March 1907

Seagoe Parish Magazine.

MARCH, 1907.

We regret to announce the approaching

departure of the Rev. John Taylor from this

Parish where he has worked with so much zeal

And success during the past two years. Mr. Taylor

has been appointed to the important curacy of

St. Thomas's Church, Belfast. We are glad that

Mr. Taylor will not be leaving immediately, but

will be able to remain with us until the beginning

of May. We will greatly miss his kindly presence

and bright enthusiasm which have gained for him

a host of friends in Seagoe, and we trust that in the

new sphere of work upon which he is about to enter

the blessing of God may abundantly rest upon him.

We can assure him that he will carry with him from

Seagoe Parish the hearty good wishes of all the people

amongst whom he has so faithfully laboured, and

their earnest prayers for his future success.

OFFERTORIES FOR FEBRUARY.

Morning. Evening.

Feb. 3 —Sexagesima £1.3.6

,, ,, £0.0.4 0.13.6

,, Quinquagesima £1.6.10 0.7.0

,, 17—1st Sunday in Lent £0.2.4

,, ,, £2.3.6 1.2.2

,, 24 – 2^nd ,, £1.5.3 0.14.3

Week Days 0.8.1

£6.5.9 3.5.0

Baptisms.

“Suffer the little children to come unto Me."

Feb. 2^nd —Ellen, daughter of William and Hannah

Jane Thompson, Edenderry.

,, ,, - Samuel David, son of Frederick and

Elizabeth Abraham, Kilvergan.

,, ,, - Abraham, son of Abraham and Anne

Cranston, Portadown.

,, ,, - John, son of John and Caroline Russell,

Portadown.

,, 15^th —Ethel, daughter of Thomas Edward and

Ann Jane M 'Clelland, Lisniskey.

,, 19^th —Albert, son of William John and Margaret

Kilpatrick, Tarson.

Burials

“Here we have no continuing city”

Feb. 4^th — Elwell Donald, aged four years.

,, 5^th —Samuel Coulter, Tarson, aged 78 years.

„ 11^th —Mary Jane Guy, Tarson, aged 47 years.

„ 17^th —Robert M'Kinstry, Edenderry, aged 26.

„ 25^th —Albert Kilpatrick, Tarson, aged 10 months.

,, 26^th —Emma Robinson, Ballinacor, aged 87.

During the month death has been busy in our midst. In the list

of those who have been called away we notice the name of

Mrs. Gaskin, of Kilvergan, one of our oldest and most respected

parishioners. She had been in weak health for a long period,

but retained her brightness and clearness of memory to the last.

She has exchanged the weakness uncertainty of this life for

the joy and refreshment of the life beyond. We offer to her

afflicted family our sincere sympathy in their time of

trouble.

***

On Sunday afternoon, February 17th, all that was mortal of

Robert M 'Kinstry was laid to rest in the plot of ground in

front of the Church at Seagoe, which he loved so well.

During his long and painful illness, we had often hoped that

God would have seen fit to spare a life so full of promise, but

his sufferings were ended by the hand of Death early on the

morning of February 14th. The large gathering present at his

funeral, which completely filled the Church and graveyard,

testified to the affectionate regard in which he was held by his

many friends. His brethren of the Orange Institution were

present in great numbers, and the lads of the Seagoe Company

of the Church Lads' Brigade in which Mr. M'Kinstry had been

an officer, attended under the command of Lieutenant W. Reid.

Some beautiful wreaths were sent, among them being one from

the officers and lads of the C.L.B. We tender to Mrs. M'Kinstry

and all his relatives our sincerest sympathy in their sad loss.

“Peace perfect peace, with loved ones far away; in Jesus’

keeping we are safe and they."

***

We also regret to record the death of Mr. James Gracey, of Drumgor

House, who passed away on Friday, February15th, after an illness

extending over some years. Mr. Gracey had been a regular

attender at the Parish Church while his health permitted, and was

always much interested in the welfare of the Parish. We express our deep

sympathy with his relatives in the loss they have sustained.

LENT SERVICES.

Special Services are being held in the Parish Church

during Lent. The following is a list of subjects and preachers

for the Sundays in March:—

March 3 —11.30, the Rector.

Subject—" Thy Kingdom Come."

,, 7, Rev. O. Scott, Rector of Gilford.

" The Church at Smyrna."

March 10—11.30, Rev. J. Taylor.

“ Thy Will be Done."

