1901 Census Research for Windmill Cross, Co. Kildare

Windmill Cross Electoral Division Population Changes 1841 to 1901

The Electoral Division of Windmill Cross consists of seven townlands and 3,455 acres, the largest being the townland of Kilkeaskin with 990 acres, about half of it bog. The area was sparsely populated with only 166 residents present on Census night, March 31^st 1901, an average of one person for every twenty acres or one household for every eighty-eight acres.

Between 1841 and 1901 the population declined 74% from 641 residents to 166, which is more than in surrounding divisions. There was a massive 40% decline during the famine years of the late 1840’s, and average of almost twenty-six people gone every year in the decade. The decline continued in the 1850’s with another 125 decrease by 1861. For the next 20 years the declines were more modest but they started to accelerate again from the 1880’s onwards.

The population has recovered to 1,225 residents in 2022 according to that census. This recovery is due to the proximity of the Ballyshannon and Dreenan townlands to the village of Derrinturn. 

The area lies on an east/west axis south and northeast of Derrinturn village, north and east of Ticknevin and incorporating part of Timahoe bog to the east in the townlands of Parsonstown, Loughnacush, Kilkeaskin and Drummond. As it sits between a bog to the east and west, it is traversed north to south by the R406 road from Allenwood towards Carbury and Edenderry. 

Main Landlords Windmill Cross in 1854

Griffith’s Valuations tell us that the main landlords in this area around 1854 were:

1. Richard Grattan of Drummin House was the landholder at Dreenan, Rathmore, Ballyshannon. He leased the Dreenan lands to James Murphy, Margaret Corcoran, and John Corcoran. He kept Rathmore himself, and he leased Ballyshannon to Robert Boylan;
2. Ellen Boardman and Ann White were joint landlords at Loughnacush and they leased it to William Flynn. They leased the bog from Robert Dalyell; 
3. The 4th Earl of Milltown, Joseph Leeson whose seat was at Russborough House Blessington   was the landlord of Parsonstown, which he leased to Joseph Boylan;
4. Francis Longworth Dames was the landlord at Kilkeaskin and he leased it to James Murphy and John Dowdall;
5. Rt. Hon Francis Wilson Greene was the owner of Drummond and leased it to Richard Grattan; 
6. Eyre Jessop also owned part of Drummond and he leased his portion to Bridget Coyne.

Drummin House in the townland of Drummond, was the Grattan home. This 17 roomed house was occupied in 1901 by 66 year old spinster Anne Grattan and her 64 year old spinster sister Elizabeth Grattan (1833-1922) on census night 1901. Their great grandfather was a grand uncle of Henry Grattan MP (1746-1820)  who had campaigned so famously for legislative freedom of the Irish parliament in the late 18th century.  When Elizabeth died in 1922, she willed it to Robert Cecil “Diamond” de Courcy Wheeler (1884-1956) whose grandson Grattan de Courcy Wheeler (1947-2020) was the last of the line to own the house, which was sold recently.

Excellent Book published on Farming and Society since 1700 in the barony of Carbury

At the end of 2024, as part of the Maynooth Studies in Local History, The Four Court Press has published an excellent book on this part of Co. Kildare that is worth purchasing. The title is “Farming and society since 1700 in the barony of Carbury, Co. Kildare, by Lesley Whiteside. Detailed farm records from the likes of the Holt family were used when researching this local study, and the book can be purchased from the publisher at this link. 

Haniffy was the most common surnames in Windmill Cross in 1901

There were thirteen residents in the Windmill Cross ED with the surname Haniffy in 1901, followed by Flanagan with twelve and Kearns with eleven.