Leam East

By Mary Kyne & Antoinette Lydon (Hyperlinks)

Leam East 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. The Irish form of the name is Léim meaning leap or jump. In local folklore it is believed that Diarmuid and Gráine of Gaelic mythology jumped across the river when fleeing from Fionn’s army.

An Léim Thiar is in the Electoral Division of Kilcummin, in Civil Parish of Kilcummin, in the Barony of Moycullen, in the County of Galway

Other forms of the name appear on other documents:

Leam East in the Boundary Surveyor,

East Leam in the Barony Cess Book,

Leam Mountain in the County Map,

Leam East Local,

East Lame    Rector of Kilcummin, (note the different spelling)

Leim   Inquis. Temp. Jac.

Boundaries: Leam East is situated in the Northern extremity of the Parish of Kilcummin.

An Léim Thoir (Leam East) borders the following other townlands:

Area: The area contains 1,8891¼ acres of land and 21¾ acres of water. The land is of very poor quality wet, rocky and mountainous.

Landlord:

The landlord was Thomas B. Martin, Esq., Ballinahinch. Thomas B. Martin was a member of the Martin of Ross Family as stated in the Landed Estates Database

  • Martin (Ross) – The Martin family were established beside Ross Lake in the barony of Moycullen, county Galway, from the late 16th century, where they purchased land from the O’Flahertys. They were Royalist supporters and were dispossessed of their property in the city of Galway by the Cromwellians. Robert Martin received a grant of 2,909 acres in the barony of Moycullen, by patent dated 21 Aug 1677. Jasper Martin of Ross, who died in 1700, had two sons Jasper and Richard, from whom descend the two branches of the family settled at Ross and Ballynahinch. Nicholas Martin, who died in 1811, married Elizabeth O’Hara, daughter of Robert O’Hara of Lenaboy, and according to Burke’s ”Landed Gentry”, a grandniece of James O’Hara, 2nd Baron Tyrawley. Their grandson, James Martin of Ross, had sixteen children from his two marriages. His daughter, Maud, married H. Callwell and they were the parents of the author, J. M. Callwell. The youngest daughter of James Martin was Violet Florence Martin of the well known literary team Somerville and Ross. The Martins of Ross owned 5,767 acres in county Galway in the 1870s. They advertised the sale of their estate in the Landed Estates’ Court in May 1885.
  • Martin (Ballynahinch) – A branch of the Anglo Norman family of Martin, one of the Tribes of Galway, was granted the O’Flaherty lands in the Connemara region in the mid 17th century. This family were a junior branch of the Martins of Ross and under the Acts of Settlement were granted vast estates in counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Clare and Sligo. By a patent dated 1698 they were confirmed in the possession of their Connemara estate known as the Manor of Claremount by King William. The Westport Estate Papers document the sale of over 27,000 acres in the baronies of Moycullen and Ballynahinch by the trustees for the sale of Colonel John Browne’s estate to John Edwards for Richard Martin in 1699. The early generations of Martins lived at Birch Hall and Dangan, in the townland of Oranhill, parish of Rahoon, near Galway city. Richard Martin, better known as ‘Humanity Dick’, was the first member of the family to be reared as a Protestant. He was a famous duellist and founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Ballynahinch Castle was built in the centre of his estate. His son Thomas Martin died in 1847 during the Famine and Thomas’s only daughter and heir, Mary Laetita, inherited a heavily encumbered estate. She married her cousin, Arthur Gonne Bell, and died in New York in 1850. The Martin estates were offered for sale in two sections in 1849. Their property close to Galway town included Dangan, Corcullen, Bushypark and Killeen. Their Connemara estate was acquired by the Law Life Assurance Society in 1852, to whom it was heavily mortgaged. In 1853 the estate of almost 200,000 acres was surveyed by Thomas Colville Scott for a prospective buyer. Richard Martin, second son of Richard ‘Humanity Dick’ Martin of Ballynahinch, is recorded as holding five townlands in the parish of Killannin, barony of Moycullen, county Galway, at the time of Griffith’s Valuation although he emigrated to Canada in 1833. He was also recorded as the occupier of Clareville, a Martin home in the village of Oughterard. Many of his descendants still reside in Canada. http://www.martinhistory.net/

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 were ‘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 ploughlands, 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 recognised 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)

Tithe Applotment Leam East 1829

Michl Mcennally, Martin Newell & Bartly Newell had 29 acres of land; 12 acres of 2nd quality land with a payment of 1s and 8 acres of 3rd quality land with a payment of 3d.

