Agivey

EDITED EXTRACTS FROM THE TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF IRELAND, 1837

AGIVEY, a grange, or extra-parochial district, locally in the parish of Aghadowey, half-barony of Coleraine, County Londonderry.

This place appears to have been the site of a religious establishment, by some called a priory and by others  an abbey, the foundation of which, about the beginning of the 7th century, is attributed to St Guaire , who afterwards founded a cell at Achadh Dubhthaigh, now Aghadowey.

This establishment subsequently became dependent on the Abbey of Macosquin, which was founded in 1172, and to which this district became a grange.

There are still some slight remains of the ancient religious house, with an extensive cemetery, in which are some tombs of the ancient family of the CANNINGS, ancestors of the Lord Garvagh.

The liberty is situated on the western bank of the River Bann, and on the road from Limavady to Ballymoney, which is continued over the river by a light and handsome wooden bridge of six arches, 203 feet in span, erected in 1834.

The liberty comprises 1,727¾ statute acres, the whole of which is free from tithe or parochial assessment, and forms part of the estates of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers.

The land is fertile, but being divided up into small holdings in the occupation of tenants without capital to expend on its improvement, has been greatly neglected, and no regular system of agriculture has been adopted.

There is a small tract of bog, which is now nearly worked out for fuel.

Potters' clay of good quality is found here in great abundance; and a considerable manufacture of coarse earthenware, bricks, and water-pipes is carried on for the supply of the neighbourhood.

Ironstone is found near the Agivey river, and there are also some indications of coal.

A fair is held on November 12th, under a charter granted to the monks of Coleraine at a very early period, and is chiefly for the sale of cattle and pigs.

There is neither church nor any place of worship in the district; the inhabitants attend divine service at the several places of worship in Aghadowey.

Agivey House (Image: Savills estate agency)

Agivey House

THE history of Agivey House provided to us by Savills, the prominent estate agency, tells us that,

 “In 1614, the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers was granted almost 20,000 acres of land in Aghadowey.”

“George Canning, the first agent charged with managing  the Ironmongers’ vast new property, was given precise instructions to oversee the “fencing of lands, establishing boundaries, letting land, collecting rents and keeping accounts”.

“Canning also built bridges, erected a mill, repaired a church, and - on the same site of the current Agivey House - constructed his castle and bawn.”

“Thirty years later, during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, the original Agivey Castle and its mansion house were destroyed by Manus Roe O’Cahan’s army.”

“In 1654, George Canning’s son, Paul, wrote to the Ironmongers Company and detailed the extent of the damage: the castle and manor house had been ‘totally demolished and destroyed”.

“As well as razing the existing castle, the skirmish left its mark on the grounds.”

“The land was littered with English and Irish musket balls from the battle, and other artefacts such as later buttons emblazoned with ‘Agivey Militia’ have also been found.”

“While the castle was never rebuilt, Paul Canning did construct a new house on the site.”

“In 1663, a Hearth Money Roll - a method of tax appraisal based on the number of fireplace hearths in a house - identified Agivey as the only house in the district with more than one fireplace.”

“And in 1705, the Canning family renewed the lease for a further 21 years.”

“Later in 1725, the Ironmongers engaged George Pyke to carry out a survey of the lands and the mansion house.”

Agivey House (Image: Savills estate agency)

Pyke reported that

"The present house has two floors, each of six rooms’ and that the ‘lower floor does not rise higher than the earth and is only seven feet high within, while the second floor is only garrets all lying within the roof so that the whole appeared no better than a cottage and is much out of repair and unsafe to live in."

“In 1726, Canning was outbid for the lease by a local syndicate.”

“The syndicate included a linen merchant, James Cunningham, who is thought to have likely repaired or reconstructed the house: the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1836 describe a ‘gentleman’s seat’ at Agivey ‘built about 150 years ago by Conningham Esq”.

“By 1842, the house was in such a state of disrepair that the Ironmongers required that any new lease would only be granted if the current house was pulled down and rebuilt; and so it is believed that the present Agivey House was constructed sometime after that lease renewal.”

“In 1844, Captain George Claudius Beresford Stirling bought the lease of Agivey House, and later married Sarah Gage, the daughter of Marcus Gage of Streeve Hill, in May 1846.”

The Stirlings later owned 1,576 acres of land in Moneycarrie, Garvagh, and Portrush.

“When the couple advertised the mansion house for sale in 1863, the Coleraine Chronicle described it as ‘beautifully situated near the River Bann (...) new and in excellent order with cold and hot water baths on the newest principles”.

“The 1901 census indicates that Henry Herbert Gahan, a civil engineer, lived in Agivey House with his wife Mehetabel Elizabeth, their two daughters, a governess, a cook, a parlour maid, a house maid, and a coachman.”

“By 1911, the census had been updated: the daughters no longer required their governess and the coachman had presumably been replaced by the motorcar.”

“During the 2nd World War, the house and gardens were occupied by the Royal Engineers: today, the attic doors remain painted in the same military green, with useful inscriptions of ‘2 Men’ and ‘4 Men’ providing a reminder of the living conditions of that time.”

“Agivey House has been owned by the same family since 1951, operating as a family home and the nexus of a busy and bustling active farm.”

“The house was extensively refurbished in 2005, and continues to be enjoyed by the family today.”