Dunlady, County Down
Origin
Ir. Dún Léide ‘Léide’s fort’
Background
The name of the townland of Dunlady is recorded as Ballydownledy in 1605 and as Balle-Dunlady in 1623. The prefix Bally/Balle in these English sources are unlikely to be indicative of the element baile ‘townland’ in the original Irish form of the place-name and the most satisfactory interpretation is Dún Léide ‘Léide’s fort’.. Léide is a rare Irish personal name, borne by the father of the legendary prehistoric king of Ulster, Fergus son of Léite (Modern Irish Léide) , who met his death fighting a water-monster in Dundrum Bay (McKillop 1998, 190). The Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record records a ‘platform rath’ in the townland.
References
P. McKay, 2009Additional Information
Historical name form
Old Form | Ref. Date | Reference |
---|---|---|
Dun Laidighe | 1834c | J O'D (OSNB) No. 38 |
possibly Dún Leide ""fort of the tag or mark"" or Dún Léide "fort of the deed of daring" or Dún Cláidí "fort of the cleansing stream" | 2003 | HMC replies HMCjun03 |
Dunleth | 1333 | Inq. Earldom Ulster iii 64 |
Ballydownelede | 1605 | Inq. Ult. (Down) $2 Jac. I |
Ballydownledy | 1605 | CPR Jas I 73a |
Ballydowneladye | 1612 | CPR Jas I 236a |
Ballidunlady | 1620 | Ham. Patent [1620] xxi |
Balle-Dunlady | 1623 | Ham. Copy Inq. [1623] xlii |
Balledamlady | 1623 | Ham. Copy Inq. [1623] xxxiv |
Donlade | 1625c | Raven Map Clandeboye 30 |
Donlade | 1625c | Raven Map Clandeboye 30, 31 |
(?)Balliemalady or Balledimlady | 1630 | Ham. Patent [1630] xiii |
Balledunlady | 1645 | Inq. Ult. (Down) $104 Car. I |
Dunlady | 1659c | Census 1659 87 |
Dunlady | 1661 | BSD 128 |
Ballydunladie | 1663 | Sub. Roll Down 284 |
Dunlady | 1745 | Map of Down (OSNB) No. 48 |
Dunlady | 1745 | Map of Down (OSNB) No. 48 |
Dunlady | 1810 | Wm. Map (OSNB) No. 48 |
Dunlady | 1810 | Wm. Map (OSNB) No. 48 |
Donlady | 1823 | Downshire Direct. 321 |
Dunlady | 1830c | Bnd. Sur. (OSNB) No. 48 |
Dunlady | 1830c | Bnd. Sur. (OSNB) No. 48 |
- Barony
- Castlereagh Lower
- Parish
- Dundonald
- Parish in 1851
- Dundonald
- Townland
- None
- Place name ID
- 6769
- Place name type
- T