Biggera Beg / Bigire Beag

Biggera Beg / Bigire Beag

Compiled by Paul Greaney

Overview

Irish name: Bigire Beag

English name: Biggera Beg

Meaning: The small furrow or burden

Area: 362 acres, 1 rood, and 36 perches

Information from O’Donovan’s Field Name Books

Description: Proprietor Martin Blake, Esq., Ballyglunin. All under tillage except a portion of rocky ground in the south end of the townland.

Situation: It is situated 2 miles North of Cahermorris House. Bounded north by Carheens, south by Cluidrevagh, east by Biggera More and West by Fearagha.

Other Names: Bigeire, Biggera (B. S. Sketch Map), Biggary (County Books), Biggerybeg (Crampton Esq., Cahermorris), Bigarrey (High Constable, 1838), Begery (Inq. Temp. ? I), Biggery (Inq. Temp. ? I), Biggery (Inq. Temp. Eliz.), Biggory (Local), Buigary (Rector of Anaghdown).

Population Statistics

1841: 9 houses, 63 people (30 male, 33 female)

1851: 7 houses, 46 people (26 male, 20 female)

1861: 5 houses, 37 people (17 male, 20 female)

1871: 4 houses, 31 people (16 male, 15 female)

1881: 4 houses, 29 people (18 male, 11 female)

1891: 4 houses, 24 people (10 male, 14 female)

1901: 4 houses, 16 people (8 male, 8 female)

1911: 4 houses, 24 people (11 male, 13 female)

2011: 10 houses, 31 people (15 male, 16 female)

1821 Tithe Applotment Books

The Tithe Applotment Books record B. Newcomen Esq. as occupier of 200 acres in Biggory (sic.). No distinction is made between Biggera More and Biggera Beg.

1853 Valuation House Books and 1855 Griffith’s Valuation

The 1853 Valuation House Book for Biggera Beg records Sally Keady as occupier of a house; Denis Kirwan Esq as occupier of a vacant house; Mary Nolan, John Glynn, and Michael Mohan each held a house and offices, while Arthur Gough held a National School House and offices.

Griffith’s Valuation (1855) records Mary Nolan, John Glynn, and Michael Mohan each occupying a house, offices and land; Patrick Fahy occupied a cottier’s house and land; Arthur Gough occupied of a National agricultural school-house, offices and land; while Patrick McCue, James Costello, and Martin Quinn each held land.

1871-1901 Deaths

Date	Townland	Name	Sex	Condition	Age	Occupation	Cause	Medical Attendant	Certified	Registered by	Link
21/07/1871	Biggorybeg	Winnie Moghan	F	Spinster	11 years	Cottier’s child	Fever, 21 days		Y	Thomas Moghan, PAD	Link
14/02/1877	Biggorybeg	Peter McHugh	M	Bachelor	2 years	Landholder’s son	Decline, 1 year	N	N	John McHugh, PAD	Link
03/08/1878	Biggorybeg	Michael Maughan	M	Widower	95 years	Landholder	Old age	N	N	Mary Maughan, PAD	Link
13/12/1880	Biggorybeg	William Nolan	M	Married	54 years	Landholder	Typhoid pneumonia, 14 days		Y	Michael Nolan, PAD	Link
21/12/1880	Biggorybeg	James Nolan	M	Bachelor	22 years	Landholder	Typhoid pneumonia, 11 days		Y	John Nolan, PAD	Link
17/03/1892	Biggory	Stephen Nolan	M	Bachelor	19 years	Labourer	Phthisis, 6 months	N	N	Bridget Nolan, sister, PAD	Link
18/07/1892	Biggory	Mary Agnes Fitzgerald	F	Spinster	23 years	Sister of Mercy	Acute phthisis pulmonalis, 8 weeks	N	N	Edmond N. Fitzgerald, PAD	Link

1901 Census of Ireland

The 1901 Census of Ireland records the following four households in Biggera Beg.

1. Mary Nolan (60) [née Kennedy], farmer’s wife, widow; her sons John (37), William (30), farmer’s sons; daughter-in-law Mary (40) [née McHugh], farmer’s daughter; and grandchildren Willie (10), John (7), scholars, and Katie (4), infant.
2. Winifred McHugh (60), farmer’s wife, widow; and her son Patrick (33), farmer’s son.
3. Mary Moghan (60), farmer, widow; her sons Martin (35), John (28), farmer’s sons; and daughter Mary (30), farmer’s daughter.
4. Edmond Fitzgerald (55), principal teacher, born in the Parish of Midleton, Co. Cork; his wife Kate (56), teacher, born in the Parish of Lisgoold, Co. Cork; and daughter Kate (28), teacher, born in the Parish of Rathdowney, Queen’s County [Laois].

Each house had walls of stone. Three had thatched roofs, between 2 and 4 rooms, and three front windows, and were classified as second class dwellings. The fourth house had a roof of slate, iron, or tiles, between seven and nine rooms, and six front windows, and was categorised as a first class dwelling.

1911 Census of Ireland

The 1911 Census of Ireland records four households in Biggera Beg.

1. Mary Nolan (75) [née Kennedy], widow; her sons John (48), farmer, William (45), farm labourer; daughter-in-law Mary (55) [née McHugh], married for 23 years with three children born alive and still living; and grandchildren John (17), William (20), farmer’s sons, and Kate (14).
2. Patrick McHugh (47), farmer; his wife Bridget (37), married for six years with five children born alive and still living; children Winifred (5), scholar; Mary (3), Maggie (2), John (1), and Annie (6 months); and nephew Patrick Bodkin (17), farmer’s son.
3. Mary Mohan (79), widow; her sons Martin (50), widower, John (39), farmer’s sons; and daughter Mary (47).
4. Michael Waldron (37), National School teacher, born in Mayo; his wife Mary (36), National School teacher, married for nine years with three children born alive and two still living; children Mary (8), scholar, and Michael Jos (1); and servant Sabina Tonry (17), general servant domestic.

All four houses were recorded as second class, with between two and four rooms each. Three had thatched roofs, two of which had three front windows and the third had four. The fourth house had a roof of slate, iron or tiles and had two front windows. Castlehacket National School Ordinary is also entered on Form B1.

Out-offices and farm steadings recorded in the townland were three stables, four cow-houses, three piggeries, one fowl-house, and one barn.