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    COUNTY DOWN
"Down, a county of Ireland, in Ulster, 42 m. long and 34 broad; bounded E by the Irish sea, W by Armagh, NW by Antrim, and S by Carlingford bay and the ocean; divided into 60 parishes, and sends 4 members to parliament. It is in general fertile; has numerous bleach-greens; and in the rough parts many horses are bred. Copper and lead are found; also a black marble susceptible of a high polish, slate, coal, freestone, and crystals. Pop. 329,348. Chief rivers, Lagan and Newry." 
[From The New London Gazetteer (1826)]

 

  
Administration
Almanacs 
Archives and Libraries 
Bibliography 
Biography 
Business and Commerce Records 
(Cemeteries - see Monumental Inscriptions) 
Census 
Chronology 
Church Directories 
Church History 
Church Records 
Civil Registration 
Correctional Institutions 
Court Records 
Description and Travel 
Directories 
Dwellings 
Emigration and Immigration 
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries 
Folklore 
Gazetteers 
Genealogy Online
Guardianship 
Heraldry 
Historical Geography 
History 
Inventories, Registers, Catalogues 
Land and Property 
Language and Languages 
Law and Legislation 
Manors 
Maps 
Medical Records 
Merchant Marine 
Microfiche 
Migration, Internal 
Military History & Records 
Monumental Inscriptions 
Names, Geographical 
Names, Personal 
Newspapers 
Nobility 
Obituaries 
Occupations 
Officials and Employees 
Orphans and Orphanages 
(Parish Registers - see Church Records) 
Pensions 
Periodicals 
Politics and Government 
Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc. 
Population 
Postal and Shipping Guides 
Probate Records 
Public Records 
Religion and Religious Life 
Research Services
Schools 
Social Life and Customs 
Societies 
Statistics 
Taxation 
Town Records 
Visitations, Heraldic 
(Vital Records - see Civil Registration) 
Voting Registers 
Yearbooks

If you have information which you think should be added please email me 
lisa.carson@lineone.co.uk

Archives and Libraries 
PRONI - Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Bibliography
NIR's bibliography, and resource listing 
Images of Ireland - East Belfast,   Complied by Keith Haines 
Society of Genealogy Bookshop - Ireland Section 

Biography 
C.S Lewis - at Home in Ireland,   David Bleakley, Strandtown Press 1998 

Description and Travel
NI Tourist Board's County Down page. 
Strangford Lough Area Historic Sites 
Photos of County Down 

Directories 
1824 Pigot's directory of Ireland 
1881 Slater's directory of Ireland 

Genealogy Online Resources
Down - Fianna's county page 
Irish Times - County Down Genealogical Resources - an excellent guide 
IrlGenWeb: County Down 
PRONI - Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 
County Down Query Board 

Land and Property 
1876 OWNERS' OF LAND 

Microfiche 
Gravestone Inscriptions - Ulster Historical Foundation Publications 
1886-1910 Antrim Ulster & Waterford Miltia Attestation 
1538 to 1810 INDEX TO PREROGATIVE WILLS OF IRELAND 
1824 Pigot's directory of Ireland 
1850 EDUCATIONAL REPORTS 
1876 OWNERS' OF LAND 
1881 Slater's directory of Ireland 
MM Publications 

Military History & Records 
Royal Ulster Rifles Museum - also covers Royal Irish Rifles and Royal Irish Rangers 
Somme Heritage Centre 
Whitespots Country Park, 233 Bangor Road, Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland. BT23 9PH

Monumental Inscriptions 
Gravestone Inscriptions - Ulster Historical Foundation Publications 

Newspapers 
The Belfast Telegraph 

Periodicals
From Fianna: 
12 Miles of Mourne (annual), Mr. F. Hammond, 
Mourne Local Studies Group, Kilkeel, Co. Down 
Seanchas Dhroim Mor (annual), Very Reverend B. Treanor, P.P. 
Parochial House, 141 Rathfriland Road, Dromara, Dromore, Co. Down 

Saintfield Heritage, 
Miss C. Cole 12 Thorndale Park Carryduff BELFAST BT8 8HZ 

Ulster Folklife (annual), 
The Ulster Folk Transport Museum, Cultra Manor, Holywood, Co. Down 

Upper Ards Historical Society Journal (annual), 
Mr. C. Murray, 57 Lisbane Road, Kircubbin, Co. Down 
 
Research Services
Ulster Historical Foundation 
Banbridge Heritage Development, Old technical Building, Downshire Road, Banbridge Co Down BT32 3JY. This is a semi-official service recently taken over by banbridge District Council which covers most of mid to South Down. Currently it can be contacted on email via the Council at info@banbridgedc.gov.uk 

Societies 
North of Ireland Family History Society 
Irish Family History Society 
East Belfast Historical Society
 
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DOWN, a maritime co. of Ireland, in Ulster. Area, 957 square miles, or 612,480 acres, of which about 514,000 are arable. Pop. in 1851, 328,754. Carlingford Bay separates it from Leinster on the S., and the Newry Canaland Lagan River form its boundaries on the W. The other rivers are the Bann and Annahill. It contains Lough Strangford, Dundrum Bay, and the Mourne Mountains, the highest of which, Slieve Donard, is 2796 feet. Surface, mostly mountainous or hilly, but in many parts tolerably fertile. The Ulster Railway crosses the N. part of the county. Capital, Downpatrick. The county returns 2 members to the House of Commons.

DOWNPAT' RICK, a parliamentary and municipal borough, seaport town, and parish of Ireland, in Ulster, capital of the co. of Down, near the mouth of the Quoyle, 21 miles S.S.E. of Belfast. Pop. of town, 4651. The town consists chiefly of four streets, and is divided into English, Irish and Scotch quarters. The principal edifices are a cathedral, parish church, chapels, diocesan school, county court-house, prison, infirmary, fever hospital, almshouses, large barracks, and a union work-house. It has a library, newsroom, various schools, some convenient quays, manufactures of linen, leather, soap, and breweries. Near the town are the ruins of the old cathedral, a remarkable ancient mound, a racecourse, and wells, resorted to by Roman Catholic pilgrims. It sends one member to the House of Commons. Downpatrick claims to be one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having been the place of residence of the ancient native Kings of Ulster, and the chosen residence of St. Patrick, who founded two religious establishments here, and presided over them till his death, in 493, when his remains were deposited in the abbey of Down, as were, subsequently, those of St. Bridget and St. Columbkill.

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Or Perhaps the County Down Query Board 

http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/Ireland/Down