The Tithe payments went to Richard Martin Esq and the Reverends James Daly & John Wilson.

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004587459/004587459_00436.pdf

Downs Survey

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  LEAM EAST

Down Survey Name: Leame
1641 Owner(s): O’Flahartye, Bryan (Catholic)O’Flaharty, Rory McMoyny (Catholic)
1670 Owner(s): Martin, Richard (Catholic)
County: Galway
Barony: Muckullin
Parish: Killcumyn

http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/landowners.php#mc=53.411222,-9.449537&z=13

Griffith’s Valuation 1850s

In Griffith’s Valuation the area of Leam East is 1910 acres 3 roods and 37 perches of land and 21 acres 2 roods 34 perches of water = 1889 acres 1rood 3 perches with a land value of £33 10s 0d and buildings valued at £3 5s 0d. The total value came to £36 15s 0d.

Occupiers of the lands in East Leam at this time were:

James Toole,            Francis Bingham,    Bridget Deghedan,

Bridget Toole,          Thomas Toole,        Bryan Toole,

Harry Toole              John Powell               Patrick Nee.

 

The Landlords were – Directors of the Law Life Assurance Co.

Ownership of Land and Property

James Toole, Francis Bingham, Bridget Toole and Thomas Toole owned a house, out office and land while Bridget Deghedan, Bryan Toole, Harry Toole, John Powell and Patrick Nee owned a house and land.

In total they had 1889acres 1 rood and 3 perches. There was 21 acres 2 roods 34 perches under water. The total was 1910 acres 3 roods and 37 perches.

Annual Valuation

The total annual valuation of rateable property in Leam East came to £36 15s 0d. James Toole, Bridget Toole and Patrick Nee were rated £5 each, Thomas Toole £5 10s, Bryan Toole £5 6s and Francis Bingham, Bridget Deghedan, Harry Toole and John Powell paid £2 10s each.

Population & Census Information

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.

Census 1841-1891

1841 – 14 houses with 81 people

1851 – 10 houses with 68 people

1861 – 17 houses with 78 people

1871 – 13 houses with 83 people

1881 – 10 houses (10 inhabited) with 65 people (34 males / 31 females). There were 21 outbuildings. Total Valuation of Houses & Lands £37 5s 0d.

1891 – 14 houses (14 inhabited) with 105 people (82 males / 23 females). There were 7 Outbuildings. Total Valuation of Houses & Lands £39 5s 0d.

Census 1881/ 1891 

The Table shows that there were 4 Registrar’s Districts and Electorial Divisions in the Oughterard Poor Law Union. The total area of the whole Union was 172,289 acres.  The table gives the number of houses and the population for each district from 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, to 1891.The divisions of the Oughterard Union were Kilcummin, Letterfore, Oughterard and Wormhole. The total number of houses listed in 1841 were 4,465 and by 1881 there were 3,641 houses. The population in 1871 was 19,572 and by 1891 it was 18,975.

1901 Census Leam East

This is a return of the members of the family, their Visitors, Boarders, Servants who slept or abode in their house on the night of Sunday March 31st 1901 in Leam East

There were 13 houses listed in the Townland of Leam East. The people were all Roman Catholics and they were born in County Galway. There were 24 in total of farm buildings and out offices which included a store, stables, cow houses, barns, piggeries, and a fowl house.

Class of House: The class of house depended on the materials used in the roof, walls, number of rooms and number of front windows. A 1st class house was considered the highest standard. Most of the houses were Class 2 houses which could have 2, 3,or 4 rooms in the house.

Walls of the houses: The walls were of stone, brick, and concrete or of mud, wood or other perishable material. The houses in Leam East were built of stone, brick or concrete. There were no mud cabins.

Roofs: Roofs were of slate, iron, tiles, thatch, wood or other perishable material. House no. 1 owned by Thomas Toole and House No. 2 owned by Midland Great Western Railway Co. in which James Conneely resided were slated. Roofs of houses 3-13 were of thatch, wood or perishable material. Most likely they were thatched as there were ample reeds for thatching in the lakes.

