1783 Taylor & Skinner Markethill, Newtownhamilton, Mullabrack, Gosford Castle Ireland Road Map
Published in 1783, this hand-coloured antique Ireland road map is Map 25 from the second revised edition of Taylor & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland. The survey was undertaken in 1777, first published in 1778 and corrected for the 1783 edition.
The engraved heading, “Portrush by Charlemont,” identifies the wider journey represented by this section of the survey. The roads shown form an inland route through County Armagh, with connections towards Newry, Castleblayney and neighbouring roads.
Prominent places and features shown include Markethill, Newtownhamilton, Mullabrack and Gosford Castle. Markethill appears on the principal turnpike road, with Gosford Castle and Mullabrack Church close by.
South of Markethill, the route passes Mawhan, Loughans and Ballywire before reaching Newtownhamilton. The engraving records numerous junctions, streams, hills and minor roads, including connections towards Newry and Castleblayney.
Newtownhamilton is shown as an important road junction, with its church nearby. Further along the route are Fews Barrack and Roxborough House, together with named estates and residences belonging to contemporary landowners.
The sheet also records Lisnadill Church, local rivers, hills and scattered country houses, providing a detailed picture of the rural landscape of central and southern County Armagh in the late 18th century.
The combination of towns, churches, estates and connecting roads makes this map particularly interesting for County Armagh local history, Irish genealogy and family-history research.
Identified as Map 25 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.