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From: "Jane Lyons" <>
Subject: [MONAGHAN~] The Primates and the Church Lands - Armagh Archdiocese: 1
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 11:23:05 -0000



The Primates and the Church Lands

(extract from The Primates and the Church Lands: Seanchas Ard Mhaca: Journal
of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society, Vol 5, No. 2, 1970, pp. 370-397)
The fact that the attempts of the O Neills to encroach on the herenagh
lands, though persisted in up to the middle of the 16th century, had
uniformly failed to secure a permanent foothold is amply evidenced by the
following summary from Primate Dowdall' s Register, which mentions many of
the above holdings:

"In 1551, George Dowdall, Archbishop, came to Armagh, and charged Conn O
Neill McConn McEnri McEoghan, who was Earl and O Neill at that time (i.e.
Conn Bacach) with having himself and his ancestors seized unto themselves
much of the estate of the Primate and the Church, and especially that Conn,
himself, while he was Lord and the Primate was Primate, had seized, without
right or covenant, those townlnds whose names are before us down here below,
i.e. the country of Muinter Corra, Muin- ter Eachaidh, the country of
Muinter Cassaleigh and the four towns of the Fisiceach O Chaside and the
four sessioghs of Cabraighe (Cabragh), of which the children of John (Clan
Shane) were sometime tenants of the Primate, and, moreover, the Primate
charged the said Conn with seizing the rents of Eanach Moy (Annamoy) and
Malygare (Moydown), for himself, for some years, on the plea that the sons
of OCarra, who had been steward to the Primate, had killed the son of
OClaphan (O Lappan). After a certain amount of controversy and disputation
had arisen between the Prrimate and O Neill respecting the lands, they
agreed to await the testimony of expert witnesses i.e. Eoin OCullen,
Lecturer of the Chapter House, Armagh, Seinicin MacDomini, official of
Armagh, and Eoin MacGillamurra, Master of works. These witnesses gave their
testimony, in the presence of God and the world, that these lands,
aforesaid, belonged to the Primate and that neither ONeill nor any other
layman had any claim on them, and for that reason, ONeill, as a humble son
of God and Patrick, of the Church and Primate, relinquished these lands so
that neither himself, his children, nor his heirs should have any claim to
them henceforth for ever.

The OCarra (Carr) family seem to have been the hereditary stewards of the
lands of Glenaul, for in the same register we find the following:
"Return of the Primate's lands, this side of the Blackwater, with the
exception of rents and lands in the City itself, and of what the Earl holds
from the Primate in Clondawyll (Glenaul) according to the declaration of
John OCrarr (OCarra) the Primate's Bailiff, made, in the castle of the manor
of Termonfeckin, in 1577.

The rents paid by the herenagh septs prior to the 17th century have already
been given in Volume I, No. 1(pp. 84-6), which show that a specific monetary
payment was made annually and made no reference to additional duties or
burdens. In 1615, however, they were brought into line with the tenants of
the mensal lands, by the imposition of a similar periodic tribute in kind,
as an additional item on their leases, which were now limited to the period
"during Primacy" while those tenants who did not receive leases held their
lands from year to year. This additional burden as later commuted to a
monetary payment of £1.2s.6d. per ballyboe, later raised to £2.5s.0d.; the
leaseholders were, however, given exemption from these duties for the first
two years after their entry into the lands.

The following native tenants were given leases: Art Oge OCarr, Teage O
Cromie, Phyllmey McTurlo O Neale and Connor O Donnelan, but all except the
last-named had been superseded by tenants of planter stock before 1620, when
O Donnellan was given a further lease for 21 years but was displaced in 1634
by Robert Maxwell, Lord Bishop of Kilmore.

The first planter, Robert Linton, secured a lease for 60 years in 1615 on
payment of rent of £16 for the lands of the O Cassidys, free of all duties;
he had however to pay £16 on entrance into the lands (Incombe), and a heriot
of 30 shillings, or his best beast or horse and to find one light horse and
man for his Majesty's Service when required.

In 17I4, the lands of Glenaul were occupied by the following tenants:
Annamoy and Annaclarey :
Chief tenant:- Walter Dawson , subtenants :-Wm. Matthew and John Clarke,
both Church.
James Jackson and William Marshall, Presbyterians.

Knappagh and Dressogach :
Chief tenant:- Waiter Dawson; subtenants:- Jas. Johnston, John Lattymore,
Hercules McClean, Presbyterians.
Philo Duffy, Bryan Corrigan and Art Connellan, Catholics.

Ballymacully upper and lower:
Chief tenant:- Jas. Johnston ; Sub-tenants : Ed. and Jerome Wilson, -
Ffauston, Thos. Eager and Sam Williams, Presbyterians:
Alex Kirkpatrick, Church;
Art O Hedigan, Catholic.

Cabragh
Capt. Jas. Manson, chief tenant; T. Powell, under-tenant, religion not
stated;
Ed. Coalman, Bryan Raverty, Denis McAredy, Bryan and Hugh O Harney,
Catholics.

Cavanballaghy:
Capt. James Manson, chief tenant; Wm. Allen, Thos. Anderson, Andrew Oliver,
John and Thomas Wilson, Presbyterians, under- tenants.

Multaghatinny (or Elm Park):
John Maxwell, chief tenant; Andrew Ferguson, Presbyterian, under-tenant;
Thomas Heslip, Church; Murtha Ffailon, Catholic.

Lisbane:
John Maxwell, chief-tenant
Turlo Murphy, Pat McOwen and Henry Hughes, Catholics;
Alex McCullogb, Presbyterian;.

Turry :
John Maxwell, chief tenant; Sam Osborne, Church, under- tenant.

Annagh:
John Maxwell, chief tenant;
Pat, Philo, Henry, Turlo Hughes and Philomy ONeile, Catholics ;
and Alex Stephenson, Presbyterian, under-tenants.

Carvaghy:
John Maxwell, chief tenant,. Robert Eakin, James and Wm. Anderson and John
Glass, Presbyterians.

Drumgoilliff:
John Maxwell, chief tenant; Chas. Caulfield and Henry Keller, both Church,
and Art OKelly, Catholic.

Lisdown :
John Maxwell, chief tenant; Francis Burnell, James Cord and James Wright,
Presbyterians;
Rodger Duffin, Church;
Rodger Cronegan and Francis Keane, Catholics.

Ballybrooky:
John Maxwell, chief tenant; John, Andrew and William Hutton and Wm. Rowan,
Presbyterians, sub-tenants.

Carrickaness:
Chief tenant:- Wm Cope; sub-tenants: Denis, Dan and Pat OHugh, Jas. OHugh
Senior and junior, Ed. 0Toner, Hugh Brolly, Wm. Dennish and Thomas Hedigan,
all Catholics.



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