Metcalf Family, of Derrycrowe, Montaighs

Ted,

Derrycrow is a settlement within the townland of Derryinver, on the edge of Lough Neagh. Looking first at the 1833 tithes for the parish, I see 3 Metcalf farms in Derryinver.  One occupied by Joseph, another by Richard and the 3rdWilliam. Surname spelled Midkiff there but that’s clearly the same as Metcalf. They’d likely all be related.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/armagh/tithe-applotments/montiaghs-parish.php

There’s no Edward in the tithes but they only list farmers or others with land. Labourers/weavers, servants etc without any significant land were not listed.  So Edward was probably a weaver/labourer.

There was a Margaret Metcalf in Griffiths in 1864 on plot 7c which was a house, garden & 7 acres. Often when a woman is in Griffiths she’s a widow, so that could possibly be Margaret Stevenson. But if so, where did she acquire the farm? 

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

The death you have found in 1874 is for a Margaret Metcalf in Derryinver, so right general location, and age, but she was married and was a weaver’s wife. Someone with 7 acres would more normally be a farmer or small farmer rather than a weaver. And if married, it would normally be in her husbands name. Informant was Edward Metcalf of the same townland. No relationship. It’s not certain that she is the same lady as in Griffiths, nor is it clear she;s the correct Edward’s husband.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1874/020674/7254230.pdf

I looked for a death post 1874 of someone who might have been Margaret’s husband but did not find one. So don’t know who that lady was married to.

By 1891 Margaret is deleted (no precise year noted) and replaced by Joseph Metcalf. He had acquired  a little more land and then farm was a total of 14 acres then. Joseph is replaced by Samuel McKinney in 1903.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/searching-valuation-revision-books

4 Metcalf households in Derryinver in 1901. All farmers:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Armagh/Montiaghs/Derryinver/

One was Joseph (married to Alice Ann McCann) and their marriage certificate tells us his father was Edward:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1885/10882/5974305.pdf

Joseph was born c 1855 so too old to be the son of Margaret who died in 1874.

Freeholder’s records for 1822 (PRONI website ARM/5/2/10) list a Richard Metcalf in Derryinver. So he had enough land and security of tenure to have a vote.

I am not sure I have shed much light on the various Metcalf families in Derryinver. You probably need to go through the local church records. The Churhc of Ireland for Montiagh has the following records:

Baptisms, 1822-37 and 1842-1972; marriages, 1823- 1935; burials, 1822-1960; vestry minutes, 1823-1933. Extracts from parish registers, 1789-1863.

There’s a copy in PRONI. If you are unable to go yourself, you could employ a researcher. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net

I noticed, form the 1901 census, that a couple of the families in Derryinver were Presbyterian, so their records might be worth checking too in case the family switched lanes over the years.

MacLysaght’s “The Surnames of Ireland” says: “Metcalf. This English name is in Ireland since early 17th century. It was called Medcalf in Yorkshire whence it came.” So yes your family probably did originate in Yorkshire. Given the location, denomination and MacLysaght’s information, they would have appear to have arrived in the 1600s. No Metcalfs listed in the 1630 Muster Rolls for Armagh so they probably arrived after that year.

Derryinver is in the RC parish of Seagoe. Their records only start in 1836 so tracing the RC family line back will be difficult, if not impossible, due to the lack of records.