Until now, some of the earliest documentary pieces of evidence linking my family to farmlands in Kilbarry include the 1826 Tithe Applotment Book for the parish of Fanlobbus, as well as a number of early 19th century leases referenced in the Landed Estate Court (LEC) auction catalogues for the selling of the Cox family estate. Alongside these agrarian document sets are baptismal records, which list numerous McCarthy offspring as resident in the townland of Kilbarry – with the earliest date being the 4th of July, 1818, one month after the Dunmanway Roman Catholic parish records begun.

So, in my continuing search for evidence of the family in the area, the yet to be resolved question should be asked again: did this McCarthy family ever register deeds for their farmlands in Kilbarry? To help me find an answer, I have returned to the synopsis books at the Registry of Deeds office, to seek out if an elusive Kilbarry lease exists, or indeed if any reference to the family be found within this particular source.

“Established in 1708, the Registry of Deeds was to provide a system of voluntary registration for deeds and conveyances. While original deeds were not retained, a synopsis of the deed (called a memorial) was filed. These memorials were also fully transcribed and copied into books.” ^[1]

To date, I have not been able to source a McCarthy-Kilbarry memorial when sifting through the townland and surname indices held at the Registry of Deeds, Henrietta Street. However, a valuable alternative to searching these physical record books is the website, Registry of Deeds Index Project Ireland.

While the site is not a definitive source, it is continuously updated on a voluntary basis with newly transcribed abstracts from the memorial books and has excellent finding aids to search these available online records. On July 17th 2018, an abstract was added to this site regarding the registration of a Deed for lands in the townland of Mohona, Dunmanway. To my surprise and interest it has a fantastic reference to an “Own McCarthy of Kilbarry in the County of Corke Farmer”.

The following is an extract from the registration of the aforesaid Deed:

“A memorial of indenture of lease bearing the date the ninth day of Novem.^r one thousand seven hun.^d and sixty one made between Roger Fenwick of the town of Bandon in the County of Cork Esq.^re of the one part and Robert Deane of Kilronan in the said County Farmer of the other part whereby the said Roger Fenwick for the Considerations therein mentioned did Demise and to Farm Lease  unto the said Robert Deane all that and those that part of the Lands of Mahony called the Irish Town situate in the Barony of East Carbary and County Corke bounded on the North with the Demains of Mahony on the East with Milleenananig on the South with Capadeneen and Kilronan aforesaid and on the West with Darby Glaveen then holding saving and reserving as therein is saved and reserved…

…(W)itnessed to the Execution of the said Indenture of Lease are John De Coursey of the Town of Bandon aforesaid Schoolmaster and Own M^c Carthy of Killbarry in the County of Corke Farmer”. ^[2]

The outcome of this registered Deed is that it establishes evidence of a farmer living in the townland of Kilbarry called Own (Owen) McCarthy. While Owen is common among West Cork-based McCarthys, it is a principal name within my own particular family with generations of senior males been given Owen (or the English version, Eugene) as their first name. Alongside this, Kilbarry is consistent with the very place where my family historically lived and are buried, as seen in evidence such as the Tithe Applotment Book, baptismal records, the family burial plot, as well as family oral history.

Of course it would be premature of me to assume that this person is connected to my family without proper assessment, as there may have been other McCarthys based in Kilbarry to whom this Owen belonged. So as part of my ongoing research, I am noting all mention of McCarthys based within this townland. This will hopefully establish through connecting evidence whether or not that the family has any potential link to this Owen.

At this point, it should also be noted that Kilbarry was part of the McCarthy clan territory going back centuries and then lost to the outcomes of conflict and confiscation with the English authorities in the late 17th century, some 70 years earlier to this Fenwick and Deane lease agreement. To put this person into context of the time, if we postulate that this Owen McCarty was about 30 years old at the time of the said lease, then his estimated year of birth would be +/- 1731. His grandfather was potentially witness to the fall of the local McCarthy clan’s authority and experienced the ensuing restrictive results. Conceivably, Owen McCarthy was well aware of these historical events.

