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LEI
occupied by the Spaniards in 1601, and by the royalists
in 1641. There are several chalybeate springs, which,
are not much used.
LEITRIM (County of): a county, of which a very
small portion is maritime, in the province of CONNAUGHT,
bounded on the west by the counties of Sligo and Ros-
common, on the south by that of Longford, on the east
by those of Cavan and Fermanagh, and on the north by
that of Donegal and by Donegal bay. It extends
from 53° 45’ to 54° 29’ (N. Lat.) and from 7° 33’ to
8° 8’ (W. Lon.); and comprises, according to the Ord-
nance survey, 420,375 statute acres, of which 266,640
are cultivated land, 128,167 are unimproved mountain
and bog, and 25,568 are under water. The population,
in. 1821, was 124,785, and in 1831, 141,303.
According to Ptolemy, this tract, together with that
comprised in the counties of Fermanagh and Cavan, was
occupied by the Erdini, called in Irish Ernaigh, who pos-
sessed the entire country bordering on Lough Erne.
This county, together with that of Cavan and part of
Fermanagh, afterwards formed the territory of Breffny
or Brenny, which was divided into two principalities, of
which the present county of Leitrim formed the western,
under the name of Lower or West Breffny, and Hy-Briuin-
Breffny, from Brian, son of Eachod, and grandson of
Muredach, first king of Connaught of the Scottish race.
Sometimes this county was also designated Breffny
O’Ruark, O’Rorke, O’Roirk, or O’Rourk, from the name of
the family that ruled over it from a very early period.
Its subordinate divisions were Dromahaire, the present
barony of the same name; Lietdrumai or Liathdromen,
the modern Leitrim; Munster Eolus, or Hy Colluing,
the present baronies of Carrigallen and Mohill, the
principal families of which were the Maghraunals, or
Mac Granells; and Hy Murragh, the modern barony of
Rossclogher, of which the chiefs were the O’Murroghs,
or O’Murreys. For some time after the arrival of the
English, the whole was considered to form part of the
ill-defined county of Roscommon: but the O’Rourks
maintained an independent authority in their own terri-
tory until the middle of the 16th century. Tiernan
O’Rourk, an active military chief, governed here in the
latter part of the 12th century, when the princes of Con-
naught and Leinster combined to expel him from his
territory; and Dermod Mac Murrough, the king of Lein-
ster, taking advantage of their success, carried off his
wife Dervorghal; but the expelled chieftain having ap-
plied for aid to Turlogh, supreme king of Ireland, the
latter not only reinstated him in his principality, but
regained him his wife. The English, soon after their ar-
rival, in conjunction with their ally Dermod, invaded the
territory of Breffny, where, however, Dermod was twice
defeated, and compelled to secure his safety by a preci-
pitate retreat. O’Rourk afterwards made an unsuccessful
attack on Dublin, when, in the possession of Strongbow’s
forces; yet subsequently he joined Hen. II. against Rode-
ric, king of Connaught. The line of independent chieftains
of this family terminated in Brian O’Rourk, lord of Breff-
ny and Minterolis, who, relying on the promises of Pope
Sixtus V. and the king of Spain, threw off his allegiance
to Queen Elizabeth; but having been forced to flee to
Scotland, he was there taken prisoner and conveyed to
London, where he was executed as a traitor, on which
occasion it is recorded that the only favour he asked was
to be hanged, after his country’s fashion, with a rope of
252
LEI
twisted withe. His territory having escheated to the
Crown, extensive grants were given to English proprie-
tors, and, in 1565, it was erected into a county by Sir
Henry Sidney, under the name of Leitrim, from its chief
town. The O’Rourks ruled over several subordinate
septs, the principal families of whom were the O’Murrey’s,
Mac Loghlins, Mac Glanchies, and Mac Grannels, some of
whose posterity still exist; the descendants of the last-
named family are now called Reynolds, a corruption of
the original name.
The native Irish were constantly at variance with
the English settlers to whom the lands had been par-
celled out by Elizabeth and James I.: in the war of
1641 they were among the first who joined the standard
of O’Nial, and in a short time the whole country was in
the possession of the insurgents, and so continued during
the greater part of this war, on the termination of
which the lands of all engaged on the part of the Irish
were forfeited. At the Restoration, Chas. II. made ex-
tensive grants to new settlers; and on the abdication of
Jas. II. many more grants of a similar nature were made
by his successor. During the insurrection of 1798, this
part of the kingdom was undisturbed except by a few
isolated acts of violence.
The county is partly in the diocese of Ardagh, but
chiefly in that of Kilmore. For purposes of civil juris-
diction it is divided into the baronies of Carrigallen,
Dromahaire, Leitrim, Mohill, and Rossclogher. It con-
tains the disfranchised borough, market, and assize
town of Carrick-on-Shannon; the disfranchised bo-
rough of Jamestown; the market and post-towns of
Manor-Hamilton, Ballinamore, and Mohill; and the
post-towns of Drumod, Drumsna, and Ruskey. The
largest villages are Cashcarrigan, Carrigallen, Droma-
haire, Drumkeerin, Drumshambo (each of which has a
penny-post), Leitrim (once the county and assize town),
and Kinlough. Leitrim sent six members to the Irish
parliament: since the Union two only have been re-
turned for the county to the Imperial Parliament; the
election takes place at Carrick-on-Shannon. The
number of electors registered under the provisions of
the 2nd and 3rd of Wm.IV., cap. 88, in January 1836,
was 1491, of whom 186 were £50, 161 £20, and 1105
£10 freeholders; and 39 £10 leaseholders. The county
is in the Connaught Circuit: the assizes and general
quarter sessions are held at Carrick-on-Shannon;
quarter sessions are held also at Manor-Hamilton and
Ballinamore. The county gaol and court-house are at
Carrick; and there are court-houses and bridewells at
Manor-Hamilton and Ballinamore. The number of per-
sons charged with criminal offences and committed to
prison for this county, in 1835, was 310. The local go-
vernment is vested in a lieutenant, twelve deputy-lieu-
tenants, and sixty-one magistrates, with the usual coun-
ty officers. There are 18 constabulary police stations,
having a force of a stipendiary magistrate, a.sub-in-
spector, 5 chief officers, 21 constables, 105 men and 6
horses, the expense of whose maintenance is defrayed
by Grand Jury presentments and by Government, in
equal proportions. The county infirmary is at Carrick-
on-Shannon; the district lunatic asylum for Connaught
is at Ballinasloe, where accommodations are provided
for 13 cases from this county; and there are dispen-
saries at Ballinamore, Carrick-on-Shannon, Carrigal-
len, Drumsna Kinlough, Kiltubrid, Manor-Hamilton,