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MAG
county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, on the road
from Dromore to Saintfield; containing, with the post-
town of Ballinahinch (which is separately described),
7530 inhabitants. This parish, according to the Ord-
nance survey, comprises 12,552 statute acres, of which
628| are in the barony of Lower Iveagh, and the re-
mainder in Kinelearty; 176¾ acres are water, and of
the remainder, about two-thirds are land of the richest
quality and in the highest state of cultivation; the other
portion, though inferior, is still fertile, and there is
scarcely any waste land. Slate of excellent quality is
found in the townland of Ballymacarne, but not worked.
Nearly in the centre of the parish is Montalto, formerly
the seat of the Earl of Moira, by whom it was built, and
now the property and occasional residence of D. Kerr,
Esq.: the mansion is spacious and the demesne exten-
sive. During the disturbances of 1798, a party of the
insurgents took up a position in the park, from which
they were driven by the king’s forces with great loss.
The weaving of linen, cotton, and muslin is carried on
extensively, and there are two large bleach-greens in the
parish. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of
Dromore, and in the patronage of the Bishop, to whom
the rectory is appropriate: the tithes amount to
£775. 3. 8½., of which £200 is payable to the vicar, and
the remainder to the bishop. The glebe-house, towards
which the late Board of First Fruits granted a gift
of £400 and a loan of £400, in 1817, is a handsome
residence; and the glebe comprises 42 acres, valued at
£86 per annum, and some gardens let to labourers at
£5 per annum. The church, built in 1830 at an expense
of £850 advanced on loan by the same Board, is a neat
edifice with a tower and spire, and is situated close to
the town of Ballinahinch. In the R. C. divisions the
parish forms part of the union or district of Dunmore,
or Maghera-Hamlet; the chapel at Ballinahinch is a
large and handsome edifice. There are places of
worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod
of Ulster, of the first class, and with the Seceding
Synod, of the first and second classes. About 650
children are taught in seven public schools; the paro-
chial school-house was built in 1824, by aid of a grant
from the lord-lieutenant’s school fund; and there are
six private schools, in which are about 180 children, and
six Sunday schools. The late S. M. Johnstone, Esq.,
bequeathed one-third of the profits of a work entitled
the “Medley,” published in 1802, amounting to about
£4. 3. 4. per annum, which is annually distributed
among the poor at Christmas. There are some remains
of the ancient church, about a mile from the town, with
a large cemetery, in which are interred several of the
ancient and powerful family of the Magennises of Kil-
warlin.
MAGHERAFELT, a market and post-town, and
a parish, in the barony of LOUGHINSHOLIN, county
of LONDONDERRY, and province of ULSTER, 30 miles
(N. W. by W.) from Londonderry, and 96 (N. N. W.)
from Dublin, on the road from Armagh to Coleraine;.
containing, with part of the post-town of Castle-
Dawson (which is separately described), 7275 inha-
bitants, of which number, 1436 are in the town of
Magherafelt. This place suffered materially in the war
of 1641; the town was plundered by the insurgents,
who destroyed the church, put many of the inhabitants
to death, and carried off several of the more wealthy,
332
MAG
with a view to obtain money for their ransom. In 1688
the town was again plundered, but on the approach of
the assailants, the inhabitants took refuge in the Carn-
togher mountains, and subsequently found an asylum
in Derry; on this occasion the church, having been
appropriated by the enemy as a barrack, was preserved.
The town, which is large and well built, consists of a
spacious square, from which four principal streets
diverge at the angles, and from these branch off several
smaller streets in various directions; the total number of
houses is 276, most of which are of stone and roofed
with slate. The linen manufacture is carried on very
extensively by the Messrs. Walker, who employ more
than 1000 persons in weaving at their own houses; and
nearly 100 on the premises in preparing the yarn and
warps; the manufacture is rapidly increasing. There
is also a very large ale and beer brewery near the
town. The principal market is on Thursday, and
is abundantly supplied with all kinds of provisions;
great quantities of pork, butter, and flax are exposed for
sale. There are also very extensive markets on alternate
Thursdays for linen and yarn, which are sold to the
amount of £33,000 annually; and a market on Monday
for barley and oats, and on Wednesday for wheat. Fairs,
which are among the largest in the county, are held on
the last Thursday in every month, for cattle, sheep, and
pigs. The market-house is a handsome building of hewn
basalt, situated in the centre of the square; in the upper
part are rooms for transacting public business. The
quarter sessions for the county are held here in June
and December, and petty sessions on alternate Wednes-
days; a manorial court is also held monthly by the
seneschal of the Salters’ Company, for the recovery of
debts under £2; and there is a constabulary police
station. The court-house is a commodious edifice, and
there is a small bridewell for the confinement of pri-
soners charged with minor offences.
The parish, which is situated on the river Moyola,
comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 8290¼
statute acres, of which the greater portion is very good
land, and the system of agriculture is improved. The
principal substratum is basalt, which, in the townland
of Polepatrick, has a columnar tendency; limestone of
good quality is abundant, and coal is found in some
parts. The principal seats are Millbrook, the residence
of A. Spotswood, Esq.; Farm Hill, of Capt. Blath-
wayt; Glenbrook, of S. J. Cassidy, Esq.; Prospect, of
the Rev. T. Wilson; and the glebe-house, of the Rev.
T. A. Vesey. Considerable improvements are contem-
plated, tending greatly to promote the prosperity of the
surrounding district. The lands immediately around it
belong to the Salters’ Company, and are at present
leased for a limited term of years to the Marquess of
Londonderry and Sir R. Bateson, Bart.; other lands,
in the manor of Maghera, belong to the see of Derry;
some, in the manor of Moneymore, to the Drapers’
Company; some, in the manor of Bellaghy, to the
Vintners’ Company; and the manor of Castle-Dawson
to the Rt. Hon. G. R. Dawson. The living is a rec-
tory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of
the Lord-Primate: the tithes amount to £450. The
glebe-house was built in 1787, at an expense of £574.18.,
of which £92. 6. 1¾. was a gift, and the remainder a
loan, from the late Board of First Fruits; the glebe
comprises 403a. 2r. 17p. statute measure, valued at