Lewis Topographical Dictionary - OSi Online Shop

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of pitching tents for his accommodation. On this
occasion the Lord-Deputy was attended by the Lord-
Chancellor and judges of assize, and by the attorney-
general, the celebrated Sir John Davies, who describes
the place as consisting only of a few scattered cabins,
occupied chiefly by the retired soldiers of Sir Edward
Blayney’s garrison. Besides that fort, which was on
the north side of the village, he notices another in the
centre of it, which had been raised only 10 or 12 feet
above the ground, and was then lying in a neglected
state, although £1200 had been expended on it by the
king, as a means of retaining the native inhabitants of
the district in subjection. The Lord-Deputy divided
several neighbouring “ballibetaghs” among the soldiers
residing in the town; and as the fort at this time de-
pended on Newry for its supplies, which, from the
hostility of the intervening country, were frequently
precarious, he granted to Sir Edward Blayney a portion
of land on which he erected the fortress of Castle Blay-
ney. In 1611, Sir Edward obtained the grant of a
market and fair; and the town, which now began to
increase in population and extent, was, in 1613, made a
parliamentary borough, and the inhabitants were incor-
porated by a charter of Jas. I., under the designation of
the “Provost, Free Burgesses, and Commonalty of the
Borough of Monaghan.”
The town consists of one principal square in the
centre, called the Diamond, in which is the linen-hall,
and of another spacious opening in which is the market-
house, and of three streets diverging from the principal
square in a triangular direction; the total number of
houses is about 580, of which many are well built,
and those in the environs are neat and handsome.
There are barracks for cavalry, a neat building adapted
for 3 officers and 54 non-commissioned officers and
privates, with stabling for 44 horses, and a small hos-
pital. A news-room is supported by subscription; and
a savings’ bank has been established, in which, in 1835,
the deposits amounted to £22,016. 2. 5., belonging to
749 depositors. There is a large brewery in the town,
but no particular manufactures are carried on; the
chief trade is in agricultural produce and the sale of
linen, for which this place is one of the principal marts
in the county; the quantity of linen sold, in 1835, was
6641 pieces, of 25 yards each, and the average price per
piece, 18s. 9d. The market days are Monday, for linen
and for pigs, of which great numbers are slaughtered and
sold to dealers, who send the carcasses to Belfast, where
they are cured for exportation; on Tuesday for wheat,
bere, barley, and rye; on Wednesday for oats; and
on Saturday, for oats and potatoes: flax, yarn, butter,
and provisions of all kinds are also sold here in large
quantities. Fairs are held on the first Monday in every
month, and are amply supplied and numerously attend-
ed. The market-house, a very commodious building,
was erected by the late Gen. Conyngham, afterwards
Lord Rossmore, whose arms are emblazoned over the
entrance. The Ulster canal, which is now in progress,
will pass through the northern part of the parish; a
branch of the river Blackwater also bounds the parish
on the north, running nearly parallel with the canal.
These facilities of water conveyance will contribute to
the benefit of the town, which is at present in a thriving
state, and is progressively increasing in importance.
The corporation, by the charter of Jas. I., consists
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of a provost, 12 free burgesses, and an indefinite num-
ber of freemen, assisted by a recorder, two serjeants-at-
mace, and other officers. The provost is annually
chosen from the free burgesses on the festival of St.
John the Baptist, and sworn into office on that of St.
Michael; the burgesses are elected, as vacancies occur,
from the freemen by a majority of their own body, by
whom also freemen are admitted by favour only; the
recorder and serjeants-at-mace are chosen by the cor-
poration at large, but no recorder has been chosen since
1815, when the last, who was also the first serjeant-at-
mace, died. The corporation continued to send two
members to the Irish parliament till the Union, when
the borough was disfranchised. The court of record,
ordained by the charter to be held every Monday, with
jurisdiction extending to five marks, has not been held
for the last 50 years. The assizes for the county are
held here, also the quarter sessions four times in the
year, and petty sessions every Tuesday. There is a
chief constabulary police force stationed in the town.
The county court-house, situated in the centre of the
town, is a handsome modern building of hewn stone,
containing spacious court-rooms and all requisite offices,
and in every respect well adapted to its purpose. The
county gaol, completed in 1824, and situated on an
eminence near the entrance to the town, is a handsome
semicircular range of building, containing 75 single
cells, and 11 rooms with more than one bed each,
with appropriate day-rooms and airing-yards, in one
of which is a tread-wheel applied to the raising of water
for the supply of the prison; there are a male and
female hospital, a chapel, and a school; the prison is
well adapted for classification, and under very good
regulations.
The parish, called also “Rackwallis,” comprises, ac-
cording to the Ordnance survey, 13,547½ statute acres,
of which 12,758 are applotted under the tithe act, and
valued at £23,013. 13. 2. per ann.; 26½ acres are water,
and the remainder principally under tillage. The gen-
eral surface is irregular and hilly, rugged towards the
south, but smoother and more gently undulating to-
wards the north. The soil is rich in the vicinity of the
town, but inferior towards the south and south-west;
there is but little bog in the parish, though there are
large tracts in those adjoining, from which abundance
of fuel is obtained. The system of agriculture is im-
proved; limestone abounds, and there is a very fine
quarry at Milltown Bridge; marl is also found, but is
seldom used for manure; whinstone also forms part
of the substratum. The principal seats are Ross-
more Park, the residence of the Right Hon. Lord Ross-
more, a handsome mansion in the Elizabethan style,
situated in an extensive and beautifully diversified de-
mesne, abounding with wild and romantic scenery and
commanding some fine distant views; Castle Shane, of
E. Lucas, Esq., an ancient mansion in a highly enriched
and tastefully embellished demesne (within which is
the site of the ancient village of Castle Shane), with a
handsome entrance lodge in the later English style of
architecture, and forming an interesting object as seen
from the new line of road winding through the valley;
Cornacassa, of Dacre Hamilton, Esq., pleasantly situ-
ated in a highly cultivated and well-planted demesne;
and Camla Vale, of Lieut.-Col. Westenra, brother of
Lord Rossmore, a spacious and handsome residence,