The city is advantageously situated on the western or Donegal side of the river Foyle, about five statute miles above the point where it spreads into Lough Foyle, chiefly on the summit and sides of a hill projecting into the river and commanding on all sides richly diversified and picturesque views of a well cultivated tract; this hill, or "Island of Derry," is of an oval form, 119 feet high, and contains about 200 acres. The ancient portion of the city occupies the higher grounds, and is surrounded by massive walls completed in 1617 at the expense of the Society; the form a parallelogram nearly a mile in circumference, and in the centre is a square called the Diamond, from which four principal streets radiate at right angles, towards the principal gates.
The DIOCESE of ARMAGH comprehends the greater part of that county, and parts of those of Meath, Louth, Tyrone, and Londonderry. It was anciently divided into two parts, the English and the Irish, now known as the Upper and Lower parts; the English or Upper part embraces that portion which extends into the counties of Louth and Meath, and is subdivided into the rural deaneries of Drogheda, Atherdee or Ardee, and Dundalk; and the Irish or Lower part comprehends the remaining portion of the diocese in the counties of Armagh, Tyrone, and Londonderry, and is subdivided into the rural deaneries of Creggan, Aghaloe, Duugannon, and Tullahog. In all ancient synods and visitations the clergy of the English and Irish parts were congregated separately, which practice is still observed, the clergy of the Upper part assembling for visitation at Drogheda, and those of the Lower at Armagh. The see of Clogher, on the first avoidance by death or translation, will, under the Church Temporalities' Act, become united to that of Armagh, and its temporalities will be vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for Ireland.
The county is chiefly in the diocese of Derry, with some portions in those of Armagh and Connor. For the purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the city and liberties of Londonderry, the town and liberties of Coleraine, and the baronies of Coleraine, Tirkeeran, Kenaught, and Loughinsholin. It contains the city of Londonderry; the borough and market town of Coleraine; the disfranchised borough maket and post-town of Newtown Limavady; the market and post-towns of Castledawson, Dungiven, Draperstown, Moneymore, Garvagh, Magherafelt, and Maghera; and the post-towns of Bellaghy, Kilrea, and Tubbermore. The principal villages are Articlave, Ballykelly, Claudy, Muff, Portstewart (each of which has a penny-post); Ballyronan, Desertmartin, and Swattrach. It sent eight members to the Irish parliament: two for the county, two for the city, and two each for the boroughs of Coleraine and Newtown Limavady. Since the Union it has sent only four to the Imperial parliament: two for the county, one for the city, and one for the borough of Cloeraine; those for the city and county are elected in the city of Londonderry. The county constituency as registered up to the October sessions of 1836 consists of 239 £30, 198 £20, and 1402 £10 freeholders; 41 £20 and 412 £10 leaseholders; and 7 £50 and 32 £20 rent-chargers; making a total of 2331 registered electors.
In 1566, during the Rebellion of Shane Dymas Ó Neill, Derry was chosen for the headquarters of the forces sent against him. But on April 24, 568, the magazine which contained ammunition for the English Army in the north blew up, destroying the town and fort, and causing great loss of life. After this it was abandoned by the military until 1600, when Sir Henry Docwra, sent by Queen Elizabeth, selected it as the site of his camp. Docwra built a fort at Culmore, and another five miles up the river, at Dunnalong, to protect his camp and the city which he proposed to build. He was actually constituted Provost for life of the City of Derry in 1604, by a charter of King James I., but shortly afterwards left the district. His successor, Sir George Paulett, having by his injustice and insults goaded Sir Cahir O'Doherty, the young chief of Inishowen, into rebellion, was surprised and slain by Sir Cahir, and the city once more laid in ruins. After the suppression of this rising, King James began to entertain projects for the plantation of the district with settlers from England, with the result that in 1613 he formed by charter a new county, to be called the County of Londonderry, and to comprise all the old County of Coleraine, part of the County of Tyrone, part of the County of Antrim ( Coleraine and its liberties), part of the County of Donegal (Derry and its liberties), and also the whole of Lough Foyle, with the ground or soil thereof, from the high seas unto the town of Lifford. The charter also created the Borough and Corporation of the City of Londonderry. It conveyed the whole county thus formed to "six and twenty honest and discreet citizens of our City of London" who shall be called "The Society of the Governor and Assistants, London; of the new plantation in Ulster, within the realm of the Kingdom of Ireland." Thus the name of the city was changed to Londonderry, and thus the Irish Society was formed to promote religion, education and industry in the newly constituted county.