October 1927

Seagoe Parish Magazine

OCTOBER, 1927.

THE VERY REV. STEWART BLACKER,

Dean of Leighlin, 1778—1804. Archdeacon of Dromore, 1777— 1810.

1777—1810, Rector of Donaghcloney, 1777—1810.

Rector of Seagoe,

1810—1826.

Rector of Drumcree, 1804—1826. Vicar of Seagoe,

Born 1740. Died December 1st, 1826.

We are able to present our readers this month

With a portrait of the Very Rev. Stewart Blacker,

Of Carrickblacker, better known in the Parish as

Dean Blacker." His connection with Seagoe extended

over no less than 50 years, from 1777 to 1826.

He was the eldest son of William Blacker, Esq., of

Carrick, who died in 1783 at the age of 80, and

was buried in the Abbey Church at Bath. He was

the father of twenty-one children, of whom eleven

survived to adult age. Dean Blacker married Eliza,

daughter of Sir Hugh Hill, Bart., M.P. for Londonderry.

He had four sons and five daughters. The

eldest son was the famous Colonel William Blacker,

a noted leader in religion, literature and politics

from the days of the Battle of the Diamond to the

year of his death, 1855. Dean Blacker was a very

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE

capable man of business„ He was small of stature

and very active in his movements. He was also very

strong minded and had great local influence.

was he who got the " Dean's Level" made so that

he might have a convenient and easy road by which

to get to Waringstown from Carrick. He died on

December 1st, 1826, and was interred within the

precincts of Old Seagoe Church.

Mrs. Dawson, of Corcraine House, has, with great

kindness, lent us the above photographic block for

publication in the Magazine.

Harvest Thanksgiving Services.

The annual Service of Thanksgiving for the

blessings of harvest will be held (D. v.) in the Parish

Church on Thursday, October 20th, at 8 p.m. The

preached will be the Rev. Canon Taylor, M.A., Rector

of Lisburn Cathedral, and formerly Curate of

Seagoe. The offerings will be given to Foreign

Missions. The Services will be continued on Sunday,

Oct. 23rd, at 11.30 a.m. and 7 p.m. The preacher

on Sunday morning will be the Rev. H. E. Rennison,

M.A., Curate-assistant of Drumcree, and on Sunday

evening the preacher will be the Rev. Percy Marks,

B.D., Rector of Ballymore (Tandragee). The

collections on Sunday at both services will be on behalf

of the Sustentation Parochial Church Fund.

Materials for the decoration of the Church will be

welcomed and may be sent to the Church on

Thursday, Oct. 20th, at 10.30 a.m.

District Harvest Services.

The following District Harvest Services have been

arranged :—

Edenderry—Sunday, Oct. 2nd, at 3.30.

Monday, Oct. 3rd, at 8 p.m.

Levaghery—Sunday, Oct. 16th, at 3.30 p.m.

Monday, Oct, 17th, at 8 p.m.

Carne—Sunday, Oct 30th, at 3.30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 31st, at 8 p.m.

Drumgor—Sunday, Nov. 13th, at 3-30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 14th, at 8 p.m.

The collections at the District Harvest Services

on the Sundays will be given to local expenses,

and on the Mondays to Foreign Missions.

Church Workers' Rally.

This meeting, held in Portadown Town Hall on

Tuesday, September 27th, was a great success. Perhaps,

for the first time in history,the three Parishes

combined—Seagoe, Portadown and Drumcree, and

the result more than justified our expectations.

There were about 600 Church workers present, who

quite filled the large hall. Hymns were sung while

the workers gathered. The Churchwardens of the

three Parishes, six in number, acted as stewards,

Seagoe being represented by Mr. T. E. Maginnis and

Mr. John Reid. On the platform were the three

Rectors, the Rev. G. W. Millington, Rector of St.

Mark's (presiding), having on his right the Rev. F.

J. Halahan, and on his left the Rev. Canon Archer.

The three speakers were the Rev. Canon Kerr, B.D.,

Rector of Seapatrick (Banbridge), Miss Hartford,

Head of the Women's Settlement, Belfast, and Mr.

