Ballynagar

Information taken from a variety of official documents

Research: Eileen Keane, Abbey Heritage

Ballynagar Townland

Ballynagar, Béal Átha na gCarr, ford, opening, approach, mouth

Ballynagar is situated in the civil parish of Ballynakill, in the barony of Leitrim and in the County of Galway. It is located in the the north end of the parish of Ballynakill 2¼ miles north of Woodford.

O’Donovan’s field name books (1838) states that the standard name for the townland is Ballynagar and its Irish form is Béal Átha na gCarr. The translation of the name is given as ford, opening, approach and mouth. O’Donovan’s field name books states that there is a reference to Ballynagar in the following documents:
Inq. Temp. Eliz., Hyath. Clarke, Esq., Larkin’s County Map, Grand Jury Presentments and B.S. Sketch.

The Down Survey Map of Ireland 1641 (pre Cromwell) does not name the owner of the townland of Ballynagar but it states that the owner was  Catholic. The Down Survey of Ireland states that Peter Ayleward, who was a Protestant, owned the land in 1670. According to the Down Survey of Ireland, the name assigned to the townland was Ballanegare.

1851 Old Age Pension Census

There were no records for this townland.

Tithe Applotment Books 1823-37

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 Ballynagar was undertaken in 1834. It states that the townland of Ballynagar was in the parish of Ballinakill and in the Diocese of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh.

There was 1 proprietor in the townland at this time, namely: J M Aylward.

According to the Tithe Applotment Books, J M Aylward held 67 acres of land which was occupied by Herbert Nugent. The following is an account of his landholdings, the value of their acres, the amount of composition of the tithe and how this was dispersed among the church hierarchy:

Herbert Nugent held 67 acres of land that was valued at £1 3s 0d per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £77 1s . He paid £2 6s 4d of a tithe tax. The Bishop got 5s 10½d and the Vicar got £1 8s 10½d which was a total of £1 14s 9d.

Griffiths Valuation 1855

According to Griffith’s Valuation 1855, the townland of Ballynagar contained 108 acres 2 roods and 33 perches of land therefore, it stated that John M Aylward leased 108 acres 2 roods and 33 perches. The overall rent paid was £88-0-0.

John M Aylward paid a total annual valuation rate of £88-0-0 for house, offices and land.

Census 1901

The N Form shows that there was one inhabited house at the time of the 1901 census with 10 inhabitants.  There were 6 males and 4 females . Six of the occupants were Roman Catholics and the remaining four were members of the Church of Ireland.  The head of household was John M A Lewis. The occupants were born in County Galway, County Dublin and Queens County. The B1 Form showed that the house in Ballynagar was built and listed as a private dwelling. The house roof and walls were made of permanent material. The B2 Form shows that there were a total of 16 farm buildings.
John M.A. Lewis was 47 years old and he lived with his wife Katherine who was 32 years old. John was listed as a magistrate and  Katherine was listed as a magistrate’s wife. They were both born in Co. Dublin. Their 7 year old son John A was listed as a scholar and was also born in Dublin. Henry H Lewis was a brother of the head of the household. He was listed as a land agent and was born in Queen’s County. He was single.   Thomas Glynn was a coachman and he was a 30 year old single man.  Hubert Donohoe was a 32 year old single man who was listed as a shepherd. Lawrence Lyons was a 23 year old agricultural labourer and he was also a single man. Mary Kelly was 26 years old and and she was listed as a parlour maid. She  was not married. Kate Kelly was 24 years old and she was a cook servant. She  was not married. Mary Ann Fahey was a 22 year old kitchen maid servant who was single. All of the Lewis family were members of the Church of Ireland while all the other occupants were Roman Catholic.  All of the residents could read and write. John M A Lewis’ house was listed as a 1st class house with 11 front windows and there were 24 rooms in the house. John owned the land on which his house was situated along with 2 stables, 2 coach houses, 1 harvest room, 2 cow houses, 1 dairy, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn, 1 turf house, 1 potato house, 1 workshop, 1 shed and 1 store.

Census 1911

The N Form shows that there was one inhabited house at the time of the 1911 census with 7 inhabitants.  There were 4 males and 3 females. Five members of the household were Roman Catholics and were were born in County Galway. The head of household was John Lewis. The B1 Form showed that the house in Ballynagar was built and listed as a private dwelling. The house walls and the house roof were made of permanent material. The B2 Form shows that there were a total of 20 farm buildings consisting of 2 stables, 1 coach house, 1 harness room, 2 cow houses, 2 calf houses, 1 dairy, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 boiling house, 1 barn, 1 turf house, 1 potato house, 1 workshop, 2 sheds, 1 store and 1 laundry.

John Lewis was 57 years old and he was married. He was a magistrate-landed proprietor who was a member of Church of Ireland and he was born in Co. Dublin. His brother Henry was 50 years old. He was listed as a magistrate – land agent who was also a member of the Church of Ireland. He was born in Queens County and he was a single man. Thomas Glynn was 45 years old and he was a coachman-domestic servant. He was married to Mary Ann who was 35 years old. They were married for 2 years and they had 1 child still living. Their son Patrick Glynn was 11 months old.  Anne Fahey was 34 years old and she was a cook-domestic servant and she was single.  Mary Burke was 17 years old and she was a parlour maid/domestic servant and was also single. All of the adults in the house could read and write.

This page was added on 13/03/2017.

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