Some of the earliest settlers were Picts or "Painted People" who are now thought to have been the descendants of the early indiginous inhabitants of Northern Scotland.and of course our own far ancestors the Hiberni of this island of Ireland. The Hiberni referred to the Picts as the Cruithni or "The people of the designs"
The first town came into being properly with the arrival of the Normans and John De Courcy c1177 but likewise with their departure it again fell into disrepair and was virtually abandoned until c1605 when Montgomery and his Scottish settlers set about rebuilding the town and creating what we now know as Newtownards.
It is though that the Normans on arrival built a mud and stone embankment across the area possibly from what is now lower South Street, through Court Street and on via High Street to Greenwell Street.
A Dominican Priory was built c1244 and its remains can still be seen at Court Square and around the same time the old Abbey Church at Movilla was rebuilt.
When Montgomery and his Scottish settlers arrived c1606 the town which had fallen in to ill repair after the departure of the Normans was rebuilt and of course the lie of the land saw the construction of the first streets with its traders and their shops etc. These first streets swept along and away from the then marshy area and were High Street which was soon extended to become also Mill Street and Movilla Street so called because it led to Movilla Abbey and Greenwell Street,. Market Street was as the name suggests one of the original sites of the towns market. Soon more ground was cleared and new streets started to appear ... more detail will be added to the individual streets located in the menu below.

The old "Manor" of Newtownards was as follows
Ballyalicock - Ballyalton - Ballybarnes - Ballyblack - Ballycastle - Ballycullen - Ballyewry - Ballyhaft - Ballyharry - Ballyheny
Ballyhenry - Ballymagrechan - Ballymoney - Ballyrea - Ballyrogan - Ballyskeagh - Ballywatticock - Castleavery
Craigantlet - Cronstown - Crossnamuckley - Cunningburn - Drumawhy - Glass Moss - Greengraves - Gregstown alias Bowtown
Killynaterny - Loughmyronie - Loughriescouse - Milecross Movilla - N'Ards Demesne - N'Ards Corporation - N'Ards Town Parks
N'Ards Town - Scrabo - Sheepland - Templecron - Tullynagardy - Whitespots

 

1720 - At that time all houses were numbered but not addressed eg. Castle Street was Nos.1~5 - Greenwell Street Nos.9~33
Movilla Street Nos.34~48 - Bangor Lane (Now Zion Place and the Bangor Road) Nos.49~61
Back Street (Now Frances Street) Nos.62~84 - High Street Nos.85~123 - Mill Street 124~174
and areas to the North and West Nos.175~186
Nort would now be the area around North Street and West an extension of Mill Street towards Scrabo Road

The period of most interest to those researching their family history is represented by the the governing families
1606~1675 Montgomerys
1675~1744 Colvilles
1744~1801 - Stewarts

c1835 a Quarter Court was established and the following officials were created
Constable - Appletter - Appraiser - Ironer - Market Clerk - Yarn Gauger - Malt Viewers - Witch Viewers - Street Viewers
Viewers of Weights and measues - Flesh, tallow and hides - Cloth and yarn - Coal
more on this to follow

Click on the small arrow beside either box below and a list of streets or places will drop down, simply scroll down to the one you want and click,..

List of Inhabitants by Townland Ballyalicock * Ballyalton * Ballybarnes * Ballyblack Ballycullen * Ballyhaft * Ballyharry Ballyhenny Ballymagreehan Ballymoney Ballyreagh Ballyrogan Ballyskeagh Ballywatticock Bootown Commons Corporation North Corporation South Craigantlet * Cronstown Crossnamuckley * Cunningburn Drumawhy Drumhirk Greengraves Gregstown Killarn Loughriescourse Milecross Movilla Griffiths Land Valuation 1863

Image c1900

Many thanks to my old friend Frank Cafolla for this from his collection of postcards - Added May 2014
Reverse text reads: Date = ? - Address = Miss Jane Brown, 42 William Street. Newtownards
I hope that you are enjoying yourself. I think that you are getting the best weather, don't work too hard, From Sarah E.K.P.
                                                         

  1913 Telephone Directory

Did you know that "Ard" means high or height,.  "Tully" as in Tullygarnet is a hill or mound,   "Slieve" is a mountain as in Slieve Donard,  "Rath" is a Hill Fort and "More" is big as in Rathmore Big Fort on a Hill etc.,   "Bally" is a settlement and "Money" means shrubs as in Ballymoney a settlement in shubbery... "Drum" is a ridge or hill...

Thanks to Stewart McClean for this pic.

An aerial shot of the area around Court Square

 

Jim McMeekan Jnr. sent in this stunning pic..  click to enlarge and see how many
interesting places you can spot...
Bottom right is Glenford Park and Shorts... Bottom left the Hospital Grounds .....Above the Hospital are Dicksons Nurseries ...

