Last Update - 27 July 2015
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From Wikipedia:
John de Courcy, of Stoke Courcy, in Somerset, came to Ireland around the year 1171 as part of the Norman invading forces, brought in as mercenaries working for Diarmaid Mac Murchadha, the ousted King of Leinster, to help him regain his position as king. De Courcy's great-grandfather, Richard de Curci is named in the Domesday Book. His grandfather, William de Curci I, married Emma of Falaise. His father, William de Curci II, married Amice, of Brittany, and died about 1155, leaving the family estates in Somerset and elsewhere in England to his son, William de Curci III, John's elder brother.

John was very ambitious and wanted lands for himself. He decided to invade the north of Ireland which was controlled by the Irish clans. In early January 1177 he assembled a small army of 22 knights and 300 foot soldiers and marched north, at the rate of thirty miles a day, skirted the back of the Mourne Mountains and took the town of Dún Dá Leathghlas (now Downpatrick) by surprise. After two fierce battles, in February and June 1177, de Courcy defeated the last King of Ulaid, Ruaidhrí Mac Duinnshléibhe.

He did all this without King Henry II's permission.

After conquering eastern Ulster he established his caput at Carrickfergus, where he built an impressive stone castle. He married Affreca, daughter of Godred II Olafsson, King of Mann. It is likely that the marriage, as in the case of many kings and those aspiring to be kings in those days, was political, to seal an alliance with her father who paid homage to the King of Norway. De Courcy and Affreca had no children. She built a monastery at Greyabbey dedicated to Saint Mary of The Yoke of God. She is buried there and her effigy, in stone, can still be seen.

In 1183, de Courcy provided for the establishment of a priory at the cathedral of Down with generous endowments to the Benedictines from Chester in England (free from all subjugation to Chester Cathedral). This building was destroyed by an earthquake in 1245. He also created a cell for Benedictines at St. Andrews in the Ards (Black Abbey) for the houses of Stoke Courcy in Somerset and Lonlay in France, which was near Inishargy, Kircubbin, in present-day County Down. The early Irish monastery of Nendrum was given to the Benedictine house of St Bees in Cumberland in order that they might also establish a cell. His wife, Affreca, founded the Cistercian monastery of Grey Abbey, Co. Down, as a daughter house of Holm Cultram (Cumberland) in 1193.

McCutcheon - My GGGG Grandfather emigrated to Canada from Greyabbey Down circa 1821. The bithdates that I have for some of these people are: 1770-1798. Family names are: Father John and Eleanor, sons William, Robert, Hugh. Hugh also had a wife: Iza (probably Isabella) Children: Robert and Evelyn. It would be great to find some Irish relatives of this group of people who are still living in or near Greyabbey Down, who may have some old historical documents tucked away somewhere or who know of Churches that they attended and gravesites where the old ancestors are now resting.

Children of Robert Cree (of Newtownards, Greyabbey Co. Down)

• Samuel Cree (1715 or 1716 - 25 March 1756); We are guessing that Samuel was a son of Robert Cree as they are both from Greyabbey parish and Robert was 22 year older than Samuel.⁴
• John Cree+ (circa 1718 - )
• (---) Cree+
• James Cree (of Ballycastle)+ (1725 or 1726 - 24 May 1800)
• Robert Cree Sr (of Cumberland Township, PA)+ (circa 1729 - 1813); There has been much discussion about the possible relationship of Robert Cree Sr of Cumberland Township PA and Robert Cree of Ballycastle. As Trevor Cree has written, "the naming pattern [of his descendants] of Robert-James-Robert is strikingly similar to the Ballycastle Cree naming pattern of Robert-James-Robert-James-Robert. In 1775 John Cree had 41 acres of land in Ballycastle whilst the Robert Cree in Pennsylvania who was a farmer obtained a similar sized holding. Since it is known [from American evidence] that Robert came from Co.Down some time around 1770, the possible origins are Ballycastle and Millisle since these were farmer families. At present I would guess that Robert Cree of Pennsylvania was the son of Robert Cree (1693-1756) who is buried in Movilla Graveyard alongside his son James Cree of Ballycastle." Trevor Cree has also argued from naming patterns that the father of Robert Cree Sr might be named John Cree, a brother of Robert Cree of Ballycastle. This theoery suffers from the objection that no evidence that such a John Cree existed

