Lewis Topographical Dictionary - OSi Online Shop

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contracted: lie is also a magistrate for the county of
Antrim, and lie or his deputy is judge of the Tholsel
court; he is appointed custos rotulorum of the county of
the town, and is escheator, master of the assays, and
clerk of the market; and the charter empowers him to
grant licences for ships coming to the port, upon enter-
ing, to buy or forestall merchandise, and also for the
salting of hides, fish, &c. The recorder is a justice of
the peace within the county and county of the town;
he is the assessor of the mayor in the Tholsel court, and
he or his deputy is judge of the court leet and view of
frank-pledge to be held in the town twice a year, within
a month after Easter and Michaelmas. In 1828, on the
petition of the inhabitants, two additional justices were
appointed by the lord-lieutenant, under the powers of
the act of the 7th of Geo. IV., cap. 61. The corpora-
tion has not any exclusive jurisdiction over matters*
arising within the borough, except that which results
from its forming a county of itself: the courts are those
of assize and quarter and petty sessions, also a Tholsel
court, a sheriffs’ or county court, a court leet with view
of frankpledge, and a court of pie-poudre. The assizes
for the county of the town are held at the usual periods
before the mayor, with whom the other judges of assize
are associated in commission] since 1817 they have
been held in the county of Antrim court-house, under
the act of the 28th of Geo. III., cap. 38, confirmed by
several succeeding statutes. The quarter sessions are
held before the mayor, recorder, and the two additional
justices, in the market-house, which has been appro-
priated for that purpose since the building called the
Tholsel was taken down: the court has jurisdiction
over all felonies and minor offences committed within
the county of the town, with power to inflict capital
punishment, which, however, is not exercised, offences
of a more serious kind being referred to the judges
of assize. The Tholsel court, which is a court of
record., having jurisdiction over the county of the
town to an unlimited amount of pleas in personal
actions, is by the charter to be held every Monday
and Friday, but is now held on the former day; and
is empowered to proceed by summons, attachment
(which is the usual form), distringas, or any other pro-
cess, on affidavit before the mayor, whose presence is
only deemed necessary in the event of a trial, which
seldom takes place. Petty sessions are held once a
week, usually before the two additional justices. The
assistant barrister for the county of Antrim holds his
courts here for trying causes by civil bill; and the
assizes and two of the quarter sessions for the county
of Antrim are held here. The local police consists’ of
three constables, appointed and paid by the grand jury
of assize, and of twelve unpaid constables appointed at
the court leet.
The charter granted one-third part of the customs’
dues of the port to the corporation, who enjoyed con-
siderable advantages under this privilege, which, in
the year 1637, they surrendered to the Crown in con-
sideration, of a sum of £3000, to be paid to trustees
and invested in land, but from its non-investment the
town has been deprived of all benefit accruing from this
grant. The charter of the 10th of Jas. I. also granted
the right of fishery in the river and a ferry over it, with
various fines, waifs, wrecks of the sea, forfeitures, &c.,
arising within their liberties, from which they derive no
VOL. I.—273
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advantage at present. Their revenue arises exclusively
from rents reserved out of their property in lands,
amounting to about £359 late currency. The corpora-
tion court-house and gaol were at “Castle Worraigh”
previously to 1776, in which year the county of Antrim
grand jury exchanged their gaol and court-house in the
vicinity of the castle of Carrickfergus for “Castle Wor-
raigh,” on the site of which part of the present court-
house for that county was built, and the corporation
continued to use the old gaol of the county of Antrim
until 1827, when prisoners under criminal charges were
removed from it to the new gaol; and after the passing
of an act for regulating prisons, the old Tholsel having
become ruinous, a new arrangement was entered into
between the respective grand juries of Carrickfergus and
Antrim, by which the former pay, in lieu of all charges,
£13 for every 365 days of a prisoner confined in the
county of Antrim gaol.” The court-house for the
county of Antrim is a neat building, fronted with hewn
stone, situated at the east end of the main street; and
adjoining it, on the north side, is the gaol, which, though
capable of containing 340 prisoners, is but ill adapted
for their classification or for the preservation of strict
discipline.
The county of the town extends about five statute
miles along the shore, and its mean length and breadth
are nearly equal; it contains, according to the Ordnance
survey, 16,700a. 1r. 34p., including Lough Morne, which
comprises 89a. 3r. 22p. The amount of Grand Jury pre-
sentments, for 1835, was £839.5.7½., of which £186.8.9.
was for repairing the roads, bridges, &c.; £386.10.3. for
public establishments, charities, officers’ salaries, &c.; and
£266. 6. 7½ for the repayment of a loan advanced by
Government. Lough Morne, or More, about three miles
north of the town, is said to be the largest in Ireland at
the same elevation, which is 556 feet above the level of
the sea; it has a powerful spring near the centre, and is
well stored with eels and pike. The principal streams, all
of which take a nearly direct course into the bay, are the
Woodburn, which is formed by the union of two rivulets
about two miles above the town (on each of which
is a picturesque cascade), and supplies two large cotton
mills, a flour and corn-mill, and a large mill for spinning
linen yarn near the town; the Orland Water, which
descends from Lough Morne, and falls into the bay at
the eastern suburb of the town; the Sulla-Tober, which
falls into the bay near the same place; the Copeland
Water, which forms the eastern boundary of the county;
the Silver Stream, which bounds it on the south-west;
and the Red River: in all of these are found black and
white trout, eels, and stickleback. The surface is stud-
ded with the villages of Eden or Edengrenny, Clippers-
town, Woodburn, and Bonnybefore; with several ham-
lets, numerous gentlemen’s seats scattered along the
shore, and surrounded with ornamental plantations;
and several farm-houses of comfortable appearance in-
terspersed throughout. The principal gentlemen’s seats
are Thornfield, the residence of P. Kirk, Esq., M. P.;
Oakfield, of W. D. D. Wilson, Esq.; St. Catherine’s, of
Col. Walsh; Glen Park, of Capt. Skinner; Barn Cottage,
of J. Cowan, Esq.; Prospect, of —Vance, Esq.; Wood-
ford, of the Rev. J. Gwynn; Sea Park, of the Rev. J.
Chaine; and Scout Bush, of Edw. Bruce, Esq.
The parish is co-extensive with the county of the
town; the living is a rectory, in the diocese of Conner,
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