Castlequarter / Ceathrú an Chaisleáin

Compiled by Paddy & Bridie Scully

Overview

Irish name: Ceathrú an Chaisleáin

Irish pronunciation:

English name: Castlequarter

Meaning: quarter of the castle

Area: 107  acres, 0 roods and  31 perches

Other Landmarks: Clonboo Castle, St Cyprian’s Well

Information from O’Donovan’s Field Name Books

Other names: Castlequarter, Ceathramhadh an Caisleáin, Castlequarter (B. S. Sketch Map), Castlequarter of Clonbon (County Books), Carrowincaselane (Inq. Temp. Car. I.), Carowancastle (Inq. Temp. Iaa. I.), Carowcaslan (Inq. Temp. Iaa. I.), Carhowyncaslane (Inq. Temp. Iaa. I.), Quarter Castle (Rector of Annaghdown), Carru an Caislan (Rector of Annaghdown).

Description: Townland. Proprietor Francis Blake, Esq Cregg Castle. Under tillage except a portion of flooded ground in the centre, a bye road forms its Eastern boundary for a short distance.

Situation: It is situated 1/4 miles S W of Annaghdown Church. Bounded North by Mace, South by Park, East by Thonagurraun and West by Clonboo.

Archaeological Information

The below archaeological sites appear in ‘Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II – North Galway’; compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999).

Holy Well. Indicated ‘St. Cyprians’s Well’ (page 340). On low-lying ground, c.40m SE of a castle. A natural spring well set in a drystone circular enclosure (D 1.6m) with a narrow entrance at E. The small stone-lined rectangular well lies in W sector of the enclosure.

Moated site (possible) (page 389). In flat marshy land, 30m E of Cloonboo Castle. A rectangular enclosure (NW-SE 94m, NE-SW 67m max.), in fair condition, defined by a silted up fosse (Wth 1.4m) and an external earthen bank (Wth 3m, H 1.2m). The bank is overlain along E, S and W sides by later field walls. A gap (Wth 6.5m) at NE, though modern in appearance, may mark the site of the original entrance. The interior is flat and is now subdivided into three by later field walls.

Tower House. Indicated ‘Cloonboo Castle (in ruins)’ (page 402). On a slight rise in low-lying marshy bogland. In existence in 1574 when it was in the possession of ‘Moyler McShean’ (Nolan 1901b,118). A poorly preserved rectangular four-storey tower (L 12.3m, Wth 10.6m) heavily overgrown with ivy. Almost all the dressed stones have been removed and there is a breach in ENE wall. The robbed-out doorway in NNW wall leads to a small entrance lobby with a murder-hole above. A short intramural stairs leads to the spiral staircase. A stone vault exists between ground/1st floor. The garderobe is in ENE wall on 1st floor. Intramural chambers occur in NNW and SSE walls on 2nd floor. A fireplace survives in SSE wall on 1st floor and its flue is visible within a window embrasure overhead on 2nd floor. Projecting corbels on top of NNW wall, over the doorway, indicate the former presence of a machiolation. Some slit and flat-headed rectangular windows survive.

Population Statistics

1841: 9 houses, 52 people (27 male, 25female)

1851: 6 houses, 43 people ( 21 male, 22 female)

1861: 7 houses, 37 people (19 male, 18 female)

1871: 7 houses, 38 people ( 16 male, 22_female)

1881: 6 houses, 38 people ( 15 male, 23 female)

1891: 7 houses, 35 people ( 17 male, 18 female)

1901: 7 houses, 24 people ( 13 male, 11 female)

1911: 6 houses, (1 vacant) 23 people ( 17 male, 6 female)

2011: 15 houses, 42 people (21 male, 21 female)

Tithe Applotment Books

The Tithe Applotment Books do not record any names in Castlequarter.

1855 Griffith’s Valuation

Griffith’s Valuation records show the following six heads of household holding house and land in Castlequarter in 1855: John Scully, Margaret Burke, Michael Carr, Patrick Fahy, David Fahy, and John Hannon, and Michael Scully holding land only; all under immediate lessor Francis Blake.

