Kilbroney Civil Parish, Co. Down, Ireland, Lewis, 1837 description ©Jane Lyons

This page is part of an Irish genealogy web site 'From Ireland' ©Dr. Jane Lyons, Dublin, Ireland.

County Down, Ireland

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KILBRONEY, a parish, in the barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER on the road from Newry to Kilkeel ; containing, with the town of Rosstrevor, 4257 inhabitants. According to Ordnance survey it comprises 13,2058¼ statute acres of which 275 are woodland, about 5,000 arable and the remainder bog and mountain, the latter of which affords excellent pasture. Here are some large bleach-greens and some lead mines.

The principal seats are the Lodge, the residence of D. Ross, Esq. ; Brandensburg, of Mrs. Ross ; Carpenham, of H. Hamilton, Esq. ; Green Park of Mrs. O'Brien ; Amos Vale, of the Ven. Dean Carter ; Ballyedmund, of A. Stewart, Esq. ; Woodhouse of Mrs Reynell ; Old Hall, of Smithson Corry Esq. ; Old Hall , of W. J. Maguire, Esq.

The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, and in the gift of the Bishop, to whom the rectory is appropriate : the tithes amount to £155. 6s. 6d., of which one-third is payabe to the vicar, and two-thirds to the Bishop. The church, which is in Rosstrevor, is a handsome cruciform edifice, with a lofty tower and pinnacles : it was built at an expense of £2000, of which the late Board of First, in 1814, gave £200 and lent £1100. The Board also granted £450 as a. gift, and £120 as a loan for the erection of the glebe-house, in 1821 : the glebe comprises 11 acres.

The Roman Catholic parish is co-extensive with the established Church, and contains two chapels one in Rosstrevor, the other at Killowen.

About 600 children are educated in six schools; to one of which Mrs. Ross contributes £13. 16s. 11d., to another Mrs. Balfour contributes £20, and to a third the R. C. clergyman contributes £5, annually.

On the acclivity of a mountain is a very large stone, called Cloughmerne which was formerly part of a cromlech; and near Killowen are the ruins of Green Castle. It was built by Walter De Burch, Earl of Ulster, destroyed by the Irish 1343 and rebuilt soon after on a large scale and dismantled by order of Cromwell. There are also the remains of Castle Roe, or Ross Trevor Castle. On the Hillstown road are the ruins of Kilbroney church in which a ‘clogh-ban,’ or "white bell," was some years since discovered; also an ancient stone cross and a holy well. In 1834 a spacious cave was discovered, containing broken urns filled with calcined human bones and ashes. A chalybeate spring was formerly much resorted to, but is now almost neglected.

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