Moville.Records

Other.Information

Old photographs Old photos of Moville and the surrounding areas.

Maps Old maps of the two parishes in Moville.

Books Read a history of Moville, and see other references to the area.

Lewis' Topographical Dictionary Extracts from the Topographical Dictionary published in 1837

FHC Records Family History Centre (LDS) film references for Moville records

Moville.Records

A view of Carrowhugh

Moville.Landlord

It was a cold day in December. The wind blew from the north, and swept over the hills, accompanied with sleet-like rain. A number of men were busily engaged making a new road along the ridge of a wild mountain side. It was a bleak dreary spot. There were little signs of vegetation, even the heather lacked its usual purple hues, and the stunted grass scarce appeared above the surface of the soil. The screaming of the sea-birds and the flight of the wild geese to the mountains bespoke an impending storm. These poor fellows had been working all day amid the pitiless pelting hail, badly fed and badly clothed.

"For whom are you working on such a day, and in such a place," inquired a stranger who was passing by.

There was a low subdued whisper, "shall we tell?" said they.

" Yes,"said one, who appeared better instructed than the others, and acted as spokesman ; then, turning to the stranger, he said, "it is for our landlord."

"Does your landlord make the road at his own expense?" said the stranger.

"No," was the reply, "he is paid for it."

"Is he road contractor, then?" asked the stranger.

"He is not the nominal contractor; but he is after all the real contractor. His man of business, Bernard Doherty, is the nominal contractor, but it is for his master he acts."

"A curse on that same Barney," said one of the crowd, "he has made many a home desolate in Glenroan."

"Are you well paid," said the stranger, "for this work?"

"Nothing," was the reply. "These roads, for the most part, are made by duty days; but we don't so much complain of this (for the road will serve ourselves) as to be obliged to assist in cutting down hills and building walls near our landlord's residence, which serve no public end, but merely ornament the demesne."

"And," said the stranger, "are those works paid for by the public?"

"Yes," said the other, "and the landlord's man of business is the contractor for them also."

"How does it happen that such things are tolerated; I really cannot comprehend them?"

"Oh, sir, it is quite simple. If any gentleman wishes to have his demesne beautified by some additional fences, or the approaches to his residence improved, he has only to ask the assistance of the neighbouring gentry, and the job can be easily manufactured, for the associated cess-payers are usually taken from such a class as are known to be the tools of the gentry. The great public thoroughfares are neglected, and what is worse, when the ordinary contractors have their work completed there is great difficulty in having the work approved; but as for the improvements that affect the interests of the gentry there is no such obstacle."

"Really," said the stranger, "this is too bad."

"Oh, sir, I can tell you worse, but I would not wish it were told on me. Our landlord is a needy man, his debts amount to a large sum. Now, if he wants money, his custom is to subdivide the estate. He says it is in order to improve it, but the real object is to put money into his own pocket. He will take a few acres from the farm of the poor man and add them to the farm of the rich neighbour, receive £5 to the pound rent for this, and put the money in his pocket."

"Positively," said the stranger, "what you tell me is almost incredible. Do duty days prevail to any extent?"

"Well, sir," said the other, "they are claimed by most of the resident landlords, but duty-hens are discontinued. But, I'll tell you, sir, a thing that happened about them before they were done away with. One day Mr. Maxwell, the magistrate who lives over yonder, was walking with an English gentleman who came to visit him, in front of the hall door, and one of the tenants, James M'Daid, came up to them, took a hen from under his coat, and apologised for being so late by saying, he waited till she would lay, but he hoped she would be in time for the dinner."

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