July 1927

Seagoe Parish Magazine

JULY, 1927.

CLERGY :

Rev. Canon Archer, B.D., The Rectory, Seagoe,

Portadown,

Rev. W. A. Henry, 21 Edward St., Portadown.

CHURCHWARDENS :

Rector's—Thos. E. Maginnis, Breagh.

People's—John R. Reid, Portadown,

Service of Commemoration.

On Sunday, July 3rd, at Morning and Evening

Prayer, Special Services will be held in Seagoe

Church in memory of those from the Parish who

fell in the Great War. Eleven years have passed

since that fateful July 1st, 1916, when our brave lads

crossed the bullet-swept ravine at Hamel in defence

of God and King and country. Some survived, some

were sorely wounded, but many went forward on

their glorious adventure never to return. Their

bodies rest where they fell in that now quiet ravine

within sound of the flowing Ancre and with their

faces towards the German trenches on the further

hillside.

July 1st, 1916.

[We print here an extract from " the History of

the (36th) Ulster Division" by Captain Cyril Falls.]

Day dawned clear and sunny ; " Zero" was at

7-30 a.m. It had been light for four hours. The

first movements of our men were concealed by the

intensity of our fire and by smoke barrages put

down by 4-inch Stokes Mortars in the valley of the

Ancre and in front of Thiepval village. The troops

formed up in ' Man's . Land.' At 7-15 a.m. the

leading companies issued from the gaps cut in our

wire, extended to two paces interval, and moved

forward to within 150 yards of the German trench.

The . hubbub of the, British bombardment was

terrific ; over their heads the Stokes mortars, firing

at highest rate, were slinging a hundred shells into

the air at once. Zero ! The hurricane bombardment

ceased. The artillery lifted off the first line. The

whistles of the officers sounded, and the men sprang

up and advanced at steady marching pace on the

German trenches. The Commanding Officers of the

Battalions were forbidden to accompany their men,

but as they watched them moving forward to the

assault they received one of the most powerful and

lasting their lives. Colonel Macrory,

Of the 10th Inniskillings, tells us what he saw—

Lines of men moving forward, with rifles sloped,

and the sun glistening upon their fixed bayonets,

keeping their alignment and distance as well as if

on a ceremonial parade, unfaltering, unwavering.

General Ricardo, then commanding the 9 ^th

Inniskillings, wrote the following account a few days

after—

I stood on the parapet between the two centre

exits to wish them luck. They got going without

delay ; no fuss, no shouting, no running, everything

Solid and thorough, just like the men themselves.

Here and there a boy would wave his hand to me

as I shouted good luck to them through my

megaphone. All had a cheery face. Most were carrying

loads. Fancy advancing against heavy fire with a

big roll of barbed wire on your shoulder. There

was here in ' No Man's Land' a deep ravine which

the map contours show but without giving an idea

of its abruptness. The first wave of the 9th Irish

Fusiliers reached this with little trouble, but those

which followed met with very heavy machine gun

fire and suffered terrible loss. Advancing with splendid

dash, the survivors of a Battalion which Colonel

Blacker's training had made one of the best in the

Division, swept through the enemy's front line

trenches. One small body of the right centre company

in particular carried all before it and was last

seen advancing upon Beaucourt Station. The " B"

line was to be reached at 7-48 a.m., and •precisely at

that moment the first wave swept upon it. The leading

waves pressed on. The " C" line was reached

at 8-48 a.m.

[The rest of the story is soon told. Through lack

of support the position of those who had reached

their objectives became desperate. By 10 p.m. that

night the advance which had been made at such a

sacrifice was proved to have been made in vain 11

duly Anniversary.

On Sunday, July 10th, at 7 p.m., an Anniversary

Service will be held (D.v.) in Seagoe Parish Church.

Places will be reserved for the brethren attending,

and the collection will be given to the Lord

Enniskillen Memorial Orphan Fund. The preacher

will be the Rev. T. G. Moore, M.A., Curate of

Shankill Parish, Lurgan.

Parish Register for June.

