Torrewa () is a

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Templeport Templeport () is a civil parish in the barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland. The chief towns in the parish are Bawnboy and Ballymagauran. The large Roman Catholic parish of Templeport containing 42,172 statute acres was split up in the 18t ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of

Corlough Corlough () is a Roman Catholic parish situated in the Barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland. It derives its name from Corlough townland, in which the parish church is situate. It formed part of the larger parish of Templeport until 1877 ...

and barony of Tullyhaw.

Geography

Torrewa is bounded on the west by

Drumlaydan Drumlaydan () is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland. It is also called Bonebrook locally. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of Corlough and barony of Tullyhaw. Geography Drumlaydan is bounded on the north b ...

townland and on the east by

Bellaleenan Bellaleenan () is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of Templeport and barony of Tullyhaw. Geography Bellaleenan is bounded on the north by Culliagh and Torrewa townlands ...

and

Culliagh Culliagh () is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of Corlough and barony of Tullyhaw. Culliagh is bounded on the west by Drumlaydan and Cronery townlands, on the south by ...

townlands. Its chief geographical feature is a spring well. Torrewa is traversed by minor roads and rural lanes. The townland covers 22 statute acres.

History

In medieval times the McGovern barony of Tullyhaw was divided into economic taxation areas called ballibetoes, from the Irish ''Baile Biataigh'' (Anglicized as 'Ballybetagh'), meaning 'A Provisioner's Town or Settlement'. The original purpose was to enable the farmer, who controlled the baile, to provide hospitality for those who needed it, such as poor people and travellers. The ballybetagh was further divided into townlands farmed by individual families who paid a tribute or tax to the head of the ballybetagh, who in turn paid a similar tribute to the clan chief. The steward of the ballybetagh would have been the secular equivalent of the erenagh in charge of church lands. There were seven ballibetoes in the parish of Templeport. Torrewa was located in the ballybetagh of Ballymackgonghan (Irish = ''Baile Mac Eochagain'', meaning 'McEoghan's Town'). The 1836 Ordnance Survey Namebooks state- ''There is the remains of an old Danish fort on the eastern boundary of the townland and one middling farm house near the centre.'' The Torrewa Valuation Office Field books are available for October 1839. In 1841 the population of the townland was 15, being 9 males and 6 females. There were two houses in the townland, all were inhabited. In 1851 the population of the townland was 7, being 3 males and 4 females, the reduction being due to the Great Famine (Ireland). There was one house in the townland and it was inhabited.

Griffith's Valuation Griffith's Valuation was a boundary and land valuation survey of Ireland completed in 1868. Griffith's background Richard John Griffith started to value land in Scotland, where he spent two years in 1806-1807 valuing terrain through the examinati ...

of 1857 lists six landholders in the townland. In 1861 the population of the townland was 7, being 2 males and 5 females. There was one house in the townland and it was inhabited. In 1871 the population of the townland was 7, being 3 males and 4 females. There were two houses in the townland and all were inhabited.(page 296 of census) In 1881 the population of the townland was 12, being 6 males and 6 females. There were two houses in the townland, all were inhabited. In 1891 the population of the townland was 19, being 8 males and 11 females. There were two houses in the townland, all were inhabited. In the 1901 census of Ireland, there are two families listed in the townland, and in the 1911 census of Ireland, there are two families listed in the townland.

Antiquities

# According to the 1930s Dúchas Folklore collection, Saint Patrick’s Holy Well in

was originally in Torrew

References

External links

The IreAtlas Townland Data Base
{{Coord, 54.1015, -7.7436, display=title Townlands of County Cavan