North West Liberties of Londonderry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
North West Liberties of Londonderry
Irish: Líbeartaí Thiar Thuaidh Dhoire
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Location of North West Liberties of Londonderry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
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| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| County | Londonderry |
The North West Liberties of Londonderry is a special historical area, like a district, in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It's bordered by two other areas in Northern Ireland: Tirkeeran to the east, across Lough Foyle, and Strabane Lower to the south. It also touches two areas in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. These are Raphoe North to the south-west and Inishowen West to the north.
What are its borders?
The North West Liberties of Londonderry includes all parts of County Londonderry on the west side of the River Foyle. This is the part that is not inside the city of Derry itself. It also shares a border with County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.
Historically, this area also included the shoreline on the east side of the River Foyle. The land that makes up the Liberties used to be part of County Donegal. It was moved to the new County Londonderry when the Kingdom of Ireland changed its land divisions. The North West Liberties has only one main administrative area within it, called the parish of Templemore (also known as Temple Derry).
A look back in time
The North West Liberties of Londonderry was created by a group called The Honourable The Irish Society. They invested money to rebuild and expand the town of Derry, which had been destroyed in 1608. This society had a lot of influence over how the North West Liberties was managed.
For a while, people weren't sure if the landowners in the North West Liberties of Londonderry should vote separately from the City of Derry. This was made clear in 1800 by an Act from the Parliament of Ireland. This law said that landowners from the North West Liberties of Londonderry could vote in the Londonderry City elections, separate from the main County Londonderry area.
In 1829, the North West Liberties joined with the rebuilt City of Londonderry (also called the City of Derry) to create a shared police force called the Town Watch. This group later became the Londonderry Borough Police. In 1870, this joint police force was taken over by a larger police group called the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC).
List of civil parishes
The main civil parish in the North West Liberties of Londonderry is:
- Templemore
