Cornananta Beg

Corr na Neanta Bheag, the disputed weir

Cornananta Beg is situated in the South of the civil parish of Killeroran, Barony of Killian, County Galway. It is bounded by the townlands of Cornanantymore, Cornadrum, Gortacoosaun and Ballinvoher South in Killeroran parish. The townland of Castle French in the parish of Ahascragh, Barony of Killian also borders Cornananta Beg.

The Down Survey Map indicates the 1641 (Pre-Cromwell) owner of Cornananta Beg was Edmond McDonnogh McFarra O’Kelly (Catholic). The 1670 (Post-Cromwell) owners were Justice Donnellan (Protestant) and William Kelly (Catholic). The Down Survey name was Cornanty.

O’Donovan’s Field Name Books states Cornananta Beg is owned by Lord Ffrench who holds it under deed forever. Approximately 1/3 of the townland is bog land, while the remainder is made up of arable and pasture. It is stated the houses are in good condition. It pays £4-0-7 County Cess.

Census 1841-1851

According to the 1851 census, Cornananta Beg consists of 267 acres, 1 rood and 20 perches. The total population in 1841 was 82 people, 39 of whom were male and 43 were female. There were 14 houses, all of which were occupied. By 1851 the population had increased slightly to 84 people, 36 were male and 48 were female. There were 19 houses in 1851, 17 of which were occupied. The poor law valuation paid in 1851 was £41-10-0.

Griffith’s Valuation 1847-1864

According to Griffith’s Valuation, James Thorngate was the immediate lessor of the land. James kept a portion of bog measuring 110 acres, 2 roods and 0 perches worth £2-0-0 in fee.

John Ryan paid £18-0-0 for house, offices and land measuring 45 acres, 3 roods and 15 perches.

Edmund Kilduff rented 5 acres, 1 rood and 17 perches of house and land for £4-0-0.

Thomas Mangan rented house, offices and land measuring 16 acres, 1 rood and 4 perches for £9-15-0.

Patrick Kelly paid £5-5-0 for 7 acres, 2 roods and 0 perches of house and land.

John Kilduff paid £1-0-0 for house and land measuring 2 acres, 0 roods and 5 perches.

Bryan Lyons rented 4 acres, 2 roods and 9 perches of land for £1-10-0.

Catherine Lyons rented house, office and land measuring 3 acres, 2 roods and 8 perches for £2-0-0.

Patrick Glenn paid £1-15-0 for 3 acres, 3 roods and 9 perches of house and land.

Thomas Kilduff paid £2-0-0 for house, office and land measuring 5 acres, 3 roods and 5 perches.

Patrick Kelly, John Kilduff and Bryan Lyon jointly rented land measuring 17 acres, 1 rood and 18 perches. Patrick and John each paid £1-15-0, while Bryan paid £3-10-0.

Martin Kenny rented 27 acres, 0 roods and 17 perches of house and land for £2-10-0.

Thomas Raftery paid £1-5-0 for 12 acres, 0 roods and 10 perches of land.

John Kilduff rented land measuring 5 acres, 2 roods and 23 perches for £0-18-0.

The total annual valuation of rateable property was £58-18-0.

Census 1901

There were 12 houses in Cornananta Beg in 1901 and all were occupied. The total population was 63 people, 32 of whom were male and 31 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Timothy Larkin, Patrick Kinsella, Patt Kelly, John Kilduff, Thomas Lee, Catherine Monaghan, Thomas Nolan, Pat Glynn, Anne Kilduff, Bridget Kilduff, Michael Mannion and Catherine Ryan. All residents were born in County Galway, except Patk Joseph Jenkins in House 6 who was born in England and Catherine Ryan and Mary Ryan in House 12 were born in County Roscommon. All were Roman Catholic.

Each house was listed as a private dwelling. There was a total of 44 farm steadings, consisting of 3 stables, 10 cow houses, 12 piggeries, 8 fowl houses, 6 barns, 3 turf houses, 1 shed and 1 forge. The census forms were collected on the 5^th of April.

Timothy Larkin (59) lived with his wife Mary (61), their 2 sons John (25) and Michael (17), their daughter Winifred (15) and his unmarried sister-in-law Winifred Clinton (35). Timothy was a shepherd, while the rest of the family were listed as working at home. All members of the family could read and write. All members of the family spoke Irish and English, except Winifred (15) who spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material, while the roof was constructed using perishable material. Timothy owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Patrick Kinsella (48) lived with his wife Mary (38), their 7 sons, Dan (19), Matt (17), Patrick (14), John (12), Malachy (9), James (7) and Peter (1) and their 4 daughters, Ellen (15), Mary (10), Katie (5) and Delia (4). Patrick (48), Dan and Matt worked as black smyths [sic]. Mary was a wool weaver and Ellen worked as a seamstress. Patrick (14), John, Mary (10), Malachy and James were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except Malachy and James who could read only, and Katie, Delia and Peter who were too young to read at the time of the census. Only Patrick (48) spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class dwelling with 5 front windows and 6 rooms Permanent material was used for both the walls and the roof of the house. Patrick owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 forge.

