Baronial Police Constables In Co. Down In 1818/19

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File contributed for use in Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives by:
James Ryan jim.ryan@circa.ie January 23, 2026, 12:18 am

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This list of 69 Constables is extracted from the Grand Jury Presentment reports
of 1818/19 for County Down. They were part of the Baronial Police or so called
"Barnies" which were established by Acts of the Irish Parliament in 1787 and
1792.

Name                     Location        Rank                         Barony
==========================================================================================
Adams      James         Rathfriland     Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Upper
Adamson    James         Gilford         Sub-Constable                Iveagh
Anderson   Thomas                        Sub-Constable                Dufferin
Bailey     Stuart                        High-Constable/collector     Upper Iveagh Lr.
Barrett    John R.                       Sub-Constable                Newry
Battersby  John          Dromore         Sub-Constable                Iveagh
Bloxham    Richard                       Sub-Constable                Newry
Bole       William                       Sub-Constable                Kinalarty
Bradshaw   Hercules                      High -Constable/collector    Hillsborough Iveagh
Brown      William       Dunmore         Sub-Constable                Kinalarty
Cahoon     Rodney                        Sub-Constable                Castlereagh
Clegg      Joseph        Rathfriland     Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Upper
Coates     Henry         Ballyculter     Special-Constable            Lecale
Corbett    Hugh                          Sub-Constable                Iveagh
Cousens    Moses         Scarva          Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Lr.
Doak       James         Drumarra        Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Upper
Ennis      Joseph        Carrobane       High-Constable/collector     Lecale
Fee        George                        Sub-Constable                Iveagh
Ferguson   James         Comber          Sub-Constable                Castlereagh
Forde      William                       Sub-Constable                Newry
Gerrard    Thomas        Castlewellan    Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Upper
Gibbony    James         Castlewellan    Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Upper
Gibson     John                          Sub-Constable                Newry
Graham     John                          High-Constable               Lecale
Hall       John                          Sub-Constable                Iveagh
Harper     Joseph        Lisnatierny     Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Lr
Harper     Robert                        High-Constable               Dufferin
Hawley     James                         Sub-Constable                ArdsLower
Hull       Richard       Taughran        Sub-Constable                Iveagh
Hutchinson William       Bonecastle      Sub-Constable                Lecale
Johnston   Francis       Comber          Sub-Constable                Kinalarty
Jones      James         Warrenpoint     Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Lr.
Kennedy    William       Loughbrickland  Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Lr.
Keown      William                       High-Constable               Ards Lower
Killen     Hugh          Ballynahinch    Sub-Constable                Kinalarty
Lindsay    Moses                         Sub-Constable                Iveagh
Lowden     George                        Sub-Constable                Dufferin
Lowry      James         Drumreagh       Sub-Constable                Castlereagh
Lucas      Brownlow      Saintfield                                   Castlereagh
Lynch      Terence       Hilltown        Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Upper
Macnamara  Henry                         Sub-Constable                Ards Lower
Macoubrey  John          Ballynaglave    Sub-Constable                Kinalarty
Mathews    Thomas        Killough        Special-Constable            Lecale
McCamon    William       Drumgooland     High-Constable/collector     Kinalarty
McConnell  Robert                        High-Constable/collector     Castlereagh
McCullagh  Alexander                     Sub-Constable                ArdsLower
McMechan   John          Castlewellan    High-Constable/collector     Upper Iveagh Upper
McMurren   Samuel        Gervaghy        Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Upper
McVeagh    John                          Sub-Constable                Castlereagh
Moore      James         Warrenpoint     Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Lr.
Moore      Jas.          Ptolemynows     High-Constable/collector     Dufferin
Mullady    Michael                       Sub-Constable                Ards Lower
Patterson  Alex.                         High-Constable               Ards Lower
Patterson  George        Corbally        High-Constable/collector     Lecale
Patton     Thomas        Kilmud          High-Constable/collector     Castlereagh
Porter     John                          High-Constable/collector     Iveagh
Ranson     Samuel        Saintfield      Sub-Constable                Castlereagh
Rea        Edward        Rann            Special-Constable            Lecale
Robinson   John          Anaghmore       Sub-Constable                Iveagh
Seeds      James         Ballyculter     Special-Constable            Lecale
Seeds      Moses                         High-Constable               Lecale
Skinner    William       Hollymount      Special-Constable            Lecale
Smith      Joseph        Drumnaqauil     Sub-Constable                Kinalarty
Stephenson James                         High-Constable               Newry
Stuart     Robert        Rostrevor       Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Lr.
Swail      Samuel        Tullycarnon     Special-Constable            Lecale
Thompson   James         Castlewellan    Special-Constable            Upper Iveagh Upper
Watson     John          Ballintogher    Special-Constable            Lecale
Yeaman     Richard                       Sub-Constable                Ards Lower


Additional Comments:
The duties of the High Constables included collection of the cess (or tax) that
funded the Grand Jury activities. In return, they received a small proportion of
the tax collected. Sub constables were paid a salary of £4 per year.  Some of
these men (if they met the required standards) may have been absorbed into the
Royal Irish Constabulary after it was formed in 1822. The ranks are High
Constable and Sub constable (which is called Special Constable in some
baronies).


Source:
The document is in the National Library of Ireland (Call Number 12B
796).  Further information on Grand Juries is available in Ryan, James  (2025)
Grand Jury Records as a source for Irish Family History.  J.  Gen. Soc. Irl. Vol
26, pp 103-112  see www.academia.edu/145288653