Saintfield

Saintfield
Irish: Tamhnaigh Naomh
Main Street, Saintfield
Saintfield  Saintfield shown within Northern Ireland
Population	2,671 (2001 Census)
District	Down
County	County Down
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BALLYNAHINCH
Postcode district	BT24
Dialling code	028
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	Strangford
NI Assembly	Strangford
List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Down

See also: Saintfield, Ontario County, Ontario, Canada

Saintfield (historically called Tawnaghneeve, from Irish: Tamhnaigh Naomh meaning "holy field/saint's field") is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated roughly halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road. It had a population of 2,959 people in the 2001 Census. The village proper is considered predominantly a middle or upper-middle class town and of both Catholic and Protestant tradition. A proliferation of large housing developments is found here, but it is most commonly known for its antique shops attesting to the town's affluence and higher-than-average GDP per household, compared to the surrounding areas. Saintfield's population is largely made up of commuters, working in both south and central Belfast, which is approximately eleven miles away. The population of the surrounding countryside is predominantly involved in agriculture.

Running east to west across the A7 is the B6 road, and to the west of this crossroads is Main Street, which takes one towards Lisburn and Ballynahinch, and to the east is Station Road which takes one towards Killyleagh.

History

Saintfield was originally an early 17th century settlement, from which the parish church survives. The present town form of Saintfield dates back to the early 18th century and the establishment of linen manufacturing and other trades by the Price family. The village had a number of corn, flour and flax mills, the remains of which are visible today, and has retained a tradition of textile manufacture through Saintfield Yarns. The architectural and historic significance of the town centre is reflected in its designation as a Conservation Area in 1997.

United Irishmen Plaque, Saintfield

The Society of United Irishmen launched a rebellion in 1798, which began in Leinster and quickly spread to Ulster. The United Irishmen had been founded in 1791 by liberal Protestants in Belfast. Its goal was to unite Catholics and Protestants and make Ireland an independent republic. Although its membership was mainly Catholic, many of its leaders and members in northeast Ulster were Protestant Presbyterians. On 9 June 1798, a British force was ambushed in a wood near Saintfield. About 100 men were killed altogether, and the United Irishmen emerged victorious. The headstones of men who were killed in this battle can be seen near the river at the bottom of the 1st Presbyterian Church graveyard.

During "The Troubles", a great many people from south Belfast, Malone and Stranmillis left the city due to social unrest and re-settled in Saintfield and the surrounding areas. Many people from west Belfast also left the city, re-settling in the town of Downpatrick.

Places of interest

Rowallane Garden

• The Rowallane Garden is situated just outside the village. The exotic gardens were started over 100 years ago, and are now in the care of the National Trust.
• The old White Horse Inn also sits on the main street. Many of the buildings on the main street have old stables and courtyards behind them.

From Lewis Topographical Dictionary (1837): The proprietor and lord of the manor, N. Price, Esq., improved the town in 1802, when he erected a large market-house and hotel, since which time Saintfield has been rapidly improving, and is now one of the most flourishing towns in the county.

• The Market House (now an Orange Hall) and the Hotel (now a private house) can be seen on Main Street.

• 1st Presbyterian Church on Main Street was built in 1777, but a community of Presbyterian Christians had been worshipping there since the 1600s. It is thus the earliest religious settlement in the town.

• The Assumption Youth Hall opposite the above church was initially the village's Roman Catholic church and was built at around the same time as the renovated Presbyterian Church in 1777. At the time of its consecration, it was known as the Chapel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, the Catholic Chapel was later moved down the road to a bigger site, where the Chapel of Mary, Mother of the Church was constructed in the 19th century. Today, the former Immaculate Heart Chapel is the Assumption Youth Hall, where local Gaelic cultural activities take place.

Demographics

Saintfield is classified as an intermediate settlement by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 2,250 and 4,500 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 2,959 people living in Saintfield. Of these:

• 25.6% were aged under 16 years and 16.3% were aged 60 and over,
• 47.8% of the population were male and 52.2% were female,
• 23.8% were from a Catholic background and 71.4% were from a Protestant background,
• 1.9% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

For more details on Saintfield's demographics see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

• In 1837 the population of Saintfield area was 7,154 of whom 1,053 lived in the town.

People

Plaque on Guildhall to Francis Hutcheson

• Thomas Beattie MP, Member of the Canadian House of Commons, born in Saintfield
• Lord Faulkner, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, died in a hunting accident near Saintfield
• Francis Hutcheson, philosopher & teacher born at Drumalig
• William David Kenny, born in 1899 in Saintfield, was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry in India in 1918.
• Ewan McHenry, Folk singer-song writer, from Saintfield
• Bishop Daniel Mageean, Bishop of Down & Connor, born at Darragh Cross
• Rev. Coslett Herbert Waddell, Vicar of Saintfield, botanist
• Lynda Bryans, Television Presenter, from Saintfield
• Sir Jonathan McCully OBE MBE

Religion

Despite being a relatively small town, Saintfield is served by five well-attended churches: the local Church of Ireland, two Presbyterian churches, Saintfield Baptist Church and Mary, Mother of the Church Roman Catholic Church.

Education

Saintfield contains two primary schools 'Saintfield Academy Primary' and 'St. Marys' and one secondary school 'Saintfield High School', with a large amount of its under-18 population travelling to schools in Downpatrick, Ballynahinch or Malone.

Primary

• Academy Primary School
• Ballycloughan Primary School (on the road to Ballygowan)
• Darragh Cross Primary School
• Millennium Integrated Primary School
• St. Mary's Primary School

Saintfield High School

Secondary

• Saintfield High School

Sport

• Saintfield AYC Football Club
• Saintfield Bowling Club
• Saintfield Cricket Club
• 2nd Saintfield Badminton Club
• Saintfield Hockey Club
• Saintfield United Football Club
• Fishing at Carrickmannon Lake

Groups

• 1st Saintfield Scouts is based in Saintfield Parish hall with a great attendance. They celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2011 just 4years after the Scouts was founded.

Transport

Saintfield railway station opened on 10 September 1858 and finally closed on 16 January 1950. The current main mode of transport is from the end of the main street on the A21/A7 which a Translink service, Ulsterbus operates frequently to and from Belfast/Downpatrick.

See also

• List of villages in Northern Ireland

References

• Culture Northern Ireland
• Saintfield Heritage - a publication of the Saintfield Heritage Society. Books 1 - 7. Book 7 ISBN 0 9508620 6 1

External links

• Saintfield website
• First Saintfield Presbyterian Church
• Second Saintfield Presbyterian Church
• Saintfield United F.C.
• Saintfield Antiques and Fine Books