,, 7, Rev. W. H. Davis, Rector of St. Jude's, Belfast.

“ The Church at Philadelphia."

March 17—11.30, the Rector.

“Our Daily Bread."

,, 7, Rev. W. M'Endoo, Rector of Tandragee

,, “St. Patrick."

,, March 24 —11.30, Rev. J. Taylor.

,, “Forgive us Our Trespasses."

,, 7, Rev. P. Marks, Rector of Annaghmore.

“The Church at Sardis."

On Wednesdays at 7.30 the following will preach:

March 6—Rev. A. Miller, Waringstown.

,, 13—Rev. D. Scott, Aghalee.

,, 20—Rev. M. H. F. Collis, Antrim.

SERVICES DURING HOLY WEEK AND ON EASTER DAY.

During Holy Week (the week before Easter) a

Mission Service will be held in the Church on each

evening (except Saturday), at 8 o'clock, and an

address will be given on special subjects connected

with “The Passion of Our Lord." On Good Friday

Divine Service will be held at 11.30 a.m. as well as

at 8 p.m. On the Thursday before Good Friday an

address will be given on "Holy Communion," with

special reference to Easter Communion.

On March 31st (Easter Day) the following services

will be held:—

8 a.m. Holy Communion.

11.30 a.m., Morning Prayer, Sermon, and Holy Communion.

3.30 p.m., Special Easter Children's Service for

all our Sunday School Children.

7 p.m., Evening Prayer and Sermon.

N.B.—The Collections at all the services on

Easter Day will be on behalf of the Parish Sunday

Schools.

PORTADOWN NURSING SOCIETY.

A special collection on behalf of this most useful

society was made at morning service in the Parish

Church on Sunday, February 17th. There was a

liberal offering. We thankfully acknowledge the

receipt of £l towards the offertory from Major

Blacker.

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS.

The Sunday School work is being efficiently done.

The new Programme is being carefully taught, and

a large number of the Teachers have got copies of

the Outline Lessons on the Miracles and Parables,

price 2s. It is a great help in the preparation of

the lessons. The Temperance Lesson last Sunday

was a new departure, and proved both interesting

and useful to the teachers and children. In May

a special Missionary Lesson is set down as a subject.

We hope the Teachers will be careful to see that

each child has a knowledge of the Portion for Study,

also, the Text, the Catechism and Proofs, and the

Hymn. A very important point is not to let one

child fall behind the others. The Lessons set down

in the Calendar for each Sunday are to be done on

that Sunday. It is far better to let a child miss

out a verse of a hymn or a text, than to get behind

hand in following the Calendar.

THE PARISH ALMANACS.

Who can tell us what are the verses in each of

our Parish Almanacs for March 1st. One verse

speaks about something that we are to prepare for,

the other about something that we are not to forget.

Are you reading the verse on your Almanac each

day? Do you pray the nice prayer for the Parish

that appears on one of the Almanacs. If not, we

hope you will begin to use it.

If you want a splendid weekly religious paper, get

a copy of the Church Army Gazette, 1/2d. each week.

Copies may be had from Miss Margretta Atkinson,

Bridge Street.

DRUMGOR PRIZE DISTRIBUTION.

A very happy evening was spent in Drumgor, when

all present were hospitably entertained by the

esteemed superintendent, Mr. W. Beckett. Tea was

dispensed under the able superintendence of the

host, Mrs. McMullan and Mr. L. Twinem. After

the good things provided had been disposed of an

interesting programme was gone through, including

gramophone selections by Mr. G. Rowland, who has

been extremely kind in coming to our assistance on

several occasions, also songs, readings and recitations

by Messrs. S. Currie, A. Murray, J. Twinem and

Rev. J. Taylor, and mandoline solo by Mr. A.

Currie. The prizes were then gracefully handed to

the children by Miss Beckett, after which the Rector

addressed kind words of encouragement to teachers

and scholars, complimenting them on the efficiency

of the school, and urging them to increase efforts

during the coming year. Before departing all

present were kindly treated to sweets by Mrs. Porter,

of Portadown, to whom we return our best thanks.

All the helpers after the meeting adjourned to Mrs.

M'Mullan's hospitable board, where an excellent

supper was partaken of.

PENNY-A-MONTH SCHEME.

We hope that each child attending the Sunday Schools

will for the future give the small sum of One Penny

each Month towards the Sunday School Funds.

