Contents
Area first settled eight thousand years ago.
The Plantation of Ulster
Effects of the Industrial Revolution in the Craigavon area
The Linen Industry in the Craigavon area
Formation of the Orange Order
First and second World Wars
Craigavon 'New City'

Areas of local Interest
Moneypenny's Lock and Lockhouse
The Barn Museum
Towns & Villages

Area first settled eight thousand years ago.
The first settlers in the area which is now Craigavon arrived around eight thousand years ago during the Mesolithic period. They formed small, nomadic communities around the banks of Lough Neagh. They were largely fishermen and food gatherers; evidence of their existence can be seen today in the large number of flint tools they left behind. During the Neolithic Period, these nomadic communities became settlements and took advantage of the open pasture land and rock-free soil to farm and graze cattle. The ideal climatic conditions which created such good farming and grazing land deteriorated around three thousand years age and caused the settlers to move to lower ground where they used iron and bronze tools to clear the woods and till the rocky ground. They built raths, many of which survive today, and from these small forts they farmed the land.

The Plantation of Ulster
Settlers from England colonised the area in the early 1600's as part of the Plantation of Ulster. The Present site of Portadown was acquired by the Obins Family who purchased the land from the original recipients (the Powells). The broad pool where Portadown was later erected had been used as a crossing place by early settlers and was the only place on which the new town could be built. The Brownlow family, who built Lurgan was the largest recipients of plantation lands. Their religious tolerance allowed many Roman Catholic tenants to hold land and also permitted a significant colony of members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) to thrive. These Quaker colonists, mainly disenchanted former Cromwellian soldiers form Yorkshire and Cumberland, were prominent in the early development of the linen industry, especially in bleaching.

Effects of the Industrial Revolution in the Craigavon area
The Industrial Revolution brought prosperity to the Lurgan and Portadown area. Both towns were ideally situated to become a centre of transportation, being located on the junction of the east-west crossing of the River Bann and the north-south spillway - the broad, shallow valley which runs to Newry. The first summit level canal in Britain and Ireland, the Newry Navigation, was completed in 1742 and was built along this naturally flat spillway. The first lock to be used was at Moneypenny's, where the lockhouse and stables are now owned by Craigavon Borough Council. The Newry Canal, and later the Coalisland, Ulster and Lagan Canals, helped establish Portadown as a leading inland port. The arrival of the Ulster Railway in 1842, and the later extension of the railway system, established Portadown as one of the busiest railway junctions in the North.

The Linen Industry in the Craigavon area
It was the introduction of Linen manufacturing that contributed most to the growth of Lurgan and Portadown. Due to the fact that Lurgan had no heavy industries, the weavers were predominantly men whereas in the rest of the country they were mostly women. The development of power looms led to a resurgence of the linen industry in the area, with factories concentrating mainly on the smaller items of linen, such as handkerchiefs. Portadown, although of a comparable size to Lurgan, was never as successful as Lurgan in the production of Linen although it came into its own in the mid to late nineteenth century with the introduction of power-loom weaving and indeed enjoyed world-wide fame for its fine linens in the form of hankerchiefs, cambrics and sheers.

Formation of the Orange Order
The Orange Order was formed in 1795 in a neighbouring town of Loughgall, as a response to faction fighting in the area. One of the founding members of this organisation was William Blacker, who was then aged eighteen. He was a local member of the landed gentry who later commanded the Seagoe Yeomanry, a company of Orangemen who were armed by the government. In the rank of Captain he led them in the various battles of the 1798 rebellion, including Vinegar Hill in Wexford, Ballinamuck in Longford, Saintfield in Down. He had a hand in raising the Armagh Regiment of Militia and was raised to the rank of Colonel. During this time he also held the office of County Grand Master of Armagh Orange Lodge.

First and second World Wars
The political turmoil of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries resulted in a strong battalion of the Ulster Volunteer Force being formed in the area under the command of Col. Stewart Blacker. These men joined en masse the 9th Ulster Division and were decimated at the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916. Many others from both sides of the local religious and political divide also gave their lives in the First World War. The Second World War resulted in fewer deaths of members of the Forces from this area but had a greater operational impact here. Regiments from Britain, Belgium and the United States were all based here and there were also prisoner of war camps for German and Italian captives.

Craigavon 'New City'
In his 'Belfast Regional and Survey Plan', which was published in February 1963, Professor Sir Robert Matthew identified the three principal functions of the 'New City' as the creation of a new base for industry which would increase the attractiveness of the area to foreign investors; the creation of a new residential area which would to relieve housing and traffic pressures on the Belfast Urban area; and the creation of a new service area which would contribute to the regeneration of the south and west of N Ireland. Craigavon was designated in 1965 when the Craigavon Development Commission was created to develop the 'New City' of Craigavon. Craigavon District Council came into being in June 1973 following the reorganisation of local government and achieved Borough status with effect from 1st October 1973 under the Charter of the former Borough of Lurgan.

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