Cavan 1
Cavan 1/1766 -1793
A Vital Resource for Cavan Research is http://cavantownlands.com
| This is very informative regarding townland names, censuses and local history literaturespecifically related to Cavan County. |
CAVAN / PART 1 / 1766 – 1793
INTRODUCTION :CAVAN
Killinkere & Lurgan
Members of different Soden families have been in County Cavan since 1766 when the name first appears in the parish of Killinkere near Virginia town of the marriage of David Soden with Mary Kellett. This was the first of several marriages between these 2 families in the 18th and 19th centuries ,bothresiding in the townlands of Adanagh and Envigaroge. The Envigaroge Soden family include names like David,Charles,James,Thomas ,all of the Protestant persuasion and either farmers or business people with substantial property interests in Killinkere and Cootehill..Here we see that CHARLES SODEN married Mary Kellett,both of Envigaroge (Envigary). This CHARLES is the direct ancestor of Terence Soden,Hampshire.
It is difficult to say with certainty whether Edmond Soden,drapier of Cootehill is related to the Envigary Sodens or to the Leitrim/Sligo branch. As can be seen from the Grove notes,he imported brandy from L’Orient,France via Hull,Yorkshire and Mullaghmore,Sligo to Cootehill ,while Edmond Sodens can be found in both Sligo and Mohill,Leitrim around this period too. Indeed the landlord ,Hugh Crofton, had also interests in Yorkshire as well as in Sligo.
In the records for this period,it is hard to establish from which line the Cavan Sodens of Beaghey and Killinkere derived.As far as I can see at this point in my researches, the Cavan branches could well have 2 sources,
(1) the descendants of James Honoria and brother,Charles leading directly to Sligo. The Killinkere Protestant branch deriving from Charles to James of 1800 Envigary retaining the first names where possible of Charles Henry and (2) the Beaghey Catholic branch deriving from James/Honoria and linked to the Drung branch of Patrick giving rise to the families of Patrick,Thomas,Bartle,John/Eoin and James Sodens in the 1821 Cavan Census. The first Bartholomew is in the Athlone branch of 1802, which later emigrated to New South Wales,Australia. A number of their descendants are drawn out at the end of this work.
Spinning Wheel Lists
The Spinning Wheel Lists of 1792 show the presence of another Soden family in neighbouring Drung,PATRICK,and indeed his son and daughter,PAT and HONORA,may well be recorded in the 1821 Census for Drung & Larah. However, the most exciting find was the existence of the 1821 Census for Beaghey and that area. Here we see the direct ancestor of our branch with JAMES SHODEN and his family of 6 and his son, PETER SODEN, and his family of 4. There are also 6 other Soden families in Pottlesoden, 1 in Drung and another in Lattaghlohan. By 1901 more families appear in different townlands like Knocknanoark, Aghadreenagh, Stradone, etc,.. but they seem to be less numerous. We see our family again in 1901, where the mother, CATHERINE, is still alive with 4 boys and 3 girls. The fourth boy, PETER, my grandfather, is working at this time in Fay’s Drapery in Cavan town, and listed as PETER SODDEN. PETER SODDEN’S father was dead by 1901 and his mother and some of his family are recorded still in Beaghey in 1911, she under the name of KATE and 73 years of age. The 1901 and 1911 censuses give us very good indications to the presence of Sodens in these areas.
Pottlesoden Co. Cavan today
Pottlesoden
An interesting development in Denn Parish is the formation of a whole townland with the name Pottlesoden. This comprised (6?)(4)9 acres and in the 1821 census consisted of 5 Soden families. A pottle is an ancient Irish land measurement of about 69 acres. It is here that I as a boy spent so many wonderful Summers with my Soden cousins Peter,his wife ;Mary, and their son Gerard,who still reside in this area. This is north of Knockanoark,Stradone where Eugene Soden and his family live and south of Cavan and Killygarry,where my grandparents,Peter and Christina , and my aunts ,Josie,Ina and Mary are buried.
Lavey
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Soden family member contributions to the ‘Duchas’ Oral History Project in the 1930s
I only found two contributions myself to this buf my first cousin, Paul Soden of Glasnevin found a hapf a dozen more which included contributions from his family and others.
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/stories?SearchText=soden&SearchLanguage=ga&Page=1&PerPage=20
A number of these refer to the origin of the Soden lands of Moneygold and there contribution s by my uncle, Peter, and two aunts, Nora and Ina.
The rest refer to customs practised in Co. Cavan and related by school children in the townland.
The other branches of the family lived south of Cavan town in the parishes of Denn, Crosserlough and Lavey ,where many still live today, principally engaged in tillage farming and business. The oldest recorded members of these Sodens are my gt-gt-gt-gt- grandfather ,James Shoden of Behy ,Lavey b. c. 1761 and his brother, Eoin Soden,in the neighbouring townland of Lattaghlohan, Lavey. It is from James’s son ,Peter,that our branch and the present branches in Knockanoark ,Pottle and some parts of Dublin descend and it is from Pat Soden ,his brother,that the Kansas City Sodens in Missourri descend ,indeed, also the Jack Soden associated with legal cases of Priscilla Presley.
The Lavey Sodens have played a prominent part in Cavan social and political life this century with fine participation in both areas by many Sodens amongst whom would be my grandfather,Peter, and his brother, Patrick of Knockanoark , the recently deceased Peter Soden of Pottle , Gerard , his son and Eugene Soden of Knockanoark. The sources attest well to this fact.
The precise connection between the Sligo/Leitrim/Cavan branches has still to be confirmed though the links by name and landlord point strongly to interchurch marriages with the resultant change of religion ,often as not to Roman Catholicism, and thus the drastic diminution in wealth , a fact well proven by the census of 1821 . The Catholic branch can be seen to have only the minimal acreage to survive on, reflecting the harsh religious,political division in Ireland at this time.
Yet from this humble background came my grandfather,Peter, born of poor tenant farmer parents,he served his time to the drapery business in Fays of Cavan,then Schneiders/Snyders of London,returning to Arnotts of Dublin and finally taking over Fays shop in Cavan town until 1946, where he developed a thriving drapery business. This success must be judged by the political,religious and social background in Ireland in the first half of this century and only then will it be realised what a great achievement this was.
There are today Soden families in the same parishes of Lavey and Denn in the townlands of Pottle and Knockanoark with many of their grandchildren like myself now living and working in Dublin,Britain and many other parts of the world.
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Some of these children stayed on the land ,others ,particularly the girls went abroad to America Both Peter and Patrick remained in Cavan ,though Peter travelled to London and Dublin serving his time to the drapery business before returning to Cavan town to set up his own drapery business. He served his time to Fays Drapery in Pearse Street,Cavan ,going to Arnotts in Dublin and finally to Snyders of London. After a number of years with these two prestigious companies he returned to Cavan to take over Fays in 1930.
During this time he became deeply involved in the local social, political and ecclesiastical life of the area. He with Patrick was an Urban councillor for a number of years,on the Cavan and Monaghan Hospital Boards.a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Stradone Gaelic Athletic Association. He was a passionate supporter of Clann na Gaedhal and James Dillon. He married Christina Coyle of Abbeyleix,the daughter of a farmer,in the Pro-Cathedral ,Dublin in 1915.
(Cavan Cathedral,on which building committee Peter Soden was a member)
Both Peggy and Josie became nursing sisters in Dublin, Mary was mentally handicapped but received a full secondary education from her parents,Christina (Ina) married and lived in England and both Seamus and Peter worked as commercial representatives in the Wine/Spirit trade.
Peter Soden died in St. Marys Hospital,Dublin in 1961 at the age of 83. Christina ,his wife,my grandmother survived him by 6 years. Both Grandparents had a charm and attraction which earned love and respect from all their children and the grandchildren always recognising the great achievement that was theirs .
