Gortnashingaun

Antoinette Lydon

Gortnashingaun is in the civil parish of Kilcummin. The civil Parish corresponds with the following Church of Ireland parish of Kilcummin, Galway West. In general, the civil parish and the Church of Ireland parish are the same as is the case in the Kilcummin Oughterard area.

Gortnashingaun is in the Electoral Division of Letterfore, in Civil Parish of Kilcummin, in the Barony of Moycullen, in the County of Galway

Irish Form of Name:  Gort na Siongan

Civil Parish: Kilcummin View all place names in this civil parish.

Other Forms of the Name with authority source (if provided) in italics:

Gortnashingaun

Gort na Siongan Siongan

Gortnashinane Barony Cess Book

Gurrinashinnan Barony Map

Gurtnashinghaun Boundary Surveyor

Gurtnashehaun County Map

Gortnashinghaun Local

Antfield Local

Gurtnasinnane Rector of Kilcummin

Description:

Proprietor A. Ffrench, Esq. Tyrone. Land very bad. Contains 69½ acres all arable with the exception of about 18 acres of bog, a lane passes thro’ it to the E.

Situation:

Situate in the northern extremity of the parish. Bounded on the N. by Lough Corrib, on the E. by Farrawaun, on the W. by Coosaun and on the S. by Curraghdhu Middle.

Gortnashingaun borders the following other townlands:

Information from the Down Survey Website.

The Down Survey is a mapped survey. Using the Civil Survey as a guide, teams of surveyors, mainly former soldiers, were sent out under Petty’s direction to measure every townland to be forfeited to soldiers and adventurers. The resulting maps, made at a scale of 40 perches to one inch (the modern equivalent of 1: 50,000), were the first systematic mapping of a large area on such a scale attempted anywhere. The primary purpose of these maps was to record the boundaries of each townland and to calculate their areas with great precision. The maps are also rich in other detail showing churches, roads, rivers, castles, houses and fortifications. Most towns are represented pictorially and the cartouches, the decorative titles, of each map in many cases reflect a specific characteristic of each barony. (http://downsurvey.tcd.ie)

Townland of GORTNASHINGAUN

Down Survey Name: Gortneshinnane

1641 Owner(s): Clanrickard, Earl of (Protestant)

1670 Owner(s): Clanrickard, Earl of (Protestant)

County: Galway

Barony: Muckullin

Parish: Killcumyn

Unprofitable land: 5 plantation acres

Profitable land: 34 plantation acres

Forfeited: 34 plantation acres

The down survey website will tell you who owned this townland in 1641 (pre Cromwell) and in 1671 (post Cromwell).

Down Survey Website

The Tithe Applotment Books

About the Records

Tithes were a tax on agricultural produce which was payable by the occupiers of agricultural land. They were the main source of income for the parish clergy of the Church of Ireland (the largest Protestant church and the church established by law). However, in many parishes a large part of the tithes was ‘appropriate’, which meant that they were payable to a bishop, cathedral chapter or other ecclesiastical recipient, or were ‘impropriate’, which generally meant that they were payable to a local landowner. The parishes used in the Tithe Applotment Books are civil or Church of Ireland parishes, which often differ in name and territory from Catholic parishes, Acts of Parliament of 1823 and 1832 provided for the conversion of tithes into a fixed charge on land, and specified the average price of wheat or oats in the parish in the seven years before 1821 as the basis on which the tithes would be calculated. They also extended the application of tithes to pasture, where previously they had been levied only on tillage.

This change in the law resulted in the valuation of individual holdings in almost all parishes containing agricultural land, in order to assess the portion of the tithes for which each occupier of land would be liable. The apportionment was recorded for each Church of Ireland parish in a Tithe Composition Applotment Book. The information was collected and the amounts were calculated by two Parochial Commissioners, one of whom was appointed by the cess-payers of the parish and the other by the relevant Diocese of the Church of Ireland. This procedure was carried out in over 2,500 parishes between the years 1823 and 1837.

