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James Burke was the Officer of the Quit Rents in Dublin. The Mahon family held thirty thousand acres of what had been the ancestral lands of the O'Connors had been confiscated in the Cromwellian conquest. James Weale was a prominent surveyor of the firm Brassington and Gale who surveyed the Crown estate for the Commissioners of Wood in 1836. He was a zealous collector of papers relating to Ireland. He died in 1838. Defendants: a group of 14 Ballykilcline tenants who organized a rent strike, filed suit against the Crown and illegally reoccupied their homes. They were the micro-elite inside the community of tenants. They were: Hugh McDermott and his son Barnard, Bartholomew Narry/Neary, Patrick Narry/Neary, Patrick Croghan, Richard Padian, Terence Connor, Patrick Callogan, Michael Connor, John Connor, Patrick Stewart, James Stewart, James Reynolds, Joseph Reynolds. Terence Reynolds, a family member of James Reynolds, returned to Ballykilcline after the clearances as a tenant. His descendants remain as residents today. Patrick Coyle returned to Ballykilcline as a tenant after the clearances. He lost two sons during the winter of 1847-1848, Dominick and James. His descendants remain as residents today Thomas Conry held the townland of Killdologue and Cloonahee. In the early 1820's he was Hartland's steward, a substantial tenant, and keeper of the books for the second Hartland Baron. He was a middleman for the estate. Father Michael McDermott was a Catholic priest in Strokestown, Elphin Parish. He often spoke out against the treatment of the tenants on the Hartland estates. The Hanleys in 1820's held long leases in Barrawalla, which had expired. By the 1840's they were among the poorer occupants of Ballykilcline holding five acres in joint tenure. John Hanly was the tenant-of-record with Thomas, Edward, and Patrick McCormick, together with John Clemons and Luke Henry. The fines were kept off the books of the English taxes. Reverend Thomas William Lloyd was a Church of Ireland Rector in Kilglass parish and subtenant of the Hartland estate. He lived at Glebe House on the border of Ballykilcline. His wife was Eleanor who was seven years younger that William and bore him seven children. They had adult servants, Anne Stuart (50) housekeeper and cook, Maria Gill (20) scullery girl, Thomas Fox a farmhand, and Thomas Wynne a farmhand. The Lloyd's remained at Glebe House, with a manservant Bernard Regan (50). John Burke was of Her Majesty's Quit Rent Office in Dublin. George Knox's reports were sent to him regarding Ballykilcline. George Knox was a local Crown Agent deputy in Strokestown for Ballykilcline. He reported to John Burke in Dublin regarding the rent and arrears due, list of legal tenants and conditions in Ballykilcline. However, he only visited the townland twice before the mass evictions. Knox used a driver, John Cox, instead for information. George and Jane Mahon Knox had a son, Thomas Knox. The family lived at Clonfree House. George Knox died in winter of 1847. John Cox was a Driver /bailiff for George Knox. A native of the townland with a younger brother, Owen Cox, among the cottiers. John passed on rumors and rents up the chain of authority to George Knox. John had a shebeen on the road between Strokestown and Ballykilcline for gathering news and recruiting informers. He arranged and conveyed the five batches of Ballykilcline emigrants to Dublin. Owen Cox was the younger brother of John Cox. Michael Cox was a brother of John and Owen. He was allowed to return to Ballykilcline as a tenant after the clearance. His descendants remain as residents today. Patrick Maguire was a "cart man" and laborer in Ballykilcline. He was a marginal tenant north of Aughamore. He was regarded as a "collaborator" during the legal proceedings of the case brought by the Defendants and was beaten by 'unknown persons'. He operated yet another shebeen a few steps away from the McDermott and Cox establishments. He and his wife, Catherine, would lose 5 out of 6 children to the famine and fever. Patrick Maguire's appeal to Knox to reoccupy his holdings was made and rejected, he was dispossessed. Francis Stewart was sent to Liverpool, England to sail but was returned to Dublin