Part III. History of the County of Clare
Chapter 21. Catholic Confederation

Census taken by Sir William Petty in 1659; names of the principal householders

A census of the county was taken in 1659 by Sir William Petty. It gives a melancholy proof of the ruin and devastation wrought upon the country by the recent wars. The whole population of Clare was found to consist of 16,474 Irish Catholics, and 440 English Protestants. Petty furnishes the names and numbers of the principal Irish families in the several baronies. He also enumerates the townlands, with the population of each, distinguishing the members of the two races, and specifying by name, the principal occupier, and where a townland was wholly farmed by the same person, giving to him the Spanish title of “Titulado.” We reproduce here his account of the names and number of the several Irish families in various baronies:—

Bunratty, Upper and Lower.—
Hogan, 22; Hassett, 11; Halloran, 36; Hickey, 25; Hartigan, 9; Haneen, 9; McInerney, 29; McJames, 11; McLoghlen, 19; McMurrogh, 13; Murphy, 11; Meehan, 9; Moloney, 47; McMahon, 27; Mahony, 7; Mulloon, McMurtagh, McNamara, 124; Kennedy, 14; Kelly, 9; Neylan, 8; O’Neill, 9; Nihill, 12; Power, 12; Qualey, 9; Roche, 7; McRory, 21; Ruddane, 9; Roughan, 12; Ryan, 10; Slattery, 10; Sexton, 11; Stritch, 7; McThomas, 10; McWilliam, 8; Walsh, 8; White, 16.

Tulla, Upper and Lower.—
Arthur, 7; O’Brien, 37; Brody, 10; Butler, 25; Bourke, 24; Barry, 18; Carmody, 8; O’Connor, 24; Comane, &c., 11; Cusack, 21; O’Connell, 7; McCarthy, 16; Cunigane, 8; O’Callaghan, 19; Callinan, 8; Creagh, 6; Cullen, 9; Clancy, 8; O’Carrol, Cooney, 9; McDonogh, 22; McDermot, 7; McDwyre, 36; Daly, 9; Doogan, 9; Fox, 6; Feolane, 8; FitzGerald, 10; Gleeson, 10; O’Grady, 11; O’Halloran, 30; O’Hea, 20; Hehir, 7; Harold, 7; Hart, 6; Hogan, 25; Hennessy, 6; Hickey, 27; Heffernan, 8; Healy, 15; Kelly, 10; Keogh, 12; McLoghlen, 12; Lynch, 7; Molony, 80; Murphy, 15; McMahon, 12; McNamara, 168; Mahony, 12; Magrath, 9; Moynihan, 10; Maher, 7; Neylan, 8; O’Neill, 6; Nash, 8; Prendergast, 17; Power, 11; Stacpoole, 7; Sullivan, &c., 21; Sweeney, 11; MacWilliam, 14; White, 7; Walsh, 5; Wall, 7.

Inchiquin.—
O’Brien, 23; Bourke, 11; Cullinan, 13; O’Connor, 13; Connellan, 14; McCarthy, 6; O’Donoghue, 5; McDonogh, 9; M‘Donnell, &c., 13; O’Dea, 11; McEncroe, 9; Griffy, 21; FitzGerald, 10; Hennessy, 8; Hynes, 7; Hogan, 13; Hehir, 12; Howard, (O’Huir, 7); FitzMaurice, 9; Neylan, 15; MacOwen, 10; Quin, 10; Ryan, 10; Roche, 6; Rowe, 7; McShane, 7; O’Sheahan, 8; McTeige, 13; White, 7.

Islands.—
Boland, 7; Bourke, 9; O’Connell, 7; Corbane, 5; O’Connor, 17; Considine, 12; Clancy, 6; McDonnell, 16; Daly, 14; O’Gorman, 9; O’Griffy, 7; FitzGerald, 8; O’Hea, 7; Halloran, 7; O’Hehir, 14; O’Hally, 12; Hogan, 6; McIncargy, 9; McMahon, 19; O’Meolane, 7; Moloney, 8; Meehan, 7; Neylan, 9; Sexton, 8; Slattery, 11; Sullivan, 6; McTeige, 15; Walsh, 10.

Clonderalaw.—
O’Brien, 7; Bourke, 7; Culligan, 8; Callaghan, 7; Carthy, 8; McDonnell, 10; McDermot, 6; McEdmond, 6; FitzGerald, 16; O’Griffy, 5; Kelly, 9; McMahon, 17; McMurrogh, 6; Oge, 6; McShane, 12; McSweeney, 5.

Corcomroe.—
O’Brien, 11; Boy, 7; Cahill, 8; Cusack, 7; O’Connor, 24; McCarthy, 8; Clancy, 5; McDonogh, 9; McDonnell, 7; McDermot, 5; FitzGerald, 5; Hogan, 9; Hanrahan, 6; McIncarrigga, 6; Liddy, 6; McMahon, 9; Murphy, 5; Sullivan, 12; McTeige, 13.

Moyarta.—
Cahane, O’Connor, 14; McDonnell, 6; O’Dea, 7; FitzGerald, 8; O’Gormon, 6; Hurley, 8; Lynch, 5; Lyne, 7; Molony, 6; McMahon, 21; FitzMaurice, 10; Madigan, 5; Kelly, 12; Sullivan, 7; Scanlan, 11; McShane, 10; McTeige, 6.

Burren.—
O’Brien, 7; O’Connor, 5; McCarthy, 5; McDonogh, 16; Daly, 10; Davoren, 13; McDermot, 6; McFineen, 6; O’Hea, 6; Hynes, 5; O’Loghlen, 22; McShane, 6; McTeige, 8.

Ibrickan.—
Creagh, 6; Clancy, 10; McCarthy, 9; O’Connor, 11; Casey, 5; Clovane, 5; Hiernane, 8; Hickey, 5; Lyne, 7; McMahon, 8; Moriarty, 8; Moloney, 7; McNamara, 11; Shea, 5; Sullivan, 4; McTeige, 4.

It is obvious that in the foregoing list the names of several families are wrongly given. The census was taken, apparently by those who had been employed by Sir William Petty to make the Down Survey of the county, and as that was their primary duty, the business of taking an account of the people was only a subsidiary part of their work. Hence, we find inaccuracies both of names and numbers abounding in it. The aggregate, too, as given for the various baronies and for the whole county is extremely doubtful. Still, it may be regarded as an approximation, and it shows most eloquently the extent of the destruction of life brought upon the land by the wars between the foreign plunderers and the native population. It was made for Petty’s own use, and his copy of it was accidentally discovered, a few years ago, amongst his papers, in the collection of his descendant, the Marquis of Lansdowne. ^[12]