Ramage of north Antrim, probably Finvoy

[LindeL]

I don't yet know much about this family, but they must have been relatively prominent in the 18th century. I've tracked a few of them in newspapers and other sources, Grand Jury records and so on, , but I don't think there are any burials locally recorded in any of Dorothy Arthur's books. I have been looking for them, because I suspect a connection between Ramages and my ancestors,Taylors of Finvoy. If there is a connection, it might explain a family story which has puzzled me for years. why did a Mrs McLister of Coole, Derrykeighan, help my great grandmother, Matilda Taylor b. 1845, daughter of Robert Taylor of Slaveney, Finvoy, get an education? (those two places are not particularly close; something like maybe 8 or 9miles apart). This Mrs McLister may have been a connection through the Ramages; there was a Mrs McLister in Coole in 1844; she was wife of Alexander McLister of Coole. That Mrs McLister's maiden name was Ramage. The theory about a Ramage Taylor connection comes from a marriage listed in the fascinating Francis Dobbs Report on the Hutchinson Bequest, in which a Mary Ramage married a Robert Taylor. No townland or date but they had a son Alexander Taylor. My earliest definite Taylor ancestor is an Alexander Taylor, who had a son Robert, father of Matilda. There are Finvoy Ramages, back into the mid 18th century at least. But it doesn't seem that many people are researching them, and it's not that common a name. Does anyone know anything about them?

[BallyaltikilliganG]

I am not sure if you have this simple listing of tenants and their land quality. its known to be biased and incomplete. nevertheless it can be useful.. extracts from
1823-1837 Tithes Applotment Books based upon the index work of the Irish Genealogy Hub’s listing for each parish in Northern Ireland, which are quicker to lookup if you know the parish!  The relevant original books are in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) Belfast.  the detail of information given is similar to http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/  which covers the 26 counties. look up both spellings

Ramadge, Wm.   Townland: Bravallin Year: 1825   Ballymoney   Antrim
Ramadge, Wm.   Townland: Gordons Moss Year: 1825   Ballymoney   Antrim
Ramadge, Wm.   Townland: Simicock Year: 1825   Ballymoney   Antrim
Ramage, Peggy.   Townland: Benvardin Year: 1828   Dunluce   Antrim
Ramage, Wm.   Townland : Mullans Year: 1834   Finvoy   Antrim
Ramage, Aaron   Townland: Lisaghmore Year: 1834   Clondermot   Derry
Ramage, Wm.   Townland: Lisaghmore Year: 1834   Clondermot   Derry
Ramage, Isaac   Townland: Shanreagh Year: 1826   Tamlaght Finlagan   Derry
Ramage, Isaac   Townland: Tamlaght Year: 1826   Tamlaght Finlagan   Derry
Ramadge, Wm.   Townland: Bravallin Year: 1825   Ballymoney   Derry & Antrim
Ramadge, Wm.   Townland: Gordons Moss Year: 1825   Ballymoney   Derry & Antrim
Ramadge, Wm.   Townland: Simicock Year: 1825   Ballymoney   Derry & Antrim
Ramage, John   Tl: Dromore Yr: 1828   Camus   Tyrone

the quick index for griffiths valuation https://www.failteromhat.com/post1845.php contains
Ramage   Mary   Ballinlea Lower   Ballintoy   Antrim
Ramadge   George   Carnaff   Derrykeighan   Antrim
Ramadge   William   Townparks   Ballymoney   Antrim
Ramadge   William   Bravallen   Ballymoney   Antrim 
more detail and exact location use http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/   say Mary so its waspublished 1861 and she has map ref 2 in the townland to look up. the townland is listed by wikiand shows
Ballinlea Lower borders the following other townlands:
•   Ballinlea Upper to the east
•   Craigalappan to the north
•   Island Macallan to the west
•   Kilmahamogue to the south
•   Prolusk to the west
that helps when trying to find on askabout Ireland  map she has 5 acres inc house office and land her house is valued ar £2 ten shillings which is ell above the average except for john price’s house at £11. Map ref 2 appears to be Black Park on the Straid road.. switch to googles satellite view and you see it the site as well
hoping this helps a bit and others join in

[LindeL]

Thank you Ballyaltigilligan for this very useful gatherup of Ramage information. It is always useful to get somebody else to have a look at material because they may present it differently or come across a new angle. Your list reminded me of something I'd known, that there are Ramages out by the shore round Ballintoy.

