O'NEILL OF UPPER CLANEBOYS.

Burke, the English genealogist and historian, tells us :

"This (O'Neill) was a branch from the Milesian stock from which the extant noble family of O'Neill claims descent. The royal house of Ulster, Hugh Boy O'Neill, from whom the territories called the Claneboys, in the counties of Down and Antrim, received their name, grandson of Hugh Meyth, king of Ulster, in 1122 recovered those lands from the English which were wrested from the family at the invasion of Henry II. His descendants enjoyed them until the reign of James I., when a portion was conquered from the O'Neills, and more purchased by James I. Some was left in their possession which has descended to the O'Neills of Shane's Castle. King James, when he instituted the order of baronet, had chiefly in view the subduing of the Clan O'Neill in Ulster, and the Ulster hand, the red hand of O'Neill,' was given as a badge to the order. Paternally descended from Nial of the Nine Hostages, king of Ireland at the close of the fourth century, Hugh Boy O'Neill, head of the Clan O'Neill, of Ireland, subdued by James I., was given 'the red hand of O'Neill' as a badge of the order."1

This O'Neill family had a chief castle near Antrim called Edenduff Carrig, now known as Shane's Castle. From this Hugh Boy O'Neill, the Neills of Virginia are descended in a direct junior line. The first line of this family is now extinct.2

"O'Neill. The name and origin of this family, whose history is one of the most ancient and the most interesting on record, is traced through a long line of kings and chieftains from Niul, son of the King of Scythia (1800 B.c.), whose descendant, Hermon, was the first Monarch of Ireland and founder of the Royal House of Ulster (1200 B.C.). O'Nial the Great, fifty-third in descent from Hermon, is said to have brought St. Patrick captive to Ireland from the banks of the Loyre, and the Redhand of O'Neil was the badge granted to the order of Baronets on its institution by James First. Charles First granted a baronetcy to the O'Neill of Clanaboys for gallantry at Edge Moor. Residence, Shane's Castle." (Burke's Extinct Families.)

2 "O'Neill (Claneboy or Clan Aedh Buidhe), descended from Hugh Dubh O'Neill, died 1230, second son of Hugh Macconeh O'Neill, Prince of Tyrone, from Hugh Buidhe O'Neill, grandson of Hugh Dubh O'Neill. This line were

The first Friends' Meeting organized in Ireland was held at William Edmundson's house in Lurgan, in the year 1654. This William Edmundson was a native of Westmoreland, England, and had been. a captain in Cromwell's army, by whom he was settled in Ireland on dispossessed lands. Another meeting was begun at Cavan in 1655, and to this meeting a William O'Neill joined himself in 1656. Dropping the "O" from his name, he ever afterwards wrote himself as "William Neill." Sewell speaks of him as William Neill.

The Society of Friends in North Ireland grew and flourished amid all kinds of persecutions, which were continued with more or less severity until the middle of the eighteenth century. In the year 1730, Lewis Neill and his two brothers, John and William, took passage from Lurgan, Ireland, and landed in Pennsylvania, and family tradition says settled near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Finding the lands thereabouts mostly taken up, and few opportunities offering for getting on in the world, John and Lewis were early attracted to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, which was then being opened up by Scotch-Irish and Friends under the patronage of Alexander Ross. These brothers left home because they were unwilling to bear arms in what they considered an unrighteous cause. They were the grandsons of the above William Neill.

About the year 1733 they left Pennsylvania in company with a number of Friends, and permanently took up their residence in the Valley of Virginia. We have no record of William ever having moved from Pennsylvania, nor do we know where his descendants reside. John first settled on the banks of the Opecquon Creek, at what is known as the Spout Spring, now in Clarke County, Virginia. His brother Lewis fixed his home on the banks of the same stream about a mile and a half farther down, at a point now familiarly

designated the Claneboy O'Neills. They had their chief seat at Edenduffcarrick, now Shane's Castle, County Antrim.

"Arms.—Per fess., wavy, the chief argent, the base representing waves of the sea, in chief a dexter hand, couped at the wrist gules: in base a salmon naiant ppr.

"Crest-An arm in armour embowed, the hand grasping a sword, all ppr. "Motto.- Lamh dearg Eirin.'" (Burke.)

1 In the General Land Office, Richmond, Virginia, I find that “ William Neill of Frederick County was granted 400 acres on the north side of Opeckon Creek, and on the west side of Abraham's Creek, October 6, 1750." This must have been the immigrant William Neill. "William Neill of Hampshire County had a grant on south side of Cacapon River, surveyed by John Mawzy, September 29, 1766." I can find no further allusion to him. I presume he moved South or West.