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 six parishes in south-east Antrim, a predomantly agricultural area encompassing the towns and villages of Ballyeaston, Ballynure, Glenoe and Straid.
The history of the region is recorded in its remains of its antiquity, while, despite the decline in the linen trade, numerous mills survived to give employment to many. Social life is especially well documented through habits of the people, including extensive records of education, emigration, health and religion, as well as the system of justice to cope with the infrequent wrongdoer.
Together this material provides a unique insight into life in this area over 150 years ago.