McClughan family

Hello my 2 x great grandmother was Isabella McClughan who was born in County Down in 1821. She married William Byers in Wigton Cumberland. Her parents were Alexander  McClughan and Eliza who was born in Dromore, Co Down. There were several family members with the name Alexander. William's in- laws  were David Anderson  and Ann Reid.   They had children and grandchildren also born in Dromore so I feel the 2 families knew  each other.  The families were most likely Presbyterian or Methodist.  Has anyone any further details please? 

This is a fascinating surname. A search with Google reveals:  

“The surname McClughan is of Scottish and Irish origin, frequently associated with the Hebrides, the west coast of Scotland, and Ulster. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic MacGille Eathain ("son of the servant of Saint John") or MacLuachain ("son of Luachan"), meaning "son of the swift/nimble one".  

According to PRONI’s Guide to Church Records, https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/guide-church-records, the following Protestant church registers, with commencement dates, survive for Dromore Parish, County Down:

Dromore Church of Ireland, baptism registers from 1784
Dromore Methodist, baptism registers from 1827
1st Dromore Presbyterian, baptism registers from 1832
Dromore, Banbridge Road Presbyterian, baptism registers from 1851
Drumlough Presbyterian, baptism registers from 1827 

Microfilm copy of all these registers can be examined in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast. 

In addition, the early-19th century Tithe Books for Northern Ireland, which are in effect a census of rural heads of households, can be viewed online, free of charge, by searching PRONI's e-catalogue at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/search-pronis-ecatalogue; select ‘Browse’ button and enter FIN/5/A/113 in the search box and this will return the tithe book, compiled 1834, for Dromore Parish, County Down. By selecting the appropriate ‘View’ in ‘Digital Record’ column you will be able to view a list of all landholders, by townland, in Dromore parish in 1834. Hopefully you will find some McClugans. 

Hi Julie! Thank you for sharing these details, it’s great to see such strong links to the Dromore area, and Brian has already highlighted some very useful sources to explore.

Tracing records from the early 1800s can be that bit more challenging, as civil registration in Ireland only began in 1864. Before that, records were typically kept by local churches (in your case, Presbyterian or Methodist), so parish records for the Dromore area may be particularly helpful if they have survived.

The Tithe Applotment Books from the 1830s mentioned by Brian are also a useful next step, as they list householders in the area and may help you identify specific townlands connected to the McClughan or Anderson families. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), along with the National Archives and National Library of Ireland, can help guide you towards the most relevant sources.

Wishing you the best of luck with your research! 

Alex