Mám: an elevated pass
The Down Survey 1641:
The Down Survey of Ireland is the first ever detailed land survey on a national scale anywhere in the world. The survey is a cadastral survey of Ireland and was so called simply by its topographic details all laid down by admeasurement on maps. It was carried out by William Petty an English scientist in 1655 and 1656. The survey sought to measure all the land to be forfeited by the Catholic Irish, in order to facilitate it’s redistribution to merchant adventurers and English officers and soldiers in Oliver Cromwell’s army. It was to repay them and the many English politicians and adventurers who had funded Cromwell’s military campaign in Ireland.
The Down Survey name for this townland was Maumtrasna. In 1641 (pre Cromwell) the owner was Murragh a Na Dow a catholic. In 1670 (post Cromwell) it was in the protestant ownership of Sir James Cuffe. Maum West is in the half barony of Ross, in the parish of Rosse (sic) and is in County Galway.
O’Donovan’s Field Name Books 1838: John O’Donovan tells us the standard name for this townland is Maum West and the Irish form of the name is Mám.
Other forms of the name: Maum West (Boundary Surveyors Sketch Map) Maum West (County Cess Collector) Maum West (Local) Maum West (Mearsman) Maum West (Rev. Michael Heraghty P.P) Maum West (Tithe Ledger).
Description: It was Provost land held under lease by Saint Ledger, Esq., Hollymount, Co. Mayo, at £40 per year. The soil was all mountainous; part steep heath pasturable mountain, some mixed pasture and some arable land. There was some tillage producing middling crops of oats and potatoes. The county cess of 11¼d was paid per acre half yearly. A police barrack and Maum village are situated in Maum West. Killeen is described as a burial place for children.
Situation: It is a central townmand; bounded on the north by the townland of Breenaan, on the west by Breenaan and Tiernakill North, to the south by Tiernakill North and on the east by Maum East. It is in the barony of Ross and is in County Galway.
Griffith’s Valuation 1849:
Thomas Saint Ledger was the occupier of a plot of land in Maum West with an area of 355 acres, 1 rood and 11 perches.
Plot 1: contained 355 acres, 1 rood and 11 perches of land that was held between twelve tenants; each had a piece of land with a house that was valued according to the size and quality of the holding; the annual rent was paid to Thomas Saint Ledger.
1(a) Michael O Neill had land with an annual valuation of £3 and 17 shillings and the house was valued at 10 shillings. His total annual valuation of rateable property was £4 and 7 shillings.
The following tenants paid an annual sum of £1 and 18 shillings for their portion of land and they paid 6 shillings for their house; 1(b) Patrick Joyce, 1(c) Michael O’Neill, 1(d) John Holleran (sic) and 1(e) Patrick Nee. Each had a total annual rent of £2 and 4 shillings on their respective holding.
1(f) Richard Coyne had a house and land. His portion of land had an annual valuation of 10 shillings and the house was valued at 5 shillings. His total annual valuation was 15 shillings.
1(g) Joseph Walsh had a house and land. He paid an annual sum of £1 for the land and the house was valued at 6 shillings. Joseph’s annual rent was £1 and 6 shillings.
1(h) Michael Sarsfield (sic) had a house and land. He paid £5 and 6 shillings for his piece of land and 10 shillings for the house. His total annual valuation of rateable property was £5 and 16 shillings.
1(i) Patrick Walsh (junior) had a house and land. The land had an annual valuation of £2 and 12 shillings and the house was valued at 8 shillings. Patrick’s total annual rent was £3.
1(j) Patrick Walsh had a house and land. The land was valued at £1 and 6 shillings and the house was valued at 4 shillings. His total annual valuation was £1 and 10 shillings.
1(k) Michael Joyce and 1(l) Stephen Joyce had a house and land. Both paid an annual sum of £3 and 17 shillings for the piece of land and they paid 10 shillings each for their respective houses. Each holding had a total annual valuation of £4 and 7 shillings.
1901 Census:
Maum West is in the electoral division of Curr. Constable John Phelan the enumerator collected the census on April 1st 1901. There were thirteen houses with perishable roofs that were presumably thatch; seven were 2nd class and six were 3rd class dwellings and all were occupied. Sixty three inhabitants lived in this townland; thirty three males and thirty females and all were Roman Catholic. Farming was the principal occupation. Many families were literate and bilingual.
No 1: John Coyne (48) a farmer and his wife Kate (45) lived here with their two sons and three daughters. John (17) was a farmer’s son and Stephen (11) a scholar; Bridget (14) was a farmer’s daughter, Julia (9) a scholar and Maria was (3) years old. John and his wife and children with the exception of Maria, could read and write and were bilingual. The house was 2nd class with three windows to the front and the family of seven occupied three rooms. There was a cow house and a piggery on the property.
No 2: Stephen Joyce (51), his wife Catherine (48), their three sons and two daughters were resident here. Farming was their occupation. Michael (21) was a farmer’s son, Thomas (14) a scholar and Stephen (4) years old; Anne (17) was a farmer’s daughter and Sarah (6) a scholar. The parents and older children could read and write and Sarah could read. The family spoke Irish and English. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and seven people occupied three rooms. Two outhouses contained a piggery and a cow house.