Barker Wells, of Belfast. Hymns were sung at

intervals. The Apostles Creed was recited, and then

prayers were said by Rev. Canon Archer. The

speeches were excellent and most inspiring. Canon

Kerr spoke on many subjects, the cult of pleasure,

Church lapses, sectarian divisions, and concluded

with a stirring appeal for loyalty and devotion to

Christ and the Church. Miss Hartford spoke very

impressively out of her great experience. She

emphasised the importance of efficiency in Church

work, especially in the Sunday Schools, and also

the necessity of post confirmation work amongst

the newly confirmed. Mr. Barker Wells is a most

experienced worker. He touched on many points,

but dwelt especially on the need of preparation by

prayer for our responsible work. A vote of thanks

to the speakers was proposed by Canon Archer and

seconded by the Rev. F. J. Halahan and passed by

acclamation. The Doxology was sung at the close

of the meeting. A collection to cover expenses was

made at the door. The meeting was altogether very

inspiring. We hope it will fill our Seagoe workers

with fresh zeal and enthusiasm in the cause.

Parish Register for September.

Baptisms,

The following were baptized in Seagoe Parish

Church on September 3rd, 1927 :—

Neill—George Reginald, son of Thomas and Isabella Neill, of Portadown.

Sponsors--Ellen Ryans, Isabella Neill

Donaldson—Isabella, daughter of Isaac Robert and Mary Donaldson, of Killicomaine.

Sponsors—Sarah Anne Carville, Mary Donaldson.

Gracey—Howard Donald, son of John George and Sarah Jane Gracey, of Balteagh.

Sponsors—.John George Gracey, Sarah Jane Gracey.

Gordon—Thomas George, son of Thomas James and Anne Eliza Gordon, of Edenderry.

Sponsors—Mary Elizabeth Gordon, Anne Eliza Gordon.

Marriage

Duke and 7th, 1927, Richard Duke, of Ballydonaghy, Parish of Knocknamuckley,

to Rachel Black, of Knock.

Burial.

Livingstone September 4th, Mary Anne Livingstone, of Killicomaine: Interred at Knocknamuckley

A Seagoe Soldier,

Sergeant. Russell, of Clanrole, late R.I.F; is the

man in Seagoe Parish who has seen more fighting

than any other man. He has served in no less

than four wars—the Matabele Campaign; The

Egyptian and Nile expedition, the Boer war and The Great

War. The Rector has asked him his

Recollections," and next month we hope to publish

his most interesting notes on the Matabele war

under Baden Powell.

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE.

Seagoe P.E. School,

At the annual examination in Temperance Knowledge

recently held, the following distinctions were

won by the children attending Seagoe School. The

competition was open to all Ulster Schools :—

Bronze Medal—Robert Livingston, 85 per cent.

Certificates, with percentage in written examination

—Maggie Duke, 79; Bertha M'Loughlin, 75; Lily

Magowan, 74; Alex. Ruddell, 72; Harry Hynes, 72;

David Guy, 72; Sandy Rellill, 69; Frank Jones, 68;

Carson Brownlee, 66; Willie M'Keown, 66; James

Livingston, 63; Robert Porter, 61; Peggy Forde, 61;

Jennie Liggett, 60; James M 'Cabe, 60; Lily Ruddell, 60.

Oral examination—Gertrude Magowan, 100; May

Dickson, 100; Sarah Macauley, 100; Sarah M'Keown,

100; Dorothy Montgomery, 100; Willie Donaldson,

100; Wesley Porter, 90; Ernest Gibson, 90; Fred

Rehill, 90.

We congratulate the School on the success attained

in this important examination. " Wine is a

mocker, strong drink is raging, and he that is deceived thereby is not wise."

Congratulations.

We heartily congratulate Mr. Charles Montgomery

on his most recent success in carrying off the gold

medal for tea blending at the Grocers' Exhibition

recently held in London.

Old Seagoe Notes

Lady Moira's Anxiety about Seagoe in 1763.—Canon

Swanzy, of Newry, sends us the following interesting peep into the past.

