July 1935

Seagoe parish Magazine.

JULY. 1935.___________________

CLERGY :Rev. Chancellor Archer, B .D ., The Rectory, Seagoe.

Rev. W. F. Hayes, B.A., The Bungalow, Lower Seagoe, Portadown.

CHURCHWARDENS :Rector’s------Mr. H. MURRAY GIBSON.People’s—Mr. THOMAS MARTIN.

The Excursion.

Our annual Sunday School Excursion is

always a great and notable event in the Parish.

It is looked forward to with great expectation

for m any weeks beforehand. This year it took

place on Thursday, Jun e 27th, and its destina­tion was Bangor, Co. Down. A short service

was held at 8 a.m . in the Parish Church. We

sang the nice Children’s Hymn, 612, and joined

in the Collects for Morning Prayer. The Rector, in a brief address, welcomed the children

; and gave some useful advice about the Excur­sion. Our splendid Seagoe C .L .B . Pipe Band

played the procession to the station. A large

Union Jack, vigorously waved, led the way. At

the Parochial Hall many from the outlying

Sunday Schools fell in with the others, and a

large number of the residents of Edenderry

crowded their doors and windows to watch the

children pass. The special train left at 9.5 a.m.

and was crowded with eager and excited passengers. The Rector and the Rev. W . F. H ayes

accompanied the Excursion. The weather was

fine but dull. However, as the rain kept away

no one minded the clouds. An hour’s run

brought us to beautiful Bangor. The sea looked

lovely and the air was very fresh and bracing.

Mr. and Mrs. Victor Matchett were at the station to meet us and we were very glad to see

them. The band struck up a lively tune, and all

marched through the main street and round to

the fine Dufferin Hall, where Messrs. Davison

had a great supply of sandwiches, pastry and

excellent tea. We never remember seeing so

many “ prams” at an excursion, and each con­tained a fine Seagoe baby. A pair of Edenderry

twins were in great form. One baby of a few

months old achieved a record by consuming a

whole sandwich. After the first refreshment

this excursionists wandered in all directions.

Most of them went to or into the water. A

photographer who claimed to be a Portadown

man did a good business in the photographic

line. Some took buses to Donaghadee, but we

heard of one excursionist who did not go on the

"Mystery” Tour because she was afraid. At

5 p.m. all returned to the Hall for the Second

Refreshment, and then had time to get back for

a couple of hours to the water. The return

train, in charge of Guard Simpson, made a quick

journey back to Portadown. A great crowd

awaited our return . The band again headed the

procession back to the Parish Church, where the

Rector thanked the band for their great help.

The National Anthem was then sung and hearty

cheers given for the King and Queen. Altogether

our 1935 Excursion was a great success.

The Somme Anniversary.

On Sunday, June 30th, Special Services in

commemoration of the Battle of the Somme will

be held in the Parish Church, both at Morning

and Evening Service. The Portadown Branch

of the British Legion will be present at the 11.30

a.m Service. The Seagoe C .L .B . band, with

Cadets and Training Corps, will also parade at

this Service. The collection at both Services

will be on behalf of the County Armagh Protestant Orphan Society.

July Anniversary Service.

An Anniversary Service will be held (D .V .) in

the Parish Church on Sunday, July 7th, at 7

p.m . Special places will be reserved for the

Lodges which attend. The Rev. J . I . Lea; M.A.,

Rector of Mullavilly, will preach. The collec­tion will be in aid of the Lord Enniskillen Memorial Orphan Fund.

Protestant Orphan Society.

This Society has ever since its foundation in

1869, given most useful and valuable help to the

Widows and Orphans of Seagoe Parish. The

Society had its origin largely in the efforts of

the late Major Stewart Blacker, who also in

many ways assisted the Parish in the dark days

of Disestablshment and Disendowment. We

ask for a liberal offering on next Sunday, June

30th, for this great Society. An effort is being

made to increase its funds so that a larger allowance may be given to the Widows and Or­phans.

Grants are only made to the most de­serving cases. Widows who receive the State

Pension are not eligible for grants. Those who

receive help are those who receive no help from

any pension fund.

Lightning in Seagoe.

Seagoe did not altogether escape damage

in the recent severe storm . The new Church

Hall at Bocombra was struck and slates strip ped from the roof. Fortunately , the felt-covered

rafters did not catch fire, otherwise the Hall

might have been burned. The people in the

neighbourhood heard the loud crashing sound

when the Hall was struck. The lightning also

struck and wrecked the fountain lamp in Edenderry, to which a fine streamer advertisement of

our C .L .B . Sports Rally had been attached just

previously.