Baptisms,

The following were Baptized in Seagoe Parish

Church on June 4th, 1927 :—

M'Murray—Doreen, daughter of James Henry and Margaret M'NIurray, of Levaghery.

Sponsors — Sarah Ethel M'Murray, Margaret M'Murray,

Jacobs—Frederick Michael, son of William and Florence May Jacobs, of Lylo.

Sponsors—William Jacobs, Florence May Jacobs.

M'Kerr—Tlyonmas Ambrose, son of Thomas John and Jemima M 'Kerr, of Edenderry.

Sponsors—Sarah Jane Neill, Jemima M'Kerr.

M'Cormick—Ernest, son of Thomas John and Elizabeth M'Cormick, of Upper Seagoe.

Sprmsors—Emi1y Reid, Elizabeth M'Cormick.

Marriage

Fox and Lutton—June 18th, 1927, Samuel George Fox, Of Portadown,

to Susanna Lutton, of Edenderry.

Burials.

SommerviIle—April 30th, Minnie Sommerville, Edenderry ; aged 34 years.

M'Naily--June 16th, William Joseph M'Na11y, Edenderry ; aged 23 years.

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE

ITEMS

Mr. S. Rennix, as President of the Ulster Teachers'

Union, attended the reception given by Lord Eustace

Percy 10 the members of the International Conference

of Teachers in London on June 25th.

Mr. M'Dowell, whose villa “Seagoe" appears on

our cover, hopes to arrive in the Parish from the

States on Monday, July 4th.

The Rector was the special preacher in Donegal

Parish Church on Wednesday, June 29th, at the South

Raphoe Choral Festival.

Mr. T. H. Hall, of Upper Seagoe, has passed the

preliminary examination of the Incorporated Board

of Chartered Accountants,

Seagoe Mothers' Union.

A most enjoyable afternoon was spent by the

members of the Mothers' Union on Tuesday, June

7th, at Mr. James Twinem's house at Lylo. It was

a fine afternoon, and the members drove from

Edenderry Parochial Hall to Lylo in an omnibus. Mrs.

Twinem, the Hon. Treasurer, and Miss Twinem met

the members on their arrival and entertained them

most hospitably. After a splendid tea in the open

air the members engaged in games and races till

quite late in the evening. The fine views and bracing

air of Lylo were much enjoyed. At the close of

the evening a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. and Mrs.

Twinem was passed by all present. No, meeting of

the Mothers' Union has been arranged for July and

August.

The Excursion.

Seagoe was fortunate in having a fine day for the

excursion. Although the weather was broken and

rain fell as the procession left Seagoe Church it

cleared up almost immediately and continued fine

all through the day until we were in the train for

the return journey, when the rain came on again.

The excursionists had a most enjoyable day. The

procession from the Church was headed by the

Ballyhannon Flute Band, who played marching tunes and

hymn tunes from the Church to the Station. The

procession was a long one, and crowds of people

stood along the route to see it pass. The train left

at 9-40 p.m. and reached Warrenpoint at 10-40.

Refreshments were provided in the new hall at the

station. It is a most commodious building, well

ventilated and well lighted. Even though Drumcree

and the Dobbin Sunday Schools were there as well

as Seagoe, there was no crowding. The excursionists

were loud in their praise of the arrangements.

Everything worked smoothly and we did not hear a

single complaint. The day was spent in various

ways ; some sailed in the boats, some lingered along

the shore, and many climbed to the Big Stone. At

5 0'clock the second refreshment was given in the

Station hall, and at 8-30 the return train started

for home. On arrival in Portadown the band

marched with the excursionists to the Church, where

the Rector thanked the band for their help. The

band then played the National Anthem, and all

separated with a hearty cheer.

Seagoe P.E. School.

The School broke up for the summer holidays on

Thursday, June 30th. The Manager (Rev. Canon

Archer) was present. The hymn " God is always

near me" was sung by the children, and prayer was

said. Hearty cheers were given for the teachers.

