Small Sources 37: This document is formally titled a ‘List of the tenants of H.K. Grogan Morgan Esq. who were supplied with turnip seed etc and the quantity given to each’. It lists 32 tenants in 17 townlands in south Wexford, particularly in the civil parishes of Newbawn, Horetown and Kilturk. The year 1846 was the height of the Great Famine, and it would appear that the tenants were being provided with seeds of alternate food crops to the potato, whose failure (due to blight) was the direct cause of the famine. The seeds provided were turnip (otherwise Swede or Rutabaga), mangold or mangel-wurzel, carrot and parsnip. The original document is in the National Library of Ireland (Ms. 11,108) and is among the Papers of the Grogan Morgan estate. In 1846 Hamilton Knox Grogan-Morgan was an extensive land-owner in Wexford, Waterford and Cork. He lived in Johnstown Castle in Wexford, which is now an Agricultural research Centre run by the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority. The Castle and its gardens are open to visitors and also house an agricultural museum as well as the research centre.
The list includes some unusual names including Crashie, which in Ireland, is usually a variation of Crampsie; and Stamers which is rare in Ireland. The name Poore is a variation of Power, which is very common in Waterford and South Wexford. The tenants listed include larger farmers as well as smallholders: Griffith Valuation (conducted in 1853) for the Townland of Ballyclemock (written Ballyclemuck in the document), for instance shows that Redmond Dalton held 32 acres; James Murphy had 29, Pierce Power had 50; John Elward had 48 acres. Richard Petitt had 110 acres in Ballycleary, but Thomas Harper (or Harpur) held only 4 acres in Rathmacknee. A full description of the rental practices by large estates, such as the Grogan-Morgan Estate, is in our article on Rentals. The more commonly used versions of the townland names are indicated in brackets where relevant. It is interesting to note that many of the tenants listed here are absent from the Griffith Valuation only 6 years later, or are in different locations. Ancestor Network will offer 1 free hour of research by a professional researcher to conduct further research on these individuals or others in these estate papers. Click here and quote ‘Wexford SS36’ in the subject line.
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Name and Residence
John Parle Saltees Island
John Elward Ballyclemuck (or Ballyclemock)
James Furlong Coalspit
William Hartwell Horetown
John Warren Rath (this is a common prefix – the specific townland is not identified)
Robt. Hayes Bennettstown
Walter Codd Sallystown
Philip Furlong Redmondstown
John Larkin Horetown
James Murphy Ballyclemuck
John Crashie Ballyclemuck
Thomas Stamers Walshstown (Walshestown)
Redmond Dalton Ballyclemuck
Sources For Irish Family History 2021 is a bibliography of ~ 6,550 books, monographs and periodical papers on around 2,500 Irish families.
Martin Dalton Ballyclemuck
Christ. Warriner Johnstown
James Kelly Ballyclemuck
Thomas Archbold Ballyclemuck
Thomas Neville Ballyclemuck
James Byrne Ballyclemuck
John Kelly Senr. Ballyclemuck
Richd. Petitt Ballycleary
Bridget Pendergast Ballyclemuck
William Reigh Newtown
Francis Cardiffe Ballyseskin
William Furlong Soighane (now spelled Soughane)
Rich. Walsh Killinick
William Warriner Janeystown (Probably Jonastown)
Thos. Harper Rathmacknee (also written Harpur)
Nicholas Neville Newtown
Martin Chambers Horetown
Patk. Hayes Horetown
Pierce Poore Ballyclemuck (Surname is a variation of Power)
Tenants of H. K. Grogan Morgan, who were supplied with turnip seed, and the quantity given to each, Wexford, 1847. Grogan Papers. NLI Ms. 11,108
Some of the articles in our serieson Irish Family History sources: