To investigate the changing needs of the congregation of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Meeting House of Dunmurry

mainstream Presbyterianism in 1829.

He was a highly thought of person , as shown by a marble plaque dedicated to his

memory on one side of the pulpit. There is also a large family burial plot behind

the church. He was much loved by his congregation.

He supported the Catholic Emancipation and his brothers were United Irishmen.

After the downfall of the United Irishmen rebellion his brothers were forced to go

on the run. This caused the crown forces to destroy Montgomery's home. Also

Montgomery's neighbour, who was a church elder, was hanged on his front porch.

The 1714 Building

By the 18th century the penal laws against Presbyterians were relaxed and so

therefore the congregation were able to rebuild their meeting house to provide for

the changing needs of their growing population.

Although there is nothing left of the original church there is still proof that the

714 church is still incorporated within the church today. We can prove this by the

714 plaque which reads;

Fig 1.

The plaque is described in the Dixon Survey "a stone set in the gable end at the

foot of the T shaped building" and its words "Anno Christi 1714 Georgii R;J"

means built in the first year of the reign of George l.

We must also question whether or not the plaque has been moved over the years

from its original placing to accommodate the new buildings.

Fig.2

We also need to know what the 1714 building looked like. Although we do not

know what the original size of the church was, the o.s memoirs state that the

meeting house was nineteen and a half feet by fifteen and a half feet. In 1714 however it could have been larger.

Fig.3 it could have extended towards the right or the left.

Fig.4 it is more likely that it extended to the right, according to the present roof

There is also the question of were the entrance was at this time. There is a

possibility that the entrance could have directly faced were the Montgomery

burial plot lies today. Although we cannot prove this we are aware that the

entrance was most probably at the back of the building.

The 1779 Building

From the one of the plaques above the front doors of the meeting house we can

prove that again the Meeting House was rebuilt in 1779. The plaque reads "This

house was rebuilt at the expense of the congregation of Dunmurry in 1779.".

There is also another plaque at the front of the church the names the Reverend at

the time who was Reverend Stoppe. This information comes from the Church

booklet from the source packs.

Fig 1

From the outside the church looks more like normal house rather than a place of

worship. This could be because the congregation did not feel the need to have to

worship publicly .The church was built in Georgian style and was kept very plain

but it is still a very elaborate building.

Fig.2

We can also say that the entrance to the church had been completely changed. if

we look back at the 1714 building we can see that the entrance had been at the

rear of the church but it then was moved when the new building was built to the

front of the church.

There are several factors that can help us prove this fact. The boot scrapers, path

and gates were all added when the new building was built and so therefore are all

in their original placing and have not been moved since this time which indicates

that the door has not been moved. Although the gates are not actually original

(they have been changed from cast iron to wrought iron) they are still in their

original placing within the church grounds. There are also 6 steps leading up from

the ground to the entrance. Unfortunately we are unaware if these steps are

original or a recent addition.

Fig.3

Fig.3 boot scrapers

In addition to exterior of the church we can also look at the changes made to the

interior of the church when the new building was built.

In the Fagan O.S memoir it is stated that 3 galleries were added to the church at

this time, 1 on either side and 1 on the front side. These galleries were supported

by timber columns and there was a staircase at each gallery to gain access. This

therefore indicates that theses galleries were added to accommodate the changing

population of the congregation.

837- The Fagan O.S Memoirs.

The Thomas Fagan O.S Memoirs were compiled from October-November 1837

and they are one of the most important sources in our investigation.

It gives a very detailed explanation of how the church looked on the inside at that

time and also help us to understand the changes made to the inside of the church

at that time.

By comparing the O.S Memoirs to the Dixon recommendations we can

approximate when the 3rd gallery was removed from the church. We can guess

that the 3rd gallery was removed to make room for the indoor porches as it in

Dixon's recommendations he mentions "the ugly obscured glass on the inner

doors of the porch". From this we can assumption that the gallery was removed

between 1837 and 1974.

The Dixon Recommendations.

In an inspection of the church in 1974, Hugh Dixon made some

recommendations that he thought should be carried out in the church.

Here is a brief summary of the recommendations and if they were carried out and

why.

Recommendation

Was it carried out?

What evidence do we have?

Why was it carried out/not?

The soft board ceiling replaced with plaster

No

The soft board ceiling is still there

Was a very expensive task. Would not have made a difference

Lift carpet and repair flagging

No

Carpet is still present in the church today

The carpet gave a warmth and softness that the congregation enjoyed

The organ sound box covered

Yes

Unless you enter the organ loft, you cannot see the sound box

The church looks better with it covered

The "ugly obscured glass" in the inner porches removed

No

The glass is still present

It was left so people could not see into the church during a service

The old lights be replaced with more modern ones

Yes and no

The chandeliers have been removed

Without the chandeliers the ceiling looked less cluttered although without the lights under the galleries the church would be to dark.

The stain glass window should be removed

No

The window is still present in the church today

The Mc Cance family were important members of the congregation

Front doors should be repainted from blue to brown

No

They are still blue

The congregation preferred to have the doors blue

The indoor surfaces should be treated for wood worm

Yes

There is a metal grid to prevent wood worm and also rot

The congregation realised that woodworm would destroy the church

The rails and radiators should be replaced

Yes and no

The rail and large radiators are still present in the church

The church would have been too cold without the radiators

Metal support for the bible and lamp should be removed

Yes

They are no longer present

The pulpit would look better without them

The church from 1974 to Present Day

The two main sources I will be using to help myself investigate this area of the

coursework will be the 1986 video provided by the history department and our

2001 site visit to the church.

At the front of the church most of the changes are very minor. It seems that at the

floor line the white rim that was around the perimeter of the church has now

been changed to a more neutral colour so it will blend in more appropriately. Also

in relation to that the 2 plaques above the front doors used to have a white rim but

now it has been removed. The roof has been replaced and repair in some places.

The notice board has been changed as the old one was damaged by bad weather. It

is very easy to see that the back of the church needs restoration very badly. In the

980's Rev. Mc Millian had builders to restore the church, but they made a mess

of it.

* They made 2 new plaques for above the door but unfortunately they spelt words wrong in them

* They inscribed 1719 instead of 1779 on one of them

Although they repaired the pebble dash on the back wall, it is not the same as the other walls and it now looks awful.

Evaluation and conclusion.

Overall I would have to agree that yes, the Non - subscribing church in Dunmurry

has changed to meet the changing needs of its congregation. I have come to this

conclusion after researching and cross referencing the sources provided for us.

I believe that I have completed this coursework very well as I know that I have

spent a lot of time researching all the documents and making sure that I have

completed every correctly.