As far as I have been able to determine, the first Calhouns to settle in Ireland came from Scotland in the early 17th century with the private plantation of Counties Antrim and Down and the royally-sanctioned plantation of most of the remainder of Ulster. The Plantation of Ulster, which was underway by 1609, distributed half a million acres of land seized from the native Irish inhabitants to new English and Scottish owners. The recipients of this land belonged to several different groups: Undertakers (wealthy, land-owning English and Scottish men who could serve as large landlords), Servitors (men who had served the Crown in some military or civilian capacity during the Nine Years War), the Anglican Church of Ireland, and certain English corporations. Different precincts within the escheated territory were earmarked for each of these various groups.
In this article, I will focus on the period 1606-1641, prior to the Rebellion of 1641 that drove away many planters. Records of Calhouns in Ireland during this period are relatively scant and come from the following limited set of sources:
- Letters patent of denization, 1617-1630.
- Surveys of the Ulster Plantation, 1611-1622.
- Muster rolls for select Irish estates, 1630-1631.
- Clergy records for the (Church of Ireland) Diocese of Clogher, 1637.
- Londonderry port records, 1613-1615.
The muster rolls merit a brief description here. Undertakers were so called because they were to “undertake” the resettlement of English-speaking Protestants, many of whom came from their own estates in England or Scotland, on the Irish land. Among the conditions Undertakers agreed to was that they “shall have ready in the houses at all times, a convenient store of arms, wherewith they may furnish a competent number of men for their defence, which may be viewed and mustered every half year according to the manner of England.” One might imagine that many of these men were not family members of the landed Undertakers but rather were working-class Scots enticed by opportunities to work the Irish land and willing to take up arms to defend it. However, little biographical information about these Irish tenants has survived.
These surviving sources are far from complete: the plantation surveys typically named only the landlords, not the tenants, and muster rolls survive for only a fraction of the estates. As a result, there may have been more Calhouns residing in Ireland at that time than are represented in these sources.
Calhouns in County Tyrone
For the period 1606-1641, I have found only a single Calhoun associated with County Tyrone, but he is of historical significance, as he is the likely ancestor of the Colhoun family of Crosh in parish Ardstraw. The Colhouns of Crosh and of that parish in general were tenants of the Lords Mountjoy, and the ancestor of the Mountjoy line in Ireland was Sir William Stewart (ca. 1574-1646). Sir William was born in Wigtownshire, Scotland and became a career soldier, serving first in Denmark and Sweden before coming to Ireland in 1608 with a company of 100 foot-soldiers. In recognition of his military service, he was awarded 1,000 acres of land in the barony of Kilmacrenan, County Donegal, a district awarded to Scottish Servitors. On his land, he founded the town of Ramelton and castle of Fort Stewart, and because of his success there was made a baronet in 1623 and was able to acquire additional estates in Donegal and Tyrone. Those in Tyrone included a 2,000 acre parcel originally granted to James Chapman but subsequently in the hands of Sir Robert Newcomen, who was Sir William’s father-in-law (Rev. George Hill. An Historical Account of the Plantation of Ulster. Belfast: M’Caw, Stevenson & Orr, 1877, pp. 532-533). On 26 Jul 1629, Sir William Stewart obtained letters patent of denization, and this property, originally the proportions of Newtown and Lislapp, was created the manor of Newtownstewart.
A muster roll from Sir William Stewart’s property in Tyrone dated 1631 includes the following two important names:
- 80. James Cacone, sword and pike.
- 111. Alexander McCaslane, sword and snaphance.
The muster roll is entitled “Sir William Stewart, Knight, Undertaker of 4,000 acres: His Men and Armes in the Barony of Clogher, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.” However, I think this title is misleading in that the list probably includes not only Stewart’s property in Clogher but also that at Newtownstewart in parish Ardstraw, in the Barony of Strabane. The reason is that the transcription available online contains records from John Gebbie’s Ardstraw: Historical Survey of a Parish 1600-1900 (Omagh: Strule Press, 1968) and from R. J. Hunter’s Men and Arms (Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2012). The two names above came from the latter set.