Collections are made in the Morning Sunday Schools

on the second Sunday of the month and in the Afternoon

School on the last Sunday of the month. There is a heavy

expense connected with our Sunday School work, and

our Funds at present are not sufficient to meet it. Parents

help forward this good work.

CARNE SOIREE.

One of the most successful gatherings ever held

in Carne was that which took place at the Annual

Soiree. The chair was taken by the Rector. The

building was filled to the door, and tea was graciously

dispensed by Mrs. Murray,. Mrs. Lynas, Miss Lavery,

Miss Ramsay, Miss Twinem, and Mrs. Price. A

programme was then provided which caused great

amusement and excitement, including items by

Messrs. A. Currie, J. Lynas, Miss L. Fox; and

comic songs by Mr. S. Currie, which were greatly

enjoyed; also gramophone selections by Mr. G.

Roland. Two dialogues were given, entitled " Wasting

Away” and " Dr. Diabolum " by Miss L. Fox, and

Messrs. R. Montgomery, J. Currie, E. Richardson,

and R. Porter. These simply brought down the house.

Great credit is due to Mr. D. Murray, who had full

charge of the entertainment, for carrying it out so

successfully. After thanks were returned to all who

had helped to make the meeting a success by

Rev. J. Taylor, the meeting was closed by singing the

National Anthem.

EDENDERRY TEMPERANCE MEETING,

Another successful meeting was held in the

Parochial Hall on February 8th. The seating

accommodation was taxed to its utmost capacity.

The Rector took the chair and an interesting

programme followed, including a temperance piece

"The Little Temperance Boys" ; mandoline solo by

A. Currie ; dialogue by D. Webb and W. Firth ;

zither solo by S. Maginnis ; song, " Father, dear Father,

come home" by Miss Armstrong ; reading, " It's Only a

Drop," by Rev. J. Taylor ; and a dialogue entitled

"Keeping the Cold Out," which was done in excellent

style by Messrs. E. Holland, T. Shanks, W. Best and

A. Steenson. Perhaps the most impressive part of the

meeting was the distribution of pledge cards to large

number of the children. The address was given by the

Chairman, after which the Bible Class prizes were

given to a large number of recipients. The meeting

was closed in the usual way, and we are glad to add

that a very satisfactory collection was taken up at the door.

OUR MAGAZINE.

Many of the parishioners are now getting two

copies of the Parish Magazine each month. They

intend to keep one copy for themselves, which they

will get bound into a volume at the end of the years,

and they send the other copy to a friend abroad.

THE RECREATION ROOMS.

A course of short lectures is being given in the

Rooms on each Monday evening at eight o'clock. The

following is a list of subjects and lecturers

Feb. 18—-"How to take a Photograph"—Rev. J. E. Archer.

Feb. 25—-"An Evening with the Stars"—Rev. J. Taylor.

Mar. 4—"How a Railway is Made "—Mr. T. Smith, B.E.

Mar. 11 – “A Talk about Pigeons” - Mr. J. Mawhinney.

Mar. 18 -“Irish Dogs”—Mr. Thos Atkinson, B.L.

The lectures are free to members; visitors pay ld.

Other subjects announced later.

SOCIAL AT LEVAGHERY.

A most successful Social Meeting took place in

Levaghery School on Shrove Tuesday evening,

February 12th. So crowded was the room that

the children had to be accommodated during teatime

in one of the rooms downstairs. The proceedings

began with a hearty Tea at 7.30, and this was

followed by an excellent programme, consisting of

Songs, Recitations, Instrumental Music, and two of

those splendid Dialogues which have recently become

so popular amongst our young people. An interesting

item in the Programme was the singing by three of

the Levaghery children, who had been carefully

trained by Miss Atkinson, to whom indeed

the success of the entertainment is entirely due.

We had two capital Recitations from Mr. Alex.

Steenson, also an amusing piece by Mr. Ernest

Holland. Mr. Sam Currie brought down the house

with his comic songs. Mr. A. Currie skilfully played

the Mandoline. Miss Louie Fox's fine clear voice

was heard with good effect in several songs. In the

Dialogues "Dr. Diabolum" and Wasting Away,

Messrs. We J. Currie, R. Montgomery, R. H. Porter,

H. E. Richardson and Miss L. Fox displayed great

talent and delighted their audience. Altogether, the

evening was most enjoyable; and at its close on the

motion of the Rector, a hearty vote of thanks was

passed to all who had assisted—the tea-makers, the

performers, and Miss Atkinson the superintendent

of the Sunday School. At the close of the evening

the Sunday School Prizes were distributed to the

children and teachers.

