Corrick Abbey Graveyard
Rev. Samuel Black: The Minister Who Left a Legacy of FaithIn the peaceful grounds of Corrick Abbey lies Rev. Samuel Black (1809–1900), who served faithfully as minister of Corrick Presbyterian Church for 34 years, from 1850 until retiring in 1884 due to ill health.
Born near Drumsurn, Co. Londonderry, Samuel came from a devout Presbyterian family – his brother, Rev. John Black, ministered in Gillygooley, Co. Tyrone. Together, the brothers helped shepherd congregations during a period of revival and social change in 19th-century Ulster.
Samuel’s legacy reached far beyond Corrick. Two of his sons – Rev. James Black and Rev. Albert Pattison Black – followed him into the ministry, and at least four of his grandsons also became ministers, continuing a remarkable clerical tradition. Another son, Alfred Black, farmed at Lisnagelvin and is buried here alongside his father and son Samuel James Black.
The family story even stretches across the world – one of Samuel’s sons emigrated to Queensland, Australia, carrying the family’s Ulster Presbyterian faith and values to the southern hemisphere at a time when many Irish families were seeking new lives abroad.
Another son, William Samuel Black, farmed at Learden and married Margaret Hamilton Fulton, a granddaughter of Robert Hamilton of Corrick. Both are buried at Badoney Presbyterian Churchyard at Droit.
Rev. Black’s long life – spanning from the Napoleonic era into the dawn of the 20th century – saw famine, revival, and emigration, yet his ministry anchored Corrick’s congregation for decades. His grave, shared with farming and ministerial descendants, is a testament to faith that endured in both church and field – and crossed oceans.
Why it matters: Rev. Black’s story is not just about one minister but about a family that gave generations of service to Presbyterianism in Ulster – and spread that tradition across the globe.