MONEYMORE, a market-town and post-town, partly in
the parish of DESERTLYN, but chiefly in that of ARDTREA,
barony of LOUGHINSHOLIN, county of LONDONDERRY,
and province of ULSTER, 24 miles (S.) from
Coleraine, and 92 (N.) from Dublin, on the road to
Coleraine; containing 1025 inhabitants. This place,
which is one of the oldest post-towns in the country, is
noticed by Pynnar, in his survey of Ireland, as consisting
of an ancient castle, which he describes as a fine old
building, and of six good houses of stone and lime,
supplied with water conveyed by pipes to the castle
and to each of the houses from a well near the limestone
quarry at Spring Hill. Cormick O'Hagan, a
follower of Sir Phelim O'Nial, took the castle by
stratagem in 1641, and it remained for a long time
in the possession of the insurgents, by whom it was
subsequently destroyed. Sir Phelim, some time after,
rendezvoused his troops at this place, whence he
marched to plunder the house of Lissan, then the
property and residence of Sir Thomas Staples. The
castle which was one of the most perfect in Ireland,
was taken down about the year 1760, to afford room
for a small public-house, and only some portions of
the walls are at present remaining. In lowering the
high street and the hills some years since, some of
the old water pipes were discovered, the wood of which
crumbled into dust, but the iron hoops were in a tolerably
perfect state and are now in the possession of
Mr. Miller; some more of the pipes were also found in
trenching a field adjoining the spring, proving the accuracy
of Pynnar's statement. The town consists of two
principal and five smaller streets, and contains 184
houses, which are very neatly built, and several others
are now in progress of erection. About a quarter of a
mile above it is Spring Hill, the seat of W. L. Conyngham,
Esq., a fine mansion more than 200 years old,
pleasantly situated in grounds tastefully arranged and
commanding some finely varied scenery; the demesne
is enriched with some remarkably fine beech, oak, ash,
and fir trees, and close to the house is a remarkably
fine cedar. A very elegant house has been recently
built by Rowley Miller, Esq., agent of the Drapers'
company, and another by J. R. Miller, Esq.; the glebehouse,
built in 1831 by the Hon. and Rev. J. P. Hewitt,
is a very handsome residence; and Desertlyn Cottage,
the residence of J. Smyth, Esq., is pleasantly situated
and the grounds tastefully laid out. There are also, in
3D2
the immediate vicinity of the town, handsome houses
belonging to Z. Maxwell and E. L. Batchelor, Esqrs., the
Rev. J. Barnett, the Rev. G. Thompson, Mrs. Hamilton
and others.
The surrounding district has been greatly improved
by the Drapers' company, who are the proprietors, since
the year 1817, when, on the expiration of a lease granted
to Sir W. Rowley, the estates returned into their possession,
and have since been managed under their
superintendence. The annual rent roll is £10,300, the
whole of which is expended by the company in the improvement
of the country generally, and more especially
of their own property. They have planted more than
800 statute acres, and have completed more than 50
Irish miles of good road at their own expense, for the
convenience and benefit of their tenantry; they have
expended more than £1000 in the erection of bridges,
and are about to plant 800 acres of mountainous land,
in addition to the former plantations. They have thus
not only added to the improvement and embellishment
of the surrounding district, but have contributed greatly
to the benefit of the poor by affording employment to
the industrious, and have given directions to their
agents to afford employment to all that may stand in
need of it. The system of agriculture has been greatly
improved under the auspices of the North-West Farming
Society; there is little or no waste land, and scarcely
sufficient bog to supply the inhabitants with fuel. There
are many limestone quarries, from which lime is procured
chiefly for manure; sandstone and freestone of
good quality abound, and from the quarries of the latter
was raised the stone for the erection of the new church;
coal has also been found near the surface, and about two
years since an attempt was made to explore the vein,
but without success. The linen manufacture is carried
on extensively throughout the district; and there is a
considerable traffic by means of Lough Neagh, which is
within four miles of the town, and across which merchandise
brought by the canal from Belfast and Newry
is conveyed to Port Ballyronan, where corn, butter and
other agricultural produce of this neighbourhood are
shipped to those places for exportation to Liverpool and
other English ports. The market is on Monday, and
fairs are held on the 21st of each month, at which, in
addition to horses, cows, swine, sheep, and agricultural
produce, large quantities of linen are also sold. These
are the largest linen fairs in the North of Ireland; the
sales, on an average, amount to £40,000 per annum.
An additional linen market, established in 1835, is held
on the first Monday in every month; it is well attended,
and promises to equal the other linen fairs in the extent
of its sales. The market and court-house, and the
linen-hall, erected in 1818, are neat and well-arranged
buildings; and near them is a spacious and handsome
hotel, erected about the same time. A new marketplace
and a spacious corn-store are now being erected, a
little off the main street, which will diminish the pressure
of the people on market and fair days; and here
corn, potatoes, butchers' meat and other articles will be
exposed for sale. A constabulary police force is stationed
in the town; petty sessions are held on alternate
Tuesdays, and a court for the manor once every
month, in which debts to the amount of 40s. late currency
are recoverable. The manor is co-extensive with
the whole estates belonging to the Drapers' company,
which include portions of the several parishes of Arboe,
Ardtrea, Ballynascreen, Derryloran, Desertlyn, Desertmartin,
Kilcronaghan, Lissan, Maghera, and Tamlaght.
This estate comprises 64 townlands, nine of which are
native freeholds, each paying a chief rent to the company,
and of which seven are in the parish of Kilcronaghan.
The parish church of Desertlyn, situated in the town,
is a very handsome structure, in the Norman style, and
was erected in 1832, at an expense of £6000, wholly
defrayed by the Drapers' company, There are also
a handsome R. C. chapel, towards the rebuilding of
which the same company contributed £230; a place
of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the
Synod of Ulster, built by the company at an expense of
£4000; and one for those in connection with the Seceding
Synod, built on ground presented by the company,
who also contributed £250 towards its erection; these
last pay an annual rent of 5s., and the ground around
them has been tastefully laid out and planted by the
company. Two large and handsome school-houses,
with residences for a master and mistress, were built in
the town in 1820, and are supported by the Drapers'
company, who also have built and support four others
in the rural parts of their estate; in these schools
about 1400 children are gratuitously instructed, and
ten of the boys annually apprenticed to handicraft
trades; the masters have each a salary of £50 and
the mistresses of £35 per ann., with a house rentfree
and a supply of fuel. Two dispensaries, with
houses for resident surgeons, were built and are supported
by the company, one here and one at Draperstown,
for the benefit of their tenantry; and two
county dispensaries at the same places were also erected
and are solely supported by the same company,
for the benefit of such inhabitants of the surrounding
district as do not reside on their estates. The company
allow £1000 per ann., for the maintenance of the
schools and dispensaries, which are regulated by a Board
of Governors, consisting of the clergy of all denominations,
the resident gentry of the neighbourhood, and the
respectable farmers on the estate, There are several
Danish forts in the parish, two of which, on the townland
of Tulnagee, are in a perfect state; and adjoining
the linen-hall are some slight vestiges of the
ancient castle.