LOUGHGUILE,
or LOUGHGEEL, a parish, partly in the barony of KILCONWAY,
but chiefly in that of UPPER DUNLUCE, county of ANTRIM,
and province of ULSTER, 6A miles (E. S. E.) from Ballymoney,
on the road from Ballymena to Ballycastle
; containing 6379 inhabitants.
This
place is celebrated for a battle which was fought on the Aura mountain,
between the Mac Quillans and Mac Donnells, in which
the former were defeated ; and near the entrenchments that were thrown
up for the occasion, and of which there are still some remains, is
a large cairn, where the slain on both sides are said to have been
interred. The parish is situated on Lough Guile and intersected
by the river Bush, which rises in the Cambrick mountain,
and after a bold and devious course of 13 miles falls into the sea
at Bushmills. It comprises, according
to the Ordnance survey, 30,165 statute acres, of which 6466¼
are in the barony of Kilconway, and 23,689¾ are in Upper Dunluce
; 59½ are water, and of the land, about one-third is wild and
boggy pasture, and the remainder chiefly arable land. The surface
is boldly undulating, rising in some parts into lofty eminences, of
which Mount Aura has an elevation of 1530 feet. The soil is
principally light and gravelly, but in the valleys extremely fertile
: the system of agriculture has greatly improved since the decline
of the linen manufacture, and excellent crops are raised.
There
are some extensive tracts of limestone, which is quarried and burnt
into lime, in which a considerable trade is carried on ; and there
is an ample supply of bog turf. Lisanour Castle, situated on
the shores of the lough, was originally built by Sir Philip Savage
in the reign of John, and in 1723 was purchased by the ancestors of
the Macartney family, of whom George, Earl Macartney,
was born and for some time resided here. The last remains of the ancient
building were removed in 1829, on the erection of the present mansion,
the seat of George Macartney, Esq., which is beautifully situated
in a fertile valley romantically interspersed with woody and lakes,
and adorned with extensive and nourishing plantations; near the margin
of one of the lakes is an elegant cottage in the later English style,
richly embellished, and forming a picturesque feature in the scenery
of the vale. Fairs are held here on the 19th of Feb., June, Aug.,
and Nov., chiefly for horses, cattle, pigs, and linen yarn. A constabulary
police force is stationed here, and petty sessions are held on alternate
Tuesdays.
On the
death of Dr. Trail, the last chancellor of Connor, and
under Bishop Mant's act for dissolving the union attached to the chancellorship
of that see, the living, previously a vicarage, became a rectory and
vicarage, in the diocese of Connor,
and in the patronage of the Bishop : the tithes amount to £515.
The church, a small plain edifice with a tower surmounted by a spire,
was rebuilt in 1733, chiefly at the expense of the late Earl Macartney.
The
Roman Catholic parish is co-extensive with that of the Established
Church; the chapel is a spacious edifice, built in, 1785, near
time entrance of Lisanour Castle.
At Magheraboy
is a place of worship for Seceders.
About
300 children are taught in four public schools, of which a female
school and Sunday school are supported by Mrs. Macartney ;
and there are seven private schools, in which are about 280 children.
A dispensary affords medicine and advice to the poor, who are visited
at their own dwellings when unable to attend. There are several Danish
forts in the parish.
