Castlebellingham

Castlebellingham (Irish: Baile an Ghearlánaigh) is a village and townland in County Louth, Ireland. The village has become a lot quieter since the construction of the new M1 motorway which bypasses the village. Because of its proximity to Dublin and Dundalk, the village has seen an influx of new inhabitants and construction.

The castle of Castlebellingham has served as one of the ancestral homes for Bellinghams since the 17th century. The Bellingham family originated in the small town of Kendal, Westmoreland in England, the original ancestor of the Irish Bellinghams, Alan Bellingham hailed from here.Henry Bellingham, a descendant of Alan was a cavalry officer who first came to Ireland during the English Civil War. The lands of Gernonstown were granted to Henry during the Cromwellian Settlement, in which a large amount of native Irish lands were given to Englishmen in reward for their service. Henry is named in the list of grantees under the Acts of Settlement and Explanation of Charles II s. In 1666, Charles II formally granted the lands to him for his ‘faithful service as a good soldier in the late wars’

There is some variation on the spelling of Gernonstowne. On various maps and other documents it is spelled Gernonstowne, Gernonstown, Gernon's-Town, Gormanstown, Germanstown, Garlandstown, Garland, etc. Irish road signs show the English as Castlebellingham while the Irish translation still refers to baile an Ghearlanaigh - or Gernonstown. It was not called Castlebellingham for at least forty years after the purchase. The name does not appear on any document before the year 1700. About 1710 it began to appear in journals and other sources to be called Castlebellingham.

The castle was occupied by troops and burned down in the autumn of 1689 by King James II in revenge for Colonel Thomas Bellingham being a guide for William III, prior to the Battle of the Boyne. It is said that King William's armies camped the night before the Battle of the Boyne in the grounds of the castle.

Over time Castlebellingham became known as an important gathering point in the county. Fairs were held there every year. A church was constructed next door to the castle and graveyard with a family vault was built. The Bellinghams became one of the most powerful and influential family in the county. From 1880-85 Henry Bellingham held a seat in Parliament for County Louth. In the 1800s the family converted to Roman Catholicism.

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