Old Court Chapel

Old Court Chapel, situated in the grounds of the de Ros estate, Strangford, County Down, was built in 1629 by Valentine Payne, agent to the 16th Earl of Kildare.

This is the private chapel of the de Ros family, located in the picturesque grounds of Old Court House.

It is private; though public in the sense that local people have always been encouraged to attend it. Seemingly it has been much altered down the years, for successive Lords de Ros have deemed it their duty to "make their mark".

It is thought that the little chapel has remained open for worship during its 380-year history.

Image courtesy of Colin Boyle

In the 1830s, and since the chapel was outside the jurisdiction of the Lord Bishop of Down, the chaplain received a salary of £20 per annum (£2,000 in today's money) from Lord de Ros.

The clerk received five pounds annually.

There was an attendance of 100 worshippers, the congregation being separate from Ballyculter Parish Church.

Image courtesy of Colin Boyle

The bell's whereabouts remain unknown to this very day; though it may have been destroyed when the original Old Court House was burnt by the IRA in 1922.

There was a period when the little chapel was attended by all demoninations, since it was the only place of worship in the vicinity, Ballyculter and Kilclief both being ruinous.

Mr Payne presented the chapel with a bell inscribed "Valentine Payne and his wife Elizabeth gave this bell and built this chapel, AD 1629".

The tower and chancel were added by the 23rd Baron de Ros; and the chapel was repaired in 1740.

The graveyard, which lies to the south side of the church, is rarely used now and in 1940 almost all the stones were arranged round the sides.

These gravestones have been numbered consecutively, clockwise, from the east end of the church.

There are six stones still left in the body of the graveyard and one standing alone on the north of the church (de Ros).

All the gravestones have been copied, including three built into the west end of the church.

Modern memorial tablets in the church have not been copied.

The oldest stone dates from 1714 and almost all are in good condition.