I should note that in thinking about this all again I have come to the conclusion that "the Coole" or "Cool-Isle" in our family history and associated also in other sources with the McListers, must be a sub-denomination of somewhere in Finvoy, a name that isn't an official townland. The only "Coole" official townland is in Derrykeighan but that really can't be where Matilda Taylor went for her education. Anyone know such a place in Finvoy?

[BallyaltikilliganG]

NI Place names gives two suggestions for Ballintoy but none for Finvoy
Coolmaghra   T   Ballintoy   Ballintoy   Cary   Antrim
see http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=15452   
Coolnagorr   M   Ballintoy   Ballintoy   Cary   Antrim
see http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=15533

I did wonder if your place name  in Finvoy was on the border of Derry and might be listed under Derry   
keep going

[aghadowey]

There were Ramages in Dromore, Macosquin Parish which isn't that far from Coole Glebe but maybe not the connection you are looking for.

[BallyaltikilliganG]

I tried for where Matilda Taylor went for her education, but didn’t find the right clues in
a useful index of national schools online at PRONI. is https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/Index-school-collections-PRONI.pdf

[BallyaltikilliganG]

Possibly a red herring but I was looking at a Rainey query  and found a reference that included last paragraph about a boarding school for girls near a Coolsythe townland.  the more I tried to pronounce it and think alternative spelling, the closer I got to the Ramage ref to a Matilda Taylor’s education at  "the Coole" or "Cool-Isle"
the ref was to https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Coolsythe%2C_Antrim
Coolsythe (Cúil Saighead) is a townland located in the civil parish of Drummaul in the barony of Toome Upper in County Antrim. Coolsythe is about 2 miles north of the town of Randalstown and is bounded on its west side by the B93 Ahoghill Road.its three parishes south of Finvoy
the source I had not used before says Part of the Irish Roots Project
Welcome to the County Antrim Sub Project
Please visit County Antrim Sub Project for more information about this project.
This category is maintained by the County Antrim Sub Project
there are so far 336 sub categories
a very interesting project reguiring hundreds of further volunteers.   see wiki sample above
Drummaul see https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/irl/ANT/Drummaul mentions a George Vaughan funded[prefere endowed?] boarding school inc 24 girls in 1837 in an extract from Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837 but doesn’t locate it.
 

[shanreagh]

Rather belatedly I have come across this post about Ramage Families.

I can lay claim to these Ramage names
Ramage, Aaron   Townland: Lisaghmore Year: 1834   Clondermot   Derry
Ramage, Wm.   Townland: Lisaghmore Year: 1834   Clondermot   Derry
Ramage, Isaac   Townland: Shanreagh Year: 1826   Tamlaght Finlagan   Derry
Ramage, Isaac   Townland: Tamlaght Year: 1826   Tamlaght Finlagan   Derry

Isaac Ramage is my gt gt gt grandfather.  I think Aaron & William are related to him.

There is also a connection to Ramages at Ballymoney

I did start to track down how they were all related, all on the list. Some went to the US in the late1700s.

Isaac Ramage had connections to Belfast.

ETA Another gt to Isaac Ramage

[LindeL]

In 1765 there was a Thomas Ramage in a list of tenants in Aghadowey, holding Landagivey jointly with the rev. John Elder and the rev. Robert Higginbotham, a grouping which suggests that he might have been fairly socially well placed  One or other of at least two Smith Ramages were slightly later landlords in the Aghadowey area, or maybe more accurately the Garvagh area. Thomas MAY have been related to  the Smith Ramages.