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE

C. L.B Sports Rally.

Remember Friday, July 5th. It is the day

of the C .L .B . Sports Rally, to be held at 5 p.m .,

in Mrs. Best’s field a t Church Lane, which she

has most kindly lent for the occasion. The

charge for admission will be Sixpence. All

kinds of events have been arranged for and they

are open to all comers. The field is beautifully

situated and at this time of the year the countryside looks perfect. Full particulars as to the

Sports can be seen on the posters throughout

the Parish. The proceeds are in aid of the Brigade Funds. A giant stream line advertisement

spans Bridge Street to remind everybody of the

Rally.

The Storm.

A very violent storm of thunder and rain

broke over Seagoe about 10 p.m . on June 25th.

The lightning was continuous and very vivid.

Towards the close of the storm, about 11 p.m .,

rain fell like a waterspout. At Upper Seagoe

it flowed from the roadway and flooded the

houses. No such rain has fallen in Seagoe for

many years. The atmosphere has been very

close and heavy for some days. Similar storms

have occurred all over the United Kingdom.

In Edenderry the central road lamp collapsed.

Uncut Hedges.

Many hedges at dangerous corners in the

Parish remain uncut. This adds greatly to the

danger of motor accidents, of which we have re­cently been reminded by some sad cases. The

risk of such neglect is very serious and ought to

be avoided.

Road Repairs

The splendid road to Lurgan through the

Parish has been in the hands of the road re­pairers. We are sure it will all come right but

it is at present in a very rough and dangerous

condition. A cement passage-way has been

laid at each side of the road. There is such

great traffic on this road that any obstruction

becomes very inconvenient.

Death of Captain Dobson.

We record with great regret the death of

Captain J . J . Dobson, who for some years up

to the outbreak of the Great War acted as a

Lay Helper in Seagoe Parish. His death oc­curred w ith great suddenness on Sunday morn­ing, June 2nd, at Nairobi, in Kenya, East

Africa, where he had resided with his wife and

son for the past ten years. He had taken a

very active part in the organisation of Ex-ser­vicemen in Nairobi, and had done much for

those in that district who had been unemployed.

He founded and was secretary of a flourishing

organisation known as “ The Nairobi Associa­tion ." At the time, of his death lie was a candi­date for the Nairobi Council for the district of

Ngong, and the election was to have been held

on June 20th. Much regret was felt at his

death at a comparatively early age. He had

felt slightly unwell on Saturday, June 1st, and

passed away suddenly on the following morning.

The medical report was that his death was due

to haemorrhage from an old war wound. There

was a large attendance at his funeral to the

Forest Cemetery at Nairobi. Captain Dobson

was a very keen and active member of the

Ulster Volunteers when in Seagoe, and at the

outbreak of War joined the Young Citizen Volun­teers and served through the War, being severely wounded.

He was always greatly in­terested in the Parish of Seagoe, and in his

letters to the Rector often referred to it. Our

sympathy goes out to Mrs. Dobson and her son

in their sad and sudden bereavement. In a

letter to the Rector Mrs. Dobson says “ He

loved Kenya. ’ ’

Two Excursions.

During last month, on June 13th, there were

two excursions in the Parish. They both left

the Parochial Hall at the same hour, 1.30. and

both travelled by special 'buses. The Mothers’

Union travelled to Bangor and had a most en­joyable time. The weather was dull but fine,

and the mothers enjoyed to the full the bracing

air of the seaside. The other excursion was for

the Seagoe C .L .B .. who journeyed to Tyrella,

in the Co. Down. The lovely and extensive

strand at Tyrella provided a splendid playground

for the lads, and the drive there and back

through lovely scenery, added greatly to the plea­sure of the excursion. The Rev. W. F. Hayes

and Captain Mitchell accompanied the lads.

Our Sunday Schools.

It has been arranged with the Superinten­dents and Teachers of our Sunday Schools, both

Morning and Afternoon, to close them for the

four Sundays in July and the first two Sundays

in August, so that all the Sunday Schools will

(D .V .) re-open and resume work on Sunday.

August 18th. This closing of the Schools has

become necessary owing to the extension of the

holiday system. So many of our Teachers and

young people now go on holiday that it has been

found difficult to provide Teachers for the

classes. We hope to see our people in large

numbers at the Services in the Parish Church.

Sunday is God’s Day of Worship. With the

Psalmist of old we can say “ A day in Thy

Courts is better than a thousand .”

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE

Parish Register for June.

Baptisms.

The following were Baptized in the Parish

Church on June 1st, 1935: —Richardson—Dorothy, daughter of Robert and Jane Richardson, of Upper Seagoe.

