Gortaghokera

Information from Logainm.ie:

Irish: Gort an Chóchraí

Genitive: Ghort an Chóchraí

Non-validated name: Placenames or geographical names for which provisional Irish forms have been recommended by the Placenames Branch on the basis of research but which are not specified in Placenames Orders in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003.

Non-validated name- Placenames or geographical names for which provisional Irish forms have been recommended by the Placenames Branch on the basis of research but which are not specified in Placenames Orders in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003.

The Irish words gort or gart means field in English.

Information from O’Donnovan’s Field Name Books – (places.webworld.org database).

Standard Name: Gortaghokera

Irish Form of Name: Gort a’ Chócaire

Translation: The cooke’s field.

Description: The greatest portion of this townland consists of fields of limestone rocks and underwood very little of it in cultivation. In the middle is Gurtaghhokera (spelling used in O’Donnovan’s Field Name Books) Village and Tubbermacdough. Nothing more remarkable to be seen in it.

Situation: N.E. of the parish. Bounded on the N. by Cartoor, on E. by Kilcluggaun, on S. by Corrib and part of Ballynahallia, and on W. by Gurtaghhollia and Ballynahallia.

Translation according to P. W. Joyce: Gortaghokera in Galway; Gort-a’-chocaire, field of the cook. See Aghacocara [reproduced below].

Aghacocara, in Westmeath, near Athlone; the field of the cook (Irish cócaire, pron. Cocara). The place must have belonged to a professional cook: possibly the king’s cook, who held the land for his services, like all other professional people of the king’s retinue.

Information from Moycullen and its People

Glanann agus tiubhíonn an t-úcaire éadach. Faightear talamh speisialta, fuller’s earth, as gort an úcaire. Bhaineadh daoine úsáid as tráth, chun sal chaorach a bhaint amach as éadach agus olann.

An “úcaire” is a fuller, a person whose work is the cleaning and thickening of cloth. “Gort an úcaire” refers to a field or place where fuller’s earth was to be found. People once used a powdered form of it to remove grease from cloth and wool. This process is known as fulling

                              Blake Census 1793-1813

Gortuocry: Jno. Liddane, Mark King, Jno. Kelly (D.’12), Patt Decy (D.’05), Patt Griefy (R.’02), Patt French, Patt Kenny (M.’10), Patt Liddane (M.’05), Thomas Decy (M.’96), Myles MacDonogh (B.’93, M.’99), Daniel Liddane (M.’00), Michl. MacDonogh (B.’93, M.’05, R.’06), William MacDonogh (M.’10)

Griffith’s Valuations 

Griffith’s Valuation was a land and property survey conducted from 1847 to 1863. Its purpose was to determine taxes based on land value and soil quality. In the absence of most pre-20th Century census data, Griffith’s can provide crucial insight to those interested in genealogy. The survey was conducted in Moycullen from 1853 to 1855. Gortaghokera in Griffith’s Valuation here.

Daniel Lydon (1a) and Myles McDonagh (1b) joint-leased a holding of 229 acres, 1 roods and 21 poles/perches, valued at £27, 9 shillings from Lord Campbell. Daniel’s share of the land was valued at 18 pounds, six shillings. His house was valued at an additional 1 pound, fifteen shillings. Myles’s land was valued at nine pounds, three shillings and the house at fifteen shillings. Daniel Lydon was also the lessor of a vacant house and offices which was valued at 15 shillings. John Lydon leased  another house and offices {sic} from Daniel Lydon. It was valued at seven shillings.

In total, there were 229 acres, 1 roods and 21 poles/perches in Gortaghokera. All rateable property in the townland was valued at 30 pounds, 11 shillings annually.

The 1901 Census

According to the Enumerator’s abstract (Form N), Gortaghokera had five buildings which were all inhabited houses. All are marked as single family homes. Everyone in Gortaghokera was Roman Catholic. There were thirty-two people residing in the townland at the time of census collection; eighteen men and fourteen women. The Information on the House and Building Return ​​(Form B1) was collected for all five households on the 6th of April, 1901. All the dwellings in Gortaghokera were built of stone or brick, with thatched roofs or other natural materials. According to the Out-Offices and Farm-Steadings Return (Form B2) there were nineteen additional structures in the townland used for storage and farming; the structures associated with each household will be elaborated on in the relevant writeup. Individuals recorded in each household (Form A) {sic} slept or abode in this House on the night of Sunday, 31st of March, 1901. The Enumerator was Constable Matthew Moore.

Daniel Lydon Household – Form A

Daniel Lydon was the head of House 1 in the townland of Gortahokery (spelling used in the 1901 Census) in the District Electoral Division of Tullokyne, County Galway. According to the House and Building Return (Form B1) the dwelling was a third-class house, built of stone with a thatched roof and contained three rooms with two front windows. This is reflective of the modest but functional housing typical of rural Moycullen at the turn of the twentieth century. The Out-Offices and Farm Steadings Return (Form B2) shows that included on the property was a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn, and a cart house. 

The home was occupied by a multi-generational family, all of whom were Roman Catholic and  born in Co. Galway.

Daniel Lydon (45) was a Farmer. His wife, Bridget Lydon (40) has a dash in her occupation column. They both spoke Irish and English,  but Daniel was the only one of the couple who could read and write, Bridget could not read. 

Six Lydon children are recorded. They were all unmarried and spoke both Irish and English. Margaret (18), Julia’s (17) occupations are listed as Farmers Daughters {sic}. John’s (12) occupation was as a Farmers Son {sic}. James (9) and Thomas (5) are listed as scholars, meaning they attended school. The five oldest children could all read and write. Daniel (2) could not read. 

Two other individuals are recorded on Form A  in House 1 at the time of census collection, but they do not appear on the National Archives of Ireland Census Database. James Hannon (70) and Catherine Hannon (70) are recorded as Daniel Lydon’s mother and father in law. 

James was a Retired Farmer. His wife Catherine has a dash in her occupation column. The couple reported being Roman Catholics from Co. Galway. Neither could read, and they both spoke only Irish.

The house and landholder recorded on the House and Building Return was Daniel Lydon himself, and the census return for the household was collected on 6th of April, 1901.

Daniel Lydon Household – Form A

Daniel Lydon was the head of House 2 in the townland of Gortahokery (spelling used in the 1901 Census) in the District Electoral Division of Tullokyne, County Galway. According to the House and Building Return (Form B1) the dwelling was a third-class house, built of stone with a thatched roof and contained three rooms with two front windows. This is reflective of the modest but functional housing typical of rural Moycullen at the turn of the twentieth century. The Out-Offices and Farm Steadings Return (Form B2) shows that included on the property was a stable, a cow house, and a piggery. 

The home was occupied by a single family, all of whom were Roman Catholic and born in Co. Galway.

Daniel Lydon (40) was a Farmer. His wife Mary Lydon (36) has a dash in her occupation column. Both could read and write and spoke Irish and English.

Three Lydon children are recorded. Kate (9), Mary (7) and Maggie (6) were all unmarried, and all listed as scholars, meaning they attended school. Kate could read and write, and Mary and Maggie could only read. The girls’s language proficiency is listed as English, however this was crossed out for all three. 

The house and landholder recorded on the House and Building Return was Daniel Lydon himself, and the census return for the household was collected on 6th of April, 1901.

Mary Lydon Household – Form A

Mary Lydon was the head of House 3 in the townland of Gortahokery (spelling used in the 1901 Census) in the District Electoral Division of Tullokyne, County Galway. According to the House and Building Return (Form B1) the dwelling was a third-class house, built of stone with a thatched roof and contained three rooms with two front windows. This is reflective of the modest but functional housing typical of rural Moycullen at the turn of the twentieth century. The Out-Offices and Farm Steadings Return (Form B2) shows that included on the property was a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn, and a cart house. 

The home was occupied by a multi-generational Roman Catholic family, all of whom were born in County Galway.

Mary Lydon (80) was a Farmer. She was a widow, who could not read and spoke Irish and English. Two of Mary’s sons were occupants in her home at the time of census collection. John Lydon (45) and Thomas Lydon (31) both have their occupations listed as Farmers Son {sic}. Thomas was unmarried. John’s wife, Mary Lydon (36), has a dash in her occupation column. All three adults could read and write and spoke both Irish and English. 

Seven of Mary’s grandchildren lived in her home. The five oldest; Mary (9), Thomas (6), Sarah (5), Daniel (4), and Michael (4) all spoke both Irish and English and are listed as scholars, meaning they attended school. Mary could read and write, Thomas and Sarah could read only, and Daniel and Michael could not read. The youngest, Norah (2) and John (8 months), could not read also. In their language proficiency columns, they have dashes. 

The house and landholder recorded on the House and Building Return was Mary Lydon herself, and the census return for the household was collected on 6th of April, 1901.

