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ARM
an independent state, to which they gave the name of
Orgial, afterwards corrupted into Oriel or Uriel, names
by which it was distinguished to the beginning of the
seventeenth century.
The county was made shire ground, under its pre-
sent name, in 1586, by the lord-deputy, Sir John Per-
rott, who, not relying with confidence on the vigilance
and care of Henry O’Nial and Sir Henry Bagnell, to
whom the government of Ulster had been entrusted,
projected the division of the greater part of that pro-
vince into seven counties, of which Armagh was one,
and took its name from the chief town in it. For each
of these counties he appointed sheriffs, commissioners
of the peace, coroners, and other officers. Previously
to this arrangement, the chief part of the property of
the county had centred in the families of the O’Nials,
the Mac Cahans, and the O’Hanlons. At the commence-
ment of the seventeenth century, it was principally
vested in those of Mac Henry, Acheson, O’Nial, Brown-
low, and O’Hanlon, exclusively of the great territories
settled on Moharty, which the Mac Cahans had forfeited
in rebellion, and a large tract of country called Oirther,
afterwards Orior, a district in the southern part, which
also escheated, to the crown by rebellion of a branch of
the O’Hanlons. According to a project for planting, by
Jas. I., the whole of the arable and pasture land,
amounting to 77,580 acres, was to be allotted in 61
proportions of three classes of 2000, 1500, and 1000
acres each, among the English and Scottish undertakers,
the servitors, and the Irish natives. A portion was also
assigned to the primate, another for glebes for the in-
cumbents (of whom there was to be one for each pro-
portion), another for the four corporate towns of Armagh,
Mountnorris, Charlemont, and Tanderagee, and a fourth
for a free grammar school. The native Irish were to be
distributed among a few of the several proportions, with
the exception of the swordsmen, who were to migrate
into waste lands in Connaught and Munster. The
project, which was but partially effected, was not acted
upon until 1609, when a royal commission was issued
to inquire into the king’s title to the escheated and
forfeited lands in Ulster, with a view to the plantation
there. Inquisitions were consequently held, the return
of which for Armagh, made in August of the same year,
states that the county was then divided into the
five baronies of Armaghe, Toaghriny, Orier, Fuighes,
and Onylane or O’Nealane, and enumerates with great
particularity the names and tenures of the proprietors.
In 1618, a second commission was issued to Captain
Pynnar and others, to ascertain how far the settlers
located there in the intervening period had fulfilled the
terms of their agreement. It is somewhat remarkable
that, although the inquisition names five baronies, three
only are noticed in Pynnar’s survey; those of Armaghe
and Toaghriny being omitted, probably because they
contained no forfeited property. The number of the
proportions specified in the survey are but 22, eleven of
which, situated in O’Neylan, were in the hands of English
undertakers 3 five in the Fuighes, in those of Scottish
undertakers; and seven in Orier were allotted to servi-
tors and natives. The number of tenants and men
capable of bearing arms in the two first proportions
amounted to 319 of the former, and 679 of the latter;
the number in Orier is not given.
The county is partly in the diocese of Dromore,
62
ARM
but chiefly in that of Armagh. For civil purposes it
is now divided into the baronies of Armagh, Turaney,
O’Neilland East, O’Neilland West, Upper Fews, Lower
Fews, Upper Orior, and Lower Orior. It contains the
city and borough of Armagh; part of the borough, sea-
port, and market-town of Newry; the market and post-
towns of Lurgan, Portadown, Tanderagee, Market-hill,
and Newtown-Hamilton; the disfranchised borough of
Charlemont; the post-towns of Richhill, Keady, Black-
watertown, Loughgall, Tynan, Forkhill, and Flurry-
Bridge; and the market-towns of Middleton and Cross-
meglan, which, with Killylea, have each a penny post.
Prior to the Union it sent six members to the Irish
parliament, two for the county at large, and two for each
of the boroughs 3 but at present its representation con-
sists of three members in the Imperial parliament, two
for the county at large, and one for the borough of Ar-
magh. The election takes place at Armagh; and the
constituency, as registered in Oct. 1836, consisted of
384 £50, 324 £20, and 2384 £10 freeholders 3 5 £50
and 19 £20 rent-chargers; and 122 £20 and 573 £10
leaseholders; making a total of 3811. It is in the
north-east circuit: the assizes are held at Armagh,
where the county court-house and gaol are situated; and
quarter sessions at Armagh, Lurgan, Market-hill, and
Ballybott, of which the three last have each a court-
house and bridewell. The number of persons charged
with criminal offences and committed to the county gaol,
in 1835, was 385, and of civil bill commitments, 111.
The local government is vested in a lieutenant, vice-
lieutenant, 13 deputy-lieutenants, and 63 other magis-
trates; besides whom there are the usual county officers,
including three coroners. There are 17 constabulary
police stations, having in the whole a force of a stipen-
diary magistrate, sub-inspector, paymaster, 5 chief and
19 subordinate constables, and 99 men, with 5 horses,
maintained equally by Grand Jury presentments and by
Government. The amount of Grand Jury presentments,
for 1835, was £27,259. 2. 3½., of which £4704. 0. 3.
was for the public roads of the county at large 3
£9974. 1. 7½. for the public roads, being the baronial
charge; £1475.11.4. in repayment of loans advanced
by Government 3 £2279. 10. 7. for the police, and
£8825. 18. 6. for public establishments, officers’ salaries,
buildings, &c. The public charitable institutions are a
district lunatic asylum, and the county infirmary and
fever hospital at Armagh 3 and dispensaries at Cross-
meglin, Forkhill, Market-hill, Jonesborough, Keady,
Blackwatertown, Seagoe, Loughgall, Richhill, Lurgan,
Newtown-Hamilton, Poyntz-Pass, Tynan, Portadown,
Tanderagee and Ballybott, supported by equal Grand
Jury presentments and private subscriptions. There
are also dispensaries at Tanderagee, Portadown, and
Tullyhappy, built and supported by the Earl and
Countess of Mandeville; and a fever hospital at Mid-
dleton, built and supported by the Trustees of Bishop
Sterne’s munificent bequest. In the military arrange-
ments this county is within the northern district, of
which Armagh is the head-quarters, where there are
an ordnance-depôt and an infantry barrack constructed
to accommodate 12 officers, 174 men, and 5 horses:
at Charlemont there is a fort, with an artillery barrack
for 5 officers, 151 men, and 79 horses, to which is at-
tached an hospital for 22 patients.
The northern verge of the county, near Lough Neagh