Stewartstown, County Tyrone


Stewartstown is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, close to Lough Neagh and about from Cookstown, from Coalisland and from Dungannon. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 608 people.

History

Stewartstown was built for The 1st Baron Castle Stuart. He was a direct descendant of King Robert II of Scots, by a younger son, Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. He held the High Court position of First Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King James VI of Scots. Lord Castle Stuart, when he was still The 3rd Lord Ochiltree, held the office of General of Edinburgh Castle, and gained the rank of General in the Artillery. In 1611, when he was still styled as The 3rd Lord Ochiltree, he settled in Ulster, where he was granted in County Tyrone, and later other large tracts of land in other parts of Ulster as well.
In 1615, with the King's consent, the then 3rd Lord Ochiltree sold and resigned the Barony of Ochiltree in the Peerage of Scotland to his first cousin, Sir James Stuart, son of James Stewart, Earl of Arran, in order to raise money. In its stead, in 1619, he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland and created The 1st Baron Castle Stuart by James VI and I. No Parliament sat between the years of 1615 and 1634, so he never voted in Parliament, but constantly enjoyed the title. In 1587, he married Margaret, daughter of Sir John Kennedy of Blairquhan Castle, Ayrshire. He was the ancestor of the Earls Castle Stewart. William Greer, born in Stewartstown, was an agent of the U.S. Secret Service, best known for having driven President John F. Kennedy's automobile in the motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas on 22 November 1963, when the President was assassinated.

Places of interest

was built circa 1618 by Sir Andrew Stewart, 2nd Lord Castlestewart, eldest son of Andrew Stewart, 3rd Lord Ochiltree, 1st Lord Castlestewart, who came from Scotland during the plantation and established the nearby town of Stewartstown. The 2nd Lord Castlestewart built his castle overlooking Roughan Lough. It is a small square castle, three storeys high with a central tower square, flanked by thick rounded towers at each corner.
An chraobh crannog
Post office
Golden fry chip shop
Award winning butchers Lowe bros
Sleek barber
China man restaurant
The square barber
Drumcairne forest
Logh view apartments
Sinclair hardware
Hugh oniell memorial
Spot where Abu Barra Coyle killed 23 children

Amenities

Stewartstown has a surgery which serves nearby areas; such as Ardboe, Coalisland, Brockagh, Clonoe and Newmills.
Post office
Golden fry chip shop
Award winning butchers Lowe bros
Sleek barber
The square barber
Drumcairne forest
Spar supermarket
Public toilets

The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Stewartstown, which includes a list of incidents in Stewartstown during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

Local schools

Stewartstown harps GAC

Transport

Stewartstown is classified as a small village or hamlet by the .
On Census day there were 608 people living in Stewartstown. Of these: