1783 Taylor & Skinner Belfast, Carrickfergus, Ballynure, Whiteabbey & Ballycarry, Ireland Road Map
This hand-coloured antique Irish road map, published in 1783, is Map 13 from the second revised edition of Taylor & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland. Surveyed in 1777 and corrected down to 1783, it records historic roads linking Belfast, Whiteabbey, Carrickfergus, Straid, Ballynure, Kilroot and Ballycarry in County Antrim.
The original heading “Road from Dublin to Carrickfergus & Glenarm” identifies the wider journey represented by this section of the survey. Mileage tables record distances from Dublin through Belfast and Carrickfergus to Larne and Glenarm, together with an alternative route by way of Ballynure.
Belfast is prominently engraved beside Belfast Lough, with roads leading from the town and numerous nearby properties and estates identified. The road follows the shoreline past places including Fort William, Parkmount, White House and Whiteabbey before reaching Carrickfergus.
Carrickfergus forms the major feature of the sheet, shown beside Belfast Lough with its surrounding road network and nearby estates. The engraving also marks the historic “Liberty of Carrickfergus” boundary, providing an interesting administrative detail from the late 18th century.
Another route passes through Straid and Ballynure, with connecting roads and numerous country properties shown across the surrounding landscape. The map records churches, hills, estates and the residences of contemporary landowners throughout this section of County Antrim.
The route around Kilroot and Ballycarry includes further named estates and local landmarks, including Red Hall, Mount Pleasant and Temple Corran Church, while additional roads connect this area with the wider network represented on the sheet.
The engraving preserves historical forms such as “White Abby” for modern Whiteabbey, while modern place-name spellings are used in this listing to make the map easier to find while retaining the original wording in the artwork.
As throughout Taylor & Skinner’s survey, numerous named estates, country houses and contemporary landowners appear beside the roads, giving the engraving additional interest for Irish local history, genealogy and family-history research.
The combination of Belfast, Carrickfergus, Ballynure and Belfast Lough, together with the marked Liberty of Carrickfergus boundary and detailed road network, makes this an especially interesting record of late-18th-century County Antrim.
Identified as Map 13 in Taylor & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland, it forms part of their extensive late-18th-century survey of Ireland’s principal roads.