The exact nature of Owen McCarthy’s relationship with either Robert Deane of the neighboring townland of Kilronan, and Roger Fenwick of Bandon can only be speculated at this point of time. The surname of the other witness to the lease, De Coursey is linked to Kilbarry, as a Coursey family were based in this townland the next century. This memorial acting as evidence of an early relationship between these two families can only be conjectured. But what the document does suggest is that Owen, whom we may assume was a Catholic, must have been respectable within the local district and have some degree of standing to act as a witness to the lease agreement between men belonging to the Protestant community during the Penal period of 18th century Ascendancy Ireland.

As this is the first time I am coming across the names of Fenwick, Deane, De Coursey and Glaveen in relation to the area, any further significant information found of interest linking them to my research will be posted. Also to be noted will be any findings referring to the area of  “Mahony” (Mohona) as “Irish Town”.

In full, Memorial No: 202587

To the Reg^r, appointed pursuant to an act of Parliam^t for reg.g of Deeds, Wills, Convey^s and Wills.

Fenwick to Deane

Reg^d the 6^th Decem^r 1774 at 12 at noon

A memorial of indenture of lease bearing the date the ninth day of Novem.^r one thousand seven hun.^d and sixty one made between Roger Fenwick of the town of Bandon in the County of Cork Esq.^re of the one part and Robert Deane of Kilronan in the said County Farmer of the other part whereby the said Roger Fenwick for the Considerations therein mentioned did Demise and to Farm Lease  unto the said Robert Deane all that and those that part of the Lands of Mahony called the Irish Town situate in the Barony of East Carbary and County Corke bounded on the North with the Demains of Mahony on the East with Milleenananig on the South with Capadeneen and Kilronan aforesaid and on the West with Darby Glaveen then holding saving and reserving as therein is saved and reserved. To hold the said Demised premises with the appurtenant unto the said Robert Deane his heirs and assigns for the term of three lives named and for the lives and life of the said (?) and survivors of them at and under the yearly rent of twenty two pounds served (?) payable half yearly on every twenty ninth day of September and twenty fifth day of March during the said term in equal portions witnessed to the Execution of the said Indenture of Lease are John De Coursey of the Town of Bandon aforesaid Schoolmaster and Own M^c Carthy of Killbarry in the County of Corke Farmer and this memorial is witnessed by John Hamett of Bandon aforementioned Aleseller and the said John De Coursey – Robert Deane Seal present at signing and sealing the above Memorial – John De Coursey – John Hamett – The above named John De Courcey maketh oath that he saw the above named Roger Fenwick and Robert Deane duly sign seal and Execute the above mentioned Indenture of Lease of which the above writing is a Mem.^l and that he also saw the said Robert Deane duly sign and seal the above Memorial to which said Indenture of Lease and Memorial respectfully this Deponents is a subscribing witness and that the name John De Courcey subscribed as a witness to the said Indenture of Lease and Memorial respectfully is his this Deponents own proper hand writing – John De Courcey – Sworn before me at the City of Corke the 19 day of November 1774 By virtue of a Commission forth of his Majesty’s Court of Exchequer in Ireland to me directed for taking affidavits and I know the Deponents – John/James (?) Dennis – Justices present – John (?) Travers Mayor – James Bernard. ^[3]

 

References

1. Ask about Ireland. (n.d.). Land Registry & Registry of Deeds. Retrieved from http://askaboutireland.ie.
2. Genealogical Society of Utah. (1951). Registry of Deeds (Main Author). Transcripts of memorials of deeds, conveyances and wills, 1708-1929. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah.
3. Genealogical Society of Utah. (1951). Registry of Deeds (Main Author). Transcripts of memorials of deeds, conveyances and wills, 1708-1929. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Additional RESOURCES 

• Registry of Deeds Index Project Ireland
• The townland of Mohona, Google maps 
• The meaning of Mohona from logainm