The School will re-open (D.v.) on Monday, August

8th, at 9-30 a.m. The School has had a successful

session, and there has been no sickness among the

children. The playgrounds are looking very pretty

now in their rustic surroundings.

Choir Festival at Seagoe.

On Saturday, .June 11th, the Lurgan Choral Union

held their annual Festival in the Parish Church.

Fourteen choirs, numbering 430 voices, attended.

The Rev. John Bentley conducted the service, and

the sermon was preached by the Very Rev. the Dean

of Armagh. After the Service the choirs assembled

for tea in the Parochial Schools. In the course of

his address the Rev. Mr. Bentley spoke on each of

the choirs. When he referred to Seagoe he said,

" I give the prize to Seagoe, the largest and best of

the choirs."

This is great praise coming from an expert such

as Mr. Bentley is. We congratulate Mr. and

Miss Wilson and the choir on this notable word of

praise from the conductor.

The Late Miss Reid's Bequests

We regret that the statement regarding the late

Miss Reid's Bequests published in our last issue was

not quite accurate. The following is an extract

from the will

(a) Twenty pounds to Seagoe Select Vestry to be

invested and the interest thereon paid yearly

into the Poor Fund of Seagoe Parish Church.

(b) Ten pounds to Seagoe Sunday Schools to be

invested and the interest thereon to be paid

yearly to the Seagoe Sunday School Fund.

(c) Ten pounds to be invested and the interest

to be paid annually to the Seagoe Parish

Church contributions to the Armagh Protestant

Orphan Society.

The contributions to be known as the interest on

the Elizabeth Reid Bequests in (a), (b), (c)."

Miss Reid also left Bequests to the Chota Nagpur

Mission and to the South American Missionary

Society. The sum of £40 left to Seagoe Parish has

been invested in 4 per cent. War Loan in the names

of the Rev. Canon Archer, Mr. Moses Gilpin, Hon.

Sec. , and Mr. Hugh Stoops, Hon. Treas.

SEAGOE MAGAZINE.

The Saurln Centenary.

(Continued. )

When Archdeacon Saurin returned from Spain in

the year 1858 he seems to have approached his work

in the Parish with renewed energy. The first big

project which engaged his attention was the provision

of a new school at Seagoe. The old school

in what was known as the School Park (the triangle

plot of ground beside the old graveyard) was becoming

seriously dilapidated through age. Its

thatched roof and crumbling walls formed but a poor

protection for the children of the Parish against the

weather. The playground was roomy and many

generations of young Seagoe had sported about in

it, but it was felt that a new school was necessary,

and so a public subscription list was opened to provide

funds for the erection of a new building. The

site chosen was that occupied by the present school,

opposite the; Church. The old School was beside the

old Church, and so it was decided the new school

should be as near as possible to the new Church.

The present handsome building was therefore

erected and was opened to receive pupils in 1859.

The School was, as most schools then were, under

the control of and supported by the Church

Education Society. The school, although a great

improvement on the old building, was not very well

furnished. The clay floor had not yet been replaced by

a wooden floor. It was not until 1874 that the latter

improvement was made. When the new school had

been provided the Archdeacon resolved to repair

the Church. Up to this time the Church was furnished

with the old square pews. It was decided to

remove them and to put in their place the, modern

pews which are at present in use. This improvement

was effected in the year 1862. Seagoe Church

was one of the first in Ireland to have the modern

pews installed. During the time when the Church

was being repewed the Services were held in the

new school. When the, work of re-pewing the Church

was completed the Archdeacon took in hand the

renovation of the Rectory. This was in the year

1863. For 37 years the Archdeacon and his family

had resided there, but it must be remembered that

in 1819 the house had been condemned as unfit for

further habitation. The Archdeacon on his appointment

to Seagoe in 1826 was given a sum of money

by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to build a new

Rectory but considering the sum insufficient he decided

to spend the money in putting the existing

Rectory into repair. In 1863 it was found necessary

to reroof the Rectory. This was a big undertaking,

and during the building operations the Archdeacon

and his family lodged at Seagoe Villa with Mr. and

Mrs. Walker. The late Mrs. Jack Walker, of Seagoe

Villa had pleasant recollections of this time and

often referred to it. Besides the reroofing of the

Rectory many other improvements were carried out.

