References

New Zealand

I am having a lot of trouble finding information on my ancestors the Mortons from Boyle/Arcarne, Roscommon and would appreciate some assistance as I live in Sydney, Australia. I visited Boyle a few weeks back and I have also had a report completed by "County Roscommon Heritage and Genealogy CXompany" but with little new information.

What I have to date is as follows:

Edward Morton (B: 1833 in or near Boyle) son of Felix and Mary Morton. Edward joined the Irish Revenue Police in 1852 in Boyle before resiging in 1855 (he replaced Thomas Cathcart in Revenue party 55 on Thursday 26 May 1852 was deemed to be a first class private on 23 May 1853 and he relinquished his service on 9th October 1855.) and emigrating to Melbourne, Australia on the "Schomberg" joining the victorian police force.

Tithe Applotment Books 1834 have Felix Morton on the land at Cloontikilly [possibly now Cloontikilla], Ardcarne, Roscommon.  The Irish Reproductive Loan Fund have Philix Morton as guarantor No 2 of a loan, at Errirona, Roscommon in 1846.  Then Felix Moreton applies for an Irish Poverty Relief Loan at Errironagh, Ardcarne in 1847.  In 1853 Phelix Morton is a defendant at a Petty Court Session at Cootehall, address and occupation given as yeoman of Errerona, Ardcarn.  Found guilty of having a pig wandering a public road!!  various spellings of names and places evident.  The family appear to have been tenanted farmers at Lord Lorton's Estate during the famine years.

Additional Information
Date of Birth 1st Jan 1833
Date of Death 11th Oct 1891

Comments

  • Welcome to IrelandXO Roscommon Community!

    ~ Were Felix & Mary were Church of Ireland or Roman Catholic? ~ 

    SURNAME

    Moreton/ Morton was not terribly common in these parts. Click here for a handy map of parishes where Morton clusters appeared on record after 1857. 

    See William Morton Esq. and Godfrey Morton (1830-1911) of Fairview Croghan; George D Morton of Ardkeenagh (1824-1875). The Mortons were most numerous around Strokestown, see Thomas Morton Esq. of Castlenode (1799-1848);  John Morton Esq. of Castlenode (1837);   where there were also Catholic Mortons. 

    In 1862,  James Morton of Cloonybryan (Ardcarn) was among the cess-payers selected for the Grand-Jury of Boyle. Since 1859, he was residing at farm 1a which in 1857 had been occupied by William Patterson. James Morton Esq. of Carrick-on-Shannon (son of John Morton Esq) married Agnes Backhouse of Springfield in 1858 (Tumna Church of Ireland). 

    FIRST NAME

    Felix, if Catholic, was actually Christened Feilim / Phelim (Feidhlim) and may even appear on record as Phillip. 

    FELIX MORTON

    Errironagh is a townland just southeast of the village of Knockvicar on the eastern border of what was Lorton's Rockingham Demesne (see Errironagh Gate Lodge) and also the Oakport Demesne. It will sometimes turn up on record as Errona / Errerona / Erroronagh /Erronagh / Erreronagh / Errironagh / Eire róna / Eire rónach / Oronagh / Oreronagh / Orrbronagh ... so your records for 1846, 1847 and 1853 are all referring to Errironagh (map). 

    Can you post the link to Felix Moreton's Tithe Applotment Record? (The only townlands with the prefix "Cloon-" in the civil parish of Ardcarn are: ClooncrufferCloongreaghan /  and Cloonybrien).  

    The middleman subletting to so many small tenants in that townland was Charles J. Peyton Esq. of Knockvicar (1790-1866) a gentleman grazier.

    Errironagh in 1857, has no record of any Morton Griffith's Valuation....  however, if he was a "herd" or "yeoman" for Peyton, he could well have been residing at the house [GV4a Errironagh] where Charles Peyton (named as the occupant) was most certainly not.  Charles John Peyton Esq, whose "seat" was at Knockvicar (which he gave to the Guardians to house the poor during the famine) was residing in Corrigard in 1851 and died there in 1866 (his residence would have matched the calibre of Grevisk House). Peyton would have had a yeoman in there overseeing all of the labourers on his substantial grazing farm at Errironagh. "Yeomen" specialised in the fattening of cattle (i.e. grazing) as opposed to tillage or farm labouring, and generally had a fair bit of land under their management.  

    The animals wandering on the road was a fairly common offence in those days ... the fencing of farms wasn't the best and wandering animals were put into the village pound until paid for.

    EDWARD MORTON

    Now... there was an Army Private Edward Morton of the Leitrim Rifles, who was sentenced to 3 months hard labour in late 1855 for assault and robbery of a watch from a prisoner of the 65th Regiment at Naas [Limerick Chronicle - Wednesday 09 January 1856].

    Perfect timing ... but not a Revenue policeman! In the period 1832 to 1857, some 4,000 men served in the Irish Revenue Police, working to suppress illicit distillation.

    Are you aware of this book:  Four Courts Press | The Irish Revenue Police ?   In this book, Jim Herlihy shows how to find information on them, providing an excellent resource for those interested in the history of the force, and of the period.

     

     

    Rua, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘︎

    Friday 19th October 2018 04:11PM
  • I believe they were Roman Catholic.

    I have been in contact with Jim Herlihy after purchasing his recently published (2018) IRP book which accidently omitted my Edward Morton. Ji has copies of his service records and will upadte his list.

    I will separately send a copy of the recent report I commissioned containing copies of records.

    DJMOz

    Saturday 20th October 2018 06:50AM

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