A Townland Name as a Regional Description

I was researching a family in Doocastle, Kilturra Parish, County Mayo recently. The Tithe Applotment (1834) listed who I thought was the family in Eskreagh & Lugadoon. Doocastle itself was not listed. The Tithe book crossed the border into County Sligo, with the manuscript separating out the townlands by county. While Eskreagh & Lugadoon was suppose too have been on the Mayo side, I couldn’t find that it became an official townland name a few years later, when the Ordnance Survey teams standardized names, spellings and boundaries.

I had noticed online other researchers were asking the same questions I was. My only solution was to think up a strategy right on the spot.

Comparing the Tithe and Griffith’s Valuation Informaion

I took the seventeen households listed in the Tithe and tried to identify them in Griffith’s Primary Valuation on Kilturra Parish, Mayo (1856) and Sligo (1858). I found some of the exact names in Griffith’s living in Doocastle. I also found the other Tithe surnames limited right across the border on the Sligo side. At this point, I took a map of this area and marked each Griffith’s townland where the Tithe entry appeared. The results were fascinating.

All surnames and exact given and surnames were limited within a short distance of Doocastle, County Mayo. I surmised that Eskreagh & Lugadoon must have been a regional name for this area of Kilturra Parish in both counties. When the Ordnance Survey teams completed their job in 1837; this localized area simply disappeared.

The Tithe was Generated Using Localized Place Names

I also reasoned the Tithe Applotment was generated using local knowledge of farms and townland names. Thus, the people of the community were tithed and funds went to support the Protestant Parish.

I was satisfied the man I found in Eskreagh & Lugadoon was the man I was seeking in Doocastle. If I had simply thrown up my hands and quit, I would not have confirmation to continue building this case.

If you are having trouble with Irish place names and what they really mean in the record then Click Here.