Griffith’s Valuation entries for Castlequarter

1871-1901 Deaths

DateTownlandNameSexConditionAgeOccupationCauseMedical AttendantCertifiedRegistered byLink
06/01/1875CastlequarterMichael CarreMBachelor30 yearsLabourerFever, one weekNNWinny Carre, occupierLink
02/02/1875Quarter CastleThomas ScullyMBachelor14 yearsLabourerFever, 2 weeksNNJohn Scully, occupierLink
24/01/1875Quarter CastleBridget ScullyFSpinster20 yearsPeasantFever, 4 weeksNNJohn Scully, occupierLink
12/02/1875Quarter CastlePatrick ScullyMBachelor18 yearsPeasantFever, 3 weeksNNJohn Scully, occupierLink
19/05/1876Quarter CastleMichael CarreMBachelor16 yearsLabourerFever, 21 daysNNKate Carre, PADLink
08/07/1876Quarter CastleNora FahyFSpinster45 yearsPeasantHemiplegia from cerebral disease, 7 yearsNNJohn Fahy, occupierLink
26/05/1878Castle Quarter, ClonbooDavid FahyMWidower80 yearsPeasantAnasurea, 6 weeksNNJohn Fahy, occupierLink
08/03/1884Quarter CastleJohn ScullyMMarried74 yearsLabourerSevere cough, 6 monthsNNWilliam Scully, PADLink
19/03/1885CastlequarterJohn FahyMMarried45 yearsPeasantAsthma and cough, a long timeNNBridget Fahy, wife, PADLink
01/03/1886CastlequarterCatherine LarkinFMarried40 yearsBeggarBad chest and delicate, 2 months, suddenly sick, one dayNNJohn Larkin, husband, PADLink
23/05/1897CastlequarterBridget FahyFMarried33 yearsWife of householderComplaining of smothering, 4 hoursNNJohn Fahy, husband, PADLink
23/05/1897CastlequarterHonor CarrFWidow70 yearsWidow of landholderComplaining of cough, 1 yearNNJohn Fahy, son-in-law, PADLink
27/05/1897CastlequarterKate SmallFSpinster19 yearsDaughter of householderPhthisis, 9 monthsYBridget Small, mother, PADLink
13/07/1897CastlequarterJulia ScullyFSpinster35 yearsDaughter of landholderConsumption, 2 yearsNNMary Scully, motherLink
02/03/1901CastlequarterBridget SmallFMarried70 yearsWife of farmerBronchitis, 10 daysNNPatrick Small, son, PADLink
Deaths in Castlequarter, 1871-1901

1901 Census

The 1901 Census of Ireland records the following 7 households in Castlequarter.

  1. Martin Carr (59) wife Kate (55), son Thomas (18), and granddaughter Kate Cloonan (13).
  2. John Fahy (32), and his wife Mary (34).
  3. Patrick Burke (65), wife Mary (62), and son Michael (21).
  4. Mary Scully (70; widow), and niece Honor Hughes (19).
  5. Patrick Small (37), wife Mary (27), son John (1 month) and niece Mary Hardiman (7).
  6. Mary Fahy (62), widow, daughters Bridget (25), Kate (23), and son Thomas (17).
  7. Stephen Duffy, R. I. C. sergeant, and 4 constables.

Three of the houses were second class, three were third and one was fourth, with stone walls, six had thatched roofs with one, the R.I.C. barracks, having an iron or slate roof. Five had two front windows, one had three and one having one, with five having between two and four rooms, one having three rooms, and one having one room. Five houses had a piggery, four had a cow house, two a stable, and two a cart house.

1911 Census

By 1911 the Scully household had gone from the village and the following six households remained.

  1. Martin Carr (35), and his brother Thomas (27).
  2. John Fahy (45), wife Mary (40), and son Martin (17).
  3. Mary Burke (72), and son William (38).
  4. Vacant.
  5. Patrick Small (53), wife Mary (40), sons John (10), Thomas (6), Patrick (4), James (3), daughter Bridget (8), and Mary Hardiman (18), servant.
  6. Mary Fahy (72), widow.
  7. Michael Driscoll, R. I. C. sergeant, and six constables.

Four of the houses were second class, while three were third class. with stone walls, five had thatched roofs, with one having iron or slate. Three had two front windows, three had three, and one had four front windows. Six had between two and four rooms, with one having five or six rooms. Five had a piggery, four a fowl house, three a stable, two a barn, two a shed and one a turf house.

Castlequarter / Ceathrú an Chaisleáin

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