The Tithe Applotment Books are in a variety of formats, from a few pages sewn together to elaborately bound volumes. In most cases they are written in manuscript throughout, although some consist of manuscript entries on printed questionnaires. The information in the books is broadly uniform and generally includes at least the name of occupier; the size of holding, the valuation and the tithe payable. In some cases, more detailed information is provided. Some volumes have maps and most have certificates and correspondence attached.

The sub-divisions of the parish were recorded. Some of these subdivisions, such as plough lands, ceased to be in official use after the six-inch survey of the Ordnance Survey was completed in the 1840s. Only productive land was subject to tithe, and the books usually distinguish between this tithable land and untithable land such as roads or mountains. Tithable land was in some cases classified by quality, and a money value was given to each class. In some cases, the proportion of tithe payable to the rector, vicar or lay proprietor of the tithes was set out. The column for observations was sometimes completed, with information about commonage, for example.

There are a number of other points that should be noted. The acreages given in the Tithe Applotment Books are in Irish or Plantation measure, which is 1.62 times larger than statute measure. Only occupiers of land at the time of the tithe composition are recorded, so not all heads of households living in a parish at the time are included. Only rural areas are systematically covered, although inhabitants of towns who held plots of cultivable land are included. The equivalent tax in urban areas, Minister’s Money, has left few records.

The Tithe Applotment Books are an important source of information for a wide variety of researchers of pre-Famine Ireland. They provide the first surviving national list of the occupiers of land, and are used by genealogists as a partial substitute for returns of the 1821 and 1831 censuses of population, which were destroyed in 1922. They also record information on the quality of land, and provide information on pre-Ordnance Survey territorial divisions, some of which were not recognized after the 1840s.

The National Archives hold the original Tithe Applotment Books only for the twenty-six counties of the Republic of Ireland. The books for the six counties of Northern Ireland are held in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast. (http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/aboutmore.jsp)

No information available.

 Griffith Valuation 1855

In Griffith’s Valuation the area was 67 acres, 3 rood & 18 perch of house & Land with a value of £16-10s-0d. The RC Chapel & yard occupied 1 acre 1 rood & 30 perch which was exempt from payment.

Occupiers: Robert Sullivan & RC Chapel

Immediate Lessor: Kennedy

View the heads of households in the townland at this time.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch&PlaceID=559022

Poor Law Union Ireland

In Ireland the Poor Relief Act of 1838 divided into districts or “unions” in which the local taxable inhabitants were to be financially responsible for all paupers in the area. In 1898 the Poor Law Union was adopted as the basic administrative division in place of the civil parish and barony. Further subdivision into 828 registration districts and 3,751 district electoral divisions followed. Townlands were not arranged according to these divisions with parish and barony retained as a means to make comparisons with records gathered before 1898.

The 1838 Act

The main provisions of the 1838 Act were:

  • The extension of the existing Poor Law Commissioners’ powers to Ireland, with the appointment of Assistant Commissioners who were to implement the Act in Ireland.
  • The division of the country into Poor Law Unions based on Irish electoral divisions which were made up from townlands.
  • The creation of a Board of Guardians for each Union, two-thirds of whom were to be elected, the other third to be appointed ex officio.
  • The setting up of a workhouse in each Union.
  • The collection of a local poor-rate to finance the system.
  • Assistance for emigration.

Initially, 130 Unions were created, based upon 2,049 electoral divisions. The divisions were composed of townlands, a peculiarly Irish unit, traditionally of 120 Irish acres in area. (Between 1848 and 1850, subdividing and reorganizing the boundaries of some existing Unions, particularly in the west of the country created an additional 33 Unions.

Boards of Guardians were elected annually on 25th March. Only ratepayers were eligible for election, which effectively disenfranchised most of the native Irish who were usually tenants at this time. Ratepayers were allowed between one and six votes depending on the size of a valuation of their property.

What is a townland?:

A townland is one of the smallest land divisions in Ireland. They range in size from a few acres to thousands of acres. Many are Gaelic in origin, but some came into existence after the Norman invasion of 1169. Gortnashingaun is a townland.

Population & Census Information

People who lived here:

You can retrieve a list of people who lived in this townland from 1827 to 1911. This list is compiled from the following resources.

