Locating Properties and Families Within the Townland of Drumadreen, Gelvin DED, Co

Locating Properties and Families within the Townland of Drumadreen, Gelvin DED, Co. Londonderry c.1860 to c.1901

The townland of Drumadreen has been chosen to demonstrate how changes in families and properties in a townland can be traced during the period c.1860 to c.1900. You can start the process at either end of this time continuum. Here, I have chosen to start it c.1860 with the Griffith’s Valuation document. Note that this paper was written in 2012 before the Griffith’s Revision Books became available online.

The townland of Drumadreen is situated along the main road from Dungiven to Limavady, about four miles from the town of Dungiven. Drumadreen was part of the civil parish of Bovevagh in the barony of Keenaght. Later it became part of the District Electoral Division of Gelvin in the Poor Law Union of Newtownlimavady [later Limavady].

Printed version of the Griffith’s [Tenement] Valuation of 1858

The 1858 valuation concentrated on individual tenements or holdings within a townland. This meant that all houses were included. The fact that all houses and holdings were numbered and there is an accompanying map which contains these numbers allows us to identify the exact locations of the houses and holdings belonging to each family.

PRONI: VAL/12/D/5/16A & 17A [1856-1870]

This valuation was periodically revised from 1860 onwards. A search of the PRONI ecatalogue produced the following result.

Here are copies of two pages from VAL/12/B/31/14C which show changes that took place during the years 1864-1882.

The pages show that John Deale or Dale who occupied lots 5A, 5B, 5C & 5D [and lived on 5Ba] acquired lot 1B in c.1879 and lot 7 but probably still lived in his house on 5Ba. John Dale’s property and that of his neighbour in No. 6 was acquired by Joseph Scott c.1880.

The database, or table, below was created from the Griffith’s Revision Books [PRONI: VAL/12/B/31/14A-E] and shows the changes in the occupiers of each property within the townland between the 1860s and the early 1900s. This should make it easier to link the names in the 1901 Census Returns [which follow after this database] back to the 1858 Griffith’s [Tenement] Valuation.

No. Occupier 1858 Description of Valuation Occupier 1860s Occupier 1870s Occupier 1880s Occupier 1890s Occupier 1900s Griffiths Property 1858 Buildings 1858 1858

1Aa John King House offices £2.00 John King. 1861 John King. William Adams. William Adams. William Adams. 1911 & land 39.3.10. Andrew King. 1879 William Adams. Joseph McClenaghan. 1867 John King.

1B John King Land 18.3.35. John King. 1861 John King. John Deale. John Deale. 1893 Samuel Deale. Andrew King. 1879 John Deale. Samuel Deale. 1867 John King. 1Ba John Parks House £0.25 John Parks. John Parks. John Parks. John Parks. House down. 1Bb Maryanne Early House £0.25 Maryanne Early. Maryanne Early. Maryanne Early. Maryanne Early. House down.

1Bc Thomas Boyd House £0.25 Thomas Boyd. Thomas Boyd. Thomas Boyd. Thomas Boyd. House down. 1Bd Alexander House £0.50 Alexander Alexander Alexander Alexander 1901 vacant.. McLoughlin McLoughlin. McLoughlin. McLoughlin. McLoughlin. 2 William House, offices £2.50 William William Mrs William 1890 Jane Jane McClenaghan. McClenaghan & land 28.3.10. McClenaghan. McClenaghan. McClenaghan. McClenaghan. 1907 John Donaghy. 1873 Mrs William McClenaghan.

3 Isaiah Land 26.0.30. Isaiah McClenaghan. Isaiah McClenaghan. James McClenaghan. James McClenaghan. James McClenaghan. McClenaghan 1874 James 1911 Joseph McClenaghan. McClenaghan.

3a Robert Daly House & small £0.25 Robert Daly. Robert Daly. Robert Daly. Robert Daly. House down. garden

3b Unoccupied House £0.25 Unoccupied. Unoccupied. Unoccupied. Unoccupied. House down.

4 4 Isaiah House, offices £1.50 Isaiah McClenaghan. Isaiah McClenaghan. Isaiah McClenaghan. Isaiah McClenaghan. Reps. Isaiah McClenaghan & land 26.3.20. 1894 Reps. Isaiah McClenaghan. McClenaghan. 1902 James Alexander McClenaghan.

5A John Deale Land 11.1.35. John Deale. John Deale. 1880 Joseph Scott. Joseph Scott. Joseph Scott.

5Ba John Deale House, offices £0.75 John Deale. John Deale. 1880 Joseph Scott. Joseph Scott. Joseph Scott. & land 2.2.32. 5C John Deale Land 4.1.20. John Deale. John Deale. 1880 Joseph Scott. Joseph Scott. Joseph Scott.

5D John Deale Land 4.0.15. John Deale. John Deale. 1880 Joseph Scott. Joseph Scott. Joseph Scott.

