Abbey

Information taken from a variety of official documents

Research: Noreen Shiel, Abbey Heritage

Townland of Abbey

Abbey, An Mainistir, The Monastery

Abbey is a townland in the civil parish of Ballinakill, in the electoral district of Tynagh, the barony of Leitrim and the county of Galway.  It is situated in the north eastern end of the parish of Ballynakill (sic) about 3¾ miles north, north east of Woodford and on the southern boundary of Teenagh (sic) and Dooniry (sic).

According to O’Donovan’s Field Name Books (1838) the standard spelling for the townland name is Abbey. O’Donovan states that there is a reference to the townland of Abbey in the following documents: B S Sketch; Grand Jury Presentments; Larkins County Map and Hyath. Clarke, Esq .

O Donovan’s Field Name Books (1838) further states that Abbey is a long straggling townland, the north end is liable to floods from a river on the northern boundary; the south end consists chiefly of houses well known by the Abbey.  The north end of the houses is called Russatghanna.  The acreage of the townland of Abbey is 334 acres and 1 rood.

The Down Survey Map 1641 (pre Cromwell) states that the owner of Abbey was Earl Clanrickard (Protestant).  The Down Survey Map 1670 (post Cromwell) shows that the owner remained the same.

1851 Old Age Pension Census Search forms

Sarah Burke – Application Number 920 11110

The applicant, Sarah Burke gave her address as Mrs Sarah Hackett, Rossmore, Woodford, Loughrea, Co Galway.  She applied for the old age pension on 31st January, 1920.  According to Sarah her parents were Thomas Burke and Bridge (sic) Broderick.  The form shows that her father was not the head of the family in 1851.  Instead it was a Thomas Burke who was 72 years old.  His son Thomas who was 35 years of age and his 28 year old daughter-in-law, Bridget resided with him.  The extract from the census of 1851 reveals that Sarah’s parents Thomas and Bridget married in 1848.  Sarah’s address in 1851 was given as Coolfin at first and then Abbey was written underneath.  There was no return for Sarah.  The form also shows that her application fee of 2 shillings was returned and this indicates that she was not successful in obtaining the old age pension at this time.

Tithe Applotment 1834

The Tithe Applotment Books were compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings over one acre should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland. The land was measured in Irish acres or plantation acres at the time and this equated to 1.6198 English acres.

The tithe applotment for the townland of Abbey was undertaken in 1834. It states that the townland of Abbey was in the parish of Ballinakill and in the Diocese of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh.

There were 3 proprietors in the townland at this time, namely: Jas [James] O Hara, Esqr; Sir J Burke, Bart [Baronet] and H Pigott, Esqr.

According to the Tithe Applotment Books, James O’Hara held 108 acres 1 rood and 37 perches of land which was occupied by 9 named tenants. The following is an account of the tenants’ landholdings, the value of their acres, the amount of composition of the tithe and how this was dispersed among the church hierarchy:

Michl [Michael] Moran held 11 acres 0 roods and 23½ perches of land that was valued at £1 per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £11 3s 0d. He paid 6s 7d of a tithe tax. The Bishop got 9¾d and the Vicar received 4s 1½d which was a total of 4s 11¼d.

Danl [Daniel] Moran held 11 acres 0 roods and 23½ perches of land that was valued at £1 per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £11 3s 0d. He paid 6s 7d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 9¾d and the Vicar received 4s 1½d which was a total of 4s 11¼d .

Francis Fahy  held 20 acres 0 roods and 9  perches of land that was valued at £1 per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £20 2s 4d. He paid 12s 0d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 1s 6d and the Vicar received 7s 6d which was a total of 9s 0d.

Peter Ryan held 17 acres 0 roods and 27 perches of land valued at £1 per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £17 3s 4d. He paid 10s 3d of a tithe tax. The Bishop got 1s 3¾d and the Vicar received 6s 4½d which was a total of 7s 8¼d.

Thos [Thomas] Mahony held 22 acres 1 rood and 4 perches of land that was valued at £1 per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £22 5s 6d. He paid 13s 2d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 1s 6¾d and the Vicar received 8s 3¾d which was a total of 9s 10½d.

