Does anyone know people from Glan East near Knock?

Hello McHugh,

Catherine Battle was born in the town of Glann, County Mayo, on 13 January 1898. Her father is Owen Battle, a farmer residing in Glann. Hr mother is Bridget Connor, which is an alternate of the surname O’Connor. Catherine’s mother Bridget reported the birth to the registrar, who recorded the birth in the Swinford Registration District on 2 April 1898. Catherine’s birth is Number 295 in the register which you can access at: https://is.gd/iUzGyA

Catherine’s birth was found at the free irishgenealogy.ie website.

The civil registration marriage record from irishgealogy.ie shows that Owen Battle and Bridget Connor were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Kilbeagh on 19 January 1895. At the time of marriage Owen and Bridget were “of full age.” Owen had been a bachelor and Bridget a spinster. Owen’s occupation was farmer. No occupation is recorded for Bridget. At the time of marriage both Own and Bridget were living in Glann, Mayo. The marriage record also shows that Owen’s father is Pat Battle, a farmer. Bridget’s father is Michael Connor, also a farmer. The priest who married Owen and Bridget was G. O’Donnell. The witnesses to the marriage were Dominick Battle and Ellen Fitzpatrick. A copy of the original civil registration marriage entry can be found at: https://is.gd/mgJ28f

The marriage is Number 60 in the register.

According to a book by Brian Mitchell called, “A Guide To Irish Parish Registers,” Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore Maryland (1988), the Kilbeagh Catholic chapel was actually located in Charlestown.

A Google Map shows that Charlestown is 5.4 miles northeast of Glann, by the shortest route: https://is.gd/oIoi2O

The Catholic Church in Charlestown is called St. James. For a Google Street View of St. James Church in Charlestown, see: https://is.gd/pqtHMF

According to the St. James Catholic Church website, the St. James Church was completed and consecrated in 1858. For more information about the church and Charlestown, go to: https://charlestown.ie/history/

The Google Map at the following link shows that Glann, by the shortest route is 3.6 miles southeast of Swinford: https://is.gd/OJQE5A

For a Google Street View of Glann, go to: https://is.gd/5t4jgk

I next looked for Catherine Battle in the 1901 census, but did not find her with her parents Owen and Bridget, and their other children. At this time the family of Owen and Bridget Battle were living in the household of Bridget’s parents, 66 year old Michael Connor, and his 63 year old wife Mary. The census shows that Michael and Mary Connor and Owen and Bridget Battle and three of their children were not living in Glann, but were the “Residents of a house 11 in Glenmullynaha East (Kilbeagh, Mayo).

The census transcription for the household is from the National Archives of Ireland. To access the transcription go to: https://is.gd/CfG4hk

Once the transcription appears, make sure to click on, “Show all information” to view the full census page.

The census shows that all the adults in the household could speak Irish and English. No age is recorded in the transcription for Owen and Bridget’s youngest child Hugh. This is an indication that Hugh was less than a year old. A copy of the original 1901 census shows that Hugh, at the time the census was taken on Sunday, March 31, was 9 months old. See a copy of the original 1901 census at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001097128/

This census shows that Bridget’s father and mother were Michael and Mary Connor. The marriage record for Owen and Bridget shows that Bridget’s father was Michael.

I thought that it had been a possibility that Owen and Bridget’s daughter Catherine, was in another household at the time the census was taken. Most likely she would be in the household of her paternal grandparents. Owen’s father, according to his marriage record, was Pat. Catherine would be 3 years old in 1901, but I didn’t find her in the census, that is, not under the first name of Catherine. But I did find that 3 year old Kate Battle was living in the household of her grandparents, 64 year old Patrick and 55 year old Catherine Battle, and their four children. The census shows they were the “Residents of a house 1 in Glenmullynaha East (Kilbeagh, Mayo).”

See the 1901 census transcription for the Battle household at: https://is.gd/o3VZR4

Once again, make sure on click on “Show all information to view the full census page.