A WARNING.

We would urge on all in the Parish the duty of

keeping their houses scrupulously clean while the

danger of fever is in our midst. Parents also should

see that their children are kept, very clean. Wherever

there is insufficient ventilation in the houses, or if

heaps of refuse are allowed to gather about a place,

there is always a great danger. Disinfectants which

keep the air pure and wholesome may be had cheap

at Davison's or Sandford's, druggists.

***

COTTAGE MEETINGS.

Cottage meetings are being held through the

Parish by some of our young helpers. When a

notice is left at your house be sure that you attend

the meeting in your neighbourhood and bring others

with you.

ITEMS.

The next Edenderry Temperance Meeting will be

held on Thursday, March 7th. The programme is

in the hands of Miss Armstrong, and several excellent

items are promised.

***

We are glad to record the great success which has

attended these meetings, and would remind the

fathers and mothers and elder brothers and sisters

that they are not intended for the children alone,

and we hope to see a large attendance of those who

are no longer children.

***

We hope to have an organ recital in the Parish

Church after the service on Sunday evening, March

24th. The Rev. Percy Marks, B.D., Rector of

Annaghmore, who is our special preacher, is a

talented organist, and we are expecting that he will

play some sacred pieces on the organ at the close of

the service.

OLD SEAGOE NOTES.

“Blacker's Mill" is a name very familiar to our

readers, especially those who live at the Hacknahay

and Carrickblacker end of the parish. The mill

was originally a corn-mill, and was first built so

long ago as the year 1619. It was called Blacker's

Mill "because the Blacker family resided quite close

to it in an old fortified stone house or bawn, called

Blacker's Bawn, or the Bawn of Ballynaghie.

Traces of this old residence existed up to about

forty years ago. It is noted as having no less than

eleven interior flues to its chimneys, an unusual

circumstance in those days. According to the

Burial Registers, on the 12th February 1691, Major

George Blacker was buried in the Church of Seago.

In the Vestry records for 1685 he is named as Churchwarden,

and is described as of “Ballynaghy."

***

The first portion of the present Manor house of

Carrickblacker was built by William Blacker in 1692,

and this date may still be seen on a stone at the

rear of Carrickblacker House.

***

The Rev. Henry Jenney, Rector of Seagoe, was

attainted in the Act of Attainder passed by James

the Second's Irish Parliament in 1689.

***

We continue our description of the old Church off

Seagoe begun in our last issue at the entrance porch,

in the southwest, corner, on the left-hand side, immediately

beside the door, was the staircase leading up to the gallery.

In the far corner, under the gallery, was what was called the

Dressing room. The Church never had any Vestry room, but

in 1705 a sum was applotted "for Ordering a place for the

Minister to dress himself in.” This was erected of wood under

the gallery in the northwest corner. It was known as the

“Dressing-room," and is described as about, 10 feet by 8 feet,

not lighted by any window, but deriving a moderate supply

of light and air from the body of the Church through

“heart-shaped” holes cut in the upper portion of the frame.

Near it stood the old font, also under the gallery.

The pews were made off black oak, and conspicuous

on the middle of the south wall and facing the transept,

was the structure, also of oak, which provided for the Clerk's

seat, the reading-desk, and the pulpit. The Pulpit had a

sounding-board over it, resting at the back on a panelled

frame of oak, and supported in front by two turned pillars.

On the front ledge of the sounding-board was carved a date

which has been variously stated by eye-witnesses to have been

1656, 1661, or 1666. It is hard to decide in such a case,

but on the whole the earliest date seems the most correct:

In Mason's Statistical Survey (vol. ii., p. 524), published in

1815, Colonel Blacker expresses his indignation at the fact

that three years before, that is in 1812, the old black oak pulpit

and prayer-desk had been painted “a muddy yellow”. Beyond

the pulpit, in the south-east corner, was the Blacker pew.

It was a large structure with curtains, and bearing a canopy

overhead supported on pillars and having pendant draperies,

suggesting to an aged informant, the bravery of “a

tester bedstead." Beside it was the little Communion table,

enclosed with rails, standing just under the east window.

In the corner opposite to the Blacker pew was the Rector's pew,

which reached to the intersection of the transept.

[We hope to add some further particulars regarding the old

Church in our next issue].