and there forwarded aboard the ship Laconic. The Messrs. Scott reported that Stewart arrived in New York but 'died in hospital' after landing, 1848. Thomas Geelans headed a landless family of ten that had strayed from the townland during the 1847-1848 winter in search of food. The family returned before the last group left Ballykilcline in 1848 to request of John Cox that they be allowed to sail with the last emigrates. They were refused and 'presumed to have left the land' in Cox final report on the clearance. Hugh Geelan was Thomas Geelan's oldest son. Bernard Magan, a loyal tenant, opposed the rent strike from the beginning. The List of tenants was a working list compiled by George Knox between 1842 and 1886 to be used for reports to The Crown Agent. It lists 101 households' containing 476 persons, by age, relationship, and date of departure. It may well be the most complete list of the Ballykilcline occupants, but John Cox supplied the information to Mr. Knox. Terence Connor and his wife, Bridget, had a girl of fifteen and a boy of ten. The household included his mother-in-law, Mary Maguire, aged eighty, the mother of Patrick Maguire, the "collaborator". Terence held 6 acres located between Padian and McDermott holdings. Hugh O'Ferrall (O'Farrell) was a resident of nearby Ashbrook with a law practice in Dublin. He was the lawyer hired by the Defendants Case #223, Report of the proceedings, Court of Exchequer, Easter term, 1846, Four Courts, Dublin, Ireland. Hugh's son was named Hugh also and worked as a clerk in his father office with Edward Donnellen, a son of one of the larger tenants. Hugh McDermott age 65 in 1841, one of the larger tenant farmers in Ballykilcline, 36 acres held jointly with his brother John. His wife was Eliza Kelly and they had 10 children. He was evicted and voluntarily left the townland in 1844, the first family to do so. He had a shebeen near Cox and Maguire. The family held shares on meadows and peat bog land with the Reynolds and Colligans. Bernard McDermott age 20 in 1841, was the oldest son of Hugh McDermot and a named defendant. James Donnellen family held 25 acres and was probably the community's main link to Lawyer O'Ferrall through James's son, Edward Donnellen, a law clerk. Richard Padian was one of the 14 defendants and an important part of the Ballykilcline legal action. He had a wife and 2 sons age 4 and 6 and two daughters. His home was the center of the agitation. He collected fees from the tenants for a legal fund for the defendants required by of Mr. O'Ferrall. He was a neighbor and friend of the McDermotts. Patrick Reilly opposed the strike and was an alleged informer in Ballykilcline. Unknown persons assaulted him before they were cleared off the townland. Reverend Peter Geraghty was the only priest resident on the estate. He had neither church nor school, and claimed the people of Ballykilcline as his congregation. He lived as a lodger at Richard Padian's home. It is not known if he had a part in the resistance, but was present for meetings. Father Henry Brenan was the pastor of Kilglass parish. John McDermott age 46 in 1841, and his wife Nabby, age 40 in the same year, had 2 daughters and 4 sons. He was a brother to Hugh McDermott. Thomas McDermott was age 40 in 1841, and a tenant nearby with 7 acres and a family of 8. He was a brother of Hugh McDermott. Patrick Connor was the patriarch of the Connor family and widowed. He lived in the Aughamore, the local name of the crowed southwestern sector of Ballykilcline, on 8 acres. He collected funds for the legal fees to pay Hugh O'Ferrall, the Defendants lawyer. Michael Connor was a brother of Patrick Connor. He was a widow with 4 grown children living on 7 acres. He had a son, Michael, who was said to have been "married and in England harvesting" in the rent rolls. John Connor was the eldest son of Patrick Connor and one of the Defendants. Denis Connor son of Patrick Connor. James Connor had a wife, Honora, and three young children. He lived quietly through the strike years. The daughter, Eleanor, died at 16, leaving the household with two sons, 10 year old Martin and an infant. His spinster sister lived in the house, but did not sail with family. The family was deeply resistant to leaving Ballykilcline, but