From the archives: Rated occupiers of Mayo county town in 1857 recalled
PART TWO
By Tom Gillespie
IN January 1959 The Connaught Telegraph published a list of the rated occupiers of Castlebar for the year ending 1857. The list was taken from the General Valuation List, which was issued for the first time that year and contains the names of all the householders on the various streets in 1857.
Bridge Street (Townland of Knockacroghery with the valuations of buildings given in parenthesis): Willian Hynes (£20-10-0), Bridget Carney (£6), James Devlin (£9), James Murphy - house at rear (5/-), Anne Sullivan, ditto (5/-), Bridget Shannon ditto (5/-), Patrick Malley, ditto (5/-), Ambrose Hanley (£5-10-0), James Ward (£6), Patrick Malley (£10-10-0), Myles Jordan (£16), John Corcoran (£9-5-0), Mathew Gibbons (£36-10-0), Thomas Forde (£11-10-0), Sarah Golden (£11), Robert McGuinness (£7-5-0), Bridget Kilroy - house at rear (15/-), Patrick Flannery, ditto (£10/-), Michael Cunniffe (£10-5-0), John Staunton (£8) and unoccupied house (£48).
Market Street (Main Street - townland of Gorteendrunagh): Michael Hanrahan (£38), Thomas Bourke (£16), William Young (£17), Thomas Walsh (£16), unoccupied garden and ruins (15/-), The Masonic Lodge (£15), Margaret Trimbleton (£17-10-0), Thomas Murdock (£17-10-0), Messers. Timothy Brabazon and George Ellis (£23), John Lang (£13-10-0), and Messers. Brabazon and Ellis - shop only ( £3).
Market Street (Main Street - townland of Knockacroghery): Eliza T. Walsh (£16), John Walsh (£14), William Walsh (£20), Unoccupied house (£13), Bridget Kelly, house at rear (10/-), John Hughes ( £11), Denis Murray (£10), Patrick Walsh (£15), John Fitzmaurice (£20-5-0), Dr. John Atkinson (£15-10-0), Thomas Brennan (£22-10-0), Theabald Thomas (£18), Mrs. Langston - part of house (£5-10-0), John Knight - part of house (£8), Edmond McMahon (£14), Maria Byrne (£14), John Lavelle (£4), Daniel Forde (£6-10-0).
Market Street (Main Street - townland of Knockaphunta): Hugh Quinn ( £10-10-0), Dr. Thomas McGreal ( £20), John Ralph (£10), and Hugh McHugh (£11).
Castle Street (Townland of Gorteendrunagh): Thomas McCarthy (£8), William Masterson (£8), Luke Leyden (£1-10-0), Eileen Cresham (£3-15-0), William Levingstone (£21-10-0), Charles Murray (£8-10-0), Michael Mulrooney (£13-10-0), Andrew McDonagh (£2-10-0), James Gibbons (£2-5-0), Anne Healy (£25), Thomas Semple (£4-5-0), Patrick Walsh (£3-5-0), Patrick Hughes (£3-15-0), Robert Leighton (£4-10-0), Martin Cleary (£5), Jas. Walsh (£4), Mary Shannon (£5), Patrick Canton (£5), and Mary Foy (£6).
Castle Street (Townland of Knockaphunta): Unoccupied house (£7), Michael Walsh (£6-10-0), John Joyce (£3-15-0), Bridget Kelly (£5-10-0), Earl of Lucan - dilapidated house (£3-10-0), James Garvey (£6-10-0), Thomas Moloney (£5), Patrick Moloney (£4-10-0), John Hughes (£1-15-0), Catherine Greene (£4), Thomas Joyce (£6), Henry Burns (£5-10-0), Mary Murdock for lodgers (£5-15-0), Edward Phillips (£5-10-0), Ambrose Murray (£5), Unoccupied house (£3-10-0), Elizabeth Sweeney (£4-10-0), Bridget McAndrew (£6), Mary McDonnell (£4-10-0), and Owen Dunn (£4-10-0).
Rock Square (Townland of Gorteendrunagh): The Superiorness of the Convent of Mercy - convent, out offices and land - (£38), James Armstrong (£8), and Luke Ward ( £10).
There was one exemption from rates in this portion of the street; viz. the Chapel and Girls’ National School attached to the convent.
