Contents:
Events Calendar
Belturbet Town
Branch History
Ballinamore-Ballyconnell
Canal
Lough Erne
European Wanderings
Out and About
Overseas Tourist Information
1994 Cruising Guide
Photos |
CAVAN IN THE 1830's
by Lewis
Lewis Topograpical Dictionary was published in 1837. It
includes entries on every county and parish in Ireland. It
also includes a 5,047 word description of county Cavan.
Cavan (County of), an inland county of the province of
Ulster, bounded in the north by the county of Fermanagh ; on
the west, by that of Leitrim ; on the south, by those of
Longford, Westmeath, and Meath ; and on the east and
north-east, by that of Monaghan. It extends from 53o 4:3' to
54o ;7 (N. Lat.) and from 6o 45' to 7o 47' (W'. Lon.) ; and
comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 477 ,360
statute acres, of which 421,462 are cultivated land, 30,000
unimproved mountain and bog, and 22,l41 acres under water
The population, in 182l, was 195,076 ; and in 1831, 228,050.
According to Ptolemy, this tract, with the districts
included in the adjacent counties of Leitrim and Fermanagh,
was occupied by the Erdini, designated in the Irish language
Ernaigh, traces of which name are yet preserved in that of
Lough Erne and the river Erne, upon which and their
tributaries these districts border. This district,
exclusively of the greater part of the present county of
Fermanagh, formed also the ancient principality of Breghne,
Brefine, Breifne, Breffny, or Brenny, as it has been
variously spelt, which had recognised limits from time
immemorial, and was divided into the two principalities of
Upper or East Breifne and Lower or West Breifne, the former
composed almost entirely of the present county of Cavan, and
the latter of that of Leitrim. East Breifne was often called
Breifne O'Reilly, from its princes or chiefs having from
remote ages borne that name : they were tributary to the
O'Neill of Tiroen long before the arrival of the English,
although Camden says that in his time they represented
themselves as descended from the English family of Ridley,
but were entirely Irish in manners.
The county is celebrated in the history, of the wars in
Ireland for the fastnesses formed by its woods, lakes, and
bogs, which long secured the independence of its native
possessors. Cavan was one of the counties formed in Ulster,
in 1584, by Sir John Perrott, lord-deputy of Ireland, and
derived its name from the principal seat of its ancient
rulers, which is still the principal capital : in the
following year it was represented in a parliament held in
Dublin by two loyal members of the family of O'Reilly. Both
Breffny,s anciently formed part of Connaught, but the new
county was incorporated with Ulster. The O'Reillys were at
this time a warlike sept, particularly distinguished for
their cavalry, and not living in towns, but in small castles
scattered over the country. In order to lessen their
influence by partitioning it among different leaders, and
thus reduce them to the English law, it was resolved to
divide the country into baronies and settle the
proprietorship of each exclusively on a separate branch of
the families of the former proprietors. Sir John O’Reilly,
then chief lord of the country, had covenanted to surrender
the whole to Queen Elizabeth, and on the other part Sir John
Perrott had covenanted that letters patent should be granted
to him of the whole but this mutual agreement led to no
result and commissioners were sent down to carry the
division into effect. By them the whole territory was
partitioned into seven baronies, of which, two were assigned
to Sir John O’Reilly free of all contributions ; a third was
allocated to his brother, Philip O'Reilly ; a fourth to his
uncle Edmond ; and a fifth to the sons of Hugh O'Reilly,
surnamed the Prior. The other two baronies, possessed by the
septs of Mac Kiernan and Mac Gauran, and remotely situated
in the mountains and on the border of O'Rourke's country,
were left to their ancient tenures and the Irish exaction’s
of their chief lord, Sir John, whose chief rent out of the
other three baronies not immediately possessed by him was
fixed at l0s. per annum for every pole, a subdivision of
land peculiar to the county and containing about 25 acres :
the entire county was supposed to contain 1620 of these
poles.
But these measures did not lead to the settlement of the
country the tenures remained undetermined by any written
title, and Sir John, his brother, and his uncle, as
successive tanists, according to the ancient custom of the
country, were all slain while in rebellion. After the death
of the last, no successor was elected under the
distinguishing title of O'Reilly, the country was broken by
defeat, although wholly unamenable to the English law. Early
in the reign of James I, the lord-deputy came to Cavan, and
issued a commission of inquiry to the judges then holding
the assize there concerning all lands escheated to the Crown
by attainder, outlawry, or actual death in rebellion; and a
jury of the best knights and gentlemen that were present,
and of whom some were chiefs of Irish septs, found an
inquisition, first, concerning the possessions of various
freeholders slain in the late rebellion under the Earl of
Tyrone, and secondly, concerning those of the late chiefs of
the country who had shared the same fate; though the latter
finding was obtained with some difficulty, the jurors
fearing that their own tenures might be invalidated in
consequence.
Published by: Lewis
1837 Read On....
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