The death of John Brownlow in 1616, left his son William in the enviable position of becoming the owner of two plantation manors consisting of 9,000 acres. Lord Caulfields survey in 1622 stated that William was living in Dewcorran. In the same year William applied to the court of King Charles I for a re-grant of the two estates.

On 15 December 1622 William Brownlow was knighted by Sir Henry Cary, Viscount Falkland, Lord Deputy of Ireland. In 1623 William was appointed High Sheriff of County Armagh. On 29 June 1629 the re-grant was written into law uniting the lands of Doughcorn and Balleynemoney to form the Manor of Brownlows Derry. William went on to represent Armagh in Parliament in 1639.

At the same time a patent was issued for a market every Friday at Ballylurgan and two fairs on the Feast of St. James and Feast of St. Martin. By this time the town had become a place of importance in the social life of the area and gives Lurgan's markets and fairs an ancestry of over three hundred and twenty years.

The Patent of Brownlow's Derry granted to William Brownlow by Charles I, acknowledges the town of BallyLurgan. The Patent also declared that Brownlow may lawfully grant the townlands of Kinago, Clanrolla, Clankillvoragh, Drumnakerne, Derrytagh, Ballinary, Derryadd, Deryinver, Derrytrasna, Ardmore, Derrytagh, Ballinamoney and the moiety of Monbrief unto any person including the Irish.

By 1883, the Brownlow estate, of 15,276 acres, was worth £20,589 a year. This consisted of the manors of Brownlowsderry and Richmount, the component townlands of which are listed in the table below:

See our Townlands and Parishes Index HERE

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