The Crudden family is recorded in only two Fermanagh baronies (Coole and Clonkelly) in the Tithe Applotment Books recorded in the 1820s and 1830s. The only graveyard in the entire region in which Crudden burials are recorded at an early date is Donagh, a few miles south of Lisnaskea. The earliest of three headstones records the death of ‘Phelim Crudden d[ied] 28 Jan[uary] 1803 a[ged] 75; his son James of Kilturk, d. 13 Dec[ember] 1803, a[ged] 67.

Kilturk [North] in Galloon parish would appear to have been the Fermanagh base of the Crudden family and they may have moved there from elsewhere, as there is no record of the family in the Catholic Qualification Rolls of the late C18th. On the other hand, they might simply have been too poor to meet the property requirement for qualification as voters.

By the 1830s, we see the name moving beyond this core area. The Tithe Applotment Book records that there was a James Crudden of Lammy, holding a little over three acres. A James Crudden is also shown as jointly holding nearly 21 acres in Rateen, a joint tenancy with Samuel Mayne. It is possible and even probable that this was the same James Crudden, as Lammy and Rateen are very close, bordering on Gallon parish but within the parish of Clones.

The Catholic Parish register for Clones records that on 27 May 1833, there was a marriage between James Crudden of Drummully Parish and Mary Sweeny. Sweeny’s were an established family in the Aghdrumsee district and it is no surprise that we later see families of Crudden populate this area. As James of Rateen and Lammy was already a local property owner, we can speculate that the James who married Mary Sweeny was his nephew or a cousin. Certainly the James who married Mary Sweeny would appear to have had an abiding relationship with Drummully Parish, two of his daughters marrying into the townlands of Clonshannagh and neighbouring Edergole, in the Wattlebridge district of Drummully.

Between the two of them (James of Lammy and the other James who was to settle in Killyliffer) the Aghadrumsee area saw a steady growth of Crudden families by the mid C19th. Amongst the townlands in which families were recorded by 1862 (Griffith’s Valuation) were the family of Samuel Crudden in Arnot’s Grove [this is Edward’s family, I’m sure, Susan], a Margaret Crudden and a Richard Crudden holding separate homes and farms in Loughgare, James Crudden of Lammy, James Crudden of Killylifferbane Glebe (this was Mary Sweeny’s husband). The name Samuel was unusual in Catholic families and it may be that James of Lammy and Rateen gave his son the name out of respect for Samuel Mayne with whom he held the joint tenancy back in the 1830s!

By then the surname had also spread to the nearby parishes of Aghalurcher and Aghavea and into Clones, County Monaghan.

Apart from a Charles Crudden who married Joanna Dixen on 19 January 1851 and for whom I could find no native townland (he may have been living in Clones town), most of the Crudden of Clones marriages occur in the 1870s. The first, however, was on the 24 February 1868 when Patrick Crudden of Loughgare married Brigid Armstrong of Galloon Parish. Patrick’s parents were most likely Richard Crudden and his wife Mary Cadden of Loughgare. Their daughter Eliza Crudden married in 1870 to Charles McGuire of Glasgow. The next recorded marriage was of Bernard Crudden to Mary McElgunn of Tully townland (also in Clones parish). This Bernard was a son of James Crudden and Sarah Maguire of Lammy. Another son of Richard and Mary named James married Margaret Kierans of Drumaa on 20 February 1873. Then three daughter of James Crudden and Mary Sweeney were married between 1873 and 1876. These were Rose who married Bernard Prunty of Edergole on 29 November 1873, Catherine who married Owen Connolly of Clonshannagh and Sarah who married Peter Lynch of Mullans on 27 July 1876.

Weddings are traditionally held in the native parish of the bride, so it is possible (indeed likely) that other Crudden boys followed the example of Patrick above and married into neighbouring parishes and even into parishes in Scotland and America. Certainly we know that the sons of Samuel of Arnot’s Grove would eventually emigrate.

There is no record in any of the above of marriages associated with Samuel Crudden of Arnot’s Grove. This is, however, currently being researched by a direct descendant, Edward Crudden, to whom I am grateful for the following information. Samuel was married to Ann Lynch (of Mullans?). Their children included Edward (b.1857), John (b.1860), Bridget and Ellenor who was born in 1870. After a period in the military, Edward moved to the USA where, in 1895, he contested the New York mayoral election. He spent $400 on the campaign and secured 70 votes., a poor return on his investment! According to his grandnephew, ‘He was known as the Coachman candidate, as he drove a coach drawn by 4 white horses around the city. He was reputed to have worked in SingSing prison but I have found no mention of that yet. I’m fairly sure he was unmarried and returned to Ireland to the home place.’

By such anecdotes if genealogy brought to life! Sure where would we be without the odd skeleton?

It appears from the death records that Samuel Crudden died in 1898, aged 80 years. This suggests [certainty is difficult as people often guessed their age] that he was born in 1818. Could this be the period when his father, James became a partner in a lease with Samuel Mayne?

Below are listed all of the Registry of births, deaths and marriages entries for Cruddens in Clones Poor Law Union between 1864 and the latter years of the C19th (1878 in the case of marriages), with additional detail provided by the Clones parish register. It should be noted that the poor law union area was much greater than the parish, and would have included all of Drummully Parish, as well as a fair bit of Galloon.