It opens up a wide field of

thought regarding Seagoe and the neighbouring

Parishes in the middle of the 18th century :—

Richard Buckby, as the only English Rector of

Seagoe in the 18th century, is described in the following

extract of a letter from Lady Moira to Bishop

Percy. She was asking him to appoint an Irishman

to be Rector of Moira, and she says :—

There is one circumstance that gives me a little

degree of assurance in my address, which is, that

the inferior clergy in England, being certainly a

less polished set than those in Ireland, are attached

to their own manners and methods of living; which

the Rector of Seagoe (between ourselves, my Lord)

practising in this Kingdom, occasioned much discourse

when I lived in that part of the world."

This appears in Nichol's Literary History, vol. viii.,

P. 11, and is quoted in the Gentleman's Magazine, for

Aug. 1858, p. 373, in its review. Not having seen the

Original, I don't know the date of the letter, but it

certainly refers to Buckby. It is an interesting little

peep into the past.

Lady Moira, an Englishwoman, daughter of an

Earl Of Huntingdon, could not have lived near Seagoe

till her marriage in 1752, when Hugh Tisdall's son

of a Vicar of Belfast, was at Seagoe. The Englishman

Buckby came to the parish in 1763, and reigned

here for 33 years, and is, of course, the hero of the

above.

Seagoe Mothers' Union,

By kind permission of Colonel Blacker, D.S.O., the

members of the Mother's Union spent a very pleasant

afternoon at Carrickblacker on Thursday,

September 15th. They left the Parochial Hall by

bus at 2.30. The weather was perfect, just Seagoe

weather; the sun shone out from a cloudless blue

sky. Most of the party sat in the hot sun outside

the drawing room windows until tea was ready. It

was a really high class tea, with meat sandwiches

and rich cakes. Small parties went through the

lower portions of the house and were greatly

interested in the old place. King William's saddle

girth, which he sat on while the great Battle of the

Boyne was being fought out, received special attention.

After tea, some played games and others

walked through the grounds. At about 8 p.m. a

return was made for home. All agreed that the day

was most enjoyable. One object of the picnic was

to raise funds for Christmas gifts to the poor. Each

person who attended paid one shilling and also

brought something for the auction which was held.

The result was a net profit of £4 towards the gift

fund.

Professional Beggars,

Portadown and its neighbourhood is infested just

now with professional beggars who travel about

Northern Ireland by train or 'bus. Portadown is

chiefly favoured on Saturdays and Mondays. These

mendicants reap a rich harvest and consider that

they have had a bad week if they run short of £7.

They have recently taken up their place on the

bridge, others frequent railway St. A very

objectionable set are centred near the Bank of Ireland.

Perhaps they invest their capital in one of the Banks.

Why do the police authorities permit all this? The

whole crowd of them should be swept out of the

town. They are a public nuisance.

Men's Recreation Rooms.

The Men's Recreation Room in Bridge St.; Edenderry,

will reopen next week for the winter session.

It is a favourite resort for the men of Edenderry,

and we anticipate a successful session.

The Students' Visit.

Mr. J. R. Scarff, of Christ's College, Cambridge,

spoke on the "World Call” in Seagoe Church on the

evening of Sunday, September 4th. He spoke with

great earnestness and was listened to with great

attention. He is at present a Divinity student at

Ridley Hall, Cambridge. His home is at Ilford,

London.

ITEMS.

The death is announced of Mr. Gabriel Best, formerly

of Killicomaine. He had for many years

resided in Argentina, South America,

The next meeting of, the Mother's Union will be

held in Seagoe School on Tuesday, October 11th, at 7.30 p.m.

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE.

Summer Time.

Summer Time goes out on Sunday, October 2nd,

so don't forget to put back your clocks one hour

If your clock is a striking clock

on Saturday night.

you must stop it for an hour.

Seagoe to Toronto and Back.

Bob Sherman tells us more about his Canadian

Holiday.

Wednesday, 2'2ncl June—We went for a long walk

this morning, covering about six miles. In the

afternoon we visited the central branch of the

Y.M.C.A., and had a swim in the tank.

Thursday, 23rd June.—We left Toronto very early

this morning to go on a fishing trip. After passing

Cooksville and Erindale, we fished for several hours

in the river Credit. We then went some miles further

and had lunch; from here we went on to Brampton,

fished in a large creek at Woodhill, thence to

Weston and Toronto again. We covered about 60

miles on this trip.

Friday, 24th June.—We remained indoors for the

greater part of today, as we were rather tired after

yesterday.

