Christ Church, Castledawson
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The History of Christ Church, Castledawson
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The Parish of Christ Church, Castledawson dates from the 1875, while the presence of a protestant church dates from much earlier. The town itself derives its name form the Dawson family who purchased the estate from the sons of Sir Thomas Philips in 1633. Records state that the new owners built a private chapel early in the 17th Century. In 1710 Joshua Dawson, the then Chief Secretary for Ireland, appears to have built the town. He was also Member of Parliment for Wicklow and built the Mansion House in Dublin as his "Town House". Dawson Street in Dublin was later named after him.
A Chapel of Ease was built in 1713, but later according to Pigot's Directory, was in so ruinous a state that no service was performed in it. It was rebuilt in 1750, reparied in 1829 and enlarged in 1875. It lay within the district of Ballyscullion Parish and in 1844 it was constituted a perpetual curacy. In 1874 three townlands were transferred from the Parish of Magherafelt and a part of Ballyscullion. When the Parish of Ballyscullion passed on a small bell, the original stone cross in the west end was replaced by a small bell tower to house the bell. The bell is believed to have been used at Ballyscullion House in Bellaghy for calling the workers from the fields.
In 1875 the Parish of Csatledawson was formed, the first rector being the Rev. Samuel Burns. The Church was dedicated on 7th November 1876. The Chruch contains many fine stained glass windows, the most notable of which is a three part steel framed east window. There are also many fine memorials - gifts from the Dawson and Clarke families. In 1975, the Centenary year of the Parish, the interior of the Church was redecorated and a new bell was installed, a kind gift from Lusk Parish, Diocese of Dublin.
In 1912 the Porch and Window showing Christ, the Light of the World was added. Then in 1996 a New Committee room was built.
Inside the Church there are many memorials commemorating the Dawson and Chichester-Clark Families. The most noticeable one being the memorial to George Robert Dawson.
The Parish has been the place of worship for the people of Castledawson since its consecration in 1876. It started out with just one family, the Dawson Family, and now there are over 200 families in the parish today.
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