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Castlederg History | Ulster Flag |
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Castlederg was first mentioned in history at the end of the 15th century when the Annals of the Four Masters talked of a castle along the banks of the river Nothing particularly grand, but masonry was mentioned and a thatched roof. (a castle with a thatched roof!) |
The Annals of the four masters. In 1479 Henry Og O'Neill marched into Tirconnell (Donegal) and after gaining victory over the O'Donnells 'took' Castlederg on his return. Sited on a ford on the river Derg between the lands of the O'Neill's and the O'Donnell's, Castlederg developed strategically as rivalry between the two clans escalated from cattle-raiding to full-scale warfare, involving Scottish mercenaries. The Derg (red river) flows from Lough Derg, the site of famous pilgrimage associated with Saint Patrick. In the distant past when the main form of travel was via waterways, Castlederg was along the much frequented pilgrimage trail. |
| During the 1600's the Plantation of Ulster continued
- including Castlederg. And the man chosen to carry out the scheme was an English
lawyer named Sir John Davies. When the enterprise was finished we find Davies had managed to acquire for himself several grants of land including one which contained the by now dilapidated castle on the Derg and a substantial amount of the surrounding countryside |
| Initially Davies brought over sixteen families and
then set about rebuilding the castle. He finished it in 1610 but he did not possess the
necessary engineering skill to build the tunnel under the river with which local folklore
has accredited him. He did however add a bridge over the river a few years later. This
bridge (which 200 years later John Gamble found to be narrow and inconvenient) was so well
built that it was only replaced in 1835. In addition Davies is credited with turning the existing collection of mud huts into something vaguely approaching the town of Castlederg as we know it today. |
| In the Castlederg area this consisted of an influx of members of the Presbyterian faith from Scotland into the region around the town and the lower part of the Derg valley. Some at least of these had reservations about what was being offered. John Gamble (who had remarked on this "romantic little town" at the beginning) tells of one of his ancestors being offered a large tract of land by Sir John Davies. The next day however he had to refuse the offer telling Sir John that "my gude wife would not rest if she thought her bairns were living on land which had been taken over other people's heads" |
| This Castlederg history is courtesy of B Ronan |
| A good link for Tyrone and Ardstraw |
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Castlederg Slaters Directory 1870 |
Castlederg Co Tyrone Directory 1896 |
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Our family knew about the bridge, and Rev WJ McAskie (1868-1937), from Creevy stated in 1914:- |
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Two families of McAskie
came over from Scotland and settled in Co Tyrone, near Castlederg in the reign of
William III.(1689-1702 ) The descendants of these settlers have remained in the same
locality. One of them was an architect or government contractor. An old bridge over the
river at Castlederg, adjoining an old castle, has his name carved on the stone. I do not
know the date at which the bridge was erected but I think that it was at the
close of the 17th Century.
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The McAskie name is mentioned from 1750 in Abercorn Papers - i.e leases, and the family are mentioned in the list of Flax Growers in 1796 |
The Muster Rolls of 1631 have James McKasby, no armes, which would seem to confirm their earlier arrival, around the time of the Plantation of Ulster - still to be researched!! |
I am
of the opinion that the McAskies were probably amongst the 16 families |
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