Clifton is a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

in the Parish of

Tomregan Tomregan (, ) is a civil parish in the ancient barony of Tullyhaw. The parish straddles the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The largest population centre in the parish is Ballyconnell, County Cavan. The total are ...

, Barony of

Loughtee Lower Loughtee Lower (), or Lower Loughtee, is a barony in County Cavan, Ireland. Baronies were mainly cadastral rather than administrative units. They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) 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 Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Etymology

The townland name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic placename ''Clochán'' which means "A small beehive-shaped stone house". The 1790 Cavan Carvaghs list spells the name as ''Cloghan''.

Geography

It is bounded on the north and east by Aghavoher townland, on the south by Breandrum, Tullyhunco and Berrymount townlands and on the west by Mullynagolman townland. Its chief geographical features are some small drumlin hills reaching to above sea-level. Clifton is passed through by Ardlougher lane. The townland covers 82 statute acres.

History

Clifton formed part of the termon lands belonging to

Roman Catholic Church which were granted to the Protestant Bishop of Kilmore in 1610 as part of the

Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...

. By a lease dated 6 April 1612 the said bishop granted the lands to

Sir Oliver Lambart Oliver Lambart, 1st Lord Lambart, Baron of Cavan (died June 1618) was a military commander and an MP in the Irish House of Commons. He was Governor of Connaught in 1601. He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (Ireland) in 1603. He was also an Eng ...

Kilbeggan Kilbeggan () is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is in the barony of Moycashel. Geography Kilbeggan is situated on the River Brosna, in the south of County Westmeath. It lies south of Lough Ennell, and Castletown Geoghegan, north of ...

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

and Sir

Garret Moore, 1st Viscount Moore Garret Moore, 1st Viscount Moore PC (I) (1564 – 9 November 1627) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer. Birth and origins Garret was a son of Sir Edward Moore of Mellifont and his wife Elizabeth Clifford. His father was a knight and owner of ...

Mellifont Mellifont Abbey (, literally 'the Big Monastery'), was a Cistercian abbey located close to Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. It was the first abbey of the order to be built in Ireland. In 1152, it hosted the Synod of Kells-Mellifont. After i ...

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

. On 17 July 1639 the bishop re-granted the lands to

Charles Lambart, 1st Earl of Cavan Charles Lambart, 1st Earl of Cavan (c. March 1600 – 25 June 1660) was an Anglo-Irish Cavalier, Royalist soldier and peer. Lambart was the son of Oliver Lambart, 1st Baron Lambart and Hester Fleetwood. He served as the Member of Parliament fo ...

. In the 1740s the bishop leased the land to John Jones for 21 years. This lease was renewed to his descendant John Copeland Jones on 20 May 1843. In the 1860s the holder of the lease was David Fielding Jones. The Tithe Applotment Books for 1827 list the following tithepayers in the townland, who are Berry, Faris, and Pringle. The Ordnance Survey Name Books for 1836 give the following description of the townland, “Lies in the South of the parish, 3 miles from Ballyconnell. Bishop's land. Held on lease by Jones. Lease rent 5 shillings & 6d per arable acre. The houses are built of mud. The soil produces oats and potatoes.” The Clifton Valuation Office Field books are available for December 1838.

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 examin ...

of 1857 lists the landlord of the townland as Jones and the tenants as Faris, Pringle and Griffith.

Census

In the

1901 census of Ireland Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * ''19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * ''Dician ...

, there are four families listed in the townland. In the 1911 census of Ireland, there are three families listed in the townland.

Antiquities

# A Bronze-Age ring-barrow on the border with Aghavoher (Site number 94, page 20, Aghavoher townland, in "Archaeological Inventory of County Cavan", Patrick O’Donovan, 1995, where it is described as “Marked 'Fort' on OS 1836 and 1876 eds. Sited on the S slope of a steep hill. Raised circular area (int. diam. 11.8m) enclosed by a low earthen bank with a wide, deep internal fosse. The internal area is greatly disturbed by a modern field boundary running NNW-SSE which divides the site into two roughly equal portions. Original entrance not recognisable.)”

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

The IreAtlas Townland Data Base
Townlands of County Cavan