arrived safely in America in the spring of 1848. Mark Narry had 3 sons, Luke, James, Edward, who held 30 acres jointly. Due to the size of the holding, Mark was a leader within Ballykilcline. John Stewart opposed the rent strike from the very beginning. He was a brother of William Stewart, a leader for the strike. The Micro-geography of Ballykilcline: 40 families had no leases and were landless laborers. Hugh McDermott held 36 acres. Edward Donnellan held 25 acres. John and Mary Mullera jointly held 20 acres with John Carolan. Thomas and Edward McCormick shared 15 acres. Patrick and James Deffely shared 11 acres. Patrick and Martin Finn shared 10 acres. Barty Connor and James Nary held 18 acres jointly with the Foxes. Hanlys held 5 acres in joint tenure in the infield. (Family had held 150 acres in Barrawalla, but the lease defaulted in 1820's). Honora Winters was a widow living alone on less than half an acre. Michael Hoare was a landless cottier that farmed on Ballykilcline with his wife and 5 children under the age of 11. He left for England after the clearance. Dominick Coyle was Patrick Coyle's 30-year old son that Knox scribbled "Dead Easter" beside his name on the rolls and "dying" beside that of his other son, James Coyle, in 1848 Catherine Connor is listed as a wife of John Connor in 1846 and as a widow in 1847. Thomas McGanne was listed as "a Mason, quite willing" on a rent book. Thomas and Mary Costello lived with his mother, Bridget (80), who had been born in Ballykilcline in 1766. Catherine White, age 5, lived with Bridget Fallon (20) who was blind for 8 years and with her widowed mother, Bridget (60). Also in that household was two brothers, a younger sister, and two orphan nieces Bridget Conry, a widow of 70, dwelt with her unmarried sister, Judith McDermott (60). Bridget held the lease and managed her own holdings. She was one of the very few females listed as head-of-households in that time period. John Carrington was in the Roscommon Jail when the townland of Ballykilcline was cleared. The Very Rev. Henry Brennan requested he be released in time to sail with his family on the packet ship Creole. William George Downing Nesbitt of Edenderry, bought the Crown estate of Ballykilcline for 5,500 pound sterling in 1849. John Kelly of Essex Town in Roscommon, was a county surveyor who advised the Crown. O'Conor Don the 'brown' held the territories of Ballintobber, including Strokestown, before 1688 and the Elizabethan conquest. O'Conor Ruadh the 'red' held lands in 1688 to the west of Strokestown before the Elizabethan conquest. Richard Irwin was a magistrate and brother of Edward Irwin, Esquire of Knockhall which adjoined Ballykilcline. Owen Beirne was tried and hanged for the murder of the Reverend John Lloyd in 1848. Mr. Morton a modest squire of Strokestown. Thomas Fallon was an old tenant who Hogg pled for to remain on the land. Thomas's son had left for America. Land Management firm of Guinness and Mahon employed John Ross Mahon and recommended state-aided emigration of the Townland. Edward Gibbon Wakefield first to propose large-scale assisted emigration for the estate owner 25 years before 1848. Charles Armstrong was a lessee on the Reverend Lloyd's Kilglass land and lived in Galway town. The Magan family was a middling family with few hands to work the land. The Nary (Neary) family had held substantial leased lands in Farnbeg until the 1820's when the lease could not be renewed. Most resettled to Ballykilcline. The Pretender O'Connor was a shadowy unidentified person that was at the heart of the rebellion of Ballykilcline. Honora Winter was a widow living alone on less than half an acre. The Widow Ginty was one of the smallest tenets in Ballykilcline. Patrick Riely he held eight acres in the townland for forty years. He refused the rent strike and was beaten. He was refused by Mr. Knox to remain on the land and his house was leveled. Anne Flower was a widow with a strong family. The Guiney families lived in the Pobble O'Keefe townland and were the straw bosses of the local land agents. John Reynolds was the grandson of James Reynolds who re-told the Ballykilcline events to Robert James Scally, author of, "Out of Hidden Ireland". The Reynolds descendants still live in the 'outfield'. |