Michael McDonough Household – Form A

Michael McDonough was the head of House 4 in the townland of Gortahokery (spelling used in the 1901 Census) in the District Electoral Division of Tullokyne, County Galway. According to the House and Building Return (Form B1) the dwelling was a second-class house, built of stone with a thatched roof and contained three rooms with three front windows. This is reflective of the modest but functional housing typical of rural Moycullen at the turn of the twentieth century. The Out-Offices and Farm Steadings Return (Form B2) shows that included on the property was a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn, and a cart house. 

The home was occupied by four siblings, all of whom were Roman Catholic, born in Co. Galway, and speakers of both Irish and English.

Michael McDonough (60) was a Farmer. William (58) and Thomas (53) have both of their occupations listed as Farmers Brother {sic}. Betsy’s (45) occupation was as a Farmers Sister{sic}. It appears that the enumerator started to list Betsy as Michael’s daughter, but the word sister is legible. All four siblings were unmarried, and could read and write.

The householder and landholder recorded on the House and Building Return was Michael McDonagh himself, and the return for the household was collected on 6th of April, 1901.

Timothy Gill Household – Form A

Timothy Gill was the head of House 5 in the townland of Gortahokery (spelling used in the 1901 Census) in the District Electoral Division of Tullokyne, County Galway. According to the House and Building Return (Form B1) the dwelling was a third-class house, built of stone with a thatched roof and contained two rooms with one front window. This is reflective of the modest but functional housing typical of rural Moycullen at the turn of the twentieth century. The Out-Offices and Farm Steadings Return (Form B2) shows that included on the property was a piggery.

The home was occupied by two brothers. Timothy Gill (72) and  Michael Gill (56)

were Roman Catholics born in Co. Galway. The brothers were unmarried Agricultural Labourers, they both were unable to read. Timothy could only speak Irish, while Michael spoke both Irish and English. Because of this, Timothy’s  signature was written for him on the census declaration by Constable Matthew Moore, acting as witness and census taker. An “x” written by Timothy is present by his name, as required. 

The householder recorded on the House and Building Return was Timothy Gill himself, but the landholder is listed as “Mary Lydon of Gortahokery”. The return for the household was collected on 6th of April, 1901.

The 1911 Census

According to the Enumerator’s abstract (Form N pg. 2), Gortaghokera had four buildings which were all inhabited houses. All are marked as single family homes. Form N’s information was recorded on the 18th April, 1911. Everyone in Gortaghokera was Roman Catholic. There were twenty-seven people residing in the townland at the time of census collection; fifteen men and twelve women. The Information on the House and Building Return ​​(Form B1) was collected for all four households on the 11th of April, 1901. All the dwellings in Gortaghokera were built of stone or brick, with thatched roofs or other natural materials. According to the Out-Offices and Farm-Steadings Return (Form B2) there were twenty-one additional structures in the townland used for storage and farming; the structures associated with each household will be elaborated on in the relevant writeup. Individuals recorded in each household (Form A) {sic} slept or abode in this House on the night of Sunday, 2nd of April, 1911. The Enumerator was Constable Michael Lyster.

William McDonagh Household – Form A

William McDonagh was the head of House 1 in the townland of Gortaghokera (spelling used on the 1911 Census) in the District Electoral Division of Tullokyne, County Galway. According to the House and Building Return (Form B1) the dwelling was a third-class house, built of stone with a thatched roof and contained three rooms with two front windows. This is reflective of the modest but functional housing typical of rural Moycullen at the turn of the twentieth century. The Out-Offices and Farm Steadings Return (Form B2) shows that included on the property was a stable, cow and calf houses, a piggery, and a barn. 

The home was occupied by four siblings, all of whom were Roman Catholic, born in Co. Galway, and speakers of both Irish and English.

All four McDonaghs are listed as single. William McDonagh (79) was a Farmer. Michael’s (71) occupation is listed as Farmers Brother {sic}. Thomas (62) is listed as an agricultural labourer. Elissie (58) has no occupation listed. She is the only one of her siblings who was able to read or write. On the 1901 Census, Elissie’s name was listed as “Betsy”. It is possible that there were two different McDonagh sisters, but more likely the name was listed incorrectly on one of the censuses. Because of this, William’s signature was written for him on the census declaration by Constable Michael Taylor, acting as witness and census taker. An “X” written by William is present by his name, as required. 

The householder recorded on the House and Building Return was William McDonagh himself, and the census return for the household was collected on 11th of April, 1911.

John Lydon Household – Form A

John Lydon was the head House 2 in the townland of Gortaghokera in the District Electoral Division of Tullokyne, County Galway. According to the House and Building Return (Form B1) the dwelling was a third-class house, built of stone with a thatched roof and contained three rooms with two front windows. This is reflective of the modest but functional housing typical of rural Moycullen at the turn of the twentieth century. The Out-Offices and Farm Steadings Return (Form B2) shows that included on the property was a stable, cow and calf houses, a piggery, a fowl house, and a barn. 