Enumerators Abstract

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000840170/

House & Building Return

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000840171/

Out Offices & Farm Steadings Return

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000840172/

House 1: Thomas Toole age 28 was a shopkeeper. He was not married. He could read and write and spoke English and Irish. He owned a store. He lived in a Class 2 house with 3 front windows. One person occupied 3 available rooms. Patrick Toole was listed as the landholder of this property.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394370/

House 2: James Conneely age 29 was listed as head of the family and lived with his wife Rose age 27. James was a Railway Ganger and his wife rose was a Gate Keeper. Rose came from County Mayo and she spoke English while her husband James spoke English and Irish. They could read and write. They had a daughter Bridget who was 5 months old. The night of the Census Bridget Mc Tigue, age 30, from County Mayo who spoke English was visiting the Conneely’s. Her occupation was listed as a general servant. They had one cow house. James lived in a Class 2 house owned by the Midland Great Western Railway Co. with 3 front windows. 4 persons occupied 3 available rooms.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394371/

House 3: Pat Toole. Age 30 ?, was listed as Head of the Family. He spoke Irish but didn’t read or write. He was a farmer. Living with him was his daughter Mary, age 32 who also spoke Irish but couldn’t read or write. John, age 21 his son lived with him. John could read and write and spoke both languages, Irish and English.   His occupation was listed as farm labourer. There seems to be an error in Pat’s age as in the official document I read it as age 50 and that would make more sense. As his daughter is 32 and son 21. He had a stable, cow house, piggery and barn. Patrick Toole lived in a Class 3 house with 1 front window. 3 persons occupied 3 available rooms.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394372/

House 4: Harry Toole age 38 was Head of the Family. He was married to Honor age 28. They both spoke Irish and English but Harry couldn’t read or write. Living with them was Harry’s niece Mary Conneely age 11 and listed as a scholar who could read and write and spoke Irish and English. Tom Toole age 40, a farmer’s servant resided in the house too. Tom was not married. He spoke Irish but couldn’t read or write. He had a stable, cow house and piggery. Harry lived in a Class 3 house with 1 front window. 4 persons occupied 3 available rooms.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394372/

House 5: John Degedan, age 40, was head of the family. He was a farmer. He was not married. Mathias, age 37, his brother lived with John as did his sister Maggie age 35. Maggie was a seamstress. They spoke Irish and English but they couldn’t read or write. John lived in a Class 3 house with 1 front window. 3 persons occupied 2 available rooms.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394374/

House 6: John Toole age 45 was head of the family.  John lived alone and was a farmer. He had a cow house. He spoke Irish and English but couldn’t read or write. John lived in a 3rd Class house with one front window and 1 room. Henry Toole is listed as the Landholder of this property.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394375/

House 7:  Patrick Coyne age 60 was head of the family. He was married to Bridget age 50. They had 9 children 6 sons and 3 daughters. Barbara 18, James 12, Tom 9, Philip 10, Coleman 8, Willy 6, Sarah 4, Katey 2 and Peter 1. The family all spoke Irish and English except Briget who spoke only Irish. Patrick head of the family as well as his school going children could read and write except for Katey and Peter the two younger children. Patrick, his wife Bridget, James his son and daughter Barbara were listed as Wool Weavers. The school going children were listed as scholars. He had a stable and a cow house. Patrick lived in a 3rd Class house with 2 front windows. 11 persons occupied 2 available rooms.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394376/

House 8: Mary Toole, a widower, age 60, was head of the family. She was a farmer and had her sons Harry age 40 and Pat age 32 who were not married were also farmers living with her. Anne age 25, her daughter who could read and write and who spoke Irish and English lived with her too. She had a stable and a cow house. Mary lived in a 2nd Class house with 3 rooms and 2 front windows.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394377/

House 9: Thomas Lee age 60 was head of the family and lived with his wife Maggie age 56. They were farmers and spoke Irish but couldn’t read or write. Mary 28, Barbara 24 – their daughters and son Martin 23 lived with them. They spoke Irish and English and could read and write. Mary Anne Burke age 3, their niece was listed as a scholar and lived in this house too. He had a stable and a cow house. Thomas lived in a 3rd class house with 1 front window and 2 rooms.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394378/

House 10: Patrick Toole age 52 was head of the family and lived with his wife Anne age 49. They were farmers who spoke all Irish but couldn’t read or write. Their sons Pat 20, Tom 16, Michael 14, Henry 11 and their daughter Mary 9 spoke English and Irish and could read and write lived with them. Pat’s occupation was listed as ‘farmer’s son’ while the children were classified as ‘scholars’. They had two cow houses. Patrick lived in a 3rd Class house with 1 front window and 2 rooms.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394379/

House 11: Bartley Nee age 40 who spoke Irish but couldn’t read or write lived here with his wife Catherine age 30 who spoke both English and Irish and could read and write. Their daughters Honoria 9 and Mary 8 spoke English and lived with them. They had a cow house and a fowl house. Bartley lived in a 3rd Class house with1 front window and 3 rooms.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394380/

