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 admeasurements 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.
Down Survey 1670:
In 1641 (pre Cromwell) the townland of Munterowen East was in the ownership of Sir Thomas Blake a protestant. In 1670 (post Cromwell) it remained in protestant ownership of John Brown, College of Dublin. It is in the half barony of Ross, in the parish of Ross and is in County Galway.
O’Donovan’s Field Name Books 1838:
According to John O’Donovan the standard name was Munterowen East and the Irish form of the name was Muintir Eoghain that translates as Owen’s family.
Other forms of the name:
Munterowen, Muintir Eoghain, Munterowen (Boundary Surveyors Sketch Map), Munterowen (County Cess Collector), Munteroun (County Map), Muntherowen, of Owen’s family (Local) Monterowen (Rev. Michael Heraghty P.P), Munterowen (Tithes Ledger).
Description:
The proprietor was the Earl of Leitrim and Charlemont, Rosshill or Dublin. The agent was Mr. James Fair, Fairhill in the parish of Ross. All lands were held under lease. The rent was £40 per year. The County Cess of 11¼d was paid per acre half yearly for 44⅓ acres. The soil was all mountainous; part steep and heath pasture, part mixed and heath with some arable mountain. The village has a holy well called the seven daughters; Thubberna Shaught Guinneen (sic).
Situation:
Muntierowen is a central townland; bounded on the north by the townlands of Gowlaun and Muntierowen middle and to the south by Lee and east by Griggins and Gowlaun.
Griffith’s Valuation:
it had an area of 744 acres and 17 perches. The land value at the time was £38.17.10.
The Earl of Leitrim and Charlemont held 744 acres, 1rood and 13 perches of land that was leased in two lots between Martin Walsh and Patrick Malia. Rent was paid according to the size and quality of the holdings.
Plot 1: Martin Walsh had a house, offices and land. The land amount was 402 acres, 2 roods and 31 perches that had an annual valuation of £24 and the buildings were valued at 15 shillings. His total annual valuation of rateable property was £24 and 15 shillings.
Plot 2: Patrick Malia (sic) had a house, office and land. He had 311 acres, 2 roods and 22 perches of land that had an annual valuation of £21 and 10 shillings. The buildings were valued at 10 shillings. Patrick’s total annual valuation for the property was £22 and both amounts were paid to the Earl of Charlemont.
Census 1901: Constable Thomas Parkinson collected the census return for Munterowen East in the electoral district of Letterbrickane on the 5th of April 1901. There were but two houses in the townland at the time; both 2nd class dwellings with perishable roofs that were most likely thatch. Seventeen people lived here; ten males and seven females, all were Roman Catholic. Farming was their way of life.
No 1: Michael O’Malley (71) a farmer; his wife Sara (56), their three daughters and four sons lived in this house. Mary (36) was a farmer’s daughter; Katherine (34) and Jane (30) were national school teachers; Patrick (25), Peter (23), Thomas (20) and Edward (17) were farmer’s sons. Michael O’Suilleabhain (18) a farm servant, was the only one in the household that could not read; all were bilingual. Sara was born in Co. Mayo; the others were born in Co. Galway. The house was 2nd class with three windows to the front and ten people occupied three rooms. There was a variety of out offices that contained a coach house, a cow house, a fowl house and a shed.
No 2: John Walsh (44) was married to Julia (34) and they had five children; Mary (10), John (9) and Peter (7) were scholars; Bridget was (5) and Martin (2) years old. Farming was the family occupation. All but the two youngest children could read and write and were bilingual. Julia was born in Co. Mayo, the rest of the family were born in Co. Galway. The house was 2nd class with three windows in front and the family of seven occupied three rooms. There were seven out buildings; a stable, two cow houses, a calf house, a piggery, a fowl house and a barn.
Census 1911: 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.
No 1: Michael O’Malley (81) a farmer and his wife Sara (68) were married for fifty two years and they had fourteen children; nine were still living. Mary (48) and Jane (42) did not have an occupation listed (in 1901 both were national school teachers), Sarah (38) was a school servant, Peter (35) a school teacher and Thomas (29) was a professor in University College Galway. None of the family was married at this time. Patrick Joyce (18) a farm servant could read and he spoke Irish only. The O’Malley family could read and write and were bilingual. The house was 2nd class with five windows in front and nine people occupied seven rooms. There were six out offices on the property that contained a stable, a cow house, a calf house, a fowl house and a barn.
No 2: John Walsh (54) and his wife Julia (45) were married for twenty one years and they had nine children. Julia (20) did not have an occupation listed. John (18) and Peter (16) were farmer’s sons; Bridget (14), Martin (12), Nappy (9) and Kate (8) were scholars; Michael was (6) and Thomas (3) years old. The parents and five oldest children could read and write and they spoke Irish and English. Nappy and Kate could read; the children from age nine downward were not bilingual. Julia was born in Co. Mayo; the others were born in Co. Galway. The house was 2nd class with six windows to the front and the family of eleven occupied six rooms. They had a stable and three cow houses on the premises.
No Comments
Add a comment about this page