School: Knockbride (2)

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1. Notes on the Life of the Reverend Alexander McWhidd (continued)

   

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   family connection between them.
   According to the Hamilton Papers an Alex. McWhidd, who almost certainly is the Alex. McWhidd of Knockbride, was "reader" and servant to Rev. John Bole M.A. Minister of Killileagh, Co. Down between the years 1632 and 1639. In 1639, in the month of September, John Bole was arrested by order of the Lord Lieutenant, the Earl of Strafford, and brought to Dublin, for opposing the Oath of Supremacy. Alex. McWhidd would now probably have to look for new employment, and possibly about 1639 or 1640 got charge of Knockbride. He would just be moving from one Hamilton settlement to another. It is interesting to note that John Hamilton of Coroneary, one of the Scottish Planters of 1611, died at Killyleagh, Co. Down, in December 1639, just about the time Alex. McWhidd seems to have left Killyleagh for Knockbride.
   There is a tradition that Rev. Alex. McWhidd of Knockbride was driven from his church one Sunday by a party of Irish Roman Catholics, and that he and his flock betook themselves to Cornaveagh Lake where he finished his sermon, standing in a boat. At that time, it is said, that Roman Catholics and Protestants worshipped in the same church, the Roman Catholics in the early morning and the Protestants afterwards. This expulsion of the Protestants from the church is most likely to have occurred on Sunday the 24th or October 1641. On that day and the previous day, the English settlers all over Ulster were ordered by the Irish to leave the country. The Scottish were at first not interfered with, but very probably they were not permitted to us the parish churches.
   According to the Hamilton Papers, the Rev. Alex McWhidd, there referred to, was curate of Maghergall, in the Diocese of Connor, about 1664, and Rector of Drumballyronie in the Diocese of Dromore, Co. Down in 1674. He possibly became curate of Maghergall about 1660, when we find William Gillis became Rector of Knockbride. The date of appointment of his successor in Drumballyronie is given by Dean Swanzy

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   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Thomas J. Barron

   Gender

   Male