Ballynew (An Baile Nua)

The name Ballynew comes from the Irish An Baile Nua, meaning the new townland. It is situated in the civil parish of Kilcoona, Barony of Clare. It is located in the south of the parish and is bounded on the east by Balrobuck Beg, on the west by Ballinduff and Ballydonnellan, on the south by Grange and Inish and on the north by Kilroe. (Source Galway Library).

Irish name: An Baile Nua or Baile Nuadh

English name: Ballynew

Meaning: The new town or townland

Area: 140 Acres, 0 roods,39 perches

Field names:

Civil Parish: Kilcoona

Barony: Clare

 

O’Donovan’s Field Name Books

As part of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, from 1830 to 1842, John O’Donovan helped to collect and record the Irish form of townland names throughout the country.  Information for each townland was collected and written into the Name Book along with information relating to land quality, crops and housing.  (Source: Timeline Genealogy)

Other names: Ballynew, Baile Nuadh, Ballynu (By. Surveyors Sketch), Ballynew (County Cess Collector), Newton (Inq. Temp. Jac 1), Ballynew (Local), Ballynew (Mearsman) Balanew (Rental) Ballynew or Kilroe (Rev. John Molloy, P.P.) and Ballynew or Newtown (Tithe Ledger).

Description: Proprietor Robert French, Esq., Rasen. Agent John Blake, Esq., of Minlow, both in Co. Galway all held under lease by James Hanly, Kilroe, at the rent of 10 shillings per acre and sulet at a rent of 14 shillings per acre. Farms generally about 6 acres. Soil light and rocky, produces light crops of wheat and potatoes. Co. Cess 14d paid per acre half yearly. No antiquities.

Situation: In the South East side of the parish bounded on the North by the townland of Killroe, West by Ballydonnelan and Ballinduff, South by Innish and on the East by the parish of Annaghdown. In the Barony of Clare and County of Galway.

Other placenames in this townland

Ballynew A village situated in the Ballynew townland.

 

The Down Survey

The first national-scale survey of its kind in the world, the Down Survey, taken in the years 1656 -1658, sought to acurately map the land in Ireland in order to facilitate its transfer from Irish Catholics to English Protestants after the Cromwellian conquest. (Source: Trinity College Dublin)

1641 (pre-Cromwell) states that the owner(s) of the townland of Ballynew (Referred to as Bunally, Barquoil & Carranagardin the Down Survey of Ireland, in the Parish of Killcoonagh in the county of Galway, Barony of Clare) was William Graynard Bourke (Catholic). The Down Survey map of 1670 (post-Cromwell) shows that the owner(s) was Sir Oliver St. George (Catholic).

There is no information related to land area and quality.

 

Tithe Applotment Book 1826

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. This equated to 1.698 English acres.

There were no records found for Ballynew.

 

1851 Old Age Pension Census Search Forms

The names appearing on the 1851 Old Age Pension Census Search Forms for Ballynew are Mary Greaney and Mary Greaney. This is almost certainly the same person. An application was made on behalf of Mary Greaney by Mr Patrick Kennedy, Kilroe, Headford, Co Galway on 21 December 1916. Mary Greaney was the daughter of Michl and Bridget Greaney (nee Lally). An application was made on behalf of Mary Greaney by Mrs Mary Kennedy, Ballynew, Headford, Co Galway on 21 August 1920. Mary Greaney was the daughter of Michael and Bridget Greaney. (Source: National Archives)

 

Valuation Office Books 1824-1856: House & Field Books

The valuation of Ireland was a cadastral survey made for the purpose of levying tax on property.  A valuation price was put on every piece of property in the country and this became the basis on which local tax was charged, at a rate per pound of valuation.  (Source: National Archives)

The 1853 House Books show the following as house occupier in Ballynew as William Kevanagh, William Spilman, William Mullally, Thomas Burke, Patrick Mullally, Jeremiah Mulroyne, Timothy Cravin, Michael Greany, Patrick Toole, Thomas Newil, Thomas Monaghan, Francis Whelan and Mary Langan (06 September 1853). (Source: National Archives)

