Castlecaulfield (Irish: Baile Uí Dhonnaíle, meaning 'town or territory of O'Donnelly'[1]) is a village in the south-east of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. It lies about 2 miles west of Dungannon and is part of the Mid Ulster District Council area. The village is mostly within the townland of Drumreany, although part of it extends into Lisnamonaghan. It is situated in the historic Barony of Dungannon Middle and the civil parish of Donaghmore.[2]

Castlecaulfield
Village
Main Street, taken on 7 April 2010
Castlecaulfield is located in Northern Ireland
Castlecaulfield
Location within Northern Ireland
Population659 (2011 Census)
Irish grid referenceH 75422 62736
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDUNGANNON
Postcode districtBT70
Dialling code028
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Tyrone
54°30′28″N 6°50′10″W / 54.50778°N 6.83611°W / 54.50778; -6.83611
St Michael's Church of Ireland Church
Castle Caulfield, a now ruined fortified house in the village

The Caufeild family, from which the village derives its name (although spelt differently for the last few hundred years), were also responsible for founding the settlement of Caulfeild, West Vancouver, Canada in 1898/99.

Through the work of the 'Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society' the village was 'Village Category' winner of 'Ulster In Bloom' in 2015, 2016 and 2017. It was also 'Village Category' winner of 'Britain in Bloom' in 2016 and 2018. In 2017 the village was a category winner of 'Communities in Bloom' receiving the award in Canada. The same year 'Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society' received the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. Castlecaulfield was awarded 'Best Kept Small Village' in 2016 and 2017.[3]

History

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The townland the village is in was formerly known as Ballydonnelly (Irish: Baile Uí Dhonnaíle[1]), and was the stronghold of the O'Donnelly (Uí Donnghaile) sept,[1][4] who had held the role of marshalls to the O'Neills of Tyrone. According to Gaelic Irish tradition, the O'Donnellys were part of the Cenél nEoghain making them kin of the O'Neills. In their role as Marshalls to the O'Neills they were responsible for fostering the children of 'The O'Neill'. The O'Donnellys reached the height of their role during the time of Shane O'Neill when Dean Terrence Danyell (Turlough O'Donnelly) of Armagh played a key role in communications between Shane O'Neill and Elizabeth I. The earliest mention of Ballydonnelly is the Annals of the Four Masters in 1531 when it is said Baile-Ui-Donnghaile was assaulted by Niall Oge, son of Art, son of Con O'Neill. He demolished the castle; and he made a prisoner of the son of O'Neill, who was foster-son of O'Donnelly, and carried him off, together with the horses and the other spoils of the town.” At the start of the Plantation of Ulster, Ballydonnelly was allocated as a 'Servitor' portion and as such was granted to Sir Toby Caulfeild who had served in the Crown forces during the 'Nine Years War'. The 'castle' to which the placename refers is atypical of most Plantation structures, in that it is not the more usual fortified tower house, and was built for Sir Toby Caulfeild in the style of an Oxfordshire manor house. This manor house, called Castle Caulfield, was badly damaged by fire during the 1641 rebellion and was only reused in a limited capacity thereafter by the descendants of the Caulfeild family.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the village was a centre for the developing linen industry, and many mills and farms located in and around the village were involved in linen production. This culminated in the building of the Acheson & Smith Works (later David Acheson Ltd) in 1874. The factory was in operation until 1978/79 before closure. It was a major employer within the district.

Places of interest

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  • Castle Caulfield, built by Sir Toby Caulfield between 1611 and 1619 is in the village. The gatehouse has murder-holes and the Caulfeild Arms.
  • St Michael's And All Angel's Church of Ireland built c. 1681
  • Parkanaur House, a Tudor revival country house, founded c. 1804 by the 'Burges' family who occupied the property until their departure in 1955. It is now known as Parkanaur College and the surrounding estate is a Forest park under the care of the NI Forest Service.
  • Castlecaulfield Presbyterian Church

Events

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  • Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society hold a show every year in August to which people are encouraged to enter horticultural and handicraft items for prizes. The society also holds fundraising events throughout the year to support its yearly show.

Notable people

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Motorbike rider

Demography

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19th century population

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The population of the village increased slightly overall during the 19th century:[5][6]

Year 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891
Population 167 172 208 185 220 170
Houses 37 45 43 37 38 40

References

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  1. ^ a b c Patrick McKay, A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, p. 37. The Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, 1999.
  2. ^ "Townlands of County Tyrone". IreAtlas Townland Database. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Ulster in Bloom". Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  4. ^ 'The Fairest Building I Have Seen' (The Irish Penny Journal, 9 January 1841. Extracts posted by The Irish Aesthete on 29 November 2021). https://www.theirishaesthete.com/2021/11/
  5. ^ "Census of Ireland 1851". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Census of Ireland 1891". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 22 March 2013.[permanent dead link]
  • Dungannon & South Tyrone Area Plan 2010
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