Gortoorlan

Gortoorlan is a townland in the Parish of Tomregan, Barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland.

The townland name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic placename "Gort Urlainn" which means 'The Field of the Spear-Shaft'.

The oldest surviving mention of the name is in the Fiants of Queen Elizabeth I (4813) dated 19 January 1586 where it is spelled Gortoulleran.

An Inquisition held in Cavan Town on 20 September 1630 stated that Walter Talbot's lands included one poll in Gortulleran.

[8] James Talbot married Helen Calvert, the daughter of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore of Maryland, USA, in 1635 and had a son Colonel George Talbot who owned an estate in Cecil County, Maryland which he named Ballyconnell in honour of his native town in Cavan.

Meredith Gwyllym, was vicar of the parishes of Glenavy, Camlin, Tullyrusk, Ballinderry & Magheragall from 1622 until sometime after 1634.

A deed dated 2 May 1724 by the aforesaid Meredith Gwyllym includes the townland as Gortourlan alias Gorteleran.

[12] The Gwyllym estate was sold for £8,000 in 1724 to Colonel Alexander Montgomery (1686–1729) of Convoy House, County Donegal, M.P.

In 1856 they sold the estate to take advantage of its increased value owing to the opening of the Woodford Canal through the town in the same year.

The estate, including Gortoorlan, was split up among different purchasers and maps & details of previous leases of the sold parts are still available.

[17][18] Griffith's Valuation of 1857 lists the landlords of the townland as the Annesley Estate and Netterfield & the tenants as Montgomery, Donohoe, Griffin, Kelly, Cochrane, McKenna, Bradshaw, Faris, McCaffrey, McNally, Armstrong and Kane.