Drumballyroney Old Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A plain freestanding Board of First Fruits church, built c.1780, located on an elevated site on Church Hill Road, north east of Rathfriland. Simple rectangular plan, aligned E-W with tower to west and gabled porch to north.

Pitched natural slate roof with stone skews and cast iron rainwater goods on plain corbelled eaves. Roughcast walling with slightly projecting plinth. Stone stringcourse delineating each stage of tower, extended across W gable at eaves level. Triple lancet iron lattice windows, except where otherwise stated, all with projecting granite cills.

Tower to west gable which is otherwise blank. Entrance to north side, comprising timber sheeted door set in elliptical headed opening with simple moulded granite surround and timber tympanum, accessed by three modern steps and ramp. Double lancet to south. Second stage has a blank pointed arched recess to south. Belfry stage has a pointed arched louvred lancet with chamfered sandstone reveal to each facet. Granite coping stones and pinnacles.

North elevation is blank, abutted by gabled porch to left side. Porch has a replacement herringbone timber sheeted door in cement rendered reveal, surmounted by a blind roundel. Square-headed lattice window to west.

East gable is lit by a triple lancet.

South elevation is lit by three triple lancets, each inset with a central inward-opening bottom-hung casement.

Setting

The church is set on an elevated site overlooking the surrounding countryside and the Mournes to south and east. There is a small burial ground to south, bounded by hedgerow and mature trees; dated burial markers from the early eighteenth century, several stones appearing earlier. Immediately to south-east, sharing the site, is the former Drumballyroney School (HB17/03/011B), now restored as part of the Brontë Interpretative Centre. There is a picnic area to east side, with a mosaic plaque depicting a scene from Wuthering Heights, and a tarmac car park bounding the site at east. Bounding the road to north is a roughcast boundary wall, having a wrought iron pedestrian gate to picnic area, and a pair of wrought iron vehicular gates on axis with the tower, each supported on square piers with pyramidal caps. An interpretative plaque is situated within the boundary on a lych frame.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Roughcast
Windows: Iron lattice
RWG: Cast iron

Historical information

The Ordnance Survey Memoirs (1836) note that Drumballyroney Church was constructed in 1780 at an expense of £900 which was a grant from the Board of First Fruits, however the contemporary Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary notes that the church was erected in 1800 with a gift of £500 by the Board.

The Memoirs described the church as a plain rectangular building with a square tower measuring 57 by 28 feet; there has been little discernible change to the layout of the building since the early 19th century and the contemporary first edition of the Ordnance Survey map shows that the Drumballyroney School (HB 17/09/011B) had also been constructed by that time (prior to 1830) situated to the east side of the church. The memoirs also noted that the church’s two-storey Glebe House (located to the south-west of the church in the same Townland) was constructed in 1822 by the Rev. John Dubourdieu (Ordnance Survey Memoirs, pp 10-11).

In the 1830s the Townland Valuations valued the Church at £6 11. although the adjoining schoolhouse was not included in the valuations at that time. By 1862 Griffith’s Valuation noted that the value of the church had increased to £8 although it is not know what caused this minor increase; there was no change to the value of the church by the end of the Annual Revisions in 1929.

Drumballyroney Church has an early history; a church was recorded in the area in the 1422 and 1546 papa; valuations. The current church was constructed on a hill that formed part of land belonging to the Gaelic O’Rooney Clan whilst the current graveyard has been used as a burial place since at least the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century (Magennis). Rankin states that when originally completed Drumballyroney Church was known as St. John’s Church. Drumballyroney was untied with Drumgooland Parish until 1839 when it became independent; however in 1902 it was united with Drumgath. The church continued to be utilised as a place of worship until its closure on the 20th December 1970 (Rankin, p. 186).

After the church was deconsecrated on 20th February 1976, the church and adjoining schoolhouse were purchased to house the Bronte Homeland Interpretative Centre. Rankin states that the Rev. Tighe, who was vicar of the neighbouring Drumgooland Parish Church (HB 17/10/008) and was known as the ‘father of Irish Evangelism’ established the Rev. Patrick Bronte (1777-1861; father of the famous novelists Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte) as a schoolmaster in Drumballyroney schoolhouse (HB 17/09/011B) and also assisted Bronte in getting accepted into Cambridge where he studied for ordination (Rankin, p. 189). It is traditionally believed that once Patrick Bronte was ordained he returned to Drumballyroney Church where he preached his first sermon. Within the church is a plaque which records: ‘Within these walls the Rev. Patrick Bronte preached his first sermon in the autumn of 1806 and never had anything in his hand the whole time’ (Young, p. 39).

Drumballyroney Church was listed in 1977 and continues to house the Bronte Homeland Interpretative Centre. The church and the associated schoolhouse form part of a group of historically significant buildings in the area associated with the Bronte family. These are maintained as local tourist attractions and include Nos 40 and 41 Bronte Road (HB17/08/019A & B), and the Bronte Memorial House (HB17/08/019C).

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/42/1 – First edition Ordnance Survey map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/42/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1859
3. PRONI OS/6/3/42/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1901-1902
4. PRONI OS/6/3/42/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1919-1920
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/42 – Townland Valuation map 1833
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/357A+B – Townland Valuation c. 1830
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/59/A – Griffith’s Valuation 1862
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/4A – Annual Revisions 1864-1876
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/4B – Annual Revisions 1877-1887
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/4C – Annual Revisions 1887-1898
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/4D – Annual Revisions 1898-1911
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/4E – Annual Revisions 1912-1929
13. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Down I Vol. 3 (1836)
14. Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary (1837)
15. Ulster Street Directories (1843-1918)
16. First Survey Record – HB17/09/011 (1970)

Secondary Sources

1. Magennis, P., ‘Banbridge: An illustrated history and companion’ Donaghadee: Cottage Publications, 1996.
2. Rankin, F., ‘Clergy of Down and Dromore’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1996.
3. Young, A. F., ‘Old Rathriland, Hilltown and Ballyroney’ Ayrshire: Stenlake Publishing, 2002.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Drumballyroney Parish Church (now the Brontë Interpretative Centre) is a simple Board of First Fruits hall-and-tower church, dating from the late eighteenth century. Its traditional early aspect survives, having restrained detailing in local granite, and it is representative of rural church building of the period funded by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Along with the school house (HB17/03/011B), the church is of interest due to associations with the Brontë family and their literary heritage. The group is set within a burial ground containing several eighteenth-century burial markers, possibly earlier, and surviving in its original state. It is a good example of the type with much original fabric and additional historic interest from associations with the Brontë family.

General comments

This record was formerly HB17/09/011 - it has been renumbered as a group with HB17/09/011B.