May 1, 1997 Irish & Scot Newsletter Vol. 3 No.4 An Ancient Folk Blessing May there always be work for your hands to do May your purse always carry a shilling or two May the sun always play on your windowpane May the rainbow chase after each spot of rain May the hand of a friend always be near you May God fill your heart with gladness and cheer you COUNTIES OF IRELAND - The following brief histories for the counties of Ireland are taken from "Irish Records Sources for Family & Local History" by James G. Ryan, Ph.D., Copyright Ancestry Incorporated (USA), ISBN # 0-916-489-22-1 MONAGHAN A Brief History This Ulster county contains the towns of Monaghan, Clones, Castleblayney, and Carrickmacross. In the old Gaelic system of land division, Monaghan was part of the Kingdom of Oriel. It was also known as McMahon's country after the dominant family in the area. The McMahons and their allies, the McKennas and O'Connollys, maintained effective domination of the county even after the arrival of the Normans in the twelfth century. The county boundaries were not established by the English administration until the late sixteenth century. After the defeat of the rebellion of O'Neill and the Ulster chieftains in 1603, the county was not planted like the other counties of Ulster. The lands were instead left in the hands of the native chieftains. In 1641 the McMahons and their allies joined the general rebellion of Irish Catholics, and following their defeat there was some plantation of the county with Scottish and English families. Analysis of the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663 shows that the commonest names in the county at the time (in descending order) were McMahon, McKenna, O'Duffy, O'Connolly, McCabe, McWard, McArdle, McIlmartin, O'Byrne, O'Callan, McCallan, O'Kelly, O'Murphy, McNaney, McTreanor, O'Gowan or McGowan, O'Boylan, Mcllcoflin, O'Finnegan, O'Cassidy, and McPhilip. The McCabes were a Gallowglass, or mercenary, family probably brought into the county by the McMahons following the Norman invasion. The O'Byrnes, who are relatively numerous in the county, are probably descendants of the Kildare or Wicklow O'Byrnes. This family was driven from its Kildare territories by the Normans in the late twelfth century. It is suggested that part of this clan may have migrated into Monaghan. The major settlers in the county were Scottish farmers brought over from the area of Strathclyde. Common names among these settlers were McAndrew, Mackay, Sinclair, Stewart, Buchanan, McKenzie, Davidson, Ferguson, Blackshaw, McCaig, Walker, Cameron, Gordon, Patterson, and McCutcheon. A general indication of the proportions of the population of Irish or Norman extraction, or of English or Scottish descent, can be derived from the statistics on religious persuasions of the inhabitants. These groups were, respectively, predominantly Catholic, Church of Ireland, or Presbyterian. In 1861, when the census first determined religion, the respective proportions were 73, 14, and 12 percent. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the county became increasingly more densely populated. In 1841 there were 428 people per square mile, making the county one of the most densely populated in the country. The Great Famine of 1845-47 very badly affected the county. In 1841 the population was 200,000, but by 1851 it had fallen by 30 percent to 142,000. Over 25,000 people died in the same decade and a further 30,000 emigrated. The county is currently mainly dependent on agriculture and related industry and has a population of around 52,000. OFFALY A Brief History Located in the midlands of Ireland, this small county contains the towns of Tullamore, Birr, Portarlington, Ferbane, and Daingean. In the old Gaelic system the county was part of the Kingdom of Ui Failghe, or Offaly. In the English redivision of the country into counties it was named King's County in 1547. The name was changed back to Offaly on the foundation of the Irish state in 1922. Within the ancient territory the major Gaelic families were the O'Carrolls, O'Delaneys, MacCoghlans, O'Molloys, and O'Connors. Although conquered by the Normans in the twelfth century, English rule gradually waned in the county. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Offaly and neighbouring Laois were among the most rebellious counties in the country. Continued raids by the Irish from these counties on the English-controlled area around Dublin finally caused the English to invade Laois and Offaly in 1547. The native families were driven back, and several garrisons and forts were built. In Offaly the O'Connor's fort of Daingean was garrisoned by the English and renamed Philipstown (now renamed Daingean). The lands confiscated from the native families were granted to officers and settlers. However, as resistance to the English garrisons by the native population continued, the English authorities decided to clear the counties of the native people and bring in settlers from England. This was begun in 1556, making it the first plantation of Ireland. Two-thirds of tribal lands were confiscated at this time. The plantation was fiercely resisted and only partially successful. However, it did result in the introduction of a large number of English families to the area. Since the native population is predominantly Catholic, and English settlers mainly of the Protestant faith, the proportions of these religions among the population can, in very general terms, be used to estimate the origins of the inhabitants of the county. When religious affiliation was first determined in the census of 1861, the proportions of Catholic and Protestant in County Offaly were 89 and 10 percent respectively. The county was badly affected by the Great Famine of 1845-47. The population, which was 147,000 in 1841, fell to 112,000 in 1851. Of this, some 22,000 died between 1845 and 1851, and a high proportion emigrated. The population continued to fall for the rest of the century and beyond and is now around 58,000. COUNTIES OF SCOTLAND - The following brief histories of the counties of Scotland are taken from "A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland" by Samuel Lewis, reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc. ISBN # 0- 8063-1256-4 ORKNEY ISLANDS, a