William Kevanagh occupied an office with an initial valuation of 13 shillings which was reduced to 6 shillings. William Spilman occupied a house and office with an initial valuation of £1 and 7 shillings which was reduced to 13 shillings. William Mullally occupied a house with an initial valuation of 4 shillings which was reduced to 3 shillings. Thomas Burke occupied a house and office with an initial valuation of £1 and 18 shillings which was reduced to £1. (Source: National Archives) Patrick Mullally occupied a house with an initial valuation of 13 shillings which was reduced to 6 shillings. Jeremiah Mulroyne occupied a house with an initial valuation of 15 shillings which was reduced to 7 shillings. Timothy Cravin occupied a house with an initial valuation of 13 shillings which was reduced to 6 shillings. Michael Greany occupied a house with an initial valuation of shillings which was reduced to 5 shillings and 15p. Patrick Toole occupied a house with an initial valuation of 9 shillings which was reduced to 5 shillings. Thomas Newil occupied an office but no details of the valuation were recorded. Thomas Monaghan occupied a house with an initial valuation of 11 shillings which was reduced to 5 shillings. Francis Whelan occupied a house with an initial valuation of 9 shillings which was reduced to 5 shillings. Mary Langan occupied a house with an initial valuation of 7 shillings which was reduced to 4 shillings. (Source: National Archives)

 

1855 Griffith’s Valuation

Between 1847 and 1864, Richard Griffith was responsible for carrying out the Primary Valuation of Tenements (generally referred to as Griffith’s Valuation because of his role in the project). The aim of the valuation was to produce a uniform guide to the relative value of land throughout the whole of Ireland in order to decide liability to pay the Poor rate (for support of the poor and destitute within each Poor Law Union). The project required Griffith and a team of valuers to determine the value of every piece of land and property in the country enabling every occupiers’ tax due to be assessed. The information they collated covering all 32 counties was compiled into over 300 volumes and published over a period of 17 years. (Source: Find My Past)

Griffith’s Valuation records the following occupiers in Ballynew as Thomas Burke, Timothy Craven, John Fallon, Michael Greany, Wiliam Kavanagh, Mary Langan, Thomas Monaghan, Patrick Mullally, Jeremiah Mulroyne, William Spelman, Patrick Toole and Francis Whelan. (Source: Ask About Ireland)

William Kavanagh occupied an office and land totalling 26 acres, 3 roods and 21 perches with a valuation of £7 and 5 shillings, the valuation for the offices was 10 shillings.  William Spelman occupied land totalling 6 acres, 3 roods and 5 perches with a valuation of £1; land totalling 7 acres, 3 roods and 36 perches with a valuation of £2. In addition, William Spelman occupied a house with offices and land totalling 8 acres and 1 rood with a valuation of £3 and 10 shillings, the buildings had a valuation of 15 shillings. Thomas Burke occupied house with offices and land totalling 21 acres and 3 roods and 1 perch which had a value of £6 and 15 shillings, the buildings had a valuation of 15 shillings. In addition, Thomas Burke occupied land totalling 6 acres and 3 perches which had a valuation of £2 and 5 shillings. Timothy Creavan occupied land totalling 7 acres, 2 roods and 38 perches which had a valuation of £2 and 10 shillings. In addition, Timothy Creavan occupied a house, yard and garden totalling 2 roods and 29 perches all of which had a valuation of 5 shillings. Timothy Creavan, Thomas Burke, William Spelman and John Fallon were co-occupants of land totalling 38 acres, 3 roods and 5 perches, each induvial were allocated a valuation of £1 each for the lands. Patrick Mullally occupied a house and land totalling 1 acre which had a valuation of 10 shillings, the buildings had a valuation of 5 shillings. In addition, Patrick Mullally occupied land totalling 3 acres, 2 roods and 23 perches which had a valuation of £1 and 5 shillings. Jeremiah Mulroyne occupied a house and land totalling 1 acre, 2 roods and 6 perches which had a valuation of 10 shillings, the house had a valuation of 5 shillings. Patrick Toole occupied a house and land totalling 2 acres which had a valuation of 10 shillings, the house had a valuation of 5 shillings Thomas Monaghan occupied a house and land totalling 2 acres, 1 rood and 2 perches which had a valuation of 15 shillings, the house had a valuation of 5 shillings. Michael Greany occupied land totalling 1 acre, 3 roods and 11 perches which had a valuation of 12 shillings; a house with a valuation of 5 shillings; and land totalling 1 rood and 28 perches which had a valuation of 5 shillings. Francis Whelan occupied a house and land totalling 1 acre and 10 perches which had a valuation of 7 shillings, the house had a valuation of 5 shillings. Mary Langan occupied a house and land totalling 1 acre, 2 roods and 21 perches which had a valuation of 15 shillings, the house had a valuation of 5 shillings. The immediate lessor for all the property in Ballynew recorded in the Griffith’s Valuation was John J. Gunning.

