Week 1 2024: “Family Lore” #52Ancestors

The Cormicks of County Mayo[1]

In researching my husband’s McCormick line, I have taken a path most genealogists would not recommend; that is, I have started back in time and moved forward. [2] This is Part I of that journey.

The origin story of the Cormicks in Mayo, handed down for who knows how long, was likely first recorded by John A. O’Donovan in his letter of June 29, 1838, to Lieutenant Thomas A. Larcom, Superintendent of the Ordnance Survey.

A bit of background: in the early 1820’s to facilitate a more effective system of taxation, the English parliament ordered a country-wide valuation of all property in Ireland. As English military engineers mapped and set administrative boundaries, John O’Donovan (historian and Irish language scholar) led a companion project to collect information describing the surveyors’ experiences as well as accounts of local history, topography, living conditions, genealogies, impressions of the local people etc. [3] These letters are a fascinating and unique look into everyday life in Ireland before the famine.

O’Donovan recited in his letter to Larcom that a “considerable portion of the territory of Errus [the half-barony of Erris] was purchased in the reign of James I by Dermot or Darby Cormick, a Munster lawyer” from Feale, County Limerick.[4] O’Donovan identified his informant as Charley Cormick, a sixty-five-year-old inhabitant. Charlie also provided O’Donovan with the lineage of two of Dermot’s sons.

Another bit of background for those not familiar with Irish land divisions: the island is divided into four provinces (Ulster, Connacht, Leinster, and Munster). Each province is made up of counties which are further divided into civil parishes (different from ecclesiastical parishes) which are further divided into townlands. To make things even more confusing, the nation was also divided into baronies, which could span parts of civil parishes and counties.[5]

According to the book on Irish pedigrees, the Cormick (or Cormac/Cormack) family did indeed originate in the province of Munster (where County Limerick is located).[6] But try as I might, I cannot find any reference to a Dermot/Darby, beyond O’Donovan’s account and those obviously citing him. I have come to believe these must have been nicknames because, while the names Charley gave don’t check out, the important parts of Charley’s story do.

On November 8, 1606, James I appointed a Michael Cormick to the position of “Clerk of the Market” throughout the province of Connacht and County Clare.[7] According to Black’s Law Dictionary, “the clerk of the market” was a quasi-judicial officer with the power to “settle controversies arising in the market between persons dealing there.”[8] A clerk so appointed could demand testimony under oath of the parties and order them to pay reasonable fines. He even had the power to commit defendants until their fines were paid to the crown. [9] While not conclusive that they were the same person, this bolsters the story told by Charley that his first Mayo ancestor was a lawyer. I also found reference to a Michael Cormick acting as a deputy in an inquisition in Cong (County Mayo) in August of 1605 and while this somewhat before the date of the document appointing him Clerk, it seems probable that this was the same person.[10]

As told by Charley, Dermot/Darby/Michael’s family tree included (at least) two sons: Michael and Richard. As luck would have it, a comprehensive study of Richard’s family was published by family historian Bill Barret three years ago.[11] As (my) luck would have it, my husband’s McCormicks were not from Richard’s line. The other line (per Charley) was Michael to Michael to Thomas to Patrick to Charley.[12] The odds were that I’d find my husband’s ancestors somewhere along this line.

Most of the histories I’ve read state that Sir John Kinge of Dublin was granted properties for his service to James I and that he sold some of his Mayo lands to a Dermot Cormick.[13] Much to my amazement, the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland has a digital copy of Kinge’s grant online. Eighteen pages long, it starts “In consideration of his good, true, & Faithful service performed” Kinge was granted the land “In Fee Farm for Ever.”[14] On page twelve of the grant is the following: “Mr. Kinge, by indenture made 9. June 1606 for a certain competent Sum of Money sold the Lands & Premisses [sic] thus x marked to Michael Cormick of Innyshmayne, Co. Mayo, Gent, his heirs & Assignes [sic] for Ever, paying to the Crown several Rents, amounting in ye whole to 6. 3. 7t, Irish.” There are twenty-three x-marks including “The Moiety [i.e. half] of ye ruinous Castle of Enver alias Enveran & a Qr. of Land adjoining.” Enver (aka Inver) would be the townland Michael was thence-forth associated with.

