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Hugh,
Many thanks for that and to your brother as well.  I think the last Whitefords in the area would have been about 1850 when the last one (I think) migrated to Newfoundland.
You have both been a huge help.
Best regards, Paul

Thank you for that Hugh.

It's all starting to fall into place now as I have just found a reference to this Alexander Whiteford by his granddaughter  who says that he "was born at Cross House, Antrim where his ancestors had lived for many generations" and that it was "his hospitable mansion".  He is described as a "noble hearted, loyal old country gentleman, who marched bravely in command of a company of militia, at the early age of 17 years, and rendered his country good service in the Rebellion of 1798".

So now I just need to pinpoint where exactly Cross House was, although I am assuming it was part of the Cross Hamlet in the Cross Townland that Capt Jock pointed me towards.  It would also be good to find out more about Alexander's participation in the 1798 Rebellion and his membership of the militia.

From what I've found so far, it seems that Alexander or his father, who was also Alexander, leased about 700 acres in the Cross Townland (which must have been just about the whole of Cross Townland) from Col Hugh Boyd who had purchased the village of Ballycastle from the 5th Earl of Antrim in 1727.

Thank you very much again for taking the time to reply to my post.

Paul

Thank you for that Sandal.  I have considered the townland Bighouse, but every reference I have for where Alexander lived (and died) says the Cross townland, so I think it must be referring to a large house, or a "great country house" located in the Cross townland as Aghadowey suggested.

Are the NI Ordnance Survey maps available anywhere online?

Regards, Paul

Good morning everyone,

In Google Books, I found a book called "Ireland Exhibited to England, In a Political and Moral Survey of Her Population, and in a Statistical and Scenographic Tour of Certain Districts etc., London, Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, London, 1823. Vol. II".

At the end of this book is a list entitled "Alphabetical Directory to the Seats of the County of Antrim with their respective Post Towns", and this list includes a reference to Alexander WHITFORD, resident in Cross whose Post Town is Ballycastle.  I assume this means Cross Townland in the Parish of Culfeightrin.

Can anyone help me with what the term "Seat" refers to in this context at this time.  I've tried googling it but as you can imagine it brings up too many unrelated references.  Does it mean that Alexander WHITFORD was the landlord of the Cross Townland?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Paul