Parliamentary Commissioners were appointed to enquire
into the organisation of municipal corporations of Ireland. As a result they produced – in the Maps and
Plans that were an appendix to their report – the accompanying Map of Newry
1837 (as well as others, of course!). This new municipal boundary came into operation in 1839. For almost the whole of the nineteenth
century (from Isaac Corry’s time until reform in 1884) the Newry parliamentary
boundary was centred on this but also included the townlands of the Commons,
Ballinacraig, Dromalane, Lisdrumgullion, Lisdrumliska and Ballinlare.
A close examination of the town’s boundaries as marked
on this map yields the perhaps surprising revelation that the milestones
so recently commented upon on our Discussion Board are located at the junctions
of the town’s main roads with these boundaries! Perhaps this result is less surprising when we learn that the Local
Government reform affected in the last decade of that century accepted these
town boundaries and indeed, deemed that for administrative purposes, all of
this area would fall within County
Down! Ironically the Town Hall, which had been
built deliberately to straddle the Clanrye
River and therefore both counties, was
hardly completed before the whole town became County Down.
For those curious enough to test my theory (that the
‘milestones’ demark the old municipal boundaries) it is relatively easy to
check! I calculate, for example, that:
(3) is on Church Avenue; (4) and (5) on Rathfriland Road, the former
close to its junction with Arthur Street and the latter, with Fullerton
Road; (6) on Monk’s Hill; (7) Templehill
Road (8) and (9) Windmill Road, the
latter at its junction with Courtenay Hill. That’s most of the east side outlined for you! I’m sure you can complete the circuit.
If we are right and there are eighteen as marked on
this map, we would like details of exact locations of the remaining milestones,
perhaps with photographs!
Now, there’s
something useful you could do!
It is obvious that this small-scale map with its
inscriptions is difficult to read, so here are a few extra notes!
Number (18) – top left, is marked Mr Pearson’s House
and your author estimates it was in the vicinity of the west entrance to
today’s St Bridget’s Church, where Pighall Loanan from The Wheel at its
junction with Camlough Road veered east to meet the Brickey Loanan and then
Armagh Road (between (18) and (1) on this map). Looking the other direction on this map, between (18) and (17) the
dotted line marks the vicinity of the Wheel! (16) is on the Pound Road,
(15) The Glen and (14) the Dublin
Road. In
between, search Bull’s Hill and Doran’s Hill.
And that’s more than enough! You don’t want me to do the whole thing, for
you, do you?!!!
History 