The Alexander listed above was undoubtedly Alexander McCausland or McAuselan, son of Andrew McAuselan and father-in-law of William Colhoun (b. ca. 1635) of Newtownstewart, ancestor of the Colhoun family of Crosh. I suggest that the “James Cacone” listed above was in fact a James Colhoun and that he was William Colhoun’s father. Thus, the Colhoun and McCausland families were neighbors in Ardstraw as early as 1631, when both were tenants of Sir William Stewart. I will devote a future post to the Colhoun family of Crosh and its branches.
Calhouns in County Fermanagh
Two ecclesiastical sources mention a James Colquhoun who was a Church of Ireland rector in two different parishes in Ulster in 1637.
James Colquhoun was incumbent rector in the townland of Mullanarockan, parish Tedavnet, County Monaghan from 20 May 1637 to 28 Aug 1637. He was followed in that position by Humphrey Galbraith (collated 4 Dec 1637), who was later Archdeacon of Clogher. (Evelyn Philip Shirley. The History of the County of Monaghan. London: Pickering and Co., 1879, p. 304. Also Rev. James B. Leslie. Clogher Clergy and Parishes. Enniskillen: R. H. Ritchie, 1929, p. 254.)
On 28 Aug 1637, James Colquhoun was installed as rector of the parish of Boho (also spelled Boghagh), County Fermanagh, evidently having transferred from Tedavnet. He likely served until about 1640. (Leslie, p. 123.)
This James Colquhoun who was a clergyman in 1637 was probably not the same as the James Colhoun (Cacone) who was listed on the muster roll in Tyrone in 1631. As I mentioned above, I believe James of parish Ardstraw in Tyrone was the ancestor of later Colhouns of that area, and this is not consistent with his having left that area for Monaghan and Fermanagh in 1637. James the clergyman probably remained in Fermanagh after 1640, since he was likely the James Kahoon who was buried in the parish of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh on 15 Jan 1673/4. (See Enniskillen Parish Burial Extracts 1666-1824.)
Calhouns in County Antrim
Although they have received much less attention from the genealogical community than the Calhoun settlers of western Ulster, there were also Calhouns in the east of Ulster (Counties Antrim and Down) from the early days of the Plantation Era. Many in the east later spelled the name Cahoon or Cohoon, as opposed to Colhoun, the spelling that predominated in western Ulster.
The muster rolls of 1630 from eastern Ulster list the following Calhouns, all in County Antrim (spellings taken from R. J. Hunter (ed.), Men and Arms: The Ulster Settlers, c.1630, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2015):
Muster roll for Mr. Adare’s British Tenants on His Native Lands, 1630:
- Patrick Cahowne, Barony of Toome, Co. Antrim
Muster roll for the Earl of Antrim’s British tenants, 1630:
- Robert Cahawin, Barony of Glenarm, Co. Antrim
- James Cahowne, Barony of Glenarm, Co. Antrim
- Thomas Cahowne, Barony of Glenarm, Co. Antrim
The Barony of Toome is in the interior of Antrim, bordering Lough Neagh to the south and County Derry to the west; the Patrick named above may have been an ancestor of the Peter Cahound of parish Ballymena listed in the 1740 Religious Census. The Barony of Glenarm is located on the coast; several Cahoons were listed there in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1669, but few or none can be found there in later times.
Calhouns in County cavan
Another county where the spelling Cahoon or Cohoon has predominated is Cavan, located in south-central Ulster. The following muster roll record indicates that Cahoons were living in Cavan from the early days of the Plantation.
Muster roll of Sir Stephen Butler, knight, undertaker of 2,000 acres, his men and arms:
- Richard Cahowne, no arms; Barony of Loughty, Co. Cavan
Calhouns in County Derry/Londonderry
1630 Muster Roll showing “The names of the Men of the Citty and Libertyes of Londonderry”. (The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol 38 no. 3 (1914), pp. 355-373):
- Edward Qualane, no arms
In addition, Calhouns appear in the following shipping records of the port of Londonderry (taken from R. J. Hunter, The Ulster Port Books, 1612-15, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2022). However, it cannot be assumed that they lived there, or in Ireland at all.
- May and June 1613. “Small boat of Scotland” under Capt. Robert Cohone, arrivals. Merchants were Robert Cohone himself and Hugh Tompson.
