McFarlands & Septs in Ireland: Part 3-The Restoration
McFarlands & Septs in Ireland
By Mary Helen Haines, ©2013
Part 3
The Restoration
When Oliver Cromwell died in 1659, Parliament was ready for a change and invited the Stewarts back to England. Charles II, son of the beheaded Charles I, left his exile in France and returned to London. With Charles II’s return, the fortunes of the Stewarts in general saw better days; however, Charles did not keep his promises to the Scottish Presbyterians living in Ireland and religious liberty was not attained. The Church of Ireland was the official church, in other words an Episcopal state church, which offended the sensibilities of the Irish Catholics and many of the Scottish Presbyterians living in Ireland.
The new Restoration government also needed funds, so in 1663-1665 a new tax directly on the inhabitants of Ireland was instituted. The tax was based on the number of hearths in each home, and the list recorded the Barony, the forename, surname, and the townland and/or parish they lived in. Below are all the McFarlands and sept names that have been discovered so far. Considering that there were about 16 families of mcffarlans recorded in 1630 in the Muster Rolls, we can conclude that many mcffarlans were among the Scots that returned home during the Civil War and the Irish Rebellion. In the absence of parish church records, this tax list is the best clue we have for where our ancestors in lived in Ireland in these early years.
1665 Hearth Money Rolls in Donegal (Mervine, pp. 269-272)
Barony of Eneshowen (Inishowen)
Brian O’Farlan of Carnamady in Templemore Parish*
Barony of Kilmacrenan
John M’Farland of Crieslough in Clandahurka Parish
John m’Farlan of Drumhallagh in Killigarvan Parish