No 3.1: Patrick Sarsfield (sic) (55) a farmer was married to Margaret (50) and they had two daughters and three sons. Ellen (19) was a farmer’s daughter and Michael (17) a farmer’s son; John (14) and Winifred (11) were scholars and Patrick was (5) years old. The parents could not read; the children, except for Patrick, could read and write and were bilingual. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and seven family members occupied three rooms. They had a cow house and a piggery on the premises.
No 3.2: was a Barracks Return (Form H) and initials were used for the forenames and surnames.
Sergeant DC (49) a married man was born in Cork, ER
Constable JP (40) a widower was born in Co. Waterford (possibly Constable John Phelan who enumerated the 1901 census)
Constable JD (27) was born in Co. Roscommon.
Constable JC (25) was born in Co. Leitrim.
Constable C Mc (22) was born in Co. Cork, WR.
The three young constables were not married; all in the barracks listed ‘farmer’ as their occupation and all were Roman Catholic.
No 4: Michael Walsh (35) a farmer, and his wife Winifred (32) had four sons and one daughter; Patrick (10) and Mary (7) were scholars, Michael was (5), John (3) and Thomas (1) year old. Michael’s mother Anne (60) a widow was also in the house. Michael and the young scholars could read and write; his wife and his mother could not read. The parents and ten year old Patrick were bilingual and Anne spoke Irish only. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and eight people occupied three rooms. They had a cow house and a piggery on the property.
No 5: Thomas Sarsfield (60) and his wife Kate (50) were farmers. Their son John (12) was a scholar. Thomas and Kate could not read while John could read and write. The family spoke Irish and English. The house was 3rd class with two windows to the front and the parents and their son occupied two rooms. They had two out buildings; a cow house and a piggery.
No 6: Anthony Sarsfield (50) his wife Mary (45), their daughter and three sons were resident in this house and farming was their occupation. Bridget (17) was a farmer’s daughter, Anthony (15) a farmer’s son, John (12) and Thomas (7) were scholars. Anthony and his children could read and write and were bilingual. Mary could not read and she spoke Irish only. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and the family of six occupied three rooms. They had a cow house and a piggery on the holding.
No 7: Kate Sarsfield (61) was a widow and farming was her occupation. Kate could read and write and was bilingual. The house was 3rd class with two windows in front and she had two rooms. There was a piggery on the property.
No 8: Tom Lally (60), his wife Bridget (40) and their three children lived here. Mary (16) was a farmer’s daughter, Stephen (14) a farmer’s son and Kate (12) a scholar. Bridget and her children could read and write; Tom could not read or write; the family were bilingual. The house was 3rd class with two windows to the front and five people occupied two rooms. There was a piggery on the premises.
No 9: Joseph Holleran (sic) (50) a widower and his four children were resident here and farming was their way of life. Norah (19) was a farmer’s daughter, John (17) and Martin (15) were farmer’s sons and Kate (13) a scholar. Joseph could not read while his children could read and write and all family spoke Irish and English. The house was 3rd class with two windows to the front and five people occupied two rooms. They had two outbuildings; a cow house and a piggery.
No 10: Patt (sic) Nee (78) and his wife Julia (60) were farmers. Their widowed daughter in law Bridget (27) and her three young children lived with them; Patt (4), Mary (2) and infant John (11) months old. Pat’s sister Sarah (94), another widow was also in the house. Pat and Bridget could read and write and were bilingual; Pats wife and sister could not read and they spoke Irish only. The four and two year old children were bilingual. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and seven people occupied three rooms. They had a cow house and a piggery on the property.
No 11: John O’Neill (50), his wife Bridget (50), their two sons and three daughters were the occupants of this house and farming was their livelihood. Thomas (20) and Patrick (18) were farmer’s sons; Norah (13), Kate (11) and Bridget (7) were scholars. John, his sons and two eldest daughters could read and write; his wife and young Bridget could read, all with exception of Kate and Bridget spoke Irish and English. The house was 2nd class with four windows in front and the family of seven occupied three rooms. They had a cow house and a piggery on the holding.
No 12: Michael Joyce (70) was married to Mary (65) and they were farmers. Their daughter in law Kate (35) a widow and her four children lived with them. John (12), Michael (10) and Bridget (7) were scholars and Patrick was (3) years old. The three scholars could read and write; their mother and grandparents could not read; all but the two youngest were bilingual. The house was 3rd class with two windows to the front and the family of seven occupied two rooms. The outbuildings consisted of a cow house and a piggery.
No 13: Mary Joyce (40) a widow and her two daughters lived in this house. Their livelihood was farming; her eldest daughter Mary (14) was a farmer’s daughter and Anne was (3) years old. Mary senior was bilingual but could not read; her eldest daughter could read and write and was bilingual. The house was 3rd class with one window to the front and the Marry and her daughters occupied one room. There were no outbuildings on the property.
