re- quired, as a mill pond, for any of the works, the tail-race of the higher mill being the head of the next below, and so in succession, till it reaches the valley, 9. The Newtown- Hamilton river, rises in the mountains, north of that town, passes close to its rear in a southern direction, coursing through the Fews mountains in Creggan parish ; and near to Crossmaglin village, it enters Louth county, and flows into Dundalk, where it is emptied into the bay. 10. The Tara stream, rising eastward of New- town Hamilton, keeps a course pretty nearly pa- rallel with the last river, enters Louth county, at about three miles distance from it, and is discharged into the same stream, before it reaches Dundalk. 11. A small mountain stream rises near Forkhill, and enters Louth, about a mile from the last river, meeting it before itsjunction with the Dundalk river. 12. To these we may add a fourth mountain stream, the Fleury river, which rises near Jones- borough, pretty nearly on the verge of this coun- ty, and gives name to the small post town of Fleury- bridge ; thence it passes through the delightful valley of 9i STATISTICAL SURVEY of Ravensdale park, in the county of Louth, and is discharged into Dundalk bay, about two miles north of the town. 13. The south-western borders of the county are marked by a small stream, which is the head of the riv.t r Fane ; after a few miles in this direc- tion, it enters Monaghan county, at the village of Culloville, and intersects a small south-eastern angle of that district, before it becomes that spacious and beautiful river, which flows through the county of Louth, and is called the Fane water ; it is dis- charged into Dundalk bay, at Lurgan-green. 14. 15, There are two other streams, which, though small » deserve mention as boundaries; they rise exactly on the verge of Armagh and Monaghan counties, and are for some distance the line of se- paration. Their courses are directly opposite, one running north, and the other south, for about four miles each, until they meet ; when a new course is made, by the joint streams, of N. E. by E. nearly ; flowing near the town of Keady, and a little northward of Lough-Clay, it meets the Cal- len river; for this reason, it is with propriety con* tended, that this is the source of the Callen water, and that the stream, which rises in Mullabrack parish, already described, is but a secondary sup- ply, in like manner as a third stream, which joins it near Keady, flowing out of Lough-Clay. ■ 16. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 93 16. 17. 18. In the north-eastern angle of the county, are three small streams, which rise in the parish of Shankill, near Lurgan, and are imme- diately discharged into Lough-Neagh. These are the principal rivers and streams in the county, which it is necessary to mention, as form- ing the natural and prominent features, or deserv- ing notice as conducive to such material benefits, which are derived from the extensive bleach and numerous corn-mills they supply. There are some lesser streams of inconsiderable importance, and it must be observed, that the nu- merical arrangement of these rivers is not according to their size, or extent, but merely as they appear important, as a feature on the map of the county, or for their value in the uses, to which they are applied ; some only are numbered, for the more easy reference of the reader, in the following table, or when they form a junction with other streams, or flow near to each other. By stating the ac- knowledged length of the course of each river in its passage through this county, the proportionate body of water will more easily appear, in the area of 283 square miles, the contents of the county, Irish measure. Tahlt 94 STATISTICAL SURVEY Table of the Distance which each River rims, and the course it takes through this County. No. River. Course. MUes. i Black-water. from S. W. to N. E. flows - 13 2 Bann. from S. E. to N. W. - 9 3 Newry.water. from N. to S. E. - 7 4 Callen, ist branch. fromS.toN.& N.W. - IO 5 Tall-Water. fromS.toN.&N.W. __ - IO 6 Cushier, with its 1 small streams. J from S. W. to N. E. . 21 7 Tynan. from S. W. to N. — - - 3 8 Camlough. from W. to E. ... - 4 9 Newtown-Ha- "I milton. J from N. to S. - '3 IO Tara. from N. to S. — - 9 ii Forkhill. from N. to S. _ 3 12 Fleury. from N. to S. l *3 Fane. from N. to S. - 6 ; 1 Two streams 1 flowing. J from N. to S. "J & ( thence East making }■■ «5J from S. to N. J together 3 i8j Three streams ) flowing. J from S. E. to N. W. making together }> Total Miles 130 Thus OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 95 Thus, independent of smaller streams, there ap- pears, in the map of this county collectively, no less a course of water, than would extend 130 miles in length, which is conveniently dispersed within the small circumference of eighty Irish miles. Very little damage is ever occasioned by the overflow- ing of these rivers, nor is there any mischief which can ensue, but may be guarded against with due care and attention, and which the superficial figure of the country is so well calculated to resist. Lakes. The lakes in the interior of Armagh are few; the principal are Camlough, or Carlough, and Lough-Clay, which would be rated as very inferior in some neighbouring counties. Small as is the area of the lake, from whence water is conveyed to the city of Armagh, it is, in this instance, of such importance to so large a district, that it would be unpardonable to omit it. A small chain of lakes occupy the boundary line, near Middieton, and are of importance to the mills in that vicinity. Lough STATISTICAL SURVEY Lough- Neagh. We come now to speak of the great water of Lough-Neagh, which forms the northern line of division, and presents so extensive a shore in this view. Though^ strictly speaking, this vast expanse is only a boundary, yet it requires particular attention; and I had hoped, that the able reporters, who had already given a detail of their enquiries in counties, which are considerably more connected with it than Armagh, would have gratified the public with some account of its natural history, as well as observations on its great importance to the navigations, which flow into it, and the consequent extension of trade, which it encourages, throughout the province of Ulster. This immense sheet of water, which may be well styled a sea, in comparison with all the other lakes in Ireland, covers a great area, in the heart of the province, and is bounded by five counties, viz. Ar- magh on the south, Tyrone on the west, London- derry on the north-west, Antrim on the north and east, and Down, which barely touches it on the south- eastern angle. Small as this angle is, yet on the confines of the lake there is no district, which more materially suffers from its inundations, which here have • Fold-oi Placehol This fold-out is being digitized, anc future date. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 97 have sometimes overflowed an extensive plain, above seven or eight miles inland, and produced the most mischievous effects. In all the old maps of Ireland it has been stated, that Lough-Neagh covers a plain of 100,000 acres ; but the survey made by Mr. Lendrick directly contradicts this statement, and reduces its contents nearly to one half, to that of 58,200 acres. This gentleman also corrects the figure of the lake, which, he asserts, was laid down as incorrectly as the area, and, by his report, it is fifteen miles ia length, by seven in breadth. It becomes a matter of surprise, that so immense a body of water, which is supplied by the constant influx of several great rivers, and numberless others of lesser note, should have but one narrow channel, from whence these are again discharged ; and we should expect on this account, that inundations were so frequent, as to depopulate its shores ; but this seldom occurs ; perhaps a great overflow will not occur above once in fifteen years. Where the shore is very flat, it is subject to every flood, and its banks are always marshy, and incapable, from their low situations, of being drain- ed, and a great extent is of this description ; in some few places, the coast is bold and abrupt, but entirely destitute of wood, which would be so beau- tiful a contrast to the lake, although the stumps H and 98 STATISTICAL SURVEY and rcots of trees, which have been found in several places, prove, that formerly the shores must have been covered with forest ; nor is there any of the delightful interruptions, which Killarney and Lough- Erne are celebrated for, by the breaks formed in the prospect, with rocky and wooded islands, pre- senting irregular and undulating surfaces ; all here is an unvaried sameness, no picturesque views, or romantic scenery, and but two islands in this great expanse, one near the shore, in the south-western angle of the lake, called Black water-island, just at the mouth of the river, of the same name ; and the other on the eastern borders, contiguous to the coast of Antrim, named Ham-island, and in this is one of the ancient round towers peculiar to Ire- land. This island is rated in the county of An- trim, and diocess of Connor. The channel, through which this great body of water seeks its passage to the ocean, is called the lower Ban river, and flows in that extensive con- fine between Londonderry and Antrim counties, nearly in a direction from south to north, for a line of about thirty miles in length, including its cur- vatures and angles, and is discharged into the ocean, at four miles distance, below Coleraine, on whose banks this capital town is built. Some authors have considered Lough-Neagh as but an expanse of this river, but the observation may OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 99 may with as much truth be applied to the other six considerable rivers, which flow into it. If the discharging river was called the lower Black water, it might have furnished as good grounds for the supposition, as its course would seem to coast the Jake from its entrance to Toome ; but a moment's reflection on the distinguishing characteristic of lakes will do away this idea entirely, the ex- pansion being of that description of lake, which ap- parently discharges less water than it receives ; for the flow from the lower Ban is by no means equal to the quantity admitted by the seven great rivers, and the many other tributary streams around the shore ; the surplus, then, we cannot conceive to be spent in exhalation. The antient name of this lake was Echach or Eacha, which in the Erse language signified di- vine, and loch, a lake, or the divine lake. In the same language Neasg or Naasgh, a sore, might have alluded to its virtues in curing cutaneous disorders, and from thence be easily corrupted into Neach or Neagh ; but Dr. Smith says, the healing virtue of the lake was not discovered till in the reign of Charles the II. when a young man was cured by bathing in the lake, for which remarkable relation I have already referred the reader to Boats' Natural history of Ireland. H 2 The loo STATISTICAL SURVEY The petrifying quality, ascribed to Lough-Neagh, has been long a matter of great doubt and contro- versy amongst very intelligent and inquisitive natu- ralists, and is even yet very strongly disputed. So long ago as the 8th century, it has been re- corded by Nenius, a writer of that age, as possessing the virtue, who says, " est aliud stagnum, quodfa- cit ligna durescere in lapides ; homines antem scin- dunt figna, et postquam formaverunt projiciunt in stagnnm, et manent in eo usque ad caput anni, *t in capite anni lapis invenitur, et vocatur Loch- Echagh." I apprehend those, who seem to doubt this property, have not sufficiently examined it, or tried the experiment ; it may be confined to some particular parts, and not to the whole lake, but that this virtue belongs to the soil also in some places, is unquestionable. Perhaps the means, by which petrifaction is accomplished, is not sufficiently understood in natural philosophy, or the matter might be easily cleared up. It is laid down as a general principle, that petrifaction cannot take place, but where there is shelter from air and run- ning water ; the deep marshes on this coast so far are favourable to it : for the further process, there must be a complete disorganization of the ligneous matter, and all its corruptible parts decayed, and the mere outward shell remaining only, forming a ske- leton, in the hollow tubes of which are lodged stony particles, or clays peculiar to water, and that this moulding OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. x*i moulding anew of the substance had been there deposited, whilst the waters were evaporating; that, thus condensed, in process of time, when fully petrified, the fossil is considerably heavier than it was in its original state. The experiment has doubtless being tried, of driving stakes into the bottom of the lake, and into the soil of its shores, which have been suffered to re- main twenty years undisturbed without any visible change ; but this is no convincing proof of the non- existence of the petrifying power, as probably the process is not completed for a great length of time. I know the general idea is, that the change is completed in seven years, but this is an idle re- mark, and no way confirmed ; besides it is on holly- wood they particularly ascribe the powers ; but it is more probable to suppose, that any soft wood would be sooner decomposed than a hard one. From some accounts in Boats'* Natural history of Ireland, if they could be credited, this change takes place in a few years, and it is not the soil nor the water, but the vapours issuing from them, which occasion the petrifaction ; he says, a gen- tleman cut some trees, for building, on the shore of the lake, and amongst others a large holly- , tree, * From page 116 to page 123, in a letter from Mr. William Molyneux, secretary to the Dublin Society, to Mr. William Musgrave, fellow of Oxford College. \t% STATISTICAL SURVEY tree, but that the disturbances of the times had prevented him from using them, and they lay on the ground for several years, until he thought it safe to pursue his building ; but when he came for his timber, he found the holly-tree petrified, and the other timber sound, and covered with moss, and that the water of the lough had never reached it ; it is, however, observed, that this story is only given from common report ; the gentleman, who relates it, adds, that from his own experiments he is decided, that petrifaction* is occasioned in wood, in the vicinity of the lake, that these fossils ■will burn and flame, and the smoke smells like the smoke of wood, and that he had various pieces of them, which had arrived at different degrees of petrifaction, and one in particular, being clift, he could discover to be holly, and even see the pith in the centre of it, and also the grain of the wood ; the outer coat he describes as perfect stone, but the whole reasoning in this instance is by no means conclusive ; the reader is referred to the account in the annexed note.* That a k petrifying virtue exists hi this vicinity, is unquestionable, but it is not sufficiently clear, to what element it may be ascribed, whether to the soil, the * We have satisfactory and ocular demonstration of the fact, in the many samples of fossils, cow exhibited in the Dublin Society's museum. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 10$ the waters, or the exhalation which rise from the marshy borders or the lake itself. It would certainly be a very desirable matter, that this subject should be well considered by soma able naturalist ; it is surely worth investigation, and it would be a matter of importance to enquire into its medicinal virtues. On the strand of Lough-Neagh are found some transparent pebbles, which take a beautiful polish, very much resembling cornelian ; some of them are by no means inferior to this stone, are rarely found, and esteemed very valuable in the cabinets of the curious. They are called gems in this neighbourhood, and the peasants easily distinguish them from the other pebbles, which are transparent, and peculiar to this shore; many people make a trade of picking up these gems, and selling them to lapidaries in Dublin. Samples of these are also deposited in the Society's museum. This lake abounds with salmon, pike, trout, eel, roach, and bream, and a kind of fresh water her- ring, called in Irish pollans ; they resemble large smelts, and their scales are very bright ; they are much esteemed, and furnish a wholesome supply for the poor. The shad- fish is caught in the salmon fishery at Coleraine, near where this water is discharged into the ocean ; it appears very probable, that those pollans 104- STATISTICAL SURVEY pollans are from the spawn of this fish, which has been deposited in the lough, and perhaps requires the sea- water to bring them to perfection. Navigations. Considering the advantages of navigation, which Lough-Neagh affords to the several counties on its coast, it is of great importance, and in this poli- tical view deserves particular consideration. The canals, which meet this lake, are the Newry canal, that from Belfast city, and that from the Ty- rone collieries ; by means of these, a communica- tion is effected between the counties of Down, Armagh, Tyrone, and Antrim, in vessels of sixty tons burthen. In the reports of the county of Down, some de- fects in the Belfast line are pointed out, or in that part, which runs between Lisburn and Belfast, ren- dering the passage uncertain and tedious ; it will remain for me to sa}- something of the navigation of this county, but I shall first beg leave to make a remark on the^line, which appears the most fa- vourable for an effectual navigation from the sea to this lake, and by which a communication would be procured with the remote counties of Ulster: every observer will allow, that this line should OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. \o$ should be the valley, through which the lower Ban flows to Coleraine ; the entire line of the counties of Antrim and Londonderry would thus be benefited ; the expence, comparatively with the advantages to be derived, would be trifling ; the principal obstruc- tion is by means of some shoals, which could be easily removed, and several great rocks ; but by a partial adoption of the river, for the line of canal, in some places, and receding from it where the dif- ficulties are great, and by making alternate new cuts, it could be performed for a moderate expen- diture.* I know it is contended, that the Belfast trade would probably suffer, and that Coleraine would be more particularly benefited by such a canal; but these selfish considerations are, perhaps, the true reason, why works of this nature, of such general utility, are not more earnestly engaged in ; public benefits should never be thwarted by individual in- terest, and the fears and obstructions, which illiberal and narrow minds will suggest, are often unfound- ed, and would ultimately, perhaps, have the very reverse tendency, and produce such advantages, as would be felt by the whole community. I proceed * I understand an estimate of this expence has been made, and is under consideration. io6 STATISTICAL SURVEY I proceed now to speak of the navigation, imme- diately connected with this county, which is called the Newry canal. Newry canal. The obstructions, which were encountered on the Newry river from that town to the sea, were so numerous, and invincible by other means, as to oc- casion the adoption of the present navigation ; for, originally, this river could not bear boats, but of very small burthen, and only at high water, as the tide flowed up to the town. The work was considered to be a national benefit, if extend- ed to Lough-Neagh, and there to admit the boats from the Tyrone collieries, and that the coal, brought from thence to Newry, could be dispatched coast- ways to many parts of Ireland, which would keep at home the immensity of specie paid for foreign coals. The work was entirely completed by parliament- ary grants, and placed under the contrQul of a Board, but there has lately been made a considera- ble change in its form and government. The original board consisted of twenty-one members, and not'aing could be determined without their consent. The noblemen of the counties of Armagh, Tyrone,' and Down, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 107 Down, and the county representatives had each a vote, but the consequence was, that the business was greatly neglected, as they found it difficult to bring so many gentlemen together, as would make a board ; if casual repairs were required, they of course could not be amended, and the navigation was for long periods impeded, and rendered so un- certain, that the great trade from Newry, which was formerly carried on this line with the counties bordering Lough-Neagh, has been transferred to Belfast, which has wonderfully rivalled Newry of late years, and deprived this town of many branches of her trade. If in consequence of the neglect of a necessary expenditure of money, for long periods, the works were greatly injured, yet the small tolls, which were yielded in particular places, that still remained navigable, were husbanded with great care and management by the Rev. Doctor Campbell, of Newry, who was secretary to the board, and the savings amounted to no less than 5,000/. in hand, when that gentleman lately resigned. Since the now establishment has been adopted, this sum, together with a large grant from the ge- neral navigation board, has been expended in some material repairs and improvements. The board of twenty-one is now abolished, and the management of all affairs, relating to the canal, IO * STATISTICAL SURVEY is vested in conductors, who must be resident mer- chants in Newry, and naturally are interested in the prosperity of the trade of the town ; five of these constitute a board, they recommend what they think necessary to be done, and communicate their opinions to the general navigation board, who or- der them to be adopted or rejected at their dis- cretion. The annual tolls now amount to 2,500/. but for- merly were treble this sum, and, lately, consider- ably less; for one boat, which now plies, about seven or eight years ago perhaps ten or fifteen were in constant employment ; however, the trade is again improving. Limestone, sand, lime, and all manures, are toll free, no inconsiderable encouragement to agri- cultural improvements. Timber is freed into the canal, but pays a small toll in its passage; other goods pay a fee of entrance. The navigation is now greatly improved from the town to the sea, but the new locks, which have been lately built, are too narrow by three feet, being only twenty-two in the clear ; they only re- quire that alteration, to admit large vessels to come up, which now unlade at Warren point, six miles from Newry ; lighters take in their cargoes, and enter the canal at Fathom. For OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 109 For two years past, the works have been under a general repair, and the line is now well supplied with vvater. The Cushier river will immediately be let in, and a trough or tunnel, of cut stone, is now building near the noted burial place of Bally- naback ; Lough-brickland and Lough-shark waters already supply it. The whole length of this navigation, from the junction with the tide-water at Fathom to the town of Newry, is four miles ; from thence to Lough- Neagh twenty-seven miles, in toto thirty-one Irish miles. Its advantages are common to the whole line of country, westward in Armagh, and eastward in Down ; running for the greater way in that valley, which constitutes the bounds of those two coun- ties ; in respect of the several towns and villages on its banks, we will hereafter shew, how they are particularly benefited, in the 13th chap, and 5th section. The great mistake in inland navigation, as has been proved in various instances, is the adopting the beds of rivers for the lines of canal, und^r the idea of a saving of money; but in fact it occurs, that this only tends to great and lasting expence. Kivers, from their low situation, naturally receive all superficial water, from snow and rain, as well^ ' as from springs, and are, of course, subject to floods^ no STATISTICAL SURVEY floods, which not only interrupt the passage, but frequently sweep away the works, and leave them liable to incalculable expence: how many such navigations are there, at present, in Ireland, on which thousands have been expended to no good purpose, and whose defects cannot be remedied, but by abandoning the bed of the river, and adopt- ing a new line ? A partial selection of river beds, in favourable situations, such as are not subject to floods, is sometimes very adviseable, but where the river is liable to rapid torrents, a navigation should never be thought of. Formerly, the making of canals was only consi- dered adviseable, in proportion to the trade, which, it was calculated, was transported by land carriage, and would ultimately defray the cost of the work ; but there are many instances, of late years, to prove that such a calculation is too niggard, and that canals have not only assisted trade, but created new branches of commerce, as well as mate- rially improved agriculture. The prosperous state of all the infant towns, on the Grand canal line, peculiarly confirms this observation, where, but a few years ago, nothing but a bleak and unculti- vated waste, or dreary bog, was to be seen. The immense rise on landed property, in this extended line of canal, has already exceeded the most san- guine OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. in guine expectations, and this success should create an emulation amongst the gentry in this province, to forward works of such great importance to the natives in general, and particular]}- so to their own private interests. Fish. Before we conclude this section, I shall say a few words on the animal and vegetable kingdom peculiar to the element, of which it treats. The connection of the rivers of this county with the sea, by means of Lough-Neagh, has supplied them with salmon, which fish resorts- all the major wa- ters. I have already mentioned, that there is a kind of smelt or shad-fish, peculiar to the lough, and very abundant, so as to furnish an amply sup- ply for the poor. I do not learn there is any es- tablished right of fishery in Lough-Neagh, but there is no interruption to any adventurer. Lough- Neagh, and the mouths of the neighbouring rivers, are celebrated for a very fine kind of salmon-trout, which are frequently taken to the weight of above thirty pounds. The common trout, found in all rivers, is abundant, and of a large size, in most of these rivers. The ii 2 STATISTICAL SURVEY The pike is found in Lough-Neagh, Lough-Shark, the Ban, and the Blackwater ; the eel is of a large size, and very plenty, in rivers connected with lakes. The bream and roach are numerous, and easily taken with bait. Aquatic Birds. Of the feathered tribe, peculiar to this section, are the wild duck, widgeon, teal, all the variety of gulls, sea-plover, swans in great abundance, wild geese, cape-geese, herons, curlieus, coots, water- hens, king-fishers, and divers. There is scarcely a description of water-fowl, which are common to the sea-coast or great lakes, but frequent many miles around the vicinity of Lough-Neagh, and, in hard weather, take shelter in the adjoining demesnes. To Mr. Brownlow's beautiful lake, at Lurgan, they have a constant re- sort, as they are always protected, and are now become so familiar there, as to regularly breed every year. Amphibious animaL. The otter, which is so destructive to fish, is sometimes seen in the Cushier river, and has even frequented OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 113 frequented the Newry water, but seldom of late years. The water-rat is common in the marshes, on the shore of Lough-Neagh, and it is said the bite of this animal is venomous and difficult to cure. Aquatic plants. The most useful aquatic plant is the poafluitariSy or the water-fescue grass, which is found on the borders of the marshes, that are left drv in summer ; this grass is luxuriant, and makes excellent hay. When this plant appears, the marshes are covered with water-fowl, which delight in feeding on it. The iris, or flagger, flourishes on the banks of the river Callen ; I have seen excellent garden-mats made of this plant, and also bed-mats, which it is peculiarly proper for, as it will not rot on ground floors. The ranunculus, or crow foot, is common to all low marshy grounds. The water-lily, nymphcea, grows on the bor- ders of Lough-Neagh, and in muddy ditches ; there are two kinds of this plant, both white and yellow; of the latter, dye-stuff is produced by decoctions, and is of a deep brown colour. I The ii 4 STATISTICAL SURVEY The water-hemlock, or phellandriurn aquaticum ; this plant is eaten by all our cattle, but cows, which will refuse it; it ii said to sicken horses, yet they eat it greedily; stupes of it are known to be pow- erful in repelling ; it grows on the banks of the Cushier and Blackwater rivers, and in the vicinity of Lough-Neagh. The euphrasia> or eyebright, useful for com- plaints in the eyes, is frequently met in the low -rounds near the river. The colckicam, or meadow saffron, grows on the borders of the Blackwater and the Calien, and is highly ornamental, its flowers affording a beautiful variety ; the medicinal virtues of the root are diu- retic and balsamic, when old, but it must be used with great caution, for even a small quantity of it, when young, is acrid and highly poisonous ; the root is bulbous, the flowers are a variety of shades, of red, yellow, white, and purple ; it grows in low meadows, on the banks of avers, and in marshy places. j The se:iec<. its 3 or bird's tongue, in' low marshes. The mare's tail, or hippuris 9 grows in stagnant waters, and is found in the marshy ground near the junction of the Newry canal with Lough-Neagh ; its OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 115 its properties are astringent, cattle refuse it, but goats eat it greedily. The pondweed, or potamogeton natans, is an agreeable and wholesome plant to cattle, and grows in stagnant waters near Lough-Neagh. The parnassia, or grass of parnassus, a plant of extreme elegance and beauty, grows in the vici- nity of Lough-Neagh, and on the banks of the Tynan river. The water fig wort, or scrophularia aquatica, is esteemed, when mixed in an ointment with hog's lard, as a cure for scorbutic ulcers, and, it is said, a strong decoction of this plant will cure the measles in pigs ; it grows on the banks of the Newry water. The mentha aquatica, or water-mint, is too well known to require any comment, and is found in all the low grounds and marshes in this county. Amongst the ornamental aqueous plants, many of which are medicinal, are the lysimachia, or loose- strife ; the ly thrum salkaria, or purple loose- strife ; the menyanthesy or purple buck-bean, which is extremely beautiful ; the thalictrum flavum, or meadow rue, which I found on the lake side near the summit of Slieve-Guillien, and, on the river side, near the village of Middleton ; the typha, angustiYolia, or narrow leafed catVtail which pro- 1 2 duces n6 STATISTICAL SURVEY duces a fine down, and certainly might be turned to useful account, in stuffing cushions, &(c. To these may be added a collection of curious plants, which flourish in the marshes, on the borders of Lough-Neagh, and will afford a pleasing variety to the researches of the botanist. ( i! \r. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH, u? CHAP. II. STATE OF PROPERTY. Sect. 1. Estates. A VERY considerable tract of the lands of this county is church and college property, and the ma* nagement of estates requires much cleverness in their regulation to the mutual advantages of the landlord and tenant. The parcels of ground, or farms, if I may so call them, being very small and numerous ; rents being paid so irregularly, on ac- count of the many divisions of these little plots; the attention necessary for proportioning turf bog and approaches to each littfe farm ; and the judi- cious laying out of new roads, are together fully adequate to employ the time of an active agent, who will also have no small trouble in his magis- terial capacity to adjust disputes amongst the te- nantry. Ssct. si» STATISTICAL SURVEY Sect. 2. Tenures. The property of Armagh is of three descrip- tions, freehold, church, and college lands; the two latter descriptions considerably exceeding the first, in many parts of the county. Leases in perpetuity are not numerous, nor of great value ; the terms are but short, twenty-one years and a life, or a life only ; some are for thirty-one years, or three lives, and on account of the short tenure few are under value. Landed pro- perty is in much demand, and a small estate well circumstanced will bring from twenty-five to thirty years purchase ; few large estates have been offered for sale. There are some great properties in college lands to the first lessee, but the occupying tenantry pay the full value ; where farms are so small, the land seldom suffers in the same manner as great tracts of church land, which are seen in various parts cf Ireland, where the lease is but during the in- of the incumbent, in the heart of a country, where the surrounding farms are leased for a long term of years, and where such tenures are* tne custom of the country : in such places, it is very discouraging for a wealthy farmer to have any thins OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 119 thing to do with church lands, as his improvements cannot even be secured to him during his own life, or the life of his landlord, but he may at any time be deprived of the fruits of his industry, by the incumbent changing his living, as his interest then terminates, during which only he could set. The church and college lands in this county are, of course, subject to all these inconveniencies; yet from the great extent of the linen trade, land is in such demand, and, from the similarity of ad- joining tenures, even on freehold property, in respect of duration, few leases being longer than twenty- one years, or a life, the grievance is scarcely felt, and the farms are in no less esteem. But one advantage so materially, and, from what I have seen, almost solely enjoyed in this county is, that the occupying tenant has no lazy middle- man between him and his landlord. Where there are large farms, none of which are met here, as much land is generally set b}^ the original lessee at a rack rent, as will leave himself a great portion, and the prime of the farm, rent free ; but, where agriculture is not the main pursuit, and gives place, as here, to manufacture, there are. so many bidders for farms at a high rent, that it is the interest of the landlord to give each tenant only sufficient ground for his famify, and thus none can be spared to a middleman. In asserting that this baneful system iao STATISTICAL SURVEY system is not felt here, it must be understood that the original lessees of church and college property are not rated as middlemen ; they should, more properly speaking, be termed the head landlords, as those establishments, to which they are annexed, in few instances derive from the original lessees a tenth, or more, of the rental, which they them- selves receive, and the equal estimation of such tenures is the best proof there is no grievance in this respect to the occupying tenantry. Sect. 3. Rental, The rental of the cultivated parts of Armagh, including the reclaimed spots in every district through the county, may be rated, on an average, at 2.55. per acre. The tenures are almost all in English acres; those parts of the mountains and other wastes,, which bring but a very low rent, are few, in comparison with the like tracts in other counties ; and as Armagh is allowed to be the most populous county, so must its lands be in the greatest demand, and they, of course, are en- hanced by the superior excellence of the soil. Per- haps a fifteenth part of the county only is not in profit, including towns, villages, bog, mountain, wood, and water, which let us deduct from the grosi OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. in gross number of acres, which pay rent, the re- mainder at the supposed valuation of 255. per acre, plantation measure, the average of the cultivated lands, will produce the gross rent of about 209,000/. \ This calculation has been tried different ways and found nearly to agree, by striking off the probable superficial waste, and uncultivated spots, whether from sterility or local circumstances, as water, &c. by computation of the allowed population propor- tioned to the number of acres, and by the reports of the statistical surve} T s of counties bordering on Armagh. Let the reader view the waters and mountains, as laid down in the best maps of the counties of Ulster, or, if he is acquainted with the province, bring those wastes to his memory, and he will find that a deduction of one fifteenth in the superficial area of the county, not in profitable culture, will be nearly the proportion, and that 25s. per acre will be about the average rental of the occupying tenantry. Sect. STATISTICAL SURVEY Sect. 4. Landed Proprietors. Alphabetical abstract of the names of gentlemen, tyho have freehold property in Armagh, with the re- sidence of such as have houses in the county, specify- ing the barony, in which each property is situated. County at large. His Grace the Lord Primate. Barony of Armagh. A ? *. Proprietors Nav:ts % i, Blakely, Esq. Places of Pisidencit Anne-ville. OhstrvatUnt. 2, Charlemont, Earl No residence. 3, Close, Rev. Mr. Elm Park, 4, Cremorne, Viscount No residence. 5, Farnham, Earl No residence. ^These are the only freehold land own- ers in the barony of Armagh ; the re- Nmainder of the lands consist of church and college Vproperty. A great property under the college of Dublin, on which is a valuable mine. No. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. ft* Nt. Proprietors Names % Places of Residence, 6, Hickey, John, Esq. Tullamore. 7, Holmes, Esq. Hew Holland. 8, Johnston, — - Esq. Nappa. 9, Levingston, ■■ ■ ■ » ■ Esq. Armagh. 10, Maxwell, John, Esq. No residence. H 9 , Rev. Henry Ditto. j 2, , Robert, Esq. Elm Park. 13, M'Can, Robert, Esq. Armagh. 14, McCartney, — Esq. Rosebrook. 15, M'Gough, Joseph, Esq. near Armagh. 16, Perry, — Esq. Armagh. 17, Scott, —Esq. near Armagh. iS, Simpson, — Esq. near Armagh. Ohervat'Sir, These ttrcc ( prietors hold an immense estate un- 'der the college of Dublin. Barony of Turenny. Places of Rtsidenee, Qhstrvation:. Bondville. No residence. Ditto. Ditto Gcsford. 6, Hamilton, Robert, Esq. No residence. fA minor, his seat in the occupation of Mr. Burgess. No. No* Proprietors Names, 1, Bond, — Esq. 2, Caledon, Earl 3, Charlemont, Earl 4, Cross, — Esq. 5, Gosford, Viscount •24 STATISTICAL SURVEY No. Proprietors Names % Placet of Residence, Observations. Purchased by Doc- tor Sterne, and be- queathed by him to trustees for certain charitable uses. No residence. No residence. !This seat in the, occupation of Cap- tain Waring, Churchhill. I, Middleton estate 9, Pringle, — - Esq 10, Steele, — Esq. ix, Strong, Rev. Mr la, Verner, — Esq. Barony of O'Neiland West. 3?o. Proprietors Names, Plates of Residence, Ohstrvationtt 1, Ashmur, — Esq. Newry. 2, Brownlow, W. Esq. Lurgan, 3, Charlemont, Earl No residence, !This seat in the occupation of Co* loael Cope. 5, — — , Colonel Ditto. 6, Dungannon, Viscount, No residence. 7, Forbes, — Esq. Ditto. 8, Harden, — Esq. Harrybrooki 9, Hardy, — Esq, Drammart. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 125 Observations, Nt, Proprietors Names t 10, Kelly, — Esq. 11, Lawson, — Esq. 12, Marks, — Esq. Places of Residence t Armagh. 13, M'Craight, — Esq. New Grove. 14, M'Gough, — Esq. near Armagh. 15, Molesworth, A. Esq, Fairlawn. 16, Molyneux, Sir CapelBt. Castle Dillon. *7> i T. Esq. No residence, 18, Newton, — Esq. Ditto. 19, Obins, — Esq. Portadown. 20, Obre, — Esq. Clantelew. 21, O'Donnell, —Esq. Summer island. 22, Richardson, W. Esq. Richill. 2$) Shields, — Esq. Hockley, 24, Verner, -— Esq. Churchhill. 25, Wakefield, —Esq. No residence. 26, Workman, Miss Mahon. f Now called Waw. 1 kenshaw's grove Barony of CFNeiland East. No. Proprietors Names, Places of Itesi'enct, I, Blacker, Rev. Dean, Carrick. 2} Brownlow, W. Esq. Lurgan. Observations. AV 126 STATISTICAL SURVEY No. Profntiors Natncs % Places of Res':Jente % Qbisrvatio;, 3, Burgess, — Esq. 4, Cope, ArchdalJ, Esq. 5, Cuppage, Colonel 6, Fivey, John, Esq. 7, Ford, James, Esq. 8, Grier, Joseph, Esq. 9, Hall, John, Esq. 10, Magennis, — Esq. Hi M'Veagh, — Esq. 12, Robinson, — Esq. 13, Sparrow, Colonel 14, Turner, — Esq. 15, Waddell, — Esq. Wood Park. Drummilly. Silverwood. Knocknamuekly, No residence. Eliza Hill. Lurgan. Waringstown, Lurgan. Lilo. Tanderagee. Newry. Springfield. Barony of Lower Orior N«. Proprietors Names, Places ef Residence, Qhervaticn:. j, Bell, —Esq. 9, Cope, Henry Esq. 3, Dawson, Colonel 4» De Salis, Count Pointz Pass* No residence. Clare Castle. J ^ the occupation I of Mr. Leigh. /* Inherits the estate __ ., \ ofLord Fane joint- No residence. •< . c J ly with the Earl of V^andwich. to; OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 127 No. Proprietors Names , Places of Rtsidcnct, QkstrvathnT. Hanna.-Esq.Re-l ActoB _ preservatives Esq. Re- 7 ives of J 6, Harden, — Esq. Harrybrook. Leyingston, Rev. Mr. | Q\^ t Representatives of j 8, Lofty, Win. Esq. 9, Macartney, — Esq. 10, M'ConweJI, — Esq. ii, More, — Esq. 12, Sandwich, Earl of No residence. 13, Sparrow, Colonel Tanderagee. No residence. MuIIavilly. Drumbanagher. /'Inherits the estate j of Lord Fane joint- j ly with the Count (j)e Salis Tanderagee, Barony of Upper" Orior. No. Proprietors Names y Places tf Residence, 1, Atkinson, George, Esq. Flour Mills. 2, Ball, — Esq. Crossmaglin. 3, Barton, Mrs. Forkhill Lodge. 4, Charlemont, Earl No residence. 5, Corry, Rt. Hon. Isaac Berrymore. 6, Courtney, — Esq. Southwark. 7, Hall, — Esq. No residence. 8, Jackson, Mrs. Forkhill. 9, Jones, — Esq. No residence. Observatitftf* m. 125 STATISTICAL SURVEY A T «. Proprietors Names^ Placet of Residence^ 10, Moore, — Esq. Drumbanagher. 11, M'Neale, J. Esq. No residence. 12, M*Neale, Neale, Esq. Jonesborough. 13, Needham, — Esq. No residence. 14, Seaver, — Esq. Heath Hall. 15, Turner, — Esq. Newry. 16, Whaley, — Esq. No residence. Cbitrvatient. ++0*+ Barony of Lower Fews. No. Proprietors Names , Places of Residence ', 1, Acheson, Hon. Col. Gosford. 2, Charleniont, Earl 3, Gosford, Viscount 4, Haywood, — Esq. 5, Reed, — Esq. 6, Synnot, Sir W. Bart 7, Vernon, — Esq. 8, Wilson, — Esq. Obstrvatifl*.* , No residence. Gosford. No residence. Ballymoier. Ballymoier Lodge. Hockley, now set to Mr. Shields. No residence. Barony of Upper Fexvs. No. Prtprlttors Namu y 1, Ball, — Esq. 2, Charleniont, Earl Places of Retidence t Crossmoglin. No residence. Ohstnatipnt. N: OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 129 ( Ditto. No. Prtprietors Names, Places of Residence, 3, Eastwood, F. Esq. No refidence. ^ Wj R ev John, Ditto. 5, Hamilton, Right Rev. Doctor, Bishop of Ossory, 6, Henecy, — Esq. 7, Hill, — Esq. 8, Kelly, Rev. Mr. 9, M'Can, — Esq. 10, M'Comb, — Esq. 11, M'Gough, — Esq. 1 2, M'Masters, — Esq. near Cullaville. 13, O'Callaghan, O. Esq. Cullaville. 1 4, Reed, Joseph, Esq. Jun* Ballymoier. Ditto. Ditto. Armagh. Carritt. No residence, near Armagh. Observations. CHAP. 30 STATISTICAL SURVEY CHAP. III. BUILDINGS. Slct. l. Public Buildings. TO the princely liberality of the late Lord Rokeby this county is indebted for the numerous elegant public buildings, that environ and adorn her metropolis, which, from his Grace's care and attention, may well be said to possess also the most elegant built streets, the best regulated police, and the most numerous advantages cf any inland town in Ireland. When we shall speak of the town in its proper place,* the public buildings wiil be particiv- larly described. The several towns and villages in the county have the general characteristic of neatness and pro- portion in their buildings, as will also be shewn in the course of the work. The * Sec Chap. 13. Sect. I. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 131 The churches throughout this county, and indeed through this whole metropolitan diocess, are ex- tremely well appointed, simple and chaste in their architecture, and display a lightness and elegance for which they are justly admired. Sect. 2. Houses of the Gentry. The magnificent palace erected by Lord Rokeby, during his primacy, being detached from the town and surrounded by a beautiful demesne, may be styled under this section, and is unquestionably the most magnificent building in the county. The majority of the most wealthy proprietors* houses are quite in the old style of architecture, and have been the castles of their day ; they are ge- nerally erected in low situations, under shelter of a hill; and the wealth, not the taste of, the pro- prietors, is exhibited in these bulky mansions. The erection of many of these are the covenants, by which the original proprietors enjoyed their grants ; they must have been considered in those times as magnificent edifices, and were so strongly fortified, as to leave no apprehensions of attack or surprise ; the apartments, however, possess all tha K 2 comfort n* STATISTICAL SURVEY comfort and convenience, for which antique buildings are remarkable. In the more modern mansions we see compactness, and a correct style of architecture, but few of them are on a large scale; they will, however, bespoken of in another part of the work. Sect. 3. Farm-houses, and Offices. This description of buildings ranks in the middle class, between the gentleman's house and the cot- tage, and, strictly speaking, is scarcely to be found in this county. The more industrious, yet less wealthy occupier than the gentry, in other coun- ties, is the respectable farmer, who acquires his property by the pursuit of husbandry ; but here, this middle class is engaged in the linen business ; we cannot call his a farm house, 'tis more properly a manufactory ; agriculture is but a secondary con- sideration, and he will not be encumbered with more land in his own occupation than is necessary for his business. The habitations of this respectable class may be more justly ranked under the head of the preceding section ; and to such houses arc an- nexed excellent and commodious offices, besides all the necessary buildings for conducting their works, mills, &c. % Sect. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 133 Sect. 4. Manufacturers' Houses, and Cottages. These habitations, of the better kind, are similar to the small farm-houses in other counties, and are generally confined to a ground floor ; the apart- ments consist of a kitchen, dairy, and perhaps se- veral small bed-rooms, and a workshop. It is to be regretted, that the sedentary employment of the weaver has been rendered still more unwholesome by his being obliged to shut up so many windows and chimneys of his house to evade the taxes. Ground floors particularly require ventilation and frequent fires in the apartment, but in many of these cottages there is no admittance of air but through the door. Such defects might be remedied, to the better health and comfort of the manufacturer and pea- sant, and, perhaps, to the improvement of the re- venue ; the partial repeal could not hurt these taxes, as the people deprive themselves of the light and necessary air rather than submit to the imposition. The offices of this description of houses consist of a cow-house, stable, and pig-st} r , generally under one roof, thatched with straw, and the walls of mud. The cottage is also thatched, but the walls are built of stone and mortar. The 134 STATISTICAL SURVEY The wealthy weavers have all their houses of stone, and the apartments fully correspond with the engaging and neat exterior, and are remarka- ble for comfort and cleanliness. Bog oak is esteemed very much for roofing, but in many places the country affords so little tim- ber, that the}' are obliged to use foreign deal, which comes very expensive. The miserable hovel of the lowest class, which so often wounds our feelings in other parts of Ire- land, is scarce!)" to be seen here, nor does that squalid poverty or filth disgust the traveller, which more southern provinces too often display, and which is perhaps less to be found in Armagh than in any other county in Ulster. The meanest hut has something of neatness to recommend it; almost in every one the exterior is white-washed, and the roof well thatched, with a neatly enclosed little gar- den, affording abundance of esculent vegetables, and 'also a pleasing relaxation from the sedentary labours of the loom. Happy country, whose very peasantry feel the blessings of independence, resulting from their own honest exertions ; whose labour is not bestowed on an ungracious soil, or a precarious manufacture, and is sweetened with the hopes of sure reward, which, when gained, is not lavished in idleness or dissipation, but wisely applied to the encrcasing the OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 135 the comforts, and advancing the respectability and independence of a well civilized and industrious community. On reviewing the subject of this chapter, we will find the public buildings elegant and commodious, the mansions of proprietors, in general, more of the antique ostentatious style than of modern or chaste architecture ; the houses of respectable gentry, more engaged in business, neat and well finished ; and the farm-houses, and cottages, indis- putably comfortable, cleanly, and well appointed, with the exception of a great privation of light and ventilation. CHAP t3* STATISTICAL SURVEY CHAP. IV. MODE OF OCCUPATION. Sect. 1. Size of Farms. THE soil being excellent, the pursuit of manu- facture, and the population very numerous, are the Causes of the small size of farms, which are of so little extent as to leave the average of the county at less than five acres. Industrious and wealthy people are fond of seeing their children early pro- viding for themselves; the various arts of the linen manufacture are easily acquired, even by children ; and young folks are, in this county, soon obliged to lend their labour, or are sent out, on their own account, to commence a livelihood ; a scrap of land is now the great desideratum for a cow's grass, and a garden, nor does the indulgent parent often refuse a portion of his own scanty plot, to ensure the comforts of the young people. Marriages are therefore OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 137 therefore encouraged, and take place very early ; this is by no means a secondary cause of the sub- division of farms, or of the great value of land. Proprietors find it in their account to let land in small parcels, as the weaver will pay for just what suits his own convenience, in the vicinity of a good market town, much more, than could be af- forded for a large farm, the rent of which is to be made by the business of agriculture. To these we also may add another cause, that the political interest of the proprietor is greatly en- creased in the county, though I must here do justice to the general spirit of independence in the electors of Armagh by remarking, that it must be some- thing more than extent of property, which will en- sure to the landlord the disposal of his tenants votes ; they feel the value of their franchise, and on these occasions frequently take the liberty of thinking for themselves, and deciding perhaps ex- actly contrary to the choice and interest of their landlord. Though the average size of farms is certainly small, yet there are some of large extent ; these are principally situated in the Fews mountains, and afford a good pasturage for young cattle, and this may be considered the second or the other kind of division. I speak not of demesne ground occupied b}' the gentry, nor of the tracts which bleachers occupy 15* STATISTICAL SURVEY occupy for their greens ; these, though numerous, are not subservient to the business of husbandry, cither in arable or pasture. The occupation of the first, or more numerous class, is merely for the raising of provisions for the people employed in the linen manufacture. The second, and but inconsiderable, is pasturage for young cattle. More minutely considering the former, the size of their farms seldom amounts to twenty acres, and often does not exceed one or two ; many of these far- mers are master weavers, and are styled manufactu- rers ; though they do not work at the loom, they em- ploy many weavers ; their time is occupied at market chiefly in procuring yarn for their journeymen, or disposing of their webs ; where a man of this de- scription settles, and is so fortunate as to get a few acres, he soon establishes a manufacturing village around him, with those families to whom he gives employment. Sect. 2. Character of Farmer \% As the pursuits of husbandry, exclusively oc- cupying the attention of the people, are scarcely to OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 139 to be found any where in tins county, it is difficult to point out the farmer unconnected with manu- facture. Under this head, therefore, we cannot distinctly speak of such a person. From early habits of industry, and the knowledge of the value of labour even children accumulate money, and feel a degree of independence ; and as money is the reward of labour, so it is more prized when acquired by industry ; thus, a knowledge of the world, and the value of various commodities are learned at a very early period, and, perhaps from this circumstance, more knowing and clever dealers are not to be met with than in this province. The many wise and strict regulations, which re- late to the linen business, and the impartial distri- bution of justice in its laws, defy dishonesty in a great measure, and it is rarely attempted in the various dealings of the trade. ; but a very strong propensity to a traffic in horse flesh generally pre- vails, and perhaps in no county in Ireland is jockey- ship practised with more extraordinary enterprize, shameless fraud, or greater success ; the knowledge of recipes for disguising the blemishes of this most generous and useful animal, the quickest and most injurious methods of what is termed getting him into condition, and the many cruelties practised to make him appear spirited and lively, are esteemed as invaluable nostrums, and are withheld from the nearest M o STATISTICAL SURVEY nearest relatives and neighbours with close and mys- terious secrecy, each jockey confiding in his own superior judgment and knavery, and the infallibility of his remedies. To disclose this valuable know- ledge, he considers, would be the same as furnish- ing his competitors, in the trade, with materials against his own interest. If this general abuse through Ulster may be of- fered in extenuation of any particular county, It is less excuseable, though in no place more gene- rally practised, than in Armagh. The people ought to be more honest, as being more wealthy, and better informed than their neigh- bours, and the increasing demand for the article of their trade leaves them totally independent of any secondary pursuit. So greatly has this mania raged here, that the ambition of acquiring an excellence in the art, or what they term a name, has actually been the in- ducement, rather than the profit which might arise k from the traffic. I mention it with regret, but truth compels me to remark this provincial disgrace, and it is strange, that the man, who with the most bare faced effrontery will endeavour to defraud his neighbour in this dealing, would not perhaps attempt an] imposition in any other, and with the most scrupulous exactness would refrain from OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. i 4 t from the infraction of all the exterior marks of re- ligious duties. Hence it may be concluded, that the transactions at fairs are not the most respectable. If the character of the people were to depend on the exposition of their dealings at such places, little could be said to their credit. Sect. 3. Rent. Rent is always paid in specie, where leases exist, Cottiers, who indeed are few, and the journeymen of manufacturers pay their rent in personal services ; as none but verbal covenants subsist with this latter description of tenants, they are only bound so long as it is their own and their employers' mutual pleasure or benefit. Some duties, which ought to be considered as rent, exist in leases at times, but are not exacted. The tenant should, however, un- derstand that a receipt for such is necessary, as well as for the rent in money, nor would a liberal land- lord, who scorns to exact these degrading relicks of the feudal system, refuse to give a receipt for them 3 or strike them out of the lease altogether. All i 4 2 STATISTICAL SURVEY All rent is paid in specie, which is a great emo- lument to the agent of a large estate ; he sells the gold to the linen merchant, at from two to three or four per cent in exchange, for bank notes, the entire of the linen trade being carried on with specie only. At fairs, or markets, the purchaser must pay in specie, or allow the discount, except there is a previous agreement that bank notes will be taken. Sect. 4. Tithes. A subject of so great importance, as should tend to any alteration or revolution in the church, should be touched with peculiar caution. It is complained, that animadversions on this subject have been too freely discussed in some of the Statistical Surveys, which have been already published. What I have offered to public consi- deration, was with diffidence and caution, to avoid giving offence, and indeed with great reluctance. But the subject of tithes being an article laid down by the Dublin Societv in their detail to be enquired into, it is the duty of the reporter to declare truths, and OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 143 and, in exposing errors, to point out remedies for their amendment. That in this system there are errors and abuses, very destructive to the real interests of agriculture, cannot be denied, and it should, however, be re- membered, that such errors are sanctioned by the laws of the land. When parties and troubles have subsided, it is to be hoped that the legislature will seriously think of correcting the evil, nor suffer the idle bugbear of the danger of the church by any amendment in this system to deter them from considering the subject. In the mean time, a fair and honorable compromise between the incum- bent and his parishioners, by an acreable assess- ment, would greatly lighten the burthen. Tithe- proctors would thus be dispensed with, nor would the poor man feel the effect of his griping avarice. I have seen many instances, where a reasonable composition ensured peace and harmony with the pastor and his flock ; in this case, the former is much better paid, and the latter scarcely feels the charge. Sect, [44 STATISTICAL SURVEY Sect. 5. Leases. Much of this county is held under church and college leases, -which of course are not freehold. Other properties are leased generally in freehold, for lives and years, or lives only. Twenty-one years, provided the incumbent's interest so long continues, is the term of church leases. Several leases of private property are for the term of twenty-one years, and one, two, or three lives ; thirty-one years and three lives are rarely granted. The more general term is for one life and twenty-one years, some few fcr a life, or lives only, and very few indeed are leased in perpe- tuity. Clauses in Lease*. The penalties are not insisted on, when there is any infraction of clauses; but the restrictions are not numerous, nor burthensome, even were they exacted. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 145 The most useful restrictive clause would be to prohibit alienation of lands if it could be effected, but great difficulties bar its operation. The in- terference of the middleman between the landlord and occupying tenant is universally allowed t© stand as a total eclipse between agriculture and im- provement. CHAP. H6 statistical survey CHAP. V. Implements. HITHERTO the implements of husbandry have been very few, and are only encreasing in demesne grounds. A light plough, harrow, and spade, only, are required to cultivate the lands. A wheel- barrow, and boxed car for carrying home turf and potatoes, or for putting out manure, make the sum of their farming utensils, all of the com- monest and most unwieldy shape. Those gentry, who have introduced improved implements of husbandry, will be mentioned in the baronial survey, thirteenth chapter. The Scotch plough seems very well adapted for this soil, and it is rather encreasing in repute, and, from the exact and peculiar formation of the mould- board, it is strongly recommended. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 14? The harrows are very light with short teeth, and are but poorly effective. I would recommend Mr. Christy's* farming ap- paratus, to be carefully inspected by amateurs. This gentleman's mechanical abilities are well cal- culated to make improvements in the art, which he has in no small measure fully evinced ; his modes of cultivation and management are ingenious and complete, and every implement of real use, or ■which tends^to diminish labour, is found in his farm- yard. Much of the labour is manual, as the farms are so small, and it is performed principally with the spade and shovel. Prices of Implements* £. s. d. Spade, - - » 0:6:0 Shovel, - - - 0:2:6 Fork, - - - 0:1:6 Plough, - - - 2:5:6 l 2 Harrow, * Mr. John Christy resides in the county of Down at Kircassock, just adjoining the county of Armagh, about two or three miles from Lurgan. 48 STATISTICAL SURVEY £> s. d, Harrow, - 1:2:9 Car with creels, and boxed, - 2:16: 10j Wheelbarrow, 0:11 : 4} Hay-rake, - 0:7:1 Handles for forks, shovels, &c. &c. 0:0:8 CHAP. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH, 149 CHAP. VI. INCLOSING, Sect. 1. Thorn fences, hedges. IN this well-civilized country the thorn fences are generally well taken care of, and look very neat and comfortable ; the smallness of the fields, and the numerous orchards which these close thorn- hedges surround, give a woody appearance, though actually but with few timber trees ; this holds through the civilized part of the county, and indeed even in the mountainous district we see such im- provements getting forward with more than gradual progress. Thorn fences are of all others the most desirable, affording shade, shelter, security, and profit; but before we attempt planting, our consideration should be directed to the nature of the soil, to know what plants 150 STATISTICAL SURVEY plants or shrubs are best suited to it. In moist soils the black alder is found to be superior to the willow, and also makes a good fence ; but it is erroneous, that it will not thrive in dry grounds also, as some writers have alledgcd. The alder will be very ea- sily propagated by layers, and the willow by plants raised in the nursery, and should be put out in winter ; if deferred till the spring, it will be diffi- cult to accomplish it with success. The shoots should be two years old at least before transplanting, and, to constitute a very ornamental fence, should be put in the ground in two rows, at opposite or con- trary directions, forming a diamond, or resembling the mesh of a net, and the tops secured together With plaited osiers ; this makes a very beautiful inclosure, and soon becomes a very firm and strong lasting fence. In all hedges to be planted, one matter should be kept in constant remembrance. If the hedge thrives slowly, and tends to decay when young, cutting the plants, to within an inch or two of the surface, will insure a quick and vigorous growth of shoots, which may then be trained to any shape or form. This operation ought never be delayed till the spring, by which time the buds should be shooting, and only a few leading ones suffered to remain on the stem, or they would otherwise be numerous and good for nothing. The culture of the OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 151 the white and black thorn is so well known as to render any thing on this subject superflu- ous, more than advising the young plants to be carefully weeded, and new and rich earth stirred in about the roots of the quicks ; but let us now consider their preservation, and the modes of re- newing those which have decayed. When the young quick is not of a vigorous appearance and looks dwindling, it should be immediately removed by a fresh one from the nursery ; but the great mischief or neglect, which prevents these hedges from coming to perfection, is the want of a temporary fence dur- ing their infancy, to protect them from cattle ; dead thorn stuck in the ground, and made firm, is the best preservative, and will hold good during the time the quicks will be arriving to maturity and hardihood. In planting thorn fences, it would be a matter of ornament, and of great profit, to inter- sperse crab-thorn at proper distances, which would be so valuable for cider, and its toppings useful for many purposes ; large gaps and openings in old thorn fences cannot be restored by young quicks, which will never prosper in such places ; I have seen old plants dug up, and transplanted into gaps with great success ; or, if the thorns at either side of the opening are long enough to meet, it is most adviseable to plash that part of the hedge ; this is too frequently but a slovenly operation, and when - the i$i STATISTICAL SURVEY the bough is nicked and laid, it is kept down only by the weight of a crumbling sod thrown lightly on it, which every rain diminishes ; the true way to plash thorn hedges is to procure sharp pointed stakes of about two feet long, tolerably strong and pointed at the end, with a crook at the head ; this crook should confine the branch, and the stake should be malleted into the bank of the ditch to a proper depth, after which a layer of good earth should be thrown on the surface, which has been previously stirred ; the elasticity of the branch is confined thus by the stake, not by the weight of earth, and from whatever small branches the mould will cover, new shoots will appear as from layers. Bryony is very destructive to young quicks, and r.oon choaks them, from the extraordinary size of its roots, the tendrils from them, and their enor- mous length. Bindweed is a so closely entangling plant, as to choak the shoot after it gets up, as also are several other injurious plants which ought to be carefully weeded out. Our limits will not allow a more minute enquiry into this subject, but the farmer should understand, that the great profit he would enjoy in early spring grass, and its preservation from the nipping frosts at this season, is produced from shelter ; and of no small consequence is the shade to his cattle in sum- mer ; OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 155 mer; the fruit, which may be yielded from a ju- dicious intermixture of cider trees ; the wood, which is afforded for various purposes of husbandry as well as for fuel ; the security of the crops from cattle or interlopers ; the warmth, the neatness, and comfort, which a well inclosed farm possesses, will always command an appreciation above its value, and insures character, respect, and applause to the farmer, who has it in his occupation. Sect. 2. Paling, This mode of fencing is rarely met in Ireland, though so generally practised in England. Perhaps its success is enjoyed from the better civilization of the people ; and so much greater is the reproach to magistrates and country gentlemen, who do not put the laws in force aud protect improvements. In many parts of England, where fuel is the scarcest and dearest article in life, we see these fences stand unmolested for ages, which here would not be left a single night. The great emulation in the spirit of improvement, which now so happily prevails, will only be successful by a rigid observance of the laws against defaulters. Park- 154 STATISTICAL SURVEY Park-paling is a very lasting and secure fence ; it may be objected to as not ornamental, but it pro- duces the desired purpose of inclosure immediately, and, if offensive to the eye, it is easily planted out of sight with quick growing ever-greens, which soon become a fence in themselves, if judiciously planted. Oak-paling is far preferable to all other kinds, and should, if possible, be procured, it being more lasting and far cheaper than any other, taking all circumstances into consideration. These pales should be cloven or sawed in thin scantlings ; if left thick, they become too heavy, and are apt to de- cay sooner; and it must be observed, that the tim- ber for this purpose should be cut in winter. I have in a preceding chapter shewn how this can be done without losing the bark. If the paling is high or above six feet, it becomes necessary to secure it at top by a rail fashioned in a triangular shape, so as to let off the rain. Low paling has a rail about the centre, but this receives the wet and hastens its decay, and some palings are made without any rail, but are drove deep into the ground, and placed close together ; this is an expeditious mode of fencing, and, where the soil is not stony, is made with little expence ; it has also the advantage of being either temporary or lasting, and is often used as a shelter and pro- tection OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 15s tection for a young plantation, till it is arrived at sufficient maturity. A well constructed paling will hold good for fifty years, and there is no fence so cheap. Sect. 3. Walls. For security, shelter, and duration, walls are, of course, to be preferred to all other modes of in- closing, but the great expence of these works is the best argument against their adoption. A cheap kind of wall, which is easily reared up, and is seen in several parts of England, is termed a dyke ; this consists of two slight walls of dry stone, or sometimes mortared, about three or four feet asunder at bottom, and about one at top, and five or six feet in height ; the intermediate space is filled with earth ; this fence, if not made with judgment, will be apt to crumble, burst, and decay, and excepting that the stones are convenient to be picked off the ground to be inclosed, they are hardly worth the cost of drawing ; but dykes made of rushy sods are very durable, as they can be cut square with exactness, and laid regularly like brick- work, one sod covering the opening of the two underneath it, and projecting so as to throw off the 156 STATISTICAL SURVEY the drop, and prevent bursting ; this is made still more secure by digging a small ditch at either side of the dyke, which gives it additional height in pro- portion to the depth of the ditch, and prevents cattle from injuring it ; the clay from this ditch may be thrown into the trench, which was made to procure the mould for the centre of the dyke, but the ditch cannot be made with safety till the dyke is com- pleted ; this fence will remain good for forty or fifty years ; even cottage walls are formed in this man- ner, and are very warm. It must be observed, that this mode of fencing will not afford the same warmth or shelter to the land, which will be acquired from a hedge ; the expence of this dyke* will, exclu- sive of the ditches, amount to about sixpence the running perch. Dry walls judiciously built, coped or sodded at top, and dashed, are a cheap and lasting fence, but, where a gateway is left, there should be a pier built with lime-mortar and good stone. I have seen dry walls in England, through which, as the work ad* vanced, mould and mat-rooted grass-seeds were scattered, and creeping plants sowed with them, which had soon taken root, and held the wall as strongly together as any cement, besides having a very pleasing effect. Sect. * For a ?ery minute account of dyking, see Doctor An- derson's Essays on Agriculture. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 157 Sect. 4. Water Fences. No species of fencing is more useful, or necessary to be properly understood than this mode ; rivers are generally excellent boundaries, and it is a mat- ter of much moment to secure their banks from the violence of their streams in times of flooding. To prevent accidents of this kind, the surest way is to cut down the bank like a glacis, sloping towards the bottom, and to plant mat-rooted grasses thereon. An inclined paling at the top of the bank would effectually bar intruders of every description, and the earth gained in the paring would be worth the expence, as the banks of rivers are generally of a very rich loam, or vegetable mould ; this is the properest kind of manure for young quicks set in the breast of ditches. Perpendicular banks will be gradually undermined, as they resist the violence of floods ; earth softened with water will naturally crumble, and be washed away, nor does it require the force of floods to sap it ; its own weight brings it down. Breast-works of stone are often used in rapid streams, but these are expensive, and by no means equal to resist floods; whereas, if the fiaggers, rushes, and aquatic grasses once i 5 3 STATISTICAL SURVEY once strike root, they form a firm and everlasting barrier to floods, which can by no means injure them. Sect. 5. Ditches. Ditches, wet or dry, are seldom judiciously made ; for security and cheapness, these fences are very proper ; the great mistake is in forming the banks perpendicular ; where water is stagnant, or of very slow course, that bank may be perpen- dicular, which is no higher than the surface of the field, though it would be better to have a small inclination to widen towards the top ; but it is very necessary, that the other bank should be much in- clined, on account of the materials of which it is composed ; these are the scourings of the drain, which of course are very moist, when thrown up, but, when baked in the sun, have great durability ; for this reason the bank should be raised very gra- dually, and left to harden, before too much of this wet stuff is heaped together, which otherwise will burst or fall down with every rain, and require con- tinual repairs ; this fence answers a two-fold pur- pose, being also an excellent drain for wet land, and should be kept scoured and dragged oc- casionally OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 159 casionally of aqueous plants and grasses, which in- terrupt the drains, and in still water will soon appear. These fences may be made very ornamental by quicking the breast of the ditch, but a good vege- table mould should be the bed for the quicks ; they will not thrive in the hard baked clay, of which the bottom of these diches is composed. Sect. 6. Gates. In this fine country, 'tis a pity that so few of these ornamental and useful improvements are seen ; the expence is complained of as the cause of this neglect, Gates made of the heaviest and most valuable timber are generally the soonest destroyed ; their own weight pulls them down, and the weather has great influence in swagging, splitting, and warp- ing such timber. The lighter the gate the better, if well put to- gether so as to preclude the rain from the mortices and joinings; I never saw better gates than some, which had been made of lime-tree, and were full twenty years in use 5 light gates, of good workman- ship 160 STATISTICAL SURVEY ship and well painted, will stand double the time of those made of more expensive and weighty ma- terials. If the farmer cannot procure other timber than oak or ash, he should make his gates in pairs, and never use such timber in long swinging gates ; the clapping of these weighty bodies tears open the mortices, and quickly destroys the work. I have seen gates of oak and ash, which were very well put together, with diagonals dove-tailed through every bar ; but they did not stand one year, fromjthe causes already assigned. Taking a general review of the fences and modes of inclosing throughout Armagh, they are found little inferior to those in any other count)'-, and su- perior to a great many. The well cultivated and populous districts, which occupy much the greater part of the county, are rendered extremely com- fortable and secure in this respect, j Sunk fences are only to be met in demesne grounds, and are well adapted for such places, and very profitable, as the ground is in use to the brink ; they are peculiarly estimable, as forming the necessary bounds without obstructing prospect, in- terrupting the natural inclination of the surface, or interfering with its beauties. PART OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 161 PART IT. CHAP. VII. AGRICULTURE. Sola res rustica, quse sine dubitatione proxima et quasi eonsanguinea sapientias est, tarn discentibus eget quam ma- gistris. Columella de re rustica. PRELIMINARY REMARKS. THE subject of this chapter being a direct reply to the Suggestions of Enquiry, stated immediately preceding the first chapter of the work, I shall, for the satisfaction of the Dublin Society, recite the Parochial Queries, as given in the second priiited detail of enquiry. By the numerals, which are sub- joined to each query, is meant the reference to that section in the. following or the preceding chapters, wh- i6* STATISTICAL SURVEY where such query is considered and replied to. I have adopted this mode for conciseness, as the pa- rochial enquiry in so many instances agrees with the original general printed detail ; in most parts of the county the same answer will hold good throughout, and where there is any material altera- tion it will be remarked ; it would be a tircso7?ie tau- tology to reply to each query, in both details generally and parochially also, and would swell this book to a useless size. I need not obserce that the following sections of this chapter are those which are set clown in the. Suggestions of Enquhy, commencing at the head of agriculture, immediately preceding the first chapter of the WM This mode will also have the good effect of pointing out to those gentlemen or farmers, who are well ac- quainted with the local state of the county, whether there are errors and omissions in reply to such que- ries, and will of course afford them but little trouble in correcting for a future and perfect edition, which, in such a work, can only be accomplished by joint endeavours, and never by the labours of an individual, who can do little more than point out a system for its more easy adoption, and compile and select from the many opinions necessary for its completion. Parochial OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 163 Parochial Queries suggested by the Dublin Society, 1. ' WHAT is the nature of the soil, whether flat or hilly, and how supplied with water ?— See Chap. 1. Sect. 6. 2. Are the estates large or small, and are the proprietors resident or absentees? — See Chap. 2. Sect. 1. and 4. Chap. 10. Sect. 11. 3. Are there any held by perpetual leases ?— See Chap. 9. Sect. 5. 4. Who are the proprietors of the estates ? — See Chap. 2, Sect. 4. Chap. 10. Sect. 11. 5. What is the most common size and rent of farms ?— . See Chap. 2. Sect. 3. Chap. 4. Sect. I. and 3. Chap. 9. Sect. I, 1 6. For what term are farms usually let, or what peculiar clauses or covenants are there in their leases ? — See Chap. 2: Sect. 2. Chap. 4. Sect. 6. Chap. 9. Sect. 4. and 6. 7. What may be the general size of fields, and how are they inclosed ? — See Chap. 9. Sect. 9. 8. What is the common course of crops and the mode of preparation for them : and whether there are any of such crops as are not commonly cultivated in this country ? — See Chap. 7. Sect. 1. and l. 9. What is the usual process in breaking up grass land to tillage, and in laying down to grass ? — See Chap. 8* Sect. 7. M 2 tq. 1 64 STATISTICAL SURVEY 10. What is the usual proportion of each kind of grain and fallow on a farm ? — See Chap. 7. Sect. 3. 11. How much land is usually allotted to potatoes, by each farmer ? — See Chap. 7. Sect. 3. 12. What is the average produce of each kind of grain and of potatoes ? — See Chap. 7. Sect. 2. 1 3. What manures are made use of, to what crops chiefly applied, and in what quantities? — See Chap. 1. Sect. 6. Bog and Moor, and Chap. 9. Sect. 13. 14. Is draining practised, and how is it performed ? See Chap. 9. Sect. 12. 15. What sort of implements are in general use, and whe- ther threshing-mills have been erected, or any improved im- plements adopted ? See Chap. 5. and Chap. 7. Sect. 5. 1 6. Are there any oxen employed in draught, and do they work in collars or yokes ? See Chap. 7. Sect. 4. 1 7. What may be the number of working cattle in propor- tion to the size of the farm ? See Chap. 9. Sect. 8. 18. What number of milch cows ? See Chap. 8. Sect. 10. 19. Is there any artificial green food raised either for the summer or winter use of cattle, and are they housed in win- ter ? See Chap. 7. Sect. 7. 20. Is red clover generally sown, and how is it applied ? See Chap. 7. Sect. 7. 2 1 . What proportion does the grass land bear to that un- der tillage, and how is it chiefly applied ; whether to rear- ing, or feeding, or to meadow ? See Chap. 8. Sect. I. 22. Is any attention paid to improving the breed of black cattle, sheep, or swine, and by whom ? See Chap. 8. Sect. 2. 23- OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 165 23. If there be any dairy farms, of what extent are they, and what is their average produce per cow ? — How is the butter disposed of? See Chap. 8, Sect. io. 24. What is the mode of hay-making, and are the mea- dows cut early or late ? See Chap. 8. Sect. 9. 25. Have the farmers comfortable houses, convenient offices, and stands for their corn stacks ? — and have they any orchards? See Chap. 3. Sect. 3. and Chap. 9. Sect. 2. 26. What sort of cottages do the poor inhabit, and how much land is there commonly allotted to each ? See Chap. J. Sect. 4. and Chap. 10. Sect. 3. 27. What are the wages of labourers, and what rents do they pay for house, garden, potatoe land, and the grass of cows ? See Chap. 10. Sect. 4. 28. What is the common fuel, and the expence of it ? See Chap. 10. Sect. 4. 29. Are habits of industry, and the English language, well established or increasing among the lower classes ? See Chap, 10. Sect. 25. 26. 30* How are tythes paid, in kind, or by composition ? — and what are the usual rates of each species ? See Chap. 4. Sect. 4. and Chap. 10. Sect. 5. 31. W T hat manufactures are there, and to what extent are they carried on ? See Chap. 10. Sect. 14. 32. What number of looms in the parish ? See Chap. 10. Sea. 4. 33. Do they increase or diminish ? See Chap. io. Sect. 14. 34. 1 66 STATISTICAL SURVEY 34. Are there any woods or extensive plantations or hedgerows, of what kind of trees do they chiefly consist, and what is the price of timber ? See Chap. 1 . Sect. 6. Woods, and Chap. 10. Sect. 17. 35. How many acres under timber? See Chap. I. Sect. 2. 36. Is there any nursery, and where? See Chap. 10. Sect. 20. 37. Are there mines of any kind near you, and are they worked to any effect ? See Chap. 10. Sect. 32. and Chap. 12. Sect. i. 38. Are there quarries of limestone or of freestone? See Chap. I. Sect. 7. Minerals. 39. Are there any bogs or tracts of waste land which are capable of improvement ? See Chap. I. Sect. 6. Bog and Moor, and Chap. 10. Sect. 22. 40. What is the population and number of inhabitants in your parish ? See Chap. 1 o. Sect. 1 . 41. What number of houses? See Chap. 10. Sect. 1. 42 . Have they increased or diminished of late ? See Chap. 10. Sect. 1. 43. If there be any ruined towers, castles, monasteries, or other ancient buildings or remarkable places near you, what historical or traditional account is there of them ? See Chap. 10. Sect. 27- 44. Are there any mills, and of what kind ? See Chap. 10. Sect. 16. 45. What quantity of corn may each manufacture yearly upon an average? See Chap. 10. Sect. 16. 46. Are the roads in good repair ? See Chap. 10. Sect. 7. 47- OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 167 47. Is there a church— or glebe — , and where does the clergyman reside? See Chap. 1. Sect. 4. and Chap. 10. Sect. 28. 48. Are there any schools, and how endowed ? See Chap. 10. Sect. 10. 49. Are they well attended ? See Chap. 10, Sect. 10. 50. Is there any thing particular in the parish ; or any remarks or improvements you would suggest ? See Chap, ia.' Sect. 1. Mode of Culture. The mode of culture in this county is either with the plough and harrow, or with the spade ; much land is tilled with this latter implement, as the farms are so very small, and of these little por- tions a sufficient spot must be assigned for the cows maintainance. This tillage is of course well performed, as ploughs, and all the improvements made thereon, tend to the important purpose of reducing the soil to a proper tilth, which no other implement but the spade has yet effectually an- swered. To adopt this mode of culture, in larrre farms, would be too tedious and expensive, but it should be considered that, where the soil is well dug, and the particles of earth properly separated, so as to afford new focd for plants, the less manure will be required. Vegetable 16$ STATISTICAL SURVEY Vegetable or green crops impart to the soil a rich- ness, which, with a due proportion) of tilth and ma- nual labour, will yield more abundantly than rich manures or a slovenly and ill ploughed field. But tillage' must be assisted by manures in some cases. In strong heavy land, judicious manuring will more easily render it friable, and divide and separate the clods, than any course of tillage ; with- out this crumbling of such a soil, the roots of plants will not be able to penetrate it, and must perish : on the contrary, in light land, from its being so ex- tremely porous, we find the same defect : manures of a binding quality must here be applied, which will have the same effect as pressure, closing the pores ; hence we often find, that virtues imparted to the soil from manures are from mechanical prin- ciples rather than from any other causes; substances, whrch have no putrescence, will, by opening the soil, answer purposes on stiff clay, which the rich- est stable manure will not in the least benefit. The mode of culture therefore in this county is judicious, as the spade, the plough, and har- row, are certainly capable of receiving great im- provement. Defects in the Plough, and remedies proposed. The sole is not straight, and the projection has a very mischievous tendency. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 169 The sole of the plough should be perfectly level, and not at all raised behind, or else a ridge of earth must remain undisturbed. The breadth of the sole is also too much, as it re- quires a greater force of cattle to draw it ; this she aid not exceed the track sufficient for a man or horse to walk, for which nine inches will be fully ade- quate, and the work will go on much brisker and with greater ease. The Scotch ploughs are shorter in the beam, but length of beam gives steadiness, though doubtless it encreases the draught. Expert ploughmen will work a Scotch plough so as to remedy its unsteadi- ness in our hands. Defects in the Harrow, and remedies proposed. It is ridiculous to suppose, that any one imple- ment, of this description, can answer all the various purposes, for which it is required, though how sel- dom do we find the farmer who has an idea, that one of a second form is requisite. It will engage but little reflection to determine, that no one instrument can be adapted to the various sorts of soil, or to so many purposes as this is found necessary for. Preparing the ground for seed and tearing the surface will require a more severe instrument, than in seed sowing, when it is to be presumed the ground i 7 o STATISTICAL SURVEY ground is reduced to a proper tilth. For the first of these purposes, the harrow used here is too light, the teeth are too close together, by far too short, and only skim the surface ; for the latter purpose, it is too heavy, and the teeth are too short, not laying the seed so deep as to preserve moisture, but ex- posing it to the sun which parches the surface. Double harrows are the best calculated to obviate these defects ; thin long teeth penetrate the soil, and lay the seed deeper ; when yoked evenly toge- ther, they work as one harrow of twice the weight, and are very steady. Harrows should be so constructed that no pin should follow the track of another, but each have a course of its own, and all work together. Treble harrows are well calculated for broad-cast husbandry, and have also the superior effect of intermixing top-dressings on ploughed ground, and reader the tilth finer than single or double harrows possibly can ; but the instrument termed the sciiffler answers the purpose still better than any other ma- chine I have seen ; it is now too well known and in too general use to require particular description. Sect, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 171 Sect. 2. Extent of culture, and of each species of grain sozved. This can only be conjectured, and not minuter- ascertained. The population we know to be great in an unprecedented degree, and we also are cer- tain that, although much corn is exported from this county, particularly wheat, yet scarcely any is imported, the soil yielding abundance for its nu- merous inhabitants. Wheat is a very general crop in the barony of Armagh, and also in O'Neiland, when the farms are larger than is necessary for the family's supply ; but the great crops throughout the county are of oats. Taking the average of the county, twelve barrels of oats, of fourteen stones to the barrel, are yielded from the statute acre ; eight of wheat, of twenty stones ; fourteen of barley, of sixteen stones 5 and 100 of potatoes, of twenty stones; flax will produce ninety stones clean scutched from the acre. To produce these crops, of wheat are sown about fourteen stones, oats] twenty-four, bar- ley sixteen, flax four bushels, and potatoes, from the various modes of seed and propagation, of no determinate quantity. Sect. 1 7 2 STATISTICAL SURVEY Sect. 3. Course of Crops. No system in husbandry is of so important a con- crm as that we are now to consider, nor is any so little understood or so grossly neglected. If the farmer reaps a crop not inferior to the usual return, he is contented, and supposes the soil has produced to the best of its ability ; he only sees his mistake when a neighbour of superior judgment or manage- ment surprises him with more abundant produce, from a proper mode of cropping. This error, which has so effectually retarded the science of agriculture, is pretty fully known and of course exploded in England, and in many parts of Ireland the change has been rapid and successful ; it is to be lamented, that a county, possessing so generous a soil, should not also have fair play and indulgence ; but as yet this new system is scarcely heard of here, and except by a very experimental gentry, has not been attempted. Happily the most certain conviction follows the trial, and en- sures a steady adherence to a system of such supe- rior excellence. The great principles, on which it depends, are a judicious mode of manuring, and a particular attention to removing weeds, which by the application of the hoe is accomplished, bringing new OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 173 new earth or food to the roots of those plants we mean to cultivate. Thus advantages are gained not only in the yielding of more luxuriant crops, but in the perpetual produce of these crops, and the system of fallowing is of course entirely exploded. . The introduction of a vegetable or green crop, between two corn crops, w T ill never reduce the soil, and, by exploding fallow, a dead year's rent is saved. We very well know, that some land has produced wheat two years successively of abundant crops, and perhaps the last superior to the first ; but this does not prove but that the land is the worse for such a course, and must be reduced in its strength. I, myself, have seen seven successive good corn crops taken from fresh ground, which had been high- ly manured with lime-stone gravel, but surely no one will say, but that land was unfairly dealt with, and might have had better management : the issue has proved it, for that farm, though laid down in apparent condition, and in the first season, was spread with white clover, and nice herbage, yet the following year, being dry, the grass wither- ed, nor ever after recovered, though profusely top-dressed ; when broken up again it would pro- duce no more corn, and it is now under a nursing with the culture of green crops, which is gradually restoring it to good condition. One 174 STATISTICAL SURVEY One certain objection to the new system, in Ire- land, is the general poverty of the farmer; his stock should be proportioned to his number of acres, to ensure a sufficiency of manure ; this in most case* is out of the question, through a deficiency of ca- pital. In this county this objection does not hold, the farms are so small ; in the stock of cows and calves, there is a sufficiency of manure to be ac- quired with proper management ; but a greater at- tention being paid to the loom, and the farm be- ing but a secondary consideration, makes as much against it as the other is in its favour. It must be by slow degrees, and by experience from the prac- tice of the gentry, and ocular demonstration of its superior excellence, that any new system will be introduced in a pursuit, which is not the main dependence. I am now to expose the erroneous course of crops practised in this county ; first, potatoes on a lea stubble ploughed, and manured with dung; second, flax, with spade culture; third, oats ; fourth, oats ; fifth, oats ; all prepared by two ploughings and two harrowings ; stubble left for cow pasture : another course, first, potatoes ; second, wheat, sowed im- mediately in the potatoe fallow, and alwa}'s trenched in ; third, oats ; fourth, oats, as before. Wheat, one ploughing only ; if the ground is very fine, after flax they sow a crop of barley with two ploughings and of the county of armagh. i* and barrowings, or oftener trench it ii. wards take two crops of oats. Clover is sown in small patches for summer soil, and this cannot be too strongly recommended ; the practice is gaining ground, and the country shopkeepers, who sell this article, acknowledge an encreasing demand for it. Oats are frequently trenched in. Xo other crops are sown here. In the vegetable garden much beans are sown for food, which is very salir after the long use of oatmeal, the during spring season ; this refreshing vegetable powerfully corrects effects of their late heating diet. The farmer will find his account in having cul- tivated a sufHciency of green food, such as turnips, tares, cabbages, ice. for the subsistence of his stock in the winter and spring, and their manure will be a constant source of treasure ; thus, the grand principle of improved husbandry, in restoring to the soil as much as possible that which it has yielded, is fulfilled. In the culture of these vegetable and revigoratinij crops, drilling in the seed is of course to be re- commended, as well as in corn sowing ; then hand or horse hoeing can follow with success, and the weeds be easily destroyed ; little more than half the quantitv of seed will be used to produce a superior crop on the same'quantity of ground, much less la- bour will be required, and another material ad- vantage 176 STATISTICAL SURVEY vantage which is annexed to this system is, that the most luxuriant corn crop cannot be laid down in bad weather. In this