The Ordnance Survey Memoirs are a uniquely detailed source for the history of the northern half of Ireland immediately before the Great Famine. They were written in the 1830s to accompany the 6" Ordnance Survey maps, but with one exception were not published at the time. In this new edition they act as a nineteenth-century Domesday book and are essential to the understanding of the cultural heritage of our communities. The Memoirs document the landscape and situation, buildings and antiquities, land-holdings and population, employment and livelihood of the parishes.
This volume contains the Memoirs for five parishes in north-east Londonderry. Centres covered include Aghadowey, Agivey, Ballyrashane and Macosquin. We learn of life in the community through the occupations, health and amusements of its people, while emigration and education are equally well documented. The accounts also detail the numerous mills and public buildings of the region, as well as its military and eccesiastical antiquities. The material provides a unique insight into life in this area over 150 years ago.