According to the Griffith’s Printed Valuation of 1860 there were seven inhabited houses in the cluster of dwellings which made up Ligg clachan. Three families of Magill, two families of McCafferty (spelt McCaherty), a family of Burney and a family of Boorman. One of the McCaffertys also had a herd’s house up the mountain which would have been used during the summer when the cattle were sent to graze there. All families, except Boorman, held individual plots of land within the clachan and shared mountain land. By 1901 the number of inhabited houses in the clachan had fallen to four and one unoccupied house was recorded. Burney and Boorman had gone but there was still a family of McCafferty and a family of Magill (spelt McGill) and two new families – Bell and McAllister. The account below will help to explain how and when these changes took place.
The Magills
Griffith’s listed a Charles Magill in 1860 living in the house within 8E on the Griffith’s map, a Daniel Magill living in the house marked 11B on this map and a James Magill living in the house marked 12C on this map. The 12C house is number 6 on the modern-day sketch map and photo 6 in the gallery of photographs.
In 1901 there was only one Magill family living in the clachan. This was a James McGill, aged 52, living with his wife, Catherine, aged 46, their sons – Dan (18), William (12), Bernard (10), and Patrick (8), and their daughters – Mary (16), Ellon (14), Jane (6) plus another daughter, aged 4, whose christian name is illegible.
This James Magill was living in the house shown in photo 6 (12C on the Griffith’s map). James continued to live in this house until he died in the 1920s. Eventually the farm was sold, by his sisters, to the McAllisters who, in the end, took over virtually all of the farms in Ligg.
The 1901 James Magill was not the same James Magill who had been living there in 1860. We know this because the census tells us that the James who occupied the house in 1901 was aged 52 which means that he would have been about 10 or 11 in 1860. Local sources tell us that this 1901 James was the son of Charles Magill who occupied the house within 8E on the Griffith’s map.
Charles Magill’s house was further up the slope behind the house shown in photo 6. Charles’s house is now in ruins and overgrown with vegetation. We know that Charles died in 1882. We also think that the 1860 James Magill emigrated to Scotland where he had a family. We also think that he returned to Ligg in his latter years and died there in 1895.
Daniel Magill, who may have been related to Charles, lived in a house (no. 11B in Griffith’s). This house, which is now in ruins and barely visible, lay immediately to the left of Charles’s house. Daniel died some time during the 1880s. His house and holding was taken over in 1886 by a Hugh Magill, son of Charles Magill of 8 and brother of James Junior of 12C. We know that this Hugh lived in the adjoining townland of Loughdoo. He was not listed in either the 1901 or 1911 Census returns for Mullaghsandall.
Local sources tell us that Hugh’s son, Edward (Ned), inherited the farm. Ned emigrated to America in 1907 and by 1929 the holding and house was in the possession of a John McAuley. McAuley still held it in 1935 but by 1938 it was in the hands of the McAllisters.
The McCaffertys
Griffith’s listed a John McCafferty (spelt McCaherty) in 1860 living in the house marked 7E on the map and a William McCafferty (spelt McCaherty) living in house 10D on the map. William also had a herd’s house up the mountain in the plot of land marked 15 on the Griffith’s map. House 10D is shown in photos nos. 4 and 5. House no. 7E in Griffith’s is no longer standing and was somewhere near the building shown in photo no. 7.
By 1901 there was only one McCafferty family living in the clachan. This was Eliza McCafferty, aged 67, a widow, living with her unmarried son, Felix, aged 32 and her two grandsons John Purdie, aged 20 who was a farm servant and his brother Hugh, aged 14 and also a farm servant. This family lived in the house which was near to the building shown in photo no. 7.
Eliza was the widow of John McCafferty. John had died around 1897. John & Elizabeth (nee Gilmore) had 12 children of whom 8 were still alive in 1911. Clearly most had moved on by 1901. Felix took over the farm in 1908. By 1935 a Charles McAleese was in possession of this holding. By 1944 the holding had been taken over by the McAllisters. However, Felix was still listed as having a share in mountain land until 1949 when it was taken over by William McAllister.
William McCafferty had gone by 1901 and his property was then in the hands of a William McAllister – see below.
Burney and Boorman
By 1901 John Burney and John Boorman had gone. Burney’s demise was not recorded in the Griffith’s revisions, but he had certainly gone by 1901. Boorman was a cottier and only held a house and small garden (10Fa in Griffith’s but not visible on the map). It was probably one of the buildings shown in photos nos. 1, 2 and 3. He held his house and garden from William McCafferty. His son Richard married Jane McFall from Cruck and went to live in her house. John Boorman’s name was stroked out in the Griffith’s Revisions by 1872 suggesting that he was dead by that time.
Newcomers listed in 1901 Census Returns
William McAllister, aged 50 living with his wife Rose, aged 45 and his sons Henry (24), William (18) and Daniel (16) plus their daughter Maggie (20).
This William McAllister was the son of a William McAllister who was originally from the townland of Loughdoo. We think that Loughdoo William married a Rachel McCafferty who was probably a sister of William McCafferty of 10D. This William McAllister may have bought William McCafferty’s farm around 1872 and moved there with his family. We think that William McCafferty, who may well have been a bachelor, died around 1876.
William McAllister from Loughdoo was dead by 1889 and his son, William McAllister, took over the farm in 1893. This William was listed with his wife Rose and family in both the 1901 and the 1911 Census. William died around 1918 and his wife Rose inherited the farm in 1919. By 1935 Rose had died and the farm was in the hands of her son,William McAllister, the grandson of the original William McAllister of Loughdoo who had come to the farm in 1872. By 1944 the farm was in the joint hands of William McAllister, his brother Henry McAllister and his nephew William John McCormick. This nephew was listed in the McAllister household in the 1911 Census Returns, aged 10. The McAllisters and their nephew, William John McCormick, eventually took over all of the farms in Ligg.
Charles Bell, aged 42 living with his wife Eliza aged 32, his daughters Mary (9), Jane (7) Grace (1) and his sons Alexander (6) and Charles (4).
We are certain that the Bell family lived in the property formerly occupied by John Burney. We do not know very much about the Bell family, except that their stay in the clachan would only have been a few years. Charles Bell was not listed in Griffith’s revisions before 1901 and after 1901 the Griffith’s revisions indicate that the property was in the hands of a William McFall by 1904. Quite often if a family spent a relatively short period of time in a townland their presence was not recorded by the valuers, simply because they had been and gone between the visits of the valuers to the area.
We are indebted to Mr Felix McKillop for his generous help in identifying these families and the relationships between them.