G l y n n V i l l a g e
Founded by St. Patrick
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History:
Church of Gluaire
The Church of Gluaire is supposed to have been founded by St. Patrick in 435 A.D. The ruins of an old stone church still stand within the village boundary.
Prior to baronial division, the county of Antrim was divided into the districts of North Clandeboye and Glynns (Glynnes). The area was a vicarage in the diocese of Connor and ecclesiastical province of Armagh and was a gift of the Marquis of Donegal.
The village is then mentioned in a grant from King James I to Arthur Lord Chichester, Baron of Belfast, of his estates in Antrim, Down and Carrickfergus.
This grant was dated 20th November 1620. In a later grant from King Charles II to Edward, Viscount Chichester, Glynn was mentioned as being part of the territory of Magheramorne.
Written information exists that details how Sir John Chichester, governor of Carrickfergus, was beheaded by James MacSorley MacDonnell at a site on the eastern edge of the village. James MacDonnell and his men had made a feint on Carrickfergus town. They were then pursued to the glen of Altrackyn, some five miles from Glynn. Sir John was captured and his men were nearly cut to pieces. Later in the day, Sir John was beheaded by James MacDonnell on a stone. It is documented that this event occurred in November 1597. A 'standing stone', still stands to this day, approximately one mile east of the village.
Gentlemen's Seats
In the 1700s and 1800s the 'proprietors' within the wider parish were John Irving Esquire, M.P., who lived at Ballylig House, Magheramorne. John Irving owned lime kilns and wharfs at Magheramore and extensive lands and property in the area. His agent, Thomas Maxwell Esquire, J.P., lived in a plain but modern house, overlooking Larne Lough, approximately one mile north of Glynn. Ballylig House still stands and was better known a few years ago as Magheramorne House Hotel. More recently however, the house has been the Ireland Head Office for Forever Living Products (Ireland) Ltd. The former house of Thomas Maxwell also still stands and is privately owned.
Within Glynn village Captain Randall William Johnston was the owner of mills, public buildings, houses and land. The Johnston family were believed to have come to the village in or before the 17th-century. They were certainly in Glynn before 1688 because King James II's Irish Parliament ordered the forfeiture of the estate of one George Johnston who is reported to have been an officer in King William's army. The forteiture never happened presumably because of the events of 1690. There is also details of a George Birch Johnston being a magistrate from Glynn in 1862. Captain Randal Johnston was survived by his widow and at least one son. Mrs Johnston was described as one of the "grand dames of the countryside". At her death in 1923 she was the owner of Glynn village who had taken a keen interest in the welfare of her tenantry. This grand dame died at nearly 90 years of age.
A son, Brigadier-General Thomas Kelly Evans Johnston CB was appointed High Sheriff of Country Antrim in 1924. This member of the Johnston family was an active participant in the activities of the village and the wider district. In 1933 Brigadier-General Johnston, accompanied by his Scottish wife, opened the new primary school (see School Page). It is reported that the then school principal, Mr John Robinson, earned £8.00 per annum salary.
Mrs Margaret Johnston as widow survived Brigadier-General Johnston. Mrs Johnston was a native of Campletown in Scotland. She had come to Glynn with her husband when he retired from the army. In her lifetime Mrs Johnston was president of the British Legion in Larne. As an avid lover of animals she was also president of the local branch of the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA).
Mrs Johnston died at Glynn House in 1947, leaving a personal estate of £20,847.
Another prominent name in Glynn was Miss McClaverty who rented seventeen acres of land and houses from the Johnston family and lived adjacent to Glynn House in an old-fashioned three-story houses on the south bank of the Dunisland Water (Glynn river). Although information to date is sketchy there is mention of a Major General McClaverty who lived in Glynn. Major General McClaverty moved from the village in 1867 when he was appointed as Commander in Chief of the Forces in Madras, India. It is assumed that Miss McClaverty was either a sister or a daughter of this Major General.
Swan Island(s)
Out in Larne Lough lies Swan Island. There are actually two small islands, one of which has been a bird senctuary for many years. The larger of the two islands measures approximately fifty yards in length by fifteen yards in width. It is covered in grass, shingle and sand. The smaller of the two islands can only be seen at low tide. In times gone by the larger island was called Pigeon Island and then Duck Island. It was let in the early 1800s for one guinea per annum to burn kelp.
According the records from 1800s; The large Swan Isle is said to contain the bodies of the crew of some foreign ships who died of some plague, while the ships were laid under quarantine in Larne Lough, and would not be permitted to enter the harbour. The smaller island was supposed to be where the bodies of the dead sailors were burnt before burial on the larger island.
Today Swan Island and the lough shore at Glynn draws ornithologists from near and far. Birdwatchers come to see birds like swans, gulls, terns, oystercathers and sandpipers.
The 1900s
In the early 1900s the lime works and Ballylig was bought by Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers and a large cement works was built along side the wharf. The works became a significant employer in the wider area.
In the 1930s Glynn was seen on the 'big screen' in the movie, The Luck Of The Irish. The film, shot partly in Glynn, starred the Holywood actor
Richard Hayward and many villagers were used as extras. Click here for further information.
Many men from Glynn and surrounding villages lost their lives during World War I (1914-1918). A cenotaph was erected in Glynn in honour of those who fell in the The Great War. The cenotaph was erected in 1919.
Again, when the call came in 1939 villagers went off to war (World War II). Some who left these shores did not return in 1945. A Memorial plaque hangs in the village hall showing the names who died.
From the 1930s Glynn saw expansion with many of the thatched cottages being replaced by modern family housing. The first phase was approximately 100 houses and bungalows at Glenvale Park, build in the 1940s. Then, in the late 1960s, eighteen houses were built at Glenside. These were followed by more houses and bungalows at Hawthorne Grove in the 1970s. All these properties were built by the government for renting.
Further housing development took place in the 1980s at Glenavon (known now as Glenburn) and in the 1990s at Craiganboy. The latter two developments were built privately for sale. It is estimated that there are now approximately 360 occupied dwelling houses in Glynn.
The pictures on the left are historical images. The pictures on the right were taken, for comparison, in July 2008.
The Millennium and beyond
Ten dwellings have been built near the river (Hawthorne Manor) and two more on Glenburn Road. More new developments have been proposed for the village. Dwellings are to be built south of Craiganboy, north west of Glenvale Park, at the foot of Glynn Brae on Glenburn Road and on the Main Road. Like so many other places the current recession has impacted upon Glynn's further development.
Now in 2010 all the aforementioned house building work has not commenced. It may be some time before we see new houses here in the village.
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