Newtownstewart is a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
and
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...
of in
County Tyrone
County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...
,
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 ...
. It is overlooked by hills called
Bessy Bell and Mary Gray
Bessy Bell and Mary Gray are "twa bonnie lassies", the subject of one of the Child Ballads, based on a true story. The two young women sought refuge from the plague in 1645 in a remote spot away from habitation. The story has been much embellish ...
and lies on the River Strule below the confluence with its tributary the Owenkillew. It is situated in the historic
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Strabane Lower
Strabane Lower (named after Strabane) is a barony in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is bordered by five other baronies in Northern Ireland: North West Liberties of Derry to the north; Tirkeeran to the north-east; Strabane Upper to the eas ...
and the
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 ...
of
Ardstraw
Ardstraw (from ga, Ard Sratha (hill or height of the holm or strath)) is a small village, townland and civil parish in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, three miles northwest of Newtownstewart. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 222 peopl ...
. In the
2011 Census it had a population of 1,551 people.
[ This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th]
Open Government Licence v3.0
. © Crown copyright. It lies within the
Derry City and Strabane District Council
Derry City and Strabane District Council ( ga, Comhairle Chathair Dhoire agus Cheantar an tSratha Báin; Ulster-Scots: ''Derry Cittie & Stràbane Destrìck Cooncil'') is the local authority for Derry and Strabane district in Northern Ireland. I ...
area.
History
![Newtownstewart Castle (geograph 4791383)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Newtownstewart_Castle_%28geograph_4791383%29.jpg)
The townland of Newtownstewart was historically called ''Lislas''. Newtownstewart Castle was built by
Sir Robert Newcomen in 1615 as part of the
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the sett ...
. The castle was acquired by Sir William Stewart when he married Newcommen's second daughter in 1629. The castle and town were renamed Newtownstewart by Sir William Stewart after his birthplace.
The former Northern Bank building on the corner was the scene of an infamous murder in 1871 when bank cashier William Glass was robbed of £1,600 and killed. Assistant District Inspector
Thomas Hartley Montgomery
Sub-Inspector Thomas Hartley Montgomery (1842 – 26 August 1873, Omagh, Ireland) was a senior official of the Royal Irish Constabulary. He is the only police officer in Irish history to receive the death penalty for murder.
Newtownstewart M ...
, of the
Royal Irish Constabulary
The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...
, who was in charge of the investigation, was subsequently tried, convicted, and hanged at Omagh Gaol.
Newtownstewart Town Hall
Newtownstewart Town Hall is a municipal structure in Townhall Street, Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The structure, which has been converted for use by the local amateur boxing club, is a Grade B2 listed building.
History
The ...
, which was the venue for petty session hearings, was completed in 1880.
Royal Visit
The
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
and
Duchess of York
Duchess of York is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of ...
visited the Duke of Abercorn at Baronscourt as part of their Royal Visit to Northern Ireland in 1924.
Sport
*
Newtownstewart St. Eugene's is the local
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
club.
*Ardstraw Football Club is the local football club. They have a strong connection to the town with many players coming from within the town and the surrounding area
Demographics
On Census Day 27 March 2011, in Newtownstewart Settlement, considering the resident population:
[
*99.74% were from the white (including Irish Traveller) ethnic group;
*52.87% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic religion and 45.84% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' religion; and
*43.58% indicated that they had a British national identity, 25.53% had an Irish national identity and 33.33% had a Northern Irish national identity*.
*Respondents could indicate more than one national identity
Considering the population aged 3 years old and over:
*11.82% had some knowledge of Irish;
*7.59% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots; and
*1.68% did not have English as their first language.
]
People
*Thomas Burnside
Thomas Burnside (July 28, 1782March 25, 1851) was an American politician and judge who served as a Democratic-Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district from 1815 to 1816 and as ...
(1782–1851), member of the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
and associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme ...
, born near Newtownstewart.
*Thomas Maclear
Sir Thomas Maclear (17 March 1794 – 14 July 1879) was an Irish-born South African astronomer who became Her Majesty's astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope.
Life
He was born in Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, Ireland, the eldest son of Rev Jam ...
(1794–1879), Astronomer Royal at the Cape of Good Hope, was born in Newtownstewart.
* Dukes of Abercorn
The title Duke of Abercorn () is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1868 and bestowed upon James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn. Although the Dukedom is in the Peerage of Ireland, it refers to Abercorn, West Lothian, and the ...
, reside at Baronscourt
Baronscourt, Barons-Court or Baronscourt Castle is a Georgian country house and estate 4.5 km southwest of Newtownstewart in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and is the seat of the Duke of Abercorn. It is a Grade A-listed building.
The Bar ...
, near Newtownstewart
* Johnny Loughrey, Irish singer born in Newtownstewart in 1945, died in 2005.
*Jacob Stockdale
Jacob Stockdale (born 3 April 1996) is an Irish professional rugby union player who currently plays for Ulster and for Ireland. He plays on the wing or at fullback. He holds the record for tries scored in a single Six Nations Championship, scori ...
, Ulster and Ireland rubgy player, was born in Newtownstewart.
Transport
Construction of the Irish gauge
Railways with a track gauge of fall within the category of broad gauge railways. , they were extant in Australia, Brazil and Ireland.
History
600 BC
:The Diolkos (Δίολκος) across the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece – a grooved pave ...
(Irish Standard Gauge), Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway
The Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway (L&ER) was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland.
Construction and opening
The Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway was incorporated in 1845. Construction began at Derry and followed the west bank of the ...
(L&ER) began in 1845 and reached Strabane
Strabane ( ; ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Strabane had a population of 13,172 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the east bank of the River Foyle. It is roughly midway from Omagh, Derry and Letterkenny. The River Foyle marks ...
in 1847. By 1852 it had extended to Newtownstewart and Omagh
Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. North ...
and its terminus in Enniskillen
Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , 'Cethlenn, Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of ...
was reached in 1854. The company was absorbed into the Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR(I) or GNRI) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway (INW), Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The government ...
in 1883. Newtownstewart railway station opened on 9 May 1852 and finally closed on 15 February 1965.
See also
*List of towns and villages in Northern Ireland
This is an alphabetical list of towns and villages in Northern Ireland. For a list sorted by population, see the list of settlements in Northern Ireland by population. The towns of Armagh, Lisburn and Newry are also classed as cities (see city sta ...
Notes
References
External links
Bronze Age burial cist - Newtownstewart
Stewart Castle
{{authority control
Villages in County Tyrone
Civil parish of Ardstraw