.tOuRNAL OF THE COUNTY DONEGAL :HI$1'().RICAL SOdIErY CO-UNTY DONEGAL IN THE CATHOLIC QUALIFICAT.ION ROLLS 1778--1790 --BY Sean 0 Domhnaill, M.E. AT a session uf tJhe Jx1.s!h P:arliament in the y:ear 1778 an act was pa&Sed entitled. "An A:ct _for the relief· of his Maj;esty's suibJects in tihis Kingdom p'1':o:fes1sing· the .Bapisn · reli1g1on:' Under tts prd.nc,ijpal clause Gatho.l!ilcs were ;permitted to taJke leruses iDr any term of yeru-s not exceeding nine hundred and .nine,ty-nine or .f:ar any IliUJmtber of lives not eooceediI11g' five, iIJ['iOV!Lded thait they had taken and sulbscrilbed the oa.th of alle;g:ia.nJC·e pirescl'!ilbed. in an Act passed in the Irlis1h Parliament in 1774. The oath w,as to be talk:en in tJhe Four Oourts in Dublin o:r a.it the Quar:ter Sessions of the P:eace for the 09unty · O!f DuibHn or oof ore th:e ig;oing Jud;greis of Alssiize in e>Ven court. Leases made to O~thol!ics under the proV1tsions of t;he Aiet could be d.i·S1PO.sed of :by wrn or otherwise as the lea;seho1deir should think fit (1). Prior to 1778 iea.se:s uo Clruuh.oli:cs were only for bog not .exceeding fi:f;ty acr1e1s for :a term o:f sixt;y-'One yearrs (:2'). 'Dhe Act of l 773 thus marlked an advance and: w.as wel•comed by the Gaitholliies oif Ireland who had been su:ffe['iillg und€:r tJhe rigour O'f the Penarl Laiws flriom t'he beginning O!f the century. The na~e~ o!f persons talkilllg and suboo.r1rbing- the oath afiter the pas:sage Of tJhe i\.c.t of 1778 wer·e enoolleld at the R.olls otnce in Dulblin. Those rolls perished in the .ft.ire OJf 192~ in the Four Oourts but, fnrtmnately, the index. to the ( 1) Statues at Large, Ire., XL 298-301. (2) Ilbid., x., 262-3. 204 roWls surviv:ed, and from t'his docum·ent, now in the: Pulblic Record Office, th:e wpipended · names with pariticulM"s ha.ve been extr1aic1ted. Tihe oath was taiken and subscrilbed on the da.te mentioned at ·the Assizes at Ufiord unless othe!l'IWii.se sta1ted. 1Names o.f res~dentis. in the county of Dmte1gal as they .9.i[Jpear ~n the index to the. C:atlholtc Qu.aJilftication · Roll:s. 1776-1790:_, Jlames Boyie, farmer, Baillyshannon .311-3-17'79. William Br·eslin, farmer, Mo.c1klbrack. 3!1-3-:11779. ' Plhelim Boyle, ,cord1w:inder, BaUyshiannon. 17-'31-:1780. Thomas Boyle, carrpen•ter, same. 114-4-17·81. A1ndr·eiw Brison, s.hoeimalker, Raip:hoe 311 ~10-17'83. JOihn Blrod!lw', f1rurmer, K:ille,t:Jter. rl'0-9·-'1Fi'l81S.. H1uig:h Cadan, yarn merchant, Lif1forid., 3il-3·-1t7179'. W.illiJam Oull€n. farmer, M.WUJgihlboy. 3!1-3·-J.7"7'9. .Qlhair.1e.s Co11in, f a:r:rner, Mawgihera- .boy. 31-3-11779. Owen Classidy, f:armer, Bondro1WS. 6r-4-W'719. iAt Aissizes, C:arr1iclk, Co. Lei.trim. Dominick Dav.e:tt. 'gramer, M€enaroy. 311-·3-1'779. Neal DoUJgiheil'lty, farmer, Rus'k:·ey. 131l-i'3-it'n9. A:n'tJhony Davett, rgr:azier, Larna- •la.vk1in. 311-..31-1117'79. RLchaT!d Dougherty, farme1r , .A!rdaheie. 31-3-il 77.9. Michael Dou1ghierty, farmer, Muff. 5-8-17719. Gillber!t Dave1tt, fa.nner, Mentigrianah. 26-8-17m.
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