Areas in County Cavan where the Soden name is and has been found:
| Ad(r)anagh | Aghadreenagh | Annagheliff | Bailieboro | Ballygarcy |
| Beaghey | Bogesky | Carricknavullin | Cootehill | Corfad |
| Corglass | Corragho | Crosserlough | Denn | Drumgoon |
| Drumhirk | Drung | Envigary | Galboly | Killinkere |
| Killygarry | Knockanoark | Larah | Lattaghlohan | Lavey |
| Lisnabantry | Lisnalee | Lurgan | Mullanagarvan | Poles |
| Pottle | Pottle Lower | Pottlesoden | Pottle Upper | Shankill |
| Stradone | Strageliff | Stravicho |
| CHRONOLOGICAL RECORDS for CAVAN;- 1766 Religious Census of Ireland 1768 Killinkere Parish Registers/ Soden 1789 Killinkere Marriage 1792 Spinning Wheel List 1792 TerenceSoden,Drumcoon,Cavan 1800 Administration of James Soden 1802 Swanzy Note 1805 Trinity Alumnus Family Seal 1811 Land Deed Terence Soden,Soldier 1813 Cavan Freeholders 1814 Land Deed,Ballyborough 1821 National Census Trinity Alumnus 1822/23 Tithe Applotment Books 1823 Birth of George Soden 1824 Birth of Charles James Soden Pigotts Directory 1826 National Schools 1826-31 Tithe Applotment Book 1831 Settlement of Charles Henry Soden & Leticia Kellett Tithe Applotment Book 1832 Birth of (?) Soden 1833 Arms Licence Tithe Applotment Book 1834 Tithe Applotment Book 1843 Prerogative Will of Edward Soden,Cootehill 1852 LEC Rentals 1856 Griffith’s Valuation 1860 Ordination List 1863 Farm Grant 1866 Birth of Katherine Soden,Knockanoark 1867 Prerogative Will of Thomas Soden 1876 Land Owners 1880 Clankee Tenants 1886 Maynooth Matriculation Lists 1893 Will of Bartholomew Soden,Enevarogue Will of Edward Soden,Knocknanoark 1901 National Census 1911 National Census Register of Cowkeepers 1915 Marriage Certificate of Peter/Christina Soden Ancient Order of Hibernians Thoms Directory 1918 Thom’s Directory 1919 Thom’s Directory 1928 Civil Bill 1930 Cavan Scouts Anniversary Photograph 1937 Thom’s Directory for Cavan 1938 Anglo-Celt 1941 Cavan Urban District Council 1942 Cavan Electors’ List The De Valera Folklore Project 1945 Anglo-Celt 1948 Death Notice 1950 Marriage of James J. Soden/Rose Connolly |
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1766
Religious Census of Ireland
Page 100
Co.Cavan/Lavey Parish
NO: 913 BUNDLE 78
RCBL Churchtown,Dublin.
(This is the note for Lavey parish)
Protestant families in 1766 in Lavey parish,Kilmore diocese returned by
James Handcock,curate assistant to Rev.Joseph Moore –
Alexander Burrows,Thomas McDowd,James Maguire,James Usher,
Patrick Maguire.
Total 5
Here follow names of 254 Papist families among them John Reilly,P.P.
Page 101
Lurgan & Munterconnaught
April 1766
Rev.Craddock
Protestants:- Widow Kellet 3 protestants/ 3 papists
1768 Killinkere Parish Registers (see also Parish Registers)
Charles Soden,and Mary Kellett,both of Envigary,parish of
Killinkere,married 25th September,1768
page 217,
Swanzy Extracts,RCBL
1788 Birth of Terence Soden,soldier in 11th Foot from 1811-1831
Drumcoon,Co.Cavan (Bailieboro)
(Chelsea Pensioners List of J.D.Beckett,Manchester)
1789 Thomas Soden of Envigaroge and Susanna Kellett,of Ardanagh,married 24th
Nov.1789.
Extracts from the Killinkere Registers II/1761-1845 by Swanzy RCBL,also
from the Breifne Historical Society 1923 Volume 2/Nr.1 page 95….
1792 Spinning Wheel List Recipient
Patrick Soden, Drung,Cavan
Charles Soden,Killincare,Cavan
1793 Catholics allowed to the Bar
1793 Birth of Terence Soden,
born Drumcoon,Cavan, circa 1793
served from 1811 – 1831 in the 11th Foot
Source: Chelsea Pensioners List,J:Beckett,Manchester
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