COPELAND-ISLANDS, a cluster of three islands,
situated at the south entrance of Belfast Lough, and in
that part of the parish of BANGOR which is in the
barony of ARDES, county of DOWN, and province of
ULSTER, called respectively Copeland, Lighthouse and
Mew islands. They derived their common name from
the family of the Copelands, who settled here in the
time of John de Courcey, in the 12th century, and of
whose descendants, some are still to be found in the
tract called Ballycopeland, on the mainland. Copeland
island, the largest of the three, called also Big
island and Neddrum, is 2 miles (N. N. E.) from Donaghadee,
and about one mile from the mainland 5 it
comprises about 200 acres, and contains 15 houses 5
near a small inlet, called Chapel bay, are the ruins of a
church, with a burial-ground. About halfway between
this island and the mainland is a rock, called the Deputy,
on which a buoy is placed; and at the west end of the
island is the Katikern rock, always above water, from
which run two ledges about a cable's length, and on
which a stone beacon has been erected. There is good
anchorage on the west side of the island, and in
Chapel bay on the south of Katikern, in from two to
three fathoms of water, in all winds but those from the
south-cast. Lighthouse, or, as it is also called, Cross
island, is about 1 mile (N. E.) from Copeland island,
and is one furlong in length and about half a furlong
in breadth, comprising about 24 acres. The Lighthouse
from which it takes its name is a square tower, 70 feet
high to the lantern, which displays a light to the southeast,
to guide vessels from the north and south rocks,
which are 3½ leagues distant, and to the north-west,
to guard them from the Hulin or Maiden rocks lying
between the mouths of Lame and Glenarm. The
lighthouse is situated in lat. 54° 41' 15" (N.), and Ion.
5° 31' (W.), and the light is plainly seen at Portpatrick
and the Mull of Galway, in Scotland, from the latter
of which it is 10 leagues distant. Mew island is a
quarter of a furlong (E.) from Lighthouse island, and
comprises about 10 acres of rocky pasture; it lies very
low, and is extremely dangerous to mariners; in the
sound between it and Copeland island is a flat rock
with only three feet of water on it, called the Pladdens;
and a rapid tide sets through the sound. Off this
island the Enterprise, of Liverpool, a homeward-bound
vessel from the coast of Guinea, was totally wrecked
in 1801; she is said to have had on board £40,000 in
dollars, which, with all her cargo, lay buried in the
sea, till 1833, when Mr. Bell, by means of a diving
apparatus, succeeded in recovering about 25,000 of
the dollars, five brass guns, and other valuable property.