Ards () is the name of several different historical territorial divisions all located on the

Ards Peninsula The Ards Peninsula () is a peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the north-east coast of Ireland. It separates Strangford Lough from the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel of the Irish Sea. Towns and villages on t ...

in modern-day

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 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

Early history

Ards was once an ancient Irish

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

that was possessed by a tribe known as the ''Uí Echach Arda'', and as such was known in the 7th and 8th centuries as ''Aird Ua nEchach'', "peninsula of the Uí Echach", as well as ''na hArda'' (meaning "the Ards") in the 10th-century

Lebor na Cert ''Lebor na Cert'', or the ''Book of Rights'', is a book of Early Irish laws, from medieval Ireland. The text details the rents and taxes paid by the King of Cashel, to various others in Ireland. The Great Book of Lecan, and the Book of Ballymo ...

. This territory was part of the over-kingdom of

Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or (Irish language, Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic Provinces of Ireland, over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include , which ...

, and its inhabitants claimed to be descended from

Eochaid Gonnat Eochaid Gonnat or Gunnat ("wounding"?), son of Fiach, son of Imchad, son of Bresal, son of Sírchad, son of Fíatach Finn, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He came to the throne on the deat ...

who was of the

Dál Fiatach Dál Fiatach was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic dynastic-grouping and the name of their territory in the north-east of Ireland, which lasted throughout the Middle Ages until their demise in the 13th century at the hands of Normans in Ireland, Normans ...

. After the power of the ''Uí Echach'' in Ards was destroyed by the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

in the early 9th-century, it simply became known as ''Aird Uladh'', "peninsula of the Ulstermen". Ards was later possessed by the ''Mac Giolla Mhuire'' sept (). A small portion of the future barony located in the north-west consisting of parts of the modern parishes of Bangor and Newtownards belonged to a neighbouring district called ''

Uí Blathmaic Blathewyc or Blathewic () is the name of several historical territorial divisions in what is now County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the anglicised name of an ancient Irish ''túath'', ruled by the ''Uí Blathmaic'', later becoming a barony, baili ...

''. The

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

record the

Cenél nEógain Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history * Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) is ...

as having made incursions into Ards in 1011 and 1130, plundering it both times. Around 1172, the battle of "Derry-Ceite" occurred between the king of Ulaid, Cooley O'Flathri, and Donnsleibhe of the Dál Fiatach, resulting in a slaughter of the people of ''Aird Uladh'' and ''Uí Blathmaic''. The Lebor na Cert stated that the king of ''na hArda'' had to pay stipends of: "Eight foreigners, eight fierce horses, Eight drinking-horns, eight cloaks with ring-clasps, and eight exquisitely beauteous ships.".

County of Ards

With the invasion of Ulaid in 1177 by the Norman knight

John de Courcy Sir John de Courcy (c. 1150–1219) was an Anglo-Norman knight who lived in Ireland from 1176 until his expulsion in 1204. He conquered a considerable territory, endowed religious establishments, built abbeys for both the Benedictines and the ...

, and its subsequent conquest, the districts of ''Aird Uladh'' and ''Uí Blathmaic'' were combined to form a county, which was styled as "Comitatus de Arde" and "Comitatus Novae Villae". Its capital was at ''Nove Ville de Blathwyc'' (present-day

Newtownards Newtownards (; ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtow ...

). This county was divided into two baronies, or bailiwicks: "Balliva del Art" and "Balliva de Blathewick". The county, spelt as "del Art", was noted in 1333 as being one of the seven that the

Earldom of Ulster The Earldom of Ulster was an Anglo-Norman lordship in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages, ruled by the Earls of Ulster and part of the Lordship of Ireland. The Norman knight John de Courcy invaded the Gaelic Irish kingdom of Ulaid ...

was divided into. In 1345,

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

, appointed Roberta de Halywode as sheriff of "Comitatus Nove Ville de Blawico". Henry IV in his first year (1399), appointed Robert Savage as sheriff of "de Arte in Ultonia".

Barony of Ards

Towards the end of the 16th century, the barony appears to have been divided in two—"Great Ardes" and "Little Ardes". By 1851 the barony was divided into

Ards Lower Ards Lower (named after the former barony of Ards), alternatively known as North Ards, is a barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northern half of the Ards Peninsula in the north-east of the county, with the Irish Sea to its e ...

and

Ards Upper Ards Upper (named after the former barony of Ards) is a barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the southern half of the Ards Peninsula in the east of the county, with the Irish Sea to its east and Strangford Lough to its west. It is b ...

, both of which did not correspond directly to the previous division of Ards, the difference being three parishes that were part of "Great Ardes" being placed under Ards Upper. The territory includes the lands of that part of the ancient barony of Ards known as Mid or Middle Ards, which is located in the north of

. A distinction should be made between the administrative division of the barony, in terms of geographical area, and the proprietary division of the barony, in terms of segments having different owners. The barony of Ards was divided between three key proprietors in the 17th century, namely O'Brien, Hamilton and Montgomery, with a fourth part owned by the Savages. The Hamilton lands were later split between two co-heiresses, one of whom was married into the Ward family of Castle Ward, later the Viscounts Bangor of Castle Ward.

References

{{Coord missing, County Down Baronies of County Down Former baronies of Ireland County Down Former counties of Ireland Earldom of Ulster Ulaid