For a copy of the original 1901 census of the Battle household go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai001097118/

The 1911 census shows that 13 year old Katie Battle is in the household of her parents, 45 year old Owen Battle, and 44 year old Bridget Battle. The family are “Residents of a house 10 in Glenmullynaha, East (Kilbeagh, Mayo).”

In addition to Katie, there are 6 other children of Owen and Bridget’s in the household. On the census line for Bridget you’ll find (after clicking on “Show all information”), that Owen and Bridget had been married for 16 years, and in that time period had eight children, with seven children still living. The seven children are in the household with them. See the 1911 census transcription at: https://is.gd/ArdsaO

For a copy of the original 1911 census of the Battle family, see: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai003023636/

A Google Map shows that Glenmullynaha East is a little over 9 miles east of Glann: https://is.gd/D8MF01

For a Google Street View looking toward Glenmullynaha East, County Mayo, go to: https://is.gd/g8xZHo

Don’t hesitate to write with any questions McHugh.

With Regards,

Dave Boylan

SOURCES:
irishgenalogy.ie
A Guide To Irish Parish Registers, by Brian Mitchell
Google Maps
Google Street Views
https://charlestown.ie/history/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

McHugh/Dave:

I was reading this post and Dave's great research with interest because my McDonnell family came from the east side of Kilbeagh civil parish near the village of Carracastle. As Dave noted, the parish for your ancestors was St. James in Charlestown. The RC parish on the east end of the civil parish was St. James in Carracastle. Why two parishes built around the same time and five miles apart have the same name is puzzling to me.

The one point I wanted to add was that Glenmullynaha West and East were known as Glann locally and the records which show Glann are actually Glenmullynaha.

Roger McDonnell

Many thanks Roger for that information. Very interesting about the two churches five miles apart. Irish genealogy is never boring.

Dave

Dear Dave (Boylan),   I want to thank you for a great lifetime gift that you have given my family.  It was thrilling to read all of your research and to learn the names of another generation - my maternal Great Grandparents - Michael and Mary Connor.  I have shared your information with all of my McHugh cousins and titled the email "Unbelievable."  We are so grateful that you have provided us with this view of our ancestors.  It did bring to mind a quesiton that I have always wondered about. The surname "Battle" does not sound Irish to me. And also if they were farmers, I wonder what types of farming - was it to feed the family or on a larger scale to sell items.  If you are available once again, I wonder if you could help us in the same way with our Grandfather who was also from Mayo.  His name is Michael McHugh born in Sheane outside of Castelbar. Parents seem to be Patrick McHugh and Mary Murray McHugh.  We have a copy of his birth certificate which I think says May 25, 1891.  Siblings names are Thomas, John, Bridget, Patrick, James, 2 unknown male names.  His sister Mary married a farmer named Morrisey.   I guess my goal is to know learn where their homes were when they were growing up so I can vist those places.   Also, if you can do additional genealogy research into past generations for a fee, I am most interested.  Thank you very much - Brenda Stokes - (my mother's maiden name was McHugh).  

Hello Brenda,

Many thanks for your reply and kind words. They are very much appreciated. I was very interested in finding more information about your Battle ancestors, as I hadn’t come across Battle ancestry in Irish records very much in previous research.

I found some information online about the Irish “Battle” surname, and found that is strictly Irish in nature, and not English, as I had originally imagined.

The original Irish name, from what I can gather, is “Cu Cata,” which in the Irish language means, “Hound of Battle.” Sounds very war-like. Over the years the name appears to have formed into “Mac Concatha,” which strictly translated would be, “Son of the Hound of Battle.” I believe the Cu Cata name originally came from County Sligo, which borders County Mayo. Over the years the name was anglicized into the English “Battle,” though the name itself, as far as I could tell, does not come from England, Scotland, or Wales.