The home was occupied by a multi-generation Roman Catholic family. All members were born in Co. Galway and speakers of both Irish and English.

John Lydon (54) was a farmer who could not read or write. Because of this, John’s signature was written for him on the census declaration by constable Michael Taylor, acting as witness and census taker. An “x” written by John is present by his name, as required. John is listed as married, but his wife is not recorded. Because only wives were required to report the number of years they were married, number of children born alive, and number of children alive at the time of census collection, these details of John’s marriage are not present. 

Mary Lydon (84) was John’s mother. She has no occupation listed, and could not read or write. Mary was a widow. Widows were not required to report the number of years married, number of children born alive, or how many were still living. However, in Mary’s case, this information was recorded and then erased. It is still legible. It appears that she was married for twenty-five years and had seven children, three of whom were alive as of 1911.

Eight of John’s children resided in House 2 at the time of the 1911 Census. All of the recorded Lydon children were able to read and write and were single. Mary (19) is listed as a farmer’s daughter as her occupation. Thomas (16), Saragh {sic} (15), Michael (14), Noragh (13), Bridget (9), Martin (7), and Daniel (6) are all listed as “scholar”, meaning they attend school. 

The householder recorded on the House and Building Return was John Lydon himself, and the census return for the household was collected on 11th of April, 1911.

Daniel Pat Lydon Household – Form A

Daniel Pat Lydon was the head House 3 in the townland of Gortaghokera in the District Electoral Division of Tullokyne, County Galway. According to the House and Building Return (Form B1) the dwelling was a third-class house, built of stone with a thatched roof and contained three rooms with two front windows. This is reflective of the modest but functional housing typical of rural Moycullen at the turn of the twentieth century. The Out-Offices and Farm Steadings Return (Form B2) shows that included on the property was a stable, cow house, and a piggery. 

The home was occupied by a single Roman Catholic family. All members were speakers of both Irish and English.

Daniel Pat Lydon  (50) was a farmer who could not read or write. Because of this, Daniel Pat’s signature was written for him on the census declaration by constable Michael Lyster, acting as witness and census taker. An “x” written by Daniel Pat is present by his name, as required. His county or country of origin was left blank/unfilled. His wife, Mary (47), has no occupation listed. She could read and write. The couple had been married twelve years as of 1911. On first glance, the relevant columns show that Mary Lydon only gave birth to two children. However, there are four children of Daniel Pat Lydon recorded living in House 3 at the time of census collection. The parentage of the children listed is unclear. 

Mary (19) and Margaret (16) have no occupation listed. Annie (9) and Patrick (8) are listed as scholars, meaning they attended school. All four of the children are listed as single.

The householder recorded on the House and Building Return was Daniel Pat Lydon himself, and the census return for the household was collected on 11th of April, 1911.

Daniel Lydon Household – Form A

Daniel Lydon was the head House 4 in the townland of Gortaghokera in the District Electoral Division of Tullokyne, County Galway. According to the House and Building Return (Form B1) the dwelling was a third-class house, built of stone with a thatched roof and contained three rooms with two front windows. This is reflective of the modest but functional housing typical of rural Moycullen at the turn of the twentieth century. The Out-Offices and Farm Steadings Return (Form B2) shows that included on the property was a stable, a coach house, cow and calf houses, a piggery, a fowl house, and a barn.

The home was occupied by a single Roman Catholic family. All members were born in Co. Galway and were speakers of both Irish and English.

Daniel Lydon (69) was a farmer who could not read or write. Because of this, Daniel’s signature was written for him on the census declaration by Constable Michael Taylor, acting as witness and census taker. An “x” written by Daniel is present by his name, as required. His wife, Bridget Anne (53) has no occupation listed. She could not read or write. The couple had been married 29 years as of 1911. They had seven children, six of whom were still alive by the time of census collection. 

Five of the living children resided in House 4, all of whom were able to read and write. Julis {sic} (26), is listed as a Farmers Daughter{sic} as her occupation. On the transcription, her name is written as Julis. However, on Form A the name appears to be Julia. John (22) and James (19) are listed as  farmer’s sons as both their occupations. Thomas (14) and Daniel (13) are listed as “scholar”, meaning they both attended school. All five children are listed as single. 

The householder recorded on the House and Building Return was Daniel Lydon himself, and the census return for the household was collected on 11th of April, 1911.