History

A brief historical note by Raymond Patterson.

Location

The village of Ballygowan is situated approximately 6 miles south of the Castlereagh suburb of Belfast and 4 miles west of Comber. The ancient "towne" or townland from which the village takes its name straddled the old civil parishes of Killinchy and Comber in the barony of Castlereagh lower. In the 19th century Ballygowan was placed in the poor law union of Newtownards and is currently within the remit of Ards Borough Council in the UK parliamentary constituency of Strangford.

The immediate hinterland of the village is comprised of the townlands of Ravara, Carrickmannon, Drumreagh, Magherascouse, Ballyrush, Ballycreely, Ballybeen, Tullyhubbert, Edenslate, Tullygarvin, Ballyknockan, Monlough, Moneyreagh and Ballycloughan. The townland of Ballygowan is largely comprised of a low-lying area originally known as Moneygreer moss.

A little bit of history

Prior to the Ulster-Scots settlement in the early 1600's, when a great number of Presbyterians moved over from the Scottish Lowlands to settle in North Down on lands granted by James 1 to James Hamilton and Hugh Montgomery. The area surrounding Ballygowan was sparsely inhabited by the native (or "mere") Irish who were subsepts of the great 'Neill clan of Castlreagh. Since the late 1600's the population is predominantly Presbyterian.

In the late 1700's the village was comprised of a bridge (over the River Blackwater at the intersection of the Comber/Saintfield and Killyleagh/Belfast roads), a dozen or so small houses and an inn. The surrounding townlands were populated by a great number of small tenant farmers and weavers. The main landlords were Lord Dufferin and Lord Londonderry.

From the mid-1800's through the early 1900's the population of the rural area surrounding Ballygowan declined considerably as many people emigrated to North America or found work in Comber, Saintfield and particularly in Belfast. However, it was during this period, and subsequent to the introduction of the Belfast & County Down Railway in 1850, that the village began to grow.

After the railway closed in 1950 the village became an attractive "dormitory" town and the ensuing 50 years has seen rapid growth.

Main churches and buildings

Kilmood Parish Church. Originally a separate parish, Kilmood parish has now been amalgamated with Killinchy Parish. The present Church was rebuilt on an ancient ecclesiastical site in 1820, mainly financed by the Gordon family of Florida Manor. Its distinctive spire is a well-known landmark.

Moneyreagh Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church. A break -away from Comber Parish in 1717. The current church building was erected in 1770 and is the oldest church building in the area. Prior to 1838, when Ballygowan Presbyterian Church was built, it catered for most of the Presbyterians in the area.

St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church. Built in 1808 as part of the Roman Catholic parish of Saintfield, the church is situated in Carrickmannon.
Ballygowan Presbyterian Church. Built in 1838 as a "Trinitarian" Presbyterian Church. At this time the "Old Light" versus "New Light" debate was at its height. The Church, originally on the outskirts of the village, now occupies a central position as it has become surrounded by the recent village expansion. It is the largest church in the area.

Ravara Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church. A small church built in 1839 and connected to Moneyreagh NSP Church.

Ballygowan Free Prebyterian Church. Built in 1990 on the Belfast road on the outskirts of the village.

The Olivet Home. Dominating the village since 1886 this imposing and austere building is the main village feature. Originally erected as an orphanage by Alexander Orr Reid as a memorial to his only son who was killed in a shooting accident, it was purchased by Ballygowan Presbyterian Church in 1918. It was used as church halls and as the village primary school until 1980's when the new Alexander Dickson School was built. Since then it is used exclusively as church halls.

Between 1980 and 1982 Ballygowan Presbyterian Church carried out extensive repairs to the building including: Repairs to Chimneys; treatment of extensive dry rot; repairs to roof structure; re-slating using natural slate; replacement leadwork; replacement metal rainwater goods; re-pointing of stonework; external re-rendering; replacement windows in original style; internal replastering; replacement timber floors; restoration of interior joinery work. The approximate cost of the work was £101,116 of which the Church received a grant of £30,000 as it was a listed building. The Architect during the repairs was a Gordon McKnight from Holywood and the contractor was A. & W. Joinery Works Ltd, Belfast.

Main Family Names

Murray. This is probably the oldest family name in the area. This name is predominant in the Roman Catholic population but shared with several Protestant families. The Catholic Murrays retain old Irish distinctions such as "Bann Murrays and "Groman Murrays". The name is derived from Irish and, prior to mid 1600's was generally prefaced with O'

Orr & Reid. These "Ulster-Scots" families arrived in the area in the early 1600's. By the mid 1700's they were the main farmers and linen producers in the area. An Orr family tree produced by Gawn Orr in the 1800's is most useful for tracing Orr ancestry - and also many other Ballygowan families with whom the Orrs intermarried. Copies of this family tree are held in the Linenhall Library and the Northern Ireland Public Record Office in Belfast.

Other families. Mainly early Presbyterian settlers in the 1600's, include: Anderson, Lemon, Getts (Geddis), Moore, Lowry, Herron, Kerr, Bole, Shaw, McBratney, McKee, Clark, Wilson, Scott, Burns, Brown, Megra(Megraw), Gibson, Grant, Dempster, Bowman, Love, Guelston(Gelston), Gillespie, Burgess, Walker, McVey(McVeigh), Dixon(Dickson), Milliken(Milligan), Piper, Martin, Huddleston, Davidson, Hamilton, Maskelly(Miskelly), Kennedy, Frame, Petticrew, Thompson, Paterson(Patterson), Fraizer(Frazer), McKibben, Curry, Maxwell, Boyd, Gamble, Bennett, Porter, Carr(Kerr), Douglas.

Raymond Patterson is looking for old photos of Ballygowan, particularly 50 years and back.

If you have any please contact Raymond on 02897521711