civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
covering areas of both
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
and
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
Castlereagh Upper
Castlereagh Upper (named after the former barony of Castlereagh) is a historic barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It was created by 1841 with the division of Castlereagh into two. It is bordered by eight other baronies: Castlereagh Lower a ...
and
Iveagh Lower, Upper Half
Iveagh Lower, Upper Half is the name of a barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It was created by 1851 with the division of the barony of Iveagh Lower into two. It is bordered by five other baronies: Iveagh Upper, Lower Half to the south; ...
in County Down and
Massereene Upper
Massereene Upper is a barony in southwest County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It roughly matches the former district of Killultagh ().
in County Antrim. It is also a townland of 543 acres, which contains the site of the Blaris medieval parish church, and is on the south-east side of the River Lagan, adjacent to
Lisburn
Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...
.
History
In the 1306 Papal Taxation the church is recorded as ''Ecclesia de Blaris''. In 1605 the townland of Blaris is recorded as ''Ballytempleblarisse'', (). In the mid-19th century the antiquarian William Reeves noted that very little of the church was intact, although the graveyard remained.
Blaris old burial ground is in the townland of Blaris and is reputed to have had a church in mediaeval times. The oldest gravestone dates from 1626. Some of those who took part in the
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influence ...
were executed outside the graveyard and are buried in an unmarked plot.
Settlements
The civil parish contains the following settlements:
*
Lisburn
Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...
Maze
A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...
*
Ravernet
Ravernet () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Ravernet River, about 3 km south of Lisburn and about 3 km northeast of Hillsborough. Nearby is Sprucefield and the M1 motorway. In the 2001 Census i ...
Knockmore
Knockmore () is an upland area and townland situated in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland outside the village of Derrygonnelly, in the historical barony of Magheraboy. This area, together with the adjacent Barrs of Boho and most of the uplands i ...
Maze
A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...
Ravernet
Ravernet () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Ravernet River, about 3 km south of Lisburn and about 3 km northeast of Hillsborough. Nearby is Sprucefield and the M1 motorway. In the 2001 Census i ...
List of civil parishes of County Down
In Ireland, Counties are divided into civil parishes which are sub-divided into townlands. The following is a list of civil parishes in County Down, Northern Ireland:
A
Aghaderg, Annaclone, Annahilt, Ardglass, Ardkeen, Ardquin
B
Ballee, Ba ...