1911 Census:
Ten years on, the census was expanded to include the following: Particulars as to Marriage / completed years the present marriage has lasted / children born alive to present marriage and children still living. It reveals that many families experienced the loss of one or more children. Overcrowding and lack of facilities must have presented huge struggles.
Constable Patrick Heneghan collected the census return for Maum West on the 17th April 1911. Fifty one people resised here; twenty seven males and twenty four females; all were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. There were twelve private houses in the townland at the time; two were vacant; six were 2nd class, four were 3rd class dwellings and all had perishable roofs that were most likely thatch. Farming was their way of life and all had cattle and pigs on their holdings. The majority of people were bilingual, though in some families the younger children were English speaking and this may indicate it was the language of the home.
No 1: was uninhabited and Norah Coyne was the name of the landholder where this house was situated.
No 2: John O’Neill (66) a farmer was married to Bridget (69) for forty years and they had five children; all were born in Maum West Co. Galway and two are listed here; Patrick (25) a farmer’s son was single and Katie (19) had no occupation listed for her. The parents and children could read and write and spoke Irish and English. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and four people occupied five rooms. There were four outbuildings; a stable, a cow house, a piggery and a fowl house.
No 3: John Coyne (83) was head of this household. His son Thomas (36) was married to Mary (43) for thirteen years and they had six children. Michael (12), Bridget (11), Mary (9), Norah (6) and Anne (4) were scholars, and the infant Kate was (11) months old. John, his son and daughter in law and the older scholars could read and write and were bilingual. The six and four year old spoke English only which may indicate it was the spoken language of the home. The house was 2nd class with three windows to the front and the family of nine occupied three rooms. They had a cow house and a piggery on the premises.
No 4: Catherine Sarsfield (75) a widow had been married for thirty four years and she had two children, but she was alone when this census was recorded Catherine was bilingual but could not read. The house was 3rd class with two windows in front and she had two rooms. There was a cow house on the property.
No 5: Anthony Sarsfield (69) a farmer and his wife Mary (66) were married for forty six years and they had eleven children; six were still living and two are documented here. John (21) and Thomas (18) were farmers. The father and sons could read and write; Mary could not read and all were bilingual. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and four people occupied four rooms. They had three outbuildings; a cow house, a calf house and a piggery.
No 6: Thomas Sarsfield (75) was married to Catherine (70) for forty three years and they had six children; four were still living and one is recorded here; Patrick (35) was a single man and farming was the family occupation. Thomas and his wife could not read while Patrick could read and write and all spoke Irish and English. The house was 3rd class with two windows to the front and the parents and son occupied two rooms. They had a cow house and a piggery on the premises.
No 7: Thomas Lally (65) a farmer and his wife Bridget (53) were married for twenty eight years and they had three children. Stephen (24) a farmer’s son is documented. Stephen and Bridget could read and write; Thomas could not read and all were bilingual. The house was 3rd class with two windows to the front and three people occupied two rooms. The outbuildings contained a cow house and a piggery.
No 8: Anne Walsh (76) a widow was head of this household. Anne had been married for thirty years and she had six children; four were still living. Her son Michael (48) a farmer’s son was married to Winifred (40) for twenty years and they had eight children; Pat (19) was a farmer’s son, Mary (18) had no occupation listed; Michael (16), John (13), Thomas (10) and little Delia (4) were scholars and Stephen was (2) years old. Michael senior and his children from ten upward could read and write and were bilingual; his wife and his mother could not read and his mother spoke Irish only. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and the family of eleven occupied three rooms. They had a cow house and a piggery on the property.
No 9: Patrick Sarsfield (68) a farmer was married to Maggie (69) for forty two years and they had nine children; eight were still living and three are recorded. Michael (28) was a postman; Winifred (22) had no occupation listed and Patrick (15) was a scholar. The parents could not read while the children could read and write and all spoke Irish and English. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and five people occupied three rooms. They had a cow house and a piggery on the holding.
No 10: Stephen Joyce (65) a farmer and his wife Catherine (60) were married for thirty seven years and they had nine children; two were documented; Sarah (17) had no occupation listed and Stephen (15) was a scholar. The couple’s grandson Stephen R. Manning was (3) years old. Mary Joyce (60) a visitor was a Barrack Servant. Stephen, his wife and his children could read and write; Mary could not read and all but young Stephen was bilingual. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and six people occupied three rooms. Two outbuildings contained a cow house and a piggery.
No 11: John Coyne (68) was married to Catherine (57) for thirty three years and they had eleven children; six were still living and three were recorded. Farming was the family occupation. Stephen (22) was a farmer’s son; Julia (18) had no occupation listed and Maria (13) was a scholar. All in this household could read and write and all spoke Irish and English. The house was 3rd class with two windows to the front and the family of five occupied three rooms. They had three outbuildings; a cow house, a calf house and a piggery.
No 12: A private dwelling was uninhabited. The Reps of Joseph Holleran [sic] were the landholders where the house was situated.
No Comments
Add a comment about this page