The influence of their Spanish experiences seems to

have controlled most of the alterations. The Spanish

Window was built at the west side of the Archdeacon's

study. A verandah was also added at the

library or east gable. In both of these additions the

form of window familiar to the Archdeacon and Mrs.

Saurin when residing at Malaga, in Southern Spain,

was adopted, the frame being glazed down to the

floor level. A great subterranean cistern holding

10,000 gallons was also built in the inner garden.

It supplied the basement or the house and the stables,

byres and gardens with water. A fishpond such as

is common in Spain, was made in the shrubbery

outside the inner garden. The two Quince trees at

'present growmg In the inner garden are said to

have been brought from Spain by Mrs. Saurin. The

shadow of approaching Disestablishment was now

deepening over the Church and causing much

uncertainty and disquietude. The Archdeacon,

now nearly 50 years in Holy Orders and the son of an

Irish Bishop took an active part in the many discussions

and conferences which were held during

the campaign against Disestablishment. The returns

which he made to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners

concerning the parochial organisations and

services are still in existence and form a most interesting

record of Seagoe Parish life in the sixties

of the last century.

(To be continued.)

The Protestant Orphan Society.

The Protestant Orphan Society collections will be

made at Morning and Evening Prayer on Sunday,

July 3rd, on behalf of the Co. Armagh Protestant

Orphan Society. This Society, founded largely by

Major Blacker in 1869, has for almost sixty years

given generous help to the widows and orphans of

Seagoe Parish. It deserves the best that Seagoe can

give. Many in our midst have through its agency

been helped in their early days, and it is their duty

as well as ours to give the Society all the financial

assistance we can afford.

Jumble Sale,

On Friday, June 17th, a Jumble Sale was held in

Edenderry Parochial Hall. Mr. James Forde kindly

acted as secretary. All the goods were sold in a

brief space, and the gross profits amounted to

£2 19s 7d. The proceeds go towards the support of the

Men's Recreation Room. We are very much obliged

to all who helped by sending goods and contributing.

Old Seagoe Notes.

Extracts from

"a Topographical Dictionary of

Ireland," Volume 2, by Samuel Lewis.

(Published in 1837.)

Seagoe, or Segoe, a parish in the barony of O'Neilland

East, Co. Armagh, and province of Ulster, 1

mile (N.N.E.) from Portadown, extending along the

R. Bann and intersected by the Great Roads leading

from Armagh to Belfast, and from Portadown to

Banbridge ; containing 9,736 inhabitants. This place,

which is said to have derived its name from Seagh-

Gabha, " the smith's seat," was allotted to Nial

Gabha, one of the sons of the great O'Nial.

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE.

It is traditionally said that in 836 a battle was

fought here in which Blacar, a Danish chief, ancestor

of the family of Blacker, defeated Ail O'Nail and

his sept and the place adjoining Carrick demesne

is pointed out. called “Lisna-grilly," signifying “the

fort of the dagger," where there are still faint traces

of a circular entrenchment.

The parish is bounded on the West by the R.

Bann, along which it extends for about 4 ½ miles

it contains three manorial districts, subdivided into

47 townlands, comprising, according to the Ordnance

Survey, 10,982 ½ statute acres. 1236 ½ are in L. Neagh,

and 49 ½ ; in the R. Bann; the rest is chiefly arable,

though along the banks of the river, there is an

extensive tract of low meadow and pasture ground

which is inundated about Xmas, and the water does

not disappear till March. Onions are cultivated to a

great extent. On the townland of Balteagh and

Kilfergan there is a quarry, the stone ef which has been

discovered to be highly valuable as marble and for

lithography, for which it. is said to equal the best

German stone.

