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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Topic started by: Kerrill on Thursday 18 October 12 12:46 BST (UK)
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Does anyone know if there is such a thing as a evicted tenants list during the potato famine, I have a list of some from Mountbellew area in Galway but was hoping there was a existing lists for the whole counties of Mayo and Galway or any others :-\
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Hello Kerrill.
If there are lists of the famine evictions that survive,it is possible The national Library of Ireland may hold the records.If you are not close at hand you can E.mail them at www.nli.ie .I have done this in the past and found them both helpful and quick in responce to a query.
I did check the Irish National Archive but they do no have any information on this subject.
I hope this may be of some help.
With regards Diarmuid.
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Thanks for the reply, will try the link and will post if I get any joy. :)
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Wikipaedia suggest some were made see the article on the famine, I think one of the many books published may have extra information. This is Litton, Helen (1994), The Irish Famine: An Illustrated History, Wolfhound Press, ISBN 0-86327-912-0
The 1851 census carried some sort of question how many of the family died during the period. But then the census was destroyed or recycled.
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Not sure any 'official' eviction lists were created at the time of the Famine. It sounds like a specific bit of research someone would have to do. Not sure either that it would be possible to create comprehensive lists as evictions would be carried out on an estate by estate basis. There could be lists in estate papers and I've seen newspaper articles naming evicted tenants in reporting and listing evicted tenants. I have a copy of that Litton book somewhere. It's a fairly simplistic and short telling of the Famine but I'll have a look to see what it says.
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Thanks very much for the replies, I am still waiting for the national library to get back to me.
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Have got my reply from library-----There is such a thing as a “Famine Immigration List”
http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000003232
It lists the people who arrived in America (you can see a Google Preview of the book on the catalogue) I’m not sure if there is a similar book for those who arrived in England.
Probably not, as Ireland was under British rule in those days so I don't think there would be a need for passengers lists moving around Briton :'(
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Hi,
You are correct, there are no passenger lists for people moving within the British Isles.
Regards
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Hi
Just reading the chapter on the Evictions in 'The Irish Famine' an illustrated history. shows extract from Estate papers of Earl of Midleton's estate in counties Cork & Waterford 7/8/1847. Next to Clare the worst area for evictions was County Mayo, the scene of ten per cent of all evictions between 1849 and 1854. Among the worst landlords was the Earl of Lucan, he removed over 2,000 tenants in the parish of Ballinrobe alone! The Marquis of Sligo was also an evicting landlord. No doubt all the estate papers available will show the evictions.
Not all the landlords who evicted tenants threw them on the road. Emigration from Ireland was 'assisted' whereby landlords gave their tenants enough money for the passage to America or Canada. Some landlords, even hired ships to transport them.
Maggie
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Thanks very much Maggie, will try and get a look at estate papers hopefully, the ships which the caring landlords hired were called coffin ships because almost all sank as none were seaworthy >:(
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Kerill,
You are not quite correct about the "Coffin Ships". There were mainly ships from Canada which brought timber to Ireland and quickly converted to carry passngers as ballast on the return passage. These ships were loosely regulated by London and were overcrowded etc. Ships going to an American port were tightly regulated by Washington and limited the number of passengers. This is why it cost almost twice as much to travel to an American port as to a Canadian port. Most deaths and desease occurred on the Canadian ships. Some landlords and workhouses paid for their paupers to travel to American ports and of course, many more people travelled independantly of their landlord.
Regards
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You will find that a significant number of Irish folk refer to this time as the 'Great Hunger' as opposed to the 'Irish Famine'
The thinking behind this is that there was, allegedly, more than enough food to go around the population despite the failure of the potato crop.
The problem was that it was mostly shipped away by the English landlords. Hence, the name 'Hunger' instead of 'Famine'
Kind regards,
Mark.
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Thanks to everyone that contributed :)
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Kerrill:
My Gavin ancestors left Mountbellew during the An Gorta Mor (presume after the Ballinlass Evictions) and emigrated to England, and then to Illinois in 1880s. I have discovered some of this history would love to exchange info if your still out there.
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Would be glad to share anything I have (there isn't that much) I can only go back as far as Mary Gavin who was born around 1866 died 1941, I can however send you all certs that are connected to Gavin's and if you would like any photos of graves in or around MountBellew I would gladly take some for you.
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Thanks for communicating:
My Patrick Gavin was born 1826ish. Are you in the Mountbellew area? I was the first of my family to return to Mountbellew last Easter after 160-years, but only had two days. I did meet a young man named Andy Gavin, reviewed St. Mary's Church Records and visited the Cemeteries at St. Marys and Aghyart Cemetery.
To see 12 families of Gavins on the Ballinlass Monument makes me think that was the reason my Patrick left. It is my understanding that people of this area would go to England for work and return to help family funds. Patrick became a mason laborer and later a coal miner in Chesterfield, England. Patrick and Thomas are recurring names in our line. If my memory is correct, there are 3-Thomas' and 2-Patricks on the monument plus several others.
Andy showed me part of their lineage that went back to a Thomas Gavin born 1826 also. Unfortunately, I was not able to meet and discuss more with his family member that compiled most of the family genealogy. I have not been able to connect Andy's Family with a paper trail, but reason would say we are related. I'm contemplating contacting him to do some DNA testing to make the connection.
Do you have any experience with the Mountbellew Poor Law Union Records? Not sure if they would have any information on Gavins following the evictions.
Any info is helpful, my family did not pass down the family history so I started in 2011 and have been lucky to find the connection to Mountbellew and to Roundstone in Connemara where Patrick's wife Bridget was from.
I did take some cemetery photos, but was in a hurry so not sure what I have. I do remember a headstone of Bryan Gavin born 1700, passed 1777. Connection?
I look forward to seeing if we can help each other.
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I am a bit late to the party here, but am also descended from Ballinlass evicted (Kilmartin family). Curious to get in touch with other descendants of those affected.
The Kilmartin family ended up in County Durham and went from there to Australia and, reputedly, America.
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http://www.dippam.ac.uk/ied/records/23374
Freeman's Journal, dated Mountbellow, county of Galway, Wendesday night, March 25, describing the village ofBallinglass, parish of Kilasobe, and barony of Killyon, county of Galway, and the eviction of a number of tenants from huts they had erected on land obtained from the bog on the estate of a Mrs Gerrard.
The principal features were these:- ...............................
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I have completed Y-DNA37 testing with a Gavin family member from Mountbellew and we are a close match with only 2 deviations in almost 200 years. This relates us back about 8 to 10 or so generations or so. By the paper trail I have constructed, we knew it was more than 6 generations anyway. This confirms my lineage back to the area. I was able to find a marriage record from 1851 for my 2x great-grandfather Patrick Gavin (1826) that his father was also named Patrick. Possibly one of the P. Gavins on the Ballinlass Memorial. All the time frames seem to fit.
Also found some unknown relatives from my Great-grandmother Barry's side that had done their families genealogy (and mine). I would recommend using DNA testing to confirm or disprove your hunches. Watch for sale prices in November!
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I am a Gavin who has origins in Belderney but I believe originated in parish of Killyon(Newbridge).Co Galway.I also have connections with the Mountbellew Gavins.I would like to get in touch to compare DNA.
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Hi Delfini,
I have my DNA on Ancestry but have no match with another Gavin yet ???
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Have you tried it on gedmatch.com.It is an excellent free site
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Yes I'm on that to, bit to complicated for me though.