LAVAY, or LOWEY, a parish, in the barony of
UPPER-LOUGHTEE, county of CAVAN, and province of
ULSTER, 4 miles (E. byS.) from Cavan, on the road to
Virginia j containing 6305 inhabitants. According to
the Ordnance survey it comprises 10,679 statute acres,
of which 76*§ are water. The land is highly cultivated $
there are some large tracts of bog, affording an abundant
supply of fuel. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of
Kilmore, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory
is impropriate in the Marquess of Westmeath.
The tithes amount to £386. 5., of which £153. 15. is
payable to the impropriator, and £232. 10. to the vicar.
The church, a very neat edifice, was erected by aid of a
gift of £900 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1817,
and has been recently repaired by a grant of £152 from
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The R. C. parish is coextensive
with that of the Established Church, and contains
the Upper chapel, built in 1820, and the Lower
chapel, which has been recently built, at an expense of
nearly £2000, on a site given by Major G. Burrowes.
There are seven private schools, in which about 490
children are educated. Here are some Danish raths;
and several heads of battle-axes and brazen spears were
discovered on an artificial island while draining Lake
Lavey in 1832, and are in the possession of J. Smith,,
Esq.