  • The Tithe Applotment Books
  • Griffith’s Valuation
  • 1901 Census
  • 1911 Census

List of nineteenth century and early twentieth century inhabitants of this townland.

1841-1891

1841 – 5 houses with 30 people

1851 – 1 house with 5 people

1861 – 4 houses with 11 people

1871 – 3 houses with 15 people

1881- 5 houses (3 inhabited) with 17 people (7 males, 10 females). There were 4 outbuildings.

The valuation of Houses & Land in 1881 was £17 0s 0d.

1891 – 4 houses (4 inhabited) with 28 people (12 males, 16 females). There were 8 outbuildings.

The valuation of Houses & Land in 1891 was £16 15s 0d.

1901 Census

This is a return of the members of the family, visitors, boarders or servants who slept or abode in their house on the night of Sunday March 31st 1901 in Gortnashingaun.

There were 5 houses listed in the Townland of Gortnashingaun. The people were all Roman Catholics and they were born in Co. Galway. 26 people lived in Gortnashingaun (10 males and 16 females) in the townland. There was a RC Chapel. There were 6 farm buildings and out offices which included cow houses, piggeries & a stable.

Enumerators Extract

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000840380/

House & Building Return

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000840381/

Out Office & Farm Steadings

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000840382/

House 1

Pat Kelly aged 65 was head of the family; married to Margaret aged 54. They lived with their daughters Bridget aged 16 & Katie aged 12.

Pat was a farmer; Bridget was a farmer’s daughter & Katie was a scholar. Pat, Bridget & Katie could read & write and spoke Irish & English. Margaret could not write; she spoke Irish. The family were Roman Catholic.

They lived in a 2nd class house with 2 rooms and 3 front windows. They had a cow house & a piggery. This was a private dwelling.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Letterfore/Gortnashingaun/1394490/

House 2

James Mons aged 54 was head of the family; married to Honor aged 50. They lived with their children Celia aged 22, Patrick aged 17, Michael aged 15, Mary aged 13 & Annie aged 10.

James was a farmer; Celia was a farmer’s daughter; Patrick was a farmer’s son and Michael; Mary & Annie were scholars. The entire family could read & write. James, Honor & Celia spoke Irish & English; there is nothing entered for the other children about what languages they spoke. The family were Roman Catholic.

They lived in a 2nd class house with 3 rooms and 5 front windows. They had a stable & a piggery. This was a private dwelling.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Letterfore/Gortnashingaun/1394491/

House 3

John Kenny aged 35 was head of the family; married to Kate aged 29. They lived with their children Luke aged 8, Kate aged 6, Margaret Mary aged 3 & Delia aged 1.

John was a carpenter; Luke, Kate & Margaret Mary were scholars. John could read & write; Kate could not read; John & Kate spoke Irish & English. Luke, Kate, Margaret Mary & Delia could not read; there is nothing entered for the children about what languages they spoke. The family were Roman Catholic.

They lived in a 2nd class house with 2 rooms and 2 front windows. This was a private dwelling.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Letterfore/Gortnashingaun/1394492/

House 4

Morgan Lydon aged 34 (84 was entered on Census typed section, looking at the handwritten section it’s 34) was head of the family; married to Barbara aged 33. They lived with their children Mary aged 13, Maggie aged 9, Maria aged 6, William aged 4, Patrick aged 2, John aged 2 and his widowed mother Annie aged 80.

Morgan was a farmer; Mary, Maggie & Maria were scholars. Morgan, Barbara & Mary could read & write and spoke Irish & English. Maggie could read & write; it does not state if Maggie spoke Irish or English. Annie could not read & spoke Irish & English. There is nothing entered for language or education for Maria, William, Patrick or John. The family were Roman Catholic.

They lived in a 3rd class house with 2 rooms and 2 front windows. They had a cow house & a piggery. This was a private dwelling.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Letterfore/Gortnashingaun/1394493/

Census 1911

This is a return of the Members of the families in Gortnashingaun, their visitors, boarders and servants who slept or abode in the house on the night of Sunday 2nd April 1911.

There were 4  houses listed in the Townland of Gortnashingaun. Of the people living in Gortnashingaun all 18 (9 males/9 females) were Roman Catholics.