On 19 May 1618, another grant to Michael Cormick “of Inver, Co. Mayo,” was recorded encompassing twenty-one townlands, including the whole of Inver, its castle, town and lands. Michael was also “created the Manor of Inver, with power to hold Courts, Lett and Baron; to enjoy all Waifes & Strayes.”[15] It is unclear to me (and other researchers) whether this was a new grant or merely confirmation of that made in 1606.

About sixteen years later (1635-37) after the Strafford Survey of Mayo was conducted, Michael Cormick continued to be a large landholder Erris.[16] I found it a bit confusing to parse out which townlands he then owned then compared to the previous grants and suspect my inability to properly track the property is due to inconsistent spelling of the names of the townlands.

The next momentous event that impacted Michael Cormick was the Eleven Years’ War (1641-1653). This was not “one” war, but rather a series of civil wars in Ireland, Scotland, and England then ruled by Charles I.[17] After Charles I was executed in 1649, a new English Republic as formed with its focus to regain control over Ireland.[18] Oliver Cromwell was appointed “Lord Protector” in 1653 and his charge was nothing less than total victory over the Irish Catholics. Under his leadership, the English government attempted to completely destroy the Catholic landowning class, both as a form of punishment and to pay for the army needed to accomplish this.[19]

With the goal of confiscating Catholic lands, the English authorities first needed to determine who owned what land. The “infamous” Cromewllian land surveys followed: the “Civil Survey” and the “Down Survey,” tabulated in the “Books of Survey and Distribution.” In addition, the 1641 Depostions (witness testimonies mainly by Protestants) povided infomation regarding land ownership. Trinity College Dublin’s very cool website on the Downs Survey shows that Michael owned all or portions of seventy-four townships in 1641 and sixty-nine in 1670, encompassing much of the Kilmore Parish in half-barony of Erris.[20] The Books of Survey and Distribution are online and confirm Michael’s extensive holdings in County Mayo.[21]

While I haven’t (yet) located any documents regarding Michael’s religion, the Trinity College website identified him as Catholic. Therefore, it was not surprising to find that all of Michael’s lands in Mayo were confiscated by Charles II.[22] Charles II apparently gave them to Robert Viner, a London goldsmith to whom Charles II owed money and Viner sold the lands to Sir James Shaen, Surveyor-General of Ireland in 1675.[23]

While confiscation of Cormick lands in 1675 apparently put an end to their land ownership in Mayo, it did not drive them out of Ireland and it appears they played a significant part in the Jacobite Rebellion fifteen years later. [24] Thanks to the diligent work of other Irish researchers, records show that a Captain Michael Cormick, of Inver, and a John Cormick, of Inver (“son of Francis”) were listed as persons outlawed after the war for treason.[25] The Westport Estate Papers, which extensively note the involvement of Colonel John Browne in the Jacobite Rebellion, also frequently mention Captain Michael Cormick, of Inver, and his son Captain Francis Cormick.[26] As Charley told John O’Donovan, this Michael “embraced exile with his lawful monarch James II.”[27]

O’Donovan didn’t recite anything Charley may have mentioned about Michael’s son Francis. Likely because, during the War, Francis apparently failed to march his army to Limerick in support of James II and a warrant for his arrest was issued by Robert Feilding, colonel of the Royal Irish Army.[28] Records published later reflect that Francis (and wife Ellen Burke) had their lands restored to them (proving he was a turn-coat?).[29]

I want to pause a moment to reflect on the fact that three generations of Cormicks were involved in the Jacobite Rebellion (a/k/a Williamite War) of 1689-1691 and what it might tell us about their ages. If we suppose that John was about twenty years old in 1690, then Francis was possibly in his forties at the time and Michael in his sixties. If this Michael was born in/around 1630 (keeping Charley’s family tree in mind), he was probably the grandson of the original Dermot/Darby/Michael.

Although their original lands were confiscated, it appears that the Cormicks weren’t ready to give up. Sometime before 1704, Captain Michael Cormick purchased land in Erris from Colonel John Browne.[30] I’ve not found this deed, but I think its terms were reiterated in 1708 memorial between Francis Cormick and Charles Morgan (a Quarter (about 120 Irish acres) of “Kilteny” in Erris).[31] This memorial identified Francis (now from Newtown) as the eldest son and heir of Michael Cormick of Inver (indicating that Michael was deceased by 1708). The records of this era also show that in 1680, Michael’s daughter Anstace married Austin Browne (of the Westport Estate Brownes).[32]

So where does that put us vis-a-vis a Cormick family tree thus far? My best guess (based on Charley’s family tree and my research - sorry about the clunky way this is displayed):

Dermot/Darby/Michael Cormick

↓ ↓

Michael Richard [33]

↓

Michael (the Jacobite)

↓ ↓ ↓

Francis-Ellen Burke Thomas Anstace-Austin Browne

↓ ↓

John Patrick

↓ ↓

To be continued… Charley

____________________________

[1] I didn’t intend to take such a break from posting, but perhaps you’ll forgive me when you see why.

