Moneyreagh Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A non-subscribing Presbyterian church hall T-shaped in plan with entrances to north, east and south, built c.1770 and located east of Church Road in the village of Moneyreagh.

The roof is pitched with natural slate, blue/black angled ridge tiles and raised stone verges. Walling is painted roughcast render with plinth and quoins; projecting string course at sill and lintel level. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting eaves. Windows are mainly replacement round-headed uPVC type. A number of leaded stained glass or clear glass casements have also been replaced. The Majority of windows have projecting masonry sills, label stops and moulded keyblocks (two leaded-and-stained glass windows to west wall are early).

The principal elevation faces east and comprises a gabled vestibule with central entrance door surmounted by a tripartite leaded-and-stained glass square-headed window. Replacement six-panelled timber entrance door in a moulded surround, having segmental-headed transom light and decorative carvings to spandrels; flanked by panelled pilasters surmounted by corniced canopy on scrolled console brackets. The exposed north and south elevations have a replacement uPVC window.

The south elevation comprises a gabled vestibule with central entrance (as at east elevation) surmounted by paired round-headed (uPVC replacement) windows with dividing panelled pilasters surmounted by label mould with keystone. The exposed east elevation has a replacement uPVC window.

The west elevation is six round-headed windows wide; leaded-and-stained glass casements to centre are slenderer; uPVC replacements to left and right. To centre is (a working) numbered clock face in moulded masonry surround. Below is a stone panel in moulded surround reading “This house was built in 1770 by the Revd James Makain Minister”.

The north elevation is a mirror of the south elevation with carved roundel above window; exposed east elevation with replacement uPVC window.

Setting:

Set to the east side of Church Road, in the centre of the village, with cemetery having tombs dating from the early nineteenth-century to east and south. Cemetery bounded to north by rubble stone wall. To front are two large neoclassical-style tombs enclosed by decorative railings. Bounded to road and to North by low rough-cast render wall with coping stones surmounted by metal railing. Square rendered gate piers with pointed caps and original metal gates. Three-bay two-storey manse (HB25/02/006) and national school (HB25/02/004) to north. To northeast is a small church hall, later in date than the church, but similarly styled. The hall has a modern extension to east.

Roof: Pitched natural slate
Walling: Painted roughcast render
Windows: Replacement uPVC and leaded-and-stained glass casements
RWG: Aluminium

Historical information

Moneyreagh Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church was built in 1770 on the site of an earlier meeting house. (McMillan)
A congregation was first formed at Moneyreagh in the early eighteenth century and a meeting house was built in 1719. The early church building is thought to have been a simple barn of mud walls and thatch. (www.nspresbyterian.org; McMillan)

At a Synod meeting in 1721 the conflict between those who wished to subscribe to the Westminster Confession and those who did not, reached a head and in 1725 seventeen ministers and their congregations were excluded from the meetings of the Synod and formed the Non-Subscribing Presbytery of Antrim. However, it appears that the Moneyreagh congregation was without a minister until 1725 and did not form part of this movement initially. (Campbell; McMillan)

The present church, a more substantial slated building, was constructed on the same site as the old in 1770. Following a further dispute within the Synod of Ulster in 1829 a number of ministers and their congregations left the Synod of Ulster to form the Remonstrant Synod, including Fletcher Blakely, minister of Moneyreagh. The Remonstrant Synod and the earlier non-subscribing Presbytery of Antrim drew closer together and eventually in 1910 united to form the General Synod of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland. (Campbell; www.nspresbyterian.org)

The Meeting House is shown, captioned, on the first edition OS map of 1833 together with a grave yard and is listed in the Townland Valuation of 1828-40 as a Presbyterian Meeting House and Sessions House valued at £13.6s. OS Memoirs give a plan and description; “In the townland of Moneyreagh there is a Presbyterian meeting house, a sketch is given of a T-shaped ground plan, main dimensions 80, 28 and 26 feet. It was built in the year 1770 by subscription and is capable of accommodating about 700". Externally, a numbered clock face with moulded masonry surround is located on the west elevation of the Meeting House.

On the second edition of 1858, the church is captioned as a “Unitarian Meeting House” and is so listed in Griffith’s Valuation which values the buildings at £17, later raised to £25. Dimensions are given for the meeting house and return and it is given a classification of B+ indicating that it was in good repair. There are no significant changes in Annual Revisions.

Until the 19th century pews were a luxury and most of congregation sat on forms which were repaired and strengthened at least twice a year at the congregation’s expense. The gallery (now gone) held box pews for the poor. In 1837 one thousand pounds was spent on a flagging ceiling and otherwise improving the meeting house. The gallery was enlarged to accommodate seven hundred people. In 1933 a new sessions house was presented to the church as a memorial to the Porter family (McMillan). Renovations took place in the early 1960s and cost £6,250 and a further sum of £1000 was spent in the late 60s in preparation for the 250th anniversary.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/10/1 – First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/10/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1901-2
4. PRONI OS/6/3/10/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-21
5. PRONI OS/6/3/10/7 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1948-50
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/316B – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/316B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/23/20A-E – Annual Revisions (1864-1930)

Secondary Sources
1. Campbell, J “A Short History of the Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland”
2. McMillan, Rev William “A history of Moneyreagh Congregation 1719-1969” 1969
3. www.nspresbyterian.org
4. A history of Moneyreagh Congregation 1719-1969 by the Rev William McMillan

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A single storey gable-fronted non-subscribing Presbyterian church on a T-shaped plan, built c.1770 and located east of Church Road in the village of Moneyreagh. The church is unassumingly detailed and proportioned building with a largely intact Georgian interior, it is a well-preserved example of a rural church in an unspoiled setting. The small hall to northeast, original entrance gate, cemetery with early nineteenth-century tombs and rubble stone boundary wall all add to the historic interest of the site. The associated buildings, the manse (HB25/02/006) and national school (HB25/02/004) to the north of the church are also of interest. The building is of social and local interest owning to the importance role it played within the rural community and is important as one of the earliest church buildings in the area.

General comments

In Moneyreagh Area of Village Character.