Seats of Co Antrim

[paulcrewe]

Thank you for that Hugh.

It's all starting to fall into place now as I have just found a reference to this Alexander Whiteford by his granddaughter  who says that he "was born at Cross House, Antrim where his ancestors had lived for many generations" and that it was "his hospitable mansion".  He is described as a "noble hearted, loyal old country gentleman, who marched bravely in command of a company of militia, at the early age of 17 years, and rendered his country good service in the Rebellion of 1798".

So now I just need to pinpoint where exactly Cross House was, although I am assuming it was part of the Cross Hamlet in the Cross Townland that Capt Jock pointed me towards.  It would also be good to find out more about Alexander's participation in the 1798 Rebellion and his membership of the militia.

From what I've found so far, it seems that Alexander or his father, who was also Alexander, leased about 700 acres in the Cross Townland (which must have been just about the whole of Cross Townland) from Col Hugh Boyd who had purchased the village of Ballycastle from the 5th Earl of Antrim in 1727.

Thank you very much again for taking the time to reply to my post.

Paul

[HughC]

Paul,

784 acres, according to the Seanruad web site.

Are we talking about Cross on Fair Head?  Marked on the map between Lough Doo (which spills over the edge of the cliff) and Lough na Cranagh.
There are a couple of farms up there, including the one at Coolanlough where the NT car park is, but I don't recall seeing a "big house" or hearing of a family of gentry there.  Of course, quite a lot could have happened since the '98.

I'll ask my brother whether he knows: he lives just the other side of Ballyvoy.  Our family has been there since 1790-ish, but unfortunately memories don't get passed down from father to son.

There are two other (larger) townlands called Cross in Co. Antrim, but I don't think they would have been Boyd territory.  Not just different parishes but also different baronies and poor-law unions.

[paulcrewe]

All the information I've found so far is that my Whitefords (and McBrides) were from the Cross Townland on Fair Head.  On that map, there is a farm or hamlet just to the west of the lower part of Lough Na Cranagh called Cross, and then a bit further west is the Crackancarragh Clachan.  I think my McBrides came from Crackancarragh (pretty sure about this) and my Whitefords next door in the Cross farm.  I may quite possibly be wrong but that is my best guess from Australia!

Any local knowledge you or your brother could add would be really welcome.

[HughC]

Paul,

My brother reports that the townland of Cross covers most of the top of Fair Head, and there are only two houses of any size in it (plus a couple of clachans = hamlets of cottages), but he's not aware of either of them being called Cross House.  They now belong to the McBrides and the Darraghs.  He has never heard of anyone called Whiteford in the area (Ballycastle and northern part of Culfeightrin parish), so I assume they've died out or moved away in the past couple of centuries.

We're both sorry we can't be more help.  I would ask in the Ballycastle museum (assuming it still exists) but 60 miles is a bit far to bicycle ...

[paulcrewe]

Hugh,
Many thanks for that and to your brother as well.  I think the last Whitefords in the area would have been about 1850 when the last one (I think) migrated to Newfoundland.
You have both been a huge help.
Best regards, Paul