Lissanover
Lissanover (from Irish Lios an Uabhair, The Fort of the Pride) is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland.
Lissanover is traversed by a public road, several rural lanes and the disused Cavan and Leitrim Railway.
The people there have a tradition that the castle was in former days held by a chieftain named Magauran, who was a merciless tyrant; and they tell that on one occasion he slew a priest on the altar for beginning Mass before he had arrived.
A book published in 1912 entitled "Folk Tales of Breffny" by a Templeport author Mrs Augusta Wardell, née Hunt, under the pen name 'Bunda Hunt' gives another version of the tale in which a widow offers a traveler her last mug of milk (as her cow was ordered destroyed by a nearby king) and in return he blesses her with a cow which never ran dry.
[2] The earliest surviving mention of the townland name is Lissenovir, which appears in a document dated 28 November 1584 in the Carew Manuscripts.
O'Rely shall suffer his brethren to enjoy all their lands in co. Cavan; and they to yield and pay all duties and charges to him and his heirs.
He will yield yearly one chief horse and 90 fat beeves, and serve at all roads, hostings, &c. with 20 horsemen and 40 footmen, either shot, kerne, or galloglasse, for 40 days.
(The word 'towghe' above is an Anglicisation of the Irish "tuath") The 1938 Dúchas Schools' Folklore Collection describes local legends about Lissanover Castle.
An Inquisition of King Charles I of England held in Belturbet on 12 June 1661 gives a history of the occupation of Lissanore after the sale.
Robert's wife Elizabeth was still alive in 1661 but he had left the land to his two spinster daughters, Jane and Bridget, who were of full age in 1647.
On 3 Feb 1699 William Blachford of Lisanover, Templeport was appointed High Sheriff of Cavan In the Irish Rebellion of 1641 Eleanor Reynolds of Lissanore made a deposition about the rebellion in Lissanover as follows- Ellenor Reinolds of Late of Lissanore in the County of Cauan widow aged 46 yeares or thereabouts duly sworne etc.
She further saith that in May 1642 this deponents mother not being able (because of age & weaknes) to goe to Croghan Castle was left behind with some of the tenants at Lissanore aforesaid, where she was about the tyme aforesaid barbarously murthered by one ffarell Groome mc Kellogher of CrossemacKellogher who confessed the said barbarous fact to divers persons that voluntarily did depose the same to be true.
This deponent further saith that the said month of May 1642 she saw one Mr Richard Ash of Lissomean and one Loughlin bane mc Moister under sheriff of the County with divers other Rebels in armes & helping to besiege the Castle of Croghan.
She further deposeth that about Midsomer 1642 the said Mr Ash did take from a Kinswoman of one ffrancis Sugden at Lissomean some parcells of plate by the way as the English were going towards Drogheda from Croghan Castle and Convoied by the said Ash with a great Company of Irish souldiers titherwards which was Contrary to the Conditions of quarter at the said Castle of Croghan agreed upon.
[16] In the Irish Rebellion of 1641 William Reynolds of Lisnaore made a deposition about the rebellion in Lissanover as follows- folio 260r William Reinoldes of Lisnaore in the parrish of Templeport in the County of Cavan gent sworne & examined deposeth and sajth That about the beginning of the presente Rebellion this deponent was deprived robbed or otherwise dispoiled & Lost by the Rebells: his meanes goodes & chattells concisting of horses mares beasts Cattle Corne hay howsholdstuff implements of husbandry apparell bookes provition silver spoones swyne & the benefite of his howse and six Poles of Land: due debts & other thinges of the value of three hundredth Sixtie fowre Powndes nine shillings sterling.
In the Fermanagh Poll of Electors 1788 there was one Lissanover resident, Robert Hume, who was entitled to vote as he owned land in Lisnaknock townland in Galloon parish.