Patt Kelly (62) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife Hanorah (64) and their 2 unmarried children Malachy (30) and Margaret (20). Hanorah was listed as a housekeeper. Malachy was a farm servant and Margaret was a farmer’s daughter. All members of the family could read and write. Patt and Hanorah spoke Irish and English, while their children spoke English only. The Kelly family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 4 rooms. Permanent material was used for the walls of the house, while perishable material was used for the roof. Patt owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 shed.

John Kilduff (63) lived with his wife Bridget (60) and his widower brother-in-law Mat Flynn (64). John worked as a farmer and Mat was listed as a farm servant. No member of the family could read or write. All members of the family spoke Irish and English. The family occupied a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 3 rooms. While the roof was constructed of perishable material, the walls of the house were made of permanent material. John owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Thomas Lee (60) lived with his wife Margaret (50), their 3 daughters, Ellie (17), Katie (5) and Maggie (2) and their 4 sons, Pat (15), Thomas (13), Martin (11) and John (9). Thomas worked as a farmer and each of his daughters were listed as farmer’s daughters. Pat was also listed as a farmer’s daughter [sic]. Thomas (13), Martin and John were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except Thomas (60), Katie and Maggie. Thomas (60) and Margaret spoke Irish and English, while their children spoke English only. The Lee family lived in a 3^rd class dwelling with 2 front windows and 4 rooms. Permanent material was used for the walls of the house, while the roof was made of perishable material. Thomas owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 fowl house.

Catherine Monaghan (70) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her unmarried daughter Bridget (32), her married daughter Catherine Jenkins (25) and her grandson Patk Joseph Jenkins (6 months). Bridget’s occupation was listed as a spinster.  Catherine was a seamstress. Patk Joseph was listed as a farmer’s granddaughter [sic]. Bridget and Catherine (25) could read and write. Catherine (70) and Bridget spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for Catherine (25) suggesting she spoke English only. Patk Joseph was born in England, while the others were born in County Galway. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made using permanent material. Catherine owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 turf house.

Thomas Nolan (74) lived with his wife Maria (65) and his widowed sister Bessie (70). Thomas worked as a farmer and Bessie was a domestic servant. No member of the family could read or write. All members of the family spoke Irish and English. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house. Thomas owned the land on which his house situated along with 1 piggery and 1 fowl house.

Pat Glynn (82) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife Catherine (82) and their 2 unmarried children Martin (45) and Maggie (35). Martin was listed as a farmer’s son and aggie was a farmer’s daughter. Only Maggie could read and write. All members of the family spoke Irish and English. The Glynn family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 2 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Pat owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Anne Kilduff (75) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her nephew John Flemming (40). John was a farm servant. Only John could read and write. Both Anne and John spoke Irish and English. Anne was listed as being blind. The family lived in a 3^rd class dwelling with 2 front windows and 3 rooms. Perishable material was used for the roof of the house, while the walls were made of permanent material. Anne owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Bridget Kilduff (65) was a widow who lived with her son John (20). Bridget was a farmer and John was listed as a farm servant. Only John could read and write. Bridget spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for John suggesting he spoke English only. The Kilduff family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 2 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Bridget owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 barn.

Michael Mannion (43) lived with his wife Bridget (40), their 2 sons James (12) and John (10) and their daughter Kate (8). Michael worked as a farmer and each of children were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except Michael who could read only. Michael and Bridget spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for their children suggesting they spoke English only. The Mannion family lived in a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house, while the roof was made of perishable material. Michael owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 turf house.

Catherine Ryan (84) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her unmarried son Andrew (45), married son Timothy (45), daughter-in-law Mary (35), her 3 granddaughters, Katie (11), Margaret (9) and Mary A. (7) and her grandson John (5). Timothy and Andrew were listed as farmer’s sons. Each of her grandchildren were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except John who could read only. Each member of the family spoke English only. Catherine and Mary were born in County Roscommon, while the others were born in County Galway. The Ryan family lived in a 2^nd class house with 2 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used for both the walls and the roof of the house. Catherine owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn and 1 turf house.

Census 1911

There were 12 houses in Cornananta Beg, 10 of which were occupied in 1911. The total population was 48 people, 23 of whom were male and 25 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Timothy Larkin, Patrick Kelly, Thomas Lee, John Glynn, John Fleming, John Kilduff, Michael Mannion, Patrick Kinsella, Timothy Ryan and Thomas Nolan. All inhabitants were born in County Galway, except Margaret and Catherine Flanagan in House 4 who were born in the US, Mary Ryan in House 10 who born in County Roscommon and Margaret and Thomas Shallow in House 11 who were also born in the US. All were Roman Catholic.

Each house was listed as a private dwelling. There was a total of 37 farm steadings, consisting of 5 stables, 10 cow houses, 3 calf houses, 1 dairy, 8 piggeries, 1 fowl house, 4 barns and 5 sheds. The census forms were collected on the 4^th of April.

