Lurgan is a flourishing manufacturing town in the County Armagh. It is situated twenty miles S.W. from Belfast, on the line of the Great Northern Railway, and about one and a half miles from Lough Neagh. Brownlow House, the home residence of the Right Hon. Lord Lurgan, K.P. (lord of the manor), is a splendid castle, fronted on the east by a large and beautiful lake, and surrounded by a great enclosed plantation which extends along the whole north-eastern side of the town. To this demesne there are several entrances, the principal being an elegant lodge, which stands near to the centre of the town, between High Street and Market Street.

Generally speaking, the architectural character of Lurgan is plain, but fashionable. The greater portion of the town has been tastefully rebuilt within recent years, and though the houses are only two storeys high from the level of the street, there are commonly cellars beneath. Lurgan is the first town of the County Armagh in population and commercial resources, and it is a very important legal centre as well. The General Quarter Sessions of the county are held there, and the large Petty Sessions district - which extends from the Moyntagh shores of Lough Neagh to several miles into the County Down - affords ample business for that court, which is held on the first and third Tuesday in each month. The manufacture of cambric handkerchiefs and damask goods is the staple trade of Lurgan, and the country and villages surrounding, and to the success and skill of the inhabitants in the production of these fabrics may be attributed the rapid progress of the town. In 1831, the population of Lurgan was 3,760 ; it is now above 12,000. The annual valuation of rateable property was then £5,578.It is now £17,000.

The accumulation of private wealth must have been more than treble that of public, as a large number of manufacturers have, in the same period amassed princely fortunes. Among the principal depots of public industry in Lurgan are the extensive power loom factories of James Malcolm, Esq., J.P., and Messrs. James Macoun & Co.; and the winding factories of Messrs. John Ross & Co., Richardson, Sons & Owden, Limited, James Glass & Co., and James Clendenning ; and the stitching factory of the Lurgan Hemming and Veining Co. The Belfast, Northern and Ulster Banks have each a branch in operation there. The Parish Church, a large edifice in Gothic architecture, occupies a commanding site in the centre of the town. There are also commodious houses of worship for Presbyterians, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists, the Society of Friends, and Roman Catholics. There are, besides Lurgan College and the Model School, a good number of National Schools available for instruction, two of these being in immediate connection with St. Peter's Church and St. Joseph's Convent.

The municipal affairs of Lurgan are managed by a Board of fifteen Commissioners, incorporated under the Towns Improvement Act of 1854. The Mechanics' Institute is a handsome structure, situated at the corner of Market Street and Union Street. The Library is open in the evenings of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, from seven till nine o'clock. President - The Right Hon. Lord Lurgan, K.P.; Vice President - Francis Watson, Esq., J.P.; Trustees - Lord Lurgan, John Waite Greer, J.P., John Hancock, J.P., and Francis Watson, J.P., Hon. Secretary - Frederick W. Magahan. There is a building at the back of and adjoining the Institute, known as the New Town Hall, containing lecture hall, with platform at end with footlights, Town Commissioners' office, and a room occupied by the Masonic Body. There is a well supplied market held in Lurgan every Thursday, and fairs monthly and twice a year.

TOWN COMMISSIONERS

John Hancock, J.P., chairman; James Malcolm, J.P.; John J. Bell, John Johnston, Joseph Cordner; William Baird, Robert Mathers, Thomas Reburn, William Mahaffy, William Crawford, John Black, George R. Carrick, Samuel McCullagh, E. J. Parkinson and John W. Olpherts, M.D.

Board meets first Monday in each month at twelve o'clock.
Officers, Thomas Lutton, Town Clerk;
W. J. O'Neill, C.E., Town Surveyor;
Sanitary Officer, Dr. Russell;
Consulting Sanitary Officer, Dr. Shaw; sanitary sub-officer, Alexander Martin, Town Constable
Lord Lurgan's Office - John Hancock, J.P., agent and receiver ; W. J. Fleming, bookkeeper
Stamp Office - Fred. W. Maghan, Clerk of Petty Sessions

NOBILITY AND GENTRY.

