JULIANSTOWN

JULIANSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of LOWER DULEEK, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Drogheda, on the road to Dublin; containing 736 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated upon the Nanny Water, and is bounded on the west by the Irish sea, extends 2 ½ miles in length; the road from Gormanstown to Drogheda passes through it. There is a bridge over the Nanny Water, at which a battle was fought in 1641, between the royal army and the Irish, in which the former was defeated. This engagement, although trifling in itself, had a very considerable effect in giving encouragement to the future operations of the insurgents, and in reducing the numbers of the king's forces, whole regiments having deserted the royal standard and joined the native forces under O'Moore. The parish comprises 2891 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the land is generally good and chiefly under tillage. There is no bog, but some good limestone quarries. The principal seats are Ninch, the residence of Edward E. Doran, Esq.; Little Ninch, of John Francis Leland, Esq.; Smythstown, of Richard O'Callaghan, Esq.; Julianstown, of William Moore, Esq.; the glebe-house, of the Rev. William Vandeleur; and Rock Bellew, the property of E. Doran, Esq. The village comprises about 30 houses, and has a penny post to Drogheda and Balbriggan, a dispensary, a constabulary police station, and petty sessions fortnightly.

The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Meath, united by diocesan authority to the vicarages of Moorechurch, Stamullen, and Clonalvey, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Drogheda; the rectory is impropriate in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and Mr. Pollard. The tithes amount to £250, of which £70 is payable to the vicar, and £180 to the impropriators, the latter sum being given as an augmentation to the vicarage of St. Peter's, Drogheda. The entire value of the benefice, tithe and glebe inclusive, is £407. 5. 6., exclusively of 10 acres attached to the glebe-house, which was built in 1816 by a gift of £400, and a loan of the same amount from the late Board of First Fruits. The glebe comprises 11a. 1r. 37p., and the glebes of the union amount to 49a. 1r. 27 ½p. The church is a neat edifice, erected in 1770. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Stamullen: on the townland of Demanistown is a chapel, a neat modern building in the Gothic style. The Protestant parochial school, situated near the church, is supported by the incumbent and other subscribers; and there is a school under the superintendence of the parish priest, the average number of children being about 70.

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