Thos [Thomas] Halloran held 10 acres 3 rood and 32 perches of land that was valued at £1 per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £10 19s 0d. He paid 6s 7d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 9¾d and the Vicar received 4s 1½d which was a total of 11s 11¼d.

Pat Madden held 2 acres 2 roods and 9 perches of land that was valued at £1 per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £2 11s 2d. He paid 1s 6d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 2¼d and the Vicar received 1s 1½d which was a total of 1s 1¾d.

Jno [John] Hanrahan held  10 acres 0 roods and 27 perches of land that was valued at £1 per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £10 3s 4d. He paid 6s 0d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 9d and the Vicar received 3s 9d which was a total of 4s 6d.

Jno [John] Hanrahan held  2 acres 3 roods and 32 perches of land that was valued at £1 per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £2 19s 0d. He paid 1s 9d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 2¼d and the Vicar received 1s 1½d which was a total of 1s 1¾d.

Proprietor Sir J Burke Bart [Baronet] had one tenant namely Jas [James] Abberton  who held 8 acres of land that was valued at £1 15s 0d per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £14. He paid 8s 5d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 1s ¾d and the Vicar received 5s 3d which was a total of 6s 3¾d.

H Piggott Esq [Esquire] owned 94 acres of land that was valued at £1 0s 0d per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £94. He paid £2 16s 6d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 7s 1½d and the Vicar received £1 15s 3d which was a total of £2 2s 4½d

Griffith’s Valuation

According to Griffith’s Valuation the area of the townland Abbey is 334 acres, 3 roods and 28 perches. The valuation of the land was £176 5s 0d and the valuation of the buildings was £9 15s 0d giving a total valuation of £186 0s 0d.  Henry Pigott owned 2 plots comprising of 156 acres 1 rood and 4 perches of the land in Abbey.  His total annual valuation of rateable property was £7 10s 0d.  Thomas J Burke leased a total of 177 acres to the following: Michael Madden who paid a total annual valuation of £10 10s 0d while Peter Ryan paid a total valuation of £22 5s 0d. John Mahony paid a total annual valuation of £15 5s 0d.  Patrick Abberton, Sen and Thaddeus Lynch shared one plot of land with Patrick Abberton paying an annual valuation of £8 0s 0d and Thaddeus Lynch paid a total annual valuation of £7 10s 0d. Bridget Abberton leased 3 plots of land from Thomas J Burke and she paid a total annual valuation of £14 5s 0d. She was the immediate lessor for Patrick Abberton, Jun who had a total annual valuation of £1 15s 0d .

Census 1901

There were ten inhabited houses in the townland of Abbey at the time of the 1901 census with 50 inhabitants.  The B1 Form shows that there was one uninhabited building, namely the national school. All, except one house had walls made of a permanent material like stone, brick or concrete.  All except three of the houses had roofs made of a perishable material such as mud, thatch, etc.  There was no B2 Form for this townland of Abbey in 1901.  Form N reveals that there were 29 males and 21 females and all were Roman Catholics.  The head of the households were: Patrick McDonagh, Thomas Abberton, Patrick McDonagh, Patrick Ryan, Patrick Larkin, John Hynes, Jane Hynes, Hubeart Cunningham, Michael Abberton, Michael Martin.  All of the residents were born in Co Galway except for one occupant in house number six; Bridget Kelly was born in Co Dublin.  There were a total of 39 outhouses.  The census forms were collected on 4th and 5th April.

Patrick McDonagh was a 62 year old farmer.  He lived with his wife Mary who was 55 years old, his daughter Ellen who was 19 years old, his son John 17 years old and Kate his 15 year old daughter.  Mary was a housekeeper and could read and write as could all the other occupants of the house.  Ellen’s occupation was listed as a domestic and she was not married. John was a farmer and was not married. Kate McDonagh was a scholar and all three could read and write.  The other occupant was John Cunniffe who was a 45 year old servant.  He was unmarried and his occupation was listed as farm servant.  He could read.  The McDonagh house was a second class house with 3 front windows and 4 rooms.  Patrick owned the land the house was built on and had 6 outhouses.

Thomas Abberton was a 55 year old farmer.  He lived with his wife Catherine who was 55 years old, sons Martin who was 23 years old, Patrick who was 16 years old and Laurence who was 14 years old as well as his daughter Catherine who was 17 years old.  He was a farmer and his wife Catherine’s occupation is listed as farmer’s wife.  Both of them could read and write as could all their family.  None of the children are married and farmer’s son is the occupation listed for all three sons while Catherine is described as a farmer’s daughter.  The Abberton family’s house was a second class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms.  Thomas owned the land the house was built on and had 5 outhouses.

Patrick McDonagh a 69 year old farmer was a widower.  He lived with his daughter Frances Martin who was 24 years old and his 5 year old granddaughter, Maud Martin.  He could read and write and spoke Irish and English.  Frances and Maud could also read and write but only spoke English.  Frances was a housekeeper and was married while Maud was a scholar. Patrick McDonagh’s house had walls built of perishable material and the roof was of a perishable material such as mud, thatch, etc.  It had 2 front windows and 4 rooms.  Patrick owned the land on which the house was built and he had 4 outhouses.

Patrick Ryan a 67 year old farmer was a widower.  He lived with his three sons, namely John who was 30 years old, Patrick who was 17 years old, Martin who was 16 years old, daughter in law Mary who was 28 years old, grandsons 3 year old Martin and 9 month old Patrick and granddaughter Celia who was 2 years old.  Patrick spoke English and Irish but there is no language listed for the other family members. He could read and write as could all the others except for the grandchildren.  John and Mary are the only family members who are married. The sons John and Patrick have their occupations listed as farmer’s son while Martin is a scholar.  The Ryan’s house was a second class house with 3 front windows and 5 rooms. Patrick owned the land on which the house was built and had 5 outhouses.

Patrick Larkin was a 73 year old shoemaker and lived with his wife Bridget who was 74 years old and his daughter Bridget who was 30 years old.  Patrick and his daughter could read and write but his wife Bridget cannot read.  Patrick and his wife Bridget spoke Irish and English while their daughter spoke English only.  Bridget, the daughter was not married.  Larkin’s house had 2 front windows and it was listed as a third class house with 2 rooms.  Patrick had one outhouse and John Hynes was the owner of the land on which the house was built.

John Hynes was a farmer and was 65 years of age. He and all the occupants were born in Co Galway except the servant Bridget Kelly who was born in Co Dublin.  John lived with his 62 year old wife Bridget, his 27 year old son John, his 5 year old grandson, Edwin Donnelly and Bridget Kelly who was 16 years old.  All of them could read and write except for the grandson, Edwin.  John’s wife Bridget was the only occupant who spoke Irish.  His son John was not married and his occupation was listed as a farmer’s son. Edwin Donnelly was a scholar. Bridget Kelly was not married.  The Hynes’s house had both walls and roof built of a permanent materials.  There were 6 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 5 rooms.  John owned the land on which the house was built and there were 3 outhouses.

Jane Hynes was a 27 year old shopkeeper who could read and write and spoke English and Irish.  She was not married.  Her niece, 6 year old Maryanne Donnelly, was also resident in house number seven. She could read and write.  Jane Hynes’s house had 7 front windows and it was listed as a first class house with 7 rooms.  She had 6 outhouses.  John Hynes was listed as the landowner on whose holding the house was situated.

Hubeart (sic) Cunningham was a 34 year old tailor who lived with his wife Annie who was 33 years old, sons Thomas 10 years old, Patrick 8 years old, Michael 6 years old and 8 month old John along with his daughters Mary A who was 4 years old and 2 year old Bridget K.  His wife Annie was a seamstress while Thomas, Patrick and Michael were scholars.  All of the family could read and write except for Michael who could read only and Mary A, Bridget K and the baby John who couldn’t read.  Cunningham’s house had 2 front windows and it was listed as a third class house with 2 rooms.  Hubeart had 2 outhouses and John Hynes was listed as the landowner on whose holding the house was situated.

Michael Abberton was 50 years of age and a farmer.  He lived with his wife Bridget who was 40 years old, his father in law John Monaghan who was a 70 year old widower and his cousin Patrick Costelloe who was 60 years old and single.  Michael and Bridget’s sons, 8 year old Francis and 5 year old John and daughter Catherine who was 7 years of age were also resident.  Catherine and Francis were listed as scholars.  All the occupants could read and write except for 5 year old John and Patrick Costelloe. Michael, Bridget and John spoke Irish and English while the remainder of the occupants spoke English only.  The Abberton’s house had both walls and roof constructed with permanent materials such as brick, stone, slate, tiles etc.  It had 5 front windows and was listed as a second class house with 5 rooms. They had 7 outhouses.