Saturday, 25th June.—It was impossible to go out

today, as the rain came clown in torrents during

the whole day. We spent our time writing letters.

Sunday, 26th June.—We went to Church this

morning. In the evening we went to the United

Church service.

Monday, 27th June.—We got up about 1 a.m. this

morning to watch for the Pons Winnock comet,

but as the weather conditions were unfavourable we

did not see it.

Tuesday, 28th June.—We spent the morning and

afternoon arranging our snapshots. This evening

we went to a Western Stampede and Rodeo held in

the Toronto Exhibition Grounds.

It was very exciting.

Wednesday, 29th June.—It was impossible to move

about much today as the temperature was 94

degrees in the shade, and a lot more in the sun.

A HOLIDAY IN NORTHERN ONTARIO.

Thursday, 30th June.—We left Toronto this morning

at 5 a.m. for Northern Ontario. The country is

dotted with little lakes; the following are the Lakes

we passed en route—Lake Simcoe, L. Balsam, Gull

Lake, Mountain Lake, Twelve Mile Lake, and finally

we reached Lake Boskung at 11.20 a.m. The distance

covered was 140 miles. After travelling 100 miles

from Toronto we found the roads no better than

country lanes. After lunch, we went to the . boathouse

for our canoes, and paddled back across the

lake to the cottage. The cottage is situated about

ten yards from this lake, surrounded by trees on

three sides. The remainder of the evening was

spent canoeing and swimming in the lake.

Friday, 1st July.—We were up quite early this

morning. After breakfast we rested about an hour,

and then went for a swim. We fished all the afternoon

and caught two salmon trout and two dozen chub.

Saturday, 2nd July.—This morning about 3 a.m.

we heard something scratching the wood of the cottage.

We jumped out of bed and on running out

found three big porcupines. They looked very fierce

with their long quills sticking out all over them.

After stalking them we got a shot at them and the

three of them went down. After breakfast we went

for a walk to Buttermilk falls; the falls lie between

Hall's Lake and Lake Boskung. We were fortunate

enough to see the roadmakers blasting out great

stumps of trees in order to make a highway by the

side of the lakes. This afternoon we left in our

canoes for the village of Carnarvon, which lies

about five miles clown Lake Boskung. We had a

jolly time. When we returned we found two salmon

trout on a line which we had set yesterday.

Sunday, 3rd July.—We got up at 6 a.m., as we had

to leave at 1 p.m. for Toronto. After dinner we

bade farewell to L. Boskung, and arrived in Toronto

about 8 p.m.

Monday, 4th July.—We spent to day driving

around Toronto, as the decorations for 1st July had

not yet disappeared.

Tuesday, 5th July.—We left for Detroit at 9 a.m. by

car. The sun was shining, and it made the drive

very pleasant. Passing Hamilton, Paris and Woodstock,

we stopped for lunch at London. From here

we continued to Windsor, where we crossed the

ferry to Detroit (Toronto—Detroit 240 miles). This

evening we visited the General Motors building; it

is the second largest office building in the world.

Wednesday, 6th Julys—This afternoon we went to

the top of Detroit's highest building—The Book

Tower. It contains 36 storeys, and is over 360 feet

in height. A wonderful view of Detroit is obtainable from this building.

Thursday, 7th July.—We visited many places of

interest this morning. In the afternoon we drove

around several of the large motor works, including

Ford, Packard and Chrysler.

Friday, 8th July.—We were rather tired this morning,

so we did not go out. This evening we went

to the Michigan Theatre. This is Detroit's largest

theatre.

Saturday, 9th July.—We drove to Pontiac this

morning to see the Pontiac Motor Works. The town

of Pontiac is about 30 miles north of Detroit.

Sunday, 10th July.—We visited Palmer Park this

morning. The Park was presented to the City by

Senator Palmer, and contains the large log cabin

in which he lived ; the cabin has been converted

into a little museum. This afternoon we went to

Bellisle, which is situated in the Detroit River. The

Park has a wonderful fountain.

It has also reserved enclosures containing many different forms

of wild life in the United States.

Monday, 11th July.—We left Detroit this morning

for Toronto by the Canadian National Railway.

About 8 ½ hours were spent on the train before we

reached our destination.

(To be concluded.)