group forming, with that of SHETLAND, a maritime county, in the northern extremity of Scotland. They are bounded on the north by the waters which divide Orkney from Shetland; on the east by the North Sea; on the south by the Pentland Firth, which separates the isles from Caithness; and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. They lie between 58 degrees 44 minutes and 59 degrees 24 minutes (N. Lat.) and 12 degrees 25 minutes and 3 degrees 20 minutes (W. Long.), and extend about fifty miles in length and nearly thirty miles in breadth; comprising an area of 235 square miles, or 150,000 acres; 6325 houses, of which 6181 are inhabited and containing a population of 30,507, of whom 13,831 are males and 16,676 females. These islands, anciently the Orcades, most probably derived that name from Cape Orcas, opposite to which they are situated, and which is noticed by Ptolemy as a remarkable promontory on the Caithness coast: it is supposed that the isles were originally peopled from Caithness. The Orkney and the Shetland Islands appear to have been explored by the Romans, who, however, retained no permanent possession of either; and they were both subsequently occupied by the Picts, a Scandinavian tribe who, settling at first in the Western Isles, soon spread themselves over the greater portion of Scotland. Under the Picts, the islands of Orkney seem to have been governed by a succession of petty kings, that exercised a kind of independent sovereignty till the year 876. At that period Harold Harfager, king of Norway, landing here with a powerful force, reduced them to his dominion; and on his return to Norway, he appointed Ronald, a Norwegian earl, to be their governor, whom he invested with the title of Earl of Orkney, and under whose successors they remained for many generations, as an appendage of the crown of Norway, till the reign of James Ill., since which time they have formed part of the kingdom of Scotland. The first Earls of Orkney under the kings of Scotland were the St. Clairs, from whom the earldom reverted to the crown; and the lands, for nearly a century, were leased to various tenants. Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1564, granted a charter of the crown territory to Lord Robert Stewart. On her marriage with the Earl of Bothwell, she revoked this gift in favour of the earl, whom she had engaged to create Duke of Orkney: he never, however, obtained possession; and the dukedom was forfeited. Lord Robert Stewart afterwards became Earl of Orkney, but on the second earl's being brought to the scaffold in 1615, the islands again came to the crown. In 1707 they were mortgaged to the Earl of Morton I and the mortgage being subsequently declared irredeemable, the rights of the islands were in 1766 sold by the then Earl of Morton to Sir Laurence Dundae, ancestor of the Earl of Zetland. In 1814 it was calculated that the family drew annually from the ancient earldom of Orkney 2187 pounds sterling in money and produce, in addition to their large private estates in the isles. For many ages, lands in these islands were held by what was called Udal tenure. They were exempt from all taxes to the crown, and the proprietor acknowledged no superior lord; at the death of the father, the property was equally divided among all the children; and no fines were levied on entrance. Under the later earls however, this system of tenure, which was supposed to be adverse to their interest, was gradually discouraged; and on the last annexation to the crown, it was wholly discontinued. Before the abolition of episcopacy, the islands were included in the diocese of Orkney, the precise date of the foundation of which is not accurately known. Christianity is, however, supposed to have been introduced here by St. Columba, about the year 570, and again by Olaus, King of Norway, in the year 1000; and the cathedral church of St. Magnus, in Kirkwall, is thought to have been founded about 1138. The see flourished under a succession of at least twenty-nine prelates, including seven Protestant bishops, till the Revolution, since which it has constituted the synods of Orkney and Shetland; the former containing the presbyteries of Kirkwall, Cairston, and North Isles, and eighteen parishes. For civil purposes, Orkney, which was previously a county of itself, has, since the passing of the act for amending the representation, been united with Shetland, under the jurisdiction of one sheriff, by whom two sheriffs-substitute are appointed. One of these holds his courts weekly at Kirkwall. Here, also, the justice-of-peace courts are held on the first Wednesday, and at Stronmess on the last Tuesday, in every month; and courts for the recovery of small debts occur several times a year, at Stromness, St. Margaret's Hope, and Sanda; but no particular days are fixed. The towns are, Kirkwall, which is a royal burgh and the county town, and Strormiess, which is a burgh of barony; there are several villages, and some fishing-stations on the coast. Under the provisions of the act above mentioned, Shetland joins with Orkney in returning a member to the imperial parliament. The Orkneys comprise a cluster of sixty-seven islands, of which twenty-nine are inhabited, and the remainder chiefly small holms affording pasturage for cattle. Of the inhabited islands the principal are Pomona or the Mainland, Rousay, Westray, Papa-Westray, Eday, Sanda, North Ronaldshay, Stronsay, Shapinshay, Hoy, Flotta, South Ronaldshay, Eugleshay, Burray, and the smaller islands of Foray, Gairsay, and Grienisay. Towards the east the surface is level, and of very moderate elevation above the sea; but the ground rises gradually towards the west, where the coasts are bounded by hills of considerable height. The lands are intersected by numerous streams, but none of them entitled to the appellation of rivers; and are diversified with numerous lakes, most of which are also of small extent, varying from a mile to four miles in circumference. That of Stennis, however, in the parish of Firth, in Pomona, is more than fourteen miles in circumference; and is divided into two parts by a peninsular projection, on which are some highly interesting Druidical remains. Of the lands, about 30,000 acres are arable, nearly an equal quantity in