Grace Neill's Restaurant & Bar

Grace Neill and Family

Grace Jamison’s parents were Hugh Jamison, born c1789, and Elizabeth Lindsay, born c1792. Hugh
Jamison was a tailor and the family lived near the old “fort” in Ballyhay, Donaghadee. Hugh and
Elizabeth Jamison had at least five children:

1. Eliza Jane Jamison, b 30th Jan 1813, Ballyhay, Donaghadee. She was baptised in the Presbyterian Meeting House, Meetinghouse Street, Donaghadee.

2. Robert Jamison, b 21st Feb 1815, Ballyhay, Donaghadee. He was baptised in the Presbyterian Meeting House, Meetinghouse Street, Donaghadee.

3. Grace Jamison, born in the reign of George III on Tuesday 22nd July 1817, Ballyhay, Donaghadee. She was baptised in the Parish Church, Donaghadee on Sunday 3rd Aug 1817. She died in Grace Neill’s Bar, High Street, Donaghadee on 7th July 1916.
Obituary from Newtownards Chronicle Saturday July 1916:
Death of Mrs. Grace Neill:- Deep and sincere regret was felt and manifested in Donaghadee and district at the death of Mrs. Grace Neill, who passed away last week at her residence, despite the most assiduous home care and medical attention. The late Mrs. Neill, who was almost 99 years of age, was widely known and highly respected in all quarters, and up till a short time before her death had retained a remarkable vitality, which was certainly astonishing for her age and she had a vivid recollection of many notable events of bygone days. The interment took place on Sunday last and the large and representative attendance at the funeral fully testified to the high esteem entertained for the deceased and to the sympathy extended to the sorrowing relatives in their bereavement.

4. John Jamison, b 12th Jul 1819, Ballyhay, Donaghadee. He was baptised in the Parish Church, Donaghadee on 18th July 1819.

5. Hugh John Jamison, b 12th July 1819, Ballyhay, Donaghadee. He was baptised in the Parish Church, Donaghadee on 28th May 1820.

The Jamison family were members of the old Presbyterian Meeting House in Meetinghouse Street, Donaghadee. Following the split in 1821 the family joined the group that formed the new, unofficial congregation under the Rev Skelly at Shore Street Presbyterian Meeting House, Donaghadee.

Grace married Captain John Neill (parents: John Neill and Margaret Burns) about 1842, most likely at Shore Street Presbyterian Meeting House, but unfortunately as their records only go back to about 1850, we have no written confirmation of this. The Neill family was related to the Kelly families of Donaghadee, most of whom owned public houses or spirit grocer’s shops in the town. James Kelly owned the Downshire Arms on The Parade and Robert J Kelly was the owner of The King’s Arms on High Street. John Neill and Grace named their second son, Thomas Tear Kelly Neill, after another member of the Kelly family: Thomas Tear Kelly, a surgeon who lived on Shore Street. Grace said that he had come from Hollywood, Co Down, originally.

According to family tradition Grace was given “The King’s Arms” on High Street as a wedding present by her father Hugh, but for many years she did not live on the premises. When first married she and her husband John Neill (1820-12th June 1860) lived in Sandy Row (Shore Street), Donaghadee. Following the death of her husband on l2” June 1860 she and some of her children lived for a short period in Back Street (Manor Street), Donaghadee. Grace and her husband had six children:

1. William John Neill, b 1842, Sandy Row, Donaghadee. He drowned on 19th March 1874 at the North Shore, Whitehaven, Cumbria. James Gunning, master, William John Neill and his brother Thomas Tear Kelly Neill were on their way back to Donaghadee from Whitehaven with a cargo of coal on board the sloop “Commerce” when the mast broke in a storm, off the tip of Point of Ayr, Isle of Man, at approx 10.00am on 19th March. The mast had to be cut away, together with ropes and sails. They managed to get the sloop back to Whitehaven, but were unable to access the harbour. They dropped anchors off the West Pier Head, but the vessel drifted and foundered off the North Pier, breaking up just after midnight. James Gunning and William John Neill were both able to swim, and attempted to swim for the shore but were washed away and drowned. Thomas Tear Kelly Neill, a non-swimmer, was saved by clinging to the stump of the mast and was eventually washed ashore and almost died. He was almost insensible by the time he was rescued. William John’s body was washed ashore at Parton and interred at Moresby Church. James Gunning’s body was washed ashore at Harrington and interred at Workington. William John Neill had a wife and family.

2. Thomas Tear Kelly Neill, 1844, Sandy Row, Donaghadee. He died on 25th March 1927 at 20, Shore Street, Donaghadee. He married Mary Emerson McMahon (27 Oct 1843 -9th Nov 1918) on 22nd Feb 1873 at Argyll Place Presbyterian Church, Belfast. She was born on the Copeland Island and was the daughter of John McMahon and Agnes Millar.
Obituary from the Newtownards Chronicle 2’’ April 1927:
Death of Mr. Thomas Neill Donaghadee. We regret having to announce the death of Mr. Thomas Neill of 20 Shore Street, Donaghadee, which occurred at the ripe old age of 83 years at his residence on Friday, 25th March. Deceased was the second son of the late Mrs. Grace Neill. There were three brothers, all sailors of the old type and deceased had a most miraculous escape from drowning when shipwrecked at Whitehaven while his brother, Mr. William John Neill, lost his life on that occasion. Mr. Thomas Neil! was washed ashore on a hatch cover and was rescued in a very exhausted condition. We join in extending our sympathy to his three sons, to Miss Agnes Neill and Mrs. G Coulter (daughters) and Mr.s M Davidson (sister) who are left to mourn his loss. The funeral took place on Sunday, the place of interment being the family burying ground, Donaghadee. The cortege was extremely large and was representative of all ports of town and surrounding district and following the coffin, which was draped by the sailor’s flag, were the chief mourners: William John, Hugh and Thomas Neill (sons), John Coulter (son in law), William, Thomas and John Neill (grandsons); William Hopes, James Neill, John McMahon and Hugh McMahon (nephews); William Burrows, Alexander and Robert Galway, Robert Wilson, James Rodgers, William Gibson and James Morrison (relatives). Rev. Robert Andrews, B.A. minister of Shore Street Presbyterian Church conducted brief and impressive sermons in the house of mourning and at the graveside.

