The Pollocks in Ireland always seemed to be farmers. Little changed in the move to Australia. Grain and livestock farming are still significant Polloccupations
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1. Pollocks In Ireland
1700s
According to Jim Pollock of Tivickmoy (or Teevickmoy), Donegal, Ireland, two Pollock brothers came over from Scotland in the early 1700s. They settled on adjacent land, one in the Liskeran (pronounced Les-cairn) locality and the other in Meenavoy. These farms were just north of the town of Stranorlar (pronounced Stran-lah) in south east Donegal. All the Pollocks from this area are likely to be descendants of these brothers.
Stranorlar and Ballbofey are twin towns on opposite sites of the Finn River. Liskeran, Tivickmoy and Meenavoy are farming localities in the hills to the north of the towns. According to a Stranorlar web site the Finn Valley was settled by Scottish and English settlers as part of the Plantation of Ulster, in the aftermath of Cromwell. Possession of the rich land of the Finn Valley was the top priority for Scots and English settlers in Donegal. Jim Pollock claims that the English got the best land along the river while the Scots received the hill land. Stranorlar was chosen as a frontier post in the Plantation. A map of key localities in Donegal's Finn Valley which are mentioned below
Some Research Notes: According to the Index of Wills for Raphoe Barony, Donegal, a George Pollock died at Ballbofey in 1783, a William Pollock in Minavoy (now spelt Meenavoy) in 1788, as well as a John Poak at Minavoy in 1777, and a John Poag in Stranorlar parish in 1737 . There is also a listing of a John Poak and Robert Poak in the 1665 Hearth Money roll for Raphoe. We know that Polk became a popular varient of Pollock in the US. Perhaps Poak and Poag are also spelling variants.
According to the 1796 Spinning Wheel Premium Entitlements List - there were at least these Pollocks farming in the area towards the end of the 18th century - :
- Pollock, David - Stranorlar
- Pollock, James - Stranorlar
- Pollock, James, Jr. - Stranorlar
- Pollock, John - Stranorlar
- Pollock, Joseph - Donaghmore
- Pollock, Richard - Stranorlar
- Pollock, Robert - Stranorlar
- Pollock, Samuel - Raphoe
- Pollock, Samuel - Stranorlar
1800s
In this website we are mainly interested in Alexander Pollock. Born 1841, Alexander married Mary Jane Kilpatrick at Stranorlar, on the 12th April 1870 and soon after emigrated to Australia in 1871. His father was Samuel Pollock and his grand-father is likely to be one of the Pollocks mentioned above in the Spinning Wheel list.
Samuel Pollock Family in Donegal
Alexander Pollock's father, Samuel Pollock married Jane Thompson. The Irish land records of 1857 list both Samuel Pollock and James Pollock as holding land at Liskeran. Samuel held 75acres leased from a George Wilson. According to the earlier 1833 Tithe Applotment Survey, Samuel & James Pollock had a 173 acre block at Liskeran. While this was very large for the times, a modest 14 acres were listed as arable.
The children fo Samuel Pollock and Jane Thompson are thought to include:
- Sarah Pollock. She is thought to have married John Pollock (note same family name), farmer of Meenavoy on 15 May 1854.
- Jenny Pollock: baptised 24 May 1837
- Mary Pollock: baptised 17 May 1839 at the Stranorlar Presbyterian Church
- Alexander Pollock: born at Liskeran 1841; baptised 12 Nov 1841. He emigrated to Australia in 1871.
- James Steele Pollock: baptised 18 May 1844. Went to America?
- Robert Pollock : he had a son Alexander Pollock who was father of the last Pollocks at Liskeran (Tille & Robert) who remained there unmarried until they passed away in about 2000.
- Possibly another son Samuel? who went to America?
In the 1980s the Robert & Tillie Pollock of Liskeran, reported to Jim Pollock of Meenavoy that their grandfather, Robert Pollock, had three brothers, two went to America - their names may have been James Steele Pollock & Samuel Pollock - and one, Alexander who went to Australia. Bachelor and spinster, Robert & Tillie died around the year 2000 resulting in our line of the name Pollock finishing their history in Donegal.
1900s
Liskeran Pollocks after 1871.
The remaining Liskeran Pollocks are from the family of Robert Pollock, brother of Alexander.
The 1901 census shows the following Pollocks at Liskeran:
Robert & Margaret; and R. James, Alexander. Also at the hosue were Andrew Jack and Mary McGarvey - most likely not family.
Alexander (Sandy) Pollock, son of the Robert and Margaret above married Margaret Ann Bell (of Fern) - daughter of John Bell, farmer, on 11 November 1902 at the Stranorlar Presbyterian Church.
The 1911 census shows the family living at No. 5 Liskeran:
Alexander, aged 30 (farmer) and wife Margaret, aged 29. They had been married 8 years and had four children: Maggie (7), Lillie (5), Jane Elizabeth (3) and Annie (0). They has a 16yr old servant Bernard McCauley.
According to Jim Pollock of Meenavoy their children included:
- Margaret - who lived at Liskeran.