meadow and pasture, 4000 in fresh-water lakes, and the remainder chiefly heath, peat-moss, and undivided common. Though destitute of timber, the scenery is pleasing from the alternation of hill and daleman of the hills are covered with verdure to the summit, and others, for some distance above their bases, are under profitable cultivation. The soil in the plains is sandy; in some other parts, a clayey loam alternated with gravelly soil: there are several tracts of grass-land of luxuriant growth, and the mosses afford abundance of peat for fuel. The crops are barley, oats, rye, flax, and a moderate portion of wheat, with potatoes and turnips, of which very fine crops are raised. The general system of agriculture, however, though gradually improving, is comparatively in a backward state. The farms, also, are mostly of very small extent, some not exceeding ten acres; but there are several exceptions, and an example of skill and a spirit of enterprise have been set forth by some of the proprietors of lands, which may soon produce important alterations. Though limestone is plentiful, the principal manure is the sea-weed obtained on the coasts. Both the sheep and the cattle are of the native breed; the horses are of the Shetland breed. From the roots and trunks of trees found in the tracts of peat-moss, it would appear that there were anciently extensive woods; yet very few trees are now to be seen, except such as are of modern plantation, and these only thrive in sheltered situations. They are chiefly the plane, common and mountain ash, elm, and willow. The substrata of the lands are mainly sandstone of various colours, schistose-clay, limestone, and in some parts breccia, and specimens of basaltic formation. Attempts have been made in search of iron-ore, and quanatites of iron were discovered in tolerable plenty, and of rich quality; but similar attempts to discover lead-ore have not been attended with success. In Orkney the gentlemen's seats are Burness, Brugh, Burgar, Carrick, Cliffdale, Cairston, Woodwick, Holland, and Tankerness. The manufactures pursued here are, those of stockings, blankets, and coarse woollen-cloth, for home use; the spinning of yarn and the Weaving of linen, which are increasing the manufacture of thread for the firms of Montrose the platting of straw for bonnets, in which more than 2000 females are employed; and the manufacture of kelp, formerly much more extensive than at present, but still far from being inconsiderable. A profitable trade is carried on at the several ports on the coast, in the exportation of beef, pork, salt, fish, butter, tallow, hides, oil, feathers, linen yarn and cloth, and kelp; and in the importation of timber, iron, flax, coal, tobacco and snuff, wines, spirits, soap, leather, broad cloth, printed linens and cottons, groceries, and hardware. The building of boats, also, and the making of sails, nets, and cordage, are pursued in conexion with the shipping. In a late year there were registered, as belonging to Orkney, seventy-eight vessels of the aggregate burthen of 4050 tons. The cod and herring fisheries are extensive. In the former about twenty vessels are employed, and in the latter about 750 boats; and 500 tons of cod, and 50,000 barrels of herrings, upon the average, are annually shipped off from the several ports. The principal fishing-stations are Papa-Stronsay, Deer Sound, Holm, Burray, and St. Margaret's Hope in South Ronaldsbay. Lobsters of very superior quality are found in great abundance, and sent in smacks to London: crabs, mackerel, grayling, trout, salmon, turbot, halibut, haddock, common and conger eels, and skate, are also found, The coasts are indented with numerous havens, in which the largest ships may anchor in safety. In some parts the shores are low and sandy; in others, rocky and precipitous, especially the shores on the west of Hoy island, which rise perpendicularly to a height of more than 1000 feet above the level of the sea, and are frequented by sea-fowl of every kind, that build their nests in the cliffs. Facility of communication throughout the Mainland and the other large islands is maintained by good roads; and intercourse with the smaller islands, on some of which, during the season, temporary huts are erected for the manufacture of kelp, is afforded by the tides in the several firths, which, though rapid and dangerous, are to those who know them an expeditious mode of communication. Between Kirkwall and Caithness is a ferry for the mail, and for passengers, across the Pentland Firth, here about twelve miles in breadth. A steam-packet sails weekly during the summer between Shetland and Leith, touching at the intermediate ports; and also sailing-packets monthly from Kirkwall and Stromness to the port of Leith. The annual value of the real property in Orkney is 22,858 pounds sterling, of which 21,430 pounds sterling are returned for lands, and the remainder for houses. There are numerous monuments of antiquity in the islands; the principal are the ancient Picts' houses, which are found in many places. In the island of Westray are a large number of graves, probably covered originally by tumuli or barrows, but now exposed to view by the drifting of the sand; some are formed of numerous small stones, others of four larger stones; and in all have been found warlike instruments and other ancient relics. There are various remains of Druidical circles; the most interesting are those of Stennis, once consisting of thirty-five stones, thirteen of which remain, varying from ten to sixteen feet in height. In Kirkwall are the ancient cathedral, dedicated to St. Magnus, nearly entire, and now used as the parish church; the bishop's palace, near the cathedral, but a ruin; the remains of the palace erected in 1607 by Patrick Stewart, Earl of Orkney, which are considerable; and the ruins of King's Castle, erected in the fourteenth century by Earl St. Clair, of which little more than the site is remaining. PEEBLESSHIRE, or TWEEDDALE, an inland county, in the southern part of Scotland, bounded on the north by Edinburgbshire, on the east by Selkirkshire and Edinburghshire, on the south by the county of Dumfries, and on the west by Lanarkshire. It lies between 55 degrees 24 minutes and 55 degrees 50 minutes (N. Lat.) and 