If you can help with this family history search please reply directly by using the Comment box at the bottom of the post or email us at info@discoversaintfield.com and we will forward your information.

Dear Saintfield folk,

I would be grateful for any information about this couple in my family.

George RINGLAND died 12 December 1964 at Bonnyblink, Lisdoonan, Saintfield, Co. Down, and his wife Edith Mary RINGLAND died 5th March 1983 aged 95 yrs and is buried in Saintfield Parish Church Cemetery.

Hopefully someone may remember them.

Thankyou,
John Johnston in New Zealand

+++

Further to my original request, someone may be able to help me in determining the location of Bonny Blink, Lisdoonan, Saintfield, County Down.

Is Bonny Blink a farm? Is it still a valid address?

It might only be March, but there is no rest for the members of the Saintfield Development Association’s Green Saintfield Committee!  As part of Saintfield’s Landscape Masterplan work has begun to prepare the ground for the planting of wild flowers on the approach to Saintfield at the Comber Road / Belfast Road junction.  You can follow the progress of the planting scheme on the Grow Wild website HERE.

There has been good progress with the community centre project. As reported on the website in January, (see HERE ), the public consultation events in December, kindly hosted by Saintfield High School, were very successful. Fifty five people, representing thirty five local groups (which between them represented over 4,000 members), gave valuable suggestions on priorities for the new centre.

Stephen McClelland incorporated these, together with the previous public consultation results, into a business case for the community centre on the Belfast Road site. The business case considered six options for the site and concluded that only one option should be taken forward to the next stage. This option makes use of all three buildings on the site. The biggest (building A, which is 60m by 30m) would have an artificial 4G surface laid, which would be used for training by all Saintfield sports clubs and for junior games of football and GAA.

The middle building (building B) would be refurbished to contain a four-court multi-use hall, meeting rooms, exercise rooms, changing rooms and catering facilities. The third building (building C) would contain a few more flexible rooms for community use and an extensive and modern fitness suite. The intention is that this facility would be managed by a private sector company who already have experience of doing so in partnership with other Councils and community groups. From initial research we know that the Saintfield site would be an attractive base for private sector fitness providers, at prices to the public similar to those charged by other Council leisure centres. This business case was completed on 25th January and given to Newry Mourne and Down Council (NMD). The Executive Summary and the actions listed below were presented to the Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee of NMD Council on 11th February and were accepted unanimously.

The efforts of the Saintfield Development Association (SDA) and the Saintfield community were acknowledged by the councillors. NMD has committed capital funding in the financial year 2016/17 for Saintfield and expects to see work commence on site in April 2017.

The proposed timeline for the project is as follows:-

1. By 29th February 2016 a person at Assistant Director level appointed to be responsible for the Saintfield community centre project.
2. By 30th April 2016, in cooperation with the Saintfield community, expressions of interest are sought from the private sector to be partners with SDA and NMD in implementing the Saintfield project.
3. By 31st May 2016 a private sector partner to have been selected for the Saintfield project.
4. By 31st July 2016, with input from the selected private sector partner, financial projections and a Green Book Economic Appraisal to be completed for the preferred business model.
5. Commencing in June 2016, the legal arrangements to be put in place for the preferred business model.
6. Planning approval will be sought for the preferred business model, the target date to be dependent on the scope of change from the existing planning application.
7. Between 1st March and 30th September, NMD will support the SDA in seeking all possible external sources of funding for the preferred business model.
8. Adequate funding will be committed in the 2016/17 financial year to cover the costs relating to the Saintfield community centre such as planning applications, revised drawings, quantity surveying, economic appraisal, etc.

The SDA is delighted to see tangible actions now in place and committed to by NMD and looks forward to reporting further good progress.  Watch this space!

Issue 10 of Saintfield Development Association’s Saintfield News is available for download HERE.

If you can help with this family history search please reply directly by using the Comment box at the bottom of the post or email us at info@discoversaintfield.com and we will forward your information.

I believe my ancestor William Miller was born in Saintfield circa 1852. His Mother and Father were Edward and Anne. Edward’s occupation was listed as a saddler. I am trying to find out how and when William got to South Australia. It appears he was married in SA in 1880 and died here in 1899. Hope you can help.

Thanks
Colleen Peterson

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has recently established a Forum in each of its seven District Electoral Areas (DEA) supported by a specific DEA Coordinator. The Officer in Rowallane DEA is Ellen Brennan, and some members of Saintfield Development Association were photographed with Ellen (centre) at the Inaugural DEA Public Meeting in Ballynahinch Market House on Tuesday 23rd February.

Ellen will proactively work in partnership with the community to deal with local identified issues and compile the area’s action plan. The Forum will permit Council to consult with the Rowallane community on the way forward and actively involve them in making decisions that will impact on their daily lives. This is an exciting era within the new Council as communities, going forward, will have a local voice and will be directly influencing Community Planning in their DEA.

If you can help with this family history search please reply directly by using the Comment box at the bottom of the post or email us at info@discoversaintfield.com and we will forward your information.

