Easterfield

 

Easterfield Townland

Easterfield, Buaile na Casca (Easter pasture)

Easterfield is a townland located in the parish of Ballinakill in the barony of Leitrim and the county of Galway. It is situated on the north east end of the parish of Ballynakill (sic) about 3 miles north east of Woodford. It is an irregular kind of a townland, partially cultivated being composed of rough boggy land, the centre is known by Woolinachask, the south east end by Course Park. Nothing remarkable appears in the townland.

The Down Survey Map 1641 (pre Cromwell) under the name ‘Easterfield’ state that the owner was Earl Clanrickard (Protestant). The Down Survey Map 1670 (post Cromwell) shows that the owner remained the same.

According to O’Donovan’s Field Name Books 1838 the standard spelling for Easterfield was Easter Field. O Donovan states that there was a reference to the townland of Easter field in the following documents: B S Sketch and Hyacinth Clarke, Esq.

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

There was one proprietor in the townland at this time, namely Lord Riverston. According to the Tithe Applotment Books he held 152 acres and 3 roods of land which was occupied by 16 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] Caulfield held 9 acres2 roods and 13 perches of land that was valued at 16 shillings per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £7 13s 4d. He paid 4s 7½d of a tithe tax. The Bishop got 9d and the Vicar received 2s 10½d which was a total of 3s 5½d.

John Coniry held 9 acres 0 roods and 36 perches of land that was valued at 16 shillings per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £7 7s 8d. He paid 4s 5½d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 6¾d and the Vicar received 9¼d which was a total of 3s 4d.

Pat Clancy  held 9 acres 0 roods and 36 perches of land that was valued at 16 shillings per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £7 7s 8d. He paid 4s 5½d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 6¾d and the Vicar received 9¼d which was a total of 3s 4d.

Wm [William] Lynch held 9 acres 0 roods and 36 perches of land that was valued at 16 shillings per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £7 7s 8d. He paid 4s 5½d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 6¾d and the Vicar received 9¼d which was a total of 3s 4d.

Thos [Thomas] Gorman held 9 acres 0 roods and 36 perches of land that was valued at 16 shillings per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £7 7s 8d. He paid 4s 5½d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 6¾d and the Vicar received 9¼d which was a total of 3s 4d.

Tadgh Martyn held 10 acres 2 roods and 19 perches of land that was valued at 17 shillings per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £9 0s 6d. He paid 5s 5d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 8¼d and the Vicar received 3s 4½d which was a total of 4s ¾d.

John Rowdy held 11 acres 3 roods and 6 perches of land that was valued at 17 shillings per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £4 1s 3d. He paid 2s 5d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 3¼d and the Vicar received 1s 6¼d which was a total of 1s 10d.

Pat Abberton held 11 acres 3 roods and 8 perches of land that was valued at 17 shillings per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £10 0s 3d. 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.

James Nevin held 18 acres 3 roods of land that was valued at 18 shillings per Irish acre and had a total valuation of £16 17s 6d. He paid 10s 1¼d of a tithe tax.  The Bishop got 1s 3d and the Vicar received 3s 4d which was a total of 7s 7d.

1851 Old Age Pension Census Search forms

Michael Conniry Application Number C 21 1660

The applicant Michael Conniry gave his address as Easterfield, Power’s Cross, Portumna, Co Galway. He applied for the old age pension on 25th February, 1921. According to Michael his parents were Patrick and Bridget Conniry (nee Martin). The extract from the census of 1851 reveals that Michael’s parents Patrick and Bridget married in 1838. There was no return for Michael so he was not successful in obtaining the old age pension at this time.

Griffith’s Valuation

According to Griffith’s Valuation (1858) the area of Easterfield is 251 acres, 2 roods and 24 perches. The valuation of the land was £98 0s 0d and the valuation of the buildings was £7 10s 0d giving a total valuation of £105 10s 0d. Anthony F Nugent was the immediate leaser of all the land in Easterfield. The occupiers were as follows: Peter Murray, Patrick Coney, Mary Kelly, Thomas Gorman, William Murphy, Lawrence Abberton, Thomas Gorman, William Murphy, Laurence Abberton, John Nevin, William Power, Michael Power and Michael Power. Peter Murray paid a total annual valuation rate of £20 15s 0d for land. Patrick Cooney paid a total annual valuation rate of £9 10s 0d for house, office and land. Mary Kelly paid a total annual valuation rate of £8 10s 0d for a house, offices and land. Thomas Gorman, William Murphy and Lawrence Abberton each paid £1 5s 0d for land. Thomas Gorman paid a total annual valuation rate of £6 0s 0d for a house, land and garden. William Murphy paid a total annual valuation rate of £5 15s 0d for a house, office and land. Laurence Abberton paid £9 10s 0d for a house, office and land. John Nevin paid a total valuation of £19 15s 0d for a house, offices and land. William Power paid £4 15s 0d for a house, office and land. Michael Power paid £5 0s 0d for a house, offices and land. Michael Power paid £6 6s 0d for land.