2 degrees 45 minutes and 3 degrees23 minutes (W. Long.), and is thirty miles in length and twenty-two miles in extreme breadth; comprising an area of about 360 square miles, or 234,400 acres; 2275 houses, of which 2118 are inhabited; and containing a population of 10,499, of whom 5118 are males and 5381 females. This county takes the name of Peebles from its principal town, and the name of Tweeddale, the more ancient and descriptive, from its chief river, the Tweed, which divides it into two nearly equal parts, flowing in a winding course along an ample vale of great fertility and beauty. It appears to have been originally inhabited by the Gadeni, a British tribe, who maintained their independence against the attempts of the Romans to reduce them under their authority; and who, after the abdication of the Roman government, associated themselves with the Britons of Strathclyde, descendants of the ancient Damnii. During the frequent aggressions of the Picts they continued to retain their distinction as a people; and, secured by their extensive forests, they maintained their power against the invasion of the Saxons of the south, long after the conquest of the Picts by the Scottish kings, till they became identified with the emigrants from the coasts of Ireland, who, settling in the peninsula of Cautyre, were soon mingled with the native inhabitants. Afterwards, a party of Anglo-Saxons, under Eadulph, who had settled in Lothian, established themselves in the valley of Eddlestone, where they obtained a permanent settlement, and built a town to which they gave the name of their chieftain; and from these are descended many of the most ancient families in the county. During the wars consequent on the disputed succession to the Scottish throne on the death of Alexander III., the county became subject to Edward I. of England but being rescued from the English yoke by the valour and intrepidity of Sir William Douglas, it maintained its independence till it again submitted to the English after the battle of Neville's Cross. Upon the restoration of David II., however, its independence was finally secured. For many years this part of the country suffered from incursions during the border warfare; and many of its gentry who attended James IV. to the battle of Flodden Field, fell in that disastrous conflict. Prior to the abolition of episcopacy, the county formed part of the diocese of Glasgow; it has since been included in the synod of Lothia and Tweeddale, and comprises the presbytery of Peebles, and fourteen parishes. For civil purposes the county was originally under the jurisdiction of two sheriffs, one of whom resided at Traquair, and the other at Peebles; but since the abolition of heritable jurisdictions, it has been under one sheriff only, by whom a sheriff-substitute is appointed, and who holds his several courts at Peebles' which is the shire town. Besides Peebles, the only royal burgh in the county, it contains Linton a burgh of barony; the villages of Innerleithen Carlops, Eddlestone, Skirling, and Broughton, and a few inconsiderable hamlets. By the act of the 2nd of William IV., it returns one member to the imperial parliament. In general the SURFACE is hilly and mountainous, with intervening tracts of level and fertile land. The most mountainous district is on the south side of the Tweed, towards the source of which the hills are usually covered with verdure, but towards the confines of Selkirk are of bleak and barren aspect. Most of the hills in the other parts of the county are easy of ascent, and afford good pasturage for cattle and sheep; they are chiefly of conical form, and several of them are cultivated to a considerable height above the base. The principal rivers are the Tweed, the Lyne, the Peebles or Eddlestone, and the Leithen. Of these the Tweed has its source in a spring in Tweedsmuir, towards the western extremity of the county, which has an elevation of 1500 feet above the level of the sea; it takes a winding course eastward between banks richly wooded, and, flowing through the most romantic parts of the county into that of Selkirk, ultimately falls into the German Ocean at Berwick. The Lyric has its source near the western extremity of the Pentland hills, on the northern confines of the county: taking a direction southward, it passes the village of Linton, to which it gives name, and, after a course of about fifteen miles, joins the Tweed about three miles above Peebles, the county town. The Peebles or Eddlestone water rises near the south-west boundary of Edinburghshire, and after a rapid course, in which it turns several mills, falls into the Tweed at Peebles. The Leithen water has its source in the northeast of the county; flows through the village of Innerleithen, to which it gives its name; and falls into the Tweed opposite to Traquair House. Of several smaller streams tributary to the Tweed, the Manor and the Quair are the principal; and the Megget water, flowing through the district of that name, falls into St. Mary's lock, in the county of Selkirk. There are some lakes, but none of sufficient importance to require particular notice, except the lake of Eddlestone, as being the source of the river South Esk, which flows into the North Esk at Dalkeith, in the county of Edinburgh. Not more than 35,000 acres are arable, about 8000 meadow and pasture, and the remainder moorland, hill pasture, woodland, plantations, and waste. The soil on the level lands is chiefly a sandy loam, interspersed with tracts of richer loam resting on a gravelly bottom; on the skirts and acclivities of the hills, a loose friable earth, with a mixture of clay in some parts; and in other places, unprofitable moss and moor. The crops are barley, oats, potatoes, turnips, and a small quantity of wheat. In the level districts the farms have a larger proportional arable land, and those in the hilly districts a larger proportion of pasture. The system of agriculture is in an improved state; the lower lands have been well drained, and are inclosed partly with fences of stone and Galloway dykes, but chiefly with hedges of thorn and ditches, and the plantations with mounds of earth. The farm houses and offices of the larger tenants are substantial and commodious, the former roofed with slate, and the latter with tiles. Lime is found only in the northern part of the county, and is but little employed in farming, for which purpose farm-dung and various composts are used. Few cattle are pastured, the hill pastures being chiefly appropriated to sheep, of which more than 100,000 are reared; they are chiefly of the Cheviot breed, and great numbers are sent to the English markets. Though anciently abounding with timber, and celebrated as the resort of the Scottish kings for hunting in the forests, there are now scarcely more than twenty acres of natural wood in the county. Within the last thirty or forty years, however, extensive plantations have been every where made; many of the hills, formerly of barren aspect, are now crowned with thriving trees, and the banks of the rivers richly wooded. The plantations are of oak, ash, elm, beech, and Scotch, silver, and spruce firs; but of the firs the Scotch only, of which there are very large tracts, appears to thrive well. In this county the principal substrata are whinstone and freestone, of which the former is by far the more abundant, and of which most of the houses are built: coal is found towards the north-east extremity of the county, but not under circumstances favourable to the working of it. At Stobo is a quarry of blue slate of fine quality which is extensively wrought, and the produce sent to Edinburgh and other parts of the country. The seats are Traquair House, Cardrona, Kailzie, Cringletic, King's Meadows, Hallyards, Darnhall, Pirn, Scotstown, Romanno, the Whim, La Mancha, Stobo Castle, New Posso, Quarter, Polmood, Portmore, Callends, Castle-Craig, Cairamuir, Mossferman, Rachan, Broughton Place, the Glen, and various other residences. The chief manufactures are, those of carpets, serge, and coarse woollen-cloths, to a very limited extent; and the weaving of linen and cotton for the manufacturers of Glasgow. In general the population is pastoral and agricultural, and very little attention has been paid to any other pursuits, though the county possesses many requisites for the establishment of various branches of manufacture. Facility of communication is afforded by roads kept in good repair. The annual value of real property in the county is 74,810 pounds sterling, of which 67,675 pounds sterling are returned for lands, 6247 pounds sterling for houses, 628 pounds sterling for quarries, and the rest for mines. Among the antiquities are the remains of numerous peel-houses, of which in some instances several are found within the limits of a single parish. There are considerable remains of baronial castles, the most important of which are those of Neidpath, Oliver Castle, Henderland, and Drochil; the sites of camps, chiefly of Danish origin, and of one thought to be Roman, near which a handsome vase of bronze was discovered; a few slight Druidical remains; and some tumuli. Stone coffins containing human bones have been found; also battle-axes and other military weapons; some Roman coins; and, near Cairmnuir, a chain of twisted gold with some gold-beads, supposed to have been worn by the Celtic chieftains. Remains exist of ancient religious houses; and other monuments of antiquity are noticed under the names of the several parishes in which they occur. SURNAMES OF THE MONTH - This month the Irish surnames taken from EDWARD MacLYSAGHT's book "IRISH FAMILIES Their Names, Arms & Origins", SciPrint Limited, Copyright Irish Academic Press Limited, ISBN # 0-7165-2364-7 are: O'BUHILLY, BUCKLEY The Irish surname O Buachalla (derived from the Gaelic word buachal a boy) is usually anglicized Buckley. Buckley is of course a common English name, but it is safe to say that few Irish-born Buckleys are of English extraction. The more Irish-looking forms Boughla and Buhilly are used in one area of Co. Offaly. It is not, however, numerous in that part of Ireland now, though it was in mediaeval times; and in 1659 it appears in Petty's census as an Irish principal name in the barony of Ballycowan as Bohelly. A family of Buckley or Buhilly resident at Lemanaghan, Co. Offaly, claimed to be descendants of the cowherd of St. Manahan and hereditary bearers of Ms shrine, the custodians of which were the O'Mooneys (q.v.p. 129 infra). As Bouhilly it was numerous at the same date in Iffa and Offaly the south western corner of Co. Tipperary. The variant spellings of Bohelly and Bucaile both occur in the returns of Irish Jacobites outlawed after the defeat of James II. William Bulkely (1768-1793), who was guillotined for his prominent part in the royalist counter-revolution, was born at Clonmel and apparently his real name was Buckley. The famous family of Bulkely in France was, however, according to O'Callaghan, of English origin. To-day the name Buckley is chiefly found in Counties Cork and Kerry: eighty per cent of the large number of births recorded for the name (it has a place in the hundred commonest Irish surnames) are in Munster. The American botanist, Samuel Buckley (1809-1883), was possibly of Irish origin, though he was a Wesleyan. The last Governor-General of the Irish Free State was Donal O Buachalla. BURKE, Bourke, de Burgh Burke is much the most numerous of the Hiberno-Norman surnames. It is estimated that there are some 19,000 people of the name in Ireland to-day: with its variant Bourke it comes fourteenth in the list of commonest names. Sir John Davis said in 1606: "There are more able men of the surname of Bourke than of any name whatsoever in Europe". It came to Ireland at the Anglo-Norman invasion in the person of William de Burgo (called William the Conqueror by Irish annalists and wrongly described as William Fitzadelm de Burgo), who succeeded Strongbow as Chief Governor. In 1179 vast estates in Connacht were granted to the de Burgos, or Burkes, but beyond sporadic ravaging, they did not, properly speaking, possess the territory until the next generation when it was regranted to Sir Richard de Burgo, or Burke, by Henry III. Having regard to the large number of Burkes, or Bourkes, now living - the figure 19,000, given above, must be multiplied several times to include emigrants of Irish stock to America and elsewhere - it is hardly possible that they all stem from the one ancestor (the name, it may be remarked, is not found in England except in families of Irish background); nevertheless, even if several different Burkes came to Ireland in the wake of Strongbow, it is the one great family, mentioned above, which has been so prominent in Irish history. The Burkes became more completely hibernicized than any other Norman family. They adopted Brehon Law and proclaimed themselves chiefs after the Irish fashion, forming, indeed, several septs of which the two most important were known as MacWilliam Uachtar (Galway) and MacWilliam lochtar (Mayo). Minor branches became MacDavie, MacGibbon, MacHugo, MacRedmond and MacSeoinin. Of these the name Mac Seoinin is extant in Counties Mayo and Galway as Jenniags, and MacGibbon as Gibbons. As late as 1518, when the City of the Tribes was still hostile to its Gaelic neighbours and the order was made that "neither 0 nor Mac should strut or swagger through the streets of Galway", a more specific instruction was issued forbidding the citizens to admit into their houses "Burkes, MacWilliams, Kelly or any other sept". The original form of the name was often used even as late as the sixteenth century: two de Burgos were bishops of Clonfert between 1508 and 1580. After the Battle of Kinsale at which Lord Burke of Castleconnell distinguished himself (on the English side), the leading Burkes displayed more loyalty to their king than to their country, though when the two loyalties coincided during the reign of James II, they were to be found among the leading men of the Confederate Catholics and many of the name were attainted and deprived of their estates, much of which, however, was recovered by them after the Restoration. The Earl of Clanrickarde, whose peerage dated from 1543, commanded one of the infantry regiments in James II's army. Of the many Burkes who took service with continental powers after the defeat of that King, none was more distinguished than Toby Bourke (c. 1674-c. 1734), whose connexion was with Spain. Raymond Bourke (1773-1847), a peer of France descended from the Mayo Burkes, accompanied Wolfe Tone to Ireland in the 1798 expedition and later became a famous Napoleonic commander, Several other Bourkes or Burkes distinguished themselves in the army of France. Later in the eighteenth century the outstanding Burkes were the famous statesman Edmund Burke (1729-1797), whose only son, Richard Burke (1758-1794), was agent of the Catholic Committee, and Dr. Thomas Burke (1705-1776), Dominican Bishop of Ossory, author of Hibernica Dondnicana. Another Dominican of note was Rev. Thomas Nicholas Burke (1830-1883), whose fame as a preacher, especially during his visit to America, was phenomenal - Pope Pius IX called him "the prince of preachers". Its contemporary, also Galway born, Canon Ulick Bourke, P.P. (1829-1887), was a pioneer of the Irish language revival. The death of Richard Southwell Burke, sixth Earl of Mayo (1822-1872), caused a sensation as he was assassinated during his term of office as Governor General of India. Another sensation relating to a Burke of humbler origin was the trial and execution of the notorious William Burke (1792-1829); his activities in smothering the victims whose bodies he sold for dissection have added a verb -to burke - to the English language. Galway born Robert O'Hara Burke (1820-1861), also made headlines in his day when under conditions of almost incredible hardship he succeeded in crossing the Australian desert on foot: he died of starvation on the return journey. Many other Burkes, Bourkes, and de Burghs might also be mentioned. No account of the name, however brief, would be adequate which omitted Sir Bernard Burke (1814-1892), Uster King of Arm, and his father, Jolin Burke (1787-1848), a Co. Tipperary man, celebrated for their work on genealogy, peerages and family history. This month the Scottish surnames taken from Roddy Martine's "SCOTTISH CLAN AND FAMILY NAMES Their Arms, Origins and Tartans", Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh and London, 1992, ISBN # 1-85158-418-8 are: ERSKINE The name derives from the barony of Erskine in Renfrewshire and was held by Henry de Erskine in the reign of Alexander II. Sir Thomas de Erskine married Janet Keith, granddaughter of Lady Eline de Mar, and their son, Robert, became heir to one of the oldest Celtic earldoms and Chief of the ancient 'Tribe of the Land' of Mar. A Mormaer of Mar fought at the battle of Clontarf in 1014. Gratney of Mar married Christian, sister of Robert Bruce, and their son, Donald, was Regent of Scotland. Donald's son, was Great Chamberlain of Scotland. In 1457, before an Assise of Error, the earldom was found to have devolved upon the Crown. Robert, 4th Lord Erskine, was killed at the battle of Flodden and his son, James, 5th Lord, was father of the Regent Erskine. In 1565, John, 6th Lord Erskine, was restored as Earl of Mar by Mary, Queen of Scots, who was also held to have created a new earldom of Mar. This has caused much confusion since the mid-eighteenth century. The ancient earldom of Mar is the premier earldom of Scotland. The second earldom of Mar, created in 1565, through marriage, acquired the earldom of Kellie in 1835, and the holder of these titles is recognized as the Chief of the clan. In 1715, John Erskine, 6th and 23 rd Earl of Mar, led the Jacobite Rebellion and was attainted and his estates forfeited. His estates, however, were purchased by his brother, Lord Grange, and David Erskine of Dun. The Alloa properties were entailed on the heirs male of his daughter, Lady Frances Erskine, who was married to her cousin, James Erskine, Lord Grange's son. In 1824, the earldom was restored. Another Jacobite Erskine, Sir Alexander Erskine of Cambo, Lord Lyon King of Arms, also took part in the 1715 Rebellion, and was imprisoned. By the Restitution of Mar Act 1885, the ancient earldom was claimed by one family, the second earldom was retained by a cousin. Alloa Tower was the fourteenth-century stronghold of the Earls of Mar and, at times, the childhood home of Mary, Queen of Scots. Kellie Castle, near Pittenweem in Fife, was acquired by Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of Kellie, who was responsible for killing Alexander Ruthven in Perth in the so-called Gowrie conspiracy of 1600. Braemar Castle in Aberdeenshire was built by John, Earl of Mar, in 1628 with the purpose of dominating his vassals, the Farquharson. Dirleton Castle, East Lothian, was owned by Sir John Erskine of Gogar in the seventeenth century. FARQUHARSON FARQUHAR, SON OF Alexander Ciar, 3rd Shaw of Rothiernurchus in Strathspey, was originator of this clan,and came to Braemar before the end of the fourteenth century. His son, Donald, married Isobel Stewart, heiress of Invercauld, and he was appointed keeper of the king's forests of Braemar. Farquhar's son, Finlay Mor, 1st Farquharson of Invercauld, was killed at the battle of Pinkie in 1547. He is said to have been buried in Inveresk churchyard, not far from the battlefield, and the spot was called 'the long Highlandman's grave'. From Donald there descended a number of cadet families: Inverey, Finzean, Monaltrie and Balmoral. Many of the Farquharsons fought for the Jacobite cause within and outside the Clan Chattan Confederation. Inverey supported the Old Pretender and Invercauld joined the Young Pretender at Perth, although he later went over to the Government, claiming that he had been forced to support the Prince by the Earl of Mar, who was his feudal superior. Invercauld's daughter, Anne, wife of the Mackintosh, restored the clan's honour when she contrived to scatter the English troops with a few of her father's men and thus enabled Prince Charles Edward to escape. Henry Farquharson, who died in the eighteenth century, was founder of the school of navigation in Moscow, Russia. USEFUL WEB PAGES Below are some Web pages you may want to visit to help with your research. They contain a lot of useful information as well as links to other Web pages you can visit. If you like what you see here and want to go back, make sure you add them to your Favorite Places before you leave. Clans of Scotland: http://www.discribe.ca/world/scotland/societies.html Scottish genealogy resources on the net: http://www.umich.edu/~cgaunt/gen_web.html http://www.umich.edu/~cgaunt/gen_int1.html Scotland's genealogy events calendar: http://genealogy.emcee.com/PAF/www/events/ Scotland & genealogy: http://www.opentext.com:8080/omw.html Homepage for UK genealogy: http://midas.ac.uk/genuki Scottish genealogy in the UK (Ireland page) http://dornach.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/genuki/scot.html Scottish genealogy in the UK (Scotland page) http://cs6400.mcc.ac.uk/genuki/big/scot/ US Scottish festivals: http://celtic.stanford.edu/pub/festivals/US.Scottish.festivals US Government Printing Office OnLine The Superintendent of Documents has a home page at: http://www/access.gpo.gov/su_docs. From this address you can navigate to the various other sites such as the New Product Listings. Examples of new products available on CD ROM are: General Land Office Records CD: Alabama S/N 024-011-00190-5 $14.00 General Land Office Records CD: Florida S/N 024-011-00182-4 $15.00 General Land Office Records CD: Arkansas S/N 024-011-00181-6 $15.00 General Land Office Records CD: Louisiana S/N 024-011-00183-2 $15.00 General Land Office Records CD: Michigan S/N 024-011-00185-9 $15.00 General Land Office Records CD: Minnesota S/N 024-011-00187-5 $14.00 General Land Office Records CD: Mississippi S/N 024-011-00191-3 $15.00 General Land Office Records CD: Ohio S/N 024-011-00188-3 $14.00 General Land Office Records CD: Wisconsin S/N 024-011-00186-7 $15.00 FROM THE WEB Subj: Re: From A to B (or U to S!) Thanks to all of you who answered my question. You are very welcoming, etc. but I think Gareth is the one who caught the reason for the question. Ulster-Scot I would have understood but Scotch-Irish is less specific. I think probably most of you are descended from people in the Ulster area and I might be closer to finding my ancestors if I tried to find a Cork list. Is there such a thing? Thanks for the notes, There is also a Canadian list many Scots-Irish, started out in Canada, and a Loyalist List (US revolution) if you're interested email me and I'll send you the addresses. Here: WELCOME to the IRELAND Genealogy List. I'm John Caughey, your list owner. ************* Please READ this message. PRINT it. SAVE it. It will save all of us a lot of headaches if you do. ************* SOME PROBLEMS WITH SOFTWARE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED. IF YOU DO NOT START RECEIVING MAIL SOON, SEND THIS MESSAGE TO MAISER@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu REVIEW IRELAND See if your name is on the list. If not, please let me know at: caugheyj@kaf.dnet.co.uk ************* If you have persistent problems, contact me direct at the above address! ************* WHAT IS THIS LIST? This is a genealogy discussion list for people researching family names in or from Ireland, and with the help of other subscribers, maybe receive advice how to do genealogical research in Ireland. ************* MESSAGES TO THE LIST The list is not moderated. Any message sent to it is automatically bounced back out to everyone on the list. While I in no way want to stifle free discussion, as list owner I reserve the right to step in if a flame war erupts that becomes tedious for other subscribers, or if someone becomes unseemly (excessive use of profanity, for instance). ************* FILE ATTACHMENTS UNLESS SPECIFICALLY ADVISED OTHERWISE BY THE LIST OWNER, please do not intentionally send attachment with list mail. Most mail packages have a feature that allows you to "attach" files such as a word processing file. These will be encoded and need to be decoded at the receiving end; they may also be large. These can cause some users' machines to lock up - so just say no to attachments, please. ************* PERSONAL MAIL and CHATTING If you have a personal message for someone, please send it to their address, not the list server address. Any mail sent to IRELAND will automatically be sent to everyone on the list. ************* SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE PLEASE SAVE THIS MESSAGE. To subscribe to the list, send a message to: MAISER@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu and put: SUB IRELAND in the body of the message (not the subject line - anything you put in the subject line is ignored). You DO NOT have to leave the subject line blank. It is IGNORED except to quote it back to you if there is