A Calendar of Kilronan McManus

Table of Contents

Circa 1617 - Calendar of The Patent Rolls of The Chancery of Ireland at the time of James 1st. (1566-1625):

Calendars of patent rolls

The original Irish patent rolls, recording, among other things, grants of land or pardons issued, were destroyed in the Public Record Office, Dublin, in 1922. Fortunately, some of the material had been published in calendar form. Printed calendars have survived for the patent rolls of James I and the early part of the reign of Charles I.

The Calendar of the Patent Rolls of the Reign of James I was prepared under the direction of the Irish Record Commission prior to 1830 and was printed before the Commission closed. The Irish Manuscripts Commission published a facsimile of the printed calendar in 1966, but this publication is now out of print.

The Calendar of the Patent and Close Rolls of Chancery in Ireland, of the Reign of Charles the First: First to Eighth Year, Inclusive edited by James Morrin (Dublin, 1863) covers the period from 1625 to 1633. It can be read online at Google Books.

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Grant from the King to the following persons

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To Bryan McDermott of Carrigg esq. - Roscommon Co. In Boyle Barony

(hereafter mentioned various surnames and townlands)

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View Full Image Page 333

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To Cormack McManus of Lurgan, gent,

the half cartron of Lurgan in Glentolagh; Gareeneplay, one cartron saving the said Bryan a rent of two shillings and seven pence halfpenny and the said Rory and his heirs a rent of one shilling and three halfpence

To Rory McManus of Gleantawlagh, gent.

Dirrenvoggy and Cosserwagh, one cartron each; saving the said Bryan a rent of eleven shillings thereout.

To John McManus of Lurgan, gent.

One fourth of the cartron of Lurgan in Glentolagh: Aghaneclouigh quarter carton saving thereout to said Bryan a rent of ten pence and to said Rory a rent of four pence halfpenny.

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The One Percenters

The majority of the people at this time existed in dire poverty. The names recorded, therefore, would have been of those who were in the most powerful positions economically.

Maghnus O’Conor

Those McManuses are likely to have been the direct descendants of Maghnus O’Conor.

It is worth understanding that the name McManus can be found spread across the parishes of Boyle Barony and not just in the Parish of Kilronan.

Gaelic culture in decline

The fall of Gaelic culture meant that the massive entourage of occupations which supported the king - historians, poets, harpers, mercenaries and scores of others on the payroll - were no longer maintained and became redundant.

The population, never large, had reached an almost unbelievably low level. Bad living conditions, poor hygiene and sanitation, plagues, epidemics, raids, war and harsh weather all combined to off-set the natural increase.

2,328 Population, Boyle Barony, in 1659 Census

The population of the Boyle Barony in the 1659 Census was 2,328.

True, many townlands were omitted; the most likely explanation is that many had nobody living there.

And if this seems implausible, one has only to look at the returns for a few places

• Fener — 2;
• Tuillileige (Cootehall Parish) — 1;
• Ratra — 2.

1659 vs 1841

A more graphic picture emerges when the 1659 figures are set alongside those for 1841 :

Growth of Lawlessness

1659 Census Editions

The ‘1659 Census’ is one of the most comprehensive and accessible of the ‘survey’ documents that have come down to us from the mid-seventeenth century.

Official Censuses in Ireland

Full government censuses of the whole island were taken in

• 1821 (partially destroyed)
• 1831 (partially destroyed)
• 1841 (partially destroyed)
• 1851 (partially destroyed)
• 1861 (destroyed)
• 1871 (destroyed)
• 1881 (destroyed)
• 1891 (destroyed)
• 1901 Family Search
• 1911 Family Search

Partially Destroyed

The first four - 1821, 1831, 1841, and 1851 - were largely destroyed in the fire at the Public Record Office in 1922; surviving fragments are detailed below.

Completely Destroyed

Those for 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 were completely destroyed prior to 1922, by order of the government. This means that the earliest surviving comprehensive returns are for 1901 and 1911.

The LDS Family History Library microfilmed the entire set of returns for 1901 and 1911, as well as all the surviving fragments, and these microfilms form the basis of the digitised online versions of the censuses which are now the principal means of researching them.

Pender’s not-a-census mapped

A good explanation about the 1659 Census can be found on John Grenham Website in an article titled Pender’s not-a-census mapped

1659 Census (1939 Edition by Seamus Pender)

1659 Census, 1939 Edition

A Census of Ireland circa 1659 (ed. Séamus Pender, Irish Manuscripts Commission, 1939)

• Editor(s): Seamus Pender
• Publisher: Irish Manuscripts Commission
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN: 9781874280156
• Page Count: 946

1659 Census (2002 Edition by William J Smyth)

Census, 1659 2002 Editon

Séamus Pender’s 1939 edition of the ‘1659 Census’ is reproduced with a detailed new introduction by William J. Smyth.

• Genre/Form: Census data, Statistics, Census, 1659
• Document Type: Book
• All Authors / Contributors:Séamus Pender; William J Smyth; Irish Manuscripts Commission.
• Find more information about: ISBN: 1874280150 9781874280156 OCLC Number: 264746791
• Notes: Reprint of 1939 edition.
• Includes index: At head of title: Comisium laimscribhini na hEireann.
• Description: lxxxiii, 946 pages : maps, tables ; 25 cm
• Responsibility: edited by Séamus Pender ; with a new introduction by William J. Smyth.

Family Search

• 1659 Census
• 1901 Census
• 1911 Census