Bohola Civil Parish and the Incidence of the Brennan Surname in Griffith's Valuation, County Mayo, Ireland
Bohola Civil Parish falls within Gallen Barony and is part of Bohola Roman Catholic Parish. There were only 25 Townlands when the Griffith's Valuation was conducted between 1856 and 1857, just one Roman Catholic Chapel in the Townland of Toocanangh (the largest Townland) and no Graveyards. Records for this Catholic Parish cover the years 1857-1903 on microfilm numbers 1279230 and 926003. Bohola is sometimes referred to as Bucholla. Bohola Civil Parish is only 6 miles from Foxford, a major County Mayo Market Town in the 19th century.
I couldn't find any patent applications for markets or fairs for any Townlands in Bohola Civil Parish. When the Griffith's Valuation was conducted there was no documented "Fair Greens" or Tolls and Customs of Fairs" in this area. The commercial activity that was documented appears to be spread throughout the Civil Parish. There were orchards in the Townlands of Ardacarha and Barleyhill, a Pound in Carrowntleva and Toocanagh, Lismiraun had a Tuck Mill, Corn Mill and a Kiln, Tooromin had a Farmhouse and Shanaghy had a Forge, Pound and Farmhouse. There were Herd's Houses in the Townlands of Carrowkeel and Lismiraun and a Plantation in the Townland of Rathslevin. (Griffith, 1847-1864; 2003, Bohola).
Designated "Bog" parcels were documented in the Townlands of Altbaun, Ardacarha, Barleyhill, Lisgormin, Toocanagh, Treanfohanaun and "bog pasture" in the Townland of Bohola.
As far as education goes, there was a National Schoolhouse in the Townland of Toocanagh (that is centrally located) and one in Tooromin. According to Samuel Lewis in "A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland" there were two "Hedge Schools" as well. (Lewis, 1837; 1984, p. 215).
An assortment of landlords was represented in this Civil Parish with Phillip Taaffe, Colonel F.A. Knox Gore and George H Moore being most frequently noted followed by Myles Jordan, a minor, John McDonnell and Robert Kirkwood among others. The 1802 Statistical Survey of County Mayo lists Myles Jordan as a resident landlord of Rofslevan (a.k.a. Rathslevin). (McParlan, 1802; 2007, p. 104).
The Brennan Surname was present in three different Townlands in Bohola Civil Parish. Winifred Brennan was documented in the Townland of Carrowkeel (that is in the north-central part of this Civil Parish); John Brennan was noted in Rathslevin (in the south-central portion of the Civil Parish) and five Brennans, Winifred, Patrick, Richard, Ambrose, and Thomas were all noted in the Townland of Treanfohanaun (in the eastern most part of the parish). Geographically speaking these three Townlands are reasonably close together with only one Townland separating them from each other.
There is one caveat to keep in mind when looking at these findings from the Griffith's Valuation: The Griffith's Valuation only includes the individuals (occupiers) who own, lease or rent a parcel. For instance it will list a householder but not the individuals who live with him. It was common in County Mayo for individuals to share parcels, particularly of land (The Rundale system of communal land sharing). Sometimes the whole town shared one parcel of land. Shared parcels may or may not be with related individuals. Just because an individual is a lone occupier of a parcel does not mean that he is living in (house) or tilling (garden) this parcel alone. He may have numerous family members living with him, but they will not be listed unless they actually lease or own the parcel. Occupiers who sublet their acreage of land or houses to others will be listed as landlords.
For helpful details on how to interpret the following records, please take a look at the page I created on "Deciphering Griffith's Valuation."
| Townland | Map Ref Number | Occupier | Landlord or his Rep | Property Type | Area in Acres, Roods and Perches a-r-p | Total Valuation in pounds, shillings and pence | Shared with (other occupiers) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrowkeel | 15 | Brennan, Winifred | Monds, Moses | Land | 1-2-32 | 0-15-0 | none |
| Rathslevin | 1,2 | Brennan, John | Jordan, Myles | Land and House | 1-1-10, 6-1-2 | 4-15-0 | none |
| Treanfohanaun | 1d | Brennan, Winifred | McDonnell, John C | Land, House and Office | 79-1-5 | 4-3-0 | 5 others |
| Treanfohanaun | 3 | Brennan, Patrick | O'Dowd, Jas. Klyne | Land | 60-0-18 | 2-15-0 | 3 Brennans and 11 others |
| Treanfohanaun | 3 | Brennan, Richard | same | Land | same | 1-7-0 | 3 Brennans and 11 others |
| Treanfohanaun | 3 | Brennan, Ambrose | same | Land | same | 2-15-0 | 3 Brennans and 11 others |
| Treanfohanaun | 3 | Brennan, Thomas | same | Land | same | 1-7-0 | 3 Brennans and 11 others |
| Treanfohanaun | 4a | Brennan, Patrick | same | Land, House and Office | 176-2-5 | 4-10-0 | 3 Brennans and 14 others |
| Treanfohanaun | 4b | Brennan, Richard | same | Land, House and Office | same | 4-10-0 | 3 Brennans and 14 others |
| Treanfohanaun | 4c | Brennan, Ambrose | same | Land, House and Office | same | 3-2-0 | 3 Brennans and 14 others |
| Treanfohanaun | 4l | Brennan, Thomas | same | Land and House | same | 3-5-0 | 3 Brennans and 14 others |
(Griffith, 1847-1864; Bohola).