The 1718 migration

1718 migration to New England
Next year will see the tercentenary of the famous migration of Scots and Irish born Presbyterian people who left the north of Ireland on their way to a new life in the New England colonies in north America. The majority of Scots-Irish migrants who left North-West Ulster hailed from two particular districts - the Bann valley area north of Garvagh and Kilrea, which included the parishes of Aghadowey, Macosquin, Dunboe and Ballywillan. A second group came from the Foyle valley area including the Laggan area of Co Donegal. Of course, migration was not restricted to these areas as migrants left from other parishes in Londonderry as well as the area north of Strabane in Co Tyrone.


Many years ago in Conolly archives in PRONI  I uncovered an interesting list of emigrants who were leaving the Roe Valley for America in the year 1718. The Conolly Archives in PRONI are substantial but somewhat haphazard in their contents. What is unusual about this list is that we are given the precise address of the emigrant and also the name of the tenants who replaced them on the land. The townlands were primarily in the parishes of Tamlaght Finlagan, Aghanloo and Drumachose.

A List of persons in the Manor of Limavady, which are gone or going to New England and how they disposed of their lands, dated 24th August 1718.

Townland                    Tenant’s name           Going/Gone    Tenants in their place
Carrowmuddle            James Donning          Gone               William Baird
Crindle                        Robert Patton            Gone                Matthew Patton
Culmore                      A.C. Patton                Gone               John Patton
Burnally                      Thomas Marten         Gone               John Nelly
Carrowclare                John Boule                 Gone               Edward Moore
Crindle                        John Paul                    Gone               Hugh Paul
Culmore                      John Gay                    Going              John King
Crindle                        John Paul                    Gone               Hugh Paul
Ballyhenry                  Hugh Boyle                Going              William Baird
N’Limavady               John Paterson              Gone               William Patterson
Derrymore                  William Carr               Going              John Oliver
Carrick Upper             David Alexander        Going              John Alexander (jun)

And many more just now upon terms of selling their land.

CHURCH LANDS
Mulkeeragh               John Hamilton            Gone               His wife Allison ye land
Mulkeeragh               Thomas Barber           Gone               ditto.

The migration from the Roe Valley is less well known than those from the Foyle and the Bann but the documentary evidence from the Conolly archives provides a fascinating snap-shot into the regional impact of this migratory wave on one important local landed estate.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hearth Money Rolls 1660s

Image
The hearth tax was the first of a new wave of taxes brought in shortly after the restoration of King Charles II in 1662 and continued for 27 years until 1689. Collected twice yearly at Michelmas (29th September) and Ladys Day (25th March) copies of the returns of payments were sent to the exchequer and to the local Quarter Sessions.   The first Hearth Money Act was passed in the Irish Parliament in 1662. It provided that 2 shillings should be paid on every hearth or ‘other place used for firing’.  Arranged by county, parish and, usually, townland, the Hearth Money Rolls list the names of householders who were liable to pay tax at the rate of two shillings on every hearth or fireplace they had. Some people were exempt from the tax and, of course, others managed to evade paying it.T he lists are not a complete record of every householder in a townland. Those exempt included p ersons living on alms, or persons not able to work, or persons who had a house or lands worth less than eight pou
Read more

The Siege of Derry 1688-1689

Image
The Siege of Derry/Londonderry The walls of Derry were completed by 1619, eight metres high and nine metres wide and 1.5 km in circumference. By the time of the siege the population inside the walls was estimated as 2500. Four gates allowed access to traffic going in and out of the city. The river Foyle came up close to the walls on the waterside an effective barrier from attack. he Siege of Derry was the first major event of the Williamite Wars in Ireland. The Gates of Derry were initially closed in December 1688 by 13 apprentice boys who seized the keys and locked the gates upon the approach of the Earl of Antrim's forces. The real action did not begin until April 1869 when the Jacobite forces arrived in substantial numbers. It is estimated that during the siege the population inside the walls swelled to over 30,000 people. Over 7000 of these were troops and the rest civilians who had fled to the safety of the walled city. The Jacobite force was estimated at some 15,000 and
Read more

Limavady street names from the past

Image
LIMAVADY STREET NAMES FROM THE PAST: Limavady was known as Newtownlimavady until 1870 when the council decided to officially shorten the name.  The new town of Limavady was a plantation settlement built by the servitor Sit Thomas Phillips who was given a large estate in the Roe valley in 1610. Phillips had settled at the old O'Cahan stronghold at Limavady on the banks of the River Roe. He decided to build a new plantation town a mile further downstream, which he called Newtowne. Raven's map of 1622 shows  'Sir Thomas Phillips buildinge at Newtowne, a mile from Limna Vadde, a village of 18 small houses, at a cross roads, with a stone cross at the centre''.  Up until the time of the famine Limavady remained a relatively small town with essentially four main streets. The town grew substantially with the post-famine influx and as a result new houses and streets were constructed to meet the growing demand. New streets and new names came into existence. Thi
Read more