county, fallowing is scarcely known, the farms being too small, and ground too precious, to be ever unoccupied. The usual proportion of each kind of crops is as follows, supposing a farm of five acres, which is above the average of the tillage of the county. Acres. Acres. Potatoes l Potatoes 1 Flax i 4- Flax r 4 Wheat 3 or Oats - 1J Oats - 2 Grass 2 Grass 1 Acres 5 Acres 5 Thus, a portion of the potatoe ground of the pre- ceding season is always occupied with flax ; and sometimes wheat, or barley, is sown in the remain- ing plot. The oat stubble affords a good quantity of grass in the winter, as it is seldom ploughed till spring. In a farm of five acres, one is usually allotted to potatoes ; in eight acres, one and a half; and in ten acres, from two to three ; their policy being to give up as much ground as possible to this crop, that they may prepare so much for wheat, which OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 177 which almost always succeeds the potatoes, except that small portion of the potatoe fallow, which is reserved for flax. Sect. 4. Use of Oxen, how harnessed. These animals are scarcely at all used here ; farms are so small they would not answer, and a plough of cattle is easily made up by neighbour- ing farmers lending, or hiring their horses, for which they have constant employment, when not engaged in the field, as carrying their webs, yarn, &c. to market. When any of the gentry plough with oxen, which they rarely do, the draft is from the shoulder, and they are yoked with collars. A description of the draft from the forehead may be seen in my Statistical Survey of the county of Cavan, page 74. Sect. 5. Nature and use of implements of husbandry. The common ill-constructed Irish plough and harrow, as I have already shewn, are in general r use ; much work is done with the spade, and the n shovel, i 7 8 STATISTICAL SURVEY shovel, as they trench in most of their crops fof this use ; the shovel is square, and well adapted to the purpose. There is not one threshing machine in the county, and very rarely a hand winnowing machine is seen. These small farms cannot afford expensive implements, nor, where so little labour is necessary, are they requisite. The Argyleshire plough would answer well here, and is easily worked by two horses, it being equally adapted for deep and stony soils, with a small change of apparatus, which renders it a most useful implement. The roller is never used, except in demesne grounds, for laying down land ornamentally. The car is very badly constructed, and so evi- dently so, that a bar of iron is always secured under the body to keep the sides in their places. The slats arc very heavy, and morticed through the shafts, which reduce the strength of the shafts very OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 179 very much, and in this place they frequently give way ; if only the first and last slats were morticed through, and the others halved into the shafts, the car would be much stronger : on the whole, it is a clumsy, though cheap implement, not having more than about three and a half stone of iron work ; the cost of the wood work, wheels included, about twenty-eight shillings ; the whole cost about three pounds. I must observe two great defects in the plough : first, the want of a plate to the side ; from this defect the plough is alwa\ T s obstructed in the draft by the mould, which clogs this aperture, and passing through it frequently falls back : and, secondly, the mould board not being curved, the sod cannot be regularly laid down, and is fre- quently left so perpendicular as to fall back again; it is impossible to make a clear open furrow with this implement ; indeed, excepting where the ploughman guides the horses and holds the reins, a straight furrow will never be made ; a driver walking beside the cattle, his attention being taken up in setting each beast to his draft, cannot surely keep in a straight line. In irregu- lar furrows, the crop will lose the advantage of ventilation, which is secured to it by straight gjid even ploughing, n 2 The i So STATISTICAL SURVEY The Chain, or Small's plough, represented in the annexed cut, is the most easily worked of any, in soils free of stones. The slide car is used in some parts in the moun- tainous district. It is of the usual make, and shaped a common car without wheels, sliding on the s of its shafts, which are fashioned for that purpose, and shod with iron ; this car is used where the country is moist, and has not been drained : in such places, wheels would sink : it is used for carrying home potatoes, and taking out dung, which is loaded in a basket, or creel, fastened across the slats. The annexed plan of a harrow is well calculated fur gathering weeds, and cleaning land. yr7 " ^ In OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. iti In demesnes, where improved instruments are used, they will be noticed, when we speak of im- provements in the Baronial Survey, 13th chapter. Sect. 0. Markets for grain. There is not one extensive market for grain in the count}*, indeed little is reared for sale. His Grace, the present Primate, intends rebuilding the market-house of Armagh, and encouraging a wheat market ; and since I have been in the county, I understand that at Lurgan Mr. Brownlow's spirited exertions for the same purpose have had great success. Hitherto, merchants in the vicinity of the navi- gation, as at Newry and Portadown, have pur- chased all the extra corn of the county, except what was sold to the Armagh buyers, who had also a considerable share of the trade. The greatest clog on establishing markets for grain, is the high toll generally imposed ; it would be much better policy to abolish this custom, altogether ; when it is taken in kind, it becomes actual robbery, as a measure of corn, when the toll was first laid on, was not of the value of one penny, and the en- creased value of the same quantity may from many circumstances, at times, be worth several shillings. I have known this practice to ruin a market, which had been well established. Sect. i8s STATISTICAL SURVEY Sect. 7. Use of green food in winter* Green food is no where cultivated for cattle by the peasantry, except small patches of clover, which come In early, and last a good while. The gentry are slowly engaging in these crops. In the description of the management of their demesnes, their attention to this subject will be noticed. Sect. 8. General observations on the modes of Agriculture, as practised in the county y with remarks on drill husbandry. A proper and judicious rotation of crops, which would ever keep the ground in good heart and vigour, is not at all considered or understood. The soil is very grateful, and yields much more abundantly than in the neighbouring counties, which perhaps is sufficient to keep the farmer in ignorance of the errors of his practice. A due or regular preparation for culture is not attended to 5 the following is the general routine; Wheat OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 183 Wheat culture. 1st. Preparation. — Levelling the potatoe furrows, which sometimes get one harrowing, and on© ploughing, if the seed is sown broadcast } if two crops of potatoes have preceded this crop, a trifling application of ashes is scattered on the surface. 2d. Quality. — Principally red lammas wheat, and, as this seed is always produced from potatoe ground, it degenerates in quality, such land greatly injur-? ing the grain. In corn countries, wheat raised iu a potatoe fallow is depressed two shillings per barrel in value, and a judge of this grain will easily distinguish it. 3d. Steeping. — This is only used here to separate the good and bad grain ; the latter will always float on the surface, which is often done by win- nowing ; however, steeping is of more consequence, as it prepares the seed for vegetation very quickly, and is really necessary to nourish it in a dry season j but here it is not left sufficiently long in steep for this purpose. 4th. Liming. — -The seed is always well mixed with lime previous to its being sowed, but is seldom pickled with salt, which would more effectually prevent smut or the worm. 5 th. Seed. 1 84 STATISTICAL SURVEY 5th. Seed. Quantity sown. — The acre is statute, generally through the county, and to this por- tion of ground two and a half or three bushels are sown. I have heard skilful agriculturists argue for a greater quantity of seed, and that, the heavier the grain is sowed, the less room there is for weeds to spring up. If the principal desideratum is to raise the largest crop from a given quantity of ground, there must be some attention likewise had to the quantity of seed also, and if twenty shillings worth of seed can be saved on an acre of ground, surely it is of the first consequence. Drill husbandry will ensure this saving, rating wheat at forty shillings the barrel of 20 stones, ten stones of seed will be sufficient : by this mode, the weeds are more easily destroyed, and the produce of wheat threshed has been considerably greater. I remember having seen a field of wheat thickly sown on the principle of keeping down weeds, and which looked very pro- mising, but the crop was only productive in straw, and much under the average return of a middling crop in weight of grain. 6th. Time of sowing— Commences on the digging out of the potatoes, and is generally finished before Christmas ; few instances of a spring crop of wheat, but even in those few there have been ample yieldings. ] have seen wheat sown in the county of Kildare in August, and in the same field again in March, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 185 March, for experiment sake, and the latter sown crop was the best of the two, but near a month later in harvesting. 1th. Weeding and tramping. — When the crop is too rampant, they scratch it with a harrow, which they run over it a second time reversed, with a weight of stones on the top ; this process would be more effectually answered by the roller, but of this implement they make no use. I have seen sheep turned in on a rank crop of wheat in spring, which had been sowed in autumn, nor were they drove off, until the field seemed as bare and brown as a fallow, and the crop was of extraordinary yielding ; the soil was a very loose tilth and loam, and had been washed away from the roots of the plants by heavy rain ; the tramping of the sheep caused it again to plant, to which I attribute the good effects which followed, for the crop was afterwards full as rank when it arrived to the same height ; it was how- ever later than usual by a fortnight, which is a good argument in favour of late sowing on light loamy soils. Weeding is performed with a reaping hook, but this only cuts the weed, which is again in vigour by the reaping season ; the root in the mean time imbibes as much vigour and food as the corn ; such a crop cannot be said to be effectually weeded, but only clean to the eye. It is surprising that farmers 1 86 STATISTICAL SURVEY farmers will deceive themselves in this respect ; a wooden tongs, which has great power, would after rain effectually and very quickly pull up the weeds by the root ; by cutting with the hook, the seeds are shed after a second growth, before the corn is cut. 8t/i. Harvest. — Early sowings will be reaped against the beginning of September, and spring sowings seldom before October. The corn is generally left in the field in small stooks, until thoroughly seasoned, and seldom stacked but in the haggard. Much more depends on the situation or rather elevation of the ground, than on the climate in difference of harvesting. Corn crops on cold elevated exposed grounds will be always from ten to fourteen days later than those, which have the advantage of shelter. 9th. Threshing. — There are two modes practised ; one of them is termed slashing ; this is done without opening the sheaf; the slasher holds the butt of the sheaf in both hands, and strikes the head of it against a bar, placed horizontally for that purpose. This is a very good method, as a sufficiency of grain is procured for any purpose very quickly, without damaging the straw, which may be again stacked in sheafs as before, and kept fresh for winter fod- der, and then what grain remains is to be finally threshed out with the flail. 10th. Produce — OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 187 I0tb. Produce*— Must depend on the nature of the soil, and the mode of culture ; there are few wheat soils in the county but, with proper ma- nagement, would average ten or twelve barrels of twenty stones per acre : the present average scarce- ly exceeds eight, which, at fortv shillings per bar- rel, will leave its value at sixteen pounds sterling. BARLEY CULTURE. 1st. Preparation. — When the ground has lain a year idle, it is ploughed three times, and, if not in heart, is manured with dung, lime, or ashes ; the grain is sometimes sowed on a potatoe fallow, and trenched in with the shovel. 2d. Sort.— There is little choice as to the sort, the two or the four rowed barley being impar* tially or accidentally used ; from their ignorance in dressing the latter kind, the malster makes a heavy deduction from the gross weight, which is an imposition. 3d. Seed. — The quantity of seed is about two hundred weight per acre, and in some places even three hundred weight, which is an enormous waste, and always succeeded by bad management, lodging of the crop, &c. 4th. Time of sowing. — This must vary according to the state of the ground ; but, as the soil is sound, and i83 STATISTICAL SURVEY nnd rain makes no great impression on it, the seed is got in generally about the beginning of April ; the genial showers in this month afford a due degree of moisture for vegetation, which now is necessary. This grain is usually, and very properly, trenched in. 5th. Weeding. — This operation is performed, as on the wheat crop, by nipping the weed with the hook, which will soon sprout again. 6th. Harvest. — -The general reaping of barley is in the month of September. It remains stooked in the field until dry, when it is brought home, and stacked in the haggard. 7th. Tkres/wig— Is all performed with the flail, in the common way, and paid for by day's work. 8th. Produce. — New well-tilled land will yield from sixteen to twenty barrels, of sixteen stones to the barrel. They seldom sow barley in this county, but in nice, well-prepared land. The average re- turn may be fourteen barrels to the acre, in the ba- ronies of Armagh, O'Neiland, and Lower Orior, but much less in the other districts. The average value of an acre of barley, in this county, will be about 15/. sterling, at one shilling per stone. OAT OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. i*o OATS CULTURE. 1st. Preparation. — For this hardy grain there is no regular preparation, and seldom more than one ploughing; nor is this thought of, until just befor« seed sowing, so that the stubbles may yield pas- turage as long as possible, which they are but badly supplied with in spring. Oats sown from the lea are seldom attempted here. Potatoes mostly engross the lea crop ; and the sod is better prepared by rot- ting for a corn crop. They seldom have occasion to manure for this crop, the ground being in good heart after potatoes, except two or three crops have previously been taken ; in this case, they manure the surface with a compost of lime, dung, clay, or ashes. In moist light ground it is trenched in ; in sound warm land, sowed broadcast. 2d. Sort. — In their best land they sow white Poland oats, and white Holland; in the mountainous dis- trict, black oats, and sometimes white oats on limed ground. When white oats are sown on the moun- tainous parts, which have not been previously ma- nured and drained, they will degenerate into a black grain in two or three seasons. This grain will not make so bright meal, and has a much greater hull, and quantity of offal. The white oats are the ear- liest ts>o STATISTICAL SURVEY* liest ripe; the white Holland come in sooner than the Polish ; the black oats have the advantage over the other two kinds, in not easily shedding, if cut before they are fully ripe, and left to ripen in the stook. 3d. Seed. — About twenty-two stone to the English, or twenty-eight to the plantation acre. 4th. Tiyne of sowing — Is generally a month or five weeks before barley, or as early in the spring as they can be got in. 5th. Weeding — In every respect the same as mentioned in the wheat and barley culture. 6th. Harvest. — This seldom begins before the second or third week in September; it is earliest in places where there is a limestone soil. A statute acre of oats may be cut by five men, and bound by as many women. This grain also remains in stooks in the field ; and what quantity the farmer may judge is over his probable demand, is frequently sold in the stook, and rates from is. to Is. 4d. per stook. This grain is kept longer on the ledge than any other; and it is said that it improves in quality by this mode, after it is perfectly dry. 7th. Threshing. — All done by the flail, and fre- quently paid for by task- work. A good thresher will earn sixteen-pence per day. 8th. Produce. — Frequently, on well-tilled good land, the produce will exceed twenty barrels of four- teen OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 191 teen stones. The average of the count}- is considered about fourteen barrels to the acre ; but I suppose this calculation to be short of the actual return. The average value of an acre of oats may be about $/. per acre, at ten-pence per stone. 9th. Manufacture. — The grain, being ground into meal by water or wind-mills, is divided into two kinds, the coarse, and fine; the former for boiling with water into that strengthening dish called stir- about, which is commonly used at breakfast. This dish is, however, declining, as manufactures are en- creasing, and the people more wealth}- ; they are, of course, more inclined to indulge in tea breakfast, as is usual with all tradesfolk. In this case the fine meal is kneaded with water into thin cakes of bread, baked on the griddle, and eaten with butter. Oatmeal is also used at the dinner meal, and is often boiled with meat, or stewed with vegetables, which correct the humours stimulated by this strong and heating diet. This the people are sensible of, and their little gardens are well stocked with vege- tables, particularly beans, cabbage, and sallad. POTATOE CULTURE. 1st. Preparation. — The old lazy-bed way is the usual mode of planting ; the dung being spread on the surface, the breadth of the intended ridge,- the seed 192 STATISTICAL SURVEV seed is laid thereon, and a trench dug at either side, the clay from which is thrown upon the seed ; the culture is just the same, whether on grass ground or stubble, or in high or low land, but that grass land is rich .enough to require no manure. Judi- cious farmers will plough up their stubble fields for potatoe culture before seed time, which will well repay the expence. It has been observed that, however expensive the laz}*-bed mode is, yet, in no instance, are crops produced of better quality, though they may be ex- ceeded in quantit}-. Several farmers now begin to drill in their pota- toes, which they acknowledge to be a less expensive and more abundant mode. The various methods of raising the potatoes from scoops, cuttings, and sets, have been severally tried with various success, but the old method is in most estimation. Potatoes are twice covered with the spade, and twice when sowed in drills, but the latter mode, in this respect, has the advantage ; the plough with- out mould boards passes up the centre of the fur- row and loosens the soil, the mould boards are then set on, and at both sides the loosened soil is thrown up. In the lazy-bed way, it will require twenty men to plant an Irish acre, and but three men and two horses to sow it in drills, or the value of the labour OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 193 labour of five men altogether ; the saving is ma- nifest of fifteen men's labour, and of manure at least one half. 2d. — Seed — quantity sown. If the lazy-bed way is adopted, about 200 stones of fourteen pounds are sowed to the Irish acre ; in the drill husbandry, rather less than half that quantity. Let the ad- vantages of the drill in the several stages be com- pared with the lazy-bed process, and the profit in every instance is in favour of the former, full two to one. 3c?. — Sort. — The potatoe in general use here, is the early white, the black, and the Cork-red ; but, though the land is Unquestionably good, there must be a defect somewhere, either in the seed or culture, as the quality is in general inferior and of a diminutive size. In Munster, such potatoes would not be stored for the food of man ; that superior potatoe, the apple, which is so little cultivated here, is there in general use, and, after the early po- tatoe is exhausted, excels all other kinds for hold- ing good the longest time of any other species, for dryness, and for possessing more farina and con- siderably more weight than any other kind. The English red potatoe is coming into estimation in this country; the produce is superior to that of any other kind in poor land, but this potatoe is glutinous, and i94 STATISTICAL SURVEY grows very strong and rank after three or four months. The black potatoe is fruitful, and, I think, keeps better than any other kind, in general use, in this country. The apple potatoe requires both good ground, and rich manure, but it will well repay all ex pence. 4th. — Time of planting. — From March to the latter end of May, in uplands, and from May till the middle of June, in moist or boggy soils. In this kind of soil, potatoes are often planted to change the seed, which, from long sowing in up- land, will degenerate, and this effectually answers the purpose. 5th. — Digging out. — From the latter end of Oc- tober until the beginning of December, those sowed m the lazy -bed way are taken out with the spade, the drilled potatoes with the plough ; the labour of forty men is required for digging out one acre ; for the latter, two horses, the ploughman, driver, the pickers, and four men, to break and toss the clay, and separate it from the potatoes with their spades or forks. The saving in this mode is as great as in planting, as six men and two horses accomplish the work of forty men. 6tk. Preserving. — This is more commonly by heaping them into the cabin, than by placing them in pits in the field ; it is a very slovenly method and OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. ioj and often occupies the room of two looms, always crowding the house. I cannot learn their reason for this practice, as their ground is so sound and dry they could be as well preserved in pits, here, as in any other part of Ireland, General hints on potatoe culture. As potatoes are liable to be nipped by frosts, this can be prevented by covering the ridge with turf-mould, for the depth of an inch or two, and besides it is a good manure to the soil. Scooping potatoes will save about one third of the seed, but they have a less chance of succeeding in a dry season than cuttings. In planting shoots, let a small portion of the skin of the potatoe be cut off with the eye, from which the shoot springs, and the crop will be con- siderably earlier. We are told, that after stripping the young po- tatoes from the roots of the stalks, early in the sea- son, and earthing them up, a second crop, and very abundant, has been yielded in the usual time. Shoots ought never to be taken from small or dwarfish potatoes, but from the largest size, and those which are the grossest are to be preferred, as possessing most vigour. 2 Apple i$C STATISTICAL SURVEY Apple potatoes, for a keeping crop, ought to be planted late, not before the latter end of May ; the crop will be more luxuriant, and the quality superior ; the rains of July, which is generally a wet month, will serve it very much. To early crops the rain is injurious about mid- summer, as the potatoe is past the period of bene- fiting from moisture, and, if a dry season precedes July, they are stunted with drought. Scoops have a better chance in a moist than a dry soil ; however, they are only to be recommend- ed in times of scarcity ; there is no doubt of their success in a proper soil. Turf-bogs are remarkable for yielding excellent fciops of potatoes, and the soil good for preserving them, for which reason a potatoe pit lined with turf is esteemed preferable to straw ; the surface sod, which has the soft grass and herbage well wi- thered and dried, is the best for this purpose. The earliest crops will be produced from shoots, and even these are forced by keeping the potatoe warm and dry all the winter ; they may be planted in February, if the season is open, and put down with a setting stick in a soft dry soil, without in- juring the shoot, so deep as to leave the top about one inch below the surface, which should be co- -yered with turf mould to protect it from frost, as ft OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 197 it springs very quickly ; great care should be taken in carrying the shoots to the field, that they are not broken, or they would be good for no- thing. The manure of ashes for potatoes should be ap- plied, when the ashes are most caustic ; ashes made the preceding year lose much of their substance* and virtue. An acre of potatoes, well cultivated, will average, at 3d. per stone, a return equal to 2$ I. FLAX CULTURE. I st. Preparation. — Flax is invariably sown on po- tatoe ground; the tillage land being almost entire- ly in the hands of small farmers, they are wedded to this practice ; they cultivate the plot carefully with the spade, but they omit rolling it, which is very necessary. Flax ground in this county is ge- nerally ploughed twice before Christmas, and once before the seed is put in. 2d. Sort. — The flax-seed used here is of two sorts, the American, and Dutch; the latter is dear- er, but the produce considerably greater in a heavy cold soil. The produce of American seed, in the same kind of the soil, will be a third less, but it thrives better in a light soil. 5ds < i 9 S STATISTICAL SURVEY 3d. Seed — quantity sowed. — On the average, about thirty gallons of seed to the acre, which wili cost from two and a half to three guineas. 4th. Time of sowing. — Generally about Easter, or earlier, if the season admits of it. 5th. Weeding. — This is well performed, and very carefully attended to. 6th. Harvest. — As little or no flax-seed is saved here, it is pulled when green, or just before it turns colour. It is supposed, by this practice, that the flax will make much finer yarn ; but this, I appre- hend, is a mistake ; as the finest Flanders laces^ are made from flax, which previously had yielded the seed. This subject, and the various other processes of watering, grassing, heckling, &c, I have minutely considered in the Survey of the County of Mo- naghan, to which the reader is referred. Crops not commonly cultivated to any extent. Under this head we may rate those which, in im- proved husbandry, are termed vegetable crops. I shall commence with soiling grasses ; that, which is culti- vated to a greater extent than any other of this class, is red clover. It is, however, to be lamented, that we OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 199 we see such trifling patches of it ; much too small, in proportion even to the very limited size of the farms ; although the supply of milk depends so much on a due proportion of this valuable plant. The culture of clover is simple ; it will thrive in all but wet soils, whether loam, gravel, or clay. The best crops are produced from a rich, mellow soil, kept in due tilth, which should be carefully picked of stones, and ought to be lightly rolled before the seed is sown. In sowing the seed, it should be evenly distributed on the surface ; and a light harrowing will be suffi- cient, as it thrives with a very small sprinkling of mould over it ; perhaps not more than an inch of soil is sufficient, or what will secure it from the birds. It should not be sowed until the spring has set in inild and genial, when it is intended to be left for a late crop, and should be carefully weeded. The quantity to the English acre, when it is sowed for grass, should not be less than twenty pounds ; and some contend it cannot be sown too thick, as the plants of grasses shelter each other by their close- ness, and better retain the dews and moisture so necessary for their nutriment ; besides, the more slender the stalk, the fitter it is for cattle, and pre- ferred by them to strong coarse stems. Clover re- quires shelter when getting up ; for which reason, the crop is more vigorous when sowed with grain, than by itself. White xoo STATISTICAL SURVEY White clover is sown but by a few gentry, in lay- ing down demesne land in sheep-walk, and this but rarely. The culture of this plant is, in general, similar to that of red clover, but it is much more lasting and valuable to ground newly laid down. It thrives in a light, tilly, warm soil. Lime, or lime- stone-gravel, generally produces this fine herbage naturally, as does a burnt surface, in almost all soils ; and it will flourish as long as the calcareous matter holds good. Rye, or Ray -grass, is not at all cultivated here. When the gentry appropriate more of their demesne ground to sheep-walk, they will find the want of it, and become better acquainted with this valuable grass. It is particularly nutritious for ewes and lambs, coming in nearly a month earlier in the spring than other grasses. Rye-grass, sown with red clover, makes a fine green soiling early in the season, and may a second time be cut, and yield a crop of hay, if the seed has not previously been forward in^the head. Rye-grass gives the earliest meadowing, and the hay is very strong, and preferable for horses. The seed of this plant, when threshed from the hay, will produce to the value of Zl. sterling per acre. The other grasses, not cultivated here, are sain- foin, lucerne, timothy-grass, burnet, which are so valuable for soiling, and rank as vegetable crops. There OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 201 There are but slight grounds to expect, that these o-rasses will be cultivated in this county, which are so rarelv seen in any of the best improved tanning parts of Ireland. I shall, therefore, leave the modes of their culture to some more experienced author. Having spoken of grasses of this class, I shall pro- ceed to other crops under the same denomination, and used as green food, which are but rarelv culti- vated here ; but it is hoped, that the gentry will sooa avail themselves of their great value, and become sensible of their importance, both to cattle, and also to the improvement of the soil. These are tut- nips, rape, cabbages, and vetches, or tares. I shall commence with TURNIPS. 1st. Preparation.— Few soils, when judiciously tilled, but will produce this valuable plant. It is said to thrive best in a gravellv soil. I have seen the finest crops on cut-out bog, which had been levelled, drained, burnt, and graveled with a rich loamy limestone. To produce this plant to perfection, the ground must be brought to a very fine tilth by successive harrow- ings, and exposed to some months fallow in the winter, as the frost has the best effect in meliorating and pulverizing the soil. The longer it can be left in this state, previously to seed-sowing, the better, excent * 02 STATISTICAL SURVEY except weeds sprout, which should be well harrowed up and burned. The scuffler should now be used, to incorporate, or mix with the soil, the manure of lime or ashes, as may be judged expedient ; no im- plement can more effectually answer this purpose. But turnips may also be successfully raised, with- out leaving the ground idle in fallow. Here we are to presume it is in previous good tilth, having been under the culture of tares or vetches in the winter, which when cleared off, the ground should be well ploughed, cross-ploughed, and harrowed, and the weeds gathered with the scutch-rake, heaped toge- ther, burned, and the ashes mixed into the surface with the scuffler, on which the seed may be sown broadcast, or with the drilling machine, which is the better mode. By these means two green crops are raised, on the same plot, in one year; and both of these very enriching, and meliorating to the soil, for any culture. 