Stewartstown, County Tyrone

Stewartstown

Looking north towards the main street
Stewartstown
Stewartstown shown within Northern Ireland
Population 608 (2001 Census)
Irish grid reference H8570
District
County
Country Northern Ireland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town DUNGANNON
Postcode district BT71
Dialling code 028
Police Northern Ireland
Fire Northern Ireland
Ambulance Northern Ireland
EU Parliament Northern Ireland
UK Parliament
NI Assembly

Stewartstown is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, close to Lough Neagh and about 5 miles (8.0 km) from Cookstown, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Coalisland and 7 miles (11 km) from Dungannon. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 608 people.

History

Stewartstown was built by Andrew Stewart (1560–1629), 3rd Lord Stewart of Ochiltree, 1st Lord Castlestewart. He was a direct descendant of Robert II of Scotland, by a younger son, Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. He held the High Court position of First Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King James I of England (James VI of Scotland). He held the office of General of Edinburgh Castle, and gained the rank of General in the Artillery. In 1611 he settled in Ulster, where he was granted 3,000 acres (12 km2) in Co. Tyrone, and later other large tracts of land in Northern Ireland too. In 1615, with the King's consent, he sold and resigned the Barony of Ochiltree to his first cousin, Sir James Stuart, son of James Stewart, Earl of Arran, in order to raise money. In its stead, in 1619, he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland and created Baron Castlestewart by James I. No parliament sat between the years of 1615 and 1634, so he never voted in Parliament, but constantly enjoyed the title. In 1587, he married Margaret, daughter of Sir John Kennedy of Blairquhan Castle, Ayrshire. He was the ancestor of Earl Castle Stewart. William Greer (September 22, 1909 - February 23, 1985), born in Stewartstown, was an agent of the U.S. Secret Service, best known for having driven President John F. Kennedy's automobile in the motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas on November 22, 1963, when the president was assassinated.

Places of interest

Roughan Castle was built circa 1618 by Sir Andrew Stewart (d. 1639), 2nd Lord Castlestewart, eldest son of Andrew Stewart (1580–1629), 3rd Lord Ochiltree, 1st Lord Castlestewart, who came from Scotland during the plantation and established the nearby town of Stewartstown. The 2nd Lord Castlestewart built his castle overlooking Roughan Lough. It is a small square castle, three storeys high with a central tower 20 feet (6.1 m) square, flanked by thick rounded towers at each corner.

Amenities

Stewartstown has a surgery which serves nearby areas; such as Ardboe, Coalisland, Brockagh, Clonoe and Newmills.

The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Stewartstown (Tyrone), which includes a list of incidents in Stewartstown during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

Local schools

Transport

2001 Census

Stewartstown is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 608 people living in Stewartstown. Of these:

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

See also

References

  1. Logainm - Stewartstown
  2. "Stewartstown station" (PDF). Railscot-Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
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