| Ballygally Castle |
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After visiting Ballygally in 1683 Richard Dobbs wrote: ‘Hard upon the shore stands the house of Ballygally belonging to Captain Shaw.’ The castle or fortified house in Ballygally was built in 1625 by Captain James (John) Shaw.
It is typical of the Scottish style of house built outside many of the main towns as a protection for the planter. On a stone over one of the doors is inscribed the date the castle was built, Captain Shaw’s wife’s name, and the Shaw coat-of-arms. The Castle consists of three storeys and a garnet. The approach to the upper storeys is by a winding stone stairway inside the back of the building. Ballygally village boasts its very own resident ghost, Isabella Shaw, wife of James Shaw who built the Castle as a stronghold in 1625. Isabella, unable to give James a son was imprisoned in the ‘ghost room’ of the Castle where she died a depressed and mournful figure. Naturally she came back to haunt the Castle, and her ghostly room is preserved to this day. When the native Irish rose in rebellion in 1641 John Shaw fortified the house at Ballygally and took into his protection many of his servants and tenants. In 1680 it was attacked again and actually taken. It took place under the following circumstances. The sons and other dependants of the native Irish, who were dispossessed at the settlement scheme and who were mercilessly cut down following the rebel uprising of 1641, started to take reprisals against the houses of the English and Scottish settlers who had supplanted their lands. Apparently these men were called the ‘Tories of Londonderry’ and ‘robbed and plundered’ Ballygally Castle. At this time there were rewards of £5 to anyone ‘for killing a Tory’ so it is unlikely that under these circumstances the plunderers would have held the Castle for any considerable time. They would probably slip back into the hills and woods after sacking the building. In 1786 John Shaw, a great-great grandson of first Captain Shaw was the occupant of the Castle. Mr. Shaw was married but had no heirs. His sister was married to a Dr McCullough, who lived in Larne. It was alleged that Mr Shaw was poisoned by McCullough, after having made the unfortunate man sign a forged will leaving all his possessions, including the castle, to him. Dr McCullough lived in the Castle for four years and is said to have been haunted by the ghost of his brother-in-law. In 1790 John Shaw’s nephew, Henry Shaw, through legal action, took possession of the Castle. Following the uprising of 1798 he was arrested and confined in the Market House, Carrickfergus. He died in 1799 of natural causes and was succeeded by his son William. William was the last of the Shaws to occupy the Castle. After failing in a business enterprise in Belfast he sold the Ballygally property in 1820 to Edward Jones Agnew, Kilwaughter Castle, for the sum of £15,400. While in possession of the Agnew family the Castle was for several years occupied as a coastguard station, and afterwards the residence of Larne Presbyterian minister and historian, Reverend Classon Porter. Major William Agnew Moore lived here for some time. In 1938 the Castle was extended and opened as a hotel. During the mid-1950’s it was owned by Cyril Lord, the textile magnate and ‘Carpet King’. In 1969 the ‘Candlelight Inn, as it was then known, was taken over by Hastings Limited, Belfast. |
