Antiquities. 



73 



situated on the shores of Strangford Lough. This was a 

 Cistercian house, and was founded in 1193 by Affreca, wife 

 of John de Courci, and daughter of Ciodfrey, king of Man. 

 Close to Downpatrick are the remains of Inch Abbey, 

 which must also have been a very extensive house ; but the 

 choir alone remains, of considerable beauty, with its long 

 lancet windows. 



INTIl \V.\:V\. 



At Newtownards, the nave of what was a fair-sized 

 Dominican abbey still remains. It was long used as a parish 

 church, and is now used as a burial-place by the London- 

 derry family. 



Other abbeys there are none, save the poor little late 

 Franciscan house of Bun-na-Margie, on the north coast, 

 near Ballycastle, which however occupies a glorious site 

 and has a romantic history.^ The Normans never attained 

 a firm foothold in Leister, save in the strongholds of 

 Downpatrick and Carrickfergus, and thus had no oppor- 

 tunities for founding houses suitable for the great religious 



^ " Bun-na-Margie," by F. J. Bigger. Special Part of Ulster Jo-urnal of 

 Arch(€ology. M'Caw, Stevenson & Orr, Ltd., Belfast. 