You can read more about the Irish “Battle” surname at a Genealogy.com forum entitled, “Origin of Irish Battle Name,” by Justin Battle, who submitted the information about the Battle surname on September 11, 2000. See:
https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/battle/275/

Also see information about the Battle surname at the John Grenham website link: https://www.johngrenham.com/findasurname.php?surname=Battle

The prefix Cu (Hound), is reminiscent of one of the most famous Irish mythological characters, whose name is Cuchulain, the Hound of Culain (Cullen).

Cuchulain was a man who had a legendary run-in with a hound, as told in the “Ulster Cycle” of tales. You can read more about the exploits of Cuchulain from a BBC, UK legacies and myths article at the following: https://is.gd/oL3FTR

You can look at the Battle surname as the epitome of the “Fighting Irish.”

Concerning the McHugh family of Sheane, County Mayo. There is an alternate spelling for the townland of Sheane. This alternate spelling is “Sheeans.”

This town was in the Civil Parish of Turlough, as well as the Catholic Parish of Turlough/Parke, and Civil Registration District of Castlebar. A Google Map shows that Sheeans is a little over 8 miles north of Castlebar: https://is.gd/AbmxeJ

That the McHugh family had lived in Sheeans when Michael was born, is an indication, but not a certainty, that Patrick’s or Mary Murray’s antecedents, had lived there before them. It is possible that several generations of McHughs or Murrays had lived there.

To find out, and to see if I could more or less pinpoint where the McHugh family may have lived in Sheeans, I accessed an Irish property tax record known as Griffiths Valuation.

Griffiths Valuation was enumerated in the 32 counties of Ireland between 1847 and 1864. The valuation for Sheeans and surrounding townlands in the Civil parish of Turlough, County Mayo, was completed by the year 1857.

Unlike a census, Griffiths Valuation did not enumerate individual members of a family, such as husband, wife, and children in a household residence. Those named in the valuation were individuals who paid to lease property, such as land, houses, and outbuildings. Each person who paid to lease the property was called an “Occupier.” The other person listed in Griffiths Valuation was the person who owned the property, or who worked as the middleman collecting the rent on Gale Day for the owner. This middleman was called the “Immediate Lessor.”

You can access Griffiths Valuation transcriptions and original copies for free at the askaboutireland website link at:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

Griffiths Valuation shows two Occupiers named McHugh leasing property in Sheeans, Civil parish of Turlough. These are Patrick McHugh and Farrell McHugh. One of them may have been a father or uncle to the Patrick McHugh who married Mary Murray. There are no Murrays recorded in Sheeans in Griffiths Valuation.

To access the Griffiths valuation page for Sheeans, go to: https://is.gd/4RTCVH

At the top portion of the page is the valuation for the townland of Shanvoley. Scroll down the page until you come to Sheeans. In the left margin of the page you’ll see letters and numbers. These are map reference numbers, of which I’ll have more information later. Patrick McHugh is at map reference 4b. Farrell McHugh is at map reference 4c. Patrick and Farrell are leasing over 214 acres of land in common with two other Occupiers named John Roche and Thomas Hopkins. All four men however, are leasing their own homes and offices.

Patrick McHugh’s portion of the land was valued at 1 Pound and 17 Shillings. His house and office were valued at 9 Shillings. The total valuation for his property was 2 Pounds, 6 Shillings.

Farrell McHugh’s portion of the land was valued at 2 Pounds and 9 Shillings, while his house was valued at 7 Shillings, for a total valuation of 2 Pounds and 16 Shillings.

An office in a Griffiths valuation record could be a barn, stable, blacksmith shop, piggery, etc.

Those Occupiers with leases valued under 5 Pounds were not required to pay a tax. In the case of Patrick and Farrell McHugh, the tax would have been paid by the owner/Immediate Lessor of the townland of Sheeans. This was the Earl of Lucan.

Patrick, Farrell, John Roche, and Thomas Hopkins would have likely been growing potatoes, wheat, barley, or oats on the 214 acres of land they had leased from the Earl of Lucan.

The map reference number for Patrick is 4b. The map reference number for Farrell is 4c. These are map location markers found on an Ordnance Survey Map that accompanies Griffiths Valuation. The maps can be accessd from the askaboutireland/griffithsvaluationindex link for Sheeans, Mayo.