[2] Spelling of the name is irrelevant, so you might see Cormick, Cormack, Cormac, Cormucke, etc. The “Mc” or “Mac” typically meant “son of.” Neil Burdess, “A dozen things you might not know about Irish Names,” The Irish Times, 25 October 2016 (https://www.thejourneyhomegenealogy.com/historic-land-measurements-in-ireland/#:~:text=Great%20Acre%3A%20A%20measure%20equal,about%2050%20or%2060%20acres : accessed 3 January 2024). I’m going to use Cormick generally. If the name is in quotation marks, I am citing from the document in questions.

[3] Letters relating to the Antiquities of the County of Mayo: Containing information collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838, Vol. 1, John A. O’Donovan letter to Lieut. Thomas A. Larcom, 29 June 1838, pp. 366-401; digital image, Ask about Ireland (https://www.askaboutireland.ie/aai-files/assets/ebooks/OSI-Letters/MAYO%20VOL%201_14%20D%2027.pdf : accessed 21 December 2023).

[4] O’Donovan letter to Larcom, 386.

[5] “Irish land divisions,” Irish Genealogy Toolkit (https://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/Irish-land-divisions.html : accessed 31 December 2023).

[6] John O’Hart, Irish Pedigrees; or, The Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation, Vol. 1 (New York: P. Murphy & Son, 1915),83 ; digital image, Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/irishpedigreesor011915ohar/page/84/mode/2up : accessed 21 December 2023).

[7] Ireland, High Court of Chancery, Rolls Office, ed. Erck, J. Caillard, A repertory of the inrolments on the Patent Rolls of Chancery, in Ireland: commencing with the reign of King James I, (Dublin: James M'Glashan, ), 297; digital image, HathiTrust (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.50207088&seq=347 : accessed 21 December 2023).

[8] Henry Campbell Black, Black's Law Dictionary, 4th ed. (St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Co., 1951), 320, “clerk of the market.”

[9] Ireland, High Court of Chancery, A repertory of the inrolments, 295.

[10] This reference to Michael Cormick is from "The Westport Estate Papers,” a vast collection of records relating to the largest estate in county Mayo (owned by the Browne family, the Earls of Alamont and Marquesses of Sligo. Held by the National Library of Ireland these 350 boxes of materials span the 16th to the 20th centuries. Brigid Clesham and Wesley Geddis, compilers, “Collection List No. 78, Westport Estate Papers, National Library of Ireland (https://www.nli.ie/sites/default/files/2022-12/078_westportcollection.pdf : accessed 21 December 2023), 90. These papers are not available outside of Ireland, so I have to rely on the synopsis provided by the compilers.

[11] Bill Barrett, “Tracing the Cormick Family in County Mayo through Irish Deeds: 1700-1840,” The Times of Their Lives: Family history research and writings (https://thetimesoftheirlives.blogspot.com/2021/01/tracing-cormick-family-in-county-mayo.html : accessed 15 December 2023).

[12] O’Donovan letter to Larcom, 387.

[13] Wikipedia, “John King (died 1637),” rev. 08:58, 28 December 2023). When he died, he owned land in twenty-one of Ireland’s thirty-two counties. Since spelling is irrelevant, I will forgive Wikipedia for the lack of an “e” in Kinge’s name.

[14] “Grant to John Kinge of land in several counties,” Reference Code - NAI Lodge/2/121, Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-Lodge-2-121 : accessed 21 December 202103). Much of the grant to Kinge was of lands from men “slain in Reb.” Likely meaning men who were killed in the Nine Years’ War, also called Tyrone’s Rebellion which took place from 1593 to 1603 between a confederation of Irish lords and the English forces. Wikipedia, “Nine Years’ War (Ireland), rev. 19:36, 16 November 2023.

[15] “Grant to Michael Cormick of land in Mayo,” Reference Code NAI Lodge/4/37, Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-Lodge-4-37 : accessed 31 December 2023).

[16] William O’Sullivan, ed., The Strafford Inquisition of County Mayo (Dublin: Stationary Office for the Irish Manuscripts Commission, 1958) 43, 76-77, 153, 184; digital image, Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/IMC-1958-Strafford : accessed 31 December 2023). Thomas Langan, “The Survey of Mayo, Inquisition 1635-1637,” Family History in North County Mayo, Ireland (http://goldenlangan.com/surveyofmayo.html : accessed 31 December 2023).

[17] Wikipedia, “Irish Confederate Wars,” rev. 16:55, 20 December 2023.

[18] David Brown and Micheál Ó Siochrú, “Gold Seam: Cromwellian Surveys: Delving Deeper,” Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (https://virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/cromwellian-surveys/delving-deeper : accessed 1 January 2024).

[19] Ibid.

[20] “The Down Survey of Ireland,” Trinity College Dublin (https://downsurvey.tchpc.tcd.ie/history.html : accessed 31 January 2024).

[21] “Books of Survey and Distribution: County Mayo: Erris ½ Barony,” p. 292-295; digital image, Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, Reference Code NAI QRO 1/1/3/18/8/2 (https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-QRO-1-1-3-18 : accessed 31 December 2023).

[22] After Cromwell and the English Commonwealth, the English monarchy was restored in 1660 under Charles II, eldest surviving son of Charles I. Wikipedia, Charles II of England, rev. 21:36, 3 January 2024.

[23] J. G. Simms, “Mayo Landowners in the Seventeenth Century,” The Journal of the Royals Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Vol. 95 (1965), 243; digital image, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/stable/25509593 : accessed 21 December 2023. These lands passed to James’ son Sir Arthur Shaen and then to his daughters, Frances and Susanna who married, respectively, John Bingham and Henry Boyle Carter. Thomas Johnson Westropp, M.A“Promontory Forts and Early Remains, Co. Mayo, Part 2. – The Mullet” The Journal of the Royals Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, (1912)94; digital image, Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/journalofroyalso42roya/page/192/mode/2up?view=theater : accessed 21 December 2023)

[24] “Catholic King James II fought Protestant William of Orange for the British crown. Although neither was Irish, the existence of a large body of Catholic support in Ireland caused James II to fight his war in Ireland.” James G. Ryan, “Chapter 5 Catholic Church Records,” Irish Church Records (Dublin: Flyleaf Press, 2001), 110.

[25] J.G. Simms, “Irish Jacobites,” Analecta Hibernica, No. 22 (1960), 81; digital image, JSTOR (https://jstor.org/stable/25511880 : accessed 21 December 2023). Ibid, 109. Captain Michaell Cormuck of “Irrish” (i.e., Erris) in County Mayo, is listed as having had his claim for admission under the Articles of Limerick heard on 16 July 1698. It will be a follow-up project for me to determine the outcome of this hearing.

[26] “Westport Estate Papers,” 155, 160, 161, 162, 178, 200.

[27] John A. O’Donovan letter, 387.

[28] “Westport Estate Papers,” 157. There is a lot more to be researched about the Jacobites. Maybe next year.

[29] W. H. Hardinge, “A Concluding Memoir on Manuscript Mapped and Other Townland Surveys in Ireland, from 1688 to 1864, The Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol. 24 (1873), pp. 265-315, specifically, Appendix B showing lands restored to “Innocent Proprietors,” p. 301; digital image, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/stable/30079260 : accessed 21 December 2023).

[30] “Westport Estate Papers,” 222.

[31] Ireland, Registry of Deeds, “Transcripts of memorials of deed, conveyances and wills, 1708-1929,” Volume 1 (1708), Morgan to Cormick, No. 220, p. 364-367; digital image, FamilySearch, FHL microfilm, 7905552, images 204-205 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSHX-X912-B?cat=185720 : accessed 3 January 2024). A “Quarter” is four “Cartrons” which is about thirty Irish acres in Connacht. Dwight, “Historic Land Measurements in Ireland,” Journey Home Genealogy (https://www.thejourneyhomegenealogy.com/historic-land-measurements-in-ireland/#:~:text=Great%20Acre%3A%20A%20measure%20equal,about%2050%20or%2060%20acres. : accessed 3 January 2024).

[32] “Westport Estate Papers,” 127.

[33] Barrett, “Tracing the Cormick Family in County Mayo.”