By Violet Brown
THE Presbyterian community of Ballywalter will mark four centuries of a continuous presence in the village and surrounding area with a programme of special events this weekend.
Ballywalter is one of the oldest Presbyterian congregations in Ireland with Friday, March 6, marking the 400th anniversary of the installation of Rev. James Hamilton, the first Presbyterian minister in Ballywalter.
Billy Carlile, chair of Ballywalter and District Historical Society, explained Ballywalter was the oldest Presbyterian congregation of the Ards peninsula, and that there was a Presbyterian church in the village before they were present in either Newtownards or Donaghadee.
Thousands of settlers came to Ulster in the early 1600s during the plantation and colonisation of the province and a large part of land on the Ards peninsula and North Down was acquired by James Hamilton and Hugh Montgomery.
“In the first decades of the 1600s there was no Presbyterian church in Ireland so everyone was obliged to attend the established church which was Church of Ireland,” explained Billy. “The people that James Hamilton and Hugh Montgomery had started to bring over in 1606 were nearly all Scottish and therefore mostly Presbyterian.”
James Hamilton had a nephew – also called James Hamilton – who had been educated at Glasgow university, receiving his MA in 1620. The older James Hamilton had received a knighthood in 1608.
Following the plantation, families were encouraged to take up plots of land and start to farm them and some of these people had settled in the Ballywalter area.
Sir James Hamilton invited his nephew to come to Ulster to manage his huge and prosperous estates in County Down. “Simple cottages had sprung up in Ballywalter by 1610 and by the 1620s a strong Ulster-Scots community had been established thanks to the natural harbour and the clear view towards Scotland,” said Billy.
The young James Hamilton, he continued, lived at his uncle’s large home in Bangor.
“Sir James made it his business to restore Bangor Abbey for the Scottish settlers to use as a place of worship and in 1623 an impressive young minister arrived,” Mr Carlile explained.
This was Robert Blair who arrived in Bangor in May 1623. He insisted on being ordained as a Presbyterian and was installed at Bangor Abbey.
Shortly after Blair settled in Bangor, he encouraged the young James Hamilton to enter the ministry, and he was offered Ballywalter by his uncle Sir James. The episcopalian church at Whitechurch, Ballywalter, was restored by Sir James and this was where Rev. James Hamilton preached his first sermon in the village.
Throughout the centuries different church buildings on various sites were built in the village. The current church was completed in 1889 and dominates the Main Street of Ballywalter,
The current minister of Ballywalter, Rev. Gareth Simpson, said this weekend and throughout the coming year they would be celebrating 400 years of the Presbyterian church being at the heart of the village.
“It is a milestone in our history and it gives us an opportunity to reflect and appreciate the generations who have
worshipped, served, and found comfort here,” Mr Simpson said.
“Our church has long been a steady presence, a place where people have gathered through calm days and stormy ones,” he continued. “Across the centuries, we’ve been anchored in God’s Word, finding guidance, hope and strength as we’ve shared life together in this corner of the Ards peninsula.
“As we look ahead, we want to continue being a welcoming, active presence for Jesus Christ, a church that supports people in everyday life and serves our community with compassion and purpose,” he said.
Mr Simpson concluded: “As we mark this anniversary, we want to say thank you — to those who came before us, to those who belong to the church today, and to the wider community that has shaped and supported us across the generations. We’re grateful for God’s faithfulness through the years and in every season, and we look ahead with hope to all that lies ahead for Ballywalter Presbyterian.”
The weekend of celebrations begins on Friday, March 6, with a concert and evening of entertainment in the church hall with a historical presentation from William Roulston, and performances by Portavogie Fishermen’s Choir, the Royal Scottish country dance team and Ballywalter Flute Band. Refreshments will be provided at the event which starts at 7.30pm.
Celebrations continue on Saturday with an historical exhibition in the church from 2pm to 5pm supported by the Ulster Scots Agency and Ballywalter Historical Society.
Then on Sunday there will be a special service of worship at 11am in the church with guest speaker Rev. Dr Alan Russell.