Hi

This may seem a strange request but I have been advised to make contact you by the Downpatrick library for assistance. I am trying to get some information about a book published by the SEELB in 1985. The author was a Roberta E McAuley and the book title is ‘INCH SCHOOL MEMOIR’. My late mother and some of her family, one of which died very recently are in one of the published photographs dated 1948 outside the school. I would like to obtain an original copy of the book and maybe with a bit of luck be able to get a copy of the class photograph. One of the contributors to the book among many others was a Geraldine Hegan c/o SEELB HQ if this helps. I would be obliged if you could deliver this email to the relevant department that deals with publications and with a little help and luck I might be able to get a copy of the photograph.

I will be indebted for any help I might receive, the request being more poignant after the recent death of Leslie Emmett and the death of my mother, Daphne Emmett some years ago.

I have enclosed the front cover and a page showing acknowledgements.

Thank you

Gordon Thompson
Belfast

If you can help with this family history search please reply directly by using the Comment box at the bottom of the post or email us at info@discoversaintfield.com and we will forward your information.

Dear Saintfield Heritage Society,

My wife’s grandfather, Daniel Herbert McCallum was from Bangor, Down and immigrated in the US in 1905.  His mother was Mary Stevely Woods, of Newtownards.  We have been researching the Woods ancestry, and were even able to visit Northern Ireland and the Public Records Office to do research.   We have much evidence to suggest they were from Saintfield and the parishes adjacent to the east.  I have been documenting our family research in Northern Ireland on my website at www.mccallum-omagh.blogspot.com

I am contacting you in the hopes that you may be able to connect me with someone locally who may point me to resources in Saintfield that might help our research.  I have used many online sources (PRONI, Ros Davies’ County Down site, others) and have pieced some together but I have still not been able to find the birthplace/hometown area for our Dr. William Woods.  Below I include what we do know of the Woods family.

I find numerous Woods families in the area, especially east of Saintfield in parishes Killinchy, Kilmore and Saintfield.

Any assistance or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.  We hope to return and make further connections with our cousins in County Down.

Kind regards,

Andrew Barett-Bettcher
Minnesota,  USA

WOODS FAMILY OF CO. DOWN

Dr. William Woods, MRCSE
Born. about 1810/11 in Co. Down, to John Woods, farmer.
Married 9 Jan. 1852 at Templecorran Presbyterian to Eliza McAlpin of
Ballycarry, Co. Antrim
Died 20 Mar. 1869, Newtownards, Co. Down.

Career and residence
• Licentiate of Medicine, Glasgow University 1838
• Member of Royal College of Surgeons England 1839
• Resided in Bangor 1843-1857
• Resided in Newtownards 1858-1869
• 1857-69 Med. Officer,Newtownards Union Workhouse Infirmary and Fever Hospital

Children – all baptised at 1st Presby, Bangor
born                    baptised     notes
William 31Jan1853 14Mar1853 died bef. 1903?
Madaline (McClure) 9Jul1854 25Aug1854 md. Washington Nicholl, lived at  Edenville, Bangor

Edwin (MacAlpine) 1Jan1856 2Feb1856 Merchant in London.  Md to Fanny?
Elm Lodge, Half Moon Lane, London, SE (Herne Hill SE24)
James Alfred 10Jul1857 28Aug1857 died 26Aug1859

Mary (Stevelly) 30Jun1860 29Aug1860

Clara md Mr. Walter of London

Helen md.  Died before 1903

2 others? died before 1903?

Known Woods family connections to Saintfield area:

1. Brother – John Woods of Drumnaconnell, Saintfield – will and probate from PRONI.  John Woods was a whitesmith and/or blacksmith in  Saintfield 1863-1865.  His will made his brother Dr. William Woods of  Newtownards executor.  Having searched the City Directories, John  Woods may have worked in Belfast 1835-1852.  He died 11 Dec. 1865 at  Drumnaconnell, a widower, born about 1802.  We have been unable to  locate information on his wife, or if he had children.

2. Rev. Hugh Woods of Bangor, minister of 1st Presbyterian from 1808-1857.  It is possible that Hugh was an uncle/cousin to William.  All of  William Wood’s children were baptized at Rev. Woods church in Bangor (1853-1860) and one of them was even named after Hugh’s wife Magdaline McClure.  Hugh Woods is known to have been the 3rd son of James Woods of Kilmore-Crossgar.  Hugh was born 1780, married 8 Dec. 1814 at Edenvale? to Magdaline McClure. Hugh died at Bangor in 1868.

3. Cousins in Ravara Townland (near Ballygowan in Killinchy Parish). It is known that the Mary Woods McCallum who came to America had a cousin, Magdaline McClurg who also lived in Michigan.  I have traced the McClurg’s to Ravara and have shown they are indeed Woods relatives via Thomas McClurg’s wife Ann Woods, born about 1835 was  daughter of John Woods of Ravara, farmer.

4. McCallum children (grandchildren of William Woods) attending school in Saintfield.   Helen McCallum and Daniel McCallum were attending school in Saintfield in 1905, just prior to emigrating.

5.Family oral history says our Woods family had connections/relations at Saintfield.