Timothy Larkin (69) lived with his wife Mary (71), their unmarried daughter Delia A. (29), married son John (35), daughter-in-law Annie (26), their grandson Timothy Joseph (1) and his sister-in-law Winifred Clinton (49). Timothy and Mary had been married for 44 years and had 8 children, 7 of whom were living in 1911. John and Annie had been married for 2 years and had 1 child. Timothy worked as a farmer and Mary was an English teacher. John was listed as a farmer’s son. All members of the family could read and write, except baby Timothy Joseph. Timothy and Mary spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 6 front windows and 5 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Timothy owned the land on which his was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Patrick Kelly (72) lived with his wife of 45 years Nora (76), their unmarried son Malachy (42) and grandson John McCormack (10). Patrick and Nora had 5 children, sadly only 3 were living in 1911. Patrick worked as a farmer, while Malachy was listed as a farmer’s son. John was a scholar. Only Malachy and John could read and write, while Patrick and Nora could read only. Patrick spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others suggesting they spoke English only. The Kelly family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used for the walls of the house, while the roof was constructed using perishable material. Patrick owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Thomas Lee (64) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife Margaret (60), their 2 sons Patrick (26) and John (18), their daughter Margaret (12) and their 2 grandchildren Margaret Flanagan (6) and Catherine Flanagan (4). Thomas and Margaret had been married for 34 years and had 10 children, 8 of whom were living in 1911. Patrick and John were listed as farmer’s sons. Margaret (12) and Margaret (6) were scholars. Only Margaret (60), Patrick, John and Margaret (12) could read and write, while Margaret (6) could read only. Thomas and his wife spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others suggesting they spoke English only. Both Margaret (6) and Catherine were born in the US, while the others were born in County Galway. The family occupied a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. While the roof of the house was made of perishable material, permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house. Thomas owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

John Glynn (60) was an unmarried farmer who lived with his 2 unmarried siblings Martin (57) and Margaret (42). Martin worked as a farm labourer. Only Margaret could read and write. Martin spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for John or Margaret suggesting they spoke English only. The Glynn family lived in a 3^rd class dwelling with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the house walls, while the roof was made of perishable material. John owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 shed.

John Fleming (57) lived with his wife Bridget (40) and their daughter Mary Anne (6). John and Bridget had been married for 7 years and had 1 child. John worked as a farmer. John and Bridget could read and write, while Mary Anne could read only. No language was listed for any member of the family suggesting they spoke English only. The family occupied a 3^rd class house with just 1 front window and 2 rooms. The walls of the house were constructed of permanent material, while perishable material was used for the roof. There was 1 cow house and 1 piggery. John Fleming was the landholder.

John Kilduff (32) was an unmarried farmer who lived alone. John could read and write. No language was recorded for John, suggesting he spoke English only. He lived in a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. Permanent material was used for the house walls, while the roof was made of perishable material. John owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house and 1 fowl house.

Michael Mannion (55) lived with his wife Bridget (54) and their 2 children John (22) and Kate (19). Michael and Bridget had been married for 25 years and had 4 children, 3 of whom were living in 1911. Michael worked as a farmer and John was listed as a farmer’s son. All members of the house could read and write. Michael and Bridget spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for their children, suggesting they spoke English only. The Mannion family lived in a 3^rd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Perishable material was used for both the walls and the roof of the house. Michael owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery and 1 shed.

Patrick Kinsella (58) lived with his wife Mary (48), their 2 sons Malachy (18) and James (16) and their 3 daughters, Katie (14), Delia (13) and Margaret (9). Patrick and Mary had been married for 30 years and had 13 children, 8 of whom were living in 1911. Patrick worked as a farmer, while both Malachy and James were listed as farmer’s sons. Katie, Delia and Margaret were scholars. All members of the family could read and write. Patrick spoke Irish and English, while no language was recorded for the rest of his family suggesting they spoke English only. The Kinsella family lived in a 2^nd class house with 5 front windows and 4 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were constructed using permanent material. Patrick owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house and 1 piggery.

Timothy Ryan (59) lived with his wife of 23 years Mary (50), their 4 children, Katie (22), Margaret (20), Mary Anne (18) and John (16) and his unmarried brother Andrew (59). Timothy worked as a farmer and Andrew was a farm labourer. John was listed as a farmer’s son. All members of the family could read and write. No language was recorded for any member of the family suggesting they spoke English only. Mary was born in County Roscommon, while the others were born in County Galway. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 5 rooms. Permanent material was used for both the walls and the roof of the house. Timothy owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 dairy, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Thomas Nolan (78) lived with his wife Maria (75), their widowed daughter Catherine Shallow (28) and their 2 grandchildren Margaret (4) and Thomas (3). Thomas and Maria had been married for 45 years and had 7 children, 5 of whom were living in 1911. Thomas worked as a farmer. Maria and Catherine could read and write. Thomas (78) and Maria spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others suggesting they spoke English only. Margaret and Thomas (3) were born in the US, while the others were born in County Galway. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. The walls and the roof of the house were both made of permanent material. There was 1 cow house. Thomas Nolan was the land holder.