2d. Sort. — The "Swedish turnip, the purple, and the white oval turnip, are all excellent yielders. The purple is most certain, as lying deeper in the toil, and less liable to be injured by frost; but the green turnip grows to the largest size. 3d. Seed — quantity sown. — In broad-cast, they seldom sow less than three pounds to the acre; but half that quantity will give a better crop, with drill husbandry. 4th. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. ttg 4th. Time of sowing. — This is generally deter- mined by the time the farmer calculates he will have occasion for this root for his cattle. Early sowings are in the month of June, and are not calculated to last longer than the winter months, as early turnips are too apt to run to seed; but seed, sown in a month or five weeks after, will be preserved good consider- ably longer, though the crops will not generally be so productive. The purple turnip should be the latest crop. A slight rolling will be necessary after the seed is sown. 5th. Culture whilst growing. — A careful attention to hoeing is particularly necessary, as the fresh earth about the roots gives a great supply of nourishment, and they swell very much after this operation. If the seed has been drilled in, they are easily hoed with the hand or horse hoe, at quarter the expence and trouble in broad-cast sowing. When the turnips are too thick and close, which is seen at the first hoeing, or just when they put out four or five leaves, the hoer draws the superficial plants, which are thrown in the drill alley, along with the weeds, or in the furrow in broad-cast husbandry. Children can be taught to hoe with as much expedition as men, and at an evident saving ; but, where the horse-hoe can be introduced, it will be by far cheaper than any other mode. «tk 204 STATISTICAL SURVEY 6th. Preserving. — Turnips may be preserved in pits, like as potatoes, having been previously ex- posed to the weather a few days after taking out of the ground, and the pit well lined with straw, which mode I have seen effectually answer ; or they may be preserved in a close house, with straw, after the following manner. A bed of straw being laid on the centre of the floor, which is free from damp, a layer of turnips may be spread thereon, and alternately a layer of straw ; the turnips should be placed in layers, of about eighteen inches or two feet thick, with so much of the straw projecting from the tur- nips, as will be sufficient to fold over, confine, and secure them from bulging out; this to be continued in every layer, always reducing its area, so that the last one will end in a conical shape, or come to a point. This mode is generally adopted in England, and has been recommended in the Bath Agricultural Papers. The heap may be made of any size, which the walls of the house will admit, leaving a free passage around the heap between it and the walls. 7th. Produce and uses. — The produce of an acre of turnips is rated from forty to fifty tons weight, after good culture ; medium value four to five guineas. Their uses in feeding sheep and black cattle are so Aveli known, as to require no description; the ordure of these animals, after this feeding, is much more OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 205 more valuable as a manure : indeed the very culture, of the crop imparts a high degree of vigour to the soil, and is an excellent and profitable substi- tute for fallow. RAPE. This plant may be cultivated for two purposes, as green food for cattle, or for the seed, from -which oil is extracted for various branches of manufacture and for lamp light. As green food, it is wholesome, and very greedily eaten by cattle ; it is seldom used until the turnips are consumed, and thus a constant succession of green food is kept up. For this purpose, trans- planted rape will produce the best crop, which must be raised in the seed-bed, brought to a very fine tilth, and well manured. The ground, into which it should be transplanted, should be ploughed in drills, and rich dung laid in the furrows, which are then to be closed up with the plough, thus changing the ridge into the furrows. The plants are sometimes laid in the dung, before the furrow is closed, and fixed upright by a person following the plough ; or they are set with a planting stick, as cabbages are planted in gardens. A due atten- tion must be had to earth up the transplanted rape with,. the horse-hoe, or by passing a* plough up the furrows, ao6 STATISTICAL SURVEY furrows, and then setting on a double mould-board, and earthing up at both sides in the one journey. — This crop also enriches the soil, prepares it for any culture, aud answers all the purposes of a fallow. The leaves are in spring in their full vi- gour, and should be stripped off the stalk, and carted home to the cattle. The new spring of de- licate sprouts, which will afterwards shoot out, may be used by turning in sheep, previously to plough- ing up the stalks. I have seen fifteen shillings per acre given for the run of a rape field in this state, after having yielded its winter supply : a numerous flock of sheep, I think six score, were turned in, and fully subsisted on about six acres of ground for four weeks, and in that short time Mere brought more quickly into condition than could possibly be expected . Rape culture for the seed may be broadcast, or in drills, but the latter husbandry is superior ; in this, as I believe in every other instance, a great attention should be paid to the time of its ripening, as it soon sheds ; the whole field generally ripens in one day, and should be then cut, for which reason, in the countries where they cultivate this plant, a sufficient number of hands is procured to cut it all in one\day ; this is voluntarily and without pricfe contributed to by all the neighbouring farmers and labourer/, who generally thresh the grain ont rhs stubble*, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 207 stubbles, with sheets spread underneath, the moment it is cut, as it would not bear the carriage home to the haggard, but would shed on the way. This is always a feasting day at the expence of tha proprietor, but no wages are paid. Soap-boilers purchase the ashes of the straw, for which they pay generally at the rate of two shillings and six pence, or three shillings, for every barrel of seed which the crop has yielded, seventeen stones, of fourteen pounds each, making a barrel. This crop thrives well in a wet season in upland newly broken, after a crop of potatoes, and is ex- tremely luxuriant in boggy soils, in a dry season, which have been well drained. Rape seed for oil has hitherto, of late years, kept up a good price, average one guinea and a half per barrel. The crop is precarious according to the sea- son, but the average may be ten pounds per acre ; some acres frequently yield three times that sum. By erecting a rape-mill for the manufacture of the oil, and by introducing the mode of culture, and the consequent profit of the crop, there would be some encouragement to engage in this culture ; the want of a market for the seed is the only objection, that can ever be raised against it ; yet many farmers in Munster will send it thirty or forty jniles tp market, and no crop will pay so well. No so8 STATISTICAL SURVEY No manufacture require less expence, when the mill-work is complete ; the rape-cake will pay all cost, and leave a valuable surplus, independent of the value of the oil ; one barrel of seed will, on an average, yield eleven gallons of oil ; the average price is about five shillings per gallon, when the cost of the seed is one guinea and a half per barrel, which is an enormous profit, as the rape-cake more than pays the expence of manufacture, it being rated at about four shillings per hun- dred weight, either for the purpose of manure or feeding cattle. Notwithstanding the encreasing culture of this plant for oil, and the many oil-mills, which of late years have been erected in the south of Ireland particularly, still the price holds up, and rather gradually encreases. The machinery of an oil-mill is very ingenious, and rather expensive ; a complete mill will not be fitted up for less than lOOOl. exclusive of storage ; only one man and a boy arc required in the ma- nufacture, but there must be a helper or two, to turn the raw seed on the lofts according to the quantity of stock. This seed must be most care- fully and frequently turned, when it is new, and, in that state, it will often heat in the carriage of a few hours journey in the sacks. It should never be left in the sacks, but, if it shews any indication of heating, should be constantly turned ; four, five, or OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 209 or six times a day will often be necessary, as beat- ing will lessen its value by several shillings in the barrel ; after a month or two, it will not require turning above once in every three or four weeks. CABBAGES. ^ The culture of this plant, for food for cattle, may / for one day in good weather ; next, they make these into top-cocks, and in this state they leave the hay frequently for a week, which is very wrong. The tramp-cocks which they now make arc very small, not containing more than from seven to ten hundred weight, and are left in the fields until the harvest is got up. In proportion to the number of these tramp-cocks, the quantity of hay is destroyed which composes their bottoms and tops ; besides, the ground on which they stand is scalded, and, without manure, will not yield grass the next year. Add to these OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 227 these losses the cutting up of the fine aftergrass with the cars and horses, when they draw home the hay, at the time of its best vigour, and this mode must be condemned in the eyes of every thinking person. This has been admitted ; but they argue, that their climate will not allow them to draw home the hay, without having been long kept in the field. If so, these tramp-cocks should be made con- venient to the gate, and thus the entire grass of the field would be saved from destruction. But, surely, these cocks might as well be made at first in an airy haggard, and would be convenient at any time to be made together into a rick. The annexed plan represents a machine peculiarly well adapted to hoist hay or corn to the rick, in a car-load at each draught. *&> The 2t% STATISTICAL SURVEY The proportions are asfol rhe main pole from the ground to the collar twenty feet. The top pole from the collar to the arm eight feet. The length of the arm from the pole to OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 2#p to the pulley and block fourteen feet. The length of the short part of the arm eight feet. Thomas James Rawson, Esq. of Cardington, near, Athy, in the county of Kildare, is the inventor, Sect.. 10, Dairies — their produce. Although there are no farmers exclusively in this branch of husbandry, yet, in the aggregate, a considerable quantity of butter is sold in Armagh and Newry markets for exportation. The small fir- kins, in which this article comes to market, prove the very slender stock of milch cows with each pro- prietor. It must not be understood, that the nu- merous small firkins, which are purchased in Newry, are all the produce of this county ; perhaps not a fifth or sixth part will be found to be so. The counties of Cavan, Monaghan, Down, and Tyrone^ send a great supply, any of them much more than Armagh ; and I can shew two reasons for the asser- tion. Those counties are more extensive, and the people are more wealthy, and, of course, live bet- ter, and can afford to consume their butter in their own houses. Scarcely any farmer is without a cow; many have two or three, but their pastures are al- ways overstocked. It is generally the wealthiest farmer 23© STATISTICAL SURVEY farmer who sends most butter to market ; perhaps he keeps the second cow entirely for profit. Some Belfast buyers employ commissioners at the prin- cipal towns to buy butter, which is sent thither by the Newry canal. One hundred weight of butter per cow is considered the usual yielding, but perhaps not above half of this quantity goes to market. The proportion of milch cows to the size of the farm is, for every small farm, under five acres, one cow ; if exceeding five acres, and not exceeding ten, per- haps two, seldom more. There are no extensive dairy farms in the county. Sect, 11, Prices of Hides •, Tallow, Wool, and quantity sold. There is no great trade in any of these articles. When we shall speak of the trade of the several towns in the county, what usually occurs under this head will be mentioned. The average prices through the county the last year were ; Green hides, according to weight, from - - 35s. to 45s. bd. per cwt. Calf-skins, ad valorem, from 2s. ed. to 6s. 6d. per skin. Tallow, ... 60s. per cwt. Wool, - - 1 8s. per stone of 16 lbs. This OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 23* This last article is retailed in small parcels, at an advance of two-pence or three-pence per pound, and is usually sold at fairs; it is principally manufac- tured into coarse druggets and blankets. Very little of the wool, which this county affords, is exposed to sale ; the very slender stock in the hands of an indi- vidual is reserved fov home uses. CHAP. 2J2 STATISTICAL SURVEY CHAP. IX. FARMS. Sect. 1 . Their size. THIS particular has been often spoken of ; but for sake of regularity, in reply to the query, I shall re- peat that the average size of farms may be five acres ; the rent of the best cultivated districts three half guineas per acre, and from thence down to fourteen shillings. The medium rent of the poorest grounds, or mountainous district, five shillings per acre. Sect. 2. Farm Houses and Offices. There is so material a difference in this respect, between the centre and the boundaries of the county, that no average report can be strictly given. In the former OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 233 former the houses are remarkably comfortable, sur- rounded with orchards and neat enclosures ; in the latter the reverse is the case, though still improving. Very little actual poverty, or few miserable huts, to be seen at all. The offices are not many, nor are they to be spoken of with any degree of credit. A stand for corn-stacks is rarely seen out of a jrentle- J o man's farm-yard. Sect. 3. Mode of repairing them. The tenant always repairs at his own cost. If he is really improving and industrious, he seldom fails of assistance, from his landlord, of timber and other indulgences. Sects. 4, 5, 6. Nature of Tenures; General state of Leases ; of particular Clauses therein. General information on this subject is given in the second section of the second chapter. The working weavers, who form the great bulk of the people, generally hold at will from the manufac- turer or employer, or farmer, if we may so call him, as being a landholder. A very scanty garden, cot- tage, 254 STATISTICAL SURVEY tage, turf bog, and grass for a cow are furnished him, for which he pays about five pounds or gui- neas per annum. He is, by his agreement, to work in the field or at the loom at the option of his em- ployer ; if the former, the average wages is one shilling per day ; the latter business is generally by task work. Perpetuities are only in the hands of wealthy in- dividuals, and those are but few. The general term of leases twenty-one years, and a life, but they are seldom clogged with restrictive or parti- cular clauses. Sect. 7. Taxes or Cesses paid by Tenants. County cess and parish taxes only. The great subdivisions of farms often occasion much wrangling about the several proportions ; in this case, the weakest too often pays the greater share. The coun- ty cess is more chearfully furnished, as the benefits are individually felt, labour on the public roads be- ing well paid for. Sect. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 235 Sect. 8. Proportion of working horses, or bullocks, to the size of farms. There is not a horse on every farm in the county for the work of that farm; a plough of cattle is made up by neighbouring farmers, who accomodate each other in turn, and there are no working bul- locks at all. But, if the query should be, whether the number of farms or of horses be greater in the county ? the answer would be greatly in favour of the horses. But, as I have already noticed, horses are speculated in for an exclusive trade, per- haps as much by townsfolk as by farmers, and are oftentimes only purchased for the probability of selling again at a large profit; we may conclude there is small use for working cattle, when we con- sider there is scarcely any but spring ploughing, during the }'ear ; of course, there is more work for their cattle at markets than in the field ; they are employed much longer in drawing turf and ma- nure^ than they are in the plough and harrow. Sects. 9, 10, 11. General size of f elds, or enclo- sures ; nature of fences ; mode of hedge-rows and, keeping hedges. Grass fields, or well inclosed parks, close to the dwelling, which are not intended to be broken up for ztf STATISTICAL SURVEY for tillage, are neatly fenced with quickset hedges, and are generally in size under one acre. The or- chard is also well inclosed, but covers a very small area ; the boundaries of the farm are generally well fenced, but the interior of it is mostly without any permanent division to keep cattle from tres- passing on the corn ; to prevent this, they tie their cattle to a stake, giving them a range of rope, till the plot within their reach is eaten down. The fences are of white- thorn, with a ditch, or fre- quently are only loose stone walls; this boundary is repaired yearly, in turn, by the farmers whose lands join ; but in several parts of the county fencing is shamefnlly neglected, and it is no uncom- mon thing, when the lease of a farm is nearly ex- pired, to destroy the fences, and other improve- ments, to prevent the rent being raised in the new lease. Many of the gentiy, as I shall just now shew, are extremely attentive to making good fences. Planting screens and clumps is now a more favourite pursuit, than that of hedge-rows, which in the present style of ornamental improvements give place to the former. Sect. 12. Mode of draining, Is generally by open sewers in the mountainous dis- trict ; the interior of the county requires but little draining, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 237 draining, as possessing a fine dry soil; the draining here is by French sewers ; in moist lands they make open drains, which are only attended to, whilst the crop stands ; very little has been yet done in drain- ing turf bogs, or in making lasting drains through the lands, nor has the draining by the auger been yet attempted. I have seen some improvements by draining, when the trench was only opened in moory soils for the purpose of procuring manure. The mountainous district might be made very valuable land, by a small attention to this branch ; the numerous springs and quas,* which cover a great portion of ground, might be easily diverted off the surface, and large plots acquired which are now of no value. Water, which lies on the surface and proceeds from, rains, is easily diverted off, by sinking drains accord- ing to the fall of the ground ; but the grand method of arriving at springs has been lately discovered by the ingenious Mr. Elkington, for which the parlia- ment of Great Britain have rewarded him with a grant of one thousand pounds, and this has been ef- fectually accomplished by the auger, or tapping and boring the earth, until the spring is reached, so that the water flows through this passage. Of this useful instrument, and of the method of using 1 it, I have already given an account in my Statistical Survey of the county of Cavan, Chap. viii. Sect. 3. Sect, * Quas, a proyinciaHsm> signifying quagmires* 2 3 $ STATISTICAL SURVEY Sect. 13. Nature of Manures. JLime is the general manure and powerfully effec- tive in this country ; it is chietly mixed with dung, clay, &c. for the culture of potatoes ; it is also applied in surface dressings to grass lands, prepa- ratory to a tillage course : the quantity varies very much, from fifty to sometimes but ten barrels to the acre. Dung made of every scraping mixed with bog-stuff, when conveniently had, is also used, and with good effect, if a small portion of lime is added to the compost. In the clay soils, lime is not mixed with other composts, and succeeds better than any other manure ; this is carried perhaps from ten to twelve miles distance ; there are few in- stances, in which dung is applied to the raising of corn crops, their potatoe culture requiring all that can be supplied from their slender stock of live animals on such small farms. I have seen very fine crops of potatoes in a boggy soil, which had but a very slight sprinkling of lime, and no other manure ; excellent crops of this root are raised in moory soils, with the manure of turf ashes; burning is however only permitted in low boggy soils. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 239 The quantity of lime is proportioned to the length of time the ground has lain untilled, as, on stub- bles, they only lay half the quantity they would spread on land long in grass : but we should sup- pose that, the later the soil has been in tillage, it would require the more of a revigorating manure, and vice, versa with old lea ; the farmers here, as elsewhere, are fond of old customs and their own opinions, which they defend on this principle, that lime, being spread on stubbles, is immediately ploughed in, and of course the grass receives no virtues of this manure, whereas in manuring lea two or three seasons before a course of tillage they assert, that two or three good crops of grass are ensured, and that they have the sod in fine preparation for quickly rotting, and the ground meliorated against the tillage course ; and that, in liming on the stubbles, the good effects of this manure will not appear, except there are three, or two ploughings at the least, before the seed is sown. Another mode of liming is also practised, when they mean to work the soil to the utmost it can produce, or, in other words, to run it out, previ- ously to the expiration of a lease, which they do not expect will be renewed : they spread the lime on the potatoe ridge, which they cover with dung, and thereon lay the seed with two or three sho- velings 2 4 o STATISTICAL SURVEY Telrngs of earth ; this ensures a great crop ; wheat, or barley, or both, are next sown, the potatoe plot being divided under these two two crops, and this culture held for four successive seasons, changing plots each year from wheat to a barley crop, and vice versa, and seldom with more than one ploughing. No intermediate green crop is ever sowed, or any manure applied, and the whole field is then given up to raising oats, and it is held in this tillage whilst it can yield a crop, which some- times it will for three, four, or five successive sea- sons, until it is totally exhausted ; this mode is fully as destructive to land as burning, and yields as ample crops. Lime is applied to clay lands with advantage, but I have observed many farms of this county, where it has been prejudicial on light soils, par- ticularly of limestone, where it had not been previ- ously mixed with clay or bog-stuff, but was applied in its caustic state. Limestone gravel, as a manure on deep stiff clays, or on mooiy soils, is superior to any other ; on the former, as imparting not only its calcareous, but its mechanical use also in opening and separating the soil, and both of these effects are durable ; on the latter description of soil, it is of equally good effect, though in a contrary manner, as it binds this soil, and gives it that degree of firmness and consistency, which stiff clays possess in too great an extreme. This OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 241 This manure is not sufficiently used here, though in many places in the interior they possess it in great perfection. Limestone gravel when heaped and burned, to- gether with the surface sods of boggy soils that have been drained, becomes a very fine manure for destroying all aquatic herbage, and is also an excellent preparation for a turnip crop, before the land is laid down in meadow : this, however, should previously to the last crop, or to that in whicfr the grass seeds are sown, have another dress- ing of the gravel in its purity unmixed, which will give weight and strength to the soil ; in this case, rye or ray grass, or clover, have been profitable crops ; the rye grass should be sown in winter* and will ensure a very early crop of hay, and we may reasonably calculate on the seeds, which will be threshed from it, full three pounds per acre, exclusive of the value of the hay. A material benefit in the manure of limestone gravel on ground newly laid down for sheep-walk is, that such land never fails to produce white clover naturally and abundantly. Before we conclude the section" of manures, it is necessary to remark, that by feeding cattle in the field, according to the usual custom, above one half of the manure is lost, which might be gained from the urine of animals only, if collected in proper R reservoirs, 242 STATISTICAL SURVEY reservoirs, and mixed with suitable composts. If the cattle, which are necessary for the culture of a farm, were fed within doors, their dung would go a great length towards the supply of manure requi- site for that farm ; by this mode it should be un- derstood, that the best farming is by blending these two pursuits together, and by making the tillage farmer depend on his vegetable crop for a supply for his stock, whose dung will always keep his ground in perpetual heart and vigour. Irrigation is now known to be a ver}' powerful manure to meadow land ; there are numerous farms m this county, where it might be applied with success, and at a small expence ; I have seen this operation practised on potatoe crops in drill with very good effect, when the general crop of the kjiibiJom had failed from a long and continued drought. Though sheep will fatten very quickly on the aftergrass of water meadow, it is not adviseable to hold them over for breed, as this pasturage has a great tendency to rot their liver; indeed it sel- dom fails to produce this effect. Such sheep only, a*- are intended for market, should be fed on this grass, and be sold off as soon as in condition ; otherwise they gradually fall oil* and grow con- sumptive. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 243 The produce of hay, yielded by irrigation, is per- haps incredible. I have known land which, from this circumstance, not otherwise intrinsically worth six- teen shillings per acre, made equal to ten guineas per acre in the Queen's County,* or which yielded that sum by being set out for meadow, exclusive of the aftergrass, and continues to do so every year without intermission. The proprietor could easily have solvent tenants for the whole tract of his water meadows on a long lease at seven guineas per acre. Marling is so little engaged in in this county, that I shall not enter into its merits. Lime is more certain, and generally more easily obtained than this manure. Aftergrass, as a manure, is not known here ; pasturage is too scarce at all seasons. Bog-stuff is excellent in a compost with lime for light soils, as it corrects the caustic heat of the lime ; it is used with great success without any mix- ture, in protecting the buds and leaves of potatoe crops from the spring frosts ; it can also be highly enriched by being spread in stalls under cattle, as it soaks up their urine and retains its salts : it is also a valuable manure, when applied as a surface dressing to meadows of a light soil, ensuring a very early verdure. R 2 Good * See the Statistical Survey of that County by the Author, pages 77 and 78, *44 STATISTICAL SURVEY Good lime-kilns are rarely seen in this county. It should be the care of the proprietor of an estate, to erect proper kilns to supply his tenantry with lime at first cost ; -where it can be accomplished, no surer means could be adopted to improve an estate without any expence to the proprietor. For an improved plan of a lime kiln, see the Statistical Survey of the Count)- of Cavan, page 68. CHAP. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 245 CHAP. X. CENERAL SUBJECTS. / Sect. 1. Population. ARMAGH is indisputably, in proportion to its size, the most populous county in Ireland. Al- though much of the surface is covered with moun- tains, yet the greater part of the wildest country is very thickly inhabited, and it is on this account that its superior population is allowed. I doubt not, but in the neighbouring county of Down there are certain parishes, where the inhabitants and houses are as numerous, as will be found in the like area in this county, but their mountains, which cover so great a tract, are almost uninhabited ; a cir- cumstance which pretty clearly proves, what great capability the roughest parts of this county possess, as sustaining so numerous a population, Mr, nS STATISTICAL SURVEY Mr. BusheV* calculation of the number of inha- bitants of Armagh was ascertained by taking the population of 1705 houses, of every description, which were found to contain 6388 souls, or more than six to each house. In Dr. Beaufort's Memoir of his Map of Ireland it is stated, that, from the re- ports of the hearth-money collectors to the year 1790, the county contains 21983 houses, and 120,000 in- habitants at five and a half to a house, but this he supposed to be far below the truth. The population is at the rate of eight and one- fifth acres to a house, or of nearly seventy- eight houses, and 429 souls, to every square mile, which is something less than one and a half acre per head ; and he justly attributes the extraordi- nary population to the great industry of the peo- ple, and the flourishing state of the linen manu- facture. I believe the general report will be nearer the truth, if estimated at 125,000 souls. I have heard that the late Rev. Dr. Hamilton^ who was unhappily murdered during the disturb- ances in this country, had made some ingenious calculations, and took the actual population of *ome districts, in which the return exceeded ail belief. * See his paper on this subject, in the Transactions c; ♦.he Royal Irish Academy, 1789. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 247 belief. In one parish the inhabitants were so nu- merous, as in the same proportion would have equal- led 300,000 souls in the county. The population and the number of houses are at present in progressive encrease. Sect. 2. Number and size of Villages and Tortus. In the thirteenth chapter will be found a particu- lar description of the several towns in the count}^ and the trade or manufacture for which they are remarkable. In the following table are the names of the several towns and villages in the county, distin- guishing the market, fair, and post towns, with the number pf days in the week on which the post arrives from Dublin. The fairs and markets are, in general, well at- tended by retailers of hats, stockings, shoes, cloth, and wool, from other counties ; and also by pedlars, whose stock consists *of articles of apparel, princi- pally of women's wear, and hard- ware. These itinerant dealers are always travelling from one market town to another ; some of them have no fixed residence, TABLE 248 STATISTICAL SURVEY TABLE OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES. i ■■■: Baronies. Towns. Villages, Armagh. Armagh, M. F. P. 6. Blackwater Town, F. Chailemont joins Moy, which is a post town in the county of Ty- rone, F. Keady, F. Killyleagh, F. Fews, Upper and Lower. Market-hill, M.F. P. 6 Newtown-Hamilton, F. Baleek, F. Crossmaglin. Cullovills, F. Hamilton's-bawn,F. Johnston's-fews. Mohan. O'Neiland, East and West. Lurgan. M. F. P. 6. Portadown,M.F. P 3. Rich-hill, M. F. P. 3 Loughgall, F. Maghery, F. Orior, Upper and Lower. Fleury-bridge, better known by Jonesbo- rough, F. P. 6. Newry, M. F. P. 6. Tanderagee,M.F.P.6. Acton. Clare, F. Drumbanagher. Fork-hill, F. PoyntzVpass, F. Porrr orris. Scarva. Tuscan 's-pass, F. Turenny. Tynan, F. P. 3. Middleton, F. M. denotes a market ; F. a fair ; and P. a post town. The figure marks the number of days i/i the %vctk, on which the post arrives from Dublin. Sect, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 249 Sects. 