Mayo Alive - 1 October 1996

 

South Mayo Family Research Journal

The 1996 Journal of the South Mayo Family Research Centre is now available. This year's volume contains a variety of articles of interest to both the local and family historian.

EMIGRATION

Emigration from the Louisburgh area in west Mayo to Clinton, Mass., U.S.A. in the early years of the present century is the subject of a fascinating article by Edward Martin Gill which includes abstracts from the over twenty shipping lists.

MURDER

Agrarian crime and secret societies were features of 19th century life in Mayo. Gerard M. Delaney relates the story of the murder of a process-server in Ballinrobe in 1872. While nobody was ever convicted for the crime the fingure of suspicion was pointed in a particular direction...

EVICTIONS

The 1995 Journal contained a list of Lord Lucan's tenants cleared from his Ballnrobe estates at the time of the Great Famine. This year's journal contains a list of persons evicted from the Lord Lucan's property at Trennagleragh, near Kiltimagh.

MELLETT/MOYLETTE/MILLETT ETC

The surname Mellett (with its huge variety of spellings) is found throughout south Mayo. In a well researched article, Paul Waldron documents the property holdings of the Mellett sept prior in the 17th century and the distribution of the surname in 19th century sources.

VOTERS LIST FOR 1850

By 1850 the property valuation which allowed a man to vote in an election was £12. The journal lists all individuals qualified to vote in 1850.

The list is sorted alphabetically by Barony for the entire county. It is valuable in that it pre-dates Griffith's Primary Valuation by five years and includes many persons who emigrated or sold property in the Encubered Estates Court before Griffith's Valuation was compiled.

THE FAIR FAMILY OF LEVALLY

Brigid Clesham's contribution to this year's journal documents the descent of the Fair family of Levally (between Hollymount and Ballinrobe) who were descended from John Fair who lived in the mid-1700s. The family who might be considered minor Protestant gentry were were connected with the 1798 rebellion, the Great Famine the church and other middle-class families in the area.

PARISH PRIESTS AND CHURCHES

The 1995 Journal included Part One of an extensive list successive parish priests in south Mayo. The article is concluded in this year's volume and documents the P.P.'s of the parishes of Islandeady, Kilmaine, Kilmeena, Kilgeever, Mayo Abbey, Partry, Roundfort, Westport, Killedan, Kilmovee and Shrule down to the present incumbents. Complimentary to this article is a list of all Roman Catholic churches and chapels and the parishes to which they are attached.

THE BARONY OF COSTELLO IN 1635

Paul Waldron has produced a comprehensive analysis of land ownership in the east Mayo Barony of Costello in the lead up to Strafford's Inquisition of 1635. he documents the main land owners by name, property name (where identified) and civil parish.

All in all, the Journal makes for a most interesting read as well as being a good reference work.

Copies can be had from the South Mayo Family Research Centre, Main Street, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo, Ireland at US$14 each / IR£7 (including postage). Personal cheque is the preferred method of payment.

The Nallys of Rockstown in County Mayo, Ireland