People that lived in Gortnashingaun were born included Co. Galway & America. There were a total of 10 farm buildings and out offices which included stable, cow houses, piggeries, fowl houses & a barn.

Enumerators Extract

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002434962/

House & Building Return

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002434965/

Out Offices & Farm Steadings

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002434967/

House 1

Patrick Kelly aged 77 was head of the family; married to Margaret aged 65. They lived with their children Patrick aged 35 & Katherine aged 22, both single; and granddaughters Mary A Lynch aged 10 & Delia M Lynch aged 7.

Patrick was a farmer; Margaret was a farmer’s wife; Patrick was a farmer’s son; Katherine was a farmer’s daughter & Mary A. & Delia M. were scholars. Patrick (father) & Margaret could not read & write; Patrick spoke Irish & English; Margaret spoke only Irish. Patrick (son), Katherine, Mary A & Delia M could read & write and spoke Irish & English. The family were Roman Catholic.

Patrick & Margaret were married for 38 years; they had 9 children with all 9 living at the time of the census.

They lived in a 2nd class house with 2 rooms and 3 front windows. They had a cow house, fowl house & a piggery. This was a private dwelling.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Letterfore/Gortnashingaun/912187/

House 2

Annie Lydon aged 90 was head of the family; a widow she lived with her son Morgan aged 48 and daughter in law Barbara aged 50 & grandchildren Maggie aged 19, William aged 14, Patrick aged 11, John aged 11 and Peter aged 6.

Annie was a farmer; Morgan was a farmer’s son. William, Patrick, John & Peter were scholars. Annie could not read & spoke Irish & English. Morgan, Barbara, Maggie, William, Patrick, John & Peter could read & write. All the family with the exception of Peter spoke Irish & English. The family were Roman Catholic.

Morgan & Barbara were married for 25 years; they had 11 children with 6 living at the time of the census.

They lived in a 3rd class house with 2 rooms and 2 front windows. They had a cow house. This was a private dwelling.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Letterfore/Gortnashingaun/912188/

House 3

Honor Mons aged 67 was head of the family; a widow. She lived with her children John aged 29, Michael aged 26 & Mary aged 23.

Honor was a farmer; John & Michael were farmer’s sons & Mary was a school teacher. Honor could read. John, Michael & Mary could read & write. The entire spoke Irish & English; The family were Roman Catholic.

They lived in a 1st class house with 3 rooms and 7 front windows. They had a stable, cow house, piggery, fowl house & barn. This was a private dwelling.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Letterfore/Gortnashingaun/912189/

House 4 – RC Chapel

Church records of births, deaths and marriages:

Church records of births, deaths and marriages are available online at http://www.rootsireland.ie.  To search these records, you will need to know the ‘church parish’ rather than the ‘civil parish’. (The civil parish is the pre-reformation parish and was frequently used as a unit of administration in the past.)

Gortnashingaun is in the civil parish of Kilcummin.

Roman Catholic parishes:

This civil parish corresponds with the following Roman Catholic parish or parishes.

  • Carraroe
  • Kilannin
  • Kilcummin/Oughterard
  • Rosmuc

Church of Ireland parishes:

This civil parish corresponds with the following Church of Ireland parish.

  • Kilcummin

In general, the civil parish and the Church of Ireland parish are the same, but, this is not always the case.

Maps

It is located at 53° 28′ 44″ N, 9° 23′ 52″ W.

Original OS map of this area. Ireland was first mapped in the 1840s. These original maps are available online.

Gortnashingaun

Original OS maps at the Ordnance Survey of Ireland website.

Below is a link to the Ordnance Survey of Ireland website. It displays the original OS map that was created in the 1840s.

Gortnashingaun

Information from Google Maps.

You can use this link to find this townland on Google Maps.

Google Maps

Information from the National Monuments Service.

You can use this link to view a map of archaeological features. This link brings you to a website wherein you will have to search for your townland.

Archaeological map from the National Monuments Service

Galway Library Website

http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/place/52458

Townlands.ie Website

https://www.townlands.ie/galway/moycullen/kilcummin/letterfore/gortnashingaun/

This page was added on 08/07/2016.

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