Hermitage

Ros Bhrain, Bran’s wood or point

Hermitage is situated in the civil parish of Killeroran, Barony of Killian, County Galway. Located in the North East of Killeroran, Hermitage is bounded by the townlands of Ballygar, Aghrane, Kilmore and Cloonlyon.

The Down Survey Map indicates the 1670 (Post-Cromwell) owner was Colonel John Kelly (Catholic), The Down Survey name was Killeinereagh and Agherahar.

O’Donovan’s Field Name Books states that Hermitage is owned by D. H. Kelly Esq. who holds it under deed forever. According to this account, there is approximately 292 acres, 2 roods and 17 perches within this townland. Portions of bog can be found to the East and West of this townland, with a smaller portion located in the South. The houses and roads are in good condition. It pays £5-14-10 County Cess.

Census 1841-1851

According to the 1851 census, Hermitage consists of 287 acres, 2 roods and 33 perches. The total population in 1841 was 112 people, 60 of whom were male and 52 were female. There were 17 houses, each of which were occupied. The population had decreased to 104 people in 1851, 59 of whom were male and 45 were female. There were 13 houses, and all were occupied. The poor law valuation paid in 1851 was £79-15-0.

Griffith’s Valuation 1847-1864

According to Griffith’s Valuation, Denis H. Kelly was the immediate lessor of the land. He kept 2 portions of bog in fee, the first measured 45 acres, 2 roods and 32 perches and the other measured 16 acres, 0 roods and 0 perches worth a total of £0-12-0.

William Tracey paid £5-0-0 for 22 acres, 2 roods and 20 perches of land.

John Mahon paid a total of £50-10-0 for 52 acres, 2 roods and 13 perches of land and another 53 acres, 0 roods and 23 perches of land on the same holding.

Patrick Nolan rented office and land measuring 10 acres, 0 roods and 25 perches for £5-0-0.

Patrick Lohan rented 11 acres, 1 rood and 12 perches of house, office and land for £4-16-0.

Michael Boyle paid £11-12-0 for 25 acres, 3 roods and 16 perches of house, office and land. There was a vacant house on the holding worth £1-0-0.

Martin Brannelly paid £5-5-0 for house, office and land measuring 10 acres, 3 roods and 38 perches.

James Murray rented 11 acres, 2 roods and 3 perches of house, office and land for £5-0-0.

Thomas Naughton rented land measuring 11 acres, 1 rood and 0 perches for £2-5-0.

William Lohan paid £5-0-0 for 16 acres, 2 roods and 11 perches of house and land. The total annual valuation of rateable property was £95-0-0.

Census 1901

There were 5 houses in Hermitage in 1901, each of which were occupied. The total population was 35 people, 20 of whom were male and 15 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Catherine Lohan, Thomas Lohan, Bryan Boyle, Michael Murry and Laurence Brannelly. All residents of Hermitage were born in County Galway, except John and Sera H. Lyons in House 3 who were born in America. All were Roman Catholic.

Each house was listed as a private dwelling. There was a total of 17 farm steadings, consisting of 2 stables, 5 cow houses, 5 piggeries, 4 barns and 1 shed. The census forms were collected on the 22^nd of April.

Catherine Lohan (65) was a widow who lived with her unmarried son Andrew (25), her married son Christopher (35), daughter-in-law Bridget (30), her 4 grandsons, Andrew (7), Thomas (5), William (4) and John (3) and her granddaughter Kate (3 months). Christopher worked as a farmer and Andrew (25) was a national school teacher. Andrew (7), Thomas, William and John were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except the 2 youngest children. Catherine, Christopher, Bridget and Andrew (25) spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others suggesting they spoke English only. The Lohan family lived in a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls were made of permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Catherine owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Thomas Lohan (70) lived with his wife Ellen (65), their unmarried son Martin (30), married son John (36), daughter-in-law Mary (27) and their grandson John (2). Thomas worked as a farmer, while both Martin and John were labourers. Ellen and Mary were listed as farmer’s wives. Only Thomas, Martin and Mary could read and write. Thomas, Ellen, John (36) and Mary spoke Irish and English, while Martin spoke English only. The family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house, while perishable material was used for the roof. Thomas owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Bryan Boyle (68) lived with his wife Mary (63), their 2 unmarried children Patrick (31) and Maggie (18) and their 2 grandchildren John Lyons (11) and Sera H. Lyons (9). Bryan worked as a farmer and Patrick was listed as a farmer’s son. Mary was a housekeeper and Maggie worked as a dressmaker. John and Sera were scholars. All members of the family could read and write. Each family member spoke Irish and English, except John and Sera who spoke English only. John and Sera were born in America, while the others were born in County Galway. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. While the roof of the house was made of perishable material, the walls were constructed using permanent material. Bryan owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 shed.

Michael Murry (55) was a widower. He lived with his son Patrick (18) and his 3 daughters, Katie (16), Sarah (14) and Norah (12). Michael worked as a farmer and Patrick was listed as a farmer’s son, while Katie was a farmer’s daughter. Sarah and Norah were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, and they each spoke Irish and English. The family occupied a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were constructed of permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Michael owned the land on which his house was located along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Laurence Brannelly (42) lived with his wife Mary (34), their 4 sons, Patrick (15), Bernard (14), Martin (13) and Laurence (4) and their 3 daughters, Maria (8), Norah (6) and Catherine (8 months). Laurence worked as a farmer and his 5 eldest children were scholars. All members of the family could read and write except the 2 youngest children, Laurence (4) and baby Catherine. Each person spoke Irish and English, except Laurence (4) and Catherine. The Brannelly family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house, while the roof was made of perishable material. Laurence owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Census 1911

There were 7 houses located in Hermitage in 1911 and each of these were occupied. The total population was 52 people, 31 of whom were male and 21 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Christy Lohan, Patrick Boyle, John Lohan, Michael Murry, Laurence Brannelly, Patrick Mannion and Patrick Nolan. All inhabitants of Hermitage in 1911 were born in County Galway and each were Roman Catholic.

Each house was listed as a private dwelling. There was a total of 33 farm steadings, consisting of 7 stables, 7 cow houses, 3 calf houses, 6 piggeries, 4 fowl houses and 6 barns. The census forms were collected on the 14^th of April.

Christy Lohan (54) lived with his wife Bridget (44), their 5 sons, Andrew (17), Thomas (15), John (12), Patrick (8) and Laurence (3) their 2 daughters Katie (10) and Mary (5) and his unmarried brother Andrew (36). Christy and Bridget had been married for 18 years and had 8 children, 7 of whom were living in 1911. Christy worked as a farmer and Andrew (36) was a former national school teacher. Andrew (17) and Thomas were listed as farmer’s sons, while the rest of the children were scholars. Christy, Bridget, Andrew (17), Thomas, John, Katie and Andrew (36) could read and write, while Patrick could read only. All members of the family spoke Irish and English, except Patrick, Mary and Laurence who spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Christy owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house and 1 barn.

Patrick Boyle (39) lived with his wife of 6 years Mary (30) and their 4 children, Katie (5), Mary (4), Maggie (2) and Bernard (2 months). Patrick and Mary worked as farmers. Katie and Mary were scholars. Patrick and Mary could read and write, and they each spoke Irish and English. No language was listed for their children, suggesting they spoke English only. The Boyle family occupied a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house, while perishable material was used for the roof. Patrick owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 barn.

John Lohan (50) lived with his wife Mary (39), their 4 sons, John (12), Patrick (9), Thomas (7) and Michael (1), their 2 daughters Mary (5) and Ellen (3) and his unmarried brother Martin (45). John and Mary had been married for 14 years and had 6 children. John worked as a farmer and Martin was a farm labourer. The 4 eldest children were scholars. Mary (39), John (12), Patrick and Martin could read and write, while John (50) and Thomas could read only. No language was listed for any member of the family suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. While the roof of the house was constructed using perishable material, the house walls were made of permanent material. John owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Michael Murry (67) was a widower who lived with his unmarried sister Bridget (54), married son James (31) and daughter-in-law Kate. James and Kate had been married for under 1 year and had no children. Michael worked as a farmer and carpenter, while James also worked as a farmer. All members of the family could read and write, and they each spoke Irish and English. It is stated that Bridget was slightly blind. The family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were constructed using permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Michael owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 barn.

Laurence Brannelly (54) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife Mary (49), their 4 sons, Patrick (25), Bernard (24), Laurence (13) and James (6) and their 4 daughters, Marie (19), Norah (16), Catherine (9) and Bridget (8). Laurence and Mary had been married for 29 years and had 12 children, 9 of whom were living in 1911. Both Patrick and Bernard were listed as farmer’s sons, while Maire and Norah were farmer’s daughters. Laurence (13), Catherine, Bridget and James were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, and they each spoke Irish and English. The Brannelly family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Perishable material was used for the roof of the house, but permanent material was used to construct the walls. Laurence owned the land on which his house was located along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 barn.

Patrick Mannion (42) lived with his wife of 7 years Bridget (30) and their 3 children, Mary (4), Mattie [sic] (3) and Patrick (1). Patrick worked as a farmer. Mary and Mattie were scholars, while Patrick was listed as an infant. Patrick (42) and Bridget could read and write, and they each spoke Irish and English. No language was listed for the children, suggesting they spoke English only. The family occupied a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 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, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Patrick Nolan (60) lived with his wife Norah (58), their 5 sons, Patrick (21), James (18), Martin (17), Thomas (16) and Bernard (11) and their daughter Ellie (14). Patrick and Norah had been married for 30 years and had 11 children, 10 of whom were living in 1911. Patrick (60), Norah, Patrick (21), James and Martin each worked as farmers. Thomas, Ellie and Bernard were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, and they each spoke Irish and English. The Nolan family lived in 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 and 1 fowl house.