Lissanover

Geography

Lissanover is bounded on the north by Keenagh, Templeport and Munlough South townlands, on the west by Cor, Templeport, Cloneary and Gortnaleck townlands, on the south by Kilnavert townland and on the east by Killycluggin, Tonyhallagh and Cavanaquill townlands. Its chief geographical features are streams, quarries, gravel pits and a spring well. Lissanover is traversed by a public road, several rural lanes and the disused Cavan and Leitrim Railway. The townland covers 299 statute acres.

Etymology

The supposed derivation of the townland name The Fort of the Pride is given in a book published in 1875 The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places by Patrick Weston Joyce as follows-

Lissanover is the name of a place near the village of Bawnboy, in Cavan. The people there have a tradition that the castle was in former days held by a chieftain named Magauran, who was a merciless tyrant; and they tell that on one occasion he slew a priest on the altar for beginning Mass before he had arrived. This is believed to have given origin to the name Lios an Uabhair, the fort of pride.

A book published in 1912 entitled "Folk Tales of Breffny" by a Templeport author Mrs Augusta Wardell, née Hunt, under the pen name 'Bunda Hunt' gives another version of the tale in which a widow offers a traveler her last mug of milk (as her cow was ordered destroyed by a nearby king) and in return he blesses her with a cow which never ran dry.

History

The earliest surviving mention of the townland name is Lissenovir, which appears in a document dated 28 November 1584 in the Carew Manuscripts. It reads as follows-

Indenture, 28 November, 27 Eliz., between Sir John Perrott, Lord Deputy General of Ireland, and the Council, and Sir John O'Rely of the Cavan in co. Cavan, commonly called O'Rely's country. O'Rely covenants to surrender in the Court of Chancery all the said country and the towghe called Clamahon, now the barony of Rathknavyn; the towghe of Castellrayne, now the barony of Castellrayne; the towghe of Loghety, called the barony of Cavan; the towghe of Tullaghegarvy, called the barony of Tollevyn; the towghe of both the Clankyes, called the barony of Ineskeyne; the towghe of the two towghes, called the barony of Clonballykernan; and the towghe of Tallaghaa, called the barony of Lissenovir, in the county aforesaid, when he shall be thereto required by the Governor. The Lord Deputy and Council agree that O'Rely shall have in fee simple the said baronies of Cavan and Tollevin, with the seigniories, rents, &c. of the baronies of Clonballekyran and Lisnovir. All the freeholders and inheritors in the same shall hold their lands of him by knight service. He shall receive the moiety or halfeindle of the lands and goods of felons, the moiety of the forfeiture of recognizances, the whole goods and chattels of persons outlawed, and goods wayed and strayed. These articles shall be established by Parliament. O'Rely shall suffer his brethren to enjoy all their lands in co. Cavan; and they to yield and pay all duties and charges to him and his heirs. He shall permit all persons who shall have by grant or agreement from her Majesty any portion of the rest of co. Cavan, otherwise called the Brengorely, to enjoy the portions granted to them. He will yield yearly one chief horse and 90 fat beeves, and serve at all roads, hostings, &c. with 20 horsemen and 40 footmen, either shot, kerne, or galloglasse, for 40 days. Nothing herein shall prejudice any lands belonging to the Queen, or to any lord spiritual or temporal, in the said county. (The word 'towghe' above is an Anglicisation of the Irish "tuath")

The 1938 Dúchas Schools' Folklore Collection describes local legends about Lissanover Castle.

On 19 January 1586 Queen Elizabeth I granted a pardon to Edmund m'Brien m'Thomas Magawran, of Lysenower, for fighting against the Queen's forces. He was brother to three successive chiefs of the clan, Brian Óg Mág Samhradháin, Tomas Óg mac Brian Mág Samhradháin and Feidhlimidh Mág Samhradháin.

1641 Rebellion

In the Irish Rebellion of 1641 Eleanor Reynolds of Lissanore made a deposition about the rebellion in Lissanover as follows-

Ellenor Reinolds of Late of Lissanore in the County of Cauan widow aged 46 yeares or thereabouts duly sworne etc. saith that one Gillernoo mc Gowran of Kildoe Co. Cavan aforesaid, Hugh mc Manus oag mc Gowran of the same gent, Hugh oag mc Hugh mc Gowran with divers others to the number of about 300 hauing been in the night of the 24th of October 1641 at divers houses of the English inhabitants in the parish of Dromlane and robbed & stripped them of all their goods & wearing clothes they came the next morning to this deponents dwelling house and lands at Lissanore & then & there robbed & tooke away with them 71 Cowes, besides many yong Cattle, eleuen stoodd mares & other horses & Colts to the value of £200 & upwards & carryed them from the said land. The night following also there came to this deponents house Tirlogh o Reily a deputy sub sheriff to one Laughlin Bane, and Hugh mc Hugh mc Manus mc Gowran aforesaid Thomas mc Ooney mc Gowran, and Cormack mc Gowran of Munlogh uncle to the said Thomas Ooney mc Gowran and divers other Rebels to the number of three of or fower score, and there did abide drinking all night & often threatned to Murther this deponents husband and her father, which they often said they would doe & did attempt it but by fortune the Masse priest of the parish lodging there that night threatned them with Curses till they promised not to hurt them, but in the morning they plundered all the house & caried what was left by the former Rebells away with them. She further saith that the said Gillernooe did afterwards possesse himself of this deponents dwelling house & eleuen Reeks of hay, and a faire haggard full of Corne, as also her Corne in ground all worth at least £150 sterling and would not allow one peck of the said Corne to mainteine this deponent & her father, husband & family.

She further saith that about a full moneth after the first rising one Charles mc Gouran of Ballimackgouran, Co. Cavan aforesaid came to the priests house situate neer this deponents dwelling house & thence tooke away 2 of this deponents trunks full of fine linen wearing apparell & plate & other goods & writings of great concernment, & broke open the said Trunks & made vse of the goods therin, though he had formerly engaged not to medle with them but to keep them safe for this deponent: whereby this deponent lost aboue £100 sterling. This deponent further saith that the aforesaid Tirlogh Rely and Hugh mc Hugh mc Manus oag mc Gowran sent divers Rogues to haue murthered this deponents husband & her father, but having some intelligence thereof they conveyed themselves to the said priests house where they were kept & hid for 14 daies till opportunity served to convey them to the Castle of Croghan. 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. This deponent further saith that the said month of May 1642 she saw one Mr Richard Ash of Lissomean and one Loughlin bane mc Moister under sheriff of the County with divers other Rebels in armes & helping to besiege the Castle of Croghan. She further saith that the said Laughlin sent 2 or 3 Rogues about 3 daies before the first rising to this deponents said Land of Lissanore & thence they stolle a mare of this deponents & a 3 yeare old Colt worth £50; which Colt this deponent did see afterwards with the said Laughlin riding on him at the aforesaid tyme of besiedging of Croghan Castle, and that the said Mr Ash was riding on a white horse then with the said Laughlin as aforesaid. She further deposeth that about Midsomer 1642 the said Mr Ash did take from a Kinswoman of one ffrancis Sugden at Lissomean some parcells of plate by the way as the English were going towards Drogheda from Croghan Castle and Convoied by the said Ash with a great Company of Irish souldiers titherwards which was Contrary to the Conditions of quarter at the said Castle of Croghan agreed upon. And further she this Examinate deposeth not the marke [mark] of Ellenor Reinolds.

Landowners since 1700

A deed dated 18 June 1724 includes William Blachford and Farrell McKeirnan, both of Lissnover & Lisnover.

A deed dated 10 May 1744 spells the name as Lisnover.

In the Templeport Poll Book of 1761 there was one person registered to vote in Lissanover in the 1761 Irish general election - Thomas Blashford who lived in Ballymagauran but who also had a freehold in Lissanover. He was entitled to two votes. The four election candidates were Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont and Lord Newtownbutler (later Brinsley Butler, 2nd Earl of Lanesborough), both of whom were then elected Member of Parliament for Cavan County. The losing candidates were George Montgomery (MP) of Ballyconnell and Barry Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham. Blashford voted for Newtownbutler and Coote. Absence from the poll book either meant a resident did not vote or more likely was not a freeholder entitled to vote, which would mean most of the inhabitants of Lissanover.

In the Fermanagh Poll of Electors 1788 there was one Lissanover resident, Robert Hume, who was entitled to vote as he owned land in Lisnaknock townland in Galloon parish.

The 1790 Cavan Carvaghs list spells the name as Lissonover.

In the 1825 Registry of Freeholders for County Cavan there was one freeholder registered in Lissanover- William Blashford. He had no landlord as he owned the fee simple himself. His holding was valued at upwards of £50.[2] Archived 15 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine

The Tithe Applotment Books for 1826 list four tithepayers in the townland.

In 1833 one person in Lissanover was registered as a keeper of weapons- John Roycroft.

The Ordnance survey Namebooks for 1836 state- There is a gentleman's seat near the centre of the townland with a large orchard garden...it was formerly a place of great repute and the family seat of the Magaurans.

Census

In the 1901 census of Ireland, there are five families listed in the townland.

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

Antiquities

The ruined castle of Lissanover.

An earthen ringfort.

An Iron Age Ring-Barrow or Tumulus.

A Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age Stone circle

A Bronze Age Stone row

A Bronze Age Stone row

An Early Bronze Age gold lunula was found in Lissanover in 1909 and is now in the National Museum of Ireland.[3]

Three stone axes were found in the townland

Lissanover National School. 1862: Eliza Smyth was the headmistress, a Protestant. There were 65 pupils, all Church of Ireland apart from 8 who were Roman Catholic. The Church of England Scriptures, Catechism and Sacred Poetry was taught to the Protestant pupils on weekdays from 2:30pm to 3:30pm and on Saturdays from 12:30 to 1:30pm.