6 Alexander House, offices, £1.50 Alexander Smith. Alexander Smith. 1880 John Deale. Joseph Scott. Joseph Scott. Smith forge & land 1872 Reps. 1881 Joseph Scott. 23.0.0. Alexander Smith. 1874 Joseph Scott.

7 Joseph Hunter Offices & land £1.50 Joseph Hunter. Joseph Hunter. 1879 John King. John Deale. Samuel Deale. 24.2.30. John King. 1881 John Deale. 1895 Samuel 1929 Reps. Samuel Deale. Dale.

8 Samuel Fulton House, Offices £2.00 Samuel Fulton. 1870 Reps.Samuel Moses Swan. Robert Williams. Robert Williams. & land 49.1.31. Fulton. 1885 Robert 1872 Moses Swan. Williams.

1901 Census Returns [PRONI: MIC354/5/13]

The database of the 1901 Census Returns for Drumadreen will not only provide the names of heads of families that can be compared with earlier sources, it contains detailed information on individuals within each family. It is also a key source in providing general social and economic information on the townland of Drumadreen at the beginning of the twentieth century. Heads of households in the table are in bold and underlined.

Griff No. Forename Surname Relationship Religion Education Age Sex Profession Marriage Where Born No. ? 1 James McLenaghan Head of Presb. Read & 72 M Farmer Married Co. Derry family write ? 1 Margaret McLenaghan Wife Presb. Read & 60 F Married Co. Derry write ? 1 Joseph McLenaghan Son Presb. Read & 28 M Not Co. Derry write married ? 1 Matilda McLenaghan Daughter Presb. Read & 24 F Not Co. Derry write married 2 2 Jane McClenaghan Head of Presb. Read & 67 F Farmer Widow Co. Derry family write 2 2 John McClenaghan Son Presb. Read & 35 M Not Co. Derry write married 2 2 Jane S. McClenaghan Daughter Presb. Read & 33 F Not Co. Derry write married 2 2 Margaret Cust Nurse Roman Read & 60 F Widow Co. Derry Catholic write 1Aa 3 William Adams Head of Presb. Read & 52 M Farmer Married Londonderry family write 1Aa 3 Eleanor Adams Wife Presb. Read & 50 F Married Londonderry write 1Aa 3 William Adams Son Presb. Read & 18 M Farmer's Son Not Londonderry Thos. write married 1Aa 3 Annie Adams Daughter Presb. Read & 20 F Farmer's Not Londonderry write Daughter married 1Aa 3 Hugh Adams Son Presb. Read & 16 M Scholar Not Londonderry Matthew write married 1Aa 3 Harry Adams Son Presb. Read & 12 M Scholar Not Londonderry write married 1Aa 3 Samuel M. Adams Son Presb. Read & 10 M Scholar Not Londonderry write married 4 4 James McLenaghan Head of Presb. Read & 37 M Farmer Not Co. Derry family write married 4 4 Rose Anne King Servant Presb. Read & 21 F Domestic Not Co. Derry write Servant married 4 4 Caroline Campbell Servant Presb. Read & 14 F Domestic Not Co. Derry write Servant married 6 5 Joseph Scott Head of Presb. Read & 55 M Farmer Widower Co. Derry family write

5 6 5 Samuel Scott Son Presb. Read & 26 M Farmer's Son Not Co. Derry write married 6 5 Maggie Scott Daughter Presb. Read & 26 F Farmer's Not Co. Derry write Daughter married 6 5 Robert Scott Son Presb. Read & 22 M Farmer's Son Not Co. Derry write married 6 5 Annie Scott Daughter Presb. Read & 18 F Farmer's Not Co. Derry write Daughter married 5 6 John Dale Head of Presb. Read & 70 M Farmer Widower Co. family write Londonderry 5 6 Samuel Dale Son Presb. Read & 30 M Farmer's Son Not Co. write married Londonderry 5 6 John Dale Son Presb. Read & 21 M Farmer's Son Not Co. write married Londonderry 5 6 Ellen Dale Daughter Presb. Read & 24 F Farmer's Not Co. write Daughter married Londonderry 8 7 Robert Williams Head of Church Cannot 49 M Farmer Widower County Derry family of Irel. read 8 7 Martha Williams Daughter Church Cannot 6 F Scholar Not County Derry of read married Ireland 8 7 George Williams Son Church Cannot 4 M Not County Derry of read married Ireland 8 7 Annie Hare [?] Servant Church Cannot 43 F Not County Derry of read married Ireland 8 7 Mary Purdy Visitor Church Read & 40 F Not County Derry of write married Ireland 8 7 Samuel M or C hrither Servant Church Read & 41 M Not County Derry [?] of write married Ireland 8 7 William Kane Servant Roman Read & 15 M Not County Derry Catholic write married

It is relatively easy to match most of the houses in the valuation list with those in the census list.