Mormeal is a townland lying within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan

Kilcronaghan

Kilcronaghan is a civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Containing one major settlement, Tobermore, and lying on the descending slope of Slieve Gallion, Kilcronaghan is bordered by the civil parishes of Ballynascreen, Desertmartin, Maghera, and Termoneeny. It lies within the former...

, County Londonderry

County Londonderry

The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It lies in the west of the parish with the Altagoan river to its west forming the parish boundary with Ballynascreen. It is bounded by the townlands of: Brackaghlislea

Brackaghlislea

Brackaghlislea is a townland lying within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies to the south-west of the parish and is bounded to the south and west by the civil parish of Ballinascreen. It is bounded by the following townlands: Drumard, Gortahurk,...

, Drumard, Duntibryan, Gortnaskey, Granny

Granny (townland)

Granny is a townland lying within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies in the west of the parish on the boundary of the civil parish of Ballynascreen, and is bounded by the townlands of; Calmore, Duntribryan, Moneyshanere, Mormeal, and Tamnaskey...

, Tamnyaskey

Tamnyaskey

Tamnyaskey is a townland lying within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies in the west of the parish, and is bounded by the townlands of; Brackaghlislea, Calmore, Granny, Mormeal, and Tullyroan...

. It wasn't apportioned to any of the London livery companies

Livery Company

The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...

, being kept as church lands.

The townland is currently part of Tobermore

Tobermore

Tobermore is a small village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is located two and a half miles south of Maghera and five miles west of Magherafelt. Tobermore lies within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan and is part of Magherafelt District Council...

 electoral ward of Magherafelt District Council

Magherafelt District Council

Magherafelt District Council is a district council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. Council headquarters are in Magherafelt. The Council area stretches from Lough Neagh and the River Bann in the east and into the Sperrin Mountains in the west and is divided by the Moyola River. It covers...

, however in 1926 it was part of Tobermore district electoral division as part of the Maghera division of Magherafelt

Magherafelt

Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area...

 Rural District. It was also part of the former barony of Loughinsholin.

Etymology

The actual Irish origin of Mormeal is unknown with several different variants provided, most notably by Alfred Munn Moore. The most recent translation as of 2002 states its origin as being; Mír Mhíchíl, meaning Michael's portion. Older origins include:

• Mor-meall meaning "great hillock". Mór Mael(án) in modern Irish.
• Baile mor miol meaning "town of the monsters".
• Magh-adhair m-bheal meaning "plain of the fire, or adoration, of the god Belus
  Belus
  Belus or Belos may be:* The classical Latin or Greek rendition of Bel the Semitic honorific**Ba`al as a Semitic deity** Belus , the Greek Zeus Belos and Latin Jupiter Belus as translations of the Babylonian god Bel Marduk...
  
   (the sun)".

History

The ruins of the ancient parish church of Kilcronaghan lie within the townland of Mormeal. In the east of the townland on a hill (438 ft.) lies an ancient ráth

Rath

-Things:*Rath, as an alternative spelling of Rat, a German advisory or ruling council, see, e.g., Parlamentarischer Rat*Ráth, Irish ringfort, fortified earthen works* Rath, a plane in the Magic: The Gathering trading card game...

, and one on another hill (450 ft.) to the south.

Population

Year	Pop.
1841	330
1851	254
1861	244
1871	220
1881	209
1911	150
1926	127

Size (acres, roods, poles) Year a, r, p 1851 515, 1, 3 1881 515, 1, 3 1926 527, 1, 31

Earlier recorded forms

Year	Form
1654	Mirrimeith
1657c	Merinnch (D.S.)
1659c	Mirmihellgrany (joined with Granny)
1661	Merrinnieth
1661c	Mirmichell
1672c	Mermeth
1680	Mermeale
1686	Meremeala
1767	Mermeal
1813	Mormeal (S.M.)
(D.S.) - Down Survey Down Survey The Down Survey, also known as the Civil Survey, refers to the mapping of Ireland carried out by William Petty, English scientist in 1655 and 1656.... Map (S.M.) - Sampson's Map