an error. You DO NOT have to turn off any signature lines/files, just use EXIT as your last command line. To unsubscribe, send a message to MAISER@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu with UNSUB IRELAND in the body. DO NOT SEND THESE MESSAGES TO THE LIST ADDRESS!!! ************* POSTING A MESSAGE To post a message to the list, send it to IRELAND@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu ************* DIGESTS ARE CURRENTLY DISABLED AND PROBABLY BEING REVISED. ALL COMMANDS DISCUSSED BELOW SHOULD BE SENT TO THE MAISER ADDRESS. ENTER THE COMMAND AS SHOWN BEGINNING WITH THE FIRST LINE OF YOUR MESSAGE. MULTIPLE COMMANDS CAN BE SENT AT ONCE, ONE PER LINE WITH NO BLANK LINES BETWEEN THEM. A help file is available. Send the message HELP MAISER@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu ************* Files are available for downloading. Send the command INDEX to MAISER for a listing of them. Have fun! ************* A WORD OF CAUTION - Subject: Irish Family History Centre - Is this a scam? I have recently received a most disappointing response to my search request on my Irish ancestors from Clare Heritage Centre, Corofin, Co Clare, Ireland. In fact I was quite angered by their letter. As requested in their advertisement on this site, I sent all my family information relevant to locating my Irish ancestors plus 15 pounds stirling for an "initial search" on 27th January, 1997. I have just received a response two and a half months later. In the letter they advise that they have successfully located some of my ancestors. Unfortunately not the one I requested, however! They supplied absolutely no detail about the family. Subject: Re: County Kerry Genealogical Centre Does anyone know why County Kerry, according to the Irish National Archives web site, does not have a Local Genealogical Centre? Not sure what website you are looking at, but See: http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/Geneal/Kerry.htm Kerry Family Heritage Centre computerizing parish records Provides search service for a fee http://www.bess.tcd.ie/roots/prototyp/kerry.html Kerry sources for genealogy http://www.teltec.ie/~library/map/kerry.html Public Libraries in Co. Kerry Subject: Re: Plantations in Northern Ireland "William Arthur Warmington, Sr" wrote: Seeking information on the "plantation" efforts of James I, Cromwell and William of Orange to relocate English and Scottish farmers on confiscated land in Northern Ireland. Specific interest in locating lists of landlords, sub-landlords, major and minor tenant farmers and, if possible, from where they were drawn. Seeking reasons contributing to the concentration Warmington families in Newtownhamilton Parish, County Armagh, around the 1830's. Thanks for the benefit of your thoughts. Your best bet might be to get "the Scottish Migration to Ulster in the Reign of James I", by M. Perceval-Maxwell, printed by Routledge & Kegan Paul and reprinted through the Ulster-Scot Historical Series, of the Ulster-Scot Historical Foundation, Belfast. ISBN 0 7100 7593 6. It is a comprehensive history of the Plantation with a good deal on actual names and places. FROM OUR MEMBERS The Associated Clan MacLeod Societies is the international umbrella organization for various regional Clan MacLeod Societies, such as The Clan MacLeod Society, USA, etc. It is an organization of the descendants of Leod, son of Olave the Black, descendant of the Kings of the Isle of Man, the founder of Clan MacLeod, for charitable purposes related to the benefit and nurture of Clan unity. We maintain a web site at http://www.best.com/~macleod/ for information about the Clan MacLeod societies, and at http://gx2.glyphix.com/macleod/ for genealogical assistance while researching MacLeod ancestry. Membership is open to all descendants of Leod, or related families, or any person interested in the history of the Highland Clans of Scotland. Several times I've made mention of the McKinney's notebook, a diary that was written in Carnmoney, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. In going through the holdings of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland this morning, I found the listing. This is just an index to the notebook. You must write to PRONI with the citation number in order to get copies. MIC 486 (William McKinney, Carnmoney, Co. Antrim) LDS film # 1701993 Effective May 1997, Ancestry regularly publish DearMYRTLE articles on their ANCESTRY HOME TOWN web page located at: http://www.ancestry.com DearMYRTLE is a popular daily genealogy column published on American Online in the AOL Genealogy Forum. (Keyword: dearmyrtle) Readers are impressed with her authoritative yet down-to-earth approach to family history research. Features: Sunday - Best of the Internet for Genealogists Monday - letters from readers Tuesday - From the BookShelf Wednesday - letters from readers Thursday - Beginning Genealogy Lesson Friday - letters from readers Saturday - letters from readers AOL Special Collections: Getting Organized Finding LIVE People Myrtle's Archives Myrtle's Favorite Internet Sites Using LDS Family History Centers Writing Your Personal History New materials will be published exclusively with Ancestry, in addition to the Best of DearMYRTLE (her favorite AOL column each week.) These will be available at the Ancestry Hometown NEWS STAND on the WEB site. In addition, Myrtle's Beginning Genealogy Lessons will also be available through the Ancestry Hometown FAMILY HISTORY ACADEMY. Ancestry Incorporated is enjoys a reputation in the genealogy community as the publisher of such reference works as: THE SOURCE: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, Ancestry's REDBOOK, THE LIBRARY: A Guide to the LDS Family History Library, THE ARCHIVES: A Guide to the National Archives Field Branches, US Military Records and the recently published Land & Property Research in the United States. DearMYRTLE (Keyword: dearmyrtle) will continue her daily column on AOL, in addition to her regular Tuesday night live "chats" in the AOL Genealogy Forum. (Keyword: roots). This alliance with Ancestry provides all computerized family historians the opportunity to learn research techniques from DearMYRTLE regardless of their online or internet service provider affiliation.