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Births Listed Alphabetically

Jackson, William David - 1834 - Later joined the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment 47th. and 81st. Foot as Private 1064

Caldwell, Sarah Jane
Gender Female
 8 Jan 1869  Grey Abbey,
Father: Samuel Caldwell
Mother: Eliza Clarke

Caldwell, James
Gender Male
24 May 1871  Greyabbey,
Father: Samuel Caldwell
Mother: Eliza Clarke

Campbell, Caroline
Gender Female
 20 May 1871  Greyabbey,
Father: John Campbell
Mother: Jane Cuffy

Carlin, James Alexander
Gender Male
 22 Mar 1869  Grey Abbey,
Father: James Carlin
Mother: Mary McIlroy

Carlin, Isabella
Gender: Female
 13 Jun 1870  Greyabbey,
Father: Joseph Carlin
Mother: Anne Reid

Carpenter, Charles
Gender: Male
1 Jul 1868  Greyabbey
Father: Edward Carpenter
Mother: Mary Dorrian

Carpenter, John Joseph
Gender Male
 12 Jan 1868 Grey Abbey,
Father: Patrick Carpenter
Mother: Mary Clint

Carrigan, Andrew Nevine
Gender: Male
1 Apr 1865  Grey Abbey
Father: William Carrigan
Mother: Susan McCormick

Carson, Isabella
Gender: Female
18 Nov 1867  Grey Abbey
Father: Robert Carson
Mother: Margaret Gilmore

Carson, Elizabeth
Gender: Female
 28 Jun 1871  Greyabbey,
Father: Henry Carson
Mother: Mary Hagan

Caughey, Sarah Jane
Gender: Female
1 Jun 1865  Grey Abbey
Father: David Caughey
Mother: Agnes Matchett

Caughey, David John
Gender: Male
15 Jan 1868  Grey Abbey
Father: David Caughey
Mother: Agnes Matchett

Caughey, Robert
Gender: Male
21 Mar 1866 Grey Abbey
Father: William Caughey
Mother: Margaret Caughey

Caughey, Hannah-Jane
Gender Female
13 May 1869  Grey Abbey,
Father: William Caughey
Mother: Margaret Caughey

Caughey, Anne Jane
Gender Female
10 Jul 1869  Grey Abbey,
Mother: Eliza Anne Caughey

Caughey, Robert
Gender: Male
 9 Aug 1869  Grey Abbey,
Father: William Caughey
Mother: Mary McCullough

Caughey, Andrew
Gender Male
 30 Dec 1869  Grey Abbey,
Father: James Caughey
Mother: Rachel Rainey

Caughey Jane
Gender Female
 14 Mar 1870 Grey Abbey,
Father: John Caughey
Mother: Isabella Allen

Caughey, Mary Isabella
Gender Female
 26 Apr 1871  Greyabbey,
Father: John Caughey
Mother: Mary Isabella Allen

Caughey, Anne Jane
Gender Female
 13 Apr 1871  Grey Abbey,
Mother: Jane Caughey

Caughey, William
Gender Male
 11 Mar 1871  Grey Abbey,
Mother: Mary Jane Caughey

Clarke, James
Gender Male
 18 Jun 1866  Grey Abbey,
Father: Samuel Clarke
Mother: Agnes McDowell

Clarke, William
Gender Male
18 Aug 1868  Greyabbey,
Father: Samuel Clarke
Mother: Agnes McDowell