3,4. Habitation, Fad, Food, and Clothing of the lower Rank; their general Cost; Price of Wages, Labour, and Provisions; and general View of the Rural Economy of the County. I have already stated, that the habitations of the lower order are tolerably comfortable, and by much exceeding any thing in this respect, that I have ever witnessed In some of the old maps, Magheralin village is set down within the bounds of this county, which is erroneous, as it is in the county of Down* In Seward's Topography of Ireland, there are des^ criptions of two villages of this name, one of which he states to be in Armagh, and the other in Down county ; however, this is only confusing the accoimi of one and the same village, which is situated on the Lagan water, in the county of Down, and is re- markable for a very neat church and steeple, and a good episcopal palace was built here, anno 1695, by the Bishop of Dromore. The hoimds of Armagh range very near to this village, which doubtless has occasioned this mistake. Some remarkable ruins have lately been traced in this village, s$o STATISTICAL SURVEY witnessed among the peasantry of Ireland, nor is it solely to be attributed to their attention to the linen manufacture ; their neighbours, of the same order and trade in Cavan and Monaghau counties, are far behind them in wealth and comforts, or, indeed, in civilization. The county supplies a suf- ficiency of fuel for its culinary consumption, but the distribution of this necessary article is very unequal ; this is a general complaint, but the na- vigation, which extends along the whole line of the county, serves very considerably to redress this grievance. A supply of coal might be had for the whole county, if the collieries of Tyrone were properly worked ; in fact there are means of remedying tins want of fuel, if they were only brought into fair trial. The general rent of a cottage, with a garden for the potatoe and flax plots, is from two to three guineas per annum. In towns, where they hold but a small cabbage garden in the rere, the rent averages about forty shillings. They pay for turf annually about three guineas, or two shillings per horse load, but in scarce seasons it will double this cost. Turf bogs are, in general, very much exhausted. For house, garden, potatoe and flax land, with grass for a cow, the weaver pays from five to six guineas per annum, and receives, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 251 receives, with diet, six pence half-pen hy per day through the year, for his work in the field or at the loom, or one shilling without diet. The rent of a cow's orass has been more than o doubled within these five or six years, and the. pasture in general very poor: potatoe and flax land averages six guineas per acre. The expence of building a comfortable cottage will amount to about seven guineas, viz. : <£. s. d. Mud-work and plastering, - - 3 8 3 Roofing, 1 14 lj Thatching and straw, - - - 2 5 6 Door, and leaded windows, - OH 4J £n 19 3 Some cottages are put together at the cost of from three pounds to five pounds, but are of very inferior materials. A rood of ground is generally allotted to each cottage. The food of the lower rank are potatoes, stir- about, oaten bread, garden vegetables, bacon in summer, and beef in winter : there is no part of Ireland, where the peasantry consume so much flesh- meat. Average i 5 2 STATISTICAL SURVEY Average prices, for the last seven years, of the fol- lowing articles of provisions, excluding the two years of scarcity: s. d. Potatoes per stone, of 14#. ---02 Oatmeal per cwt. of 112/6. - - - 9 Beef, per lb. ------- - 04 Ale, per quart, O 2J Cheese, per lb. - - - - - - - 9 New milk, per quart, -----01} Butter milk, per pottle, ----- OJ Herrings, per hundred, of six score, -46 The clothing consists of strong cloth, much of -which is manufactured at home, and they dye it a good blue ; this cloth is never exposed for sale, but always made for home use. It is not so fine as forest cloth, but wears much better, and does not stand the consumer in half the price of the latter ; this clothing is more commonly worn by the wealthy farmer or manufacturer ; the lower class purchase frize at two shillings and six pence or three shillings per yard, which is retailed at fairs, markets, and country shops, and is chiefly manu- factured in Connaught. General OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 253 General cost of clothing. £. s. d. Frize coat, waistcoat, breeches, 1 trim- ming, and making, - - 1 10 Outside coat of ditto, - 1 Shirt, - - 4 Shoes, .. - 6 6 Brogues, - - 5 Stockings, - - 2 6 Hat, - • - 3 3 General cost of man's dress, including great coat, about three guineas, Womens' wear, of cotton, will amount to about 3/., with cloak, petticoat, shoes, stockings, &c. If drugget is substituted for cotton, the cost will be about one-third less, and the article more durable. In general, the women are better clad than the men, and make a gayer appearance on holidays. Their earnings are generally spent on finery, as the man's labour procures them provisions. The price of labour, for constant work in the field, or of cottiers wages, who are employed by the gentry in their demesnes, varies from ten-pence to thirteen-pence per day the year round ; but they pay their employers three guineas per annum for a house, \ 254 STATISTICAL SURVEY house, cow's grass, and garden of half an acre, which they hold at will. Labourers, who have not cottages, or cow's grass, receive better wages, about two-pence more per day. There are few of this description who do not reside in towns, and, as la- bour is in demand, they exact high wages. Weavers are generally paid for their day's work one shilling ; but, when there is a brisk demand, and large orders out for linens, they can average 2s. 6d. per day at task work. Those weavers, who sell their own webs at market, and rear their flax, will oftentimes make five shillings a day of their labour, when the demand is brisk. It may be always concluded, that the linen trade is flourishing when labour is high. The male servant of the farmer or manufacturer will receive about six guineas per annum, with board and lodging ; the woman about 3/. The general employment of the women is spinning. Hours of labour in summer, from six in the morn- ing to seven in the evening ; two hours allowed for meals. In winter during day-light, and one hour only allow r ed for meals. Reaping, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 255 r. d. Reaping, j^ diet > ' " l l P* da ^ r 5? I Without, - - 1 7^ Mowing, J With diet, - . 1 i & I Without, - - l 7§- 1 Turf- f With diet, - - 1 l cutting, t Without, - - l 7| Threshing, J With diet, . - 0* 5 ' t Without, - - 1 1 These works are often ensealed in bv task ; but seldom more money is earned, except in the vicinity of towns, where perhaps a third more is paid for labour ; all the weavers are expert at the general business of the field. Women's wages are about sixpence per day for day's work ; children's from threepence to sixpence. But, at some branches of the linen manufacture, if they had constant employment, they could earn ten- pence per day. Average clothing of a man, per ann. 3 guineas. i ■—- of a woman, - - 2 guineas. of a child, - -15 shillings. The wages having been stated, I shall state the average value of labour to the employer, or to the cottager, if he works on his own account. Of a man, per annum, 25/. Of a woman, - - 12/. Of a child, - - ll The 2sG STATISTICAL SURVEY The average value of diet cannot be rated at less than 12/. per man, 9/. per woman, and 4/. per child, per annum. For fuel, soap, candles, and house rent, the average ma}- be six guineas. Cr. £. s. d. Man's labour, 25 o o Woman's, - 12 o o Child's, .700 .£•44 o o Br. £- j. d. Man's diet, - - 12 Woman's, - - 9 Child's, - - - 4 House-rent, fuel, soap, and candles, - 6 16 6 Man's clothing, - 3 8 3 Woman's, - - 2 5 6 Child's, - - - 15 £38 5 3 Balance, - 5 14 9 £.44 o o The balance is 5l.\4:S.9d.y which an industrious family will soon encrease to a sufficiency for stock- ing a small farm, or setting up looms for journey- men. There are no wages in husbandry, where so much money can be saved. Sect* OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 257 Sect. 5. State of Tithe ; its general amount on each article ; what articles are exempt, and what charged by ?nodus, s. d. Average tithe of Wheat, per acre, 8 O Oats, - - - - 4 6 Barley, ----60 Meadow, - - - 2 6 And in some places a modus of one shilling for the quantum on the farm. Potatoes do not pay an acreable tax, but a small modus is claimed, though seldom insisted on, and in some parishes they are tithe-free. Flax pays a modus of one shilling for the quantity on each farm, be it more or less. In some parishes 2s. 6d. for the entire farm is sup- posed to be a fair composition. It must be remember- ed that these farms are very small, and nearly three- fourths generally under tillage. When there is a composition, there is no additional charge for small dues. The average tithe of grain, as stated above, will often, when the crop is valued whilst growing, be estimated at from two to three shillings per acre higher. In such cases the crops are very good. s SnrnU *5& STATISTICAL SURVEY Small dues do not exceed three shillings per an- num for all demands, exclusive of marriages, christenings, or burials. Sect. 6. Use of Beer and Spirits — whether either, or which is encr easing. From the time of the late scarcity, the use of spirits had greatly declined ; but, since the restrictions on distilling have been taken off, there is again a re- dundancy of spirituous liquors at a low price. How- ever, to the credit of the people of this county, they are more sober, and better civilized, than we see in other counties. Malt liquor is, for this reason, in more general estimation than in other parts. ."Sects. 7, 8, 9. State of Roads and Bridges, of Navigations and Navigable Rivers, of Fisheries, ■and of Manufactures ; or a general view of Political Economy, as affecting Agriculture, or connected with it. Several of the roads of this county are in good condition ; but the greater number are bad, many of them in the extremest degrees The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 259 The turnpike road from Armagh to Newry is, perhaps, the worst in Ireland as a public road, and is a disgrace to an opulent county. The turnpike road from Jonesborough is generally in bad repair; and the county road from Newry to Castleblaney is al- ways in most wretched order, though by far the greatest thoroughfare in the county. The roads in the baron} r of Turenny are not so rough as badly planned. In O'Neiland they are rough and narrow, with some dangerous steps. In Lower Orior they are tolerably good, but in Upper Orior the reverse. The best roads are in the barony of Armagh. The interior of the county has abundance of good mate- rials for road-making ; the boundaries are, for the most part, very deficient in such supplies ; but, on the whole, the neglect is greater than the want of materials. County roads are made and repaired at the expence of the barony, through which they pass; and turnpike roads from the tolls they produce, under the controul of directors. The great mistake in the roads of this county is, the neglect of originally making the centre of the road higher than the sides, which would throw off the water into the ditches ; nor do they seem to un- derstand, that winding a road through the valleys is as short a distance as ascending and descending the hills, independent of the great labour and danger at- tending the latter. s 2 „ A3 36o STATISTICAL SURVEY As the tenantry on the several estates, through which the roads pass, are employed With their horses in making and repairing them, they are ge- nerally well paid ; and, independent of the benefit they receive from this improvement, their profits often exceed their proportion of the tax, which is always chearfully paid. Bridges are in good repair generally. It requires flrery intelligent overseers to inspect bridge-building, as masons too frequently, through interested motives > construct these works in such a manner, as will en- sure them frequent jobs. I have already pretty fully spoken of the naviga- tion of the county, in the eighth section of the first chapter. I do not learn that there is any established fishery, of individual property, in the county. The fishery of Lough Neagh, to the centre of the lake, is the right of the proprietor whose lands form the shore. The great rivers being on the boundaries, their fisheries are jointly the right of the several pro- prietors on their banks ; but there is no steady re- venue yielded from any fishery in the county. I shall now beg leave .to anticipate the subject of the fourteenth and fifteenth sections of this chapter, as manufactures are so connected with the political economy of the county, winch is now under discussion. A reference OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 2$i A reference to the manufactures of this county has necessarily very frequently occurred in the course of this work ; and it must be understood that this pursuit, almost entirely in the linen branch, occupies the attention of the people. Agriculture is but a secondary motive ; it is merely pursued as the means of supply of provisions, rather than of trade from which any profit may be gained. Land is sought, for the more easily and comfort- ably camming on manufacture ; and notwithstanding the supposed superior profle on rearing flax, the raw- material of their trade, I believe that the people would rather have nothing to do with agricultural pursuits, if the markets were more numerous, and constantly supplied with provisions. I know there are many wise men of opinios, that the management of the lands of this province should be entirely changed ; that manufactures should be confined to towns; that the lands should be portioned in large farms, and agriculture become, a business in itself; that it is a science, which requires an undivided attention ; and that manufactures would flourish better, if unconnected with the cares of hus- bandry ; and they argue, that there are not wanting precedents sufficient to prove, how successfully ma*. nufactures are now carried on under such regu- lations, 262 STATISTICAL SURVEY This is a subject, which admits weighty argument on both sides of the question. Manufacture and agriculture are pursuits, which differ widely ; and certainly an undivided attention to either business ougliG naturally to ensure its success. If the sedentary business of the lojrh is so preju- dicial to health, and it is corrected by the labour of the little farm, it will cowitcrbala>*ce many objec- tions, which might be offered against the connexion of the two pursuits ; but a good garden at the rere of each house, which should be the case in every manufacturing town, would also require cultivation, so as to relax sufficiently from the labours of the loom. An important evil, which manufacturing towns are ever subject to, is the danger of combination amongst the tradesfolk ; and this nuisance has raised the price of the necessaries of life, and of labour, more than perhaps all other causes taken together. In further opposition to any change, it is asserted by the advocates for the present system, that it would be presumption to recommend any material alteration in a county, where the lower class of peo- ple are wealthy, industrious, civilized, and tolerably well educated, and on whom the prosperity of the county so much depends ; that it would be ridicu- lous to hazard the loss of a positive good, by adopt- ing OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 263 ing a novel system, whose success must be at best but doubtful ; and that, until a yeomanry or peasantry can be shewn, who are more wealthy or independent under such a system as is now pro- posed, it is absurd to talk of superior benefits. It is true that there are neighbouring counties occupied, in like manner as Armagh, by manu- facturers, who also pretend to be farmers, whose rents are proportioned to the quality of the land in a more favourable ratio, and whose farms are as small ; yet their culture is slovenly, their fences naked, their dwellings miserable, and a general gloomy poverty prevails through a comparatively il- literate and uncivilized peasantry. In such places errors must exist, and experiments may be tried ? and remedies proposed, where the evil is great ; but in this county, where the inhabitants are on a more respectable footing than in any part of the province, there must be, of course, the less occasion for any material reformation. I do not venture to give any opinion on so im- portant a subject ; but I must confess, that the ex- traordinary comforts, so eminently enjoyed by the people of this county, both cf the middle and the lower class, was a matter of astonishment to me, who had been well acquainted, with the relative situation, of those classes in other counties in this province,, where their pursuits, both in and out of doors, so exactly 264 STATISTICAL SURVEY exactly corresponded. The great difference in the comforts of those people could not entirely consist in the inferiority of their soil, comparatively with that of Armagh ; for they too have very good crops of corn, and they have fuel in abundance, and on much better terms than it is to be had in this county. It is a matter of moment to investigate this differ- ence, and discover its cause. I conceive it proceeds from two causes ; one of which is, that more money can be earned by the manufacture of fine, than of coarse linen ; Armagh being more engaged in fine webs, than the counties of Ulster which lie west of it. But the other is the primary and chief cause ; the people are more in- dustrious and sober, and their earnings are seldom spent in the dram-shop. Perhaps in the poorer counties they are a more hard working people, employed earlier and later than in Armagh, but they are not regularly so ; they are only industrious when pinched by poverty, when their wages have been squandered, and when they are overwhelmed with debt. In this county, a steady industry affords a sufficiency for the moderate comforts of life, and will admit of a redundancy for other pur- poses, without exhausting nature by extraordinary labour at such a sedentary business as the loom. Unfortunately for the lower classes of the commu- nity, they cannot bear prosperity; and, if the wages of OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 26$ of six days can be acquired by extraordinary exer- tions, or a brisker demand of the trade, in four, the overplus is too frequently spent in dissipation, which enervates the constitution, and begets a habit of idle- ness. In cities, where there is less simplicity of manners, and more vicious habits amongst the peo- ple, this evil is not productive of such hardships to its votaries ; for there the tradesman raises the price of wages by combination, which his employer is sure to profit by in a tenfold ratio, and will fcacitty en- courage. This tyrthen now bears heavy on the consumer, who has by his inactivity seemingly con- sented to it, or left it to the correction of the legisla- ture, who have been too supine in a matter of such moment. Indeed the evil is now so far established, that it would be a very difficult task to appreciate the value of the several handicrafts labour. To proportion their wages to the price of provisions is quite out of the question, so long as the effecting an artificial scarcity is practised, and the principal trade of provisions suffered to remain in the hands of a few monopolizers. If this novel system, which now exists, of permitting individuals to hoard and regu- late the prices of provisions as suits their pleasure, was entirely abolished, then a law might be easily framed to appreciate the value of wages at all times. Combination would be thus completely overthrown, and 266 STATISTICAL SURVEY and each article of life would soon find its level, and be sold at the real value. To attain this wished for reformation, tradesmen should be prohibited to form themselves into societies. It is well known they subscribe weekly sums, under the pretence of supporting their families in sickness, or procuring for them decent funerals, at the joint ex- pence of the body or trade to which they belong ; al- tho' their real design is, to consult how they can best pillage the public by combinations for encrease of wages ; which when they have deJ^rmined on, they resist work until their unlawful demands are complied with; and they are subsisted, in the mean time, on the money, which they have previously subscribed to a stock purse, which in general contains a very con- siderable sum. I ask pardon for the digression ; but I wish to shew to the country weaver, that he has not the same resources for idling two days in six, as the city handicraft ; he must give up extraordinary labour, hurtful to his constitution, but he cannot fix the price of his labour, or procure an encrease of wages by combinatiou. The staple commodity of the na- tion is happily protected by wise laws, strictly en- forced, which it is out of his power to innovate ; and the trade is conducted by men of character, who would scorn to stoop to the knavish intrigues, which a petty corporation will not scruple privately to en- courage^ OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 2S7 courage, though they may publicly protest against them. Thro' the favour of governments corporations were privileged ; it should be their concern, as it is their duty, to oppose combination by the most vigorous and active exertions. Commensurate to this grievance, it is incumbent on the legislature to enact a severe law ; the half-stifled rebellion would receive through it a deadly blow 1 and industry should be resorted to, in place of the very vicious dissipation which exists, and which, it is highly im> politic to suffer. ^ In returning to the subject of the manufacture of this county, I conceive it is not within the limits of this Report to trace its origin here, nor its subse- quent history. These facts, many of my readers well know, are of the most ancient date ; suffice it to report its present state. The linen manufacture is pursued here in all its various branches, and particular markets are esta- blished for the sale of each kind of goods and mate- rials. The weavers of the finest goods reside north- ward in the county, and in this district their markets are; and vice versa with those inhabiting the borders of Monaghan county. The various branches of the trade consist in cambrics, lawns, linens, diaper, damask, and chequers. Those weavers, Vho work at the finer branches, 268 STATISTICAL SURVEY branches, will earn from fifteen to twenty per cent, more, in the same given time, than weavers of coarse goods, but there is oftener a stagnation in their trade. The coarse linen weavers have generally a knowledge of weaving cotton goods, and will often- times, when the demand is brisk, lay aside their linen webs, and turn to this branch ; but a regular- bred cotton or muslin weaver has not a knowledge of the linen manufacture, so that he .has not equal advantages with the coarse linen weaver, and much less with the lawn and cambrick manufacturer, ■who always can earn better wages than any other weaver. If a weaver works his own flax, which he has reared from the seed, his profits will be encreased from three-pence to sixpence per day, according to the excellence of the mode of dressing which he adopted, on which a great deal depends. But it is possible that a loss may happen, if yarn is in poor demand, and his stock is large. The extent of the manufacture cannot be ascer- tained exactly by the return of sales made in the different markets, as webs from neighbouring coun- ties come in, and also webs from hence are sold in markets out of this county. Great capitals are employed by bleachers, who purchase webs, and bleach on their own account. Considerable OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 269 Considerable sums are also engaged in the purchase of yarn, which is given out to the weaver to manu- facture ; or the weaving is often contracted for by those wealthy manufacturers, who do not work themselves, yet keep journeymen constantly em- ployed, either on their own account, with their own yarn, or on that of the merchants, with whom they contract. The general evil, which is felt in most parts of this province, and in none more particularly than in the districts of Armagh remote from navi- gation, is the great consumption and scarcity of fuel, which encreases with the extension of the linen manufacture. In many parishes there is more fuel consumed in these works, than by all the inha- bitants of the parish for culinary purposes ; nor is there a doubt that, if some other besides turf fuel is not resorted to, in a very few years the bogs of this county will be exhausted. The number of looms exceed the number of houses, as most houses have two or three looms, and frequently they are all at work, when the demand for linens is brisk, at which times many new looms are made, so that we may fairly assert that the num- ber of looms is encreasing : flax land being in greater demand and of higher value, is a proof there is no diminution in the trade. Woollen 2 ;o STATISTICAL SURVEY Woollen goods are made only for home con- sumption, and not for sale, nor is one family in ten supplied with a sufficiency of their own manu- facture. In Armagh and the other towns of the county, are the usual small manufactories of necessaries, as brewing, chandling, soap-boiling, tanning, &c. and also numerous handicrafts, who execute their trades well; but there is no particular manufactory, if we except the Armagh side of Newry town, in which a respectable capital is sunk, exclusive of the linen business. The particulars of the trade of each town will be spoken of in the Baronial Survey, thirteenth chap- ter, as they occur. As to the encouragement to manufactures, and the peculiar aptness of the situation for their ex- tension, it is favourable, whilst the well established markets are so steadily attended by buyers of res- pectability. In the vicinity of nagivations, where fuel is so easily conveyed, these situations must have superior advantages, and, exclusive of the linen trade, the malting business and corn buying have been considerably encreased in these districts ; and stores have been built, which also will be men- tioned in their proper places. 7'he OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 271 The annual estimate of the linen trade of this county is rated at 300,000/. ; the goods of most repute, and of the best fabric, are of nine, ten, and eleven hundreds, and from thence above twentj' hundreds. By hundreds is meant the number of threads in the warp of the web, which is always rated at one yard in width, An 2-JZ STATISTICAL SURVEY An Account of the Number and average Value of Packs and Boxes of Linens, which have come into the Linen Hall of Dublin, from the County of Armagh, in the following Years: ' Total Total num- number Total value of berof pieces of piece? Total pieces in packs and in packs, in boxes, number boxes, taking coarse Years. Packs . Boxes. supposing supposing of pieces and fine all round, 75 pieces 60 pieces in packs at an average of in each in each and boxes £1. 