[edit]
A cannon sits atop the historic Derry Walls, which look over Derry City.
Map of County Londonderry, 1837
Prehistoric[edit]
The county has a significant of megalithic structures from prehistoric times, including Ballygroll Prehistoric Landscape, as well as numerous others. The most significant site however is Mountsandel, located near Coleraine in County Londonderry is "perhaps the oldest recorded settlement within Ireland".
County Coleraine and the Plantation of Ulster[edit]
At an early period, what became the county of Coleraine was inhabited by the O'Cahans, who were tributary to the O'Neills. Towards the close of the reign of Elizabeth I their territory was seized by England, with the purpose of checking the power of the O'Neills, and was made the county of Coleraine, named after the regional capital.
A short description of County Coleraine is given in Harris's Hibernica, and also in Captain Pynnar's Survey of the Escheated Counties of Ulster, Anno 1618:
The county of Coleraine,* otherwise called O'Cahan's country, is divided, as Tyrone, by ballyboes and doth contain, as appeareth by the survey, 547 ballyboes, or 34,187 acres, every ballyboe containing 60 acres or thereabouts.
On 2 March 1613, James I granted a charter to The Honourable The Irish Society to undertake the plantation of a new county. This county was named Londonderry, a combination of London (in reference to the Livery Companies of the Irish Society) and Derry (then name of the city). This charter declared that the "City of Londonderry" and everything contained within the new county:
shall be united, consolidated, and from hence-forth for ever be one entire County of itself, distinct and separate from all our Counties whatsoever within our Kingdom of Ireland-and from henceforth for ever be named, accounted and called, the County of Londonderry.
Derry, the largest city in County Londonderry
This new county would comprise the then County Coleraine—which consisted of the baronies of Tirkeeran, Coleraine, and Keenaght—and at the behest of The Irish Society the following additional territory was added: all but the south-west corner of the barony of Loughinsholin, then a part of County Tyrone, as it had sufficient wood for construction; the North East Liberties of Coleraine, which was part of County Antrim and the City of Londonderry and its Liberties, which were in County Donegal, so that they could control both banks of the River Foyle and River Bann.
Austins, Derry, formerly the world's oldest independent department store.
The Irish Society was made up of the twelve main livery companies of London, which themselves were composed of various guilds. Whilst The Irish Society as a whole was given possession of the city of Londonderry, and Coleraine, the individual companies were each granted an estimated 3,210 acres (5.02 sq mi; 13.0 km2) throughout the county. These companies and the sites of their headquarters were:
Clothworkers, based at Killowen and Clothworker's Hall (present-day Articlave) in the barony of Coleraine;
Drapers, based at Draper's Hall, later called Drapers Town (present-day Moneymore) in the barony of Loughinsholin;
Fishmongers, based at Artikelly and Fishermonger's Hall (present-day Ballykelly) in the barony of Keenaght;
Goldsmiths, based at Goldsmith's Hall (present-day Newbuildings) in the barony of Tirkeeran;
Grocers, based at Grocer's Hall, alias Muff (present-day Eglinton) in the barony of Tirkeeran;
Haberdashers, based at Habberdasher's Hall (present-day Ballycastle) in the barony of Keenaght;
Ironmongers, based at Ironmonger's Hall (present-day townland of Agivey) in the barony of Coleraine;
Mercers, based at Mercer's Hall (present-day townland of Movanagher) in the barony of Coleraine;
Merchant Taylors, based at Merchant Taylor's Hall (present-day Macosquin) in the barony of Coleraine;
Salters, based at Salter's Hall (present-day Magherafelt) and Salters Town in the barony of Loughinsholin;
Skinners, based at Skinner's Hall (present-day Dungiven) in the barony of Keenaght;
Vintners, based at Vintner's Hall, later called Vintner's Town (present-day Bellaghy) in the barony of Loughinsholin.
19th century[edit]
As a result of the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, the city was detached from the county for administrative purposes, becoming a separate county borough from 1899. The county town of County Londonderry, and seat of the Londonderry County Council until its abolition in 1973, was therefore moved to the town of Coleraine.
Historical populationYearPop.±%16536,102—    16597,102+16.4%1821193,869+2629.8%1831222,012+14.5%1841222,174+0.1%1851192,022−13.6%1861184,209−4.1%1871173,906−5.6%1881164,991−5.1%1891152,009−7.9%1901144,404−5.0%1911140,625−2.6%1926139,693−0.7%1937142,736+2.2%1951155,540+9.0%1961165,298+6.3%1966174,658+5.7%1971183,094+4.8%1981197,278+7.7%1991213,035+8.0%2001235,864+10.7%2011247,132+4.8%2021252,231+2.1%