- 30 May 1614. The Roberte (or Robarte) of Dumbarton, 8 tons, under Capt. Robert Cohone, arrivals. Merchants were John Balie, William Keningham, and Hugh Cohone.
- January and May 1615. The Roberte of Dumbarton, 8 or 5 tons, under Capt. Robert Cohone, arriving Londonderry. Merchants were Robert Cohone himself (bringing 4 tons of coal) and William Keningham (bringing salt, cloth, brass and iron pots and kettles, raw iron, alum, grains, wool, and other goods).
- 27 February 1615. The John of Renfrew, 20 tons, under Capt. Adam Moderwell, sailing from Londonderry to Renfrew. Merchant Andrew Cohone (taking 2 dickers of hides).
In all likelihood, the captain Robert Cohone was a resident of Dumbarton, Scotland, as that is where his ship hailed from. The Hugh Cohone for whom he brought goods to Ireland in 1614 may have been a brother or other relative, also presumably Scottish. The most likely Irish resident was the merchant Andrew Cohone, since he seems to have exported hides from Ireland to Scotland. It is possible that he was a recent (in 1615) transplant to Ireland, perhaps even the Andrew Coohone of Droughedonan made denizen of Ireland in 1617 (see the Donegal discussion below).
Calhouns in County Donegal
Most of the records of Calhouns in Ireland from 1606-1641 come from County Donegal, specifically from the Laggan, a fertile valley in the northeast of the county just south of the Inishowen Peninsula, roughly equivalent to the Barony of Raphoe. The Laggan was divided into two Plantation precincts: the northern precinct of Portlough, which was allocated to Scottish Undertakers, and the southern precinct of Lifford, which was allocated to English Undertakers. Because the Undertakers of Portlough came from the southwest of Scotland, where many Colquhouns lived––areas like Dunbartonshire, Ayrshire, and Renfrewshire––many Scottish Colquhouns who went to Ireland settled initially in Portlough. This district included roughly the parishes of Allsaints, Raymoghy, Taughboyne, Killea, and Raphoe.
Calhoun Undertakers and Patentees. Among the original Undertakers themselves, whether at Portlough or anywhere else, there were no Colquhouns. A list of Scottish applicants for land in Ulster dated 14 September 1609 includes the following entries (Hill, p. 139):
- Mr. Malcolm Colquhoun, burgess of Glasgow, 2,000 acres; surety: Alexander Colquhoun of Luss.
- Parlane MacWalter, of Auchinvennell, 2,000 acres; surety: Alexander Colquhoun of Luss.
The bondsman in both cases was Alexander Colquhoun, 15th/17th of Luss. Parlane was one of Alexander’s tenants, while Malcolm may have been the same Malcolm Colquhoun supported by Alexander in his (unsuccessful) 1608 bid to become minister at Luss (see Fraser vol. 1, pp. 218-220). However, neither of these applicants appears to have received any land.
The following Calhouns received letters patent of denization from the Crown, suggesting they were involved or potentially involved in acquiring or selling Irish land (page numbers from Letters of Denization and Acts of Naturalization for Aliens in England and Ireland, 1603-1700, in The Publications of the Huguenot Society at London, vol. XVIII. Lymington: William A. Shaw, 1911):
- 20 May 1617. Sir Alexander Colquhon, of Corkagh, in Co. Donegal, Knight. (p. 324).
- 20 May 1617. Daniel Colquhoun, of Corkie, of the Scotch nation or descent. (p. 325).
- 28 Nov 1617. Andrew Coohone, of Droughedonan. (p. 327).
- 28 Nov 1617. Peter Coohone, of Droughedonan. (p. 327).
- 14 Jul 1630. Robert Colqunhowne, Esq., a native of Scotland. Granted Corkagh (1,000 acres), which was also designated a manor. (p. 333).
