CORNAHOVE

Location Cornahove is a townland of 166 statute acres 1 roods and 21 perches (of which 36 acres 2 roods and 24 perches are water - in Lough Ross) in County Armagh on the southern shore of Lough Ross about a mile north of Cullaville. It is bounded on the north-east by Lisamry, on the south-east by Monaguillagh, on the south by Cullaville and on the west by Ballynacarry and County Monaghan. It's boundary with Monaghan is the River Fane which flows from Lough Ross. Name of townland The name of the townland means "The round hill of the cave or souterrain". There are no other townlands with this name in Ireland. Sources of Information Information about the townland was extracted from the following sources - Census of Creggan 1766 Tithe Applotment Books - Creggan Parish - 1828 Townland Valuation 1837 Griffiths Valuation 1864 Census of Ireland 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1926, 1937, 1951 First Northern Ireland General Revaluation 1935 Second Revaluation 1957 Valuation Annual Rateable Valuation of Townland Year 1828 1837 1851 1864 1935 1957 1969 Valuation £64-3-4 £72-1-11 £91-10-0 £101-5-0 £102-10-0 £114-10-0 £126-10-0 In the Tithe Applotment Books the total area is shown as 78 acres 2 roods and 17 perches (Irish) and the Half Yearly Rectorial Tithe as £3-4-21/2. The 1837 Townland Valuation recorded only houses worth £5 or more a year. There were no such houses in the townland. The Third Revaluation (1975) did not identify property by townlands. Instead, it used the new Post Office system of road names and postcodes. It can therefore not be used to continue this series of household, land and property censuses. To get as close as possible to the present, the position in the townland at the date of the last recorded revision of the Second Revaluation is presented. Although the data is not strictly comparable since the information was gathered for different purposes and used varying criteria, the details provide a comparison of the names of landholders that were enumerated in the townland at the different periods. While we can not discern the direct lines of descent it is clear that many are from the same families. Griffiths Valuation records that, with the exception of four houses, the townland was owned by Hugh Swansea. The distribution of land holdings (excluding "bog only" holdings) in 1864 and 1935 are set out in the following table.   Holdings - number by acreage   Less than 10 10 to 19 20 and over Total 1864 12 5 nil 17 1935 5 5 2 12 Census of Ireland 1901 In Census of Ireland 36 persons (14 male and 22 female) were enumerated in 11 households; a ratio of 3.3 people per household. Native Irish Speakers Of the 11 households enumerated in the Census two contained native Irish speakers - three in all. Since theirs was the last generation to have been born into a predominently Irish speaking environment, their names, occupations and ages are recorded here. They were born in Counties Louth, Armagh and Monaghan respectively - Ann Daly, farmers wife, 60 Edward Fanning, farmer, 70 and his wife Catherine, 60 Population Decline The following table sets out the number of houses and population enumerated in the townland in each of the 11 Censuses held between 1841 and 1951.   1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 1926 1937 1951 Houses 22 18 17 17 13 12 11 9 8 6 6 People 124 78 69 72 70 55 42 39 39 24 17 People per house 5.6 4.3 4.1 4.2 5.4 4.6 3.8 4.3 4.9 4.0 2.8 In the period of 110 years, the number of households reduced by almost threequarters (73%) and the population by 86%. The largest drop (37%) was in the ten years from 1841 to 1851- the years of the Great Famine. Thereafter there were periods of stability followed by successive reductions; from 1851 to 1891, and from 1911 to 1926. Names of House and land Holders All the Valuations since Griffiths identified those with houses in the townland and those who while living elsewhere leased or owned land there. The Census of Ireland enumerated only households in the townland. The following table uses this approach. Although the data is not strictly comparable since the information was gathered for different purposes and used varying criteria, it provides a comparison of the names listed in the townland at the different periods. While we can not discern the direct lines of descent it is clear that many are from the same families.