| Notes |
- The Brownlow Family and the Rise of Lurgan
from Review - Journal of Craigavon Historical Society Vol. 1 No. 1
by K. Clendinning
William died October 1794 and was buried in the vault in Shankill Graveyard. He was succeeded by his eldest son William, born 1st September 1755. William was High Sheriff of County Armagh 1787, M.P. 1795/97, 1807/12 and 1812/15. He married Charity, daughter of Matthew Ford of Seaford, in 1803. William Brownlow, opened a private Bank called William Brownlow Esq.,& Co., his partners being Joseph Malcolmson, Henry McVeigh, John Cuppage and John Waite. At one time it had notes to the value of £170,000 in circulation. These were issued, payable at Wilcocks and John Philps, Caple Street, Dublin, and there alone they were redeemable. By 1815, William Brownlow, John Cuppage and John Waite had retired from the business and the bank was called Malcolmson & Co., and the partners were Joseph Malcolmson, Henry McVeigh and Alexander Cuppage.
A description of the Brownlow Estate is contained in a Survey of County Armagh by Sir Charles Coote for the Dublin Society 1803: This manor is all leased in so small divisions as to average less than five acres and a great number so low as three acres. All these are leased except the town of Lurgan, where there is a perpetuity on the whole. The town of Lurgan has been called Little England and is composed of one very long street, which is in one place near the church greatly disfigured with .a number of very miserable houses, which are strangely built in its centre, and quite spoil the effect it otherwise has. There is an excellent house which if any, is the only building that should be suffered in the centre of that street; the entrance to this building has been ornamented with iron railings, and in the apartments overhead the sessions have been held, but a neat court house and bridewell have been newly built and now newly finished. Many of the houses in the town are covered with shingles and it is surprising to see this made adaptable even in some handsome modern houses.
There is a poor school supported by an annual charity sermon and liberal subscriptions in which seldom less than 200 children are educated.
Mr. Brownlow's demesne, which consists of 300 acres, adjoins the town of Lurgan and is very much improved and enclosed with a capital stone wall. The mansion is a very antique castle, and has received many additions since the original walls were built in 1609. The demesne though very beautiful, corresponds with the antiquity of the castle, and the many enclosures in which it is divided. It is highly ornamented with a fine sheet of water, which is covered with swans, Cape Geese, wild duck and a beautiful variety of water-fowl. Around the lake is a pleasant and neat gravel walk decorated with elegant plantations. The park is well stocked with deer and numerous hares sport, through every part of the demesne.
In 1808 a coach service was started between Belfast and Dublin. This service ran through Newry, via Lurgan and Waringstown, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and returned on alternate days. This journey took roughly 20 hours and the fare from Belfast was £1.14.11 inside and £1.0.7 outside. By 1836 three coaches ran between Lurgan and Belfast daily, and were named the Phoenix, the Day Fly, and McCann's Portadown Coach. But this mode of transport was short lived for the railway reached Lurgan on the 18th November, 1841.
William Brownlow died July 1815, leaving no family. His brother Charles, succeeded him.
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1755 - 
, d. 30 Nov 1794 (Age 68 years) 
