Scrabo, County Down

Background

2km SW of Newtownards

par: Newtownards bar: Castlereagh Lower

Given its striking and prominent position overlooking Strangford Lough, it is only to be expected that reference to the hill from which this townland is named should be found in a number of interesting sources, including Great Rolls Pipe, Speed’s Ulster and Neilson’s Intro.  Neilson, probably on the basis of local tradition, indicates that Scrabo was regarded as being a fairy hill and that its guardian was one Mac an Eantoin (Neilson’s Intro. 74, 88). O’Laverty (ii 10) may have been the first to discover the ‘lost’ townland of Killcoman.  On the evidence of the 1675 AD spellings Ballykillconan, als Kilcoman, als Ballycullen, als Scrabo Hills, als Wilson's Land, he was of the opinion that an area of land in the townlands of Scrabo and Ballycullen formerly delineated the townland of Killcoman.

The 19th-century historian Knox (Knox Hist. 557) has this to say about Scrabo: "The highest ground in this district, except the adjoining hill of Karnav Gar (i.e. Goat's mount) is Scrabo Hill, the ‘Knock Scraboh’ of Speed's Map, on which several very valuable freestone quarries have been opened. On its summit there is a handsome turreted memorial, visible to a great distance, erected from a design by Sir Charles Lanyon, in honour of the third Marquis of Londonderry."  A hill-fort is situated on the top of this prominent hill and traces of a number of hut-groups can be seen below the summit (ASCD 147, 179).

The quarries at Scrabo are amongst the most important in Ulster and are of considerable antiquity since Grey Abbey was built with Scrabo sandstone in the late 12th century. The Natural Stone Database (www.stonedatabase.com) lists no less than 109 historic buildings built with Scrabo sandstone, including Belfast Castle, Belfast Royal Academy and the Albert Clock.

References

Hannan R. J. (1992): Place-Names of Northern Ireland vol. 2 p. 235; revised PT; McKay, P. (2007): A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, p. 129;

Additional Information

Historical name form

Old Form	Ref. Date	Reference
Strabok, 1 caru'' in le hill de	1450c	CPR (Tresham) 242
Knock Scraboh	1610	Speed's Ulster
Knock Scraboh	1610	Speed's Antrim & Down
Straboe, the hill of	1613	CPR Jas I 255a
The highest ground in this district , except the adjoining hill of Karnav Gar (i.e. Goat's mount) [=Cairngaver] is Scrabo Hill	1875	Knox Hist. 557
Scraboc	1275c	Great Rolls Pipe xxxvi 32
Scrabocke	1580c	SE Ulster Map
Scrabocke	1595	Mercator's Ulst.
Scraboke	1595	Mercator's Ulst.
Scrabo	1623	Ham. Copy Inq. [1623] xliii
Scrabo	1659c	Census 1659 95
Ballykillconan als Killcoman als Ballycullen als Scrabo Hills als Wilson's Land	1675	Montgomery MSS 268 n.35
Scrabo	1683	Descr. Ards 41
Scraba	1774	Harris Hist. 70
Sgrabaigh, i Sioghbhrugh	1808	Neilson's Intro. 74
Scrabo	1810	Wm. Map (OSNB) E33
Scrabo	1830c	Bnd. Sur. (OSNB) E33
Scraith Bo ""sward of the cow""	1834c	J O'D (OSNB) E33
""the sward of the cows"" (John McAnanty, northern fairy king)	1869c	Joyce ii 384 Joyce
Screabach	1969	AGBP 119
Screabach	1989	GÉ 155
Screabach "rough, stony land"	1999	Dict. Ulst. PN 129

Barony

Castlereagh Lower

Parish

Newtownards

Parish in 1851

Newtownards

Townland

None

Place name ID

11926

Place name type

T