Michael Martin was a 35 year old general labourer who lived with his 41 year old wife, Mary. Both of them could read and write but there was no language listed for them.  The Martin’s house had 2 front windows and it was listed as a third class house with 2 rooms.  There are no outhouses listed for Michael Martin.  John Hynes was the landowner on whose holding the house was situated.

The National School was house number 11 and it was an uninhabited dwelling.  Sir H Burke of Marblehill was listed as the landowner on whose holding the school was situated.

Census 1911

There were seven inhabited houses at the time of the 1911 census with 29 inhabitants.  The N Form reveals that there were 24 males and 18 females, all were Roman Catholics and all of them were born in Co Galway.  The head of the households were: Sionad Ní Hines, Michael Abberton, John Hynes, John Ryan, John McDonagh, Thomas Abberton and Michael Martin. The B1 Form shows that all of the houses had walls built with permanent materials while there were 3 houses with roofs built of permanent materials such as slate, tiles or iron and four houses with roofs constructed of perishable materials like mud, straw, etc.  The B2 Form shows that there were a total of 25 outhouses consisting of 6 stables, 2 coach houses, 6 cow houses, 6 piggeries, 1 fowl houses, 2 barns, 1 workshop and 1 shed.  The census Form A was collected from all households in Abbey in April, 1911.

Sionad Ní Hines [Jane Hynes] was 36 years old and her occupation was “Ceannuige loin”.  She lived with her 16 year old niece Máire Ní Dhonngaile [Maura Donnelly] and her 15 year old nephew Domhnail Ó Donnghaile [Donal Donnelly].  She was single and she and both of the other occupants could read and write and spoke English and Irish.  Maire and Domhnaill were both scholars.  Sionad Ní Hines’s house had a roof built of a permanent material such as slates, tiles, etc.  There were 4 front windows and it was listed as a first class house with 8 rooms.  Sionad had 8 outhouses including 1 shed, 1 cow shed, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 turf house, I shed and I store.  John Hynes was listed as the landowner on whose holding the house was situated.

Michael Abberton was a 67 year old farmer who was married to Mary who was 55 years of age and whose occupation was listed as farmer’s wife.  They spoke English only and could read and write, as could all the other occupants.  When the 1911 census was taken they were married for 22 years and had 4 children, 3 of whom were alive at the time. Their three children listed in the 1911 Census were Frank who was 20 years old, Kathleen who was 19 years old and John who was 16 years of age.  John Minogue was Michael’s father in law and he was an 80 year old farmer.  He was a widower and could speak English and Irish.  The Abberton’s house had a roof built of a permanent material such as slate, tiles etc. There were 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 5 rooms.  Michael owned the holding on which the house was built and had 7 outhouses, including a stable, a cow house, a calf house, a piggery, a fowl house and a store.

John Hynes was a 79 year old farmer married to Bridget who was 76 years old.  They could read and write as could all occupants except for two infant grandsons.  They were married for 47 years when the 1911 census was taken.  They had 6 children, all of whom were living at the time.  They lived with their 39 year old son John Hynes who was a farmer and married to Mary Jane who was 20 years old.  They were married 3 years when the 1911 census was taken and have 2 children both of whom were living. Their children were 18 month old Michael Joe and one month old Francis Eugene.  The other residents were Bridget Connaire, an 18 year old servant, who was not married and 9 year old Sylvester Gerome Donnelly.  Sylvester was John and Bridget’s grandson and was a scholar.  John Hynes’s house had a roof constructed of a permanent material such as slates, tiles, etc.  There were 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 6 rooms.  John Hynes owned the holding on which the house was built and had 10 outhouses, including 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 dairy, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn, 1 turf house, 1 potato house and 1 shed.

