The Placename

The placename ‘Ballycross’ is interpreted as an anglicisation of the Irish ‘Baile Croise’, meaning the “town(land) of (the) cross”. The townland was part of the large Tintern Abbey estate owned and managed by the Cistercian order of monks for many hundreds of years, a fact that might account for the occurrence of the element ‘cross’ in a figurative sense3 The only crossroads in the townland is ‘The Cross of Stockwell’, located at the extreme southern corner of the townland. ‘Stockwell’ is the name of a private dwelling house.

Old Woodland

The townland of Ballycross is of scientific interest in that it supports old woodland habitat featured on the 1840 Ordnance Survey map of the area. The woodlands in question are located on both sides of the entrance to Ballycross Apple Farm (pictured). These woodlands were assessed during the National Survey of Native Woodlands as Site No 147 and were awarded a conservation status score of 39.4% and a threat score of 25.0%4. They are species-poor and are representative of old demesne woodland. The habitat is classified in the Beech-Laurel vegetation type, one of the eight sub-divisions of the Ash-Holly woodland group.