Ballynewport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ballynewport
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![The Old Bog Road](#/media/File:"The_Old_Bog_Road"_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2624917.jpg) This track leads to the Ballynewport Bog from the Castlescreen Road. | |
  Ballynewport Location within County Down | |
| County | |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Ballynewport is a townland five kilometres south of Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland.[1] Ballylucas is 1.1570 km2 (285.89 acres). Ballynewport is located in the Electoral Division of Tyrella, within the Civil Parish of Rathmullan, in the barony of Lecale Upper, County Down. The Irish name for Ballynewport is Baile Neipirt.
A souterrain is located on the boundary between a barley field and a lane in open countryside in the townland. The entrance to the site, however, remains unidentified. The landowner had previously stated knowing of its location, which is obstructed by stones. The passage was discovered during the construction of a labourer's cottage. A volunteer who entered the souterrain with a hurricane lamp emerged shortly after, visibly distressed and with the lamp extinguished.[2]
The townland of Ballynewport was documented as Ballynebert and Newphertowne in 1641 and as Ballynebert, Ballyanbert, Ballynuport and Newportowne in 1661. The final part of the name seems to be a Gaelic adaptation of the English surname Newport and has been described as a ‘habitation name from any of several towns so called, from Old English neowe ‘new’ + port ‘market town’.[3] In Ireland, the surname is quite rare.[4] The townland was owned by the Brett family around 1786 and by Mr. Hamilton in 1836.