Clarke, Robert
Gender Male
19 Nov 1870  Greyabbey,
Father: Samuel Clarke
Mother: Agnes McDowell

Clarke, Anne
Gender Female
 19 Jul 1869  Grey Abbey,
Father: Andrew Clarke
Mother: Mary Wilson

Cleland, Thomas Malta
Gender: Male
28 Sep 1867 Grey Abbey
Mother: Sarah Cleland

Cleland, Jane
Gender Female
 5 Nov 1869 Birthplace: Greyabbey,
Father: James Cleland
Mother: Margaret Holland

Cleland, Robert
Gender Male
 7 May 1871  Greyabbey,
Father: James Cleland
Mother: Margaret Holland

Clendinning, Thomas
Gender Male
1 Feb 1870  Grey Abbey,
Father: William Clendinning
Mother: Ellen Warden

Clendinning, Mary
Gender Female
 1 Aug 1871  Greyabbey,
Father: William Clendinning
Mother: Ellen Warden

Clifford, Catherine
Gender: Female
 25 Sep 1869 Greyabbey,
Father: James Clifford
Mother: Agnes Savage

Clint, William
Gender Male
 24 Sep 1869  Grey Abbey,
Mother: Jane Clint

Close, Annabella
Gender: Female
10 Apr 1866  Grey Abbey
Father: Robert Close
Mother: Anne Parke

Galway, Isabella - 5th. June 1869 - {Father Robert Galway} - {Mother Agnes Cochrane} - @ Greyabbey

Galway, John - 1st. March 1874 - (Father John Galway) - (Mother Martha Brown) - @ Greyabbey

Morrow, William Robert - 6th. January 1870 - {Father Robert Morrow} - {Mother Eliza Eccles} - @ Cardy, Greyabbey
Morrow, James - 10th. November 1871 - {Father Robert Morrow} - {Mother Eliza Eccles} - @ Cardy, Greyabbey
Morrow, Andrew - 29th. November 1873 - {Father Robert Morrow} - {Mother Eliza Eccles} - @ Cardy, Greyabbey
Morrow, Eliza - 2nd. May 1876 - {Father Robert Morrow} - {Mother Eliza Eccles} - @ Cardy, Greyabbey
Morrow, Caroline - 4th. August 1878 - {Father Robert Morrow} - {Mother Eliza Eccles} - @ Cardy, Greyabbey

Pritchard, James - 1877 - b. Greyabbey - Reg. Newtownards

Pritchard, Margaret - 1877 - b. Greyabbey - Reg. Newtownards

Pritchard, William Robert - 1880 - b. Greyabbey - Reg. Newtownards

28th. March 1914 - Death at Ballyboley Greyabbey of Elizabeth wife of Alexander McCullough (aged 61)

17.5.1914 Death at Ballyboghillbow, Greyabbel, of Joseph Walker (aged 74)

18.5.1914 Death at Mill St. N'Ards of Robert Morrison formerly of Greyabbey. (aged 72).

16.6.1914 Death of George Wilson, North St. Greyabbey

18.6.1914 Body of David Bryce, a Greyabbey man aged 28 found floating in the water between the second and third locks on the Lagan Canal, Belfast - At the inquest a verdict of found drowned was returned.

25.6.1914 Death at Brea Cottage Greyabbey of Eleanor Blakely (aged 24)

3.7.1914 Death at the Hill, Kilnatierney, Greyabbey, of James Barnes, in his 88th year.

6.7.1914 Death at Greyabbey of Eliza widow of Hugh Taylor aged 81

22.7.1914 Death at 13 Eadie's Terrace, Harrington of David son of the late Samuel Reid, Ballyboley, Greyabbey.

31.1.1916 Death at Ballyboley, Greyabbey, of Alex. McCullough (aged 71)

24.2.1916 Death at Greyabbey of William Askin. (aged 71)

29.3.1916 Death at Greyabbey of Mrs. Matilda Jane Wilson, aged 63 years.

12.4.1916 Death at Greyabbey of Robert, eldest son of the late Robert Morrison. (aged 52)

Christie, Robert - 7th. January 1946 aged 80

McCartney, James Burling - 29th. December 1997 aged 81 - {b.c1916} - Of 3 Newtownards Road, Greyabbey - Son of Walter James McCartney and Florence Isobel Burling - Buried Dundonald Cemetery Ref. E2-452

