1659 Census of County Clare

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Kevin J. O'Brien
Posts: 71
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2011 3:19 pm
Location: Buffalo, NY, USA

1659 Census of County Clare

Post by Kevin J. O'Brien » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:00 pm

1659 Census of County Clare

Where are the O’Briens in the Barony of Ibrickane in the 1659 Petty’s Census of Clare?

The principal names listed for the 1659 Census of Clare are: Creagh, Clanchy, Carthy, Connor, Cassy, Clovane, Hiername, Hicky, Lyne, Mahon, McMahon, Moriarto, Mullowny, McNemara, Shea, Sulevane and McTeige.

Studying the 1826 Tithe Applotment Books and 1855 Griffith Valuation you can find an O’Brien in almost every townland. Were O’Brien’s listed in these later land records in the Barony of Ibrickane transplanted from other parts of Clare or Ireland?

Recently, I was discussing this subject with a member of the Sexton family that has their family roots in Ibrickane and she told me that all the Sextons were transplanted to Donogan Castle in the Barony of Ibrickane by Cromwell. They then spread throughout the Parish of Kilmurry-Ibrickane becoming one of the largest families in the Parish. She told me that there were seventeen Sextons sent to Donogan Castle all with red hair and blue eyes. I then told her that I would like to read about this and asked her if she knew of a book I could read to find out more on this subject. She said she didn’t know of any book but was told this since she was a little girl.

I would appreciate your comments and opinions on this subject of O’Brien’s and Sexton’s absence in the 1659 Clare Census.

Thank you,
Kevin J. O'Brien

Lucille
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Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2011 6:59 pm

Re: 1659 Census of County Clare

Post by Lucille » Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:43 pm

Possibly the simple answer is that west Clare was under-populated in 1659 - that was why Cromwell was able to transplant so many people in his famous "To Hell or to Connacht" (I wonder did he ever say that phrase??) He was clearing land in the more prosperous regions to pay his soldiers and the Petty Census was taken to find out how much land was available. I'm not sure if the O'Briens were part of that plantation or were becoming too numerous further south in Munster and needed to expand their area.

Any general history of Ireland deals with that period but probably not in the detail of movements into Kilmurry Ibrickane.

Lucille Ellis

mcreed
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Re: 1659 Census of County Clare

Post by mcreed » Sun Apr 15, 2012 7:09 pm

In his History and Topography of the County of Clare, James Frost states that "The land of county Clare was reserved for ‘Innocent Papists’, i.e. Catholics from other counties who had not taken arms against Cromwell but were transplanted to make room for new English settlers, and also to the O’Briens, a native Clare family which supported the English." (http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... ronies.htm)

In the same book he says "In 1641, the whole of the barony of Ibrickan, with the following exceptions, belonged to the Earl of Thomond". (http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... barony.htm). The Earl of Thomond was an O'Brien. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_O%27 ... of_Thomond

PaddyShannon
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Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 9:41 pm

Re: 1659 Census of County Clare

Post by PaddyShannon » Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:01 pm

Kevin,

I have also found the same for the surname "Shannon" who lived in and around the same townlands of Clare as the Sextons.
No mention of the name in the 1659 Census until 1712 when the Earl of Thomond, who was an O'Brien, let for life the townland
of Kildeema to one James Shannon. Subsequently the years, decades, and centuries later the Shannon's are found at Kildeema and
surrounding townlands prolifically. I have been unable to find the Shannon surname among the Transplanted Innocent Papist as of
this date but do find the oral story of the Sextons interesting and continue my search because I suspect they may have been transplanted
as were the Sextons by Cromwell. Or the parties responsible for conducting the 1659 Census just did a bloody poor job of it given that
Irish and English languages were both used at the time.

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