The highest point is the, hill of Drumclogher. The

river, here navigable for vessels of 60 tons, cannot

be surpassed for its majestic appearance as it winds

beautifully along the Western boundary. It was

crossed at Portadown by a bridge of seven arches

built in 1764 but which, having given way in several

places, a new bridge is in progress of erection

at an expense to the county of £8,000 ; it will be a

very fine building of three arches, each more than

50 feet span. The principal gentlemen's seats

are Seagoe House, the residence of the Venerable

Archdeacon Saurin, and Carrick, of Lieut.-Colonel

Blacker, a large edifice built in 1692. In the

sheep walk of the demesne on the summit of a low

ridge or knoll is a curious excavation of an elliptical

form about 80 yards in circumference, sloping gradually

inwards on all sides with great regularity.

Whether intended as a place of worship, or justice,

there is no tradition.

The Living is a rectory and vicarage in time Diocese

of Dromore, forming the corps of Archdeaconry

and in the patronage of the bishop ; the tithes

(chiefly of corn and hay) amount to £330, and the

glebe comprises 500 acres, valued at £652 7s 7d per

annum, making the gross income of the Archdeacon

£982 7s 7d. The glebe house is a commodious residence,

contiguous to the Church ; the latter is a

large handsome edifice in the early English style,

with a square tower, built at an entire cost of

of which £I,OOO was a loan from the late Board

The interior is fitted up in a very superior manner.

Near the spot where the battle was fought in which O'Nial was

defeated, several brazen swords and spearheads of

superior workmanship have been dug up. Two,

nearly perfect, are in the possession of the Earl of

Charleville, to whom they were presented by Colonel

Blacker, who has in his possession a curious little

battle hammerhead of stone found in time same

place ; the handle is composed of osier withs much

resembling a smith's punch of the present day ;

from its elasticity it must have been a deadly weapon in close combat.

SERVICES

THE PARISH CHURCH.

HOLY COMMUNION—Ist Sunday after Morning

Prayer ; 3rd Sunday at 8 a.m., and on the Chief

Festivals.

HOLY BAPTISM—1st Saturday of Month at 3 p.m.,

and during any Service in the Parish Church.

if notice be given ; Two Sponsors at least are

required, and they must be Confirmed members

of the Church. Churchings are held at each

Baptism. Mothers are expected to bring a thank-

offering. (See Book of Common Prayer.)

MORNING PRAYER—Sundays and Chief Festivals

11.30 a.m.

EVENING PRAYER—Sundays 7 p.m., Wednesdays

8 p.m.

DISTRICT SERVICES.

Hacknahay—Last Sunday of Month at 3.30 p.m.

Drumgor-—Second Sunday of Month at 4 p.m.

CLASSES,

ADULT CLASSES- -Sundays at 10 a.m.

For Women—Seagoe

For Men—Edenderry.

School.

SUNDAY SCHOOLS—IO a.m. Edenderry Parochial

Hall and Seagoe School. 3 p.m. Seagoe, Eden-

derry Parochial Hall, Levaghery, Hacknahay,

Carne, Drumgor.

Men's Recreation Room, Bridge St., open every

night from 7 p.m.

Seagoe C.L. Brigade in Edenderry Parochial Hall,

on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.

Mothers' Union, Edenderry 1st Tuesday, at 4 p.m.

DAY SCHOOL—Seagoe, 9.30 a.m. Principal—Mr. S

Rennix.

MARRIAGES must be performed between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Licenses are issued by Rev Canon Hannon,

Rectory, Lurgan. Due notice (48 hours) must be given to the Rector of intended weddings. FEES—

By License—Labourers 5/-, Tradesmen 10/-, Merchants and Farmers 15/-, Professional £1. By Banns 5/-.

FUNERALS will be attended by the Clergy if proper notice be given. SICK CASES should be notified to

the Clergy without delay. FEES FOR CERTIFICATES BAPTISM, 3/7 ; Children (Factory), 1/- and 2/-

(non-residents) ; MARRIAGE, 3/7. An extra search fee is chargeable in certain cases. It will be a help

to the Clergy if they are notified of the arrival of new Church families in the Parish.

A copy of the Magazine will be sent post free to any subscriber for 3s per annum.