Individual townlands on these maps can be a challenge to find, as can individual map reference numbers pertaining to Occupiers in a specific town. These maps may also contain errors, as well as omissions.

I found the Ordnance Survey Map for Sheeans, and located map reference numbers 1, 2, and 3, but not 4. But, the map of Sheeans indicates only two sections of the townland with clusters of buildings. One is map reference 2, where there are seven structures present. See the attachment with this reply.

Patrick and Farrell McHugh did not lease property in map reference 2, and so none of these buildings would have been leased by them or John Roche and Thomas Hopkins.

There is another cluster of buildings I found on the map of Sheeans, located to the northeast of map reference 2. Four of these structures may have been the homes of Patrick McHugh, Farrell McHugh, John Roche, and Thomas Hopkins.

On the second attached Griffiths Valuation map, you’ll see 13 structures in a vertical line on the page. The southern-most structure is separated from the cluster of buildings.

Two of these may have been the homes of Patrick and Farrell McHugh.

The thing to do now was to see if I could find this area of Sheeans on a Google Street View. To do this I had to compare Google Maps with 19th century Ordnance Survey Maps, then with Google Street Views, as well as satellite imagery. This took some time as I am not astute enough with computers to do map overlays, but had to toggle back and forth between maps, street, and satellite views to see if I could locate these structures, realizing that some of the structures seen in the Griffiths Valuation map, may not be standing in the present day.

The following link will take you to a portion of Sheeans where Patrick and Farrell McHugh may have had their leases: https://is.gd/zvLXCz

Also see the next Google Street Views of Sheeans at: https://is.gd/fn8DhZ and https://is.gd/L3zO3e

The Google Street Views shows several old, stone buildings, many of them white, covered with corrugated roofing. These buildings look old and, even though very small, may have been houses at one time. Some may date back to before the time of Griffiths Valuation.

Brenda, before you go to Ireland, post another message to Ireland Reaching Out, asking if there is a volunteer guide in the Castlebar, Turlough, and Sheeans areas of County Mayo, who could meet you, and take you on a tour of the portion of Sheeans seen in the Google Street Views with the stone buildings. Someone familiar with the area may be able to give you more insight about the place that your ancestors lived than you would not be able to find online. Make copies of the maps and Google Street Views of Sheeans to take with you if you go to Ireland in the near future.

Before closing I’d like to mention that I found the death record of Farrell McHugh, who leased land in common in the townland of Sheeans with Patrick McHugh, John Roche, and Thomas Hopkins, according to Griffiths Valuation. Farrell’s death record was discovered at the free irishgenealogy.ie website, and shows that he died in Sheeans on 10 September 1905 at the age of 87 years. At the time of death he was a widower and had been a farmer. The cause of death was, “Senile decay. No Medical attendant.” The person who was present at Farrell’s death and who reported the death to the district registrar was Mary McHugh, of Sheeans. The registrar, J.M. O’Callaghan, recorded Farrell’s death in the Castlebar Registration District on 26 October 1905. Farrell’s death is Number 129 in the death register, which you can access at: https://is.gd/YW07XI

Mary’s McHugh could have been Farrell’s daughter, or niece, or perhaps Patrick McHugh’s wife, Mary Murray McHugh.

Also, I located the family of Patrick and Mary McHugh and five of their children in the 1901 and 1911 Irish census enumerations. I can send these to you in a follow-up reply is you do not already have them. I can also send you copies of the original birth records of the five McHugh children in the household with their parents in the 1901 and 1911 Irish census enumerations.

Thank you again for responding Brenda.

Dave

Sources:

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/battle/275/
John Grenham: https://www.johngrenham.com/findasurname.php?surname=Battle
BBC: https://is.gd/oL3FTR
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml
Griffiths valuation
Google Maps
Google Street Views
Google Satellite
Ordnance Survey Maps, 1837 to 1842 and 1888 to 1913 from GeoHive
irishgenealgy.ie