Cos. Tyrone, Donegal, Londonderry & Fermanagh Ireland Genealogy Research
Official Website of the CoTyroneIreland.com Mailing List
Ardstraw Parish Church, St. Eugene's Church of Ireland, Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland Historical Notes
Extracted from Derry Clergy and Parishes – Rev. James B. Leslie (1937)
Transcribed, Compiled and Submitted by
Len Swindley, Melbourne, Australia
len_swindley[at]hotmail.com
This file of HISTORICAL NOTES FOR ARDSTRAW PARISH CHURCH, ST. EUGENE’S CHURCH OF IRELAND, NEWTOWNSTEWART, COUNTY TYRONE forms part of the vast archive of 4,000+ pages of genealogical records relating to COUNTIESTYRONE, DONEGAL, LONDONDERRY & FERMANAGH provided without charge or subscription by CoTyroneIreland Welcome to the Premier Website & Research Tool for Cos. Tyrone, Donegal, Londonderry & Fermanagh Genealogy (cotyroneireland.com) A complete list of records pertaining to NEWTOWNSTEWART andARDSTRAW PARISH, COUNTY TYRONE on this website can be found at the foot of this file.
Ardstraw Parish Church, St. Eugene’s Church of Ireland, Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone
Ardstraw = Ardstraha, “the height of the bank, or strand,” Now known as Newtownstewart, is in Co. Tyrone. The founder of the Church was St. Eoghan, or Eugene, a Bishop who flourished about the middle of the 6th Cent., and whose festival was observed on Aug. 23. The Abbots of this Church were sometimes Bishops, and one of them is styled A.F.M. “the comarb of Bishop Eoghan of Ardstraw. “ The parish was the principal seat of a tribe called the Ua-Fiachrach-Ardasratha who gave the territorial name to it. It is said that Bishop German O’Carolan wrested this See from Clogher c.1266 and joined it to his See of Derry. The family od Ua Fourannains were herenachs of Ardstraw in 10th and 12th Centuries.
The Four Masters recording 1179 the death of Gilladowny O’Forannan herenach and MulmurryMacGillacollum, prior of Ardstraw. The termon land was very large containing 16 balliboes (whereas other Churches had usually only four) and paid 40/- a year to the Bp. The parson, vicar and herenach received 1/3 of the tithe each, the 2 former paying 2/- each as proxies, and they were bound equally to repair and maintain the parish Church (Reeves’ Colton, p. 10). Abp. Colton’s Visitation, 1397, records the “reconciliation” or reconsecration of the cemetery which had been polluted by the shedding of blood.
In 1622 the Church was ruinous. “Sir Roger Kerowmen (sic ? Newcomen), Knt., hath licence to built (sic) it in another place, which he has not yet begun. The greater part of the parish desire the old Church to be repaired, meanwhile another place is provided for Divine Service, 3 T.L.’s of glebe one, Tagermah is detained by Sir Daniel Leigh”.
In 1686 Hugh Fleming was Par. Clerk and taught school without licence, John Johnston of Newtown and Archibald Johnes of Lislefarm, Churchwardens, John McIlred of Stragultah and Patrick O’Buy of Newtownstewart, Inquisitors (Visitation Book).
Bp. Montgomery in his Survey mentions “Denis O’Farran a youth, Overseer at Ardstraw (probably herenach), Rector of Donagheady now in College at Dublin”.
In 1661 John Ruth was Parish Clerk (Visitation Book)
In 1693 (Visitation Book)Wm. Park was Par. Clerk and Schoolmaster, Simon Quash and Patrick Carr, Churchwardens 1692-3, Simon Quash and Gilbert Noble 1693-4, Gilbert Noble and Robert Hunter, Inquisitors 1692-3 Robert Hunter and Wm. Wallacie 1693-4, Incumbent Adam Usher, non-resident, holds also Termonmaguirk, Dio. Armagh, and Clontarf, Dio. Dublin. “The congregation of Newtownstewart consists of about 60. There are many other conformable persons in ye outskirts of the parish near Castlederg. For the accommodation of those the parish contributed to the repair of the Chappell as may been seen under Urney. The Ancient Church was a Cathedrall before the Seat was removed to Maghera and thence to Derry, it stood in the center of the parish but was removed to Newtownstewart for ye convenience of the town, it is towards one corner of the parish, it was much defaced by King James’ army, but is now tolerably repaired.”
Glebe by patent 180 acres but in Survey 660a. 3rds. 8p. T.C.D. is Patron. “There are several impropriations in this parish – Drumbeg belonging to Mr. Charles Newbourgh and some belonging to Ld. Mountjoy, these should be purchased to endow the Chappell of Castlederg.”
Church said to have been built 1730-36
In 1806 the Church was in perfect order, tower built, spire building, 710 acres of Glebe, a Glebe House, a curate resident (Parliamentary Return).
In 1861 the Church population was 2,656, Protestant Dissenters [Presbyterians] 5,263. Gross income 1867 – £1,471 14s. 9d. of which £75 was paid to a Curate! The Incumbent’s Annuity at Disestablishment was £1,435 4s. 0d. and T.C.D. got £9,891 14s 8d. for the loss of the Advowson.
Scarvagheena (sic), Pubble, and Ardstraw old Churchyards are vested in the Local Burial Board.
Baronscourt, originally a district, was made a Perpetual Curacy in this parish in 1867.
Further records for ARDSTRAW PARISH, COUNTY TYRONE can be found at:
CoTyroneIreland.com uses cookies to: analyze usage so that we can improve our service; allow our advertisers to provide content of specific interest to each user; monitor usage of our service; detect, prevent and address technical issues; allow you to participate in interactive features of our service when you choose to do so and to provide and maintain our service.
Google uses cookies to help serve the ads it displays on the websites of its partners, such as websites displaying Google ads or participating in Google certified ad networks. When users visit a Google partner's website, a cookie may be dropped on that end user's browser.