As mentioned in an earlier post, the Alexander Colquhoun “of Corkagh” referred to the laird of Luss despite his not living in Ireland and not being a knight. Sometime prior, he had purchased the manor of Corkagh from his nephew Sir William Stewart of Minto, the original patentee. Alexander received his letter patent three days before his death, perhaps in order to obtain clear title to the Irish land before passing it on through inheritance. The identity of Daniel Colquhoun, also evidently of Corkagh, who received his letter patent on the same day as Alexander, is somewhat of a mystery. Fraser makes no mention of any Daniel Colquhoun in the Luss family, nor is anyone of that name mentioned in Alexander’s will as a relation, witness, or associate. My best guess is that “Daniel” was an error either in the original letter or in the transcription. If so, the most likely candidate for the identity of this denizen would have been Alexander’s eldest son, John Colquhoun, later 16th/18th of Luss. This letter patent might have been granted as a contingency given that Alexander was so close to death at the time, but this is all pure speculation on my part.
The other Colquhoun associated with Corkagh who received a letter patent was Robert Colquhoun, who at the same time (1630) received the 1,000 acre manor as a new grant. As I proposed in my last post, this Robert was most likely Robert Colquhoun, later 10th of Camstradden, a close friend and associate of the Colquhoun of Luss. Because there is no evidence that Robert had anything further to do with Corkagh, this may have been some kind of financial or legal maneuver designed ultimately to keep the estate in the hands of the Luss family.
Six months after Alexander and John (Daniel) Colquhoun received their denization, an Andrew and Peter Colquhoun, along with a William Crawford, all of Droughedonan, received theirs. Aside from these denizations, the only other reference to a place called Droughedonan that I have found occurs in the “examination and confession of Brien M’Coyne O’Doghertie at Lifford, 13 August 1608” (Calendar of State Papers Relating to Ireland in the Reign of James I, p. 20): “…Sir Neale Garve O’Donnell sent a messenger to Sir Cahir O’Dogherty, advising him to bring up a piece of ordnance from Derry to Droghedonan [sic], whereupon the said Sir Neale would advise Sir Richard Hansard to go with some small forces to Droghedonan to receive the said piece…” The references to Derry and Lifford suggest that Droughedonan was likely in Portlough. Therefore, based on phonetic similarity, it probably referred to the townland of Drumatoland (parish Raymoghy).
And who were Andrew and Peter? Andrew was not a common name in the Luss family, but it was common in a cadet branch, Colquhoun of Bonhill, a family also associated with Milton. As for the name Peter, at that time in Scotland and Ireland, it was often used as a nickname for Patrick. Among the recipients of bequests mentioned in the supplement to the will of Alexander Colquhoun, 15th/17th of Luss were “Patrick Colquhoun of Milton” and “Andrew Colquhoun, servant of Patrick”, both of whom received 500 merks, apparently for their assistance during the Battle of Glen Fruin. John Colquhoun, 3rd of Bonhill, was killed at Glen Fruin in 1603, and he had younger brothers named Patrick and Andrew, as well as a son named Andrew (Fraser vol. 2, p. 263). I suggest, without proof beyond the similarity of naming patterns, that the Peter and Andrew who became denizens of Ireland six months after Alexander’s death in 1617 were the same two men mentioned in his will, perhaps having used their bequests to acquire small amounts of Irish land for themselves.
Muster Rolls of 1630 and Estates. All of the Calhouns listed in the muster rolls of 1630-1631 in County Donegal are from the precinct of Portlough. Of the nine Undertakers who received land in Portlough, eight were named either Cunningham or Stewart, with the ninth named MacAulay. Three of these Undertakers had Calhouns listed on the rolls for their estates: Sir Ludovic Stewart, Duke of Lennox; Sir James Cunningham of Glengarnock, Ayrshire; and James Cunningham, Esq., uncle of Sir James of Glengarnock. All three were related either by blood or marriage to the Colquhouns of Luss.
Sir Ludovic Stewart (1574-1624), 2nd Duke of Lennox, was not only feudal lord superior to the Colquhoun of Luss, but also a distant cousin, both men being descendants of Sir John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox. The Duke received the largest grant in Portlough, comprising three adjoining proportions of 1,000 acres each, all located in parish Taughboyne and designated the manors of Magevelin, Lettergull, and Cashell. Magevelin included the townlands of Momeen, Maymore, Ratteen, Creaghadoos, Mongavlin, and part of Altaskin. Lettergull included the townlands of Dromore, Carrickmore, Tullyrap, Feddyglass, Lettergull, Ballylennan, and Carnshannagh. Cashell included the townlands of Kinnacally, “Cashell” (probably Castletown), Clashygowan, Moness, Cloghfin, Tonagh, and part of Altaskin. By 1630, after the deaths of both Ludovic and his brother, the Irish property was held by his nephew, James Stewart, 4th Duke of Lennox (1612-1655).
