Teer

Teer is a townland of 248 statute acres 1 rood and 21 perches about four miles north west of Crossmaglen. In the Tithe Applotment Books, which appears to include Teer Island, the total area is given as 175 acres 1 rood and 21 perches (Plantation Irish measure).It is bounded on the north by Drumlougher, on the east by Annaghmare, on the south by Corliss and on the west by Co. Monaghan and Teer Island. Twenty two of its acres are water, in Lough Aline and Lough Patrick.

Teer Island (127 acres and 26 perches; including 34 acres of water) is included here with Teer.

Name of townland

Tír, "The land of ....". Fr. Murray contends that part of the name has been lost. Tír is generally followed by a person's name eg Tír Eoghain, Tír Chonaill ⁽¹⁾.

There are four townlands called 'Teer' in Ireland. They are in Counties Armagh, Fermanagh, Kerry and Monaghan.

Ordnanace Survey Name Books: Creggan Parish ⁽²⁾

TEAR (OSNB ii 7): This td. is almost surrounded by lakes and through which its boundary passes, Lough Patrick In the N.W., Dromlogher Lough on the E. and Lough Alinnah on the west. Generally under tillage, soil bad, the dwellings poor and wretched.
It contains 248..1..2 of which 22..0..12 is uncultivated and Bog, & 24..0..35 water.

TEAR ISLAND (OSNB ii 9): The greater part of this td: Is surrounded by water, Lough Patrick on the N. & N.E., Lough Alinnagh on South and St Peter's Lough on the N.E. The td. Bounds passes thro' them. It Is a round mile altogether. A grazing farm, there is only one house In It occupied by the herd.
It contains 127..2..15 of which 37..2..15 is uncultivated and Bog.

Valuation

Although the decimalisation of the currency was introduced only in 1971, all of the valuations in the following table have been converted from £sd for convenience.

Year	1837	1851	1864	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	1926	1935	1952	1957	1974
Valuation	£107.29	£186.50	£213.00	£213.00	£213.00	£215.25	£215.25	£213.00	£212.50	£229.75	£226.75	£234.50	£254.00

The 1837 Townland Valuation recorded only houses worth £5 or more a year. There were no such houses in the townland.

Griffiths Valuation records the owner of the land as Thomas P. Ball.

Census of Ireland 1901

In the Census 82 people were enumerated in 21 households; a ratio of 3.9 people per household. The households occupied a total of 52 rooms; a ratio of 2.5 rooms per household and 1.6 people per room. Two of the households had 4 rooms, six had 3 rooms and 13 had 2 rooms.

Native Irish Speakers

Of the 21 households enumerated in the Census three contained native Irish speakers - six in all. Since theirs was the last generation to have been born into a substantially Irish speaking environment, their names, occupations and ages are recorded here. All were born in Co. Armagh with the exception of Mary Duffy, born Co. Monaghan -

• Edward Duffy, farmer, 86
  his son Peter, farmer's son, 51
  and Peter's wife Catherine, 48
• Patrick Duffy, farmer, 66
  and his wife Mary, 58
• Catherine Duffy, farmer, widow, 79

Population Decline

The following table sets out the number of houses and population enumerated in the townland in each of the 11 Censuses held between 1841 and 1951.

	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	1926	1937	1951
Houses	30	30	29	31	29	26	21	19	16	16	14
People	154	158	135	129	109	87	82	82	66	53	41
People per house	5.1	5.3	4.7	4.2	3.8	3.3	3.9	4.3	4.1	3.3	2.9

* In 1841, 1851 and 1861, there was one household on Teer Island

In the period of 110 years, the number of households dropped by 53% and the population by 73%. Contrary to the experience in most of the other townlands, the population rose slightly between 1841 and 1851 - the Famine years. However, thereafter the trend was relentlessly downward and continued throughout the following century.

Names of House and Land Holders ⁽³⁾

The following table sets of the names of those who owned or rented houses and land on the townland at the time the valuation records or population censuses were compiled.