McCollum Aird 1734

[wyanga]

Hi All,
          I would like to know if there is any information that would indicate when John McCollum first became the Chief tennant at Aird for the Earl of Antrim.
    I have sighted the 1734 survey of the Earl of Antrim's estates.
  It gives Aird as Ardsoughterah and John McCollum as the Chief tennant, no other tennants named.
    In the 1734 religious census for Cary Barony, John McCollum is named as the chief tennant at Aird and my ancestors George Taylor and Warren Taylor are named as tennants.
    I am trying to determine if they were just sub tennants of John McCollum or if they might have predated John McCollum and previously been tennants of the Earl of Antrim.
    John McCollum obtained the fee simple for Aird and Ballymoy from the Earl of Antrim in 1738.
   Can anyone assist me with this question ?
  Wyanga

[Elwyn Soutter]

If there are any records, they are probably within the Antrim Estates fond in PRONI and/or the Registry of Deeds (which start around 1708) copies of which are also in PRONI.

[scotmum]

Could this 1725 mention of a John McCollum be the same chap:

 http://irishdeedsindex.net/mem.php?memorial=31414

or 1729

http://irishdeedsindex.net/mem.php?memorial=42015

[wyanga]

scotmum,
 Yes very likely it is the same john McCollum. i have a book extract ( too large to attatch) that indicates that John McCollum was leasing areas of land around Bushmills from the Earl of Amtrim from 1684, but does not detail when he leased Aird.
Wyanga

[wyanga]

Could anyone enlighten me on the leasing procedures in the 1700's
 I am aware that once McCollum had prurchased the fee simple for Aird in 1738, he would become the landlord for all the tennants.
 But if he has just leased Aird prior to 1738 would he also become the landlord for any tennants that might have been there prior to his leasing or would they remain tennants of the Earl of Antrim ?
 I also think that once he had leased Aird, he would have the right to sublease to tennants of his choosing.
   If anyone can help me regarding these queries it would be helpfull.
Wyanga

[Elwyn Soutter]

If he was leasing the land from the Antrim  estate then normally any tenants on it would pay their rent to him. If there was any variation or exception to that then it would be specified in the lease. (The Antrim estate often reserved rights to hunting, hawking, and timber extraction for example. So they could be let separately).

[wyanga]

Elwyn Soutter,
                      Thank you Elwyn. That appears to be fairly straightforward.
  If john McCollum leased Aird at some point earlier than 1738 he would acquire all of those tenants that were already leasing land from the earl of Antrim with perhaps the provisos that you mention.
   There are two items in the Earl of Antrim papers at PRONI that might help to supply the information that I am looking for. They are
 lease Books D2977/3B and Rentals D2977/7B if these records extend to the early 1700's.
   Unfortunately i am in Australia so am unable to drop into PRONI but knowing that they are there is helpfull. Unfortunately there do not seem to be any collection of Papers for John McCollum where there might be lease and rental records.
Wyanga
 

[Elwyn Soutter]

I’ll have a look next time I am in PRONI. There’s rental books in the series D2977/8 as well. My recollection is that there are no rental books earlier than around 1815. Prior to that you get odd leases, and the Antrim Estate was good at registering documents with the Registry of Deeds (many people didn’t bother). But for the 1700s it’s hit and miss.

It’s also hit and miss whether people lodge their papers with PRONI. Some did lodge with PRO in Dublin prior to 1922 and they were destroyed. The Antrim Estates fortunately still had theirs at that time and so they have survived. But there was no obligation to lodge them. Some did and some didn’t.

Basically what you are looking for is the earliest mention of John McCollum of Aird, near Ballycastle. Is that right?

[wyanga]

Elwyn.
           Yes that is basically what I would be hoping for. The earliest mention of John McCollum in connection with the Townland Aird which overlooks the Giants Causeway. Prior to 1734.
 In the Earl of Antrims Survey in 1734 it is called Ardsoughterah, in some other reports it is referred to as Ards, as it was in the 1738 Deed.
    I have viewed the films for the Deeds and was only able to find the ones in 1738 for the Earl of Antrim Grantor and John McCollum grantee with the transferr of Aird, Ballymoy and Magheraboy  to John McCollum. Three different Deeds Registered.
   From what you say the Rental books are not going to be early enough to show records in the early 1700's, where I would have been looking for a George Taylor Tenant.
Wyanga