14* iid. per pack. box. Statute price. £. s. d. 1792 1870 684 140,250 41,040 181,290 309,326 1 3 *793 1546 5»i H5'950 34,86o 150,810 257,319 i 1 3 1794 1550 557 116,250 33,420 149,670 *5$,374 8 9 1795 Ii57 513 86,775 30,780 H7,555 200,578 4 42 1796 IG84 662 81,300 39.720 1 21,020 206,490 7 6 1797 1042 439 78,150 26,340 104,490 178,286 1 3 179S 1119 39 6 83,925 23,760 107,685 183,737 >o 7 1799 923 477 69,225 28,620 97,845 166,948 7A 1800 11 36 555 8^,200 33,33o 118,500 202,190 12 6 i8or 1078 479 89,850 28,740 109,59c 89,460 186,987 18 9 1802 832 45i 62,400 27,060 152,641 2 6 i *3>337 5794 |i f oo le fortune towards its success. Whatever were the ob- jections of government to this great national benefit, they did not immediately unite with Lord Rokeby, although they gave reason to expect, that the time was not remote when they might support it. After a long interval, Lord Rokeby at last despaired of being able to see his favourite object accomplished ; but, in order towards setting it afloat, he bequeathed by his will 5000/. for that purpose, provided the plan was adopted, and the first stone laid within five years after his decease. He conceived that, as he left the matter to be adopted by the wisdom of the legislature, which he could not have the direction of when in their hands, it would be a national concern, and Would require but small individual aid, which occasioned his limiting his bequest to 50001. Had his project been adopted when he first proposed it to government, he would doubtless have bestowed on it the principal part of his fortune, as he was often heard to declare. The benefit of this valuable le- gacy has not been embraced, and the limited time has elapsed, without any step having been taken ; of course it has reverted to the conditions of the will; nor is there any probabilitjr that his Lordship's views, for the founding of this seminary, will ever be adopted. The money he expended on the College 3i6 STATISTICAL SURVEY College of Armagh amounted to full 4000/., with which sum, and the funds for that establishment, the present elegant building was raised ; and the late Rev. Doctor Grueber, who had long ably discharged the duties of principal, at this time, at an advanced age, resigned on a liberal compensation ; and, by the desire of Lord Rokeby, the Rev, Doctor Car- pendale, who had with great credit presided at the endowed school of Carrickmacross, was removed to this preceptorship, nor could his Grace have made choice of a master more eminently qualified for the discharge of this important trust, as the unanimous testimony of the gentlemen fully evince, who have been so fortunate as to receive their education under his careful superintendence. The origin of this establishment will be found in the extracts from Harris's Hibernica, which are sub- joined in the appendix to this work ; but the school was not actually endowed till the reign of Charles I., as appears from the statutes. From the earliest accounts of literature in Ireland it appears, that the city of Armagh was famous for learning ; and church discipline was studied here with great exactness. It is said, so eminent was the College of Armagh for learned divines, that, in a synod, held in the abbey of Clane, in the county of Kildare, Anno 1162, which consisted of the arch-, bishop of Armagh, twenty-six bishops, and numerous abbots, OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 317 abbots, it was decreed, under a solemn act, that no student should be admitted a professor of theology in the national church, who had not a certificate of his having duly graduated in the College of Armagh. And, in the Monasticon Hibernicum, it is copied from the Annals of Innisfallen, that " Roderic 44 O'Conchobhair, king of Connaught, Anno 1169, " to advance learning in this university, granted to u the head master an additional annual pension of " ten oxen, and bound his successors to fulfil the u said grant, on condition that a public school " should be there kept open for all scholars from u every part of Ireland and Scotland." In Sir James Ware's Antiquities of Ireland, he quotes, on the statement of Florence McCarthy, that the num- ber of students at one time exceeded seven thousand. The instances, which I have mentioned, of Lord Rokeby's regard for the prosperity of Ar- magh were gratefully felt by the inhabitants, and called forth their public spirit in an eminent degree. New streets were built, and all the offensive obsta- cles to improvement, for which this city had been almost proverbially notorious, were removed ; a strict observance of the police, and laws of the cor- poration, was enforced ; the streets paved and flagged ; lamps were erected, and the best houses were adorned with iron railing in front. An elegant sessions-house was built at this time, and also a very handsome 3 i8 STATISTICAL SURVEY handsome edifice for public assemblies, the profits of which were to be applied to charitable purposes. In this latter building the ball-room is sixty feet by thirty, with card and supper rooms on a~large scale, and the kitchens and servants' apartments are suit- ably laid out. This building is not yet completed; I understand it has remained these some years past in its present state. Lord Rokeby's purse was always ready to contri- bute to these laudable improvements, which were carried on under his sole direction, and proved his correct taste and judgment for all public works. A very complete shambles, which are well en- closed, and elegantly constructed, were erected by him, and at his sole expence ; and he set on foot the important work of supplying the town with pipe-water, which was not completed till after his death. Lord Viscount Cremorne, who has a very fine property in this vicinity, handed over to the corpo- ration the sum of 1000/. for the forwarding of this public work, which was by subscription lately completed. Pumps, at proper distances, are erected through the streets for public use. The barracks are of modern date, and are a very handsome building, well designed, covering an ex- tensive area, which is well enclosed, and stands on a fine OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 319 fine open eminence, fully commanding the county gaol, which is contiguous. The gaol is also a modern and complete building, standing on a plain, with every advantage of good air, and proper accommodations for the prisoners ; it is admirably planned,, as to strength and security. I must here remark that, in every, approach to this capital town, the grand appearance of public buildings, and the numerous improved demesnes in the environs, convey to the stranger the most res- pectable ideas of this district, which are by no means lessened as he enters the city, the streets being principally rebuilt on a regular elevation, and the houses neatly slated, almost all of them having mar- ble window stools, door cases, and parapets or eve courses. Indeed, in point of convenience of build- ing materials, Armagh is very happily circumstanc- ed, and is remarkably well situated, contiguous to the ports of Newry and Dundalk, for such neces- saries of supply, which we cannot command at home. The market place is triangular, and is on the declivity of the hill, on which the cathedral stands ; at the base, are the ruins of a market house, which was begun by Primate Bolton, but I do not learn that it w r as ever completely finished. The best front faced the cathedral, and between these two build- 320 STATISTICAL SURVEY ings is the antique mutilated market-cross, of which an engraving is annexed. ft OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 321 It appears that the top of the cross has been da- maged ; the symbolic subject is Christ's crucifixion between the thieves in old basso-rilievo ; the others are so much obliterated, that I leave their solution to more expert antiquarians ; they appear rather a kind of rude ornamental fret-work, than any distinct characters. The trade of Armagh is principally engaged in the linen manufacture, the market for which is held on Tuesdays, and it is averaged that 7000/. are weekly expended for webs in this market. In so extensive and well appointed a town, it is unnecessary to mention that every necessary and useful branch of manufacture, the woollen trade only excepted, is more or less engaged in, suffici- ent for the supply of its inhabitants and the coun- try around ; but though severally respectable, they are not of any particular note, nor have extensive capitals engaged in them. The present primate intends to present the town with an elegant market-house at his own expence, and as, in point of situation, the county court-house is deemed very inconvenient, and an estimate of a new and grand edifice, to the amount of 6000/. for this purpose, is now before the grand jury, his Grace intends the site of the present building for that of the market-house, which is certainly the y best $U STATISTICAL SURVEY best place it could be erected on, from its central . situation and contiguity to the market-place ; the ruins of the present market-house are indeed a dis- grace to the town, and ill correspond with any of its public buildings. His Grace also intends to promote, as much as possible, the sale of wheat in this market, which it is strangely deficient in, as the principal part of this grain, which is raised in the vicinity, is sold in Portadown market. A very fine mall, or terrace, has been lately enclosed with a dwarf wall, dyke, and iron gates, within which is a neat gravel walk, encompassing a lawn, for the enclosing of which Lord Roke- by procured an act of parliament, and it is but lately finished. Tin's work was completed by sub- scription, which will be returned, as the rent pro- duced from the lawn in some years will repay both principal and interest, after which the property of the land is vested in the sovereign and corpora- tion of Armagh, by which the town is governed ; it is but justice to this body to remark, that by their attention the police of this city is well re- gulated, nor is the eye disgusted, nor the passen- ger annoyed with any of those nuisances, which too frequently disgrace main* of the most respectable towns in Ireland. Having faintly traced the princely munificence, -.- splendid liberality, and elegant taste of Lord Rokeby OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 323 llokeby in the city, we see in the adjoining de- mesne of the primate a most magnificent palace, which he built for the residence of the archbishops of this see, and on this site he erected a very grand chapel for the use of the primate's family, suitable to so princely a residence. His Lordship also ornamented and planted the. demesne in the highest modern style, which the present primate has now occupied with the most improved systems of husbandry ; indeed his Grace's farm-yard implements of husbandry, and mode of culture, afford a bright example to the gentry, of what their valuable demesnes could yield under judicious management. In the primate's demesne a very elegant obelisk was erected by Lord Rokeby, in compliment to the late Duke of Northumberland, his Lordship's friend and patron, on which is engraved a suitable inscrip- tion : this pillar is very ornamental, and cost above 1000/. In the unlimited extension of Lord Rokeby's views, which were suitable to his generosity, his Grace had contemplated the pulling down the pre- sent cathedral*, and erecting a very fine one at his y 2 own * His Grace the present primate intends to build a chapel of ease to the cathedral in the vicinity of Armagh, contiguous 3*4 STATISTICAL SURVEY own oxpence, when the old work of the tower proved too decayed to support a steeple and belfry, and, had he lived, he would doubtless have, accom- plished it. If an}- public work had not a fund suffi- cient for its completion, after a subscription had been taken, to which his Lordship was always a liberal donor, lie lent the remainder of the required sum, for which he would never receive anv interest. There is scarcely a precedent of such a magni- ficent fortune having been expended, during the life of the proprietor, on the improvement of his own estate for the benefit of his heirs ; how emi- nently luminous then was the generous spirit of Lord Rokebv, who bestowed all these advantages and solid gifts to the public, fiom which his family could never derive any revenue ? I do not pre- sume to say, that a life of celibacy should be one of the necessary qualifications for a public employment of great emolument ; for without a liberal spirit it •will avail but little ; but happy it is for the nation, when such trusts are honored in the care of so res- plendent a generosity and correct taste, as the late Lord Rokebv possessed, and it is fortunate for the. public, that those eminent virtues were not restrained in contiguous to the barracks and school, which is very requi- site, as the cathcdial is quite too small for the large and ♦ ;r easing conarroat'on of this ci^y. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 325 in his Lordship by a matrimonial connection*. Had his Grace a wife or children, such a distribution of his fortune would have been an unjust and unwar- rantable sacrifice, The virtues of this great man are too well re- corded to require panegyric. My readers will doubtless expect to learn, that, a kind acknow- ledgment of his eminent qualifications and liberality has been paid in the erection of a splendid monu- ment to his memoiy, and in these pages to see copied an epitaph suitable to his love of litera- ture, displaying the grateful feelings of a nation for the general good they derive from his liberality ; of the opulent city of Armagh for the local benefits she enjoys from his bounty ; or of his Lordship's suc- cessors, to v, horn he bequeathed such an ample for- tune ; but sorry I am to say, that no such affection- ate memorial is in existence. Although Lord Rokeby's virtues will not be for- gotten, when the frail monuments of human inge- nuity have mouldered into dust, yet so long as this dutiful tribute, this j,ust debt is unpaid, the strong contrast of his Grace's liberality will add shame * That his Grace was not an advocate for a life of celi- bacy is certain, but a disappointment in an attachment had in early life fixed his resolution cf remaining singly 326 STATISTICAL SURVEY shame to the reproach, and confirm this disgrace either in a particular or in a general view. Respecting this ancient see of Armagh, it is in- deed a matter of surprize there are no public re- cords. A few books or papers were purchased or procured from his friends by Lord Rokeby, which he bequeathed in such a manner, that they are not easily accessible, being left to the governors of the library in trust, the archbishop for the time being having power to take away any of them, provided he gives a receipt binding upon him and his exe- cutors; and in his will he adds these remarkable words : " My intention is, that the librarian, and u the governors of the library , shall be excluded from ii the examination of these manuscripts, and that which is trans- lated, the flourishing- head of a yew tree ; the tra- dition being, that, at the time of the founding of the abbey, there was here a celebrated grove of this timber, which was a suitable place for monkish confinement and recluse studies. It is further said, that two remarkable yew trees shaded the abbey gates ; hence the place was called in the plural Tx umber, the Newries, or the Yews ; in the latin of that age it is translated, Monaster ium dc viridi ligno, from the Irish Na Jur. We are told that in the burial ground, which adjoins the abbey, some stumps of trees were found anno 168S, on the south- east side, by soldiers who were digging a grave ; that these stumps, or roots, had a beautiful red co- lour, and took a fine polish, and were converted into utensils for various purposes ; it is probable they were the remains of the ancient yews, for which this place was celebrated. The abbey being founded, a library was annexed to it, and this religious house was placed under the invocation * Newry has been also called, Jubbar-chiwn, Traigh. See Monasticon Hibernicum. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 375 invocation of St. Patrick and St. Mary; but it is recorded, that, in 1162, the abbey was burnt and the library, and a yew tree, which was planted by St. Patrick, shared the same fate ; about eighty years after the founding, the several endowments were confirmed to it by Hugh de Lacey, Earl of Ulster. From thence until the reign of Henry VIII. this abbey flourished, and had amassed considera- ble treasures, but this monarch changed its consti- tution to a collegiate church for secular priests, anno 1543. This college consisted of a warden and vicars choral ; a confirmation of all those posses- sions was granted on the 28th of June, in the 30th of Henry VIII. reserving only to the crown the yearly rent Gf four marcs ; but a few years after, when this prince shook off his subjugation to the papal see, it shared the fate of tlie other reli- gious houses, and was dissolved ; but in the suc- ceeding reign of Edward VI. this lordship was granted to Sir Nicholas Bagnail, who was marshal of Ireland, with all the immunities and privileges, which it enjoyed as an ecclesiastical establishment, and he was permitted to use in his court the an- cient seal of the charter, on which is represented a mitred abbot in his albe sitting in a chair, sup- ported by two yew trees ; the motto, Sigillum ex- empts jurisdictionis de Viridi ligno, alias Newry et Moume, The 37& STATISTICAL SURVEY The marshal now resided on his territory, con- verted the abbey into his palace, re-edified and strengthened the town, and built some castles and strong works, the vestiges of which yet remain, nor is it above fifty years since the ruins of the ancient chapel were standing. He also built the church, anno 1578, and is interred within its walls. This church, which is situated on very high ground, almost inaccessible to carriages, is a vicarage in the diocese of Dromore ; it was almost destroyed by the insurgents in 1641, and remained a ruin till after the Restoration, when it was repaired and roofed ; but soon after the roof was taken off, and the walls were raised, to admit of a gallery. In 1689, the Duke of Berwick burned the town of Newry, to secure his retreat to Dundalk from the English forces under the command of the Duke of Schombergh. This lordship, and all its ancient privileges, were enjoyed by the descendants of Sir Nicholas Bagnall, and at length became the joint property of two ladies, on whose marriages the estate was divided, and is now vested in the Earl of Uxbridge and Mr. Needham ; the former proprietor enjoying the Mourne manor, and the latter the lordship of Newry. The line of division takes place at Crown-bridge, in the county of Down, about a mile from Newry, marked by a c~kV/ated rath, with a large platform on OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 377 on its- summit, which, tradition says, was erected for the place of single combat, fought by two princes, who were competitors for a royal territory ; hence this place was called Crown-rath, from which the bridge is also named. The ruins of an old chapel stand northward of the rath, on a rising ground, contiguous to a small lake. In the original grant to Sir Nicholas B agnail, there is a reservation of certain tenements in the town of Newry, and the town-land of Cornyhoughs? which is in the vicinity, over which the lord was to have no privilege, it having been a prior grant made to one Colin Crilly. Mr. Needham now enjoys all the ancient privi- leges and immunities under the old monkish seal, which are very considerable. He is ex officio rector of the parish, and has the power of granting mar- riage licences and probates of wills ; he receives the tithes with his rents, and appoints a clergyman his vicar, to whom he pays a salary ; it is contended that this gentleman is only accountable to him for his conduct, and not to the bishop, which, however, is a point disputed, and yet to be determined. The presentation to the living is claimed by the bishop, which is also to be decided ; but, should the eccle- siastical court be successful in this claim, it will tend to no advantage, for the tithes are the property of the rector, and the salary he pays his vicar is quite at 378 STATISTICAL SURVEY at his option ; and it is even a matter of doubt, whether the bishop could oppose his officiating in person, although not in orders, so fully are his rights expressed. His power in granting marriage licences is also very full, as by his authority the marriage is good, if there be no legal objection to the parties intermarrying ; but no legal omission, or errors in the proceedings, or in the licence, would annul the marriage, which was not generally the law of the land prior to the passing of the maniage-act, and before that time this proprietor enjo}ed the pri- vilege. Exclusively of his ecclesiastical privileges, his civil authority is very great, as he holds courts baron and leet, and can command the sheriff not to carry his rod through his territories, even before the judges; and, to preserve this authority, that magis- trate's rod has been broken in their presence. He has also the power, by his receipt, of discharging all recognizances to the crown, which have been forfeited within his jurisdiction, if the offender has resided therein six weeks prior to the forfeiture, which it is mandatory in the sheriff to obey, and which sum the lord of the manor can order into his treasury, and .keep from the king's exchequer. This right has also been preserved by the institution of a suit against the sheriff, for having paid 300/. into the exchequer, of fines levied within this manor, which OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 379 which sum, with costs, was recovered from him by the award of the court ; nor can a judge of assize, ia the towns of Armagh or Downpatrick, effectually punish an offender, within these territories, for not appearing to the sheriff's summons, as it is in the power of the lord of this manor to remit the fine at his pleasure, or to enforce the forfeiture, and order the sheriff to pay it into his own treasury.* The tithes and the rents of the lands of Mr. Needham's proportion exceed 10,000/. per annum, but the tenth part of these lands are not in this county. This gentleman's character, as a landlord, cannot be excelled in indulgence and generosity to his tenants. Lord Uxbridge's manor of Mourne, though con- siderably more extensive, is not so lucrative as the lordship of Newry ; it covers the vast area of the Mourne mountains, and a large district, the greater parts of which are wild, uncultivated, and uninha- bited wastes. His Lordship and Mr. Needham pre- sent in rotation to the united parishes of Mourne, Kilcoo, and Kilfegan, which are estimated at 1000/. per annum, all situate in the county of Down. In that part of the town of Newry, which is within this county, very fine warehouses are erected, and * I understand that Mr. Needham remits this privilege to the crown, but does not concede it altogether, only during his pleasure. 380 STATISTICAL SURVEY and a considerable wholesale trade is carried on here. From hence runs the canal, nearly parallel with the Ban, in its course to Lough Neagh, and at fourteen miles distance it joins that river. The line of this navigation, from Newry towards the sea, ter- minates at Fathom, where it joins the tide-water. A canal has been in contemplation, to be cut from this town to Armagh, and an iron road is also talked of, but there has been no decision in either cases. Newry is celebrated for its extensive butter trade, which, it is said, amounts to above 300,000/. an- nually. This market is so well known, that some- times they send butter here even from the county of Sligo ; the price is certainly encouraging, and has the last season averaged 5l. 12s. per hundred weight. This trade will doubtless be injured, when a canal or iron road from Castleblaney to Dundalk is com- pleted, which is determined on. All the butter of Cavan and Monaghan counties, which is regularly sent to Newry through Castleblaney, will stop here, and go to Dundalk, by which means a great ex- pence, and seventeen miles distance of the worst road in Ireland, will be saved. A considerable trade is also carried on in Newry, in supplying pork and beef for the navy orders. The linens exported from Newry, from January 1802 to 1803, amount to 200,000/., and might average 2s. 2d. per yarcj. The OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 381 ' The flax-seed imported for the last ten years, from 1792 to 1801, both inclusive, averaged 12,321 casks annually; the greatest number was 18,160 casks in the year 1799, and the smallest number was 7,061 casks in 1795. The linen market is the second in the province, and averages 4,500/. weekly sales. This is held in the most inconvenient and disagreeable part of the town, which place is also chosen for the cattle-stand on fair days, and is extremely inconvenient. The linen market is here considerably decreased, since the new market of Kilkeel, in the county of Down, and of Carlingford, in the county of Louth, were established, which are both near to Newry. The linen trade of Belfast has also rivalled this town ; its linen-hall is well established ; but the splendid edifice, which the merchants of Newry built for this purpose at an immense expence, is now entirely abandoned from its original use, and has lately been purchased by government, and con- verted into a barrack. The old barracks are to be appropriated to a custom-house, which will be a great convenience to the merchants, as the present custom-house lies far from their business. These new barracks are unquestionably the best accommodated for the purpose in Ireland, or per- haps in his Majesty's dominions, though built for a purpose so extremely different as a linen-hall. The linen- 3*2 STATISTICAL SURVEY linen-merchants have been obliged to sell these con- cerns to such a disadvantage, that the dividend of each proprietor was but thirty pounds for every ori- ginal hundred subscribed, as it was built by sub- scription, and debentures were issued accordingly. In this town a very capital distillery and malt- houses were lately erected ; and some good breweries, with a windmill for bolting flour on a large scale, have also been built. A new cofTce-house has lately been finished, and this town has long been celebrated for its handsome theatre. A capital foundery is now in forwardness, and there is already an extensive manufactory for all sorts of hammered iron, particularly for spades, shovels, and scythes. A spirited trader has also set up several looms for weaving damask, which have every prospect of success. All the subordinate branches of manufacture, equal to the demand of so populous a neighbourhood, are carried on in this town, and the shops are well sup- plied with not only the necessaries, but all the ele- gancies required in so opulent a vicinity. I must not omit, that Newry is a pot-walloping borough, "ad returns one member to the Imperial parliament. It would be unpardonable to conclude this sec- tion, without noticing the celebrated Pagan reliques of OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 3S5 of Cairn, or Tlachgdgha Ban. There are two places of this name in this division, both situ- ated near Newry. One of them is a conical heap of stones, one hundred and eighty yards in circumference, and ten yards in height ; the other a 1 temple. This remarkable place, whHi is about two miles north of Newry, on the banks of the canal, is one of the earliest vestiges of antiquity which remain in Ireland ; it is doubtless of Pagan origin, and must have been a Crom-Leach* of the Druids, * The following critical explanation of this word, from General Vallancey's Vindication of the Ancient History of Ireland, may be acceptable to my readers. " Crom-Leacb. — No words in the Pagan religion of the western world have been less understood, than these, by all writers. It is the name usually given to two monuments of a distinct nature ; one consists of a large flat stone in a ho- rizontal position (or near it) supported by other upright stones, fixed in the ground, on purpose to bear the weight o£ that stone, which rests upon them ; its elevation is six or eight feet from the ground. This was properly named the Curr-am-leacb, the stone cast about ; in some places it still retains the name of Carrig Curra (a), or the rock to be cast at. These are generally placed on elevated grounds, some- times standing on the plain natural soil, and at other times on the tops of Cams or artificial mounts ; and at others it is placed in the middle of a circle of stones erect; it was then earned Cir-am-leach, or, the circle about the stone (b). The third (a) As at Carlg Curra, county of Waterford, (b) At Carig a phQiiha t in county of Cork. 3*+ STATISTICAL SURVEY Druids, as it bears every resemblance to their an- cient temples in its interior disposition, though it differs third species of these monuments, is the large stone of a rude pyramidical form placed on three others, which is also named a Crom-leach ; these huge irregular rocks required three up- rights at least, to support their incumbent weight ; there is no mystery, as some have idly imagined, in the number of the supporters, because, as Dr. Borlase rightly observes, they found it much easier to place and fix securely any incumbent weight on three supporters, than on two, four, or more; hence we find, when the weight was too great to be raised, the stone rested on the natural ground, as at Men in Corn- wall, or they cut away the rocks, if any below it, to give it the appearance of having been placed there by art, as the Clock-market-stone at Skreen, county Sligo, and the Tollmen- stove in Cornwall. The first kind of Cromleach, being a flat stone, resting sometimes on two pillars, but oftener on three, called Curr- am-leach, or Carrlg-Cnrra (the stone or rock to be cast at), is undoubtedly the Din-na Bith He Ram of the Canaanites, mentioned Jos. 13. and 27. The name declares it to have been a temple dedicated to their God, the Heavens, under the attribute of the Projector, or mover of things projected. We have notable remains of the worship of this famous God in this nation (says Hutchinson), (c). The Chaldeans named this temple Bith D'/ip Kolis, by which it is supposed they meant Mercury, whose name in Irish is Coll or Talt. These monuments the Chaldeans named D>^pna Merkolis, which Buxtorf explains " Statua Mercurialis, Idolum Mercurii cui cultus certus fiebat — dispositi fuerunt duo lapides magni, unus hinc, alter illinc, quibus tertius impositus, media sui parte, utrumque tcgens.— Veteres etiam appellarunt Bith Kolis, Domuai (c) Moses principia, p. 2. p. 313. OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. jff$ differs from the most of those antiquities which I have seen, as having a deep sloping bank far with* c c outside Domum Kolis, dc quo apud Talmudicos. — Ad dictos tres lapides projiciebantur alii lapides certo ritu, & cultu. Sanh, C. 7. f. 60. — Qui projecit lapidem ad Merkolis, (si com- mittit idolatriam) qui hie est cultus ejus." Sundry authors construe Prov. 26. and 8. d:*i ragam, to throw stones, sicut qui mittit lapidem in acervum Mercurii. See Selden, Maimonides, Vossius, &c. Hence Borlase observes, some of the Cromlehs of Corn- wall were quite inclosed and buried, as it were, in the Cam. As we find another name of Mercury in the Chaldee and Arabic was Katab, i. e. the Writer ; and in the former language Katet signifies an upright rock or stone, L.at. cautesy Gall, roches escarpees, Saxon Cote, Cyte, Rupes, Spelunca ; I am of opinion the Chaldee or Phoenician i"!Dp-nr)D Katab-Kata, has been corrupted to Kit-kotty, as the Irish Cloch-marhit is of Cloch Mor-Kata (d) ; whence Kitts Cotty House, the vulgar English name of the famous Curr-- am-leach or Cromleach in Kent, which, according to Camden and others, was erected over the burial-place of Catigern, brother of Vortimer king of the Britons ; but it is more probable that, finding this Cromleach at hand, they buried him under it : for it is remarkable, that the nearest quarry to this monument is six miles distant. Would it not have been easier to have conformed to the general mode of sepulchres, and have raised a earn of earth over him, rather than have been at the vast trouble and expence of drawing such immense stones, some of which weigh more than eight tons, the distance of six miles, to cover the corpse of the brother of a king ? — Dr. Borlase is certainly right in placing this monument as a Cromleach. These (d) Tweoty-three feet in girth. $86 STATISTICAL SURVEY outside the mount, enclosed with upright stones, and which is about two hundred yards in circumference ; the These monuments were so named from the Ch. net Rema, jacere, projicere. — The Jews had sacrifices appointed to be brought to the temple of God, called by this name, rendered the Heave- offerings of their hand* The Laplanders have a custom of throwing stones in the worship of the God Jumala. (Schefer, p. 27,.) Sale, in the preface of the Koran, observes the same of the Arabians. Pilts, in his account of the religion and manners of the Mo- hammedans, p. 135, 3d Ed. describes the same practice; whence I conclude it was one of the general modes of Pagan worship, established before the dispersion, as ablution, lus- tration, &c. most certainly were, from their general use among all nations. Now the word no") rama, to project, when applied to the actions of the mind (with which this God had no business) signifies to deceive ; and the projected stones, rising at length in heaps, called by the Irish Lachtan and Chrom, the Chaldean word nmy Gharema, signifying a heap, acervus, came at length to signify the worship of this projecting cere- mony ; and the oriental word being pronounced Hharema, Hharma, or Gharema, the Greeks formed their idea of Hermes t the prince of frauds, tricks, and cunning ; and from the same word is derived our Irish Crom y and Carn, a heap, a pile. — Ex Hanna, vel Garma, fit Lat. Grumus, Gall. Grumeau, Sax. Cramman, Anglice Cram ; farcire, saginare ; posset et hinc esse Horreum ubi acervantur frumenta. (Thomassin.) Hinc & 'Ep/muV, fraudum, & astutiarum prin- ceps Mercurius, unde Sc Mercurii nomen. (id.) The large rude monument of this kind, in a pyramidical forrn, :z certainly a symbol of their great, invisible, and un- known OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 387 the entire area which it covers may be about a rood of ground, and is rather on a gentle eminence in a c c 2 large known God ; the mV Din Charam Louach, i. e. the devoted or consecrated stone ; the Irish Crom Cruach, or Aesar, the Creator ; the "i»» iashar, of the Chaldees and Phaenicians, from the word implying the Creator, and the Achar or Ashar of the Brahmans. These emblems of the Deity, as the creator of the heavens and the mover of the bodies projected, must have been established before the dispersion. Hence arises Dr. Borlase's observation ; " What nation, sect, or religion, this kind of monument may be said properly to belong to, or had its rise from, is a point not easiry to be adjusted, says he, seeing we find them in Denmark, France, Germany, and the isles of the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to the coasts of Spain and France, in Jersey, Ireland, Britain, and the Bri- tish Isles ; and perhaps in many other countries they will oc- cur, especially the northern kingdoms, by which they should seem to have been Celtic monuments, and with that numerous people carried into all their settlements. This ingenious author had not consulted all the writers on the pagan worship of the Eastern nations ; his ideas were confined to the Northern alone. — Kircher would have pointed out to him the Cromleach of the Egyptians ; Castel- lus would have shewn him, the Orientals had forty-eight ways of writing the name of the attribute ascribed to this Deity, all of which terminated in the Greek 'Ep/*5jf, in which word they comprehended the motion of all things, even the atoms of vegetables, under this attribute, adding at length wings to this image, to shew they supposed it had wings and power to Ifly upward, descend, or any way ; and, as an attribute of whas $83 STATISTICAL SURVEY large plain, enclosed by lofty bills at some distance, forming a spacious amphitheatre ; the stones are of a hard what they took for a God, could communicate that power to, and make other things fly. — Thus, from the ignorance of the later heathens and the prevarication of the Jews, they formed their Baal-zebub, a God of the air, a flying God ; but in these remote countries, the original attribute continued to Christianity. There are several places in Canaan, and parts adjacent, flamed from this attribute Rema ; so in Ireland we have se- veral : Cnoc Ramhar, or the hill of Rema, on which these Cromleachs have been placed; and I am much mistaken, if many of our lands denominated Curra's do not originate from the same kind of worship. The Fan-kac was the Chaldee name for the Crom-leach, signifying the stone of adoration, from rus phane, coluit, adoravit. Ne UBD tephanu, ad idola, Levit. xix. 4. The v/ord also signifies, respexit, adspexit ; hence Gen. xxxii. Et vocavit Jacob nomen istius loci ^ - 'JD Phani-el, quia vidi Deum, phanim al phanim, facie ad faciem ; hence in Chaldee o>jsV *ifi phani lephanim, the Sanctum sanctorum. (Bux- torf ex Talmud.) Fan therefore became a general word for every place of public worship, as Fan Lobuis, the church of St. Lobus in co. of Corke, &c. ; hence the Latin famim. Mias signifies an altar. JEthiopice My sway, Arabice Miz-beh ; hence SRabh M':as t now called Sliabh Mis, or the Mountain of the Altar, in co. of Kerry. A certain number of these altars and temples were in every Fairce or episcopal see of Ireland, and each Fairce had its peculiar priests ; hence Fairce, a diocese, plural Fairigb, parishes; the word is Chaldee, pD phark, finis, terminus, pars, separarc. Wc OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 3S9 hard grit, resembling granite, but not so perfect in the grain. Within this glacis or slope, the base of the temple gradually rises towards the mound, whose circumference is one hundred and sixty yards, and is completely girthed or enclosed w r itli long and ponderous stones, set upright, and closely joined together. At the north-western aspect the principal entrance is formed by a simple bank of easy ascent ; and at the opposite extreme there is another open, which appears to be rather accidental, than of original design ; it is much narrower than the other, and is contiguous to the altar, which lies in this point. The \V r e must not here omit another name for an altar, which approaches so near to the Hebrew, it seems to point out the real derivation of it, and to have been borrowed from us by the Jews ; it is Arala or Urala. The Hebrew iwiK Ariel (Ezek. xliii. 