House 12: Thomas Toole age 40 lived with his wife Bridget age 38. They spoke Irish but couldn’t read or write. They lived with their children John 10, Julia 8, Bridget 4, and Harry 1. John and Julia could read and write and spoke English and Irish but young Harry and Bridget spoke English. Thomas was a farmer and he owned a piggery.  He lived in a 4th Class house with one room and no window in front.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394381/

House 13: Bryan Toole(John) age 40 was head of the family and lived with his wife Bridget age 36 who spoke only Irish while her husband Bryan spoke both languages. They didn’t read or write but their school going children spoke both languages and could read and write. Their children were Pat 9, Michael 7, James 5, Mary 3 and Bryan 3 and baby Tom 2months old. Living with them the night of the census were Bryan’s nephew John O Toole 26 who was not married. His occupation was listed as ‘Railway Man’. Mary Toole age 45, a sister of Bryan, lived with them as a general servant. Mary Walsh 24, Bryan’s niece also classified as general servant lived in House 13 too. Bryan was a farmer owning two cow houses and a piggery. Bryan lived in a 3rd Class house with 2 windows in the front and 2 rooms.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam_East/1394382/

Leam East Census 1911

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

Description of the Houses

All the houses in Leam East were listed as private dwellings and were built of concrete or stone.  The roofs of the houses were of wood, thatch or other perishable material. Most likely they were thatched. The head of the family were listed as the landholders. One family lived in each property. The Class of the house depended on the material used in the roof, walls, number of rooms and number of front windows. Most of the houses came under “2’ in the census form meaning that there could be 2, 3, or 4, rooms in the house.

Enumerators Abstract

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002434474/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002434475/

House & Building Return

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002434476/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002434477/

Out Offices & Farm Steadings Return

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002434478/

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002434479/

 House 1: Patrick Toole age 40 lived here as head of the family with his wife Barbara aged 40.  Patrick and Barbara spoke Irish. Michael Connelly aged 1, Mary Conneely aged 9 and Maggie Conneely aged 7 were listed as Patrick and Barbara’s sons and daughter. They were married less than a year.  Patrick and Barbara spoke Irish while the children spoke Irish and English. Patrick was a farmer. He had 2 cow houses, a calf house and a piggery. The family of 5 persons lived in a Class 3 house – a two roomed house with one front window.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471171/

House 2: Patrick Coyne aged 68 head of the family lived with his wife Bridget aged 65. Patrick and Bridget were wool weavers and farmers. Living with them were their children Colman 21, William 19 Sarah 17 Kate 15 and Peter 13. Colman and William were labourers and Sarah, Kate and Peter were scholars. Patrick and Barbara were married for 33 years. They had 11 children born alive and in 1911 9 children were still living. Patrick had a cow house, a piggery and a workshop.

The family of 7 persons lived in a Class 3 house – a one roomed house with 2 front windows.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471172/

House 3: John Deignan aged 70 was head of the family. Mathies 74, John’s brother and sister Margaret 72 lived with John. John and Mathies were farmers and Margaret was a general servant. They were all single and spoke Irish. He had a cow house and barn.  The family of 3 persons lived in a Class 3 house –a 2roomed house with one front window.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471173/

House 4: John Toole a farmer and a widower lived with his brother Harry aged 30 and who worked as a labourer and sister Mary aged 40 who worked as a seamstress. There was no family. He had a cow house, calf house and barn. The family of 3 lived in a class 3 house – a two roomed house with 2 front windows.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471174/

House 5: Thomas Lee aged 74 a farmer, was head of the family. He lived with his wife Margaret aged 73. Their daughter Mary 40 and son Martin 36 who worked as a labourer lived with them. They were both single.  Mary Burke aged 14 a niece of Thomas and a scholar lived with them. Thomas and Margaret were married for 42 years. They had 4 children born alive and 4 still living in 1911. He had a cow house, calf house, piggery and a barn. The Family of 5 persons lived in a class 3 house – a two roomed house with 2 front windows.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471175/

House 6: Patrick Toole aged 60 a farmer was head of the household. Living with him was his wife Anne 63, his two sons, Michael 24 and Henry 21 both labourers and his daughter Mary 19. They were single. Patrick and Anne were married for 34 years. They had 6 children born alive and 6 living in 1911. He had a cow house, calf house and a piggery.