- Lilly - she married a man by the name of Dunlop and moved to Castledawson in the Londonderry county of Northern Ireland.
- Tillie - worked in (London)Derry in catering. Didn't marry. Born about 1909. [perhaps proper name Jane Elizabeth].
- Annie - who moved to Newry, Armagh, Northern Ireland; and married a Mr Draffin.
- Robert - who was a farmer. Born about 1913. He never married.
- Ernest - A farmer in Liskeran; later lived in England; but returned later in life to live on the farm with Robert.
- Samuel - he died of cancer when 50 or 60, had a shop in Ballybofey, married a Miss Pepper.
- Norman - the youngest and a Liskeran farmer; died in his 40s from lung cancer.
The 1936/37 Electors List gives the following Pollocks at Liskeran - Alexander; Maggie; Annie & Robert
The children had an uncle Robert who lived at Dunwiley, between Liskeran & Stranorlar. Robert's son Samuel farmed at Dunwiley until 1955 when he sold up and went to the North. Robert Pollock of Dunwiley had two grandsons who live in Melbourne, Ivan and Malcolm.
Robert Pollock, the last of our direct line of Pollocks to remain in Ireland died in about the 2000, aged 87. His obituary states that he was a well known breeder of Clydesdale & Irish draft horses. He is buried in the family burial ground at Stranorlar - service conducted at the Stranorlar Presbyterian Church. He was survived by a sister-in-law Berta Pollock in Limavady.
Other Pollocks in the area - 1800s
Other Pollock's listed in the 1833 Tithe Applotment Survey include:
- Richard Pollock - Meenavoy (18 acres)
- (can't decipher) Pollock - Meenavoy (27 acres)
- James Pollock - Meenavoy (24 acres)
- David Pollock - Meenavoy (21 acres)
- Joseph Pollock - Tivickmoy (23 acres)
- John Pollock - Tivickmoy (16 acres)
- John Pollock - Ballybofey
Twenty-four years later Griffith's valuation of 1857 lists the following:
- Liskeran: James Pollock and Samuel Pollock
- Meenavoy: Richard Pollock, John Pollock, James Pollock (grandfather of Jim Pollock of Tivickmoy) and David Pollock
- Teevickmoy: John Pollock and Joseph Pollock
- Dunwiley: John Pollock
The following records of the Stranorlar Presbyterian Church may be of interest:
Baptisms
To John Pollock, Meenavoy - Martha, July 1830To John Pollock, Meenavoy - Mary Ann, 22 Aug 1855; Samuel born 25 Jun 1857
To Richard Pollock, Meenavoy - Martha, 4 Dec 1838; Sarah, 15 Jan 1849; Sarah, 18 May 1851; Richard, 31 Jul 1854; (mother Sarah Taylor), James 7 June 1858.
To John Pollock, Lettermakenny (adjoins Liskeran) - Martha, 14 August 1832; James, 29 Jan 1834; Jane, 26 May 1836
To John Pollock, Backlees (adjoins Liskeran) - David, 17 Nov 1838; Mary Ann, 23 Sep 1841; Elizabeth , 23 Jul 1843; Hariet, 12 Jul 1845; Margaret, 18 Jul 1848.
To Robert Pollock, Dunwiley - Ellen, born 29 Nov 1894 (mother's family name Paton); Mary Jane, born 23 Jul 1906; Elizabeth Helen Paton, born 19 May 1916.
Marriage
John Pollock of Meenavoy, son of James Pollock to Sarah Pollock, Liskeran, daughter of Samuel Pollock. 15 May 1854. Witness John Shanklin.Other Pollocks - at Meenavoy - 1901 Census
[23] William aged 42 farmer & wife Elizabeth 38 - married 21 Feb 1884 at the Convoy Presbyterian Church. Children: Sarah 15 seamstress; Elizabeth 13 scholar; William 11 scholar; James 9 scholar; Margaret 7 scholar; Esther 5 scholar; John 2; Christine - 4 months. All were Reformed Presbyterians.
[24] James 85 farmer; James and wife Esther both aged 52. At home were children Maggie 19 seamstress; James 17 farm labourer; Esther 16 seamstress; and John 13 scholar. Amother daughter, Matilda, was born in 1878 but was living away at the census. All were Reformed Presbyterians
[27] John 50 farmer; Mary 52 seamstress; Sarah 46 seamstress; and James 40 farm labourer - all unmarried Pollock brothers and sisters. All were Presbyterians.
[29] James Pollock 50, farmer & wife Jane aged 38; and their children - David 15; Ellen 12; William 10; Esther 8; Margaret 6 - all scholars; Rebecca 4 & James 9 months. All were Presbyterians.
Sections
- Pollocks in Donegal Ireland
- Kilpatricks in Donegal Ireland
- Arrival & Settlement in Australia
- Matt Pollock (1874-1950)
- Robert Pollock (1876-1916)
- Alexander Pollock (1882-1945)
- Thomas John Pollock (1884-1964)
- George Pollock (1886-1949)