Vol. 2 No. 2 - 1973
"He hath made near adjoyning a good village consisting of 40 houses inhabited with English tenants on both sides of the streets, in which a good windmill stands".
The above is culled from a survey of the estate of William Brownlow dated A.D. 1622, and is a description of Lurgan, or Lurgan Towne as it was known in the mid-17th century. From an examination of the lists of Co. Armagh Householders 1664-65 (taken from Seancas Ardmaca, Vol. 3, No. 1. 195) and of H.M. Roll, Armagh 1664, of the barony of O'Nealand, Parish of Shankill, Lurgan Towne, as shown below, we may assume to know the majority of names of those living in Lurgan at that time.
It may be of interest to compare these names with those on the 1967 Register of Electors for Co. Armagh, Polling District 46, in order to discover those names which have survived locally since then.
The numbers in brackets refer to the number of entries for each name.
Co. Armagh householders 1664-65 Seancas Ardmaca | H.M. Roll Armagh 1664 Barony of O'Nealand and parish of Shankill | Register of electors Co. Armagh 1967 Polling District 46 |
---|---|---|
Barnes John | Barnes John | Barnes (2) |
Barrowes Thomas | Barrowes Thomas | Nil |
Best Francis | Best Francis | Best (39) |
Blackburn David | Blackburn David | Nil |
Blackhall William | Blackhall William | Nil |
Booth Josias & Robert | Booth Josias & Robert | Nil |
Brooms Thomas | Brooms Thomas | Nil |
Cooley Joseph | Cooley Joseph | Nil |
Coulter John | Coulter John | Coulter (9) |
Crawford Andrew | Crawford Andrew | Crawford (7) |
Dawson Francis | Dawson Francis | Dawson (9) |
Dowdall Henry | Dowdall Henry | Nil |
Farrell Robert | Ffarrell Robert | Farrell (7) |
Fletcher Allexander | Ffletcher Allexander | Fletcher (4) |
Gibson William | Gibson William | Gibson (18) |
Gill Alexander | Gill Alexander | Nil |
Hamilton Luddowick | Hamilton Luddewick | Hamilton (92) |
Harker John | Harker John | Nil |
Harland Peter | Harland Peter | Harland (19) |
Harrison Miles | Harrison Miles | Harrison (22) |
Heath John | Heath John | Heath (1) |
Hoops Robert | Hoops Robert | Nil |
Hutchison Allexander | Hutchison Allexander | Hutchison (16) |
Joanes William | Joanes William | Nil |
Maghen James | Maghen James | Nil |
Marshall William | Marshall William | Marshall (31) |
Martin Major Foulk | Martin Major Ffoulk | Martin (63) |
Mathews John | Mathews John | Mathews (6) |
McCormack Henry | Mccormack Henry | Mccormack (3) |
McElleavy Miles | McElleavy Miles | Nil |
Kitchen John | Kitchen John | Nil |
Perry William | Perry William | Perry (10) |
Porter Widdow | Porter Widdow | Porter (9) |
Reilly John | Reilly John | Reilly (14) |
Smart William | Smart William | Nil |
Spence William | Spence William | Spence (1) |
Stamper Hugh | Stamper Hugh | Nil |
Thornberry George | Thornberry George | Thornberry (11) |
Thompson Widdow | Thompson Widdow | Thompson (120) |
Tymons Richard | Tymons Richard | Nil |
Wallace Charles | Wallace Charles | Wallace (9) |
White Thomas | White Thomas | White (20) |
Willson Hugh | Willson Hugh | Willson (103) | O'Hugh Torlagh | O'Hugh Torlagh | Nil |
Twenty-eight of the original names are still to be found in the town although five show a slight spelling variation. As can be seen, names like Thompson, Wilson, Hamilton, Marshall and Martin still survive in some numbers, while others, such as Spence, are few. And, of course, there was Torlagh O'Hugh.
This is an excerpt of a study still being pursued by the writer. [ED.]