This is an extract from The Rindoon Journal Volume 1.

St. Johns and area in 1837 - Extracts from Lewiss Topographical Dictionary.
by Liam Byrne ( St. John's Parish Heritage Group).

The book "A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland" was compiled by Samuel Lewis and
published in London in 1837. It was part of a series covering Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. In the preface to the Irish Edition Lewis bemoaned the paucity of county histories and local descriptions of cities, towns and districts and the increased expense that gathering this information entailed. A sum of 30,000 was needed to get the work published - a vast sum in those days. The resulting compilation however, has not been surpassed to this day.

The aim of the book was to offer a condensed, faithful and impartial description of every place
in Ireland and local contributors were involved to ensure that the resulting information was accurate. Proof sheets were sent to "persons of intelligence" in the various localities and suggestions for corrections and additions made.

The following extracts are for the original St. Johns (i.e. Rindoon) and Lecarrow and also for
Rahara, Killenvoy, Knockcroghery & Portrun. If the amount of text on each place is any indicator of importance, then St. Johns, Rahara & Killenvoy were very important places in 1837? It is more likely however that the amount of text on any area is as a result of the contributors, most of whom were local landlords and religious. The text is reproduced here with spellings as published by Lewis. Where additional comments are included for your information these are inserted as endnotes. The endnotes did not form part of the original publication.

Illustrations used are from "Antiquities of Ireland" by Francis Grose (1795) and "The Irish
Penny Journal" Sept. 1840. Maps are taken from Ordnance Survey Sheets for the area, with permission. JOHNS (ST.) or IVERNOON,1 a parish, in the barony of Athlone, county of Roscommon and province of Connaught, 8 miles (N by W) from Athlone on the road to Roscommon; containing 3135 inhabitants. It was anciently called Teach-eon-Rinduin and Randown and appears to have derived the name of St. John's from the foundation of a house for Knights Hospitallers, in the reign of John. This place was fortified in 1226, and made one of the strongest places in Connaught. A town appears to have arisen in the neighbourhood of the castle, which was pillaged by Phelim O'Conor in 1237. The castle occupied a rocky eminence rising abruptly from Lough Ree and consisted of a large court, with an offset comprising a chapel or banqueting hall and a keep of great strength. Some of the ruins still exist (Figures 1 and 2) 2 and there are remains also of a church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity early in the 13th century and of a circular tower and a strong wall, 500 or 600 yards long, with an arched gateway near the middle and strong square towers at from 60 to 90 yards distance from each other; outside this wall are the rude remains of other ecclesiastical buildings, with a cemetery, which is still much used. The parish comprises 4773 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe

act, and is not well cultivated. Potters' clay and pipe clay are found here 3 and limestone is abundant. The principal seats are St. John's, the residence of Oliver Goldsmith Hodson, Esq.; Carrenure, of R. W. Bond, Esq. and John's Port, the property of J. Hodson, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Elphin, forming part of the union of Killenvoy, the rectory is impropriate in the Incorporated Society. The tithes amount to 112. 14. 6., of which 60 is payable to the impropriators and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, comprising the parishes of St. John's, Killenvoy, Kilmain and Raharrow, in each of which is a chapel. There is a public school of 100 children, to which Col. Lloyd subscribes 2 annually and a private school in which about 60 children are educated. On the shore of the bay of Kilmore are the conspicuous remains of an ancient mansion and on Nuns' Island are the remains of a nunnery. Many gold coins have been found in the parish (Figure 3). LECKARROW, a village, partly in the parish of St. Johns and partly in that of Killinvoy, barony of Athlone, county of Roscommon and province of Connaught, 8 miles (N W) from Athlone on the road to Roscommon, to both of which places it has a penny post; containing 80 inhabitants. Fairs are held in March, June, Sept. and Dec.; and petty sessions every alternate week. In the village are a flour 4 and an oatmeal mill;5 and in the vicinity is a dispensary.6 RAHARROW or RAHARA, a parish in the barony of Athlone, county of Roscommon and province of Connaught, 9 miles (N W) from Athlone on the roads from that place to Athleague and Roscommon; containing 1630 inhabitants. It comprises 4741 statute acres of tolerably good land, chiefly in tillage, and there is & small portion of bog; the state of agriculture is improving. Limestone is found in the parish, and within its limits is Lough Funcheon, more commonly called Ballagh Lough from a hamlet of that name at its northern extremity:7 (Figure 4) it is the largest sheet of water in the barony, extending two miles in length and containing some islands, besides a large promontory, which is occasionally insulated; the lough is bounded on the north east by hills, but its borders are elsewhere flat and marshy, and it has on the whole a bleak appearance. The seats are Loughfield, the residence of P. Sproules, Esq., and Rahara, of Alex Sproules, Esq. Petty sessions are held once a fortnight at the Four Roads. It is a vicarage in the diocese of Elphin, forming part of the union of Killinvoy: the rectory is impropriate in the Incorporated Society. The tithes amount to 124. 5. 9. of which 66. 5. 9. is payable to the vicar and the remainder to the impropriators and there is a Glebe of 10 acres, let for 10. 1. 3. per annum. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of St. John's and contains a chapel. About 70 children are educated in a private school. KILLENVOY, a parish in the barony of Athlone, county of Roscommon and province of Connaught, 10 miles (N N W) from Athlone, on the road from that place to Roscommon; containing 2250 inhabitants. It comprises 5139 statute acres, and contain a small quantity of bog; there is an abundance of excellent limestone. The principal seats are Scregg, the residence of J. E. Kelly, Esq.; Kellybrook, of D. Kelly, Esq.; Churchboro, of E. Kelly, Esq., and Mount Plunket, of G. Plunket, Esq., a handsome building, situated on Lough Ree. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Elphin, episcopally united to the vicarages of Kilmean, Porterin, Ivernoon or St. John's, and Raharrow, and is the patronage of the Bishop: the rectory is impropriate in the Incorporated Society: the tithes amount to 130 which is equally divided between the impropriators and the vicar; and the tithes of the benefice amount to 227. 2. 9. The church - which is a neat edifice, was built by aid of a loan of 1000 from the late Board of First Fruits in 1822 ; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted 133 for its repair. There is a Glebe-house, with a Glebe of 11 acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part or the union or district of St. John's, and contains a chapel at Culleen.8 About 50 children are educated in a public school which is aided by an annual donation from the vicar and 140 in

two private schools; there is also a Sunday school. Numerous skeletons have been dug up in the parish. KNOCKCROGHERY, a village in the parish of Killinvoy, barony of Athlone, county of Roscommon and province of Connaught, 5 miles (S E) from Roscommon, containing 180 inhabitants. It consists of 45 houses built on a hill and has fairs on Aug. 22nd and Oct. 25th the latter of which is a large sheep fair. It is a constabulary police station and the manufacture of tobacco-pipes is carried on to a considerable extent. PORTERIN or PORTRUN, a parish in the barony of Athlone, county of Roscommon and province of Connaught, 3 miles (S E) from Roscommon, on the river Shannon; the population is returned with Killenvoy. It comprises 1133 statute acres, of which 1092, consisting of good arable and pasture land, are applotted under the tithe act and it contains a quarry of excellent limestone,9 which is extensively worked and burnt for lime. It is a vicarage in the diocese forming part of the union of Killenvoy; the rectory is impropriate in the Incorporated Society, to which and to the vicar the tithes, amounting to 36 are payable in equal portions. In the R.C. divisions also it is part of the union and district of Killinvoy. There are some remains of the old church 10 in the burial-ground, which latter is very extensive.11 Endnotes: (These notes did not form part of the original 1837 publication) 1. Ivernoon: The writer believes this to be a corruption of the Irish "Naomh Ein". 2. Fig. 1 from Francis Grose "Antiquities of Ireland" and Fig. 2 from "The Irish Penny Journal" Vol. 1 No. 10. of 5 September 1840. 3. Pipe clay: 4. Flour Mill: 5. Oatmeal Mill: 6. Probably in Kiltoom. 7. Map drawn with permission from Ordnance Survey. 8. Now Culleen Hall Community Center. 9. This quarry can still be seen at Bracknagh Townland. 10. St. Dermot's Church Ruins: 11. Does this mean that at this time the cemetery extended beyond it's present borders? Cemetery walls were built around most Irish graveyards in about 1820!