Sir James Cunningham (1579-1623) of Glengarnock was the maternal grandfather of Penuel Cunningham, wife of Sir James Colquhoun, 19th/21st of Luss. He received two adjoining proportions of 1,000 acres each in the eastern part of parish Allsaints, designated the manors of Dacostrose and Portlough. Dacostrose included the townlands of Castruse, Garshooey, Altaghaderry, Toberslane, Kildrum, Gortinlieve, and Bogay Glebe. Portlough included the townlands of Portlough, Drumlogher, Corncammon, Gortlush, Leitrim, Monglass, and Tullyannan. Following James’s death, which occurred about 1623, most of his estate was sold off as freeholds to raise money: Drumlougher and Corncammon went to Alexander Cunningham of County Down, and most of the rest to Sir William Alexander and to his brother John Cunningham. In 1627, however, the King intervened and returned the lands by grant to Sir James’s widow, Katherine, as noted in the 1630 muster roll (Hill, pp. 507-508).
James Cunningham, Esq., sometimes styled “of Fowmilne” or “of Homill” in Scotland, was the uncle of, but likely about the same age as, Sir James Cunningham above. His son John Cunningham of Tully and Ballyachan married Ann, daughter of Sir James Cunningham of Glengarnock above (making husband and wife first cousins once removed). Therefore, both grandfathers of their daughter Penuel Cunningham (wife of Sir James Colquhoun, as mentioned above) were named James Cunningham. The Irish lands of James, Esq. were 1,000 acres designated the manor of Ballyaghan and located in parish Raymoghy along the eastern shore of Lough Swilly. It included the townlands of Balleeghan, Moneyhaughly, Drean, Maghera Beg, Maghera Mor, Tirharan, Errity, and Grawky Glebe, as well as the later village of Manorcunningham. James’s will (dated 7 May 1664, probate granted 11 Mar 1667) names eldest son John, son Robert, and daughters Giles and Frances.
The following Calhouns were listed on the muster rolls for the estates of the three Undertakers above:
- Estate of Duke of Lennox: Humfrey Colquphone (sword only).
- Estate of Duke of Lennox: Adam Quahone (no arms).
- Estate of the widow of Sir James Conningham: James Calquahan (sword and pike).
- Estate of the widow of Sir James Conningham: John McQuchowne (sword and pike).
- Estate of James Conningham, Esq.: Andrew Callhown (no arms).
A list of tenants on the land of James Cunningham, Esq. dated 1 May 1613 appears on Hill p. 507. On it, neither Andrew nor any other Calhouns were listed, so Andrew most likely settled at a later date, sometime between 1617 and 1630. Andrew may or may not have been the Andrew of Drumatoland made denizen in 1617; for what it’s worth, Drumatoland was adjacent to the estate of Lennox, not that of James Cunningham, Esq. where Andrew of 1630 resided. The identities of the other Calhouns from this list have not been determined, but an examination of the Colquhouns living on their respective Undertakers’ lands in Scotland in the early 17th century might be helpful in this regard.
Conspicuous in its absence from the list above is the estate of the laird of Luss himself, known as Corkagh, in which no Calhouns were listed. I will end this article here and pick up with Corkagh next time around. Stay well until then!
Update, December 28, 2023
After the initial publication of this article several weeks ago, I received a great deal of additional information from researcher Matthew Gilbert taken from the muster rolls and Ulster port records. Updates to the article include new sections on County Cavan and County Derry/Londonderry as well as a significant expansion of the discussion of County Antrim. I am greatly indebted to Matthew for sending this information my way!
Has anyone found additional records of Calhouns in Ireland prior to 1642 that I failed to mention? Or can anyone shed additional light on the identities and relationships of the Calhouns I mentioned above? If so, I’d love to hear from you!
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Thanks to John Grenham for kind permission to use and modify the map from his website, and once again, special thanks to Paul Calhoun for critical reading of this post and helpful edits.
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© 2023 Brian Anton. All rights reserved.
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Genealogy of the Calhoun Family 