Crudden births (Clones PLU)
1864 None
1865 Anne 8 173
1866 None
1867 Bridget 8 173
1868 None
1869 Mary 18 155 [of Patrick Crudden & Brigid Armstrong, Loughgare]
1870 Ellenor 13 149 [of Sam Crudden & Ann Lynch, Arnot’s Grove]
The birth of James, son of Bernard Crudden & Mary McElgunn of Lammy not registered
1871 Catherine 8 173 [of Patrick Crudden & Brigid Armstrong, Loughgare]
1872 Elizabeth 18 140 [of Patrick Crudden & Brigid Armstrong, Loughgare]
1873 None
1874 Patrick 8 171 [of James Crudden & Margaret Kierans, Loughgare]
Rose Ann 18 145 [of Patrick Crudden & Brigid Armstrong, Loughgare]
1875 Mary 8 163 [of James Crudden & Margaret Kierans, Loughgare]
The birth of Hugh Pat, son of Bernard Crudden & Mary McElgunn of Lammy not registered
1876 None
The birth of Bernard, son of Bernard Crudden & Mary McElgunn of Lammy not registered
The birth of Mary, daughter of Sarah Crudden & Peter Lynch, Mullans, probably recorded under Lynch
1877 Bridget 8 167 [of Patrick Crudden & Brigid Armstrong, Loughgare]
1878 Richard 3 158 March [of James Crudden & Margaret Kierans, Loughgare]
1879 Edward 3 131 Dec. [of Patrick Crudden & Brigid Armstrong, Loughgare]
The birth of Joseph, son of Bernard Crudden & Mary McElgunn of Lammy not registered
The birth of Mary, daughter of Sarah Crudden & Peter Lynch, Mullans, probably recorded under Lynch
1880 None
1881 None
1882 Margaret 3 137 March
1883 None
1884 John 3 130 March
Patrick 3 139 June
1885 None
1886 Philip 3 106 Sept.
Elizabeth 3 119 Dec.
1887 None
1888 None
1889 Margaret 3 119 March
1890 None
1891 None
1892 None
1893 None
1894 None

Crudden Marriages (Clones PLU)
1864 – None
1865 Anne
1866 None
1867 None
1868 Patt 3 180
1869 None
1870 Eliza 8 133 [Eliza Crudden of Loughgare to Charles McGuire of Glasgow]
Rose Anne 18 135
[The marriage of Bernard Crudden of Lammy to Mary McElgunn of Tully is not registered]
1871 None
1872 None
1873 James 3 160 [James Crudden of Loughgare to Margaret Kierans of Drumaa]
Rose 18 134 [Rose Crudden of Killylifferbane Glebe to Bernard Prunty]
1874 Bessy 13 127 [Elizabeth Crudden of ? married Pat Grew of ?]
Catherine 13 129 [Catherine Crudden of Killyliffer to Owen Connolly of Clonshannagh]
1875 Sarah 13 109 [Sarah Crudden of Killyliffer to Peter Lynch] date discrepancy 1876
1876 None
1877 None
1878 Michael 3 163

Crudden Deaths (Clones PLU)
Year Name Age Vol. Page [From 1882 onwards the relevant quarter is given]
1864 Anne 80 8 102
Bernard 71 8 98
1865 Patrick 76 3 129
Sarah 74 3 130
1866 None
1867 Anne 78 3 142
1868 Bessie 72 18 98
James 68 3 119
1869 None
1870 Patrick 84 13 86
1871 None
1872 None
1873 None
1874 None
1875 None
1876 Mary 36 8 109
1877 None
1878 None
1879 None
1880 None
1881 None
1882 Richard 79 3 96 [June]
1883 Eliza 10 3 123 [March]
1884 Mary 70 3 102 [March]
1885 Patrick 90 3 100 [June]
1886 None
1887 Bella 97 3 171 [March] Death recorded in Lisnaskea PLU, not Clones
Mary 80 3 145 [June] Death recorded in Lisnaskea PLU, not Clones
1888 None
1889 Catherine 73 3 138 [June] Death recorded in Lisnaskea PLU, not Clones
Margaret 1 3 84 [Dec.]
Margaret 35 3 84 [Dec.]
1890 Mary Anne 42 3 160 [March] Death recorded in Lisnaskea PLU, not Clones
1891 Mary 85 3 107 [March] [This was Mary of Loughgare]
1892 Mary 80 3 76 [Dec.] [This was Mary of Loughkillygreen]
Mary 18 3 79 [Dec.]
1893 Catherine 28 3 83 [March]
1894 Margaret 77 3 112 [March]
Patrick 77 3 134 [June]Death recorded in Lisnaskea PLU, not Clones
1895 Anne 57 3 96 [March]
1896 Margaret 65 3 77 [Sept.]
Margaret 70 3 79 [Dec.]
1897 John 62 3 71 [Sept.]
1898 Samuel 80 3 98 [March]
1899 None
1900 Sarah 70 [Died in December 1899, but registered in January 1900]

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