Origins of the Coat of Arms

A PDF free version of the Montgomery Manuscripts is available HERE
Newtown house was later sold to the Colville family whose black millrind cross can be seen in the lower quarter. The word "millrind" or simply rind describes the iron cross shaped support for a large grinding wheel.
A PDF free document with info on the Colvilles is available HERE
The supporters of the shield;
To your left can be seen a golden Unicorn which is there in homage to King James who gave the town its charter
To the right can be seen a golden Lion which represents the Marquesses of Londonderry
The base is of a grassy bank dotted with floral tributes to two great industries from the towns past, flax flowers and roses.
The Motto reads "Fidelis atque Fortis" or "Faithful and Brave" from that of the Savage family one of the oldest Ulster families

2250 BC Portal Tombs found at the Kempe Stones in Newtownards
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1244 AD Around 1244, the Dominican Friary of Villa Nova [Newtownards Priory] was founded by the Savage family. Destroyed by the Gaels
1542 AD Henry V111 Dissolved the Monasteries - Movilla Abbey founded by St.Finian in 540 AD falls into ruin.
[O'Neill's] in 1572, it was rebuilt in 1607 by Sir Hugh Montgomery. The existing tower and belfry are of that period. After falling into disrepair, a small church was built on the site by the Colville family and this was used as the parish church until the building of St Mark's in 1817.
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1572 AD Queen Elizabeth's Secretary, Sir Thomas Smith made an attempt to settle North Down with Englishmen. The local O'Neill chieftain, Sir Brian McPhelim rose up in revolt and conducted a scorched earth policy against the people of North Down. He destroyed nearly every building in the area including burning the abbeys at Greyabbey , Holywood and the Priory at Newtownards
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1606 AD Sir Hugh Montgomery took up household in the remains of the priory and began the construction of the Scottish plantation town that was to be the basis of modern Newtownards.
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1613 AD On the 25th. March James 1st. granted the charter which created the 'Borough of Newtowne in the Ardes'. and Sir Hugh Montgomers was made Provost
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1636 AD The Market Cross of Newtownards was built to reflect the growth of the town.Bargains made in its shadow were legally binding.
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1692 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Robert Echlin and 2nd. Thomas Knox
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1695 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Clotworthy Upton and 2nd. Charles Campbell
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c1700 AD The following observations of the town were made:
that it is well paved, and has many neat houses in it, on the front of several of which are the dates and names of the builders cut in stone. There is a humorous, perhaps a modest inscription over the door of one of them, we know not by whom erected, which runs thus : Not by my merit, that I inherit.' Nearly all the houses of the seventeenth century, having dates and names, have disappeared. In Mill Street, there is a one storey house having the inscription "J. M. E. N. 1686." In North Street is a house with the following : Built by John McCullough, 1690."
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1703 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. George Carpenter and 2nd. Charles Campbell
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1705 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Brabazon Ponsonby and 2nd. Charles Campbell
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1715 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Richard Tighe and 2nd. Charles Campbell
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1725 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Richard Tighe and 2nd. William Ponsonby
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1727 Ad Members of Parliament were 1st. John Denny Vesey and 2nd. Robert Jocelyn
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1739 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. John Denny Vesey and 2nd. John Ponsonby
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1744 AD Robert Colville, under the influence of his mistress, sold Newtownards to Alexander Stewart for the sum of 42,000 pounds sterling.
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1750 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Chambre Brabazon Ponsonby and 2nd. John Ponsonby
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1761 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Richard Ponsonby and 2nd. Redmond Morres
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1765 AD The Market House - later to become the Town Hall in Newtownards, was erected by the Stewarts.Originally there was a great archway in its centre which spanned the line of the North/South street axis.The market occupied the ground floor while the upstairs held function rooms which were used by the local gentry for social events and civic matters.
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1768 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Thomas Le Hunt and 2nd. John Ponsonby
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1769 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Thomas Le Hunt and 2nd. William Morres
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1775 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Thomas Le Hu7nt and 2nd. Arthur Dawson
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1776 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. John Browne and 2nd. James Somerville
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1783 AD October Members of Parliament were 1st. William Brabazon Ponsonby and 2nd. Lodge Evans Morres
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1783 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. John Ponsonby and 2nd. George Lowther
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1785 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. John Ponsonby and 2nd. William Morres
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1788 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Henry Alexander and 2nd. William Morres
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1790 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. Richard Annesley and 2nd. John La Touche
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1798 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. John Blanquiere and 2nd. Robert Alexander
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1800 AD Members of Parliament were 1st. John Blanquiere and 2nd. Du Pre Alexander
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1801 AD Newtownards was no longer seen as a constituancy therefore had no parliamentary representation

 

This page was donated by Bryan Lynn and features some 2008 pics of the changing Newtownards countryside.

Anyone got any ideas as to the reason for these stone heads. The one on the left was rescued from above Peter McCabes Pub on the corner of Mill Street and Frederick Street and the one on the right can still be seen on the corner of William Street and Corry Street.