Saintfield Visit

Price coat-of-arms

SAINTFIELD, originally called Taunaghnieve, Tonaghneave, or Tonaghnieve, now a village in County Down comprising one long street intersected by a shorter one, was sparsely inhabited woodland five centuries ago, when the entire region was owned by the Clandeboye O'Neills.

In 1605 it was acquired by SIR JAMES HAMILTON (c1560-1644), 1st Viscount Claneboye.

Sir James held this land until 1709, when he sold it to Major-General Nicholas Price, of HOLLYMOUNT, near Downpatrick, County Down, son of Catherine, daughter of Sir James Hamilton (1644-c1706), MP for County Down, 1692-3, Bangor, 1695-9 and 1703-6.

General Price purchased the newly-named Saintfield for his third son Nicholas, who lived initially on the main street of the new village on the site of the former hotel.

The Major-General's grandson Francis (1729-91), MP for Lisburn, 1759-76, moved with his family into their grand new mansion house, SAINTFIELD HOUSE, about 1750.

The chorographer of County Down remarked in 1776 that,

"It was, not many years ago, made a town by the care and industry of the late General Price, who began to improve here, opened and made the roads passable from Belfast to Down though it, encouraged linen manufacturers and other tradesmen to settle here, had a barrack fixed for a troop of horse, and promoted the repair of a ruinous, now decent parish church, to which he gave plate and other ornaments."

The Parliamentary Gazetteer apprises us that,

"Saintfield was the scene of an atrocity and a skirmish on respectively the 8th and 9th June, 1798. A number of insurgents assembled near Saintfield on the 8th June, under a leader named Jackson, and with furious resentment set fire to the house of one McKee, an informer, where eleven persons are said to have perished in the flames."

"This was the only act of atrocity, except in battle, committed by the armed malcontents in Ulster. Electing for their general Henry Munro, a shopkeeper of Lisburn, they placed themselves on the 9th in ambuscade, awaiting the approach of Colonel [Granville Anson] Chetwynd-Stapylton, with a body of York Fencibles and yeomen cavalry. Here the royal troops would have been totally routed, if the infantry, on whom the cavalry were driven back with slaughter, had not, with a cool intrepidity, extremely uncommon, if not altogether singular, at this time in Ireland, rallied and dislodged the foe."

"Stapylton, having remained master of the ground, retreated to Belfast, having lost about sixty men, including three officers, beside Mr Mortimer, a clergyman, Vicar of Portaferry, who had volunteered on this occasion."

The proprietor and lord of the manor in 1802, NICHOLAS PRICE, erected a large market-house and hotel.

The erstwhile residence of the Prices on the main street of the village became an inn or hotel; and, in 1803, a market-house was built beside the hotel.

The Market-House (Timothy Ferres, 2022)

The market-house also functioned as a court-house on the first floor, with its first sitting in 1804.

It's a rather elegant two-storey, rendered building with three bays, a hipped roof, and cupola.

The handsome clock on the facade of the market-house was made by William Spratt, of Ardmillan, near Killinchy, County Down (hence the letters "AM" after his name).

The three arched openings on the ground floor have been blocked up.

A wooden door now occupies the central arch; the two outer arches have been replaced with windows.

There is an inscribed stone panel above the central arch which proclaims:

In Usum hujus oppidi vcinuqu: hoc

forum venale sumtu suo aedificavit

armiger Nicholaus Price curante

seneshalle Joanne McBirnie

AD 1803

This translates approximately as, In the use of this town he built a market for sale at his own cost. Squire Nicholas Price. Seneschal John McBirnie. AD 1803.

During the summer months the fowl market opened at 2am, presumably a considerable boon for poachers, having helped themselves in the darkness to pheasants and other wildfowl from the landlord's adjacent demesne.

The former market-house now serves as an Orange Hall.

Price's former hotel (Timothy Ferres, 2022)

THE HOTEL or inn was built about the same time as the nearby market-house.

It comprises a square rendered block, with a fan-lighted entrance to the side, overlooking the market-house.

The elevation on the Main Street has four bays, with a large coach-arch; above which there used to be a Georgian iron lamp-bracket (which has unfortunately disappeared).

McRobert's bar, with its fascia of about 1840, nestles neatly at one side of the building.

During my highly enjoyable visit to Saintfield in July, 2022, I also visited the parish church, which has the family vault of the Prices tucked away to the side of the old graveyard.

The Price vault at Saintfield parish church (Timothy Ferres, 2022)

It's terribly neglected and overgrown with vegetation at the time of writing (July 4th, 2022).

First published in July, 2022.