LOUGHGALL

LOUGHGALL, or LEVALLEY-EGLISH, a post-town and parish, partly in the barony of ARMAGH, but chiefly in that of ONEILLAND WEST, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (N. E.) from Armagh, and 70 (N.) from Dublin, on the great north road from Derry through Dungannon to Armagh; containing 5934 inhabitants, of which number, 325 are in the town. The parish, which is bounded on the north by the river Blackwater, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey (including the district parish of Charlemont), 10,924 ½ statute acres, of which 2449 ¾ are in the barony of Armagh, and the remainder in O'Neilland West; 59 ½ acres are water, and of the land about two-thirds are exceedingly rich and fertile, and the remainder of inferior quality. The system of agriculture is highly improved under the auspices of the resident gentry, and excellent crops are raised: there is some valuable bog, but no waste land. Limestone abounds and is extensively quarried for agricultural purposes and for repairing the roads. The weaving of linen cloth is still carried on here to a considerable extent, affording employment to more than 600 persons who are engaged by the manufacturers and bleachers of Banbridge.

The principal seats are Drumilly, the residence of Mrs. Cope, an ancient mansion with two lofty square towers projecting from the front, and overlooking the village; Hockley Lodge, of the Hon. H. Caulfield; Ardress, of G. Ensor, Esq.; Green Hall, of Mrs. Atkinson; Summer Island, of Colonel Verner; Eden Cottage, of W. P. Newton, Esq.; Cloven Eden, of W. B. Picknoll, Esq.; Loughgall House, of J. Hardy, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. Silver Oliver. The fine mansion and demesne of Castle Dillon, the seat of Sir Thomas Molyneux, which is described particularly in the account of Richhill, are partly in this parish and partly in that of Armagh. The village, though small, is beautifully situated in a fertile valley in the midst of a richly cultivated and picturesque country; and consists of 60 houses, of which the greater number are large, well-built, and of handsome appearance. There is a large and handsome market-house, but the market, and also four fairs which were formerly held, have been discontinued. A constabulary police force is stationed here; and a manorial court is held monthly before the seneschal for the recovery of debts not exceeding 40s.

The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, constituting the corps of the prebend of Loughgall in the cathedral of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate: the tithes amount to £512. 10. The glebe-house is a handsome residence, on which, in 1782, £220. 17. 6. was expended in improvements; the glebe comprises 139 ¾ statute acres, valued at £179 per annum, which, together with houses and gardens in the village, valued at £48. 5., makes the whole value of the prebend £739. 15. per annum. The church, a neat edifice in the early English style, with a square tower, was built in 1795 by subscription and assessments; a gallery was added to it in 1822, at an expense of £110. 15. 4 ½., and it has been recently repaired by a grant of £110 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners: the building is of hewn marble, and the interior is elegantly arranged, and contains a handsome cenotaph to the late Bishop Cope, who was for some time curate of the parish. There is a district church at Charlemont, of which the living is a perpetual curacy.

In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also that of Tartaragan, in each of which is a chapel. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the third class, and at Ballymagerney is a place of worship for Methodists. About 580 children are taught in six public schools, of which one, endowed with a school-house and two acres of land by Colonel Cope, is supported by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity; three are supported by Mr. Cope, and one by donations from the incumbent and Sir T. Molyneux, Bart. There are also five private schools, in which are about 200 children, and seven Sunday schools. Nearly in the centre of the village are the ruins of the ancient church, of which the western gable and turret are nearly entire.