Jamestown, County Leitrim
Encyclopedia
Jamestown is a village on the banks of the River Shannon
in County Leitrim
, Ireland
. It lies some 5 km east-south-east of the county town, Carrick-on-Shannon
.
Jamestown was originally built as a walled plantation town for seventeenth century English settlers. It used to be on the main Sligo
to Dublin road (N4) and was known for the narrow pillars of the arch of the old town gate that straddles the road in the centre of the village. The arch was damaged by a passing lorry in the early 1970s and the top was removed. In recent years at Christmas a lighted skeletal arch has been erected by the local community.
Two pubs and a church mark the centre of the village, close to remains of the boundary walls.
Jamestown lies beside the Shannon with its own jetty and is a popular stopping point for boats.
A Stone cross over a small gate (constructed by Murtagh O'Dowd, local blacksmith), outside the old town gate, leads to the remains of a Franciscan friary of the convent of the Friars' Minor. The Franciscan convent of the Friars Minor was not founded until the occupation of Jamestown in 1642 by the O'Rourkes.
A synod
held here in 1650 repudiated the Duke of Ormond, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and excommunicated his followers.
, an Iron Age fortification built to protect Connacht from invaders from the north lies close to the jetty and runs across the Shannon peninsula between Jamestown and Drumsna.
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
in County Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It lies some 5 km east-south-east of the county town, Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrick-on-Shannon is the county town of County Leitrim in Ireland. It is also the smallest main county town in the country . It is situated on a strategic crossing point of the River Shannon and is the largest town in the county. The population of the town was 3,163 in 2006. It is in the barony...
.
Jamestown was originally built as a walled plantation town for seventeenth century English settlers. It used to be on the main Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
to Dublin road (N4) and was known for the narrow pillars of the arch of the old town gate that straddles the road in the centre of the village. The arch was damaged by a passing lorry in the early 1970s and the top was removed. In recent years at Christmas a lighted skeletal arch has been erected by the local community.
Two pubs and a church mark the centre of the village, close to remains of the boundary walls.
History
The settlement was created by Royal Charter of James I in 1621, and was founded in 1622 as a plantation town carrying into action the decision of 1620 to plant Leitrim with loyal English settlers. It was granted to Sir Charles Coote, a Devonshire Planter, who fortified it with walls twenty feet high and six feet in thickness, enclosing an area of about 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) which contained a castle. It had an area of 200 acre (0.809372 km²) under its liberty. The Borough with a very restricted franchise returned two members to the Irish Parliament until the Act of Union with Britain in 1801. Among its parliamentary representatives were Sir Charles Coote (1634–1660), John Fitzgibbons (later Lord Clare), (1776) and Richard (Humanity Dick) Martin. The surnames Butler and Clyne are particularly numerous in the Jamestown area.A Stone cross over a small gate (constructed by Murtagh O'Dowd, local blacksmith), outside the old town gate, leads to the remains of a Franciscan friary of the convent of the Friars' Minor. The Franciscan convent of the Friars Minor was not founded until the occupation of Jamestown in 1642 by the O'Rourkes.
A synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
held here in 1650 repudiated the Duke of Ormond, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and excommunicated his followers.
Doon of Drumsna
The Dún (Doon) of DrumsnaDrumsna
Drumsna is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is situated 6 km east of Carrick-on-Shannon on the River Shannon and is located off the N4 National primary route which links Dublin and Sligo. The harbour dates to 1817 and was a hive of commercial waterway activity until the more northern...
, an Iron Age fortification built to protect Connacht from invaders from the north lies close to the jetty and runs across the Shannon peninsula between Jamestown and Drumsna.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland