Thomas Grant is in the 1666 Hearth Money Roll for the Parish of Toem. Evidence would suggest that this is the man dispossessed at Ballynabouly, who sold his transplanted land in 1656. There is no further mention of Grants at Toem, but the family which was Protestant at the time, probably moved 12 miles to Moyaliff. In 1734 they appear at Moyaliff in a deed in which Thomas and James Grant obtained the lease on land at Lisheen. Land Registry records show that James Grant leased 56 acres at Ballynira in 1744, and in 1759 James Grant leased Stradbally for £70 rent. The 1766 list of freeholders of Co Tipperary gives James Grant and John Grant, both of Ballynira. It should be noted that there were then under 1000 freeholders in Co Tipperary. In 1800 John Grant was given an extension of the lease of Ballynira for 99 years. John became the leaseholder in 1848 when Henry died, and the lease changed to the name of McCarthy in 1863 following James' death. The present house on the site is called Lisheen House. and was owned by the Quinn family in the 1990's
1766 Religous Census for Parish of Moyaliff has James Grant as the Protestant head of a household of 8 Protestants and 2 Catholics. He is the only Grant recored. This must be the James Grant at the top of the chart below
In 1829 several Drumbane and Moyaliff men appeared in court after the murder of Rev Going in Moyaliff. Rev John Going (b1766) was the incumbent of Moyaliff 1815 until he was shot dead near his Glebe on 23 October 1829 during the Tithe Troubles. Going was returning from the Sessions Court in Thurles and between 6pm and 7pm was shot through the heart near his home. His body fell off his horse, but the horse continued home, and his son found his father dad when he went to look for him. Apparently the Rev Going had been unwilling to compound tithes in his parish on terms offered by his parishioners. £300 was offered, but the tithes were worth £700. He wanted £400. 3 years later 2 men were put on trial, defended by R.L.Sheil (Repeal MP Tipperary, 1833-41) and acquitted.
The population of Moyaliff was 3513 in 1831,3372 in 1841. In 1834 there were 53 Protestants and 3028 Catholics. I believe that the Grants were Protestant on their arrival in Moyaliff. The turmoil of the period, perhaps the Whiteboys and anti Protestant feeling, probably caused three of the sons of Stephen of Drumbane to move to Shinrone (a more Protestant area then) about 1797. In 1763 Whiteboy unrest had caused the deer park wall of J McCarthy of Lisheen to be thrown down. And 1798 shows two pitched battles fought at Dundrum and Holycross. The family remaining at Moyaliff changed their religion to Catholic, perhaps with the marriage of Henry to Mary Gleeson in 1810 (the Catholic records run from 1829, they were certainly Catholic in 1830).
A John Grant of Moyaliff, Co Tipperary joined the DMP on 5 occasions (number 2230, 2443, 3924, 4837, 4847) It is certainly the same man, born 1814 in the records. I have no idea why this happened. It is unusual in DMP records. He is probably the John son of Henry Grant of Lisheeen on the tree below.
Moyaliffe House was owned by the Armstrong family
The 1837 Tithe Commission shows :-
1843 rate payers
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Moyaliff House 2006 |
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The 1850 Griffiths Valuation gives five Grant families in the immediate area of Moyaliff:-
| Moyaliff | 1 family | James Grant |
| Templebeg | 2 families | Patrick Grant & William |
| Glenkeen | 1 family | Mary Grant |
| Clogher | 1 family | Anne Grant |
In 1856 a Thomas Grant (b1832) of Drumbane son of James & Mary Grant (both dead) Cous = George WILLIAMS of Pitt St. Ship = Maitland. I have not fitted him on the chart below.
1858. Daniel and William Cormack from Tipperary were tried and found guilty
of the murder of John Ellis, a local land agent in February of 1858. Motivated
by growing unease at the convictions and executions, a petition was organized
for presentation to Parliament that requested the setting up of an inquiry into
the circumstances surrounding the conviction of the Cormack Brothers and into
the administration of criminal justice in Ireland generally. Among those signing
the petition was James Grant of Upperchurch, Michael Grant of Gortnahoe, Patrick
Grant of Hollyford and
William Grant of Upperchurch
The Fenian rising took place in. Gortkelly Castle was raided for arms, and Rosskeen Barracks were burnt. 41 men pleaded guilty of the armed outbreak at Drumbane. Of these 7 received 6 months in gaol, the rest were let off. The area was heavily policed by the RIC after this event.
In 1980 I found Dermot Grant running his own bar at Upperchurch. He was Catholic, and did not know much about the family. He did recall an incident when he thinks they were evicted from their cottage in the 19th century. This cottage was on the site of a newer house, called I believe Lisheen House, (built about 1900, and in 1996 owned by the Quinn family) The fact that James' children Maria, William and Henry all emigrated to the USA between 1863 and 1865 (Maria only being 8 then) shows that the death of their father certainly caused fairly major problems for the family.
The large scale map of Moyaliff House and Lisheen shows Lisheen is just south of Moyaliff
A family story (ref. Mrs Boyland ) tells of her grandmother Maria (see chart below, b 1855) recalling that as a child in Ireland, the family would start out for church together, but her parents would separate and go to different churches because her father, James (b.1817) was not a Catholic. It appears that Henry's wife (Mary Gleeson) was a Catholic by 1830, but Henry remained Protestant There are Grant gravestones in the Drumbane churchyard to Henry d.1848 and his wife Mary (nee Gleeson) and their son John. In the Roussoult churchyard the memorials are modern ones of Dermot's family. I found no Grant graves at Moyaliff.
Grange is a townland on the eastern side of Holycross parish, and adjoins Moyaliff parish. Gleenkeen is the parish centred on Burrisoleigh, and is within a few miles. The family's tree is:-
I came across a web article describing a Christopher Grant, son of Thomas and Ellen Grant of Clonoulty. Chris was born abt 1800 around Clonoulty and married Catherine Davoren born 1803 to Daniel Davoren and Ellenor Dwyer. Witnesses to Catherine's birth were Edmund Taylor and Judith English. Witnesses to Cath's sister,Betty Davoren's birth in 1805 were John Griffin and Catherine Dwyer. Later when Christopher Grant and Catherine Davoren were having their own progeny, witnesses to child Mary's birth at Clonross in 11 Sep 1836 were Philip Ryan and Mary Ryan.Witnesses to son,Daniel's birth at Clonross in 10 Aug 1839 were John Griffin and Ellen Dwyer. Online site TIPPEM shows this Grant family emigrating to Australia 25 Oct 1841 on the "Ayrshire" with their 3 children (James, Mary and Daniel) where they found work and settled in the Hunter Valley in NSW. There are a number of variants on the surname "Davoren" like "Davaren", "Daveron" or "Davenham". They worked at Phoenix Park near Morthpeth,East Maitland area,N,S.W. Christopher Grant died two years after arrival and three years later Catherine remarried Daniel Whelan.
And Tippem1 list of emigrants to Austraia shows James Grant emigrating on the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1841. He was aged 38, from Moyaliffe , son of John Grant and Johanna Maher. His father is listed as being dead. He is travelling with his wife Margaret (daughter of Pierce Dwyer and Ann Mockler, she is aged 36 and is record as "looks much older") and children James,14 and ? erce,13.