 

Population Statistics

The following statistics are from the census return records from 1842 to 1891 and the National Archives census returns for 1901 and 1911. (Source: Histpop)

1841: 29 houses (incl. 1 unoccupied), 141 people (71 males and 70 females)

1851: 11 houses (incl. 1 unoccupied), 47 people (23 males and 24 females)

1861: 10 houses (incl. 1 unoccupied), 44 people (20 males and 24 females)

1871: 8 houses (incl. 3 unoccupied), 23 people (10 males and 13 females)

1881: 5 houses (incl. 2 unoccupied), 17 people (8 males and 9 females)

1891: 3 houses, 18 people (10 males and 8 females)

1901: 2 houses, 13 people (7 males and 6 females)

1911: 2 houses, 11 people (5 males and 6 females)

 

1901 Census

The 1901 Census of Ireland records the following 13 individuals living in 2 households in Ballynew. (Source: National Archives)

1. Thomas Kennedy (50) lived with his wife Mary (50), sons John (23), Joseph (18) and Michael (14), and daughters Mary (16), Bridget (10) and Julia (5). All householders were born in Co Galway and all were Roman Catholic. Thomas Kennedy’s occupation was listed as a Herd, Mary Sr. was listed as a Herd’s Wife, john, Joseph and Michael were listed as Herd’s Sons, Mary Jr. was listed as a Herd’s Daughter, while Bridget and Julia were listed as Scholars. Thomas could not read, Mary Sr., John and Julia could read only, the remaining householders could all read and write. All householders could speak Irish and English.

2. Patrick Higgins (70) lived with his wife Margaret (60), sons Patrick (26) and Mark (24), and sister-in-law Mary Crevan (55). All householders were born in Co Galway and all were Roman Catholic. Patrick Higgins Sr’s occupation was listed as a Farmer, no occupation was listed for Margaret or Mary Crevan, Patrick Jr. and Mark were listed as Farmer’s Son. Patrick Sr. and Margaret and Mary Crevan were listed as not being able to read or write, Patrick Jr and Mark were listed as being able to read and write. Patrick Sr. and Mary Crevan spoke Irish only, the remaining householders spoke both Irish and English.

There was one second class house and one third class house. Both houses had either a roof of thatched, wood or other perishable material. Both houses had walls constructed of either brick, stone or concrete. The second-class house had three front windows. The third-class house had two front windows.

There was no information on out-offices and farm steadings.

 

1911 Census

There were 2 houses in Ballynew with a total of 11 individuals recorded in the 1911 Census of Ireland. (Source: National Archives)

1. Mary Kennedy (61) a widow, lived with her sons Patrick (36) and John (34), and daughters Bridget (19) and Julia (14). With the exception of Patrick who was born in Co Mayo, all householders were born in Co Galway and all were Roman Catholic. Mary Kennedy’s occupation was listed as a Farmer, Patrick and John were listed as Farmers Sons, Bridget was listed as a Farmer’s Daughter, while Julia was listed as a Scholar. All householders could read and write. All householders could speak Irish and English. Mary had been married for 38 years, she had 8 children, all 8 were alive in 1911.

2. Patrick Higgins (79) lived with his wife Margaret (73), sons Patrick (34) and Mark (30), sister-in-law Mary Creaven (69), and niece Delia Lally (11). All householders were born in Co Galway and all were Roman Catholic. Patrick Higgins Sr’s occupation was listed as a Farmer, no occupation was listed for Margaret Higgins or Mary Creavan, Patrick Jr, and Mark were listed as Farmer’s Son, Delia Lally’s occupation was listed as a Scholar. Neither Margaret Higgins or Mary Creavan could read or write, the remaining householders could read and write. All householders could speak Irish and English. Patrick and Margaret Higgins had been married 50 years and had 5 children, all 5 were alive in 1911.

Both dwellings were second class houses. All houses had either a roof of thatched, wood or other perishable material. All houses had walls constructed of either brick, stone or concrete. Both second class house had three front windows. There were 2 stables, 2 cow houses, 2 piggeries, 2 barns and 2 sheds.