Ballygowan period, and subsequent to the introduction of the Belfast & County Down Railway in 1850, that the village began to grow. Ballygowan railway station opened on 10 September 1858, but finally closed on 16 January 1950. After the railway closed in 1950 the village became an attractive "dormitory" town and the ensuing 50 years have seen rapid growth. On Monday, 15 September 2014, the remains of The Baron Bannside (better known as The Rev. Ian Paisley) were buried in the graveyard attached to Ballygowan Free Presbyterian Church. Lord Bannside was a former First Minister of Northern Ireland and a former
Roger Stafford, 6th Baron Stafford Roger Stafford, 6th Baron Stafford Roger Stafford, 6th Baron Stafford was the son of Richard Stafford, a younger son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole. He was forced to give up the Stafford barony in 1637 on the grounds of poverty. Roger was born about 1572, the eldest child of Richard Stafford and Mary Corbet, daughter of John Corbet and Anne Booth. He had a younger sister Jane Stafford, (b. abt 1581). Roger was known by the name Floyde (or Fludd) as a youth, for reasons not recorded. He is thought to be the Floyde listed as