3. James Neill, b 1850, Sandy Row, Donaghadee. He died on 18th August 1907, at Grace Neill’s Bar, High Street, Donaghadee. James Neill married Sarah Hopes. In 1901 James was the publican at Grace Neill’s Bar, High Street, Donaghadee. In 1884 he was a shopkeeper in Ballywalter/Ballyferis. In 1889 he was a publican in Ballyferris/Ballywalter.

From Newtownards Chronicle Sat August 24th 1907
Neill, August 18 at his residence High St., Donaghadee, James, husband of Sarah Neill.

From Newtownards Chronicle Sat August 24” 1907
On Wednesday the members of St John’s Masonic Lodge No 675, Donaghadee, attended the funeral of
Br James Neill, a well known merchant and property owner of this town who died on Monday last. The
Rev. R. Andrews, M.A., conducted the funeral service.

4. Hugh Jamison Neill, b 9th October 1852, Sandy Row, Donaghadee. He was baptised at Shore Street Meeting House on 28th December 1852. He died at sea on 10th November 1876. He had a wife, Rachel and daughter Grace Neill born 24th Feb 1873 and baptised at Methodist Chapel, Donaghadee on 14th March 1873

5. Alexander Neill, b 13th September 1855, Sandy Row, Donaghadee. He died in infancy.

6. Margaret Tolerton Neill, b 30 Oct 1856, Sandy Row, Donaghadee. She was baptised on 3rd November 1856. She died at Moat Avenue, Donaghadee on 16th August 1946. She married James Edward Davidson, (17th April 1858 — 3 Sept 1894) a tailor whose draper’s shop was on High Street, Donaghadee.

Most of the information concerning Grace Neill was passed on from her grandson Thomas Neill (29th Jan 1887-28th Nov 1956) (the youngest son of Thomas Tear Kelly Neill), to his son, Thomas Kelly Neill (23rd Apr 1914-6th Mar 1979) and also to his son, Dr Thomas Kelly Neill (22 Jul 1947- ).

Thomas Neill, her grandson, stayed with his grandmother, Grace, most weekends and did jobs around the pub, as well as run errands on Saturdays. Up until the time of her death in 1916 when her grandson Thomas was 29, Grace insisted that only he could sort out all her problems, much to the annoyance of his wife, Elizabeth. As a young man he shared her great interest in family and local history and often spoke about the things that his grandmother Grace told him.

Apparently, Grace would only drink water from the so called “Holy Well” which was situated behind the old Roman Catholic Church on High Street. She remembered, when about 25 years old, property being demolished and the church being built. Prior to this the “Holy Well” was reached by a path from the Parish Church. She always referred to this well as the “Dree Well,” but said her granny Jamison called it “Keydee’s Well,” while her own mother called it “Caddy’s Well.”

According to Grace, and most of the older generation in Donaghadee, this well was reputed to cure headaches. This was said to be a well sacred to the Druids and, according to tradition, was where St Patrick baptised the early Christian converts. St Patrick had initially erected a simple church on the site of the present Parish Church and after Patrick this church was named after another early missionary.
Grace spoke of the remains of a long flat stone with a cross pattern carved on it, which stood on a stone platform up against the east side of the tower of the Parish Church before the new tower was added to the existing old tower house when she was a young girl of about ten. The stone was moved to the Glebe House at Ballynoe when work on the new tower began. She said at this time the Communion Table in the Parish Church was in the East transept and one of the main entrances to the church was through the west door where the Delacherois vault is now, and the other entrance was in the south transept (where the present Communion Table is situated). The only access to the ancient tower was from inside the church.

One of her uncles, she said, worked in the corn mill at the Quarry Hole (now the Marina), across from the old Presbyterian Meeting House. When Grace was a young woman the first post office was on Mount Street, half way up the hill on the left hand side, just after the Methodist Chapel.

Sometime between 1830 and 1840 she remembered that a number of ancient stone graves were uncovered in the back garden of one of the houses on Sandy Row, at the base of “The Moat.”

Some of the many events that Grace remembered clearly, according to her grandson, were the building of the new harbour which began when she was just four years old. Then the night the lighthouse was first lit when she was 19 years old. When she was 22 there was an incredibly ferocious storm, which did a considerable amount of damage to property and sailing ships. She said a great deal of damage was done to the building now known as Prospect House, on the Millisle Road. She clearly remembered the building of the railway.
Finally, when her son James Neill died in 1907, Grace once again took charge at the age of 90 years and ran the pub until her own death in 1916, of senile decay, just 29 days short of her 99th birthday.
 

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