Agnew, Samuel, M.D., and surgeon, Market Street
Bell, Samuel A., J.P., Bellview House
Bell, William, Bellview House
Berkeley, Rev. L. E., High Street
Black, John, Hill Street
Blood, Mrs., Market Street
Brown, Mrs., Queen Street
Brown, Mrs., Friends' Terrace
Campbell, Rev. Theophilus, D.D., The Rectory
Campbell, Rev. Peter Paul, C.C., North Street
Carson, Rev. James, minister, High Street
Cole, Rev. Richard, Hill Street
Cuppage, Mrs., Silverwood
Douglas, Charles, D.L., Grace Hall
Fforde, James, J.P., Raughlan
Greer, Henry, North Street
Greer, J. W., J.P., Woodville
Greer, George, B.L., Woodville
Greer, William, Wilderness
Hancock, John, jun., Manor House
Harper, James, High Street
Hazlett, George, solicitor, Florence Villa
Jones, Rev. J. W., Hill Street
Kennedy, Rev. C. W., Hill Street
Lurgan, Lord, K.P., Brownlow House
Lurgan, Lady, Brownlow House
Malcolm, James, J.P., manufacturer, High Street
Moore, Rev. A. J., North Street
Moore, W. H. D., solicitor, High Street
Morris, Misses, Market Street
Morris, Robert, solicitor, High Street
McCabe, Edward, William Street
McCorry, Peter, M.D., and surgeon, High Street
McKenna, Rev. James, P.P., North Street
McQuillan, Henry, Union Street
O'Hare, Rev. James, C.C., North Street
Olpherts, J. W., M.D. and surgeon, High Street
Ross, Mrs., High Street
Russell, P. C., M.D., High Street
Shaw, Wm., M.D. and surgeon, Market Street
Tracy, T. D., solicitor, Market Street
Ussher, James, solicitor, William Street
Waring, Major, J.P., Waringstown
Watson, Francis, J.P., Lakeview
Watson, Joseph, Lakeview
Watson, Hugh, Stromore House

PLACES OF WORSHIP

Parish Church, Church Place - Rev. Theophilus Campbell, D.D., rector ; Rev. A. J. Moore, curate; C. H. Poole, organist; J. W. Greer, J.P., R. Mathers, and J. J. Bell, parochial nominators; James Malcolm, J.P., and Courtney Johnston, church wardens
First Presbyterian Church, High Street - Rev. Lowry E. Berkeley
Second Presbyterian Church, Hill Street - Rev. C. W. Kennedy
Wesleyan Church, High Street - Revs. J. W. Jones and R. Cole
Primitive Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Queen Street - Rev. J. Carson
Friends' Meeting House, Queen Street
Roman Catholic Chapel, North Street - Revs. James McKenna, P.P.; James O'Hare, C.C.; and P. P. Campbell, C.C.

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

Lurgan College - This splendid school (under Watt's endowment) stands on the Lough Neagh Road. Head Master, W. T. Kirkpatrick, M.A.; trustees, J. Hancock, J.P.; J. W. Greer, J.P.; and James Anderson

Hill Street National School - Patron, Rev. C. W. Kennedy ; teacher, Mrs. Nicholson

Free School, North Street - Patron, Rev. Dr. Campbell ; teachers, R. Howell and Ann Anderson

St. Peter's National School North Street - Patron, Rev. J. McKenna ; teacher, F. McCarthy

Model School - Head Master, Alexander Greer, first assistant, W. J. Keatley ; second assistant, John Rainey ; head mistress, girls' school, Elizabeth Collins ; first assistant, Julia Greer ; second assistant, Rachel McClatchy. Head Mistress, infants' school, Ellen Gray ; first assistant, M. J. Brown ; second assistant, Elizabeth Canavan

Lurgan National School, High Street - Patron, Rev. L. E. Berkeley ; teachers, W. Gibson and Miss Steele

Banks

Belfast, High Street - E. Harper, manager;
Northern, High Street - H. Megarry, manager ;
Ulster, Market Street - J. Dill, manager ;
Lurgan Loan Bank, Hill Street - W. Baird, proprietor

Gas Works, William Street - T. Tollentine, manager ; W. Baird, secretary. Board of directors meet on the first Monday in each month.

Railway Station, William Street - J. Wilkinson, station master ; Joseph McCoubrey, ticket clerk

Mechanics' Institute, Market Street - President, Lord Lurgan ; secretary, Fred. W. Magahan ; librarian, George Godfrey. Reading Room open from 7 a.m. till 10 p.m., every day in the week except Sunday

Union Workhouse - Clerk, James Donaldson ; master, Robert Taylor ; matron, S. Anderson ; school master, John Scilley; school mistress, E. Cairns; porter, James Johnston; medical officer, Dr. Shaw. Board of guardians meet every Thursday at eleven o'clock

Court House - This is a very commodious building in William Street, recently erected by the County Armagh at a cost of £4,000. Mrs. Malone, caretaker

Bridewell, William Street - ? Sheppard, keeper

Constabulary Station - There are three constabulary stations in Lurgan, the principal being situated in Union Street, and the others in Queen Street and Edward Street. They are occupied by a force of about twenty men, commanded by Head Constable, Henderson, and Constables Smith, Doherty and Edwards.

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