Clifton, County Cavan

54°4′50.57″N 7°33′43.88″W / 54.0807139°N 7.5621889°W / 54.0807139; -7.5621889

Clifton townland, Tomregan, County Cavan, Ireland, looking NNW in the direction of Carrigan townland.

Clifton is a townland in the Parish of Tomregan, Barony of Loughtee Lower, County Cavan, Ireland.

Etymology

The townland name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic placename Clochán which means "A small beehive-shaped stone house". The 1790 Cavan Carvaghs list spells the name as Cloghan.[1]

Geography

It is bounded on the north and east by Aghavoher townland, on the south by Breandrum, Tullyhunco and Berrymount townlands and on the west by Mullynagolman townland. Its chief geographical features are some small drumlin hills reaching to 300 feet (91 m) above sea-level. Clifton is passed through by Ardlougher lane. The townland covers 82 statute acres.

History

Clifton formed part of the termon lands belonging to Tomregan Roman Catholic Church which were granted to the Protestant Bishop of Kilmore in 1610 as part of the Plantation of Ulster. By a lease dated 6 April 1612 the said bishop granted the lands to Sir Oliver Lambart of Kilbeggan, County Westmeath and Sir Garret Moore, 1st Viscount Moore of Mellifont, County Louth. On 17 July 1639 the bishop re-granted the lands to Charles Lambart, 1st Earl of Cavan. In the 1740s the bishop leased the land to John Jones for 21 years. This lease was renewed to his descendant John Copeland Jones on 20 May 1843. In the 1860s the holder of the lease was David Fielding Jones.[2]

The Tithe Applotment Books for 1827 list the following tithepayers in the townland, who are Berry, Faris, and Pringle.[3]

The Ordnance Survey Name Books for 1836 give the following description of the townland, “Lies in the South of the parish, 3 miles from Ballyconnell. Bishop's land. Held on lease by Jones. Lease rent 5 shillings & 6d per arable acre. The houses are built of mud. The soil produces oats and potatoes.”

The Clifton Valuation Office Field books are available for December 1838.[4][5][6]

Griffith's Valuation of 1857 lists the landlord of the townland as Jones and the tenants as Faris, Pringle and Griffith.[7]

Census

Year Population Males Females Total Houses Uninhabited
1841 36 16 20 5 0
1851 27 12 15 3 0
1861 24 12 12 3 0
1871 20 12 8 3 0
1881 21 13 8 3 0
1891 15 8 7 3 0

In the 1901 census of Ireland, there are four families listed in the townland.[8]

In the 1911 census of Ireland, there are three families listed in the townland.[9]

Antiquities

  1. A Bronze-Age ring-barrow on the border with Aghavoher (Site number 94, page 20, Aghavoher townland, in "Archaeological Inventory of County Cavan", Patrick O’Donovan, 1995, where it is described as “Marked 'Fort' on OS 1836 and 1876 eds. Sited on the S slope of a steep hill. Raised circular area (int. diam. 11.8m) enclosed by a low earthen bank with a wide, deep internal fosse. The internal area is greatly disturbed by a modern field boundary running NNW-SSE which divides the site into two roughly equal portions. Original entrance not recognisable.)”

References

  1. ^ "A List of the Several Baronies and Parishes, In the County of Cavan" (PDF). Cavan County Council’s Library Service. Printed by Henry Ireland. 1790. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ^ Irish chancery reports : Being a series of reports of cases argued and determined in the High Court of Chancery and the Rolls Court in Ireland. Vol. 15. Hodges and Smith. pp. 237–238. Archived from the original on 1 September 2024.
  3. ^ "The Tithe Applotment Books, 1823-37". The National Archives of Ireland. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  4. ^ "IRE Census 1821-51 Townland of Cloncollow, Townland of Clifton" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Valuation Office Books". census.nationalarchives.ie. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  6. ^ "IRE Census 1821-1851 Townland of Clifton, Townland of Berrymount" (PDF). National Archives of Ireland. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Griffith's Valuation". Ask about Ireland. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  8. ^ "National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911". www.census.nationalarchives.ie. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  9. ^ "National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911". The National Archives of Ireland. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2024.