Crossmakelagher

Geography

Crossmakelagher is bounded on the north by Cavanaquill and Killynaff townlands, on the west by Tonyhallagh and Tonyrevan townlands, on the south by Bellaheady and Killarah townlands in Kildallan parish and on the east by Cormeen townland in Kildallan parish and Lecharrownahone townland. Its chief geographical features are the Shannon-Erne Waterway, a small plantation, a pond, a quarry, a spring well and several dug wells. Crossmakelagher is traversed by the regional R205 road, minor roads and rural lanes and the disused Cavan and Leitrim Railway.

The townland covers 197 statute acres.

History

Up until the 18th century it was divided into two different townlands, the part north of the present R205 main road was Crossmakelagher and the part between the R205 and the Shannon-Erne Waterway was called Drumcon (from Irish: Druim Con, meaning 'The ridge of the Greyhounds'). Crossmakelagher was also called Barne at the time ({Irish derived place name|Bearn, meaning 'A Gap'}).

The 1609 Baronial Map depicts the townland as Cross.

The 1665 Down Survey map depicts the north part as Crosmckellagher and the south part as Drumcone. William Petty's 1685 map depicts them as Crossemckelaher and Drumcon.

In the Plantation of Ulster by grant dated 4 June 1611, along with other lands, King James VI and I granted one poll of Barne to Hugh McManus Oge Magauran. He was the great-grandson of a previous Magauran chief, Tomas Mág Samhradháin who ruled from 1512 to 1532. His father Manus Og lived in Cor and received a pardon in 1586.

In the Plantation of Ulster by grant dated 23 June 1610, along with other lands forming the Manor of Calva, King James VI and I granted two polls of Crosse to Hugh Culme. In the same year Culme surrendered his interest to Walter Talbot of Ballyconnell. Walter Talbot died on 26 June 1625 at Ballyconnell and his son James Talbot succeeded to the Ballyconnell estate aged just 10 years. An Inquisition held in Cavan on 20 September 1630 found that James Talbot was seized of two polls of Crosse, along with other lands. James Talbot married Helen Calvert, the daughter of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore of Maryland, USA, in 1635. In the aftermath of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 James Talbot's estate was confiscated because he was a Catholic and he was granted an estate in 1655 at Castle Rubey, County Roscommon instead. He died in 1687. Talbot's land in Crossmakelagher was distributed as follows-

In the Hearth Money Rolls of 1662 there were two people paying the Hearth Tax in Liosmackelagher- Cormucke McKelacher and Patricke McKelacher.

A grant dated 11 August 1666 from King Charles II of England to Thomas Guyllym of Ballyconnell included 52 acres 1 rood and 24 perches in Crossmackillagher, alias Crosse, alias Barne and part of the same 10 acres and 16 perches. The grant also included 47 acres 2 roods in Dromcowen, alias Drumgoney.

In the Irish Rebellion of 1641 Eleanor Reynolds of Lissanore made a deposition about the rebellion in Lissanover which included- Ellenor Reinolds of Late of Lissanore in the County of Cauan widow aged 46 yeares or thereabouts duly sworne etc. .. She further saith that in May 1642 this deponents mother not being able (because of age & weaknes) to goe to Croghan Castle was left behind with some of the tenants at Lissanore aforesaid, where she was about the tyme aforesaid barbarously murthered by one ffarell Groome mc Kellogher of CrossemacKellogher who confessed the said barbarous fact to divers persons that voluntarily did depose the same to be true.

The Tithe Applotment Books for 1827 list twelve tithepayers in the townland.

Griffith's Valuation of 1857 lists ten landholders in the townland.

In the 1901 census of Ireland, there are eleven families listed in the townland, and in the 1911 census of Ireland, there are thirteen families listed in the townland.

Antiquities

There seem to be no structures of historical interest in the townland apart from the disused Cavan and Leitrim Railway. In the 1700s Dean John Richardson referred to two megaliths in Crossmaclaght but there is no trace today. He may have mistaken the location.