Mapping Clarks: 2... 1846 - 1862
Note: The Public Records Office, Northern Ireland ( PRONI) is an absolutley fabulous resource.
Free to use on line, is their "Historical Maps* tool.
It can be found on the PRONI website where all Northern Ireland locations can be traced back on historical maps up to 200 years old.
We have presented interconnected pages which, we hope demonstrate the development of Wm. Clark Ltd at Upperlands.
We hope that our commentary is useful, too.
The PRONI 1846 - 1862 map.
Orientation: the Knockoneill / Clady River as a meandering diagonal dotted line from top left to bottom right.
The key helps you to locate various features:
The "Kilrea Road" bridge .
More water mill buildings can now be identified along its banks.
New to this map is the addition of two very large "Mill Ponds" that we know as Upperlands Dams today.
The Island Dam and Green Dam are separated by sluice gates, used to control flow of water through the site.
Upriver, the Mill Weir, itself a considerable undertaking, is in operation, redirecting water into the Dams system.
There is as still no "big" Amportane House or Gate Lodge and no indication of housing built to accommodate workers who, by this time would have been moving closer to manufacturing centres.
But the Derry Central Line railway has arrived but there is no connection to Wm. Clark ltd.
Note: as information is uncovered, we shall update our commentary.