Holland, Margaret - 22nd. November 1848 - (Father Bernard Holland) - Married Patrick Gunning of Greyabbey

Askin, John a widower and farmer of Ballynester, Greyabbey - 29th. June 1871 - Married Catherine Patton - {Father Patrick Patton a farmer of Drumawhey}
Witnesses were James Skillin and Rose Ann Boal

25.12.1915 Marriage at Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.A. of Daryl, eldest son of Rev. W.H. Townley Tilson, Greyabbey, to Vera, daughter of the late Charles Lewis, Toronto.

4.1.1916 Marriage of James, youngest son of the late Samuel Gillespie, Belfast, to Lily, eldest daughter of James Lyons, Dunover Greyabbey.

1851  Down, Ards Lr., Grey Abbey, Ballyboley
McKenna, Margaret, head, age na, m. 1820       widow
McKenna, Margaret, dau, age 28
McKenna, Agnes, dau, age 12                     claimant
McKenna, John, husb, age na,      death date na

1851  Down, Ards Lr., Grey Abbey, Ballyblack Little
McCullough, Anna, head, age na, m. na        widow
McCullough, Jane, dau, age 10
McCullough, Margaret, dau, age 9
McCullough, Sarah, dau, age 7
McCullough, Anna, dau, age 6                     claimant, m. Briggs
McCullough, David, husb, age na              d. 1846

1901 Census Ballyboghallbo Townland

1901 Census - Residents of a house 1 in Ballyboghilbo (Greyabby, Down)

1901 Census - Residents of a house 2 in Ballyboghilbo (Greyabby, Down)

1901 Census - Residents of a house 16 in Cardy (Greyabby, Down)

1901 Census Ballyewry Townland

Beatty, George - 5th. July 1783 - Of Ballyewry - Registered a freehold there

Beaty, Francis - 25th. July 1790 - Of Ballyewry - Registered a freehold there

Beatty, George - 25th. July 1790 - Of Ballyewry - Registered a freehold there

Beatty, John - 11th. January 1791 - Of Ballyewry - Registered a freehold there

Beatty, George - 11th. January 1813 - Of Ballyewry - Registered a freehold

Beatty, John - 10th. August 1820 - Of Ballyewry - Registered a freehold there - Other Tenures Henry Gunning and James and Ann Swan

No Beattie in the 1901~1911 Census

McCartan

1912 - New York, Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island)

Newtownards Connection

1901 Census - Residents of a house 11 in Castle Street (Newtownards Urban, Down)

9th. January 1914 Greyabbey - Employees of the hemstitching works and their friends hospitably entertained by Messrs. T. Somerset and D. Hutchinson, 
proprietors to mark the successful launching of the factory.

13.6.1914 Greyabbey Hemstitching Works - Employees enjoy first annual excursion, the venue being Mountstewart Demesne.

Barclay, Margaret Lucinda Jane - 24th. October 1930

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Pic added July 2014 - Click to ENLARGE

Pic added October 2014
L-R = 1 James Gordon - 2 Charlie Nola - 3 Bob Trayte - 4  Henry Whittaker (Grandfather to the contributor) - 5 Harry Flynn - 6 Centre with flag Balfour Whittaker (Uncle to the Contributor}
7 William Montgomery - 8 David Coffey - 9 - 10 Mr.Harrison

Many thanks to Nigel McCutcheon for spotting the two girls behind Flo Thompson
they are Freda McCullough in front and Helen Todd behind