Lewis Topographical Dictionary - OSi Online Shop

A
TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY
OF
IRELAND.
HAC
HACKETSTOWN, a market-town and parish, partly
in the barony of BALLYNACOR, county of WICKLOW,
but chiefly in that of RATHVILLY, county of CARLOW,
and province of LEINSTER, 6¾ miles (S. E.) from Bal-
tinglass, on the road from Wicklow to Carlow; con-
taining 4434 inhabitants. In 1798 it sustained two
attacks from the insurgent forces, one on the 25th of
May, which was successfully repulsed by the yeomanry
and a detachment of the Antrim militia; the other on
the 25th of June, when a body of insurgents, amount-
ing to several thousands, advanced against it at five in
the morning. The garrison, consisting of 170, mostly
yeomen, marched out to meet them, but, after a few
volleys, were obliged to retreat, the cavalry by the road
to Clonmore, and the infantry, 120 in number, into the
barrack, where they maintained their position through-
out the day behind a breastwork in the rear of it.
The town was fired in several places by the rebels, who,
after various ineffectual attempts to force an entrance
to the barrack and a garrisoned house by which it was
flanked, retreated, and in the night the garrison retired
on Tullow. The town, which consists of 131 houses,
is situated on a rising ground, below which flows a
branch of the Slaney, and commands fine views. It is
a constabulary police station, and has a penny post to
Baltinglass, and a dispensary. A patent was granted
in 1635, by Chas. I., to the Earl of Ormonde for a
market on Wednesday and fairs on the Tuesday after
Nov. 1st, and the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. The
market is now held on Thursday, but only during the
summer months from March to August, for the sale of
meal and potatoes; and the fairs are on Jan. 13th, the
first Thursday in Feb., March 12th, April 13th, May 4th,
June 2nd, July 13th, Aug. 21st, Sept. 18th, Oct. 17th,
the third Thursday in November, and Dec. 21st.
The parish comprises 31,570 statute acres, of which
11,954 are applotted under the tithe act: about one-
sixth of the land is arable, nearly one-half pasture, and
the remainder bog and waste; the latter is chiefly situ-
ated in the eastern part of the parish, and large blocks
of granite are dispersed throughout. The principal seats
are Woodside, the residence of S. Jones, Esq.; Ballyhe-
lane, of J. Brownrigg, Esq.; and Ballasallagh House, of
VOL. II.—1
HAG
J. Hogier, Esq. The living is a rectory, in the diocese
of Leighlin, episcopally united in 1693 to the vicarage
of Haroldstown, and in the patronage of the Bishop:
the tithes amount to £553. 16. 11., and of the benefice
to £619. 15. 11. The glebe-house was erected in 1819,
by a gift of £300 and a loan of £500 from the late
Board of First Fruits; the glebe comprises 8½ acres. The
church is a neat building, with a square embattled tower
surmounted with pinnacles, which was erected and the
church roofed anew, in 1820, by a gift of £600 and a
loan of £500 from the late Board of First Fruits; it
has recently been repaired by a grant of £559 from the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In the churchyard is a
monument to the memory of Capt. Hardy, who was
killed in 1798 while defending the town. In the R. C.
divisions it is the head of a union or district, comprising
the parishes of Hacketstown and Moyne, and parts of
Haroldstown, Clonmore, and Kiltegan; and containing
chapels at Hacketstown, Killamote, and Knockanana.
Near the church is a very neat place of worship for
Wesleyan Methodists, recently erected. The parochial
school is supported by the rector and a small payment
from the scholars; and there is a national school in the
R. C. chapel-yard.
HAGGARDSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of
UPPER DUNDALK, county of LOUTH, and province of
LEINSTER, 2 miles (S.) from Dundalk,. on the road
from Dublin to Belfast; containing, with the village of
Blackrock, 1011 inhabitants. This parish comprises
1400¼ statute acres, according to the Ordnance sur-
vey, nearly the whole of which is very excellent land
and under tillage. It is a rectory, in the diocese of
Armagh, entirely impropriate in T. Fortescue, Esq.:
the tithes amount to £178. 16. 3½. There is neither
church, glebe-house, nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions
it is the head of a union or district, also called Kilcurley,
which comprises the parishes of Haggardstown, Heyns-
town, Ballybarrack, Philipstown, Dunbin, and part of
Baronstown: a handsome chapel was erected here in
1833, and there is another at Baronstown. Here is a
school of about 150 children; and there are some
remains of the old church and also of an ancient
castle.
B