Census 1901

According to the enumerator’s Form N there were seven inhabited houses at the time of the 1901 census with 35 inhabitants. There were 22 males and 13 females and all were Roman Catholics. Form B1 shows that the heads of the households were: William Power, Michael Power, Michael Coniry, James Kelly, Michael Murphy, Michael Hickey and James Nevin. All of the people in Easterfield were recorded as being born in Co Galway apart from all the occupants in one house who were listed as born in Ireland but there was no county specified. The census forms collected from all the Easterfield households on 8th April, 1901 showed that all the houses were built and listed as private dwellings. Every house had walls made of permanent material and all the roofs, apart from one, were made from a perishable material. According to the B2 form 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.

William Power was 66 years of age and he was a farmer. He lived with his wife Kate who was 60 years old and his 24 year old son, Patrick. William and Kate could read and Patrick could read and write. Patrick’s occupation was listed as farmer’s son and he was single. William Power’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 3 rooms. William owned the land on which the house was built and had 4 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, and 1 piggery.

Michael Power was a 62 year old widower and his occupation was listed as farmer. He lived with his sons, James who was 25 years of age and 17 year old Martin. Michael and Martin could read and write and James could read only. Both of the sons were single and their occupations were listed as farmer’s sons. Michael Power’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 5 rooms. Michael owned the land on which the house was built and had 5 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, and 1 barn.

Michael Conniry was 46 years of age and he was a widower. He lived with his five children: Bridget who was 16 years old; Ellen who was 14 years old; Patrick who was 12 years old; Michael who was 10 years of age and 8 year old Mary Ann. Michael was a farmer and all his children were listed as scholars. All of the family could read and write and spoke English only. Michael Conniry’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 4 rooms. He owned the land on which the house was built and had 6 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 shed.

James Kelly was a farmer and he was 68 years of age. He lived with his wife Catherine who was 56 years old, his sons 29 year old Pat and 16 year old Michael and his daughter Cecilia who was 18 years old. All of the family were born in Ireland but there is no county specified. All of the family could read and write but only James and Catherine could speak Irish as well as English. Pat and Michael were listed as farmer’s sons and Cecilia was listed as a farmer’s daughter. None of the children was married. James Kelly’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 3 rooms. He owned the land on which the house was built and had 3 outhouses, including 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Michael Murphy was a farmer and he was 70 years of age. He was a widower and lived with three sons: William, who was 30 years old; Michael, who was 29 years old and 28 year old Timothy. Also resident with him were his daughters: Bridget who was 27 years old and 26 year old Lizzie as well as his 3 year old granddaughter, Lizzie Shaughnessy. All of the family apart from Michael, the head of the family and his granddaughter, could read and write. All of Michael’s children listed on the census form were single. William and Michael were listed as farmer’s sons and Bridget and Lizzie are farmer’s daughters. Timothy was a carpenter and Lizzie Shaughnessy was a scholar. Michael Murphy’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 4 rooms. He owned the land on which the house was built and had 5 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Michael Hickey was a farmer and he was 47 years of age. He lived with his 45 year old brother, Patrick and the other resident was Maria Abberton who was a 50 year old servant. Michael and Patrick were single and Maria Abberton was a widow. Patrick’s occupation was listed as farmer’s brother and Maria’s was listed as a cook/domestic servant. Michael could read and write but Patrick could not read and Maria could read only. Michael Hickey’s house had 2 front windows and it was listed as a third class house with 2 rooms. He owned the land on which the house was built and had 3 outhouses, including 1 stable, 1 cow house and 1 piggery.