Rock Square (Townland Knockaphunta): Sarah Murray (£11), Michael Geraghty (£14), and Captain Patrick McCarthy (£14).
Barrack Square (Townland of Gorteendrunagh): The only hereditament included under the above was the large Infantry Barracks, out offices and drilling square. This item was exempted from rates but the Earl of Lucan, as landlord, was rated on half the annual rent from the British Government for the Barracks.
Castlebar House (Townland of Gorteendrunagh): The Earl of Lucan as owner of Castlebar House and its surrounding Demesne was valued on land at £287 while a valuation of £80 was placed on the mansion. One other person, Sarah Wright, who rented her house and land from Lord Lucan, was also included in portion of the townland - valuation £11.
Many years ago Castlebar House and Demesne were acquired by the Sisters of Mercy who established St. Joseph's Secondary School.
Ellison Street (Townland of Knockcroghery): Dr. John Barrett (£18-15-0), Earl of Lucan - waste ground - no valuation, William Granville - caretaker’s house and garden (£2-5-0), unoccupied houses (21-10-0), Hon. Frederick Cavendish - one time proprietor of The Connaught Telegraph - (£18), Agnes Gallagher (£22-10-0), unoccupied house (£26-10-0), Thomas Larmine (£15), Alfred Gallagher - out offices only (£3-10-0), Andrew Gallagher (£90, John Hill (£6-5-0), and unoccupied old brewery, out offices, yard and orchard (£33).
Ellison Street (townland of Knockaphunta): Thomas Cooley (£17), William Glanville (£5), William Glanville (£11), Mary Wilson (£7), John Carbine (£6-10-0), unoccupied house (£11-5-0), second unoccupied house (£11-10-0), Alexander Bone (£18-10-0), George R. Acton (£24-10-0), Mary Browne (£7-10-0), and a third unoccupied house (£16-5-0).
Shamble Square (now Market Street and townland of Knockacroghery): Unoccupied house, Michael McDonnell, Lyons Carney, Bridget Cloyne, Richard Walsh, Denis Devine, James Faughney - office only, Julia Fitzgerald - for lodgers, Mary Ronan, Michael Dwyer, James Faughney - tolls and customs of markets and fairs held here (£45), and Bridget and James Faughney - tolls of the weighing crane - (£20). All small houses with the exemption of Mr. Carney’s which was valued at £11.
Narrow Lane (Townland of Knockacroghery): Michael Quinn - out offices only, unoccupied store (dilapidated), Michael Canton, Dr. John Barrett- out offices only, William Ruttledge, Patrick Hoban, John Ryder, Michael Dunne, Michael Quinn - out offices only, Elizabeth Derham, unoccupied house and some ruins of no value. All small buildings.
Church Street (now Mountain View, townland of Knockaphunta): Thomas Timlin, Sarah Walsh, John Ryder, James Martin, Robert Havron, Bridget Flynn, Bridget Staunton, Thomas Gorman, and Henry Brewster. All of these were small buildings with the exception of the ones held by Bridget Flynn, whose residence was valued at £21-5-0, and Henry Brewster, whose homestead bore a valuation of £15.
There were two items exempted in this street, viz. the Protestant Church and adjoining graveyard and an old dispensary and adjoining yard. In the latter case, however, the Earl of Lucan was liable for rates on half the annual rent of (£10) which he received from the Castlebar Board of Guardians.
Newantrim Street (Townland of Knockthomas): John McKelvy, Neal Gallagher, James McManamon, Margaret Egan, Thomas Harrison, Patrick Moran, Mary Kennedy, Bridget Gordon, Patrick Fall (Faul), Michael Quinn (land only), Malachy McNulty, Hugh McGill, unoccupied house, Michael Tonry and Lawrence Gildea (garden only). All small houses.
Newantrim Street (Townland of Carrowcurry): Jane Bourke, Francis Cowan, Mary McDonagh, Catherine Reany, Faro (Pharaoh) Moran, John O’Hora, Thomas Moran, unoccupied house, James Duffy, John Comber, John Wallace, James Derrig, Ellen Branagan, John Kilty, Tomas Heyfron (Heverin), Bridget Lally, George Carr, Benjamin Padums, Patrick Corcoran, Bridget Loftus, Patrick Brendan, Richard Saunders, unoccupied house, James Murray and Cormack Berry. All small holdings.
* Third and concluding part next week, in print and online