The family of 5 lived in a Class 3 house – a two roomed house with 2 front windows.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471176/

House 7: Mary Toole, a farmer and widower, was head of the household. Her children who were single lived with her – Harry 52 a labourer and two daughters Mary 42 and Anne 32. Mary was married for 32 years before her husband died. They had 5 children born alive and in 1911 5 were still living. She had a cow house. The family of 4 lived in a Class 3 house – a 2 roomed house with 2 front windows.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471177/

House 8: Thomas Toole aged 69, a farmer and widower was head of the household. Living with him was Bridget 14 –a labourer and Harry 12 a scholar. There is nothing listed for the length of the marriage or the number of children born alive. He had a cow house and a piggery. The family of 3 lived in a Class 3 house with 2 rooms and one front window.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471178/

House 9: Harry Toole aged 50 a farmer was head of the household. Honor aged 40 his wife lived with him also his niece Bridget Nee aged 13, a scholar. John Kenny, a married man, aged 52 a carpenter by trade was visiting on the night of the census. Harry and Honor were married for 26 years there is no entry under children born alive. He had 2 stables, a cow house, calf house, piggery and a potato house. The family of 4 lived in a class 3 house – a two roomed house with 2 front windows.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471179/

House 10: Bartley Nee aged 52 a farmer and widower was head of the household. Mary nee his daughter lived with him. Mary was single.  There is nothing listed for children born alive or the length of the marriage. He had a cow house, calf house and a piggery. The family of 2 lived in a Class 3 house – a 2 roomed house with 2 front windows.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilcummin/Leam__East/471180/

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.)

Leam East is in the civil parish of Kilcummin.

Catholic parish:

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

  • Clonbern & Kilkerrin in Galway East.
  • Carraroe in Galway West.
  • Kilannin in Galway West.
  • Kilcummin/Oughterard in Galway West.
  • Rosmuc in Galway West.

Church of Ireland parish:

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

  • Kilcummin in Galway West.

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

Out Offices and Land

The out office was a farm building, a cow house, piggery or barn. The land was very poor and sterile and people were always poverty-stricken. At this time most tenants were trying to eke out a living on 5acres or less and a farmer needed at least 15.3 acres to survive.

Clachan: The Irish is ‘Clochán’. The houses in Leam East formed a Clachan. A clachan was a small traditional settlement common in Ireland until the middle of the 20th century. They usually lacked a church, post office or other formal building. The origin is unknown but it is likely that they are of ancient root most likely dating to medieval times.

The Leam East clachan was a cluster of small single storey farmers’ cottages built on poor land. They were related to the rundale system of farming. According to David Lloyd, The Great Famine 1845–1849 caused such disruption to the social system that the clachans virtually disappeared.

People living in Clachans had the support of a tight knit community.

In some cases the clachans have evolved into holiday villages or one or two houses have been taken over turning smaller houses into agricultural outhouses. At the top of Leam East you have holiday time sharing cottages built in the 1980’s – a modern version of the Clachans.

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 themselves 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, an additional 33 Unions were created by subdividing and reorganizing the boundaries of some existing Unions, particularly in the west of the country.

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

 

Townlands

A town land 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 1169. Leam East is a townland and other place names in or near this townland are:

  • Derrrygowna (river) The Irish version is Doire Gamhna translated it means “Oakwood of the milch cows’. It is listed as an insignificant stream. Derrygowna River 
  • Knockmoyle  (hill) – translated into Irish Cnoc Maol – the flat bare hill. Knockmoyle
  • Leam Bridge  (bridge) – Described in O’Donovan’s Field Name Books as ‘The old bridge not out of order on the old road from  East. Leam Bridge 
  • Loughateelavaun (lake) – The Irish version is Loch tSíle Bháine –translated White Sheelah’s Lake. A small lough situated By. of Leam East Derreoghter and Shannawona. Loughateelavaun
  • Loughnahoulurtia (lake) – The Irish version is Loch na hAbhalghoirte – Lake of the Orchard. It is known locally as Clifden to Oughterard on the boundary of Derryglen and Leam Fruittree Lake – a small lough containing 1½ acres. Loughnahoulurtia 

 Maps:

It is located at 53° 24′ 56″ N, 9° 26′ 56″ W.

Ireland was first mapped in the 1840s. These original maps are available online.

Leam East

Original OS maps at the Ordnance Survey of Ireland website (Click on place name to view original map in new window.):

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

Leam East

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

Townlands.ie

http://www.townlands.ie/galway/moycullen/kilcummin/kilcummin-ed/an-leim-thiar/

This page was added on 31/03/2014.

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