16.) the altar which was twelve cubits long and twelve cubits broad, is the same word, letter for letter 1 the, interpretation of the Rabbins is Leo Dei ; the Irish Arala, the height or mount of worship, is surely a more rational, explanation. — Collectanea de rebus Uihernms^ vol. iv. J> 47 o 3 et seq. 39<- STATISTICAL SURVEY i A MM m imfm& The horizontal slab, which is very ponderous, rests on three upright stones, each about ten feet Jong, though they do not appear to be so much as half OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 391 half their height above the surface, until we examine the close hollow spot in which they stand, below the level of the ground. Nine smaller stones, set up in like manner, form the paling of the altar, but the slab does not rest upon any of them ; they only serve to wedge in and support the three principal bearing stones. The slab is almost of a triangular shape, whose side* measure twenty feet ; but it appears to have had originally far greater dimensions, from the circum- stance of the ground, which joins this altar, being sunk in like manner for many feet distance, and also is enclosed with upright stones, set up in the same position, and on a level with those which, sup- port the slab ; it is the more probable that this slab ■was of greater size, as, in any of those temples now existing, there is no stone paling but what imme- diately encloses the altar, and on which the horn zontal flag rests. / If, then, this altar was crowned with so massy a slab as would cover so extensive a paling, it is won- derful how such an immense weight; and unwieldy body, could be elevated to such a height on the bearing stones without the powers of mechanism, , to which so rude a people must have been strangers. I have heard it accounted for, as being probable, that, after the upright stones had been set up. a large stage 392 STATISTICAL SURVEY stage of trees, extending to a considerable distance around them, might have been heaped across each other, and the spaces within filled up with sods and ' stones; that this stage of gradual ascent, being raised so high as the tops of the bearing stones, was then firmly covered over with earth ; that- the joint labour of men, oxen, and horses might then be, united, to drag the slab up the ascent, until it was rested on the stones, after which the stage could be removed, or set fire to, the slab remaining in its desired po- sition. This ancient relique was about five years ago in perfect preservation in every respect, excepting the slab ; and I am concerned to state, that the present occupier of the lands, an opulent brewer in Newry, has almost entirely dismantled the outer paling, and appropriated the stones to building in the town. This devastation has already reached the interior works; but it is hoped that here the sacrilege will rest, and that the altar will be spared, to mark one of the most ancient reliques which exist in this count}-. The annexed drawing represents its figure, as it stood about five years ago. 1 must observe, in finishing this sketch of these baronies, that there is no limestone in this district, nor is there any appearance of this fossil nearer than Carlingford, ten miles distant from Newry. it is rather OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 393 rather a singular circumstance, that on the opposite shore, in the county of Down, there are large rocks of it close to the water's edge, and it is not found within ten yards from the beach, nor in any other part of that country. CHAP. 394 STATISTICAL SURVEY CHAP. XIV. CONCLUSION. I have already explained, in the preface to this work, that I cannot flatter myself that these Reports can be considered free from error. The nature and the variety of the enquiries must preclude the possibility of such a work being perfected by an individual ; and, indeed, the author extremely regrets that, from fortuitous circumstances, and his very ill state of health at the several times he visited this count}-, he was precluded the satisfaction he should have re- ceived, and, of course, the more correct informa- tion, from the gentlemen of the county, so few of whom he had an opportunity of consulting. Should they have the goodness to correct any errors they may discover, or supply any omissions, and favour the author with their observations, under cover to the Dublin Society, he will pay every at- tention to their opinions in the next edition, which will be published as soon as the necessary materials are collected. In OF THE COUNTY OF ARMAGH. 395 In making my acknowledgments to the very few gentlemen, who favoured me with any assistance, I have, in a particular manner, to return my sincere thanks to James Dawson, Esq., chairman of the count}-. I feel that I have trespassed on his polite attention ; but my readers will allow I could not possibly have drawn my information from a more intelligent source, or rested it upon surer authority. CHARLES COOTE. APPENDIX APPENDIX. Extracts from Harris's Hibernica, and Captain Pynnar's Survey of Ulster, in which are given the Names of the original Patentees of the forfeited lands of this County, and their Deno- minations, with preliminary Observations. HAVING already given the present state of property in this county, in the second chapter and fourth section, I shall now shew how the estates were arranged, after this county became escheated to the crown, as taken from Harris's Hibernica, and shall state, of the project for the plantation of Ulster, so much as may be necessary relative to our narration. It is proper fir& to refer to the state z APPENDIX. state of property preceding the confiscation, and we find it was centered in the families of the O'Neil's, the M'Cane's, and O'HanloiTs. In the commencement of the seventeenth century it was principally vested in the families of M'Henrv, Acheson, O'Neil, Brownlow, and O'Hanlon, exclu- sive of the great territories settled on Mohartv, which the M'Canes forfeited in rebellion ; and also a great tract of country, called Oirther*, was escheated to the crown, which a branch of the O'Hanlon's had lost in rebellion. I shall proceed now to speak of that allotment of lands,, which was made in 1GL0 by James I. as reported by Pynnar in his survey of the es- cheated * Qlrtlxr was a district in the south of this county; the hereditary chiefs were the O'Hanlons; some of this family enjoyed their ancient patrimony within these two centuries. The O'CarrolPs had also a wing of this coun- ty, called Orgiely which territory comprehended Oriel and Uriel 9 derived from Oir Cadi, or the Eastern Ca'el ; this was an ancient a,nxl entensive district, which included part of this county : and the whole of Louth and Monaohan was governed by its proper king, subject in some respects to the supreme monarch. The sovereignty of this ter- ritory was invested in the family of the O'CarrolPs, he- reditary chieftains of Hy Cairol. Collectanea de rebus Hiberr.icis, Vol. J II. page 402. APPENDIX. $ cheated counties of Ulster, but it will be proper to give the general outline of the project, with an extract from it, for the division and plantation of this province, so far as relates to this county. In the project there were four general points observed in every county, viz. : 1st. That the proportions of land, to be distri- buted to undertakers, should be of three different quantities : the first and least, to consist of so many parcels of land, as would make 1000 English acres, or thereabouts ; the second or middle proportion, of so many parcels as would make 1500 English acres ; and the third and greatest, of so many parcels as would make 2000 English acres, or there- abouts. 2d. That all the lands, escheated in every count}-, should be divided into four parts, whereof two parts should be divided into proportions, consisting of 1000 acres a piece ; a third part into proportions of 1500 acres ; and the fourth, into proportions of 2000 acres. 3d. That every proportion should be made a pa- rish, and a parish church should be erected thereon, and the incumbents should be endowed with glebes of several quantities, viz. An incumbent of a parish of one thousand acres should have sixty acres ; an incumbent of a parish of fifteen hundred acres should have ninety acres ; and an incumbent of a parish *. APPENDIX. parish of two thousand acres should have one hun- dred and twenty acres ; and that the whole tithes and duties of every parish should be allotted to every incumbent, besides the glebes aforesaid. 4th. That the undertakers of these lands should be of several sorts; 1st. English and Scottish, who •were to plant their proportions with English and Scottish tenants ; 2d. Servitors in Ireland, who might take English or Irish tenants at their choice ; 3d. Natives of those counties, who were to be free- holders. The general outline of the project being under- stood, it states that, " the county of Ardmagh is " divided by ballyboes, but because the ballyboes u are not found to be of equal quantity or num- u ber of acres, the distribution of this county is u to be made by acres. *f The whole county doth contain 77,SOO acres*, " which will make sixty-one proportions, viz. of " the least thirty-eight, of the middle sort thirteen, " and of the greatest proportion ten, and thirty acres u over to be added to some parish. In every of are able to make 6 having 30 acres le piece. anhundredmen 9 having 26 acres le piece. with arms. — 1 having 100 acres. There is also 1 having 1 1 acres. good store of 1 having 5 acres. tillage, and not Fre-holders 5 ™- i ! 5 having 120 acres le piece. one Irish family upon all th$ land= No. II. \ 000 acres. Sir Oliver St. John, Knt. hath a thousand acres, called Kernan. Upon this there are two bawnes ot timber, and moated about, and made very strong. There, is in each of the^e an English house of cage work, and two English families dwelling rn them; tjieyQ >* APPENDIX. there is, near to one of these bawnes, five houses, being inhabited with Eng- lish families; the rest are dispersedly npon the land three or four families together. I find planted and estated on this land of Brittish tenants. Freeholders J 5, viz. Lessees for years eight viz. Cottagers, {bur, viz. 5 having ! 20 acres le piece. 2 having 120 acres le piece. 3 having 100 acres le piece. 2 having 60 acres le piece. 1 having 40 acres. Each of these have a tene- ment and a garden plott, with comjnons for their cat- tle. Total 17 fami- lies, who with their under te- nants are able }*to make thirty men with arms; and thirteen of these have ta- ken the oath of supremacy. No. III. William Powell was*) first patentee. i Mr. Obbyns hath 5xuuv acres. -< 2000 acres, called (^Ballnevoran. Upon this there is built a bawne of sodds, with a palazado upon it of boards, ditched about. Within this there is a good fair house of brick and lyme, himself dwelling thereon ; near APPENDIX. *$ near to this he bath built four houses inhabited with English families. I find planted and estated upon this land of Brinish tenants. Freeholders C 3 having 120 acres Ie piece. ^These twenty 5, viz. c 2 having 100 acres le piece. Jtenants, with 4 having 100 acres le piece, /their under te- 2 having 60 acres le piece, f nants, are able 3 having 66 acres le piece. /* to make forty- 2 having 40 acres le piece. \ six men with i having 30 acres. farms, 3 having ico acres jointly. S Lessees for years 15, viz. The Lord the fir tee \ Say was f st paten- > No. IV. /-Mr. Copehath300O «/»«« ] acres, called Der- 3000 acres. j rycra ' vy and Dr0 . ) vmully. Upon this there is a bawne of lyme and stone, an hundred and eighty feet square, fourteen feet high, with four flankers, and in three of them he hath built very good lodgings, which are th/ee stories high. There are also two water-mills and one wind-mill; and near to the bawne he hath built fourteen houses of timber, which are inhabited with English families. I find u APPENDIX I find planted and eslated upon this land of Brittish tenants. Freeholde six, vrz Iders J Lessees for years 34, <{ viz. Cottagers 7, ( viz. 1 having 3 having 2 having 3 having 4 having 2 having 3 having 1 having 2 having 2 having 7 having 2 having 2 having 1 having 3 having 2 having 3 having 2 having 1 having commons 200 acres. "] 1 20 acres Ie piece. 60 acres. 120 acres le piece. 100 acres le piece. 80 acres le piece. 60 acres le piece. 55 acres. 50 acres le piece. 40 acres le piece. 30 acres re piece. 25 acres le piece. 23 acres le piece. 44 aeres. 20 acres le piece. 10 acres le piece. 3 acres le piece. 2 acres. 1 acre le piece, with for their cattle. J These 47 fami- lies, with their under tenants, are able to' make 80 men with arms. There are 18 of these have taken the oath of supre- macy. No. V 1000 acres. Richard Roulstove hath a thousand acres, called Semore. Upon this there is a bawne of sodds, tvith a pallazado, and moated about, and a little house in it, inhabited with an English family; and near to the bawne APPENDIX. i§ bawne be hath made nine houses, which are inhabited with English te- nants. / find planted and estated upon this land of Brittish tenants. P ,|, f "\ Total, ro fa- < 2 having ioo acres Ie piece. /milies who, with C. (their under te- Lessees for f 6 having ioo acres le piece. J nants, are able years, 8, < i having 20 acres. V to make 24 men viz. (. 1 having 12 acres. J with arms. No. VI. 2000 acres. John Heron hath two thousand acres, called Aghivillan and Brochus. Upon this he hath built two small bawnes of earth, with a pallazado upon them, and a ditch about them ; and near unto each of these bawnes he hath built houses, which are inhabited with Endish families. I find 1$ APPENDIX. I fond planted and eslatcd upon this land of Brittish families. Freeholders f viz. Lessees for years I2,< v:: i having 180 acres. i having 1 20 acres. 2 having 30 acres le piece. 3 having 20 acres le piece. 2 having 15 acres le piece. 3 having 10 acres le piece. 1 having 60 acres. ■ Total 13 fami- lies,which,with their under te- nants, are able to make 2 6 men with arms. No. VII. 1600 acres. William Stanhoiee hath [500 acres^ called Kannagoolan. Here is nothing at all built ; himself is in England, and hath been there these seven years. There are not above three or four poor English men upon the land. All the land is inha- bited with Irish. No. VIII. 2000 acres. liana's Sachevcrill, Esq. hath two thousand acres, called Mullallelish and Leggacorry. I fold APPENDIX. 17 I find planted and estatcd upon this land of Brittish tenants. Freeholders j 3> viz. I Lessees for years 1 8, riz. 1 having 150 acres. 1 having 120 acres. 1 having 100 acres. 1 having 220 acres. 5 having 100 acres le piece. 1 having 95 acres. 1 having 80 acres. 1 having 74 acres. 4 having 60 acres. 2 having 40 acres le piece. 1 having 12 acres. 1 having 15 acres. 1 having 30 acres. Total 2 1 fami- lies, who, with their under te- j nants, are able I tomakejomen I with arms. No. IX. 1500 acres. John Dillon, Esq. hath one thousand five hundred acres, called Mulla- bane. Upon this proportion there is a house begun some three years since, but is not half finished, being of brick and lyme, and a very fair building. There is no bawne. He hath great store of tenants, the which have made two villages, and dwell together. I find IS APPENDIX. 1 jind planted and es fated upon this land of Brit t is h families. eeholders f ;, viz. \ Freeholders 3> Lessees for lives 1 8, Lessees for years 8, viz* 3 having 120 his sons. 3 having 4 having 2 having 2 having 1 having 5 having 1 having 1 having 2 having I having 1 having 1 having j having i having 100 100 100 80 70 60 50 47 30 40 30 23 20 [O acres le piece,' acres jointly. acres jointly. acres le piece. acres le piece. acres. acres le piece. acres. acres. acres le piece. acres. acres. acres. acres. acres. Total 29 fami- lies, who, with their under te- \ nants, are able to make 40 men with arms. No. X. The Precinct of the Fexves, allotted to Scottish Undertakers. 1000 acres. Henry Atcheson, Esq. hath a thousand acres, called Coolemalish. There is upon this a bawne of clay and stone, being an hundred and twenty feet long, and eighty feet broad, APPENDIX, 19 broad, with four flankers. In this bawne there is a house ; the one half is stone and lyme, and the upper part is timber. I find a great number of tenants on this land, but not any that have any estates, but by promise, and 3-et they have been many years upon the land. There are nominated to me two freeholders, and seventeen lease- holders, all which were with me, and look the oath of supremacy, and peti- tioned unto me, that they might have their leases ; the which Mr. Atcheson seemed to be willing to perform it unto them presently ; these are able to make thirty men with arms. Here is great store of tillage. No. XT. James Craig ") C John Hamilton Esq. bath was the first > iOOO acres. < a thousand acres, call- patentee. J (. ed Magharientrim. Upon this there is a bawne of stone and clay, being sixty feet square, twelve feet high, with two flankers. I find zo APPENDIX. I find -planted and e stated upon this land of Brinish families. Freeholders f i having 200 acres. 2, viz. \ 1 having ioo acres. r 1 having 120 acres. Lessees for \ 2 having 60 acres Ie piece, years 6, 4. 1 having 96 acres, viz. / 1 having 60 acres. }- C 1 having 50 acres, p r Each of these have a tene- . ^ s < ment and a garden plott, with £ commons for their cows. Total 20 fami- lies, able to make 30 men with arms. And these have all taken the oath of supremacy. No. XII. r r7r T j °\ C John Hamilton, U dham Ladders 1 j £ fa h h ^ was the first J. 1000 acres. J J^ cal]ed P atentce - ) (.Kilruddan. Upon this there is a bawne of stone and clay, sixty feet square, twelve feet high, with two flankers, and a house in it. Near to the bawne there are seven houses, being inhabited with Brittish teria I find APPENDIX. 21 J find planted and estated upon this land of Brittish tenants. } 2 having 1 20 acres le piece. Freeholders two, viz. Lessees for f 2 having 120 acres le piece. years 5, < 1 having 60 acres. viz. i 2 having 66 acres le piece. p f Each of these have a tene- 10 fir 1 ment anc * garden plott, with C commons for their cattle. io, viz. i Total 17, able to make 3 omen armed ; and all these have ta- ken the oath of isupremacy. No. XIII. 500 acres. John Hamilton , Esq. hath 500 acres, called Edenagh. The other five hundred acres were gotten from him by the dean of Ard- magh. Upon this there is a bawne of stone and clay, pointed with lyme ; there are near the bawne six houses inhabited with Brittish tenants. E e I find 22 APPENDIX. / find planted and cstated upon this land of Brit tons. Freeholder one, viz. Lessees for years 4, Cottagers five. having 1 20 acres. I having 120 acres. 1 having 100 acres.' 1 having 80 acres. i having 30 acres. Each of these have a tene- ment, and a garden plott, with commons for their cat- tle. Total 1 o fami- lies, who, with their under te- nants, are able ► to make 2 2 men with arms; and all these have taken the oath of supremacy. No. XIV. S\r James Dow- ) glas was the ^2000 acres, first patentee. 1 Archibald Atcheson, Esq. hath two thou- sand acres, called Clancarny. Upon this there is a bawne of stone and lyme, being an hundred feet long, eighty feet broad, and ten feet high, with four flankers two stories high, and thirteen feet wide, within the walls, which serve for good lodgings. There is also a castle begun, which is eighty feet in length, twenty-two feet wide, APPENDIX. 23 wide, and is now two stories high. There are near to the bawne seven houses inhabited with Brittish tenants. He hath in the bawne great store of arms, which will arm 129 men. I find planted and estated upon this land cf Brittish families. Freeholders four, viz. Lessees for years 2o,« viz. Cottagers five, viz. 1 having 200 acres. 3 having 100 acres le piece. 1 having 20c acres. 2 having 1 80 acres le piece. 1 having 120 acres. 4 having 60 acres le piece. 6 having 60 acres jointly. 2 having 60 acres jointly. 4 having 60 acres jointly. Each of these have a house and garden plott, with com- mons for their cattle. Total 29 fami- lies, -who, with their under te* nants, are able to make 144 men with arms. Besideshehath built a town, called Clancar- ny, where he ^hath 29 Brit- tish tenants dwelling; each of them having some small par- cels of land ; so that in the whole number he can make 173 men arm- ed. £ e 2 No, APPENDIX. No. XV. The Precinct of Orior, allotted to Servitors and Natives. 500 acres. Sir John Davies, knight, bath five hundred acres, called Cornechino. Upon this there is nothing at all built, nor so much as an English tenant on the land. No. XVI. 1 500 acres. Sir Oliver Si. John, knight, bath fifteen hundred acres, called Ballemoore. For building there cannot be more spoken than what hath been formerly by Sir Josias Bodly, only the town is increased in buildings, being all inha- bited with English tenants. There are nine Irish families in the town, which come to church, and have taken the oath of supremacy. No APFEND1X. 2.5 No. XVII. 1000 acres. The Lord Moore hath one thousand acres, called Ballemonehan. Upon this there is a bawne of lime and stone, very near one hundred feet square, with two flankers ; in one of them there is a small house built, being inhabited by an Irishman. No. XVIII. 2000 acres. Henry Bowcher, Esq. hath two thou- sand acres, called Claire. Upon this proportion there is a bawne of lyme and stone, being one hundred feet in length, and eighty feet in breadth, and fourteen feet high, with two flankers. There is now in building a good strong stone house, which is fully two stories high, and a number of workmen labourino: for the speedy finishing thereof. No. 26 APPENDIX. No. XI 1000 acres. Captain Anthony Sniiih hath one thousand acres. Upon this there is a bawne of stone and clay, which was formerly begun by Sir Thomas Williams. The said Captain hath begun another bawne of stone and lyme, being in a more con- venient place, the which shall be eighty feet square, with two flankers, and a good stone house thirty feet long, and twenty feet broad. This is undertaken to be finished by July, for there are a great number of men at work. No. XX. .00 acres. Lieutenant Pci/ns hath two hundred acres, called Curriator. Upon this there is a bawn of eighty feet square, the lower part whereof is of stone and clay, with a house in APPENDIX. 27 in it ; but he not liking of the seat hath begun a bawne of one hundred feet square, with three flankers, and a large house, all which shall be of brick and lime, which is there now in the place, with workmen labour- ing very hard, and is undertaken to be finished by August. No. XXI. 1009 acres, Henry Mc-Shane O'Neal hath one thousand acres, called Cam- logh ; but, he being lately dead, it is in the hands of Sir Toby Caul- field, who intended to do something upon it j for as yet there is nothing built." No. 28 APPENDIX. Religious Houses of the County ', from Sir James Ware's Antiquities of Ireland. Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, in Armagh. €C The first founder, it is thought, was St, Patrick; the second Imams O'Hedeg ain, master of Malachias (TMorgair, afterwards archbishop of Ar- magh. The canons were of the order of St. August in. Friary in Armagh. A convent of Minorits was there founded by Patrick 0'Sca?ilai?z y archbishop of Armagh, in the year 1263 or 1264. Two Nunneries in Armagh. There were likewise two little nunneries built there, the one called the temple of St. Bridget ; the other Tcmplc-na-ferta, or the temple of won- ders, wherein St. Lupita, sister to St. Patrick, was' buried. APPENDIX. 29 buried. Of the first founder I find no certainty ; but Jocelyn, in the life of St. Patrick, cap. 165, Bays they were founded by -5*/. Patrick. Nunnery of Kilsleve-cuilin. Founded by Darerca, called also Moninie, where she was abbess, and died July the 6th, in the year $13. Religious Houses of the County, as stated in ArchdaWs Monasticon Hibernicum. ARMAGH. Priory of Regular Canons. " A. D. 445. St. Patrick, the great apostle of this kingdom, founded an abbey here in this year, or in 457, for regular canons of the order of St. Augustin, and dedicated it to the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul ; it continued, for many ages, one of the most celebrated ecclesiastical foundations in the world. This 30 APPENDIX. This abbey, and all the possessions thereunto be- longing, were granted, in May 1612, to Sir Toby Caulfield, Knight, at the rent of five pounds Irish. Priory of the Culdei. . The Culdei, or Colidei, Mere secular priests, and served in the choir of the cathedral of Armagh ; their president was called the prior of the college of the Culdei, and was as a precentor to the said church ; upon a vacancy a prior was elected by the whole college of the Culdei, but he received his confirmation from the archbishop. Temple Brigid ; Is said to have been founded in this town by St. Patrick. Temple Fartagh ; Or the church of the Miracles, was founded with- out the town by the same Saint, for St. Lupita, his eldest sister, who was buried here ; and, in the beginning of the hist century, her body was found buried APPENDIX. 31 buried deeply under the rubbish of her ancient nunnery, in a standing posture ; two crosses were also discovered closely guarding the body before and behind. January 9, 1618, King James granted the mo- nasteries of Temple Fartagh, and Temple Breed^ to Francis Annesly, Esq. Dominican Friary. Porter in his annals tells us, that there was one at Armagh ; which is more than probable, other- wise the primate Scanlain, who was of that order, would not have made his foundation for the friars minor. Franciscan Friary. The friars of the order of St. Francis were brought into this town A. D. 1261, and Patrick Scanlain, who was then primate, built a house for them two years after ; though Wadding, the Franciscan, as quoted by Allemande, assures us, that it was founded in the year 1291, by O'Donnel. Clonfeakh. St. Lugud, or Lugaid, the son of Tailchan, was abbot of Cluain-fiacul, that is, the church of the Tooth, 32 APPENDIX. Tootb, so named from a tooth of St. Patrick, which was said to have been preserved here. St. Lugud -was a very aged man in the year 580. Kilmore. St. Mochtee, who afterwards built Louth, founded Kilmoreaedhain, in the territory of Huadmeth ; the church is dedicated to St. Aedan. Kilmore is now a parish church, three miles east of Armagh. Kilslere. Wadding, the Franciscan, calls this Killare, and says it was the principal monastery belonging to the third order of Franciscans in Ireland. Thomas Ornay was made perpetual commissary of it in the year 1457, Killeiy.. i At the foot of the mountain of Slieu Gullen, in the barony of Orior. St. Darerca, otherwise called Monenna, sister to St. Patrick, was abbess of Kilslevc, or Belsleibhe ; she died A. D. 517, or 518, and her feast is held on the 6th of July. Others say, that this nunnery was APPENDIX. 35 was built by St. Monenna about the year 630, after she had quitted Faugher, in the county of Louth. Kilsleve is now a parish church in the Hiocess of Armagh. StradhaiUoysc. Wadding says, that it is in the diocess of Armagh, and that a monastery for conventual Franciscans was founded there A. D. 1282, and that a pro- vincial chapter of the order was held therein in the year 1315. Tahdlen ; In Hy-meith-tire. St. Patrick founded Teg-talain, and made St. Killian bishop of it; his feast is held on May the 27th. This church was burnt A. D. 670. FINIS. Instructions to the Binder. Map of the County to face page i . Chart of Lough-Neagh to face page 96. ERRATA. Page 19, in the Ecclesiastical Table, for 13,300 acres in Meatb county , read 1,300. In the next column, under the head Parishes, same page, the numeral is not added in the tot, which is correct ; it should not be distinguished by the figure, but the word two. Page 20, line 8, for 3, read 5, and then add this sentence ; the Chapters of Christ Church, and St. Patricks, Dublin, to 3. Page 38, line 12, for, specious, read, spacious. • 6$, ■ 4, for, interrupted, read, interspersed. • 90, — 5, for, Portmorris, read, Portnorris. — — 148, — 4, for 7X. id., read, it. *j%d. — 172, 17, for, very, read, very few. 175, ■ 10, for, the during, read, during the. — 259, — 10, for, steps, read, steeps. "— — 339> 2I » f° r > house, read, market-house. 355, — 6, for, Doctor Lester, read, Doctor Leslie. \ES25X 0F CONGRESS III 021 377 937 1,1*. ■ iAtJ I •■•.ya4 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ^H [^■L ■ ■ ■ ■ Ess ^^H_