Newtownstewart


Newtownstewart is a village and townland of in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is overlooked by hills called Bessy Bell and Mary Gray and lies on the River Strule below the confluence with its tributary the Owenkillew. It is situated in the historic barony of Strabane Lower and the civil parish of Ardstraw. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,479 people. It lies within the Derry and Strabane District Council area.

History

The townland of Newtownstewart was historically called Lislas. It gained its current name when the land was granted to Sir William Stewart as part of the Plantation of Ulster.
The Northern Bank building on the corner was the scene of an infamous murder in 1871 when bank cashier William Glass was robbed of £1,600 and killed. Assistant District Inspector Thomas Hartley Montgomery, of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who was in charge of the investigation, was subsequently tried, convicted, and hanged at Omagh Gaol.
The local flute band has been in existence since 1979.

Places of interest

Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon were married on 26 April 1923 in Westminster Abbey. The newlyweds' first visit as the Duke and Duchess of York was to Newtownstewart.

Other

Theobald Wolfe Tone, was imprisioned in the towns Police station for one night after his capture on 12 October 1798, en route to his execuation in Dublin on 19 November 1798.

Sport

2001 Census

Newtownstewart is classified as a village by the . On Census day there were 1,479 people living in Newtownstewart. Of these:
For more details see:

People

Construction of the Irish gauge, Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway began in 1845 and reached Strabane in 1847. By 1852 it had extended to Newtownstewart and Omagh and its terminus in Enniskillen was reached in 1854. The company was absorbed into the Great Northern Railway in 1883. Newtownstewart railway station opened on 9 May 1852 and finally closed on 15 February 1965.