Sponsors — E m m a Richardson, Dorothy McNally.

Johnston —Joseph Bell, son of Robert and Helen Clow Johnston, of Lower Seagoe.

Sponsors—Eva White, Helen Clow Johnston.

M'Mullan—Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Herbert and Amelia McMullan, of Lylo.

Sponsors Evelyn Carlisle, Amelia McMullan.

Marriages .

Livingston and Shields—June 13th, in St. Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, by the Very

Rev. the Dean of Belfast, John George Livingston, of Portadown, to Irene Doris Shields, of Edenderry.

Kirkpatrick and Bradshaw—June 18th, at Gil­ford, Parish Church, Cecil Beresford

Kirkpatrick, Upper Seagoe, to Selina Bradshaw, of Breagh.

Burials.

Armstrong—June 6th, William John Armstrong of Balteagh, aged 89.

Dowd—June 6th, Thomas J . Dowd, of Edenderry, aged 7 months.

Abraham—June 10th, David Abraham , of Kilvergan, aged 90.

Regret.

We record with regret the death of three of

our Parishioners during the past month. One

a little infant of only a few months, the other

two of a great age. David Abraham was resid­ent in the Parish for many years. He was a

great worker and engaged in field work on his

son's farm up to within a short time of his

death. He could plough and harrow when over

80 years of age. His death leaves a great blank

in the home circle. The death of William John

Armstrong cam e very soon after the death of his

sister-in-law, Mrs. McDonald. He has passed

away at a great age. In middle life when a col­lier in Scotland he had been seriously injured in

a mine accident. He was a man of high and in­dependent principle and was much respected by

all who knew him. To all those who have been

bereaved we offer our sincere sympathy.

A Curious Coin.

Mr. John Gordon, when digging last month

in his garden at Ballinacor, turned up a curious

and ancient coin. It is of copper and about the

Slze of a penny. It contains on both sides in scriptions in Hebrew. On one side “ Jerusalem

the Holy ,” and on the other “ Shekel of Israel. "

Until the exile the Hebrews did not use coins.

The Shekel was then only a standard of weight

(see I. Sam. ix., 8). On their return from the

Babylonian exile the Priests introduced “ The

Shekel of the Sanctuary ,” and in this all the

Temple dues were paid. On the coin found by

Mr. Gordon at Ballinacor are to be seen the

same symbols as were represented on the

Shekels of the Sanctuary, on one side a chalice,

cup, or vase, and on the other a Lily or the

Rose of Sharon. Mr. Gordon, who dug up the

coin, is still active at 78 years of age. We wonder how a Shekel of the Sanctuary found a

resting place in the townland of Ballinacor.

There is no trace of any Jewish family having

resided there in past days.

Congratulations.

We heartily congratulate two of our Parish­ioners who have been married during the past

month. Miss Selina Bradshaw, now Mrs. Kirk­patrick, has been a great helper in all Parish

work and has taught twice each Sunday in our

Sunday Schools, in the Morning at Seagoe, and

in the afternoon at Levaghery. We are glad to

know she will be residing in the Parish. Miss

Doris Shields, now Mrs. Livingston, has lived

all her life amongst us and is well known to

many. We wish both couples God’s blessing

and a very happy future.

Seagoe P.E School.

At the annual Examination in Religious

Knowledge held in Seagoe P .E . School on Fri­day, June 7th, by the Diocesan Inspector, the

Rev. J . Armstrong, the following children ob­tained certificates: —

Senior Certificates—Myrtle Caddell, Emma Morrison, Chris. Fiddes, Edna Grey, Olive Vennard, Sam McCabe, Robert Ruddell, Robert

Abraham, James Clayton.

Junior Certificates—Betty Metcalf, Edna Montgomery, Isa Abraham, Bella Magee, Isobel

Ruddell, Dorothy Ruddell, Viola Morrison, W. White, Robert McM inn, Harry Girvan, Alfred

Magee, Wm. Caddell, James Whiteside, Joseph

Liggett, Helen M ‘Murray, Alfred Guy, Cecil McLoughlin.

The above list of names is not in the order of

merit. The Certificates were publicly presented

to the successful children by the Rector at the

School on the morning of Wednesday, June 12th.

Twenty five Years Ago.

JULY, 1910.