James Nevin was a farmer and he was 45 years of age. He lived with his wife Mary who was also 45 years of age, his sons John who was 9 years of age, Thomas who was 8 years old and 3 year old James as well as his 6 year old daughter, Mary. Also resident with him were his mother in law, Ellen Kemple who was 70 years old and his brother in law Patrick Kemple who was 30 years old. All of the occupants could read and write apart from 3 year old James. John, Thomas, Mary and James were listed as scholars. Patrick Kemple was a farmer and Ellen Kemple was a housekeeper. Ellen was a widow and Patrick was not married. James Nevin’s house was built as a private dwelling and was inhabited. Its walls were built of permanent material and the roof was also of a permanent material such as slate, tiles, etc. There were 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 7 rooms. He owned the land on which the house was built and had 5 outhouses, including 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Census 1911

The N Form shows that there were eight inhabited houses in Easterfield at the time of the 1911 census with 29 inhabitants. There were 20 males and 9 females and all were Roman Catholics. The heads of the households were Michael Power, William Power, Mary Nevin, Pat Hickey, Michael Murphy, Pat Kelly and Michael Coniry. All the occupants were born in Co Galway. The B1 Form showed that all the houses were built as private dwellings. 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. All the houses had walls built with permanent materials and all, apart from one, had roofs made of perishable material.

Michael Power was a 73 year old widower and his occupation was listed as farmer. He lived with his sons, Patrick who was 38 years of age, James who was 36 years of age and 27 year old Martin. All of the family could read and write. Michael had been married for 38 years and had 7 children, 3 of whom were living at the time of the census. Patrick was a shoemaker while James and Martin were both farm labourers. None of the sons was married. Michael Power’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 3 rooms. Michael owned the land on which the house was built and had 6 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 coach house, 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 shed.

William Power was 76 years of age and he was a farmer. He lived with his wife Kate who was 76 years old, his 34 year old son, Patrick, his daughter in law Lizzie who was 30 years old and his granddaughter, Annie Power who was one and a half years old. William and Catherine were married for 50 years at the time of the 1911 census and they had 7 children, 2 of whom were living at the time of the census. Patrick and Lizzie were married for 4 years when the 1911 census was taken and they had one child. None of the occupants could read and write apart from Patrick and Lizzie. William Power’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 2 rooms. William owned the land on which the house was built and had 4 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 fowl house.

Mary Nevin was a farmer and she was 58 years of age. She lived with her sons, John who was 19 years of age, Thomas who was 18 years old and 13 year old James as well as her 16 year old daughter, Mary. Mary was a widow who had been married for 20 years and she had 4 children, all of whom were alive at the time of the 1911 census. None of the adult children was married. All of the occupants could read and write. John and Thomas were listed as farm labourers and Mary and James were listed as scholars. Mary Nevin’s house was the only house in Easterfield at the time of the 1911 census that had a roof built of permanent material. The house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 3 rooms. She owned the land on which the house was built and had 5 outhouses, including 1 stable, 1 coach house, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn shed.

Patrick Kemple was a farmer and was 42 years of age. He lived with his mother Ellen who was 85 years old. Both of them could read and write. Patrick was single and his mother was a widow. She had been married for 59 years and 5 of her 9 children were living when the 1911 census was taken. Patrick Kemple’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 2 rooms. Mary Nevin owned the land on which the house was built and there were no outhouses listed for Patrick Kemple.

Patrick Hickey was a farmer and he was 55 years of age. He lived with his 56 year old brother, Michael. Michael was a farm labourer. The marital status of the brothers was not given. Michael could read and write but Patrick could read only. Patrick Hickey’s house had 2 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 3 rooms. Patrick owned the land on which the house was built and had 2 outhouses, including 1 cow house and 1 piggery.

Michael Murphy was a farmer and he was 78 years of age and lived with three sons: William, who was 39 years old; Michael, who was 39 years old and 34 year old Timothy. Also resident with him were his daughter, Lizzie who was 36 years old and his 13 year old granddaughter, Lizzie Shaughnessy. Michael was a widower and all other residents in his house were single. All of the family could read and write and Lizzie Shaughnessy could speak English and Irish but there was no language listed for the other occupants. The sons William and Michael were listed as farmers and Timothy was a carpenter. Lizzie didn’t have any occupation listed and her niece Lizzie was a scholar. Michael Murphy’s house had 4 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 5 rooms. He owned the land on which the house was built and had 4 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 workshop.

Pat Kelly was the head of the house and sole occupant in house number six. He was 50 years of age. He was a single farmer and could read and write. James Kelly’s house had 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 3 rooms. He owned the land on which the house was built and had one outhouse, namely, a stable.

Mich (sic) Conniry was a farmer and he was 60 years of age. He lived with his sons, Pat who was 22 years old and Michael who was 20 years old. His daughter, Mary was the other occupant and she was 18 years old. All could read and write. Mich was a widower and the marital status of the other members of the family was not given. Pat and Michael are listed as farm labourers and there is no occupation listed for Mary. Michael Conniry’s house was 3 front windows and it was listed as a second class house with 3 rooms. He owned the land on which the house was built and had 3 outhouses, consisting of 1 stable, 1 cow house and 1 piggery.