Patt John Ryan was 78 years of age and he was a widowed farmer.  He could read and write, as could all the other occupants, except for the three youngest grandchildren.  He lived with his 40 year old son John, his daughter in law Mary who was 39 years old and his 7 grandchildren: Martin, a 13 years old, Ceceilia (sic) who was 12 years old, Patrick who was 11 years old, Katie who was 10 years old, Edmund who was 7 years old, Julia May who was 5 years old, John and Peter who were 3 years old.  John was listed as a farmer and was married to Mary for 15 years.  They had 12 children at the time of the 1911 census, 9 of whom were living then.  Martin, Cecelia, Patrick and Katie were scholars who could read and write. Edmund and Julia May were also scholars.  Patt John Ryan’s house roof was made of a perishable material such as mud, thatch, etc.  There were 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 4 rooms.  John Ryan owned the holding the house was built on and had 10 outhouses, including 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 dairy, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn, 1 turf house, 1 potato house and 1 shed.

John McDonagh was a 26 year old farmer who could read and write and was single.  Kate McDonagh was his 24 year old sister.  She was single and could read and write.  Laurence Tully was a servant.  He was 48 years old, unmarried and his occupation was listed as farm laborer.  He could read and write. John McDonagh’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 3 rooms. John owned the holding the house was built on and had 7 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Thomas Abberton was a 69 year old farmer and he was a widower.  Thomas Abberton was his 34 year old son and his occupation was listed as farmer and he was married to Myria who was 35 years old. They were married seven years when the 1911 census was taken.  They had 4 children all of whom were living at this time: Kathleen who was 5 years old, Bridget who was 4 years old, Thomas who was 3 years old and Mary who was 2 years old.  Kate Abberton was the 30 year old daughter of Thomas.  She was not married.  Kathleen Abberton was a 4 year old granddaughter.  Bridget Abberton is a 3 year old granddaughter.  Michael Moran was a 30 year old servant and his occupation was listed as labourer. There is no record for any of the occupants in the literacy column, apart from Thomas the head of the family and it says Read or Write (sic) for him.  Thomas Abberton’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 3 rooms.  Thomas owned the holding the house was built on and had 10 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 dairy, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn, 1 turf house, a potato house and 1 shed.

Michael Martin was the head of the family in house number seven and was 48 years of age. He was a labourer and was married to Mary who was 71 years old for 16 years when the census was taken.  There are no children listed.  Michael Martin’s house was had 2 front windows and it was listed as a third class house with 2 rooms. There are no outhouses recorded for Michael Martin.  John Hynes was listed as the landowner on whose holding the house was situated.

Architectural Heritage

Lady’s Well, Abbey

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) on its website www.buildingsofireland.ie has assigned register number 30412502 to Lady’s Well. The following is the description and appraisal given by the NIAH to Lady’s Well:

Description
Holy well, incorporating medieval fabric, restored c.1980, covering site of natural spring. Pitched stone flag roof, vaulted to interior. Squared rubble limestone and sandstone walls. Square-headed doorway in front (east) elevation. Statue of Our Lady to south gable, and rag tree to south-east corner. Second holy well to west with rubble limestone wall built to round plan. Beehive-shaped cairns to east. Round-headed opening in boundary wall to site, and single-arch bridge, both with punch-dressed medieval stonework.

Appraisal
This group of small-scale structures, comprising a holy well house, a second well, and associated penitential station, is a significant part of the heritage of Abbey village and is associated with the nearby Kilnalahan Friary. The holy well is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and still venerated between the 15th August and 8th of September each year and is believed to have healing properties.

The above information can be found here

The National Monument Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht records 4 archaeological monuments in the townland of Abbey on their website http://webgis.archaeology.ie/NationalMonuments/FlexViewer/.  They are unable to supply descriptive details for any of the 4 but give the following record details:

Holy Well

SMR                                       GA125-001002

CLASS                                    Ritual site – holy well

ITM (E,N)                               573656, 706103

IRISH GRID (E,N)                  173700, 206070

 

Penitential Station

SMR                                       GA125-001001

CLASS                                    Penitential Station

ITM (E,N)                               573656, 706103

IRISH GRID (E,N)                  173700, 206070

 

Architectural Fragment

SMR                                       GA125-001003

CLASS                                    Architectural fragment

ITM (E,N)                               573643, 706105

IRISH GRID REF (E,N)         173687, 206072

Abbey Ordnance Map

Ordnance survey map of Abbey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This page was added on 11/03/2015.

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