This old number of the Magazine contains a

list of the names of those who had been con­firmed in June, 1910. It was a large Confirmation, men and boys 50 and girls 58. Bishop

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE

Crozier Confirmed them . The excursion was to

Warrenpoint that year. George Calvert and

John Montgomery had made everything ready

at Warrenpoint. 5 Baptism s are recorded, the

marriage, and two Burials. At the Religious

Knowledge examination in Seagoe School Margaret Irwin had got full marks. Measles had

been prevalent in the Parish. Nature notes are

given. The wayside Plantain and the Knap-weed or Hard-head are specially noted as very

common weeds. The Old Seagoe Notes deal

with ancient maps of Seagoe.

Old Seagoe Notes.

“ The Long Eleventh of June.”—This expres­sion has been heard in the Parish and is familiar,

to many. It is of great interest and carries us

back as far as the year 1752, when 11 days were

dropped out of the Calendar. People said then

that eleven days had been stolen out of their

life. The loss of these days caused many

changes, and among them was the fact that the

21st of June became the eleventh of June. But

the 21st of June was the Summer Solstice and

the longest day, so when it became the eleventh

people began to speak of the long ’leventh of

June. The 11th June is and always was St.

Barnabas Day. And a rhyme runs—

“ Barnaby bright,

The longest day and the shortest nigh

SEAGOE, 1822.— (Records, Vol. IV. p. 1 .)—

Annaloist. Aughacommon, Ballydonaghv, Ballvgargin, Ballyhannon, Ballymacrandle,

Ballinacorr, Ballynaghy, Ballynamoney, Balteagh, Bocomra, Boconnell, Breagh, Caine, Carrick, Clanroll,

Crossmacaughly, Drumgask, Drumgorr,

Drumlisnagrilly, Drumnacanway, Druminagoon,

Drumnakelly, Derryvore, Edenderry, Backnahay, Killicomane, Kilvergan, Kinnigo, Kirnon,

Knock, Knockmena, Knocknamuckly, Knockrammer, Levaghry, Lisnamintry, Lylo,

Moyraverty, Seago Lower, Seago Upper, Silverwood,

Tannaghmore, Tamniffacarbett, Tamniffaglasin,

Tarson, Turmoyra. Total 47 Townlands.

The foregoing Townlands are grouped in the

three Manors of Brownlow’s Derry, Blacker and

Harrison, and Kernan, as follows: —

Manor of Brownlowderry—Annaloist, Aughacommon, Ballynamonev, Boconnell, Drumnakelly, Kilvergan, Kinnigo, Knockrammer,

Silverwood. Tannaghmore, Turmoyra. Total 11 Townlands.

Manor of Blacker and Harrison—Ballydonaghv, Bajllygargin, Ballyhannon, Ballymacrandle,

Ballynaghy, Breagh, Carrick, Derry­vore, Drum lisnagrilly, 'Drumnacanway, Eden­derry,

Hacknahay, Killicomain. Knock. Knock­namuckly, Levaghry. 16 Townlands.

Manor of K ernan—Ballinacorr, Balteagli. Bocomra, Cairn, Clanroll, Crossmacaughly, Drumgask,

Drumgorr, Druminagoon, Kirnan. Knock­mena. Lisnamintry, Lisniskv, Lylo, Moyraverty.

Seago Lower, Seago Upper, Tamniffacarbett.

Tamniffaglassin, Tarson. 20 Townlands.

SERVICES—The PARISH CHURCH

HOLY COMM UNION 1st Sunday after Morning

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

Festivals.

HOLY BAPTISM— 1st Saturday of each Month at 3

p m and during any Service in the Parish Church,

notice be given ; Two Sponsers 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 thankoffering.

(See Book of Common Prayer.)

MORNING PRAYER- Sundays and Chief Festivals,

11-30 a.m.

EVENING PRAYER—Sundays, 7 p.m

DISTRICT SERVICES

Hacknahay—Last Sunday : of Month at 3-30pm.

Drumgor—second Sunday of Month at 4 pm

Edenderry—Wednedays at 8 p.m.

CLASSES, &c.

BIBLE CLASS FOR MEN in Edenderry on

Sundays at 10 a m.

SUNDAY SCHOOLS 10 a m. Edenderry Parochial

Hall and Seagoe School. 3 p.m. Seagoe, Edenderry

Parochial Hall,

Levaghery, Hacknahay, Carne, Drumgor, Bocombra.

MOTHERS' UNION—2nd Tuesday of each month

at 7 30 p.m.

CHURCH LADS' BRIGADE in the Parochial Hall

on Tuesdays and Fridays.

GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY in Seagoe School on

Mondays at 8 p.m.

SEAGOE P.E. SCHOOL , 9-15 a.m. Principal—Mr.

R. Scott.

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, 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); MARRAGE 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 3/- per annum.